text: Building a parallel universe Biochemistry 14 December 10 by John Bohannon Spencer Higgins The week that Sasselov met with Szostak and Church to discuss mirror life, a catastrophe was under way across the Charles River at Enzyme, one of the largest biotech companies in the world. Two of its top sellers -- medicines for treating the rare genetic disorders Gaucher's disease and Fabry disease -- are proteins. In people with these maladies, fats accumulate in the blood, organs and brain, causing symptoms from burning pain to kidney failure -- unless they get the drugs, which are produced by genetically modified cells suspended in giant nutrient pools called bioreactors. But that week, a virus that disrupts cell reproduction infected one of the bioreactors. The entire plant had to be shut down.It was a hard summer for Genzyme, as well as for the people who rely on its medications. While the company decontaminated its bioreactors, thousands of patients around the world rationed their drug supplies. Genzyme's stock price dropped 20 per cent. When Church talks about mirror life's quirky advantages, invulnerability to this kind of mishap is high on his list. " Viruses can't touch a mirror cell," he says. No virus has evolved to infect it. And even if a normal virus did figure out how to get past the membrane of a mirror cell, which usually requires a mechanism that would be thwarted by wrong-handed molecules, the mirror genome would be unreadable to the attacker. Viruses work by hijacking their victims' genomes, taking over the cellular machinery for making proteins to build more of themselves; a normal virus wouldn't have any effect on a mirror cell's factory. This makes mirror life a potential workhorse for biotech.As it happens, the cell that Sasselov ultimately wants to create -- a chiral twin of E. coli -- couldn't manufacture proteins the way Genzyme's cells do. It would make for chirally flipped versions, which would almost certainly be useless.But that's not the sort of mirror cell Church has in mind. The problem, he says, is that billions of years of evolutionary R&D have made today's bacterial cells tough, adaptable and very good at making more of themselves -- but inefficient at spitting out designed-to-order molecules in a bioreactor. Church wants a "minimal mirror cell to produce specific proteins: mirror, normal and even mixes of the two, but far more efficient than a bioreactor full of finicky, genetically engineered cells.The problem for now is that Church's entire lab is tuned to the wrong chiral setting. Every step on the path to making a mirror cell is blocked by the absence of the right protein tool. The molecule that makes DNA, called DNA polymerase, isn't the right shape to string together wrong-handed nucleic acids. Want to translate those mirror genes into enzymes? The protein machine that makes RNA copies of DNA -- it's called RNA polymerase -- can't latch on to mirror DNA. And normal ribosomes can't read mirror RNA or string together mirror amino acids.That's why Church has been hacking the ribosome, the master tool that makes all the rest. His plan is to make one that reads regular RNA transcripts of genes, but can string together wrong-handed amino acids to form mirror proteins. "It would be a bridge between our world and the mirror world," Church says. With it, he'd be able to pick a known gene from a library and build mirror protein tools. Chief among them will be a full-on mirror ribosome; no easy task since the ribosome is a mountain of a molecule, protein and RNA, dating from a time before Luca. But with a set of mirror proteins, Church thinks he could build one.None of this will be easy. Messing with the ribosomes inside a living cell can kill it, so Church is going to make ribosomes self-assemble and function in a test tube. Then he'll have to find mutant versions that will accept wrong-handed amino acids. Think of it as switching wrench sockets from imperial to metric. Church and his team have cracked the first step. Although they haven't yet published their results, last year his team got a synthetic ribosome to self-assemble and produce luciferase, the protein that makes fireflies glow. And he has a library of mutant ribosomes that have the right kind of sockets -- they'll accept mirror amino acids. This is where the money comes in. Some the most valuable drugs are actually tiny proteins that include wrong-handed amino acids such as the immunosuppressant cyclosporine. To manufacture it, pharmaceutical companies have to rely on an inefficient and expensive fungus. A hacked ribosome modified to handle both normal and mirror amino acids could crank out the stuff on an industrial scale.And why stop at what we already know? Being able to produce unnatural proteins cheaply means you could synthesise billions of them and then test them in parallel for anti-tumour and antibiotic properties. Once you got a hit, Szostak says, you could generate trillions of variations on that molecule, "figure out which are the good ones and evolve them".Church thinks even bigger. A manufacturing ribosome would be great, but a fully domesticated mirror cell -- able to synthesise more complicated stuff -- would change everything. All production will be biological," he says. In that science-fiction future, vats of virus-proof mirror cells could pump out biofuel, lay down nano-size organic circuitry and even extrude organic cement foundations for skyscrapers. Read page 4 12345 Read on one page Comments Latest on wired.co.uk


text:
The Real Final Four – Gold, Silver, Platinum, and Palladium
What is a precious metal? To NC State employees (like me) – many metals could be considered precious (relative to my salary, ha ha ha). Wikipedia says its gold, silver, platinum and palladium. It also states that "other precious metals include the platinum group metals: ruthenium, rhodium, palladium, osmium, iridium, and platinum…" Now that's a lot of iums.
What about waste regulations? Are these metals regulated as hazardous waste? The answer is yes. Our most favorite reg - RCRA (pronounced rick-ra) – has requirements for industries that choose to recycle precious metals (can you believe that?). They say that an industry has to:
- Notify EPA of Precious Metal Recycling Activity (under their Hazardous Waste Notification)
- Not speculatively accumulate precious metals within a year (recycle at least 75% of precious metals to during the year – that was present at the beginning of the year).
Now that's not tooooo bad. But seriously folks - who cares about speculative accumulation - show me the money. Gold is at an all time high ($1432/oz). Will it continue to increase? And are there real gold flakes in the liqueur – Goldschlager? These are the questions that any sane person would be blogging about.
Until Next Time …

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Paula Patton Refused to Maintain Marriage with Sleezy Robin Thicke
You Won't Believe How Brad and Angie Travel
Caitlyn Jenner Shows Off Her Tomboy Side
12 Celebrities Who Are Kind of Gross
Weighing in on 8 Celebrities Weight
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Halle Berry Can't Keep it Together: The Latest Drama Unveiled
Emma Watson's Intentional "Side Boob"
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The 5 Most Devastating Celebrity Break-Ups
Jennifer Love Hewitt's Baby Boy's Name Will Surprise You
Taylor Swift's BFFs Majorly Betrayed Her
Brad Pitt & Angelina Jolie: When is it Time to Seek Help?
Beyonce Isn't as Flawless as We Thought
Ben and Jennifer: It's Officially Over
Best Celebrity Beach Bodies of 2015
Separated at Birth! People Who Look Like Celebs
Does Amal Clooney Have a Secret Stylist?
How Is Jill Zarin Coping After Horrible Cancer News?
14 Celebrity Moms Who Breastfeed in Public
The Adorable Children of Reality TV Stars
Dwayne Johnson Confesses His Crush on Hayley Atwell
10 Secrets The Olsen Twins Have Been Hiding


text:
By Letters Patent dated 10 November 2005, the Hon TRH Cole AO RFD QC was appointed Commissioner to conduct an inquiry into and report on whether decisions, actions, conduct or payments by Australian companies mentioned in the Final Report ("Manipulation of the Oil-for-Food Programme by the Iraqi Regime") of the Independent Inquiry Committee into the United Nations Oil-for-Food Programme breached any Federal, State or Territory law.
The Inquiry was instigated following the expressed wish of the Secretary-General of the United Nations Mr Kofi Annan in a statement issued on 27 October 2005 with the release of the Committee's report (the Volcker Report) that "national authorities will take steps to prevent the recurrence of such practices in the future and that they will take action, where appropriate, against companies falling within their jurisdiction."
On 3 February 2006 Commissioner Cole indicated in a Statement made in Hearings that he would seek to have his Terms of Reference amended to broaden the scope of this Inquiry in certain areas. On 6 February 2006 further Letters Patent were issued setting down the requested changes to the Terms of Reference.
On 10 March 2006 the Commissioner was issued with further Letters Patent amending the date by which he must furnish his report to 30 June 2006.
On 17 March, in response to a request from the Commissioner that any doubt about the scope of his Inquiry be avoided, further Letters Patent were issued which amended the Terms of Reference.
On 22 June 2006 the Commissioner was issued with revised Terms of Reference changing the date by which he must furnish his report to 29 September 2006
On 21 September 2006 revised Terms of Reference were issued which extended the Commissioner's reporting date to 24 November 2006.
The Inquiry has the powers conferred by the Royal Commissions Act 1902.
On 24 November 2006 Commissioner Cole presented the Report of his Inquiry to the Governor-General.


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text:
Clifford A. Jones is an Associate In Law Research and Lecturer at the University of Florida Levin College of Law. He contributed an article on "European Commission" to SAGE Publications' Encyclopedia of Political Communication (2008), and a version of this article was used for his Britannica entry on this topic.
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Goodmorning and a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to the crowd at ARP!
From Corny's post: I know a guy right now who will absolutely freak out if you even attempt to show him a gun..... Im not word smithing either..... this boy will freak out to the point of threatening to become violent....lol.... If you dont put the gun away.
When I read this, my first thought was not freaking out about guns... rather someone that was soooo emotionally unstable they did not have any self-control. This kind of emotional unstability comes from a really messy life, a place where denial is the only way one can function. Sometimes the person is running from a situation, sometimes from an experience, sometimes from themselves. Regardless... the person is not mentally healthy... and they are potentially a threat to themselves as well as those around them... How? Well when that cashier in the store freaked out over the mag... well she also has to drive home after her shift... I wonder if she is mentally stable enough to not do something irrational and cause an accident?
We really need to address the was our society lives on the edge... rather than blame an inanimate object... when our frayed lifestyle causes issues.


text:
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A French court on Monday declared U.S. biotech giant Monsanto guilty of chemical poisoning of a French farmer, a judgment that could lend weight to other health claims against pesticides.
In the first such case heard in court in France, grain grower Paul Francois, 47, says he suffered neurological problems including memory loss, headaches and stammering after inhaling Monsanto's Lasso weedkiller in 2004.
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You are in North America
|Albert J. Mills
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The Encyclopedia of Case Study Research provides a compendium on the important methodological issues in conducting case study research and explores both the strengths and weaknesses of different paradigmatic approaches. These two volumes focus on the distinctive characteristics of case study research and its place within and alongside other research methodologies.
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17:57 01-07-2015
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ASU researchers on verge of medical breakthrough
PHOENIX -- We have trillions of germs in our body.
"You have bacteria in your gut, on your skin, in your eyes," said Arizona State University professor Mark A. Hayes. "I know it sounds gross, but a lot of these are very favorable partners in our lives."
But some of the bacteria are bad. Hayes said his team has developed a microfluidic chip that can help doctors tell which are good and which are bad.
"Imagine a microscope slide. On that microscope slide, we've etched some channels with the same technology that you make computer microchips with," he said. "We are able to take those small channels, put some fluids and some blood -- and obviously bacteria and other materials in there -- and isolate and concentrate the good ones from the bad ones."
Hayes said that the chip could lead to an earlier medical diagnosis and treatment. He's been working on this for about 20 years. The chip is about one year away from trials at several Valley hospitals.
"Once we show that we can prevent people from getting classic staph infections and prevent people from spreading infections in the hospitals by treating and identifying those diseases quickly, (the use of the microfluidic chip) will spread like wildfire (to hospitals throughout the country)," said Hayes.


text: Other than my first time tarpon fishing (had one on for half an hour), my experience with circle hooks is limited to the stillwater steelhead fishing I alluded to in my earlier post. So, I realize there are differences with fishing for salmon in the Sound, or flossing sockeye. In the case of these trib mouth fisheries, circles may work better because we are using a much slower (painfully slow) retrieve. The grabs (when they finally decide to bite) are also very aggressive. I started using circles after having a few fish inhale flies past the gill rakers and come in bleeding. Haven't had that happen since with a circle hook. Even with the small hook sizes, usually #8, the circle hooks always seem to bury into the corner of the mouth. Never hooked one on the outside corner but I'd say they stick extremely well on taken flies. Landed plenty of fish (including some silvers) in the 6-15lb range on a hook that is more appropriately sized for trout or panfish. The key is NOT setting the hook. Easier said than done since that response is burned into our fishing firmware so to speak. For that reason I have doubts whether they would work as a stinger unless the main hook was also a circle (the decision was made to forego hooksetting completely). Might work great though. If they miss the main hook, the stinger might hang up in the corner as the fish turns away - just like a circle was designed to do. If someone tries this I'd be very interested to hear the results. Either style of hook works, you just need to use them as they are intended. If you go with circles, make a genuine effort to reprogram your hook setting. If you fish them like regular hooks, you'll miss most of your takes. When fishing a circle hook, feel the take, strip in just enough to VERY GENTLY "say hello", and hold tension on the line until you can feel the full weight of the fish. Then, maybe, give it a light tug to fully seat the hook, and of course, hit the "launch button" at the same time.


text:
Greatest Hits (2004)
|Artist: Shania Twain
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Learn more about Greatest Hits:
Format: CD
Manufacturer: Universal Music Group
Sku: 63910797
Release Date: 11/9/2004
See more in Western Swing
Song Listing
Disc 1
Song Title
1. Forever And For Always ~ Shania Twain
2. I'm Gonna Getcha Good! ~ Shania Twain
3. Up! ~ Shania Twain
4. Come On Over ~ Shania Twain
5. Man! I Feel Like A Woman! ~ Shania Twain
6. That Don't Impress Me Much ~ Shania Twain
7. From This Moment On ~ Shania Twain
8. Honey, I'm Home ~ Shania Twain
9. You're Still The One ~ Shania Twain
10. Don't Be Stupid (You Know I Love You) ~ Shania Twain
11. Love Gets Me Every Time ~ Shania Twain
12. No One Needs To Know ~ Shania Twain
13. You Win My Love ~ Shania Twain
14. (If You're Not in It for Love) I'm Outta Here! ~ Shania Twain
15. Woman In Me, The (Needs The Man In You) ~ Shania Twain
16. Any Man Of Mine ~ Shania Twain
17. Whose Bed Have Your Boots Been Under? ~ Shania Twain
18. Party For Two - (previously unreleased, featuring Mark McGrath) ~ Shania Twain
19. Don't! - (previously unreleased) ~ Shania Twain
20. Party for Two - (previously unreleased) ~ Shania Twain
21. I Ain't No Quitter - (previously unreleased) ~ Shania Twain
|Shania Twain's Greatest Hits, the first ever greatest hits album from the multi-Grammy, platinum-selling artist, features Twain's chart-topping hits, as well as three brand new songs. "Party for Two," the first single to be released to radio, is recorded in two versions.
Album Notes and Credits
Notes & Personnel Info
|Personnel: Shania Twain (background vocals); Shania Twain (vocals); Mark McGrath, Billy Currington (vocals); Brent Mason (guitar, electric guitar); John Willis (acoustic guitar, banjo, bouzouki, mandolin); Michael Thompson (electric guitar, slide guitar, E-bow, bouzouki); Billy Crain (slide guitar); B.J. Cole (dobro); Terry McMillan (harp, harmonica, cowbells); Jonathan Yudkin (mandolin, violin, fiddle, cello); Glen Duncan , Larry Franklin, Rob Hajacos, Aubrey Haynie, Stuart Duncan, Joe Spivey (fiddle); David Hamilton , The Irish Film Orchestra, Carl Marsh (strings); Joey Miskulin (accordion); John Barlow Jarvis (piano, Wurlitzer organ); Matt Rollings, Michael Omartian (piano); John Hobbs (organ, Wurlitzer organ); Joe Chemay (electric bass, bass guitar, fretless bass); Diamond Duggal, Simon Duggal (percussion); Olle Romo (programming); Dan Huff (guitar, electric guitar, electric 12-string guitar, wah-wah guitar, electric sitar, talk box, 6-string bass, sound effects); Biff Watson (acoustic guitar, electric guitar, nylon-string guitar); Larry Byrom (acoustic guitar, slide guitar); The Nashville String Machine (strings); Arthur Stead (piano, organ, Wurlitzer organ); Paul Leim (drums, percussion); Robert John "Mutt" Lange (background vocals).
|Audio Mixers: Michel Gallone; Lynn Peterzell; Mike Shipley; Steve McMillan.
|Recording information: A.R.P. Track Productions, St. Anne Des Lacs, Quebec, Ca; Battery Studios, Nashville, TN; Compass Point Studios, Nassau, The Bahamas; Emerald Sound Studios, Nashville, TN; GBT Studio, Nashville, TN; Glenn Gould Studio, Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Javelina Recording Studios, Nashville, TN; Masterfonics Tracking Room, Nashville, TN; Officine Meccaniche Next Recording Studios, Milan, Ital; Recording Arts, Nashville, Yn; Seven Studios, Mamaroneck, NY; Seventeen Grand Recording, Nashville, TN; Sound Stage Studio, Nashville, TN; Windmill Lane Recording Studio, Dublin, Ireland.
|Arranger: Robert John "Mutt" Lange.
|With the help of her husband, "Mutt" Lange, a legendary producer who helmed mammoth hits by AC/DC and Def Leppard, Canadian songstress Shania Twain developed a highly commercial style of country-tinged pop music that helped her become one of the biggest stars in America. Though GREATEST HITS doesn't include the two major singles from her 1993 self-titled debut, Twain has released so many hits that the 21-track disc is still overflowing with familiar chart-busters. Listening to these ubiquitous songs all in one stretch will leave listeners awed at the breadth of Twain and Lange's incredible talent for catchy pop ditties that sound cutting-edge while still retaining that ever-important hint of Nashville twang. In fact, though laced with the usual fiddles and steel guitars, many songs end up recalling ABBA and the Cars as much as anything south of the Mason-Dixon Line. Of course, the main attraction is always Twain's smoothly sensual voice, which has won over millions of fans worldwide.
Producer: Robert John Lange; Robert John Lange
Engineer: Brian Masterson; Bob Bullock; Mike Carroll; Rob Degroff; Jeff Balding; Lee Groitzsch; Nick Keca; Olle Romo; Ron "Snake" Reynolds; Terry Manning; Warren Peterson; Brian Masterson; Bob Bullock
Musical Guests
|Billy Currington
|Mark McGrath
Artist Overview
The ultimate Nashville outsider, Canadian Shania Twain (Eileen Regina Twain) took the country music world by storm with her second album, THE WOMAN IN ME. Famous for her midriff-baring outfits, Twain conquered the rest of the world with the 16-times platinum COME ON OVER, which brought her global pop success, a contract with Revlon cosmetics, and a Country Music Association Entertainer of the Year award. In 2002, Twain (along with producer/husband Robert "Mutt" Lange) made the unusual move of recording and releasing the album UP! in both country, pop, and world-music versions, revealing the full extent of her remarkable crossover status.
Artist Influences
Aretha Franklin | Barbara Mandrell | Carpenters | Def Leppard | Dolly Parton | Elton John | Garth Brooks | Heart | Linda Ronstadt | Loretta Lynn | Pat Benatar | Reba McEntire | Sheena Easton | Tammy Wynette | The Judds
Aretha Franklin | Barbara Mandrell | Carpenters | Def Leppard | Dolly Parton | Elton John | Garth Brooks | Heart | Linda Ronstadt | Loretta Lynn | Pat Benatar | Reba McEntire | Sheena Easton | Tammy Wynette | The Judds
Artist Contemporaries
Bomshel | Celine Dion | Collin Raye | Deana Carter | Dixie Chicks | Faith Hill | Garth Brooks | Jennifer Paige | Jo Dee Messina | Kevin Sharp | Kinleys | LeAnn Rimes | Lee Ann Womack | Lila McCann | Lorrie Morgan | Lynns | Martina McBride | Mindy McCready | Pam Tillis | Patty Loveless | Reba McEntire | Sherri? Austin (Singer) | Terri Clark | Tim McGraw | Toby Keith | Trisha Yearwood | Wynonna | Wynonna Judd
Bomshel | Celine Dion | Collin Raye | Deana Carter | Dixie Chicks | Faith Hill | Garth Brooks | Jennifer Paige | Jo Dee Messina | Kevin Sharp | Kinleys | LeAnn Rimes | Lee Ann Womack | Lila McCann | Lorrie Morgan | Lynns | Martina McBride | Mindy McCready | Pam Tillis | Patty Loveless | Reba McEntire | Sherri? Austin (Singer) | Terri Clark | Tim McGraw | Toby Keith | Trisha Yearwood | Wynonna | Wynonna Judd
Artist Followers
Brad Paisley | Jamie O'Neal (Country) | Kinleys | Laura Bell Bundy | Lila McCann | Mindy McCready | Rascal Flatts | Sara Evans | SHeDAISY | Terri Clark
Brad Paisley | Jamie O'Neal (Country) | Kinleys | Laura Bell Bundy | Lila McCann | Mindy McCready | Rascal Flatts | Sara Evans | SHeDAISY | Terri Clark
Compilation Appearances
|Just Because I'm A Woman-Songs Of Dolly Parton
|Duets:Friends & Legends
|Vh1 Divas Live
|Lost Highway
Associated Artists and Works
|Arneson, Mark
|On, Pickin'
|Pickin' On
|Teri Tims
|VH1 Divas Live ~ Various Artists
Technical Info
|Release Date : 11/09/2004
|Original Release Date : 2004
|Catalog ID : 000307202
|Label : Mercury Nashville
|Number of Discs : 1
|Studio/Live : Studio
|Mono/Stereo : Stereo
|SPAR Code : n/a
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text:
Verda Preston Carpenter
Position: E-HB
Height: 6-2 Weight: 190 lbs.
Born: January 24, 1934 in Hayti, MO
Died: June 30, 2011 in Tulsa, OK
High School: West Memphis
College: Arkansas (school history)
Drafted by the Cleveland Browns in the 1st round (13th overall) of the 1956 NFL Draft.
Weighted Career AV (100-95-...): 29 (3394th overall since 1950)
1-time Pro Bowler (fine print)
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text:
|Greg Stanton (Phoenix Mayor)
|Greg Stanton
|2822 N. Central Ave., Phx, AZ 85004
|Campaign Phone:
|Campaign E-Mail:
|Campaign Website:
|Occupation/Main source(s) of income:
|I am an attorney by training, serving most recently as Deputy Attorney General. I have made public service my life�s work and I am running full time for Mayor.
|Previous occupations:
|Deputy Attorney General, 2009 - 2010
- Phoenix City Councilman representing District 6, 2000 - 2009
- Education Attorney, 1995 - 2000
|- Cortez High School in west Phoenix, Graduated 1988 - Marquette University. BA in History and Political Science (Phi Beta Kappa and recipient of the Harry S. Truman Scholarship), Graduated 1992 - University of Michigan Law School (J.D.), Graduated 1995.
|Date of Birth:
|March 8, 1970
|Married to Nicole Stanton, an attorney at Quarles and Brady. Two children, Trevor (four years old) and Violet (one year old).
|How long have you lived in Phoenix? Arizona?
|Phoenix - 38 years Arizona - 38 years
|Previous public offices you've sought/held:
|Phoenix City Council District 6. Elected in 2000 (with 72% of the vote) reelected in 2001 (with 100% of the vote), and reelected in 2005 (with 86% of the vote). My district included Ahwatukee Foothills, Arcadia, Biltmore, Papago Park and North Central Phoenix.
|Civic organizations in which you've been active?
|- Arizona School Readiness Board, (appointed by Gov. Napolitano)2003-2007
- Governor�s P-20 Council, (appointed by Gov. Napolitano)2005-2009;
- Chair, MAG Continuum of Care Regional Committee on Homelessness, 2006-2009;
- Big Brothers/Big Sisters of Central Arizona Board Member, 2003-Present;
- League of Arizona Cities and Towns Executive Committee, 2007-2009;
- East Valley Partnership Board of Directors (1st Phoenix Councilman ever appointed to the board), 2005-2009;
- Arizona Children�s Association Board of Directors, 2006-Present;
- Arizona Theater Company Board of Directors, 2006-Present;
- Lincoln Family YMCA (Downtown) Board of Directors; 2005-Present;
- YWCA of Maricopa County Board of Directors, 2006-2009;
- Rodel Charitable Foundation of Arizona Advisory Board, 2005-Present;
- Flinn Foundation Arizona Bioscience Steering Committee, 2005-Present;
- Valley Leadership (Class XIX);
- Municipal Tax Code Commission 2006-2009;
- Maricopa Regional Task Force on Arts and Culture, 2004-2005;
- Former Chair, MAG Transportation Enhancement Review Committee;
- Phoenix Citizen\'s Police Academy, 1999.
Awards for my Community Leadership
- Arizona Big Brother of the Year, 2003;
- Children�s Action Alliance Jacque Steiner Public Leadership Award, 2008;
- Tumbleweed Center for Youth Development Agnos Visionary Award, 2006;
- Arizona Community Action Association President�s Award, 2006;
- Phoenix Business Journal �40 Under 40,� 2001;
- Aspen Institute Rodel Fellowship in Public Leadership, 2007;
- Equality Arizona, Building Bridges Champion, 2009.
|Do you have any sort of a criminal record or any outstanding civil judgements? Please be specific.
|What is the best piece of political advice you ever received?
|Listen carefully to all sides with an open mind before making a decision.
|What character trait best serves a public official?
|Having a long term vision and a willingness to stay true to that vision even if it�s not popular in the short run.
|What character flaw most harms a public official?
|Surrounding yourself with people who are all of the same political or ideological mindset, or surrounding yourself with �yes� people.
|What is your favorite book (besides a spiritual text)?
|Man�s Search for Meaning, by Viktor Frankl. It is about the author�s experiences in the Auschwitz concentration camp, and chronicles his observations of how the experience affected both him and his fellow inmates. It is a powerful story of overcoming obstacles and maintaining a positive outlook in times of adversity. The story teaches that the one thing you have control over is your attitude and outlook on life.
|What is your favorite place in Arizona?
|The Phoenix Zoo. I loved going there as a child and now I get to see it all over again through the eyes of my children.
|Which Arizona political figure past or present do you most admire and why?
|Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords. I have been fortunate to get to know well because we were first elected in the same year (2000), are the same age, and were both Aspen Institute Rodel Fellows in Public Leadership (She was in the first class, I was selected for the second class). I have long admired her intellect, strength and ability to bring so many different people together and her ability to treat everyone the same, no matter what their lot in life.
|What is your vision for Phoenix? What big ideas would you like to see come to fruition in the next decade or two?
|I�m a local kid, I grew up here in Phoenix. My vision for Phoenix is a city where kids can grow up in strong, safe neighborhoods, be able to access well-resourced public libraries, go to great parks surrounded by diverse cultural opportunities, attend excellent public schools, go to a great university here locally, and build a world-class career without ever having to leave for another city or state.
What big ideas would you like to see come to fruition in the next decade or two?
From day one in public leadership I�ve made the case that Phoenix must develop a sustainable, diverse economy. To achieve this we need to:
- Make education one of our top priorities. This is the only way we�ll be able to compete in the competitive international economy.
- Fully build out the biosciences campus. I was involved from day one of this initiative, and I would like to see it through to its completion. A commitment to this campus sends out a critically important message about our priorities for the future as a city.
- Work closely with the Scottsdale and Tempe leadership to make the area around Papago Park the hub that it should be. The Discovery Triangle has been a start to this approach, and I would love to see it through to fruition.
- Make Phoenix one of the most pedestrian-friendly cities in the country through a commitment to multi-modal transport and initiatives to make the city more walkable and bikeable.
- Aggressively tackle chronic, family and youth homelessness in Phoenix. I have long been committed to this issue, and having served as the Chair of the Continuum of Care Regional Committee on Homelessness for the Maricopa Association of Governments, it is one of the top ongoing issues facing this city that must be addressed.
- Lead the way to increase recycling efforts in Phoenix and look for ways to expand the city�s recycling services outside of single family residential homes. To become a national leader in green industries, we must foster a culture of green initiatives and green thinking in our city.
Work to alter how our state is perceived. As the state�s largest city, we must lead the way in this. To attract the outside investment and tourism that creates new jobs for our community, we must improve our reputation as a city and a state, and embrace the diversity that is one of the biggest strengths of our community.
|What do you expect Phoenix's biggest challenge to be five years from now?
|Phoenix�s biggest long-term challenge continues to be the perception that education is not a priority for state leaders. We simply will not be able to build the diverse, sustainable economy we need until that changes. Former Intel Chairman and CEO Craig Barrett testified in March this year before the Arizona Commerce Authority that if the company was starting anew, they would probably not come to Arizona because of its poor commitment to education. He told the Authority, "I hate to say it, but I think Arizona would not be in the top 10 locales to make that investment." The next mayor needs to make education an urgent priority and must:
- Fight for full funding of Head Start.
- Make sure our after-school programs have a stronger math and science curriculum.
- Work with our local corporations to make it as easy as possible for employees, via a payroll deduction, to support Phoenix schools using the education tax credit.
- Create incentives and rewards for the public schools with the most innovative math and science curricula.
- Partner with a bi-partisan coalition of mayors from across the state to make sure a pro-education voice is heard in the legislature.
|What is the appropriate role for city government?
|The number one role of city government is to provide public safety services. In addition the city must do an outstanding job in providing core services such as public works and waste disposal, streets, sewers, recycling, parks and recreational facilities, and quality libraries. I will take an active role as mayor, working to build a stronger, more diverse economy, being an advocate for public education and speaking out against issues and actions that will hurt our city�s economy.
|If you're elected, in what ways would you be similar to Phil Gordon, and how would you be different?
|I will be similar to Mayor Gordon in the following ways:
� I will be an energetic advocate for the interests of the city.
� Downtown development will remain a priority because a strong urban center is critical for our entire city, valley, and state.
� I will continue the policies that have maintained Phoenix at the highest bond rating of any large city in the nation and won us national recognition for good management.
I will be different from Mayor Gordon in the following ways:
� It will be a top priority � from day one - to make City Hall transparent and accessible for citizen participation by taking the following actions:
o Stop the appointment of city lobbyists to city commissions or any other entity that affect city policy.
o Stream city government meetings live on television and the internet.
o Public hearings of the city�s decision-making bodies will be scheduled for evening hours when working people are able to attend and have their voices heard.
o All city documents (campaign finance forms, financial disclosure, etc.) should be available online in a searchable format.
� I will spend more time working with the Greater Phoenix Economic Council (GPEC), the Phoenix Chamber of Commerce and the Arizona Commerce Authority to advance our existing targeted economic clusters (including bioscience and high-technology industries) and support local businesses.
� Focus on keeping the Mayor�s staff lean and focused on substantive policy, hiring expert professionals to help guide city initiatives. In particular, I will hire an expert on local schools and education, a sustainability expert, a local business advocate, a homelessness advocate and a liaison with the creative sector.
� I will personally participate in regional bodies, such as the Maricopa Association of Governments (MAG), League of Cities and Towns, and Valley Metro Rail in order to build strong relationships as well as support investments and economic development that benefit Phoenix citizens.
|The recession forced the city to make deep cuts in its budget. Is Phoenix better or worse as a result?
|We are better off for having confronted the places where there were inefficiencies and waste, but also for having identified the things we value and believe are worth fighting for. It is essential that � as soon as our economy begins to improve � we return funding for priorities like public safety and economic development, restore hours of operation for public pools, libraries, after school programs as well as senior citizen programs and other important community initiatives
|Where should the city's economic development efforts be focused geographically? Should efforts target a specific type of industry?
|The economic development of Phoenix and the leadership of the mayor doesn�t stop at the city line and our next mayor needs to be an economic leader not just for the city, but the entire region. Attracting new, high-wage jobs to the city and diversifying our economy brings value to communities across the entire county and state. We must think regionally to build the economy we need.
Yes. We need to have a thoughtful strategy that plays to our advantages, focusing in on the economic clusters that have already been identified by the Greater Phoenix Economic Council and the Phoenix Chamber of Commerce, particularly those business sectors that provide the high wage jobs of the future. We must focus on green and sustainable industries, and must continue to invest in downtown development, as a strong urban center is a vital tool for ongoing economic growth. Additionally, more and more people are finding ways to use the internet to build their own small business out of their homes. These individual and family entrepreneurs are a growing and important part of the future economy. We need to support and encourage these home-grown CEOs because they are incubators for talent, innovation and job creation that are just beginning to be tapped.
|Rate downtown revitalization. Is it where it should be? If not, what more would you like to see?
|Downtown revitalization is still a work in progress. We need to continue to make downtown a high priority, but must remember it�s not just about sports facilities and high-rise office buildings; it�s also a community where people live. In developing downtown, we have to ensure that neighborhood services and ground-level amenities for residents and visitors are not forgotten.
|Has the city spent too little, too much or just the right amount in supporting the ASU downtown campus?
|I attended an urban university and understand how important these institutions can be to the culture and economic vibrancy of a city. During my time on the City Council, I am very proud to have taken a leadership role from day one in bringing ASU to downtown and I think the city spent the right amount in doing it. Mayors like Terry Goddard, Skip Rimsza and Phil Gordon all made downtown a priority and I want to be another strong link in that chain.
|Which recommendations in the public safety efficiency study, if any, should the city pursue?
|We are a city facing tough budgets in an economic downturn and there are many efficiencies identified in the Berkshire Report that we should be working to implement as quickly as possible. For instance, I support the recommendation to civilianize the Centralized Booking Unit, drivers for specialty vehicles and other functions that can be served by civilians � we should never use our highly trained and highly skilled officers on positions a civilian can fill. I also support the idea of returning to five eight-hour shifts for all non-patrol officers, especially those in desk jobs. I agree that we should increase the supervisory span of control to no fewer than seven wherever possible, since this is standard squad size and I believe that supervisors should regularly �work the detail,� getting out from behind their desks and participating in street level operations. I support the idea of extending the terms that commanders spend in a given command before rotating them and I believe the report is correct in recommending the elimination of a designated commander in the Public Affairs Bureau. The savings represented by the report�s recommendations range from small to large, but our next Mayor needs to take each one seriously, reviewing them with community and police leaders and implementing those that can save taxpayer dollars without compromising community safety.
|What changes, if any, would you like to see made in the city's employee pension system?
|Our public employees have every incentive to want a stabilized pension system and the best way for them to get it is at a bargaining table which is subject to 100% public transparency. We must eliminate the ability of executives to use accrued vacation time to count towards their pension. This practice has been abused. It violates the purpose of the vacation time and �games� the system � costing taxpayers in the process. We need to de-incentivize the hiring of �double-dippers� by requiring that the public entity making the hire pay into the pension system and, finally, we must end the practice that has set a separate and superior pension system for elected officials than the one that exists for regular employees. Our elected officials need to remember that, in fact, they are regular employees.
|Rate City Manager David Cavazos' performance.
|Government best serves the people when it is open and transparent. David Cavazos is relatively new to his position and he�s made tough and important decisions but he needs to do a better job of openness and public communications. Recently, this was an issue around the city budget. It is a simple fact that in the year 2011, when we are witnessing the explosion of interactive information technology, we can�t use the same types of public interaction that have been used for the last 30 years. All public meetings should be televised and live-streamed on the internet and we should be using social media, not just as a method of disseminating information, but of receiving feedback as well. Additionally, all city documents should be as online-accessible as possible and public meetings must be held in the evening when working people can attend.
|Should more city services be privatized? If yes, which ones?
|Phoenix has earned national recognition for its work on privatization. According to Baruch College Professor E. S. Savas, �Phoenix is one of the best-known cities in the United States for using a formal competitive process to compare city agencies� costs for particular services with the costs of private contractors and awarding contracts to the least-cost providers.� The tough economy is certainly no reason to pursue fewer cost savings � just the opposite. As Mayor, I will continue working to aggressively identify opportunities for privatization when it serves the strategic interest of the city. When we successfully privatize, however, the City of Phoenix must still be the guarantor of quality service and this means every contract has to be overseen and regularly evaluated for performance and cost savings.
|Should the city be doing anything differently in addressing traffic congestion?
|The city should be doing more. I grew up in a working class neighborhood and a working class family where my Dad took the bus to his job every day. That personal experience is why I know the importance of accessible and affordable transit options. Not only is it important to working families, it is the one and only way we have of reducing a level of traffic congestion that will otherwise continue to rise. If we don�t have a long-term commitment to alternative multi-modal transportation, things are clearly going to get worse. As Mayor, I will push for a city that is more walkable, more bikeable and has more public transportation options.
|Name a decision the current City Council has made in the past two years that you agree with, and explain why.
|The Council�s decision to expand the downtown bioscience campus through its partnership with the Arizona Cancer Center was a good one. I was proud to lead the effort on the Council that initially created a world-class bioscience hub with TGen as its anchor. The inclusion of the new, nationally recognized Cancer Center will add to the prestige of this Phoenix industry hub and spin off more important research, more additional businesses and more high-wage jobs.
|Name a decision the current City Council has made in the past two years that you disagree with, and explain why.
|When the City�s Board of Adjustment approved an illegal billboard at 32nd Street and the 101 freeway, they ignored the judgment of the Hearing Officer and the City staff who had both said the sign was illegal. The Mayor and the City Council should have challenged this judgment but unfortunately, they took a pass. The Council�s decision to abdicate its oversight responsibility set a bad precedent, sent the wrong message about their readiness to protect the vista corridors of city residents and raised serious questions about their willingness to stand up to lobbyists and special interests.
|Name an issue you think is important that doesn't get much press.
|Ending homelessness is an issue that is important for Phoenix, but the voices of the homeless and of neighborhood leaders go largely ignored. We must make smarter, long term efforts to end chronic, family, and youth homelessness in Phoenix. This issue is a personal passion of mine. For three years I served as chairman of the Continuum of Care Regional Committee on Homelessness for the Maricopa Association of Governments and I once spent 24 hours away from my family, going homeless on the city streets. I spent nine years on the Council working closely with community leaders concerned about safe streets and parks, so I know that any effort that does not address the need for more transitional housing and mental health services is unrealistic and simply creates a revolving door, putting people back on the streets. We must lower the barriers to services, ensuring that those most chronically in need of assistance are able to access services. In the end, I believe that the way a city treats its homeless population says a lot about its heart, and this is why the issue will be an important priority for me.
Arizona's budget debate
Lawmakers outline top priorities, debate surplus, sales-tax cliff, debt.


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Please E-mail suggested additions, comments and/or corrections to firstname.lastname@example.com.
Date: 09-05-2008
Case Style: N.B. and C.B. v. Hellgate Elementary School District
Case Number: 07-35018
Judge: Arthur L. Alarcón (Alarcon)
Court: United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit on appeal from the District of Montana
Plaintiff's Attorney: Andrée Larose, Montana Advocacy Program, Helena, Montana, for the plaintiffs-appellants.
Defendant's Attorney: Elizabeth A. Kaleva, Missoula, Montana, for the defendantappellee.
Description: Appellants, minor C.B. and his parents (collectively âAppellantsâ), allege that Hellgate Elementary School District (âHellgateâ) violated the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (âIDEAâ), 20 U.S.C.§ 1400, by failing to provide minor C.B. with a free appropriate public education (âFAPEâ). Appellants appeal from the district courtâs order, affirming the hearing officerâs findings of fact, conclusions of law, and order that found Hellgate did not violate the IDEA. On appeal, Appellants argue that C.B.âs procedural and substantive rights under the IDEA were violated. Appellants assert that Hellgate failed to meet its procedural obligation under the IDEA to evaluate C.B. to determine whether he was autistic. Appellants also contend that C.B. was denied his substantive rights under the IDEA when Hellgate denied him extended school year (âESYâ) services. We vacate and remand the district courtâs order that Hellgate was not liable for violating C.B.âs procedural rights under the IDEA. We conclude that Hellgate did not fulfill its procedural requirements under the IDEA to evaluate C.B. We affirm the district courtâs decision that Hellgate did not violate C.B.âs substantive rights in denying ESY services.
Outcome: We vacate and remand that portion of the district courtâs order that Hellgate fulfilled its procedural requirements under the IDEA in developing the IEPs for the 2003-04 school year.
Plaintiff's Experts:
Defendant's Experts:


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Morris Canal Bread Lock Park
Morris Canal Bread Lock Park
Property Description
Bread Lock Park, located in New Village is open to the public. A short section of the Morris Canal tow path and canal prism has been cleared and offers a lovely (albeit short) walk. The lock tenders house foundation give visitors a glimpse into the life of people who worked on the canal. While still buried, the remains of the lock itself speak to the historical significance of the site.
The grounds include a full-size replica of a Morris Canal boat, fitness and walking trails and a picnic area. The Museum at Bread Lock Park includes a scale model of a working canal lock, interactive dioramas and displays of Warren County history including the Morris Canal, Shippen Manor, Oxford Furnace and Lenape Indians. The museum is open second Sundays from 1 - 4 pm.
Also on display is a canoe that was the last boat to make the trip from Phillipsburg to Jersey City on the canal before it was dismantled in the 1920s. There is also a section dedicated to Thomas Edison and his many local enterprises.
From Rt. 78: Take exit 3 toward NJ-173/US 22. Turn onto NJ-173 North; cont. onto Rt. 22. Turn right on CR-519. Turn right onto NJ-57 and travel approximately 2.5 miles. Entrance will be on your right. From RT 80: Take exit 12 toward CR-521 South. Follow CR 521 to CR 519 South. Follow CR 519 South approximately 18.5 miles. Turn left on NJ 57 and follow 2.6 miles. Entrance will be on your right.


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This small-group tour limited to 20 people ensures a more intimate experience.
- Grgich Hills Estate winery after-hours tour and dinner aboard the Napa Valley Wine Train -- a Viator Exclusive
- Enjoy a tour of Grgich Hills Estate after it has already closed for the day – the only tour of its kind in Napa Valley
- Sample Grgich Hill award winning wines
- Ride the Napa Valley Train and enjoy a four-course gourmet dinner with or without wine
- Small-group tour limited to 20 people for a more relaxed experience
- Don't miss out on this exclusive experience that can't be booked anywhere else!
Why Our Insiders Chose This Tour
It's super-cool being able to avoid the crowds and tour Grgich Hills Estate winery just with your small group. Following that up with a fancy dinner aboard the Napa Valley Wine Train makes this a night to remember!
What You Can Expect
The winery normally closes at 4:30pm, but on this exclusive tour that can't be booked anywhere else, a winery representative will take your small group on a private, after-hours tour of Grgich Hills Estate. Visit the cellar, enjoy pairings with fruit and cheese, and sample wines including their signature Chardonnay, spicy Zinfandel, complex Cabernet and dessert wine named 'Violetta' after the owner's daughter. You will have time to purchase wine following your tastings.
At 7:30pm, leave Grgich aboard the famous Napa Valley Wine Train, a restored vintage train transformed into a restaurant on wheels. You will be guided to the dining car where you can share the company of other passengers during your meal.
Savor your elegant four-course gourmet dinner (see Itinerary for sample menu) with or without wine as you travel through acres of vineyards. Admire neat rows of grape vines in the last rays of sunlight through the large picture windows, then turn your attention to the details of the beautifully restored train car. Your 4-hour winery and dinner experience concludes at 9:30pm upon your return to downtown Napa.
Customer Reviews
March 2015
Great tour by Grgich,and lovely dinner and train ride..Very comfortable
December 2014
It was amazing!! The wine tours was great and the tour guy was really nice. Also the food... LOVED IT!! My compliments to the chef and all the staff. The experience was great and we really enjoy it. Thank you for having this kind of options for honeymooners.


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2012 Tennessee Titans Odds & Prediction
- Updated: July 18, 2012
2012 Tennessee Titans Betting Preview
In their first season under Coach Munchak last year the Tennessee Titans were the only team in the league to finish above .500 and miss the playoffs. Putting the Coach Fisher/Vince Young mess behind them the Titans nearly squeezed into the postseason, losing out on a Wild-Card berth on a tiebreaker to Cincinnati. Now the biggest question for this team is whether they should go forward with the veteran quarterback that got them to nine wins last year or risk it and go with the young QB of the future.
Tennessee looked bad in losing the opener at Jacksonville, then won three in a row, beating playoff-bound Baltimore and Denver along the way. The Titans then lost four of their next six, won two in a row to get to 7-5, then lost two in a row, then finished with back-to-back victories but missed the playoffs because of a Week 9 loss to the Bengals.
Veteran QB Matt Hasselbeck, brought in from Seattle as insurance/mentor for rookie Jake Locker, started every game last year and threw for almost 3,600 yards, with a 62 percent completion rate, although his production waned as the season went on. Wide receiver Nate Washington emerged as his top target, catching 74 balls for over 1,000 yards, and RB Chris Johnson ground out 1,000 yards rushing.
Statistically Speaking
Examining Tennessee statistically it's almost hard to figure how they won nine games. The Titans ranked 17th in the league in offense last year at 335 YPG, 31st in rushing at 90 YPG, 19th in defense at 355 YPG, 24th vs. the run at 128 YPG and 31st in sacks with just 28.
Overall the Tennessee Titans ranked 20th in total yardage at -20 YPG, 28th in total rushing at -38 YPG and 31st in time-of-possession at -4:16 per game, numbers more indicative of a 6-10 team. Around the league as a whole last season teams that lost the T-O-P battle won just 32 percent of games and covered the spread just 34 percent of the time.
The Titans managed to go 7-8-1 ATS, and they went 5-10-1 on the totals, as Tennessee games averaged just 40 points per.
The Titans parted ways with several veterans over the off-season, including G Jake Scott, DT Jason Jones, LB Barrett Ruud and CB Cortland Finnegan. But they added G Steve Hutchinson and DE Kamerion Wimbley, used the 20th pick in the draft to take Baylor All-American WR Kendall Wright, then went defense with their next three picks.
2012 Titans Schedule
According to last year's standings Tennessee will play the fifth-easiest schedule in the league this season. The Titans have six games against teams that made the playoffs last year, although just two of those are on the road. But they start off with the Patriots, Chargers, Lions and Texans, so we wonder if it might not be a good idea to go with Hasselbeck early in the season, and let him give way to Locker later on.
2012 Tennessee Titans Betting Odds and Prediction
Tennessee is getting +400 at Bovada to win the AFC South this season, 25/1 to win the AFC and 50/1 to win the Super Bowl, while over at Bookmaker the Titans have been tagged with a regular-season wins 'over/under' of 7.5 (O -105/U -125).
We're torn with the Titans for this season. They won nine games last year but we're not sure how. Statistically they were terrible, but they should be better this year. The schedule isn't that tough, but if they go with the inexperienced Locker at QB they could struggle. WR Kenny Britt is coming off another serious leg injury, and Johnson hasn't been the same since signing that monster contract, but if both can regain some of their previous form Tennessee could be tough offensively. In the end, while we're not married to the idea, we're leaning toward taking the 'under' on 7.5 wins with the Titans this season.
Cole Ryan
Latest posts by Cole Ryan (see all)
- Sports Interaction: CFL Is Back! - July 6, 2015
- MyBookie: Offseason NFL Betting - July 5, 2015
- JustBet: 4th of July Major League Baseball - July 3, 2015
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April 28, 2007: The Indian
navy has arrived in the Sea of Japan, and is taking part in training exercises
with Russian warships. The Indian flotilla consists of three destroyers, a
corvette and an oiler (tanker). For the training exercises, Russia supplied two
destroyers, a diesel-electric submarine, a coastal missile boat, plus aircraft
and several support ships.
Since 2003, the Russian
and Indian navies have, every two years, sent ships for joint training
exercises. India has been a major customer for Russian weapons since the 1960s.
This includes warships, as well as aircraft and land systems.
� 1998 -
2015 StrategyWorld.com. All rights Reserved. StrategyWorld.com, StrategyPage.com, FYEO, For Your Eyes Only and Al Nofi's CIC are all trademarks of StrategyWorld.com Privacy Policy


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Painted Pigs
Community art project, fundraiser promotes literacy
Posted: November 2, 2012 at 5 a.m.
Painted pigs have popped up all over Fayetteville.
This story is only available from our archives.
Whats Up, Pages 18 on 11/02/2012
« Previous Story
The Big And Small Of It
Zeek Taylor can't say the 5x5 he created for this year's ACO exhibition was his biggest challenge. Shortly aft... Read »
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FYI: Blue Ribbon Sponsored Pigs
"Pig Up a Book and Read" By Priscilla White WHERE — Arvest Bank on the Fayetteville square SPONSOR — Arvest Bank Read »


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Welcome to the home page for : The Revolving Environmental Efficiency Fund at the College of Wooster.
Please note: We are still in the early stages of getting REEF up and running, which includes our Wiki page. For the time being this page will serve a very utilitarian purpose, which is to allow group posting and editing of important documents.
- REEF's founding document, the Business Plan written one year ago. It needs some updating and editing, but it gives a full picture of what the program is all about.
- A much shorter Charter for the formal specification of how the committees will operate.
- The current draft of our Project Proposal Form -- the document that individuals will fill out to apply for REEF funds.
- Here is a simple list of the current student members, including their specific roles.
- Some early publicity posters -- these are low-res and pretty unsophisticated, but please use them as inspiration to make a new round of publicity.


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Last Thursday music lovers got enjoy a musical evening with Ghanaian's award-winning female artiste, Efya. She gave a sterling performance with a great Africa Nominee band at Carnivore restaurant, Nairobi, thanks to Tusker Lite's Club 100. She enticed the audience who listened and danced the night away to an array of her songs,including Best In Me, Never Again, The Gateaway, A Moment's Notice, Nothing, and Obianuju. South Africa's Jazz maestro, Hugh Masekela once referred to Efya as being a vibrant version of Nigeria's sensational Afro-beat musician Fela Kuti.
During her performance, Efya exposed her musical diversity, as she switched from neo-soul to rock, soul and afro-beats. Former TPF contestant Amileena, curtain raised for Efya. "It was an amazing feeling to stage before the renowned international diva. I took about two weeks to practice, I feel glad I graced the stage," Amileena told Word Is. Efya has won several awards including 2011 Ghana Music Awards for Best Female Vocalist, City People Awards and Best Female Ghanaian musician.


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Book Search
1-1 of 1 results for Author: charles c geisler (sorted by Publication Date, showing all)
Biological Diversity
Balancing Interests Through Adaptive Collaborative Management
We live in a world of wide pendulum swings regarding management policies for protected areas, particularly as they affect the involvement of local people in management. Such swings can be polarizing and halt on-the-ground progress. There is a need to find ways to protect biodiversity while creating...
Published June 21st 2001 by CRC Press


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Community's Law & Order Episode Preview: We Have No Objections (VIDEO)
This week's episode of Community (airing April 26) is getting the "bong bong" treatment. Also known as the Law & Order episode.
Check out this preview, where there will be words like "Nothing to see here," and "objection." It looks like Jeff (Joel McHale) will be in the Sam Waterston/Jack McCoy role, and we're guessing Annie (Alison Brie) will be one of his ubiquitous gorgeous assistant DAs.
Check it out below:
Catch the next episode of Community on Thursday, April 26 at 8 p.m. ET/PT on NBC.
For the latest from Wetpaint Entertainment, Like us on our Facebook page at facebook.com/Wetpaint, or Follow us on Twitter at twitter.com/WetpaintTV.


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Prayer - Without the Lord, your child will be building his future in vain. (Psalm 127:1) God created your child and knows if college is necessary for the future plans that He has for him. (Jeremiah 29:11) Seek God's direction and wisdom first, and don't forget to enlist the prayers of family members and friends.
College Selection - The key to finding the right college is starting your search early. Depending on your child's abilities and interests, post high education includes many options such as community colleges, specialized colleges (nursing, mechanics, art, etc.), junior colleges, Bible colleges, or four-year colleges. Choosing the right college is time-consuming, but the process can be made easier with Alpha Omega Publications® one-semester Switched-On Schoolhouse® elective course - College Planner. This invaluable course guides you in planning for college step-by-step.
Choosing the right college also involves visiting the campus (many colleges have scheduled visitation days which enable you to sit in on classes), talking to the professors who teach courses that apply toward your child's major, and talking to alumni to see if the program will meet the needs of your child. You should also consider the college's job placement percentages for graduates and graduation-to-dropout ratios. Christian college directories are listed on the Internet or you can purchase directories from retail book stores that include listings for state colleges, universities, and private colleges.
When picking a college, be realistic about what you can afford. Attending a college is expensive, so consider the debt you will incur after four years of education; but also remember, where God guides He provides.
College Entrance Tests - Most colleges require more than a high school transcript for admission. Many accept either the SAT or ACT test for admission; however, verify which test the college requires. You should prepare your child for these important timed tests during your child's sophomore or junior year. Study manuals which include practice tests are available at bookstores, your local library, or online.
When your child is ready to take either test, a registration packet can be obtained from your local public high school guidance counselor's office or you can go online and register for the ACT test at http://www.act.org/ or for the SAT test at http://www.collegeboard.com/. Testing locations and days are listed for sites throughout the United States. Specific costs are involved with additional fees applied for late registration. Read the information carefully to know and understand the testing rules. Due to processing time, these tests should be taken prior to your child's senior year to be eligible for most college scholarships. (Hint: Be sure to list all your child's possible college choices on the registration form - each college must receive a copy of the test results directly from the ACT or SAT testing center. Adding additional colleges later costs extra.)
College Application - The application process is lengthy and most often requires a copy of the student's high school transcript (keep your child's records up to date while homeschooling), SAT or ACT scores (sent directly from the testing agency - make sure you fill out the college's correct number when registering for the test), immunization records, and a non-refundable application fee. Some colleges also require essays or video enrollment presentations to complete the application process.
Getting your homeschooler ready for college doesn't have to be overwhelming. Starting the process early and following these simple ideas will eliminate many frustrations in preparing your child for college.


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Judith Johansen stepped down as president of Marylhurst University. Retired Willamette University president Jerry Hudson was named interim president.
President Obama's plan to improve higher education access is similar to Oregon's efforts, state officials said.
Oregon is doing a better job at preparing teachers, but changes need to happen faster, a state audit found.
Major construction at Oregon State University is giving the college an upgrade.
Eugene is the original Animal House town, and who wants to get mixed up with less-than-conscientious tenants?


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Happy Birthday Guru: 10 Great Gang Starr Songs
July 17 marks the birthday of Keith "Guru" Elam, the rapper who formed one-half of the legendary group Gang Starr. Guru would have been 52 years old.
July 17 marks the birthday of Keith "Guru" Elam, the rapper who formed one-half of the legendary group Gang Starr. Guru would have been 52 years old.
The liner notes on Kanye West's Yeezus are dense and filled with a surprising cast of characters and mind-blowing samples. But amidst all the ghostwriters and additional producers there appears to be an error.
The song "Guilt Trip," featurin
Today (April 19), marks three years since the passing of Keith Elam, better known to the world as Guru from Gangstarr.
To honor the fallen rapper's legacy, producer Marco Polo recruited Talib Kweli and DJ Premier for a song named after him-- "G.U.R.U."
Polo's new album, PA2: The Direct
Legendary rapper Guru, born Keith Elam, passed away one year ago today (April 19) at the age of 48, due to complications resulting from cardiac arrest and a prolonged battle with cancer.
The Boston born rapper was one half of the pioneering hip-hop duo Gang Starr, which he founded in the early '80s. Gur
Last April, Keith "Guru" Elam passed away, leaving the hip-hop community with one less rap pioneer to call on. The famed Gang Starr member, who was best known for crafting tracks like 'Moment of Truth' with DJ Premier, fell victim to cancer on April 19, 2010. In honor of his life's work, his family has announced they will be hol
With nearly a year since the passing of legendary Gang Starr MC Guru, his family has just announced that it's creating a new t-shirt line and subsequent benefit to raise money in support of the rapper's son. Family members have inked a partnership with streetwear brand X Label for the shirts, of which
In 2010, DJ Premier had the misfortune of dealing with the loss of Guru -- one half of Gang Starr. The producer, who'd long been doing his own thing since parting ties with Guru in the '90s, managed to move pas
After legendary rapper Guru was hospitalized earlier this year, family and fans cried foul that his close associate Solar was prohibiting those close to him to visit him by his bedside and unjustly claiming power of attorney. While the media questioned the relationship between t
Group Home, a New York rap duo that gained fame in the mid '90s for their collaborations with DJ Premier, have returned to the fold with a new album that pays tribute to the late Gang Starr MC Guru. The new record, 'G.U.R.U. (Gifted Unlimited Rhymes Universal),' and will drop September 28 via an in


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(A) An information technology center shall:
(1) Promote a cooperative and integrated system of information technology for its user entities as well as among other information technology centers;
(2) Promote and administer the efficient and cost-effective implementation of information technology that supports information technology strategies of the department and all user entities;
(3) Coordinate innovative uses of information technology that support the goals of the department, information technology center, and all user entities;
(4) Provide for electronic networking capabilities between and among user entities and the information technology center , support connectivity to the department or its designee, and maintain a system of electronic contact information as specified by the department; and
(5) Ensure that all data acquired on behalf of user entities are held in trust for those entities. Any transfer or release of any user entity's data shall require prior authorization from that specific entity.
(6) Offer core services to all user entities .
(B) A user entity shall:
(1) Utilize requested core services provided through the OECN and its component information technology centers;
(2) Participate in the governance and financial support of the information technology center that serves the user entity and remain financially current;.
(3) Adhere to the governance documents of the information technology center;
(4) Procure and utilize a data communications link to communicate electronically with department personnel via compatible equipment;
(5) Provide required data to the appropriate information technology center in an electronic format as defined by the department. Large district user entities may, at the discretion of the department, report required data directly to the department.
(6) Build the capacity of its staff through professional development that allows the user entity to meet specific obligations to the information technology center pursuant to the contractual agreement between the information technology center and the user entity.
R.C. 119.032 review dates: 03/03/2010 and 05/22/2015
Promulgated Under: 119.03
Statutory Authority: 3301.07, 3301.075
Rule Amplifies: 3301.075
Prior Effective Dates: 4-1-72; 5-1-79; 6-19-87; 7-1-95; 2-13-04


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The VW Touareg has always been a more socially acceptable alternative to the hippo-faced, rage-inducing Porsche Cayenne. Especially in diesel flavour.
But now you can get yourself a diesel Touareg with even more eco-riot potential than the Cayenne in the shape of this, the R50.
This is the most powerful Touareg ever, powered by VW's five-litre V10 TDI but tuned for even more growly oil-burning torque. 627lb ft of the stuff, to be exact, along with 345bhp.
As VW proved in a rather neat publicity stunt, the old V10 Touareg could pull a Boeing 747, so we're expecting the R50 to be able to haul a small planet at least. Might slow down the R50's claimed acceleration of 6.5 seconds to 62mph, though.
Well, at least you can claim diesel economy while you're being berated by an irate green, can't you? Erm, no. The R50 returns 22.4mpg and a not-very-acceptable 333g/km of CO2 - making it even less economical and more polluting than the Cayenne S.
Completing the picture of social unacceptability is a ride height lowered by 20mm, roof spoiler, bodykit, twin oval tailpipes and a set of 21-inch alloys. Yes, 21-inchers... and they look pretty modest in those fatter arches, don't they?
At nearly 62 grand, even the R50's price tag is enough to draw a sharp intake of breath. VW says that only a limited number of R50s will reach the UK, though whether that's because of limited supply or they're expecting the delivery ferry to get deliberately scuttled at Dover, we're not sure.
Contrary bunch that we are, we like the R50. We're barricading ourselves into Fortress Top Gear already.


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Bill Cosby has admitted to getting prescription Quaaludes to give to women he wanted to have sex with, newly released documents show.
The documents, dating back to 2005, stem from a civil lawsuit filed by Andrea Constand -- one of the dozens of women ...
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Great articles on other sites
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Gadgets, News - Written by Renai LeMay on Tuesday, November 27, 2012 13:48 - 21 Comments
Parliament must subpoena IT giants: Choice
news Consumer group Choice has called for the Federal Parliament to use its powers of subpoena to force recalcitrant IT vendors such as Apple, Adobe and Microsoft to give evidence about their price setting practices in Australia, due to the vendors' reluctance to voluntarily appear before a committee into Australian IT price hikes.
In May, following a public campaign on the issue by Labor backbencher Ed Husic, the House of Representatives Standing Committee on Infrastructure and Communications called for submissions to help inform an inquiry into pricing of technology goods and services in Australia, publishing the terms of reference for the initiative on its web site. The results have so far demonstrated a strong groundswell of public anger about ongoing markups on technology goods sold in Australia.
Many of the submissions from users focused on the fact that online stores such as Apple's iTunes, Valve's Steam, Microsoft's Xbox Live, Sony's PlayStation Network, Amazon's Kindle store and Adobe's software store charged Australians higher prices for the exact same software and content than residents of other countries, particularly countries such as the US. Companies such as Microsoft have previously justified the charges based on the increased cost of doing business in Australia.
However, not all companies whose products have been mentioned by the inquiry have volunteered to attend to give evidence. US software giant Adobe, for example, declined to appear to give evidence to the inquiry, although it participated in a submission by the Australian Information Industry Association. Adobe has a practice of commonly marking up software products for the Australian market such as its popular image editing application Photoshop — despite the fact that the software is often downloaded from the same site in Australia and the US.
The reluctance of major vendors to appear in front of the inquiry has resulted in public displays of anger by members of the committee. In September, for example, Husic publicly raised the prospect of compelling recalcitrant technology vendors to appear before a parliamentary committee on IT price hikes in Australia, alleging that some suppliers are "treating the Parliament with contempt".
In a statement released overnight, consumer group Choice called on the committee investigating the issue to "make international tech giants front up and explain the high prices paid by Australians".
Choice said it had been six months since the inquiry began, and the continued "stonewalling" from Apple, Adobe and Microsoft was a snub to millions of Australians who paid higher prices for their digital products.
"Choice has provided evidence showing Australians pay around 50 per cent more than US consumers for identical music, software, games and hardware," said Matt Levey, Choice head of campaigns. "With the industry unwilling to volunteer any detailed or public response, it's time for the Committee to use the full powers of the Parliament and compel these businesses to front up and explain why they think it's alright for Australians to pay higher prices."
Choice said it welcomed the Committee's attempts to shine a light on IT price discrimination, but the must go beyond rehearsing a list of rip-offs and create real pressure for lower prices.
"Just last week, AC/DC finally hit iTunes with a 54% difference, that's $80 difference, between the local and US prices for the 'complete collection'," said Levey. "Unfortunately for those about to rock, this is far from an isolated example, and it is one reason why some music fans have taken to setting up US iTunes accounts to access legitimate, cheaper music."
He added: "We are calling on the Government to investigate whether measures used to sustain international price discrimination, like geo-blocking, are anti-competitive, and an important step towards that is for this inquiry to call the industry's bluff on their pricing excuses."
Choice's comments on the issue come a month after both sides of politics — Labor and the Coalition — blasted the IT vendors who were reluctant to appear before the commitee.
Committee chair Nick Champion told the House of Representatives that to date the committee had received "only qualified and sporadic cooperation from industry groups and major IT companies" during the proceedings. In general, Champion said, "to one degree or another, there has been a real unwillingness to submit evidence in public or to appear before the committee on the part of both industry associations and major companies in the area of IT".
Nationals MP and deputy chair Paul Neville agreed with Champion, in a rare show of unity between the major sides of politics.
"I rise to support the chair of the committee as his deputy," Neville told the chamber. "It is obvious from the evidence we received from members of the public and people on the consumer side of this agenda that the public has had enough of this pricing, which puts Australia at a disadvantage in a whole range of areas, such as IT hardware and software and things that spin off them—music downloads and engineering, medical and educational software."
I agree wholeheartedly with Choice. It is time for the Parliament to compel these vendors to come forward. As I wrote in late October:
"I've enjoyed a long-running relationship with the local offices of major technology vendors such as Microsoft, Adobe and Apple for the better part of a decade now. Good people work at these companies, and I admire much of the work they do. Certainly I continue to use and write about their products almost every day. I simply could not do the work I do without Microsoft Office and Windows 7, Apple's Mac and iPad products, and Adobe's Creative Suite.
So it is with respect, and conscious of that long relationship, that I say, enough is enough. These companies are treating the Australian consumer and the Australian Parliament with contempt right now on this issue, and need to pull their head in. Strength and pride can be virtues at times, but so can humility, and right now a little humility is needed from these companies, before both sides of Federal politics decide that they are tired of being treated like they don't have any authority and start making the vendors' lives very, very difficult indeed."
21 Comments
I'm for it. They can charge us more, just as we can start applying pressure on 'em.
I am quiet happy for the government to use it's powers to be granted this opportunity to use it's powers.
The hypocrisy of Politicians is amazing, when this so called "outrage and contempt" against the Parliament is being championed by the two Parties who are advocating the signing of the TPP which will entrench and legalize this sort of behavior.
This is not the place for that argument, the TPP was signed under John Howard.
Which at the time was Howard Majority, with senate as mainly Coalition MPs.
Labor at the time, didn't have a majority in 2006 – when it became law.
In 2005 had the senate held Liberal-National till the 2007 election.
The new TPPA is in process and is so secret that it is almost invisible. Why?
It would be interesting to see whether the price of music is set by the labels or Apple.
I think we know the answer to that, just look at itunes prices, then pop over to bigpond music or even optus's music store (forget its name off hand) which is pretty much same as BP, I pay on average 40c less per single track from BP compared to itunes.
In the case of Steam, I'm fairly certain that game prices are set by the publishers.
http://www.steamprices.com/au/topripoffs shows just how absurd some of the price differences can be, particularly for AAA products.
Stock photo with an US-like fake subpenia template
And the issue with that is????
What would a subpoena accomplish? This is just pointless grandstanding. Businesses are free to set their prices as they wish, outside of regulated industries like electricity. Computer hardware, software and IT services are not regulated industries. And I would be horrified if anybody suggested making them so.
It seems unfair if private companies were compelled to release details of their internal processes for such a small issue as markups. They aren't accused of criminal conduct, just charging high prices. How is that sufficient grounds to violate the confidentality of internal discussions and documents?
Sure businesses are free to set prices as they wish but they cannot vary those prices based on criteria that would be seen as discrimating against a certain group.
When identical products are sold via the identical channel (the internet) how is it not discriminatory to vary price based on where you live especially when one is forced to purchase based on that geographical information. ie. you cannot buy the product anywhere else and use it legally where you reside.
Imagine if you had to buy your petrol at a local neighbourhood station and pay a premium while the price in the next neighbourhood was cheaper but not available to you.
That discriminatory pricing is the issue.
Actually a more accurate analogy would be, Imagine if you had to buy your petrol at a local neighbourhood station and you had to pay a premium, while someone from the next neighbourhood over buying the SAME petrol from the SAME petrol station is charged a cheaper price.
..and you would then have to apply this to airline tickets where it costs more to travel from A->B than B->A depending on the country in which you booked the tickets. That is a worldwide problem.
I've commented before, this entire inquiry is a "looks like we are doing something" smokescreen. The government has no powers to actually do anything to these companies without seriously compromising free-market principles and trade agreements from which we benefit. As with most things, the answer is probably stimulating proper competition.
I don't think that's equivalent. The service is not the exact same either way, and I mean, airline ticket prices vary from DAY TO DAY.
Now, if metro-Joe and outersuburban-Sue both wished to book a ticket for the same trip on the same flight at the same time with the same online booking service, but Joe was offered a lower price than Sue, that would be price discrimination.
Australia is definitely discriminated against on price. I've heard some people claim that Australians should pay more because we generally make more – but they ignore (or are unaware) of the fact that our costs of living for basic necessities, taxes, etc. are also generally higher, so our disposable income after the basics isn't actually that much higher (if at all).
Online digital-distribution is a global marketplace, so other than taxes, it makes no sense that different places pay significantly different prices. For instance, on Steam, we pay in US dollars… but we pay Australian prices; now how does that make any sense?
Incorrect. If I book a return flight from Melb to dest X and another person at dest x books a return flight to Melb, we will pay different prices even if we end up on the same flight from Melbourne to X. Yes airline tickets vary from day to day!- this is called price discrimination! and the airline industry is the perfect one at implementing this.
Lets just be clear. The term "Price discrimination" as it is known in economics is not like "racial discrimination". It is an economically valid, practiced and perfectly legal economic concept (see airlines). All businesses strive for it where possible as a way to maximise revenue but it depends on the industry.
No-one is denying Australians are often being charged more for services that have the same costs of sales for overseas buyers, but we need to recognise that this concept is domestically and internationally pervasive and is also perfectly legal. Hence the difficulty in stopping it.
Okay, I understand your explanation, but what I don't see is your point. Is your point "it's unfair, but that's the way of the world, so let's not do anything about it"? You would have done well as a serf. The point that I, and others, are making is that the internet is a global marketplace, where the product is no different, the costs for "manufacture" and distribution is no different, and yet the price is different. There should be a single market, but the market has been artificially segmented into several markets.
You said, earlier, that the solution is to inject more competition, but this is of course impossible. For a certain product, how do you establish a competitor to a publisher that is the only one who owns the rights to sell that product (i.e. IP, copyright)? Piracy? These are effectively monopolies, and consumers are price-takers.
There are only two ways I can think of to inject "competition"; one is, as I said, piracy, which is not legal. The second is establishing an overseas "friend" organisation that "gifts" you, which is probably not legal, and at the very least violates most Terms of Service.
The government and Australian consumers are not actually that interested in companies' price setting practices; they are interested in FAIR pricing. Fair pricing is the outcome desired, not the outing of price setting practices; the latter simply puts pressure on companies to voluntarily establish the former. Consumers are making an issue of it in the media, and making an issue of it through their representatives, and this is also, I'm sure you'd agree, perfectly legal.
No you miss my point entirely. The maximum outcome of the enquiry is that apple et al admit they charge us what they like "because they can" (which we already know). Unless there is something we can do about it then it is a waste of time. No point stalking a deer if you don't bring something to shoot it with.
When I say competition I mean encouraging competitor companies with competitive products. You lack some basic economic understanding.
It is not a waste of time, it's the company's reputation on the line (and by extension consumers' goodwill, and in turn the company's success in the Australian and other markets). Modern companies realise they are not simply merchants, and having a good relationship with a "consumer" is imperative for strong sales and especially return custom. Think BP's desperate re-branding following Deepwater Horizon for an extreme case. The consumers' "gun" is "social pressure", through government action, media pressure and consumer initiatives. Petitions and boycotts may be "meaningless" since something is "legal" anyway, but if it's "wrong" or "unfair", then enough social pressure will still result in change for the better.
I think you're defending the status quo too strongly, and I think you should re-examine your reasons for that.
You lack some basic understanding, period (or are wilfully misunderstanding). Let's use the example in the article:
"Just last week, AC/DC finally hit iTunes with a 54% difference, that's $80 difference, between the local and US prices for the 'complete collection',"
Demonstrate to me how you could possibly encourage competitor companies with competitive products that will result in Australian prices on iTunes for the AC/DC complete collection being closer to US prices.
Economic theories are not laws of the universe, and in this case, provides no answers.
The core problem is these companies are carrying out activities in overseas markets that allow them to artificially inflate the price in Australia. Activities that if they carried them out in Australia that would have the companies dragged before the competition watchdog and fined. As fare as I'm concerned if they want the protection of our laws in regards to copyright protection and free access to market they should respect other aspects of our competition laws when they are operating in other markets.
Oh sorry big multinational you are going to stop US distros and Retailers selling to Australians while funneling money to OS tax havens to avoid you share of the tax burden for operating here. Well that's fine I will instruct the Australian courts and law enforcement that copyright, patent claims and trade marks on your products are void.
If you want an open market and free trade stop putting artificial restriction in place. If an Australian retailer wants to buy goods from a US distro(or any other country for that matter) they should be allowed to, not stopped from doing so because you local distro channels don't want the compeition. Warranty isn't an issue because lasted time I checked the retailer was responsible for warranty.
That will fix the issue
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Blog, Enterprise IT - Jul 5, 2014 13:53 - 0 Comments
Super funds close to dumping $250m IT revamp
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Will Netflix launch in Australia, or not?
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