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CAPT JOHN KIRBY (Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Media Operations): This is the next iteration of our background briefings on the 1230 report, which, as you know, went to the Hill last night.
Our two briefers are (briefer name deleted), who you all know well, (briefer name deleted) from the State Department. (Briefer name deleted) will be a "senior Defense official." (Briefer name deleted) will be a "senior State Department official" for purposes of this. It is on background.
We got 30 minutes. The two presenters have just a few comments to kick off with, and then we'll get to your questions. I will call on you. Please identify yourself and who you're with before you ask your question. And then because we have 30 minutes, I'd ask that you try to limit your follow-ups. I know I say this every time, and every time you blow me off, but please try to limit the follow-ups if you can so we can get everybody a shot.
With that, (briefer name deleted).
SENIOR DEFENSE DEPARTMENT OFFICIAL: Great. Thanks very much, John.
And welcome to all of you. Lots of familiar faces here, some new ones also.
As John said, we've done this before for several years now. And what I will do is in a sense repeat some of what I said six months ago.
I have here the stack of all the reports since 2008. I won't go into, as I did last time, what they show in detail, except they go from us essentially losing the war and -- to us making important progress in last year's report that we did six months ago. And this one says that we continue to build on that progress.
I think it's very important -- some of you were with us on the -- on the secretary's plane, and we talked about the -- I talked about the dangers of instant analysis based just on a snapshot in time. These reports, I would offer you, give you the opportunity to see what's been happening in Afghanistan over the last five years, over the last six months, whatever period you want to read them in. And it gives you the context.
The focus in this -- in this report is shown by the cover.
You'll see we had a U.S. soldier on the cover six months ago; here we have an Afghan soldier on the cover. Obviously, the point is we are transitioning to Afghanistan security lead.
The Afghan security forces continue to improve, not just in numbers but also in quality. The report lays out a number of areas where that's the case. That's a process that continues. It's not finished. So obviously, there are still areas of concern, areas that we're focusing on. But the overall trend is -- the overall trend is very positive. Afghan security forces are more and more able to take the lead, and we're putting them in the lead in areas that have been transitioned and areas that are being transitioned and areas that will be transitioned based on their capacity at the time, the partnering that the ISAF forces are doing, the -- and which is moving, of course, to a security assistance model, a security force assistance model, as all of you heard General Allen say in his testimony that he gave last month -- or the month before last, I guess, now -- in the -- at the Senate and the House.
So we are making serious, important progress. Challenges remain. The most important of those challenges, of course, remains the sanctuaries in Pakistan and the ability of the Taliban to refit, regroup and rearm there, and the continuing slowness of the development of civil governance, where there's of course many challenges and a lot of work being done, a lot of progress being made, but still is assessed as a risk.
The purpose of the 1230 report is to give a report, a factual report of what's happening. It's not a policy advocacy document. It's not a policy -- it's not an analysis document. It's a report of what we have seen happening on the ground over the last six months, and we worked very hard to make it accurate.
I look forward to your questions. If you have specific comments, if you think the report does not achieve objectives, we're very interested in feedback.
We're interested in continuing to improve this product so it meets the very highest standards that the Congress and the American people expect of us.
With that, I'll turn it over to (briefer name deleted) for her comments.
SENIOR STATE DEPARTMENT OFFICIAL: Thanks very much. I wanted to be here in particular to demonstrate how much we use a whole-of- government approach with Afghanistan. In addition to all of the security work that (briefer name deleted) has talked about, I wanted to mention two other aspects of our work in Afghanistan.
One is the strategic partnership agreement that was initialed two -- a week ago, I guess it was, now in Afghanistan by Ambassador Crocker and Dr. Spanta of the National Security Council in Afghanistan. That document goes with the security -- all the security work we're doing to provide long-term political support for Afghanistan so that it demonstrates to the Afghans, to the neighbors, to the bad guys that Afghanistan will not be left in the lurch again as it was in the '90s.
And the second aspect of our whole-of-government work in Afghanistan that I wanted to mention is the Tokyo ministerial conference coming up in which the economic support, economic assistance will be -- will be featured by all of the partners, allies, donor community that are -- who are working in Afghanistan now, who intend to continue to work in Afghanistan and who will pledge their support for -- economic support to economic growth for the 10 years of the transformation decade that we defined in Bonn.
Thank you very much.
CAPT. KIRBY: OK. Time for questions. Who's first?
Q: I'm Pauline Jelinek with the Associated Press. I thought I heard you just say in your opening comments that the civil government is making a lot of progress, whereas the report sort of portrays it more as limited. Could you expand on that a little bit more?
SR. DEFENSE DEPT. OFFICIAL: I would say it's made a lot of progress from where it's been, but the progress -- and I'm looking at it from the period of five years that I was commenting on -- the report talks about the progress over the six months. And over that six months there was progress, but we would say it's limited.
But again, I was urging everybody to look at this not just from the six months, not just from the year, from the five-year perspective that we cover in the reports, and especially in the last three years I would say there's a lot of progress.
But this is an area maybe I'll ask (briefer name deleted) in terms of progress on the civil government to say a few words on. But yes, I would put the accent on the word "progress."
SR. STATE DEPT. OFFICIAL: There are a couple things to mention, I think. One is that we look very carefully at the capacity of the government to operate. There are several ministries that are doing well in that regard; there are several ministries that are not doing well. And we -- the donor community focuses on being sure that the money that goes into Afghanistan is used in programs with the ministries that do work well and we specifically take it away from those that don't.
In connection with both the Chicago summit that's coming up and all the work that we've been doing in order to work with the Afghan government on how should the Afghan national security forces be -- how should they be supported after 2014, what kinds of -- what kind of progress the donor community is looking for in order to be able to demonstrate to their parliaments that it's appropriate to put so much money into Afghanistan after 2014, both for the Afghan national security forces and going into Tokyo, in both of those sets of conversations we have a tremendous amount of discussion of the criteria that we are holding the Afghans to to assure progress.
One of the things that's particularly important, I think, about the Strategic Partnership Agreement is that the commitments from the Afghans are specifically mentioned repeatedly in quite a bit of detail in the Strategic Partnership Agreement. Most of those commitments are commitments that have been taken out of the commitments made in the Istanbul document and the Bonn document. But what's important is that we now, with the Strategic Partnership Agreement when it's signed -- that authorizes a commission, a bilateral commission with a set of working groups that will further assure the donor community, including the United States, that the Afghans are making the kind of progress that they need to make in order to demonstrate to donors that it's worthwhile to continue providing the kind of assistance that we provide.
CAPT. KIRBY: Missy.
Q: This question's for (briefer name deleted). Missy Ryan from Reuters. Can you -- it looks like the share of violence seems to have increased in RC East. Can you just, first of all, clarify if that's correct and sort of talk about how you see the nature of the violence and the identity of the insurgents as different from the rest of that and how ISAF and -- together with the ANSF at this point -- is planning on tackling that given, as I understand it, the decision not to send significant, you know, new military resources to that region?
SR. DEFENSE DEPT. OFFICIAL: OK, what I'll do is, first of all, talk about what's in the report and then, of course, your question also talked about current and future plans, and I'll make a couple comments on those, but they'll be limited.
In terms of what's -- the period of time covered by the report, yes, the share of violent incidents that are in the east is greater. That's because -- that's for two reasons: first of all, because of the significant progress we've made in the areas where we focused our surge forces in the southwest and south and the strong -- and the great reductions that -- the reductions were very heavily in those areas -- so the proportion shifted -- but also, the absolute numbers increased in RC East and that is reflective of course of the geography there. It's right on the border with Pakistan. It's right on the infiltration routes from Pakistan. It's the object of the greatest intensity of efforts by the Haqqani network, and it does represent a problem for -- that we were certainly aware of.
Again, to go back to the strategic design of the campaign, it was to go after the Taliban heartland in Helmand and Kandahar, the area where the Taliban sprang from. We always recognized that going after our -- the areas of -- in the east -- the Paktika, Paktia, Khost area, Lowgar, Wardak, Ghazni -- those areas were important to do, but we needed to go after the Taliban at their -- at their home first.
Now we're -- now we are shifting the emphasis to the east.
In terms of actual issues such, as numbers of troops -- and you made a couple comments in your question that I would say I would leave to our commander in ISAF, who has -- is in charge of the campaign. But I would say broadly I don't think your comments are accurate, but I'll leave, again, any details of the campaign up to the commander in the field.
Q: Just to clarify --
Q: Well, what's not accurate?
SR. DEFENSE DEPT. OFFICIAL: Pardon? Well, about decisions having already been made about force dispositions. So you -- so that's what -- you made a comment about that. I don't think that's accurate, but you should go to ISAF for details about the implementation of the campaign.
Q: OK, but you said attacks increased in RC East? Because -- maybe I'm looking at the wrong number, but it says EIA decreased -- decreased -- by 8 percent.
SR. DEFENSE DEPT. OFFICIAL: Pardon?
Q: The section on RC East that says the EIA decreased by 8 percent in the reporting period in RC East, but you said it increased.
SR. DEFENSE DEPT. OFFICIAL: Yeah, I misspoke, because I was thinking about the time period. They actually increased in the early part of the reporting period but decreased later on. And you're right; there's an overall decrease in there. But the share increased.
Yeah. That -- so I apologize for my misspeaking. You're correct on that.
CAPT. KIRBY: Elisabeth.
Q: Two questions. How are you doing on -- you -- the last I'd talked to you guys, you said you were making, quote, "good progress" on contributions from other -- from allies and other countries to the Afghan security forces. Do you have the one billion-plus that you need post-2013?
SR. DEFENSE DEPT. OFFICIAL: That's what -- we said when we were the -- we weren't going to give specific numbers and pledges and all that kind of stuff right now, and just as I said, on the plan, I think we're making good progress towards that. Without giving any figures right now -- is where -- there's a lot of diplomatic stuff going on.
But we're fortunate today to have somebody from the State Department who is a diplomat working on this. (To colleague.) I don't know if you want to make any comments.
SR. STATE DEPT. OFFICIAL: That's accurate. There -- we're slowly but surely making it to our 1 billion euro challenge. So we hope to make it.
We don't -- I can't tell you that we know that we'll make it, but we're getting there.
Q: And just overall, I mean, this is a big question, but you know, we've seen these reports for years. There's -- you know, things are bad; things are better. But can you give an honest assessment of what you expect post-2014 when most U.S. forces are out? I mean, that's been -- always been the big question, you know, that we -- 20,000 Marines in Helmand can bring down violence, but what is your expectation when there's no Marines in Helmand, very few Army -- and Kandahar?
SR. DEFENSE DEPT. OFFICIAL: Again, obviously, you're going well beyond the scope -- (chuckles) -- of the 1230 report. So you're getting -- and you're really getting into almost a personal opinion here.
But based on what I've seen over the 10-plus years I've been working on Afghanistan, I am optimistic that we are going to achieve our campaign goals and be able to turn the security over to the Afghan security forces by the end of 2014 and that they will succeed. I will say that -- and some of you have heard me say this before, but over the last year as we put the Afghan security forces more and more in the lead, we have seen them at times do better than we expect, sometimes seen them do better than they expect. They also encounter problems sometimes. But we have the resources in places through the partnering effort to, when they encounter problems, to pull back, regroup and move forward.
I think it'll be a -- certainly be a big test this summer as we have the Afghans more in the lead than we ever have before. And so I think the best time to answer your question will be in the fall after this fighting season is over, after we've had a chance to see how the Afghan security forces perform. And we certainly will, as we always do at the end of fighting season, go back, look at the that performance and evaluate it. But right now I can only give you a personal impression, I would say.
CAPT. KIRBY: Please remember, everybody, that our presenters are here to talk about the 1230 report.
Q: Thanks, John. The reference to the sort of Taliban safe havens is a sort of constant in these reports.
SR. DEFENSE DEPT. OFFICIAL: Mmm hmm. (Affirmative.)
Q: I guess I'm wondering whether at this late stage in the game the U.S. government has decided it will never fully eradicate those or even diminish them significantly, and that going forward, the challenge for the Afghan security forces will be to handle that problem on their own.
SR. DEFENSE DEPT. OFFICIAL: We are certainly not in a position where we're going to say that we're excepting anything. We have continued to make it a very high priority, as you know, in our dealings, both military and elsewhere, with the Pakistani military, Pakistani government, that it's Pakistan's duty as a responsible international country to control all violence that emanates from its borders into other areas. And we continue to urge them to do so.
At the same time --
Q: Is there any realistic prospect of that?
SR. DEFENSE DEPT. OFFICIAL: We're going to continue to push it. I'm not going to evaluate -- I don't know if you want to talk about this (briefer name deleted) at all. On the military side, however, recognizing that this continues to be a continuing problem, the campaign plan is designed to work at reducing the ability of the Taliban, and including Haqqani network, to infiltrate over the border, to go after the networks.
And if we look at the success that we've had over the recent months, particularly in Kabul, you look at the attack last month that got a lot of attention in Kabul, but if you look at the -- and again, urging people to took at holistically the security situation in Kabul, there were fewer complex attacks in Kabul this year than there were last year.
So yes, there was one, we're all familiar with it and people focus on that, but to me the most important thing is that there are fewer than there were last year. That means that the interdiction effort that we're putting in place, very much with the -- with the partnership of our Afghan -- with our Afghan army, police and intelligence, is showing increasing success.
It's not perfect, so we're going to have to continue to work to shield Afghanistan and work to build the capacity of the Afghans to shield them from these things, from these attacks, but I think we will continue the efforts as well with Pakistan.
SR. STATE DEPT. OFFICIAL: I'd point to two things. One, Ambassador Marc Grossman was in Pakistan last week working on exactly this issue in a very -- a very directed way -- direct way. Second, the -- you will have seen the reports of the core group, the meeting between -- meetings that we have; we try to have regular -- Afghan- U.S.-Pakistan. That -- the core group addresses some of these questions as well. There also have -- is a -- is a better relationship between President Karzai and his Pakistani counterparts, and they talk about this issue as well. So that's a difference this year from last year, where there's a lot more discussion and a lot more -- a lot more agreed foundation from which to speak about the importance of closing down the insurgency out of Pakistan.
Q: What's your assessment right now of the Haqqani network?
SR. DEFENSE DEPT. OFFICIAL: The Haqqani network continues to be operative, continues to be -- to operate networks in Afghanistan and continues to carry out attacks in Afghanistan. When we're talking about the attacks on RC-East, the Haqqani network is the major actor in the major problem area.
But as I said before, we will continue to work to interdict their ability to act in Afghanistan and continue to make clear to Pakistan that we expect them to take action to prevent violence emanating from its borders, impacting other countries, including its neighbor Afghanistan.
CAPT. KIRBY: Courtney.
Q: On Pakistan, you know, we've been hearing that, despite all the tensions between the U.S. and Pakistan, the Pakistani military continues to fight valiantly and they're dying and -- but then this report says Pakistan selected --
SR. DEFENSE DEPT. OFFICIAL: Can you -- I'm sorry; I haven't memorized it. If you could -- if you're citing it, could you mention the page?
SR. DEFENSE DEPT. OFFICIAL: Thank you.
Q: The section on Pakistan. It says "Pakistan's selective counterinsurgency operations," and it says that there's still a lot of pervasive mistrust and divergent strategic interests. What is -- can you explain what it means by "selective counterinsurgency operations" and --
SR. DEFENSE DEPT. OFFICIAL: Sure. The Pakistani military targets those militants which they believe pose a direct threat to the Pakistani government as opposed to those who they believe are focused primarily on Afghanistan. So that's where the selection comes in.
However, what -- the first part of your question's exactly true, and I would not be in any way dismissive: Pakistani military are fighting and dying every day. They are conducting some very difficult military operations, and our estimation is that wherever they take action -- because this is really a syndicate of extremists, even though one group may be more focused on Pakistan than Afghanistan -- given the links on them, pressure anywhere on the syndicate is positive -- is positive for all the effects of the syndicate. So therefore when they -- when they go after the area -- the groups that are focused on Pakistan, that degrades the overall ability of the syndicate. And so it does contribute to a more secure Afghanistan, even if they only go after those groups.
That's what we mean by "selective." But in no way is that selective part meant to diminish the -- really the bravery and the heroism and the sacrifices of the Pakistani troops that are fighting and dying in -- every day.
Q: And the divergent strategic interests -- that means that they're going after the -- they're only going after internal --
SR. DEFENSE DEPT. OFFICIAL: Their primary focus is on insurgent groups that threaten -- that they feel threaten the Pakistani government. So that's exactly -- you've -- I think you've got the analysis down.
CAPT. KIRBY: Viola.
Q: You said that there are gains that -- I think you were referring to 2008 -- that the trajectory has shifted from losing the war at that time to making progress at this point. Considering in the interim there was the surge of 33,000 U.S. forces plus with 7 or something thousand other coalition forces --
SR. DEFENSE DEPT. OFFICIAL: Over 10,000.
Q: -- over 10,000 coalition forces -- do you feel that you can say at this point, as the coalition prepares to exit over the next couple of years, that the momentum has shifted enough to say you're at least winning, in the process of winning at this point, compared to losing? Or is it still too difficult to say that?
And (briefer name deleted), I wanted to ask you about civilian Afghan capacity. Is there any thought being made to changing the approach on Task Force Shafafiyat or any other approaches that you're using to try to make that element more effective?
SR. DEFENSE DEPT. OFFICIAL: I'll just -- and I apologize for doing this -- we're not exiting Afghanistan. We are transitioning Afghanistan, and we expect there to be a continuing presence in Afghanistan, including of NATO, as promised -- as pledged by the NATO heads of state in Lisbon a couple years ago. I'm -- all of you know when you use the word "exit," I'll push back because that's not an accurate description of what's going on. It's a transition, and it's always been a transition. An exit implies that we're leaving and there's nothing left behind. And there's a whole lot left behind, most importantly the Afghan security forces, who are doing what's showed in this picture.
Secondly, in terms of the success of our campaign plan, the success of the surge, as the president announced in June of last year, the effects of the surge are such that we were able to begin withdrawing the surge force last year, and we withdrew 10,000 troops last year.
As the president said, we expect to withdraw 23,000 -- the additional -- the remainder of the surge troops by the end of September of this year. We're on track to do that because of the success of the campaign strategy.
So yes, I believe the campaign strategy -- the campaign is working, and we are able to achieve our goals. That's what gives me the optimism to believe that in 2014 we're going to be able to transition to an Afghan security force that is taking care of its own security, with continuing advice, assistance and, importantly, funding from the rest of the world.
CAPT. KIRBY: Please remember to identify yourselves.
SR. STATE DEPT. OFFICIAL: On the anti-corruption -- on the anti- corruption government capacity work, USAID does a -- does a program review every six months. They've just finished one. But in addition that, there is an -- one of the senior officials at the U.S. embassy is in charge of all law enforcement and rule of law work to make sure that USAID programs, military programs, the State Department's INL, International Narcotics and Law Enforcement programs -- that they are -- that they mesh and that they are in their own lanes, that they're well-coordinated and that they're not stepping on each other.
In the course of all of that, there's a tremendous amount of effort to make sure that every single program is meeting its goals, that they're -- that -- meeting its benchmarks and meeting its goals. And as they find that any programs do not meet their goals, they change -- they change them, and they close their program, they move the money out of this ministry to another program, that kind of thing, to be absolutely certain that the funding is being used in the right way. And this is not just in Kabul, across the country as well.
Q: (Off mic.)
SR. STATE DEPT. OFFICIAL: For example, there was an anti- corruption working group of -- I can't remember the exact name -- that it was clear was actually teaching some officials how to be corrupt.
And that was shut down very quickly, and then -- and the effort was moved to -- the money was moved to a different program that was working. The Shafafiyat program works well, for instance.
In another instance -- you all know the Kabul Bank story -- the donor community is especially eager to make sure that asset recovery is -- there is some progress on asset recovery to demonstrate that the Afghans are serious about going -- fighting corruption. President Karzai set up a special prosecutor, a special prosecutors arrangement, about a month ago to put extra focus on both asset recovery and prosecutions for -- of the -- of the top people who were involved in the Kabul Bank thefts. And that's -- there is a deadline on that, there's a two-month deadline. That means that there has to be action before the Tokyo conference, and so there's a tremendous amount of pressure.
The other -- the other angle from which pressure comes is from the IMF. There is an IMF review under way. The IMF report is due in June, late June, so again, before the Tokyo conference. And that report will be critical to whether Afghanistan gets the kind of report that it needs to get in order to build donor confidence.
CAPT. KIRBY: We have time for just a couple more. Mike.
Q: Mike Evans, from the Times. You've mentioned, (briefer title deleted), that there was an anti-corruption course training people on how to be corrupt. How do you explain that?
SR. STATE DEPT. OFFICIAL: It wasn't meant -- it wasn't meant -- it was a -- it was a program to review corruption cases, and we found that the Afghan -- some of the Afghans who were involved in reviewing the corruption cases were actually learning how to be corrupt. I'm being very frank here. They were teaching them new ways. And so we closed that down as an avenue of pursuit. So it wasn't a course in anti-corruption.
It was a -- it was a program to investigate that had the opposite effect, we found.
Q: When was it --
SR. DEFENSE DEPT. OFFICIAL: This was --
SR. STATE DEPT. OFFICIAL: When did we close it? In the last year, possibly six months. I'm -- I can't remember the date.
Q: Mathieu?
Q: Just a clarification. The report mentions -- Page 55 -- that the most significant progress was made in RC South, while the enemy-initiated attacks are up by 13 percent. Could you clarify on this?
SR. DEFENSE DEPT. OFFICIAL: You're talking about -- where it says the most significant progress was made in RC South and Southwest?
Q: Why -- yes, when the number of attacks in RC South increased by 13 percent.
SR. DEFENSE DEPT. OFFICIAL: Right. Because the evaluative sense there is the two together, which is basically Helmand, Kandahar, Uruzgan and Zabul provinces -- and the attacks in RC South going up by 13 percent was -- and a number of you have heard this before -- was partly because we were doing operations in wider areas and because we had gone into areas that the Taliban had never been challenged before.
So while I would say overall, the entire country, and over the long period of time, enemy-initiated attacks going down is a -- is a sign of their reduced capacity and increased capacity of the Afghan forces and coalition forces to provide security, there are times, such as the six months here, where the -- where even though we're bringing increased security, the number of enemy insurgent attacks can go up.
In the prior six months in Kandahar, they've gone down. And we will -- we'll be seeing what's -- what happens in the next six months. But when you look at it as an organic whole, RC South and Southwest, which it really is for the -- for the -- for the Taliban -- they really look at it as a unified area -- that's where the greatest progress has and continues to be.
And I'll refer you to ISAF for details, issues on the campaign, but for example, during this period we went for the first time effectively into Maiwand district, which is on the border between Helmand and Kandahar, joining up the security zones between Lashkar Gah and Kandahar, going into this area where the Taliban had never been challenged before resulted in them initiating a lot of attacks to try and push us out. Those attacks were all defeated. Maiwand province is now much more secure than it was six months ago, but at the cost -- the terrible cost of coalition forces' and Afghan forces' lives and, unfortunately and tragically, many civilians during that larger amount of violence as we went into Maiwand district.
CAPT. KIRBY: This will be the last one.
Q: Thank you. Kristina Wong, Washington Times. Can you talk about one of the key metrics, the enemy-initiated attacks, what that means, what it includes, what it doesn't include? And also, on page four it says insurgents have increasingly resorted to asymmetric efforts in an attempt to regain territory, and including assassinations, kidnappings, intimidation tactics, strategic messaging campaigns. Can you talk about -- just from the statistics that you've gathered on that, can you talk about that increase, how large that increase is, and what effect, if any, it will have on progress, those other tactics, may have on progress?
SR. DEFENSE DEPT. OFFICIAL: Well, to start off with the last part of your question first, while they have shifted to there, since we are evaluating that progress -- that important progress continues to be made, our evaluation is that shift to asymmetric means is not preventing progress, that shift from what we saw several years, where the Taliban were not just willing but at times thought it was in their strategic interest to engage in force-on-force activities.
In other words, groups of 20, 50, a hundred Taliban attacking Afghan forces or coalition forces -- that happens very rarely now. I'll leave -- have to leave the campaign details up to the -- up to the people out in -- to the ISAF and in the Afghan -- out in Kabul. So they switched to asymmetric targets, which we believe right now are less and less effective as we provide -- and "we" meaning both the -- primarily Afghan forces and -- as well as U.S. forces -- provide more and more security to the Afghans. But it's still a potent danger.
So that's why it's important to go after the networks that support these assassinations, support the IED networks, support the -- those selective attacks, including for example the attack in Kabul in April, which wasn't covered in this, but that was an effort by the insurgency to try and create a public impression. They didn't expect to take Kabul by that attack; they intended to try and send a message. And that's what we mean by public information.
In terms of enemy-initiated attacks, they -- it just means just what it says. These are -- these are actual attacks that are initiated by the enemy. It goes from everything from laying of an IED to a -- to an attack by a large number of forces. So an assassination attempt -- successful or not, would be an enemy- initiated attack. What it doesn't include are criminal activities. It doesn't include attacks that we initiate. So if we attack the Taliban. Our attack and -- but, of course, our attacks do often, especially when going into other areas, as I mentioned in Maiwand, often lead to them attacking as well.
So, let's say we go into a new district. We may go in and take out what we believe are the key areas and bring in Afghan security forces who establish security. And then, in the following weeks and months, there may be any number of attacks that the Taliban mount to try to take that territory back. And that's really the story, I think, of the last year in Afghanistan -- is we have expanded and the Taliban have been trying to take things back.
And that's really the story, I think, of the last year in Afghanistan, is we have expanded and the Taliban have been trying to take things back through those attacks. And the decrease overall in the country of their -- of the number of attacks means that their ability to take back areas that they used to control is less than it was a year ago and certainly less -- much less than it was two years ago.
CAPT. KIRBY: Thanks, everybody. That's all the time we've got today.


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Jackie Cornejo: When the 405 was closed last year, air quality near the 10-mile portion of the freeway reached levels that were 83 percent better than on a typical L.A. weekend.
Gulf's Dolphins: "Man Needs To Make Right Their Waters"
Georgianne Nienaber: Scientists suggest that it will be many years before we know the full extent of the disaster, and are wary of reporters since the media ends up misquoting them or distorting the facts. It is not so much media bias as it is lack of scientific training on the part of journalists and bloggers.

subset: commoncrawl


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ANAHEIM, Calif. -A record number ofteens turned out in Anaheim over the weekend to spread the message and support safe driving.
The "Keep Calm and Drive On" motivational event isdesigned to give teens skills they need to network and reach other classmates with the safe driving message.
The group jumped to their feet for a dance called the "seatbelt" to kick things off.
It was a privilege to be be part of of the event. There were multiple workshops and guestspeakersoffering motivational hands on training for peers to help classmates make better choices behind the wheel.Speakers encouraged teens that every voice can make a difference.
Workshops (of which we were proud to be a part)included getting your message to the media. Teens said social media is a great tool to swap ideas from fundraisingand grants available to programs like Athletes Committed and Teens in the Driver Seatand how to start at themtheir school.
Northern California was well represented with students from theCalifornia Friday Night Live chapters including Hughson, Tuolumne, Amador, San Joaquin, Yoloand Contra Costa Counties.
It's the peer to peer message they say works more than a grown up lecture.
Share your stories and pictures on our Great Hang Up facebook page.


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Commissions form a big slice (close to one-half) of total compensation for Medical Billers. The median income in this area hovers around $31K. Final cash compensation to Medical Billers varies from around $23K to approximately $42K; choice pay grades include potential for bonuses and profit sharing as high as $1K and $4K, respectively. Geographic location is the biggest factor affecting pay for this group, followed by career duration. Job satisfaction is high and work is enjoyable for most Medical Billers. Some workers in this field — over a third — are not awarded benefits. Medical coverage is reported by the larger part and dental plans are enjoyed by just over two-fifths.
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Medical billers are responsible for the billing and collection of medical debts. They work in an administrative capacity to ensure that patients are billed swiftly, accurately and with as much clarity as possible. Every time a patient receives medical attention, the appropriate payments are tallied up by the biller and issued in the appropriate format (by mail, online, or a combination of both). It's very important for medical billers to be able to understand the varying complexities of medical billing; this extends to different types of insurance plans, government assisted programs (Medicaid, Medicare, etc.), and how other discounts are applied to different groups of people. A strong understanding in this field will ensure that the billing is accurate, and easily fixed in the event of an error.Read More...
Medical billers work in the administrative department of a hospital, or in some cases, a separate building dedicated to the clerical jobs of the hospital. Many hospitals prefer to have billers working on the premises as it allows for easier internal communication over logistical problems that do/can occur daily. Medical biller should be able to show strong interpersonal skills with patients and with other members of staff as this type of position frequently requires patience and an ability to work through systematic problems. They can also expect to work with a range of people who deal with running a hospital--from project managers to customer support staff.
Employers will look for applicants who have passed the CMRS exam. This is an exam awarded by the American Medical Billing Association that helps potential billers equip themselves with a qualification designed specifically to showcase an ability in the field. Additionally, it's highly desirable for applicants to possess strong logistical skills, along with industry standard computer software literacy and a firm understanding of medical legality.
As hospitals are open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, some may find that certain roles at a hospital will require flexible working hours. However, as this is a clerical position, it's still somewhat normal for a medical biller to work during usual business hours.
Survey takers working as Medical Billers report using a large range of professional skills. Most notably, skills in Accounts Receivable, Collections, Medicare, and Electronic Medical Records (EMR) are correlated to pay that is above average. Skills that are correlated to lower pay, on the other hand, include Medical Records. The majority of those who know Insurance also know Medicaid & Medicare Billing and Accounts Receivable. Most people familiar with Billing also know Accounts Receivable and Medicaid & Medicare Billing.
Median of all compensation (including tips, bonus, and overtime) by years of experience.
For many Medical Billers, extensive experience does not lead to significantly more money. The average beginner in this position makes around $29K, but folks who have been around for five to 10 years see a markedly higher median salary of $32K. Medical Billers who work for 10 to 20 years in their occupation tend to earn about $35K. Medical Billers with more than 20 years of experience report incomes that are only modestly higher; the median for these old hands hovers around $37K.
For Medical Billers, busy Seattle offers a higher-than-average pay rate, 21 percent above the national average. Medical Billers can also look forward to large paychecks in cities like Philadelphia (+17 percent), New York (+11 percent), Chicago (+9 percent), and Houston (+7 percent). Orlando ranks last in the field for pay, reporting salaries 6 percent below the national average. Employers also pay below the national average in San Antonio and Detroit (6 percent lower).
|Extremely satisfied
Rated 5 out of 5
based on 883 votes.
96 %
4 %
|Medical: 62%
|Dental: 42%
|Vision: 31%
|None: 35%


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Ducks have very short legs, most of them don't fly at all or only a foot or two off the ground and nest on the ground. They need to be herded in every night. Ducks are very sensitive to light and don't really sleep at night. If I get home late I often find mine browsing back and forth looking for snails, slugs or other delectibles and actually seem more alert at night than they often do during mid-day when they seem to be most likely to be seen resting on the ground, maybe with their head under one wing. If you have neighbors and noisy ducks if you can't be there at the crack of dawn to let the ducks out and can't herd them in EVERY night then I recommend you pass on the ducks.
Ducks are very vulnerable to any kind of predator, coons, skunks, possum, coyote that finds one nesting at night. If they find one they will probably find the rest and you could go from many to no ducks in a single night. The shelters have to be something stronger than chicken wire mesh at the ground level as some predators can tear it apart or reach in to pull whatever they can get their hands on through the cage eating everything they can pull through the wire amputating what they can't kill. A coon can easily reach though 1" chicken wire and snag a little fresh meat. 1/4" or 1/2" hardware cloth at least two feet high with a bit of an apron (2-6" bent and lying flat and down on the ground") will help keep a predator from digging in or reaching in and snagging one of your animals. You might consider putting a bottom on a ground level enclosure but I found they make it hard to clean and can be a source of disease. The best source of information I have found about duck breeds on the Internet is http://www.metzerfarms.com. If you are planning on keeping ducks I would read all about the breeds they have and sign up for their blog.
My primary coop is a rectangular box, 2 feet off the ground with a 1" thick floor that is covered with a waterproof piece of shower liner to keep wetness caused by the birds from ever touching it. The coop has a pitched flat roof that rests on one end and is higher on the other where my chickens fight to get to so they can see out and have the the fresh air. This was very simple to build and wasted no wood because the walls are made from three pieces of exterior siding, one of which was cut in half for the ends.
Over a dozen chickens have chosen to crowd in that coop rather that the larger one with more space and air even though only about half of them had the coveted penthouse roost. The roof is 12 foot long metal roofing material that creates enough of an eave on both ends that water never comes into the top of the coop and you can stand under it to collect eggs etc. in the rain without getting wet. The bird(s) that are on the lower roosts are the first ones out every morning when the automatic coop controller opens the door for them. If you put ducks and chickens in the same coop, I recommend that you don't, then you need to have enough room keep the ducks from having to sleep under the chickens. The chickens poop a lot at night and take up the entire vertical space from the floor to where they are roosting because of that. We built our coop raised off the ground with a floor and a hardware cloth enclosure beneath to shrink the footprint and to provide another 32 sq. ft. of additional shelter for feeding or sleeping. This winter we kept our ducks in a lean-to type greenhouse to help protect our citrus collection. They did a very nice job. Instead of losing citrus or having to bring the citrus inside the citrus grew outside the house all Winter.


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SoftBaby's designer 100 percent organic cotton baby clothes and accessories will help your little one mix-and-match in style. Based in New York, this emerging designer brand designs soft unisex onesies, blankets, pants, and rompers for boys and girls ages zero to 18 months. Many of SoftBaby's patterns and graphics are uniquely designed — anchors, stripes, dots, chevrons and much, much more — and are printed with lively colorful ink. Padma Lakshmi and Kourtney Kardashian are just two of the many celebrity moms who have scooped up SoftBaby's wares for their mini fashion plates.
Total statement-makers, crafted in the U.S.A.
Outfit them in these eco-friendly getups.
Standouts from the week's most popular sales
Easy pieces he'll wear all summer, from comfy shortalls to graphic tees


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At the School of Dental Medicine, you will find engaged students, award winning researchers and personable faculty. There is a sense of community at the School of Dental Medicine that is inspiring to be part of. Take a moment and discover the stories of individuals who spend their time at our school; Changing Lives, Saving Lives and Building Futures.
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Credit Should Be Given
In blogging, we often use pictures. But all to often, it is hard to find free pictures to use due to copyright issues or simply cannot find quality pictures. Sometimes we go to google and grab something or use some various website that offers stock photos we have to pay for. Pictures are important because they can add more life to what…Continue
Added by Stacie Anderson on April 23, 2015 at 12:05pm — No Comments
Gone are the days when businesses and bloggers could grow their fan base and traffic by maintaining a light presence on Facebook. As Facebook has changed their algorithms, brands have reported declining numbers of followers who actually receive their posts in their feeds. And yet, participation in the mammoth social network remains essential to a well-developed social media plan.
Good Content is Key
Resist the temptation to treat your Facebook like free…
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As a Entrepreneur, CEO, President, and Founder of our own LLC, Corps, and Companies we often view our business, products, and services as something we have raised from infancy to toddler years. Walk to school and watched it play, and grow with clients and business partners. Now that it is at it's graduation day, when our business needs to be divided to conquer and grow larger and more successful, what makes it fail or maybe not fail but become stumped in growth? Is…Continue
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Hurricane Sandy brought back many memories of previous hurricanes that I experienced while I was living on the East Coast. I resided in North Carolina for 8 years. While living there I got the pleasure to experience a few minor and major hurricanes. I lived on a military base, in a mobile home, for a majority of the time that I resided in NC. During each storm we were evacuated and had to seek alternative places to stay. Continue reading at…Continue
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I am totally guilty of getting sucked into Twitter. And Facebook. And now Pinterest. It doesn't help that as a small business owner with a limited advertising budget, social media is a great way to meet new clients and advertise. I may say I go on for my business, but I know I stay for the pleasure of social…Continue
Added by Christy Lingo on September 4, 2012 at 11:13am — No Comments
Tomorrow we will be headed to Rio to attend Rio + Social on Tuesday with 500 other influencers who use social media for social good. I am particularly excited about the lineup of speakers whose work I admire like Radha Muthiah, Executive Director,…Continue
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No doubt, these three companies will change the social media world in the next year to three years. If you want to be ahead of the curve, check out what they do and why we think they they will be so important below.
1. Diaspora: Diaspora started to a lot of hoopla and continues to generate buzz after…Continue
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So you want to know, how many people actually see your tweets? How many people do those things actually make their way to through your network? You know that social media is playing a role in SEO and you want to be influential, so let's start with Twitter and see just how many people you're getting to.…
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I'm finally doing it!
I'm letting bloody go!
Goodbye GFC, I'll miss you so.
Goodbye Facebook Like Box,
I wish I didn't have to let you go.
No longer shall I be shackled to my desk,
waiting and watching,
watching and waiting for your numbers to rise.
No longer shall I move your widget around my site,
searching for the best placement for visiting eyes.
I am now free,
free as a stallion that's been let loose into a…
Added by Vanita on March 24, 2011 at 3:30am — 7 Comments


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What's the one thing a freelance writer can do today to improve their career?
I posed this question to Jay Irani, an accomplished photojournalist who led a session in basic photo skills Tuesday night in our New York office. "What is the one thing a freelance writer can do today to improve the chances a pitch will be accepted, raise the rates they charge, find a new market for their work?" I asked.
He didn't recommend a $400 DSLR camera or Adobe Photoshop ($200+) or even classes.
"Learn to compose a shot" was his advice.
It surprised me that Jay's advice would be so artistic. "Learn to set up the shot in a way that tells the story." It's a matter of framing the image, focusing on the subject, selecting which background figures to include, lighting, shadows, and what Henri Cartier-Bresson, the father of photojournalism called "The Decisive Moment." Changing any one of those elements in a single image will tell a different story, and your job as journalist, photo or otherwise is to tell the best story, Irani told the assembled writers.
There are opportunities for freelance writers in the space between amateur and professional photography. Whether selecting an image to accompany a story you or being asked to take the photo yourself from the scene, writers are increasingly pressed to add imagery to their assignments. Professional photojournalism of the sort practiced by Irani and Henri Cartier-Bresson might remain the realm of dedicated photojournalists, but the ability to supply an image a step above amateur, will make you a more valuable storyteller.
For more on Jay's advice:
Join us for the next Freelance Writer's Meetup in February.
(Image by Cimm via Flickr, CC2.0)


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CDC fruits and veggies
National Cancer Institute
Aune D, Lau R, Chaun D, et al. Nonlinear reduction in risk for colorectal cancer by fruit and vegetable intake based on meta-analysis of prospective studies.
Gastroenterology. 2011 Jul;141(1):106-18. Epub 2011 Apr 16.
This content is reviewed regularly and is updated when new and relevant evidence is made available. This information is neither intended nor implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider prior to starting any new treatment or with questions regarding a medical condition.
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Sept. 14, 2010
Lobo Football
Up Next: No. 14 Utah at Lobos
When/Where: 6 p.m., University Stadium
On The Air: The Mtn; 770-AM KKOB/Lobo Radio Network
Online: GameTracker, quotes, game story on GoLobos.com
By Richard Stevens - Senior Writer/GoLobos.com
With a ranked Utah team steamrolling toward Mike Locksley's Lobos, you can understand why so many numbers and stats encouraged and disappointed the Lobo coach in Saturday's loss to Texas Tech.
The Lobos had a chance to be in the game with Tech. They had a chance to play well and build confidence for No. 14 ranked Utah's 6 p.m. visit to University Stadium. Instead, Locksley said mistakes and "not playing smart" pushed the Lobos away from their shot to upset the Red Raiders of Lubbock.
OK, maybe it wasn't a game the Lobos should have won. They shot themselves in the foot and on the scoreboard. And surely, there are stats and numbers that upset the Texas Tech staff - like Lobo Chris Hernandez's 45-yard score off a B.R. Holbrook fumble.
But you turn around a few of the mistakes and a few of the bad breaks and it was conceivable that the Lobos could have been in this game at the end.
Let's do a little wishful thinking with some of those mistakes and stats and see what we come up with.
We'll start with the 52-17 final and take away the quick and easy 14 points the Red Raiders threw on the board thanks to breakdowns on the UNM punting team.
That makes the score 38-17. Now, let's take away the easy TD the Raiders notched after a 93-yard kickoff return that came out of the Tech end zone.
That makes the score 31-17. Now, let's kick in the Lobo score by Lucas Reed that was taken away and put those points on the UNM board. That makes it 31-24.
Let's go a bit bananas and toss in the touchdown that Joe Stoner was strolling to after intercepting a pass. Unfortunately, the UNM linebacker dropped the ball as he was bringing it to his hip. Give UNM that score and it's 31-all and the teams are going into overtime.
"We are not going to get used to losing," said Stoner. "We are going to win games. We are going to get this thing turned around on all phases."
You can see through this fantasy flashback that there is one sure way to help turn this thing around: quit helping the other team beat you. Sure, there is a lot of well wishing in this flip-the-score scenario, but all these things could have happened for the Lobos. The Lobos probably could have cut down on their 16 penalties, too. Just one of those penalties cost the Lobos a shot at a James Aho field goal just before half.
"It seems like every week there is just something," said Lobo quarterback B.R. Holbrook "This week it definitely was penalties."
Of course, Tech might have found other ways to reach the scoreboard, but the Lobos played the Santa Claus role too much in this 52-17 loss.
The point Locksley is trying to make to his Lobos is that if they don't hurt themselves with mistakes and penalties again, they might have a chance to beat the Utes in the fourth quarter this Saturday in UNM's Mountain West Conference opener.
"We have to find a way to stop turnovers and find a way to execute better," he said. "We also have to find a way to get personnel on the field that can run down and cover kicks."
The Lobos played Tech fairly even on the stat sheets. Tech had 24 first downs. UNM had 23. Tech had 462 total to 433 for the Lobos. The Lobos had the ball 33:41 to 26:19 for Tech and, yes, UNM took away some of the clock for Tech by gift-wrapping a short field.
Maybe the biggest improvement vs. Tech was the Lobo offense and the performance of Holbrook. UNM went 7-of-18 on third down conversions to 7-of-14 for Tech. Holbrook went 30-of-50 through the air for 323 yards. He threw some great passes. He looked more like the Holbrook who looked super in fall camp.
You take away the Holbrook interception when UNM had a first down at the Tech 10-yard line, and the Lobos probably are looking at more points. Hey, doesn't that put UNM up 38-31?
There aren't too many Lobo fans naïve enough to take away the Lobo mistakes and turn it into a victory. Tech could play the same fantasy game with numbers and come up with a 58-10 win. But it would be interesting to see what a scoreboard looked like without so many Lobo errors and special team mess ups contributing to that score.
Against Utah - if the Lobos want to be hanging around on the scoreboard in the fourth quarter - it's probably a necessity that they don't play Santa Claus to the Utes.


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Those disturbed by President Obama's habit of saying one thing in the campaign and doing another while in office have another example, this one on foreign policy. And those disturbed by the talk of the president issuing his own Arab-Israeli peace plan have another, related question to ponder: what is Carter-administration official Zbigniew Brzezinski doing in the room? During the presidential campaign, candidate Obama addressed the issue of Brzezinski's role directly at least twice when asked about it by concerned Jewish voters. Relations between Brzezinski and the Obama campaign were already an issue, with Alan Dershowitz having publicly called on Obama to repudiate Brzezinski when he met with about 100 members of the Cleveland Jewish Community on February 24, 2008. Here's what he said:
I know Brzezinski. He's not one of my key advisors. I've had lunch with him once, I've exchanged e-mails with him maybe 3 times. … I do not share his views with respect to Israel. I have said so clearly and unequivocally….
Then, on April 16, 2008, candidate Obama met with Jewish leaders from the Philadelphia area. This is how the New York Sun reported the April 16 meeting:
Rabbi Neil Cooper of Beth Hillel-Beth El Synagogue came away skeptical. He said he buttonholed the candidate as he was leaving the event and asked him about the connection between Mr. Carter's national security adviser, Zbigniew Brzezinski, and the Obama campaign. "From my perspective, the devil here is going to be in the details," Rabbi Cooper said. "The questions I have have to do with his very pronouncements on Israel on the one hand, which are positive, and then he seems to attract all kinds of other people who have a different agenda on Israel, like Brzezinski. I said, 'Why don't you get rid of Brzezinski?' He says he listens to Brzezinski on certain things but not when it comes to Israel. (Emphasis added.)
Now comes a report in the New York Times according to which, at a White House meeting, President Obama asked Mr. Brzezinski for his advice on whether to put forward an American plan for Arab-Israeli peace. Worse, present at this same meeting was Brent Scowcroft, whom, back during the campaign, Obama proxies were criticizing Senator McCain for listening to. President Obama says consumers need a new regulatory agency to protect them from being conned by greedy bankers. But as far as fraudulent sales jobs go, the one that the Democrat pulled on Jewish voters in 2008 is one for the ages.


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BLUEFIELD, Va. — It was lucky No. 7 for the Johnson City Cardinals.
The Cardinals won their second straight Appalachian League championship and seventh overall Sunday night with a 4-1 defeat of Bluefield at Bowen Field.
Their winning efforts started on the mound as Nicholas Gillung gave up just one hit, two walks and one run over six innings. He struck out six to pick up the victory, while reliever Logan Billbrough followed up with three perfect innings for the save. The Blue Jays, winners of the Eastern Division during the regular season, took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the second inning. Leo Hernandez doubled on a line drive to left field which scored Art Charles.
However, the lead was short-lived as Johnson City took a 2-1 lead in the top of the fourth.
Neal Pritchard, who had a walk-off single in his only at-bat the night before in Johnson City, went 2-for-3 (two doubles) with two RBIs and two runs scored to lead the Cardinals' offense. Catcher Jonathan Keener added a 3-for-4 effort, including a RBI single for the Cardinals' first run. After Keener tied the game, Pritchard gave Johnson City the go-ahead run on a fielding error by Bluefield at the next at-bat.
Clinging to a one-run lead, the Cards added a couple of insurance runs in the eighth.
Facing two outs, Gary Apelian singled to get the action started. A wild pitch advanced him to second base and Pritchard followed with a double to center field. Roberto DeLaCruz then added his own RBI double to score Pritchard with the game's final run.
Billbrough struck out four of the final six batters to close out the game.
Overall, it was a solid effort for the Cardinals, who outhit the Blue Jays 9-1 and played error-free defense.
Deivy Estrada suffered the loss for Bluefield after giving up four hits and two runs in five innings.


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All posts tagged "Shoe Dazzle"
Perez Hilton is the newest designer on the Shoe Dazzle team + Donates all the profits to GLSEN: Gay, Lesbian & Straight Education Network
This is HUGE news for Perez Hilton! The celebrity blogger is joining the Shoe Dazzle team and donating...
Shoe Dazzle is an AMAZING website! Check it out and join the club today!
I cant believe I didnt know about this sooner! A good friend of mine in Atlanta Georgia who...


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Australia slumped to 273-8 on the opening day of the first Ashes cricket Test as England's Stuart Broad took five wickets.
England recalled spinner Monty Panesar and fast-bowler Chris Tremlett in a 16-man squad for the Ashes cricket tour of Australia, starting in November.
England will resume at 29-0 on day two of the third Ashes cricket Test after vindicating Andrew Strauss 's decision to bowl first in Perth by dismissing Australia for 268.
England fast bowler Chris Tremlett will miss the third cricket Test against India with a back injury.
Fast-bowler Chris Tremlett was named in England's 30-man performance squad for the 2013 summer season.
England bowler Chris Tremlett took four wickets on the second day of the rain-affected third cricket Test to reduce Sri Lanka to 177-9 in Southampton.
England fast bowler Chris Tremlett underwent surgery on a bulging disc in his back last night in London.
Graham Onions has been called into the England cricket squad for the fourth and final Test match against India after Chris Tremlett was ruled out with a back problem.
England reduced Australia to 213-7 on day four of the deciding Ashes cricket Test in Sydney to move within three wickets of completing a 3-1 series win.
England called James Taylor into the squad for the third Ashes cricket Test against Australia as cover for batsman Kevin Pietersen, who's trying to get over a calf strain.


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Bard College doesn't judge the success of its prison initiative by the number of students who stay out of jail. Recidivism is an extremely low bar, says Executive Director Max Kenner.
Bard College doesn't judge the success of its prison initiative by the number of students who stay out of jail. Recidivism is an extremely low bar, says Executive Director Max Kenner.
Recently, the White House Council on Women and Girls issued a report pledging to "make our campuses safer" from sexual assault.
In her 2014 State of the University of New York Address, Chancellor Nancy L. Zimpher launched Open SUNY, a systemwide distance learning consortium. Over the near term, it will reduce the time it takes to complete a degree, course or certificate.
College football players from Northwestern University in Illinois, along with the National College Players Association, have petitioned to unionize in an effort to bring attention to athletes' brain trauma risks, sports-related medical expenses, scholarships and academic...
The top trend in college performance spaces today is the flexibility being built into them.
As one who enjoys reading history, I often ponder those moments of missed opportunity by myopic individuals or organizations. History is rife with such tales.
With funding cuts, falling enrollments and increased competition from MOOCs and other low-cost online programs, higher education has been under enormous pressure in recent years.
Located in the heart of campus at Saint Michael's College in Vermont, the 40,000-square-foot Dion Family Student Center offers a centralized space, housing a variety of student services. Nearly half the student population can access the center right from their dorms.
"Engage with the career center" sounds a bit like "eat your vegetables" to a college student.
These days, institutions can't say they fully "control" their recruitment and enrollment process—but they can adjust to how prospective students and their families are navigating i...
In the epic Hunger Games trilogy, Katniss learns that to survive, it is not enough to know where to be—it is just as important to know where not to be. For higher education, this means knowing what programs to curtail, and what markets to stay out of.
I live in a world of lectures, faculty meetings and final exams.
How an institution labels its continuing education division often reflects its mission or goals. Below are some examples of terminology used in the field—and insight into why each institution made that choice.
The high and rising cost of education, coupled with a vast range of low-cost options flooding the marketplace, has impelled much of higher education into an "adapt or die" mindset. This is relatively uncharted territory for many institutions.
Preparing to take a college-level course once meant simply heading to the campus bookstore and purchasing the textbook.


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Hang tight!
Recipe by julia3
"The ramen noodle and walnut topping makes this green salad a crunchy delight! I never have leftovers!"
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1 cup
vegetable oil
3/4 cup
white sugar
1/2 cup
red wine vinegar
3 teaspoons
soy sauce
1 cup
chopped walnuts
1 (3 ounce) package
ramen noodles
4 tablespoons
1 head
romaine lettuce- rinsed, dried and chopped
1 head
fresh broccoli, chopped
1 bunch
green onions, chopped
This salad was outrgaeous!!! I followed the recipe EXACTLY as indicated, however, I did blanch the broccoli for a few minutes. This gave it a bright green color and nicer texture.
For those people who are concerned about fat grams, follow these simple steps: substitute some water for the oil in the dressing, use 1 TBS of butter for sauteeing, and used baked ramen noodles instead.Another option would be simply sprinkle them on top without frying them at all. Thank you for the recipe!!!
The taste was, indeed, "the best". One of the all-time best salads I have ever made or tasted! However, when I later checked the nutritional information, I was appalled to see that this salad has almost 600 calories and 50 grams of fat PER SERVING!!!! That's terrible! As much as I loved this salad, I probably won't make it again, because of the terrible nutritional value. So sorry, that's for sure!
40 Ratings
This recipe was so simple to make & delicious. I purchased pre-cut & washed romaine lettuce & pre-chopped walnuts to make it even speedier. Since I was taking this to a friend's house I kept the vegetables, dressing, & roasted walnuts/noodles separate from each other & assembled it all right before dinner. By the end of dinner the entire salad was gone!
This salad is quite addictive! I substituted almonds for the walnuts, and added balsamic vinegar to the dressing. I also put some chopped carrots and some bean sprouts, since I had them around. Cutting the oil in half made this a *little* lower in fat.I will definitely make this again!
I love this recipe! It was a big hit at a recent party. Everyone wanted the recipe. The ramen noodle-walnut mixture really makes the salad special.
This is a great recipe. I added carrots and black olives and made it even better!
This salad is my new favorite! Excellent! Made it for 4th of July picnic and it was devoured!! Yummy! I also added some cooked chicken once for a light lunch salad. My family loved it! I honestly can't tell you HOW GOOD this salad is, or how many times I have been asked for the recipe....I SWEAR I would eat it every day. YUMMMMMMMMM. It is my staple for church potlucks, etc.
Very easy and delicious! It makes ALOT of dressing so I didn't use all of it. Just an FYI - leftovers are not as good as the next day because the crispy noodles get soggy.
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.
Sweet and Sour Salad
Serving Size: 1/7 of a recipe
Servings Per Recipe: 7
Amount Per Serving
Calories: 575
Calories from Fat: 447
Hard to believe, but many kids will be back in school at the end of the month. Get ready.
You won't believe all the things you can do with cauliflower. It's a great low-carb option.
Delicious recipes, party ideas, and cooking tips! Get a year of Allrecipes magazine for $7.99!
An easy, delicious sweet and sour tomato salad, perfect for any meal!
A crisp, colorful salad that brings a little heat with Thai and jalapeno chiles.
This elegant sweet and sour chicken has just the right amount of tang.


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Offers two approaches to implementing ecommerce functionality in Dreamweaver: adding a shopping cart to an existing site or building a stand-alone solution with PHP and MySQL.
Teaches web design beginners how to turn their design in Photoshop into a fully functioning web site in Dreamweaver.
Shows how to use Dreamweaver to create basic web pages, add text and image content, use Cascading Style Sheets, and make a final site search engine-friendly.
Covers everything from site structure to the value of standards-compliant XHTML and CSS.
How to generate standards-compliant XHTML and CSS, as well as rock-solid PHP, ColdFusion, ASP, and AJAX.
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text:
More New and Used
from Private Sellers
Ten Crisesby Montiel; Peter
Nonspecific Binding
Questions About This Book?
Why should I rent this book?
Renting is easy, fast, and cheap! Renting from eCampus.com can save you hundreds of dollars compared to the cost of new or used books each semester. At the end of the semester, simply ship the book back to us with a free UPS shipping label! No need to worry about selling it back.
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Returning books is as easy as possible. As your rental due date approaches, we will email you several courtesy reminders. When you are ready to return, you can print a free UPS shipping label from our website at any time. Then, just return the book to your UPS driver or any staffed UPS location. You can even use the same box we shipped it in!
What version or edition is this?
This is the 1st edition with a publication date of 10/25/2013.
What is included with this book?
- The New copy of this book will include any supplemental materials advertised. Please check the title of the book to determine if it should include any CDs, lab manuals, study guides, etc.
- The Rental copy of this book is not guaranteed to include any supplemental materials. You may receive a brand new copy, but typically, only the book itself.
Although the financial crisis of 2008 and after appeared in many ways to have sprung from nowhere, its genesis possessed strong antecedents. In this book, Peter Montiel analyzes ten case studies of crises that have occurred in a diverse set of countries (including industrial, transition and emerging-market economies) over the past thirty years. The examination of these experiences is conducted within a common analytical framework guided by the three "generations" of crisis models that have been developed by economists to explain currency crises. The crises are "financial" in the sense that, while they are all considered major currency crises, they combine to varying degrees elements of banking crises as well as sovereign debt crises. They have been selected not only for their importance in terms of the size and prominence of the countries involved and the severity of their impacts on the relevant economies, but also because of the lessons that, both individually and in comparison to each other, they provide. The specific crises covered are the 1981-82 Chilean crisis, the 1992 ERM crisis, the 1994 Mexican crisis, the 1997 Asian crisis, the 1998 Russian crisis, the 1999 Brazilian crisis, the 1999 Ecuadorean crisis, the 2000 Turkish crisis, the 2001-02 Argentine crisis, and the 2009 Icelandic crisis. The historical timeline presented provides essential pointers to the world's current predicament.


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Apr 21 2008
Reader Photos w/ PW Actions
(photo by Je Ne Sais Quoi)
I recently started this Flickr Group so folks who've downloaded the set of PW actions can post their new before-and-afters for all of us to enjoy (and learn from!) Watching the photos come in has been so exciting for me, and reminds me of why Photoshop actions are, like, such a blast. I grabbed a few contributions at random so you all can see the fun we're having:
Who knew the "Vintage" action would be so cool on non-human subjects?
Thanks, everyone, for sharing your shots.
I tell ya, this is even more fun than counting calf nuts!
101 Comments
Dee On Monday, April 21 at 2:40 pm
They look so awesome! I can't wait to try them myself.
Take care, Dee
Kelly On Monday, April 21 at 2:40 pm
I've gotta get with it and figure this photoshop stuff out! These photos are amazing!!
chocolatechic On Monday, April 21 at 2:41 pm
I did some with my kitty's. It was with your instructions for Elements. I should upload them.
Amanda On Monday, April 21 at 2:42 pm
Fell free to stop by my blog and see all my examples… because even though I haven't loaded them all into flickr, you still get all the credit for all the new techniques I've been trying!
Thanks and WTG PW readers… those are really, really wonderful pictures.
God bless-
buggirl On Monday, April 21 at 2:49 pm
Very cool!
Smarsh On Monday, April 21 at 2:55 pm
I love Photoshop and these actions are all so cool! I wish time wouldn't go by quite so fast when I'm playing with Photoshop. My poor husband feels neglected.
Kristi On Monday, April 21 at 3:09 pm
Thank you! I've had a blast going through all the pictures in the group. Some really great photographers out there!
Jen On Monday, April 21 at 3:09 pm
FANTASTIC ladies!! I love the girl on the street with her wild hair…AWESOME!
Thanks Ree for your smart and fun actions!!
Becky On Monday, April 21 at 3:19 pm
Great job everyone! I've been doing some experimenting with the actions myself. Thanks Ree!
Country Girl On Monday, April 21 at 3:24 pm
oh purty purty plwase make some Elements ones….plllleeeeease….i will give you my first born…
Asthmagirl On Monday, April 21 at 3:26 pm
That does it… I'm going home and playing with mine!
Jennifer Robin On Monday, April 21 at 3:28 pm
I've been working in Photoshop for years, and I've got to say, these are some of my favorite actions. Very well done!
Adina On Monday, April 21 at 3:32 pm
…"more fun than counting calf nuts!" You slay me!! BTW, just what do you DO with those bloody globs of Bovine genitalia? (*Erp.* I just jump-started my gag reflex.)
Jen Marriner On Monday, April 21 at 3:33 pm
How much fun to pop in here after a hard day's work and see my sweet little guy staring back at me from the top of this post. Thanks Ree for the wonderful actions! And I'm glad you liked the picture!
Miz Booshay On Monday, April 21 at 3:38 pm
So beautiful!!!
Ree's Flickr group is really wonderful.
Smart and talented photographers and photoshoppers willingly sharing their know-how!!!
It's fantastic.
When you go over there make sure you check out Ivoryhuts Montage/storyboard tutorial. It is really great.
(Even if I haven't figured it all out yet, myself ;o)
Can I say that the Monterey Black and White is perfection?
Brat On Monday, April 21 at 3:57 pm
You all make me want to go out and get Photoshop! You are awesome!
farmnwife On Monday, April 21 at 4:00 pm
I have a question. What do you store your photos on long term? I have an SD card that is about full and wondered if I should transfer the pics to something else more permenant
Julie On Monday, April 21 at 4:09 pm
I love looking at these photos even if I can't play along myself!
Andria and Co. On Monday, April 21 at 4:21 pm
Those are all great! I was up late last night fixing up pictures from my daughter's softball tournament. Fun, fun!
Jodie On Monday, April 21 at 4:30 pm
i second what number 10 said. pleaseeeeeeeeeeeeeeee
jamie On Monday, April 21 at 4:34 pm
I third, fourth , and fifthe what number 10 said LOL.
Carin On Monday, April 21 at 4:45 pm
I was hoping you would feature readers work at some point. Just upset with myself I didn't get any of my work up on Flickr. Thanks for sharing all of your knowledge in a content we can all get.
Ranger On Monday, April 21 at 4:46 pm
Try going to the following PW's section. If the link doesn't work, copy and paste it into your browser. It was so inspiring that I went back to my pitiful copy of Adobe PhotoDeluxe and made it consider itself a better photo editor than it thought it could. I just need to fix some already posted shots and replace them.
Keri On Monday, April 21 at 4:47 pm
Do you think you'll be doing anymore Elements tutorials? I love seeing how other people use layers, because it seems like just when I think I have it figured out, I realize how much I still have to learn. Which is, of course, why we're all addicted.
the planet of janet On Monday, April 21 at 4:56 pm
waaah. i can't get the actions to download properly on my mac. i feel so left out!!
Kirstin On Monday, April 21 at 5:00 pm
I love all of them! It's so fun to play with the pics. The one thing I'm noticing is that my girls don't seem to open their eyes very wide to really utilize the "popping" of the eyes. I'm not sure if it's just their eye shape, or I need to learn a trick to get them to open more.
Tina On Monday, April 21 at 5:02 pm
I always thought that the professionals that took our show homes photos were just a much better picture takers than I am. Now, thanks to PW & her actions, I'm convinced that they just know photoshop better.
Thank you, your tutorials & actions have help me with all of my photos both work & play.
leslie On Monday, April 21 at 5:15 pm
You count calf nuts?!?!? Why not take the number of calves and multiply by two?
I have GIMP. Will any of your Elements actions work with GIMP? I guess I could try it or something … maybe … in my spare time …. when I am not reading blogs ….
Marti On Monday, April 21 at 5:18 pm
It was so great seeing all of the pictures!
And, as mentioned above, thanks to ivoryhut for the montage tutorial, I think I figured it out with Elements.
Laura On Monday, April 21 at 5:24 pm
I've been having so much fun with the actions, and I love the Flickr group. Thanks for sharing your creativity, PW!
mia On Monday, April 21 at 5:33 pm
Hey P-Dub… can I make a suggestion for a future (hopefully soon) tutorial? How about some suggestions on making those multi image pages? Are they called vignettes? Different images of the same subject. Too cool, but i have Photoshop 7 – not that i know how to use it – but I SURE don't know how to do that.
And I wanna!!!!!!
Sabine On Monday, April 21 at 5:38 pm
I can't tell you how much I enjoy the flickr group! Thanks for starting it up – such an abundance of beautiful photography!!!
JackieWks On Monday, April 21 at 5:46 pm
Cool !
Starwoodgal On Monday, April 21 at 5:53 pm
Wow! Those are some great photographs.
Joy Gross On Monday, April 21 at 5:58 pm
Thank you for sharing those… they are awesome.
Sophia On Monday, April 21 at 6:03 pm
*sigh* I'm so jealous. I wish I had Photoshop just for the cool PW actions.
Shilo On Monday, April 21 at 6:34 pm
#36 Me too.
kari On Monday, April 21 at 6:43 pm
I'm having some problems with the Burn action. Even if I flatten the layers first, it just doesn't work. :o| I just get a dark, mostly opaque filter that covers the entire photo.
There was another one I was having trouble with, but i can't remember which one it was now. (I'm at home. Photoshop is at work.) When I run one of the actions, it says that Burn & … something else … can't be found. Even though i see them right there in the list. :o\ Maybe I should try to re-download them.
Jen Marriner On Monday, April 21 at 6:55 pm
Kari- I have the same thing happen to me with those actions not being found. What I do is to hit "Stop" on that error message, scroll down the list of actions till I find the one that is "missing" then run that action. When that one is finished I just go back up to the original action, find the point where it left off, and hit run again. I haven't yet had a problem doing it this way.
Sara On Monday, April 21 at 7:35 pm
Ree, I do digital scrapbooking and I have been using your actions!!
Here are some of my layouts.. only one has the SOOC…
I love them!!!
flo On Monday, April 21 at 7:41 pm
I've been playing with these all morning so I guess I should upload a few to the flickr site. These are very cool and you are so kind to share them with us all!
Thank you!!!
evie/whimsigal On Monday, April 21 at 7:50 pm
I'm just thrilled you offered the actions and think that was mighty fine of you. It's been fun playing around with different looks!
corrie On Monday, April 21 at 7:55 pm
This was sooo fun to see!!! I'm not of this caliber with photo software, but have enjoyed the tutorials just for catching a glimpse of how far behind I'm getting!!
I love the before and afters! Especially wih readers' photos~ Thanks for a great post!
megan On Monday, April 21 at 7:59 pm
please, please make some for elements…the elements crowd is frothing at the mouth looking at these examples (well, at least i am :)…
Beckynsc On Monday, April 21 at 8:04 pm
I gotta get Photoshop! Your photos are great!
Kathy On Monday, April 21 at 8:14 pm
Wow, the vintage-looking ones are stunning.
Melissa B On Monday, April 21 at 8:17 pm
I have to agree with Megan, please, please, please make some for elements…I want to play along and am sitting like a "good" girl waiting patiently. In the meantime I'll enjoy watching everyone else. Great job everyone.
tearese On Monday, April 21 at 9:17 pm
I wondered why the members of the flickr group just skyrocketed today…guess the secret club isn't so secret anymore, but its a lot of fun! Maybe next time my pics will make it on, sniff.
Minnesotamom On Monday, April 21 at 9:24 pm
Those are some great shots!
I'm home sick so I may have to download some and try them tomorrow. Don't want to get stuck using "cheaters," though. Husband says I simply MUST learn on my own before resorting to using actions. I say…the easier the better.
GlacierNan On Monday, April 21 at 9:32 pm
I've worked for BNSF Railway for 12 years as a conductor.
It is so scary to see those kids on the tracks. Unless you know that line is Permenently OUT OF SERVICE you should ALWAYS expect a train to be coming. Please stay off the train tracks.
Anne On Monday, April 21 at 9:35 pm
Am I the only one who would be scared to put my kids on RR tracks to take such cool pics? The train tracks in my hometown get LOTS of action. So much so that the town built a special overpass so emergency vehicles could get to both sides of town if there was a train. I gotta find me some OLD tracks that aren't used anymore. Both my grandpa's were RR guys…so I am very drawn to those pics.
Jenn On Monday, April 21 at 9:36 pm
Cute pictures! Now P-DUB! Hurry up and put some more Photoshop actions (especially the burn and vintage ones) up for Elements! Please and Thank you!!
PS Patience is a virtue, but one I don't have so PLEASE PUUUUHHHHLEEEAAAAAASSSSSE hurry
Sarah On Monday, April 21 at 9:38 pm
Thanks again Ree for these awesome actions! Thanks too for using the picture of my little girl. She's the one dancing like a crazy person on the sidewalk.
AmySmith On Monday, April 21 at 9:40 pm
I have some on my blog (here's the actual post where I waxed all poetic about P-Dub: http://aheadofmyability.blogspot.com/2008/04/new-toys-to-play-with.html )
I need to join the Flickr club. I hear that's where all the cool kids hang out!
Jan On Monday, April 21 at 10:02 pm
OH COME ON PW! NOTHING is more fun than counting calf nuts!!
Rachel Dallaire On Monday, April 21 at 10:02 pm
I sooo wish I had PSCS3 instead of Elements. These photos look awesome! I so wish I could play too.
esavymom On Monday, April 21 at 10:15 pm
I keep looking at the photos on my wall of my boys and wondering what I can do to improve them.
What Happens Next... On Monday, April 21 at 10:30 pm
VERY nice work, everyone!
I still haven't had time to download and play.
Carrie On Monday, April 21 at 10:59 pm
Miz Booshay, I can't tell you how much your compliment on my Monterey picture means to me! I've so enjoyed your tutorials on this website and have learned so much from you and PW! And PW, you rock!!! Where others have charged, you freely give, making life so much easier for so many photographers.
I'm so addicted to the flickr group. I find myself checking several times a day to see the new pictures. They are all so fun and inspiring!
Thanks again!
Jenn in AZ On Monday, April 21 at 11:37 pm
Thanks for this post, Ree! I was out of town when I read your original post about the actions you created. Now I am at home and can download them!
I'll see you on Flickr…maybe I will post a picture of me for your photo roll.
SusanL On Monday, April 21 at 11:40 pm
Fabulous photos, people.
amy On Tuesday, April 22 at 6:13 am
Okay, Ree, I would like to sign up for your personal Photo Shop class…….which way is it to the farm? And I don't do east and west directions……so just tell me where all the old barns used to be, and I'll find ya!:)
Excellent photos! I'm very impressed. They looked very good before, but once Photo Shopped, they were incredible!
Laurie On Tuesday, April 22 at 7:17 am
Well, I've joined the madness and ordered Photoshop from my computer…Just why is this software so expenisive?? Cause it ROCKS that's why…(at least that's what I told my husband…LOL)
Roe On Tuesday, April 22 at 8:03 am
I'm anxiously awaiting my version of CS2… can't afford CS3. I've been viewing the conversions on the flickr group and it's amazing how those actions make a photo! Bring on more tutorials. I wanna learn more!
Jennie On Tuesday, April 22 at 8:07 am
Wow! Those are so cool! Just think of all those photos you have saved with your actions!
OneCowgirl On Tuesday, April 22 at 8:11 am
Thanks for starting the flickr site – VERY INSPIRATIONAL!!
I LOVE seeing everyones work!!
Laura B On Tuesday, April 22 at 9:40 am
I LOVE seeing these! They are so wonderful!
Jenna McIntosh On Tuesday, April 22 at 10:05 am
I downloaded the actions, but I am too stupid to know how to get them into Photoshop. Any help?
brandy On Tuesday, April 22 at 10:14 am
it's like a dream come true to see my photos on PW's BLOG!!! I'm dying here. Seriously, I feel almost famous. Almost. Thanks PW! You're so freaking awesome I can hardly stand it!
Emelyn Magpoc On Tuesday, April 22 at 11:49 am
I'm such a loser, I can't get the actions to work!!
Those are gorgeous pictures!!
Danielle On Tuesday, April 22 at 12:34 pm
Great pictures! This has been such a fun way to learn how to use photoshop, elements, and lightroom….you and Miz Booshay rock!
Nichola Ager On Tuesday, April 22 at 12:40 pm
Very exciting to see my pic on here! Thanks again to Ree for the great actions! Back to the photoshop………..!
Matt vk On Tuesday, April 22 at 1:57 pm
Photoshop is wonderful, But sometimes less is more don't over do it. Too much dulls out the detail in the photo. The Photos do look nice.
Thanks Matt
Courtney On Tuesday, April 22 at 2:29 pm
I can't wait to learn to do the rest of the PW Actions on Elements!
Me On Tuesday, April 22 at 3:07 pm
I've decided that I NEED Photoshop after seeing all the lovely things y'all have done using PW's actions. I don't care if I never see my husband again, as long as I have beautiful photos.
TreesandBeesPhotog On Tuesday, April 22 at 3:17 pm
We're having a great time over on Flickr, come join us!
Sarah On Tuesday, April 22 at 3:31 pm
It's really fun to see what everybody's doing with their photos. I'm just starting to learn Photoshop – and it's a little scary – but exciting too. Thanks for sharing all the photos with us.
Heidi On Tuesday, April 22 at 3:53 pm
Ok. Is this meant to tease us PSE users into BEGGING you to let us play too???
OK. I'm begging. Really. On my knees and begging.
liz On Tuesday, April 22 at 3:55 pm
oh how cool (really do you sleep?)
can't wait to contribute!
tina On Tuesday, April 22 at 4:27 pm
Oh Ree, I love this post!!! I'm learning so much from you and can't wait to this treatments on my two adorable punks!!! My hubby is a talented web designer but I don't want to bother him on it and rather just surprised him on my creative genius…hehe…your genius of course!!!~~ Rock On Ree!!!!
The Aitch On Tuesday, April 22 at 4:52 pm
Hi! So, I am wondering of these actions were made and built only for Photoshop CS3? I ask because I am using photoshop CS and in many of the actions the "make" and "select" command does not work so I am missing a lot of the steps in the actions. If Ree, or someone else would know this and could fill me in, that would be great!
Rene' On Tuesday, April 22 at 10:23 pm
I use your actions everyday. You have made a mom of 5 short people very happy ;o) Thank you for your help.
Any Idea after I use the BW action how I could just bring back the eye color only?
Matt vk On Wednesday, April 23 at 6:01 pm
The way to bring back the eye color only
Start out by creating a duplicate copy layer befor any changes. Change the top layer then select the eraser and erase the eyes on the top layer reveling the color behind
Dawn @ My Home Sweet Home On Wednesday, April 23 at 10:57 pm
I posted a shot with the "soft and faded" action, but I don't have the "before" shot: http://photoblog.myhomesweethomeonline.net/?p=16
Mama DB On Wednesday, April 23 at 11:43 pm
Hi PW,
I just sent my pics to your group but they aren't showing up. Do we need permission, or do they need to be approved?
Mama DB On Thursday, April 24 at 5:40 pm
scratch that. they are showing up just fine!
Miss Julia On Friday, April 25 at 3:14 pm
Love the pics, the info, the art. Please don't use the RR track. There are no paper cuts on the Railroad. Nuff said.
robtxgal On Friday, April 25 at 3:57 pm
I've downloaded the actions, but can't seem to get them to run in Photoshop 7. Any suggestions?
paws On Saturday, April 26 at 6:23 pm
Dang….sure makes me wish I had PS instead of just PSE!
kristie havyer On Sunday, April 27 at 7:56 pm
I love your blog, love your photography, recipes and I AM TOTALLY loving your free action. I have been using them a ton. THatnks for your generosity
David Mills On Sunday, April 27 at 8:52 pm
The fourth pair of photos (little boy on tracks) is an example of a very difficult scene to maximize. The automatic exposure placed so much weight on the white shirt that the rest of the scene was underexposed.
Increasing the exposure, however, would have washed out all the detail in the shirt. That's precisely what happened when the brightness and contrast were bumped up for the rest of the picture.
As an experiment, I adjusted the photo as follows:
Increased saturation to get rid of the "gray film"; adjusted the levels (mid-tones) to brighten up the scene while leaving the lightest parts (shirt) and darkest parts (track shadows) alone; adjusted overall brightness and contrast to bring out detail in the trees in the background.
The result can be viewed here: http://www.daweidesigns.com/images/LBCS.jpg
Great fun. Regards.
Becky On Monday, April 28 at 4:39 pm
I need to start using my PS! You make it look effortless!
Sylvia On Tuesday, May 6 at 9:48 am
I didn't like to inundate your group but you made a hard job ten times harder! Now I not only have to choose my favourite photo but I have to pick the right effect!
Great fun, thanks for these actions!
brooke On Monday, May 12 at 1:11 pm
i loooooooooooooooove your actions. they're the only ones ive been using lately. Thank you so much !
Priscila On Wednesday, May 21 at 3:59 am
I just love the actions.
I've been working with them for a few days. I'm having a little issue with the Soft & Faded action, but my w/a (work around) is click stop and choose the action that's missing. I did try removing the _ from the name, but it's still occuring. and BTW I have CS3. If anyone has any times let me know. Either way, I just love them. I'll be posting some of the pics soon.
Sylvia Borgo On Thursday, June 26 at 12:05 am
Your actions rock!
leia On Thursday, July 31 at 2:03 pm
you rock!! i just needed to tell you that after lookin through this site. You've helped me beyond anything i could have imagined!!
thank you!
Gloria On Friday, October 10 at 2:35 pm
hi there!!! I just love this website!! It's so informative. I come here every day to see what's new. I am having trouble using the Vintage action. Can you help?
thank you.
Jamie On Wednesday, November 5 at 11:11 pm
I'm completely loving this web site and learning so much but I can't for the life of me figure out how to use the actions that I have downloaded. WAAAAA! Can anyone help me with this?


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Below is the poem entitled Strong Little Bird which was written by poet
Fredholm. Please feel free to comment on this poem. However, please remember, PoetrySoup is a place of encouragement and growth.
Read Poems by
James Fredholm
For several weeks now, I have been watching
A strong little bird through my window.
She appeared one day on the ledge as I looked out,
And I was touched, I felt some kind of connection..
At first, this bird was shy, like all birds she would fly,
At the slightest sign of danger, so I tried to keep still.
But each day she came back, and we both grew more trusting,
And started to break through our webs of apprehension.
With time, her visits were more frequent and relaxed,
And I was always thinking about how I could support her.
Some days were sunny, others were cold and snowy,
But she was fearless and always shared those moments with me.
I think we both usually spend most of our time alone,
And so our little bond has grown into something very special.
Yesterday, she came very close and I almost could touch her,
I could feel how she wanted to be comforted by my hand.
I was so excited, waves of joy surged up inside me,
And all at once the tears started to flow down my face.
And now it's a new day and I am waiting with renewed feelings,
For the happiness of this relationship with my strong little bird.


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Daven Haven Lodge
604 Marina Dr
Grand Lake, CO 80447
(970) 627-8144
Daven Haven Lodge
Daven Haven Lodge
Daven Haven Lodge
604 Marina Dr
Grand Lake, CO 80447
(970) 627-8144
Tags: full bar, outdoor seating, seafood, steak
From Ute Indians to Old West pioneers, Grand County immortalizes its early history.
If your Colorado vacation includes a round of golf, swing your way into Grand County.
Sagebrush BBQ Grill
1101 Grand Ave
Grand Lake, CO 80447
(970) 627-1404
Grand Lake Brewing Company
9921 US Hwy 34
Grand Lake, CO 80447
(970) 627-1711
Tags: beer, burgers, outdoor seating
Grand Lake offers 300 miles of snowmobile trails including 150 groomed trails.
A well-planned excursion to Grand Lake is a wonderful summer experience.
Colorado is known for a great many things; the Rocky Mountains, Denver Broncos, and of course our spectacular wildlife.
Looking for something to do? Check out the Grand County event and activity calendars:
Every winter the United States Association of Blind Athletes brings about twenty vision-impaired high school students to Colorado..
Walk through town and take in the free-fall of hanging baskets that align Main Street.


text:
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The Kentucky Division of Forestry (KDF) is once again preparing for an active wildfire season as lack of rain this summer and increased fuel loads from spring storms could pose problems for fighting fires.
Many people choose to live in small-town America to get away from the hustle and bustle of big-city life. One of the great advantages of living Harrison County's of the world is that old-time tradition of neighbors helping neighbors, and often, strangers helping strangers.
The Cynthiana Elk's Lodge #438 participated in the 2012 Rod Run event on Aug. 25 by thaving their Drug Awareness Mobil Unit in front of the Harrison County Courthouse. Approximately 300 Drug Awareness pamphlets, balloons and other information were handed out. They also had a basketball goal Hoop Shoop set up for the children and adults to try their luck and skills.
The Cynthiana/Harrison County National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) Freedom Fund Gala will be held Saturday, Oct. 20 in the Northside Elementary Grade School cafeteria, 2415 US Hwy. 27 N., Cynthiana, Ky.
Donna Slone-Crumbie, assistant professor teaching reading and English at the Licking Valley Campus, was elected chair of the KCTCS Faculty Senate on Thursday, Aug. 2.
State Auditor Adam Edelen has released the audit of the 2011 financial statement of Harrison County Sheriff Bruce Hampton. State law required the auditor to annually audit the accounts of each county sheriff. In compliance with this law, the auditor issues two sheriff's reports each year: one reporting on the audit of the sheriff's tax account and the other reporting on the audit of the fee account used to operate the office.
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