text:
Prepared Remarks of Eugene J. Huang
Government Operations Director – National Broadband Task Force
MIT's Center for Future Civic Media
"Broadband and the Future of Civic Engagement"
Thank you for that kind introduction. It is wonderful to be here at MIT and my deep appreciation to MIT for serving as our hosts today. MIT has produced many great graduates. Not the least of which is a member of my team, Vishal Doshi. To Vishal, thank you for your hard work on the National Broadband Plan. To MIT, thank you for letting him graduate.
In all seriousness, MIT and the Center for Future Civic Media is a leader in the area that my remarks will address today – the area of civic engagement. You truly are leading the world in innovation at the intersection of technology and civic engagement – with an incredible number of groundbreaking projects going on here. From NewsFlow, which maps real-time news reporting, to Lost in Boston, a web tool that cities can use to engage citizens in improvement projects, there is tremendous innovation happening here.
For the team members who have worked on the civic engagement section of the National Broadband Plan, this has been a long journey. Many hours of work, and many sleep deprived days and nights will have been spent on the plan – a plan that when it is released in about two weeks – will inspire a vision for broadband's future in America. The team has worked very hard to get to this point, and before I lay out our proposed recommendations, I'd like to take a minute to explain how we got here.
Congressional Mandate
The path to a National Broadband Plan began over a year ago with Congress. Congress tasked the FCC with developing a National Broadband Plan as part of the Recovery Act. And to quote directly from the Recovery Act, the ambitious goal of the plan is to ensure that every American has "access to broadband capability."
Congress mandated that the plan address four questions:
- First, how will broadband infrastructure be deployed throughout the United States? This question is answered through an analysis of the most efficient and effective means to deploy broadband – either via wired, wireless, or satellite infrastructure –to ensure that all people of the United States have access to broadband.
- Second, how will we ensure adoption of broadband services in the United States? This question has led to a detailed strategy for adoption of broadband services, including achieving affordable access to broadband services, as well as maximum utilization of broadband infrastructure and service by the public.
- Third, what is the status of broadband deployment in the United States?
- And fourth, how will Americans use broadband services in the future? To address this question, we have looked at how broadband will advance specific national priorities, including government performance and civic participation, public safety and homeland security, community development, health care delivery, energy independence and efficiency, education, worker training, private sector investment, entrepreneurial activity, job creation and economic growth.
National Broadband Task Force
So how did we develop answers to each of these four questions?
To develop the National Broadband Plan, Blair Levin, our director, assembled a task force of staff from backgrounds including government employees, individuals from the private sector, technologists, consultants, venture capitalists, MBA's, PhD's, and, yes, lawyers.
But don't blame me, I'm an electrical engineer and a technologist, not a lawyer.
Overall, we've described the work we've undertaken since last summer as a three act play. In June and July of last year, we began with the Prologue, outlining the process and vision serving as the foundation for the plan. Act I, starting in August and continuing through December, represented our fact gathering stage. Act II stretched into January and focused on analyzing the facts that had been collected. And in Act III, our final act, the Task Force is developing our recommendations prior to the release of the plan in a few short weeks. We are doing our best to ensure that the plan is neither a tragedy nor a comedy.
In all seriousness, during this process, the FCC has worked hard to practice what we preach in terms of civic engagement.
One of the major goals for the process of developing the National Broadband Plan is to ensure that we are transparent, inclusive and participatory. To that end, I'm proud to say that this has been the most open, transparent, data-driven process in FCC history. We've attempted to practice what we preach by seeking public input in a variety of ways.
We have held more than 35 public workshops with well over 350 panelists on the different topics that the plan will address. These workshops have generated tremendous interest with more than 1,000 people attending in person and more than 5,000 people participating online. Every one of the workshops has been streamed online, and individuals have been able to participate from as far away as American Samoa and Sweden.
We've also had a record number of public notices. For everyone here that isn't steeped in the minutiae of how the FCC goes about its work, a public notice is the way the government formally asks for public comment or input on an issue. We released 30 public notices – and in return, we amassed a significant volume of public comments that represents a public record of over 20,000 individual responses that total in excess of 70,000 pages.
The FCC has also made extensive use of social media and crowd sourcing tools during this process. The FCC launched a presence on Facebook, twitter and other social media sites. Since launching on Twitter last fall, we have amassed more than 330,000 twitter followers, making us the third highest of any government agency – behind only the White House and the CDC.
If government Twitter followers were an Olympic Sport, we would have been awarded a bronze medal – a significant accomplishment since the gold medal went to the President and the silver medal went to swine flu.
We've also launched a blog where the Chairman and members of the Task Force post updates and ask for feedback. The blog, located on www.broadband.gov, had 40 blog posts and 340 comments in the first month after we launched it.
Our blogging has only increased since the first month of launch, with 175 posts and more than 11,000 comments. We've also used IdeaScale to crowdsource ideas for the plan. The result: more than 450 ideas, many of which are in the plan. These ideas generated more than 7,500 comments and over 37,000 votes.
The Civic Engagement Framework: Information and Tools
After all of this data collection, we came to what may seem like an obvious conclusion: civic engagement is the lifeblood of our democracy. While this might sound clichéd, I don't believe that it is.
Democracy – at its core – is about self-governance. At the most basic level, this requires an informed and engaged citizenry to participate in society's institutions, engage their government and hold it accountable. Democracy requires an informed and engaged citizenry in order to validate the actions of government so that it reflects the will of the people.
In short, civic engagement is a very big deal.
So that's civic engagement, but what about broadband? What does broadband have to do with civic engagement?
We came to the conclusion that broadband has the potential to transform civic engagement in two principal ways.
First, broadband can strengthen the reach and relevance of mediated and unmediated information in our society.
A healthy democracy requires an informed citizenry, and broadband can change the way that people engage this information. This is true for mediated information, such as public media. This is also true for unmediated information, such as the data the government provides citizens.
Second, broadband can enable citizens to engage in their democracy – through a variety of broadband-enabled tools that will make our democracy more participatory and more representative.
Broadband-enabled technologies have already revolutionized the way citizens interact with each other in the private sector. Companies such as YouTube enable the distribution of "user-generated content" over the Internet. YouTube now supports more than 120 million viewers watching more than 10 billion videos monthly. And more than 80% of U.S. adults who are online use social media at least once a month, and half of them participate in social networks such as Facebook. Today, 26% of Americans are involved in a civic or political group, and more than half of them use digital tools to communicate with other group members.
Given this context, our proposed recommendations fall into 5 areas.
Proposed Recommendations
Increasing Citizens' Access to Mediated and Unmediated Information
Open and Transparent Government
First, we looked at ways to build a more open and transparent government. This principally involves increasing citizens' access to unmediated information, and we think the federal government has made good progress in this area recently. But we believe that there is more that the government can and should do
The executive branch's data.gov initiative is one example. Data.gov is a web portal that offers an index of data generated by government agencies in machine-readable formats. Launched last May, data.gov has been a tremendous success, receiving more than 47 million visits in the first 7 months. This initiative demonstrates that there is great demand for government to be a wholesale supplier of data.
While this example demonstrates progress, there is more that can and should be done. Data.gov includes only a small amount of federal government data. We believe that all data and information that the government treats as public should be made available online in machine-readable formats.
And although Data.gov applies to the executive branch, we believe that similar initiatives should also extend to both Congress as well as the Judiciary.
Moreover, for data that is actionable or otherwise time-sensitive in nature, the Executive Branch should provide individuals with a single Web interface to manage e-mail alerts and other electronic communications from the federal government.
In addition to making more data available to the public, we believe that the primary legal documents of the federal government should be made free and publically available online. While this might seem obvious to some, this is not currently practice. For example, in the federal judicial system, the Public Access to Court Electronic Records system, or PACER, still charges for access to federal district, appellate and bankruptcy court records. The U.S. federal courts themselves pay private contractors $150 million annually for electronic access to judicial documents. We believe that these types of barriers inhibit a principle of democracy – that every person who is subject to the laws of this nation should have free access to those laws online.
We also believe that the Knight Commission had it right when it expressed the principle that "the public's business should be done in public." Toward that end, government meetings, public hearings and town hall meetings should be streamed online. These events should also offer closed-captioning services to increase accessibility for persons with disabilities and should allow people to ask questions online where feasible.
Public Media
Our second area of focus has been public media. While broadband can enable the release of more unmediated information, it can also provide greater access to mediated information through media and journalism.
Public media has historically provided invaluable educational, news and other media content. Looking into the future, this could not be more important at a time when many of our journalism and media institutions are under severe stress.
Today, newspapers are closing, local TV news stations are laying off reporters, and statehouses and other institutions are drawing fewer and fewer journalists to cover the news. Just as communities depend on individuals to create and maintain communities, individuals need trusted intermediates to connect them with relevant, accurate information.
In response to this trend, public media must continue to play a critical role in the development of a healthy and thriving media ecosystem – by providing individuals with information, developing public debate and conversations, and building cohesion and participation in our communities.
But if public media's future is to be as successful as it's past, it must transition from a 20th century broadcast based model to a 21st century broadband-based model.
Today, public media is at a crossroads. It is predominantly structured around broadcast-based communications. This presents a clear challenge as we enter the digital age. Public media must continue to expand beyond its original broadcast-based mission to form the core of a broader new public media network that better serves the new multi-platform information needs of the future.
This is no small challenge. Yet I am optimistic about the future of public media because it has already begun this transition and is showing great results.
Let me give you a few examples.
Across the Charles in Boston, WGBH has developed the Teachers' Domain, a free collection of more than 2,000 digital resources covering diverse content for students and teachers. Last year was the 40th anniversary of Sesame Street. And just a few months ago, PBS launched the PBS KIDS preschool video player – with more than 87 million streams of educational content being delivered in just the first month.
We also have great examples in public radio. NPR launched a tremendously successful API, and apps utilizing this API to access content have been developed for the iPhone and Android. And NPR podcasts are being downloaded more than 15 million times a month.
So we believe that the future of public media is bright. But it also faces challenges. To the extent that government can help to facilitate a digital transition and mitigate these challenges, we believe it should do so.
One of these challenges is the Copyright Act. Congress passed special copyright exemptions for public broadcasting in the 20th century, but these provisions no longer fulfill their original purpose. For example, current licensing practices inhibit public broadcasters from producing and distributing the highest quality digital programming. These exemptions should be updated to facilitate the distribution of the highest quality programming on 21st century digital platforms.
Finally, during this process we began to ask ourselves what a national digital archive for the 21st century might look like. Broadband holds great potential for increasing people's access to historical materials. And we believe that the government should get the ball rolling in this area by creating Video.gov, a new video platform for the federal government's public digital video content. Video.gov should be modeled after Data.gov and the federal government should convene a group comprised of federal agencies, the National Archives, and the Library of Congress to develop Video.gov.
We believe that Video.gov has the potential to be a huge success. But we think it should be only one part of a larger digital federated national archive that would include public media, and maybe even commercial media as well. Today, these institutions sit on a wealth of America's civic DNA in the form of historic TV news coverage that goes back more than 50 years…millions of hours of historic news coverage of America's daily life. This archival content could provide tremendous educational opportunities for generations of students and could revolutionize how we access our own history.
We believe that this is a tremendous opportunity, but we realize that it is not without its challenges. For example, public television has attempted to launch such a digital video archive, but has run into difficulties obtaining the rights clearances it needs. To mitigate this issue, Congress should consider amending the Copyright Act to enable public and broadcast media to more easily contribute their archival content to a digital national archive to help turn this vision into a reality.
Digital archives hold tremendous potential to transform the way the American people learn about themselves, their communities and their history. We can enable this transformation by removing the barriers that inhibit the development of a new ecosystem surrounding public media.
Increasing Civic Engagement Through Broadband-enabled Tools
In addition to increasing the American people's access to mediated and unmediated information in digital formats, broadband can also improve the quality and number of points at which the American people can access their government. We have been focusing on three specific areas: social media, innovation in government, and digital democracy.
Social Media
Social media has been our third area of focus. By most standards, social media is not new. Many Americans use tools such as Facebook and Twitter in their daily lives on a regular basis. The FCC's recently released study of broadband adoption and use in American shows that 55% of broadband users also use social networking sites. Focusing on individuals aged 18 to 29, this number skyrockets to 85%. And these numbers are likely to grow even further in the coming years.
Unfortunately, government has not integrated these tools across the board in the same way that the private sector has. We believe that government must adopt these tools to provide opportunities for citizens to engage using the same communications mechanisms they use in their daily lives. Furthermore, we believe that government should view social media technologies not as pilot projects or add-ons, but as core to its mission. Government should use a variety of new media tools – from those primarily used to communicate, to those that enable more intensive participation and that specialize in co-production and co-governance.
While the success integrating these tools in the government has been uneven, we believe that there is reason for optimism. As I mentioned earlier, the FCC has integrated the use of twitter, Facebook, idea scale and other tools into the fabric of the agency. In addition, the CDC has had great success in this area – using social media platforms to provide access to credible, science-based health information. The CDC's use of social media has been instrumental in enabling them to get reliable information about the H1N1 virus to the public quickly. Between April and December of last year, the CDC had more than 2.6 million downloads of H1N1 podcasts, more than 3 million views of H1N1-related YouTube videos, and more than 37 million views of H1N1-related media feeds.
Social media is also giving rise to citizen-to-citizen diplomacy. These tools are connecting individuals across nations and regions. As one example, the State Department recently launched its "Virtual Student Foreign Service, enabling college students to become "dorm-room diplomats". These students are then matched with embassies and students in other countries to build transnational relationships and cultural understanding through digital citizen-to-citizen diplomacy.
In short, government is certainly making progress, but these examples are the exceptions rather than the rule. Recognizing the promise that social medial holds, our federal government should accelerate the adoption of social media technologies across all agencies.
The fourth area that we have been focused on in civic engagement involves the innovation that occurs at the nexus of broadband and civic engagement. Beyond communicating with individuals, broadband provides an opportunity to engage citizens in more direct collaboration with their government in ways that lead to greater innovation. We all know that many of the best ideas come from outside of government. To take advantage of these ideas, we should create avenues for more citizens to help spur innovation within the government.
Government is just beginning to think about these types of issues. As one example, the White House has used participatory tools in the Open Government Initiative to begin changing the nature of participatory governance. Specifically, the White House has engaged citizens in the development of this initiative through public brainstorming blogs, a wiki and a collaborative drafting tool.
But we believe that government can do more in this area. An Open Platforms Initiative throughout our government has the potential to leverage digital platforms to engage and draw on the expertise of citizens and the private sector. From peer review and open problem-solving platforms to open grant-making platforms, we believe that these platforms can both engage citizen-experts and improve government performance.
Bringing individuals with a proven record of innovation into government service has the ability to bring new ideas and perspectives to some of the challenges that our government faces. An Innovation Fellows program could place private sector experts and innovators throughout the federal government for 1 year fellowships. And an Innovation Corps could serve as a think tank for technologists from inside and outside government to help design digital platforms and applications for all levels of government.
Digital Democracy
Last, but certainly not least, you can't talk about the future of civic engagement without talking about the future of our democratic processes. More Americans engage in democratic elections than just about any other civic act. By bringing the elections process into the digital age, government can promote greater civic participation and increase the efficiency of the process.
Providing broadband to more Americans provides an important opportunity to fix problems in the existing process, starting with voter registration. The current paper-based system for registration voters can include multiple cumbersome steps – from collecting information on paper forms to manually entering handwritten data onto voter lists. One recent study estimates that voter registration problems resulted in more than 2 million voters being unable to vote in the 2008 general election. The challenges are even more difficult for members of the military serving overseas. These individuals are more than twice as likely to face registration problems as the general public.
While these challenges are great, several states have already taken steps to modernize the voter registration process. As examples, Arizona, Kansas and Washington already permit citizens to complete and submit voter registration applications online. In addition to allowing for online voter registration, common standards would assist in making voter records portable to increase accuracy, improve efficiency in the process and decrease cost. Several states have already begun moving forward with standards to facilitate data exchange across state boarders.
While this progress is encouraging, we need a more comprehensive effort to modernize the process across all fifty states for elections at all levels. We believe that federal, state and local stakeholders should work together to modernize the elections process by addressing these and other issues.
Finally, as mentioned earlier, our military men and women serving overseas face very real challenges when they are trying to vote. One survey showed that more than half of the military serving overseas who tried to vote were unable to do so because their ballots were late or did not arrive. And a survey of 7 states showed that an average of more than 25% of military and overseas ballots were returned as undeliverable, lost or rejected in the 2008 election.
We all agree that the government has a moral obligation to ensure that those military men and women protecting us from harm's way are able to vote. Because no one should have to give up the right to vote as a condition of serving their country.
The federal government has recently taken steps to begin addressing this problem. The Military and Overseas Voter Empowerment Act recently passed by Congress requires that starting with the 2010 elections, states must establish procedures to allow military and overseas voters to request absentee ballot applications electronically for federal elections. This is an important step in the right direction.
States are making some progress on this issue as well. In 2008, Arizona launched a Web-based voting system that allows the military and overseas citizens to vote online, with completed ballots uploaded directly to the Secretary of State's website.
There are exciting initiatives happening at the intersection of broadband and democratic processes, and we need to ensure sure that this progress continues. To this end, the Department of Defense should be tasked with the development of a secure Internet-based pilot project that enables members of the military serving overseas to vote online. DoD has looked into this in the past and there are clearly security and privacy concerns that must be addressed. But we believe that as long as our military men and women are serving overseas and unable to vote, we must continue working to do everything we can to address this very serious problem.
The proposed recommendations that I've presented to you today represent not an end, but a beginning. A beginning of a new era in civic engagement in America.
In five distinct areas – open and transparent government, public media, social media, engaging citizens in government innovation, and modernizing our democratic processes – we believe that broadband has the potential to transform civic engagement. But this transformation will not occur on its own. It will take a commitment from all of us – our government, our elected leaders, and the American people – to renew our democracy in a broadband enabled twenty-first century.


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Tate Harmon: Guilty!Thursday, August 09 2007
Tate pleads guilty - with pleasure, Michael once again asks John the unthinkable, and Todd learns about Miles' new living arrangements...
Layla wakes up in Vincent's arms and says, "You make me feel so safe." When talk of Tate's arraignment comes up, Vincent says, "He better pay or I'll regret saving his life more than I already do."
Rex goes to Adriana's apartment and says, "John knows that Tommy is Todd's son, and he knows that I've known." Although Adriana panics, thinking they're going to be in real trouble, Rex says, "He doesn't know you're involved and doesn't have real proof that Tommy is TJ." However, Adriana reminds Rex, "He's not going to give up." Rex then suggests they dummy up a DNA test! Suddenly, Layla and Vincent appear from her bedroom, but they think Rex and Adriana are talking about Tate.
As John is leaving the Hotel from work, Michael asks, "What are you going to do?" When John replies, "I think you know the answer," Michael begs, "You're going to ruin my life!" Michael again tries to plead his case and begs John to stay quiet! Although Michael lives with the guilt about keeping a baby from his real father, he knows he's doing what's best for Tommy then brings up the hurt it will cause their mother and Marcie if John talks! "Don't take my son away from me," Michael says. "You can be a cop, or you can be my brother. If you truly love me, you'll keep your mouth shut!" Suddenly, Marcie appears holding Tommy and asks John to tell her what's going on! After John blows it off as 'family stuff,' Marcie hands Tommy over to Michael then heads back up to their room to get Tommy's toys. Michael looks at John as he holds Tommy close and says, "See what you'd be doing here, Johnny?" Just as Michael claims John is taking away his family because he can't have one of his own, Marcie reappears and John leaves…
After John leaves, Michael claims he's tired then suggests they all take a trip – next week! However, Marcie wants to know, "Why do you want to get away all of a sudden? What's going on?" Although Michael simply claims he just wants to take his family away to relax, Marcie can't take the time off work with school starting right around the corner.
Although Cole goes to the jail and asks Marty to plead not guilty, she replies, "I don't think I can do that." However, Cole reminds Marty that both John and he believe in her innocence – and she should too! Changing the subject, Marty asks about Starr, and Cole replies that she forgave him and that Todd has decided not to stand in their way.
Just as Cole once again asks Marty not to plead guilty, John arrives and stands behind Cole and reminds Marty that she can't give up! After Cole heads to the courtroom, Marty notices John's distraction and asks, "Do you want to talk about it?" Suddenly, a guard arrives and says, "It's almost time to go to court."
When Todd arrives at Llanfair to see Viki, he runs into Miles! After Viki explains that Miles is living there, Todd flips out! However, Viki says he's Natalie's guest. Suddenly, Todd announces Hunter's death then questions how Miles made it happen! Although Miles denies any involvement, Todd brings up Cole – and the fact that he'll be testifying against Miles!
Once Miles leaves, although Todd feels stabbed in the back, Viki explains Natalie's support of Miles then compares it to Viki's support of Todd! However, Viki promises if Miles is proved to be involved in kidnapping him, he'll pay for it. "One way or another," Todd agrees then leaves…
At Cris's apartment, although Sarah blames herself for Hunter's death, Cris says, "It wasn't your fault." Sarah then announces she's leaving Llanview. After Cris reminds her about the 'money' it'll take to leave town, Sarah decides she has no choice but to stay. Not wanting to be alone, Sarah leaves for the courthouse with Cris…
At the courthouse, Nora is surprised to see Matthew – who insists on staying for Tate's arraignment. Just as everyone is taking their seats, Tate is brought in and the judge calls order in the court. Eerily, Tate glares at Matthew. After the judge reads the charges against Tate, he denies counsel then says, "I plead guilty!" When Tate goes on, "My only regret is that I didn't finish what I started," the courthouse erupts! Once court is called to order, the judge immediately has Tate sent to Stateville until sentencing! On his way out of the courtroom, again, Tate glares at Matthew who says, "I feel bad for Tate because he's absolutely pathetic."
When Tate is brought to his cell at Statesville, he's shocked to find his cellmate is an African American named Luther who says, "Welcome to Statesville!"
Next on One Life to Live:
Marty goes to jail on a murder charge.
Antonio expects Nash to pay off his loan for the vineyard - ASAP!
Marcie & Michael continue to have problems communicating.
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subset: commoncrawl


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The Wintergrasp River, based from Wintergrasp, runs from southeast Sholazar Basin[62, 86] on the south end of The Skyreach Pillar, and leads to the southern part of River's Heart.


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Six Ways to Punch Up Your Financial Health in 2013
A new year always brings the same resolutions: eat less, drink less, and exercise more. Why not make this the year you take huge strides with your finances instead? I'm not talking about just any type of action. I'm talking about the type of massive action that made you endure 7-8 years of med school and residency and pushes you to see several crashing patients at the same time when you're alone on a night shift with sphincter tone maxed out.
What I'm about to tell you is unorthodox and unconventional and your first thought might be "This doesn't apply to me" or "There's no way I can do that!" But I can assure you from personal experience that acting on even one of these strategies can have a powerful impact on your financial life.
#1: Chop off 10% of your shifts
What you might not realize is that this won't necessarily mean making less income.
Why? Because you'll probably last longer. Let's say you work full time and make $300,000 in annual income. By working 10% less shifts, you'll make $270,000, but you might be able to work 13 years by working less shifts versus only 10 years by working more shifts. Your lifetime income actually increases by almost $500,000, and you do it with less stress.
#2: Demand a 20% raise
If you're an independent contractor or hospital employee – and especially if you're well liked by the nursing staff, patients, and consultants – what's stopping you from demanding more money?
Let's face it: money is the 10,000 pound elephant in the room. Doctors are scared to ask for more of it because they think they'll get fired. Our attitude is "put up and shut up" with all the nonsense that's thrown at us. Unfortunately, that doesn't benefit you.
If you don't ask for more money, contract management groups, hospital admin, and everyone else will trample all over you. They're watching their bottom line, not yours. Step up to the plate and tell them, "I provide incredible value to you, the hospital, the community, and to patients, day and night, weekends and holidays. I generate revenue for you. It's because of me that you have a job."
Do this: If you're making $125 per hour, ask for $150 per hour. If you're making $150 per hour, insist on $180 per hour. That won't dent your boss's bottom line, but it'll do wonders to yours.
#3: Sock away 30% of your gross income
If that's not enough money to "live" on, then you've probably got a spending problem. Make your next car a Nissan instead of an Infiniti. Voila! You just freed up over $10,000 and you'll still make it to your next ER shift on time.
Quite frankly if you can't contribute $50,000 to your retirement portfolio every year, then be prepared to work for a long, long time. The government sure isn't going to be sympathetic to you since you already make "too much money" and you aren't paying your "fair share" in taxes.
Do this: Max out your SEP IRA or 401(k), contribute to a traditional IRA, and then invest in a taxable account. Total contributions should equal at least $100,000. That still leaves you with $150,000 to spend or over $12,000 per month. C'mon, if that ain't enough, don't bother reading the rest of this article.
#4: Pay off 50% of your mortgage – all at once
Do this: if your mortgage balance is 25% or less of your gross income, whatever cash you have after basic living expenses and taxes, apply half of that to your mortgage. Do the same next year and kiss it goodbye. Think about the smile you'll have on your face the day after you pay that last payment.
Time to clean house. Here's a simple question to ask yourself: "Do I understand every investment I own?" Every investment you answer "no" to should be axed, and if a financial advisor sold the junk investment to you, think about tossing him too.
There you go. Five big steps – or rather leaps – to sprint ahead this new year. It takes some guts to do it, but in the end you'll be glad you did.
# Can't live on $150K? NO WAY IN HELL — 2013-01-09 10:30
Not sure what expenses you have, but with wife at home with the two kids, one kid in private school, over $300K in medical school debt I have to pay off, two car payments, a house to rent in SoCal, $150K leaves me tens of thousands behind the eight ball. I guess I fit into the "stop reading the rest of this article" category.
Seriously. I've never traveled in my life, am planning on 17 shifts a month with no vacation this year. I basically spend no money and have one extravagance, a nice car. Sheesh, after delayed gratification aren't I allowed at least one nice thing? I didn't want to work straight through from high school never taking a break even once in my life only to end up dying $300K in debt and sacrificed the last 12 years of my life to die driving a Nissan. Call me a pretentious a$$hole.
Don't get me wrong. If anyone had asked me 10 years ago if I though I'd be able to live comfortably on $150K a year, I'd laugh in their face and shout, "Of course!" But I've looked once, twice, thrice at my budget and at that amount, the bottom number is blazoned in red pixels.
Move out of SoCal, you say? Sure, love to. Try explaining that to my mom, dad, in laws, grandparents, sister, nieces, nephews, cousins and the rest of the clan. Let me tell you, if ever there were an audience of folks who were so sure they knew how well off I was, it's the non-MDs in my family.
Maybe I'm touchy because I'm fresh off the training boat. Maybe I'll think differently in a few years, but for now, can't we unabashedly just admit that $150K doesn't quite cut the lifestyle that we all feel like we deserve after dealing with the crap we put up with in the ER day in and day out?
I have 350K is student loans, of which 300K is from med school; my wife has 250K in med school loans, 3 kids, a house, 2 cars, no vacations, plus we WANT to put 50K away every year...but 100K???? Our student loan payment is $3300 a month. I get paid well, but not 100K after taxes into savings well. Who does???
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by Michael Berning
(Houston, TX)
This Ocean View Condo is in the quality, affordable oceanfront complex known as Casa De Emdeko. Located at 75-6082 Alii Drive in Kailua-Kona on the Big Island.
1 Bedroom/1 Bath
- Turnkey furnished
- Complete kitchen with new appliances
- Accommodates up to 4 adults
- Free Parking
- On-site convenience store
- On major bus routes
- Convenient to Kahuluhu Beach and With Sands Beach
- Fresh Water and Salt Water pools
Low Season rate of $450 per week and $70 per additional night
High Season rate of $580 per week and $95 per additional night
Join in and write your own page! It's easy to do. How? Simply click here to return to Big Island Vacation Rentals and Condo Rentals.


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San Antonio man charged with child molestation
By Alia Malik, San Antonio Express-News : April 16, 2014 : Updated: April 17, 2014 6:53am
Photo By courtesy
Justin Miranda
SAN ANTONIO — Police charged a man Tuesday with aggravated sexual assault of a 9-year-old girl earlier this month.
The girl told police that Justin Miguel Miranda, 27, had picked her up from her mother's house April 4 to take her out to eat. Instead, the accuser said, Miranda took her to a house where he drank some beer. Miranda then parked in a dark spot and sexually assaulted her, she told police.
The girl's mother told police Miranda called her later that evening to ask if the girl could spend the night. The mother allowed it because the two were out late, according to an arrest warrant affidavit.
The girl's mother told police her daughter was crying the next day when Miranda dropped her off. Miranda usually walked the girl to the door, but that day he left before she could open the door, her mother said. The girl told her mother what happened, according to the warrant.
Miranda was also served with an outstanding assault warrant and remains in the Bexar County Jail without bail on that charge.
firstname.lastname@example.com Twitter: @AliaAtSAEN
Twitter: @AliaAtSAEN


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Not an LSU fan but your are shedding quite a few tears.......interesting
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Recipe by Sharon
"Graciously cold, wonderful, refreshing summer treat! This recipe is good even without the brandy!"
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5 cups
boiling water
4 (2 g) bags
green tea
1 cup
white sugar
1 (16 ounce) can
frozen lemonade concentrate
1 (16 ounce) can
frozen orange juice concentrate
2 cups
1 (2 liter) bottle
lemon-lime flavored carbonated beverage
This is a family christmas traditon in my home. The few changes I make is to add 1 (16oz can frozen limeaid) and use pink lemonade instead of regular. I still add the orange juice to it also. We always make two batches for x-mas one with Brandy for the adults and one without for the kids. It's always a hit.
This is such a delicious treat. The green tea gives it a really refreshing flavor. Using blackberry brandy also works really well, but it's just plain yummy any way you make it.
33 Ratings
Brandy slush the way it is supposed to be. Next time I will double the recipe. This was so good, I drank it all myself!
Incredible! This was our exclusive "holiday" drink for years, but now make a couple of double batches in the summer. Nice to have on hand. Make it in an ice bucket several days in advance of first use. Easy to take to parties. Usually use caffeine-free tea and Sierra Mist, but the cranberry lemon-lime drink is good, too. Have made it with Stevia instead of sugar, and it was good. Couldn't tell the difference. It's all good.
A big hit! Everyone really liked it! I will definitely make it again.
Delish! I used a combo of 1/2 Cherry UV and 1/2 plain vodka. Definitely has a kick to it! Also used Sierra Mist Cranberry Splash for the soda. Very red and festive for the holidays!
This is a wonderful recipe! Thank you!!!
This was great on a hot summer day.
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!
Creme de cacao, chocolate syrup and ice cream make a super-rich cocktail.
Cool off a hot summer evening with a refreshing, icy whiskey cocktail.
See how to make a refreshing alcohol-free punch.


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"As always, the customer service and timeliness from Tiny Prints was excellent. I have been a repeat customer for nearly five years and this card has received the most compliments by far. Love this design, the graphic online does not do it justice!"
"I personalized the card with my almost three year old grandson's photo of him playing in the snow. I inserted the year versus adding names and just signed the back of the card. The paper and printing were of good quality and met my expectations. I love the way it came out. It's a great idea for a holiday card that loved ones will enjoy. The card was larger than I expected. Perhaps it could be scaled down a bit."
"I love the quality of the paper and printing. Nice weight to the card. Family and Friends enjoyed receiving our Christmas card."
"I wanted a card that showed all that we did during the year. This was perfect! I ended up choosing the pearly paper and it was worth the extra amount, it gave it that extra holiday sparkle. I also got the return address on the envelope and that is so worth it as well. Beautiful presentation. My ONLY complaint and the only reason why I dropped it a star was that there was no choice of color for the back (it was blackish colored). We like to personalize our cards and we had to get silver marker and it was just a pain bec the marker had a hard time with the kind of paper it was. But otherwise, super happy with everything else."
"This was the first year I ordered a photo card for Christmas. I really perused through the TinyPrints website, and carefully selected this card. We had taken a wonderful trip to Ireland in September and wanted to capture it on our cards. I wanted a card that had a good amount of photos. We were thrilled with the way these cards turned out, and received a lot of compliments from friends and family members who received them. The ease of using the website and creating and saving templates was super! I would definitely order from TinyPrints again! Bravo for a great product!"


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Rev. Barbara Colvin
After many years of struggling in the streets, jails and prisons, it is but by the grace of God and extensive support from others that she has become a productive citizen and an outstanding motivational speaker. "Touching the lives of "my people" is Barbara's fervent cry. The Lord has blessed her with an ability to reach all age groups and lifestyles, making them feel loved and cared for. Her life, ministry and message speak of her many gifts and bring hope to all that listen!


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Plans for Today
September 14th 2009 08:32 am
- Wind some yarn into balls.
- Swatch for future knit projects
- Knit on current projects
- Bake some
- Do dishes
- Write a blog post or two (I did promise a series of creativity articles, didn't I? Crap.)
Oh yeah. That work thing. Um… I'm writing a script? Trying not to think about it too much, lest the idea of making actual scenes scare the heck out of me.
ETA: It occurs to me that my methods of avoiding work by writing blog posts is much less interesting than taping bacon to a cat. Clearly, I have a long way to go before I'm a Real Writer.


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Bryan Adams' Hit-Heavy Fox Show
By Jeremy Essig
Lightning Bolt's Sharp New Sound
By Jason Robinson
Fleetwood Mac Back with Classic Lineup
By Hans Morgenstern
Here's Who's Making STL Noisy This Spring
By Joseph Hess
Beatles Sister Louise Harrison Departs the Midwest
By Peter Gilstrap
By Julia Burch
Working Class Dogs to Honor Rick Springfield
By Jeremy Essig
Torche Gets Back Into Its Heavy Groove With Restarter
By Nathan Smith
Of course, most musicians reject being pigeonholed in one genre, and rightfully so. Folk music still brings forth images of bearded fellows throat-singing and plucking a ukulele, just as indie rock is synonymous with skinny boys with poor social skills in too-small T-shirts. Where both Fruit Bats and Iron & Wine succeed is in attracting different types of fans, some with folkie beards and some with indie threads.
Fruit Bats singer and guitarist Eric Johnson agrees that the term "folk music" should be applicable to many musical styles. "I think punk rock is the last great folk style, because folk music is the music of the people." And while Fruit Bats' music would have a hard time being considered punk by even the broadest definition of the word, Johnson taught a class on the history of punk music at Chicago's Old Town School of Folk Music, where he also teaches more traditional folk music with guitar and claw-hammer banjo. His attempt to erect a rock & roll high school was met with resistance by the school's purist founders. "It's strange because at the school teaching the Eagles is totally acceptable where teaching the Clash is not," says Johnson. He has a point: '70s classic rock has become a new kind of folk music. Instead of sitting around the fire singing "Will the Circle Be Unbroken," modern hootenanies consist of "Hotel California" and "Wish You Were Here."
When Iron & Wine and Fruit Bats share the stage at Blueberry Hill this Sunday, it will be one of the strongest co-bills this town has seen in some time. Both bands are labelmates on the indie tastemaker Sub Pop, and both share an affinity for soft, hummable melodies in songs that take a microscopic view of love and the relationships that lead to or bring about the dissolution of it. Some have pegged these acts as the new heavyweights in the neo-folk movement that was founded by Will Oldham and Songs: Ohia's Jason Molina. Call it what you will, but it's potent, ear-catching stuff.
While Johnson likes to keep his definition of folk open to include almost any musical style, he doesn't consider Fruit Bats to be a folk act in the strictest sense of the word. "I think that the thing that bothers me about calling it folk is because it has an acoustic guitar on it," says Johnson. The latest Fruit Bats record, Mouthfuls, does favor the acoustic guitar, but it also employs synthesizers, xylophones and some pleasant harmonies from keyboardist Gillian Lisée. "Basically, I don't care [what people call it] as long as they like it," Johnson adds. And it's a hard record not to like; it may not be the most earth-shattering music put to tape, but try not to smile or sing along. It's damn near impossible.
On Mouthfuls, Johnson and Lisée spend the majority of the ten tracks looking at love from all perspectives, from the excitement and promise of a relationship to the destructive possibilities that come with giving yourself over to commitment. It can be a bit neurotic or abstract, like so many of the twisted love songs from the stable of Elephant 6 bands like Of Montreal or Apples in Stereo.
"[Mouthfuls is] about new love and fear, and there's a lot of apocalyptic images in there. My idea was to write a record about reproduction, about spring and all about that. If there were a central song it would be 'The Little Acorn.' It's about kicking yourself into gear with an absurdist list of instructions," explains Johnson. "Absurdist" is a fitting term, as the song parallels nature's cycle with lines like "killing swans with 21 guns/just to see them fall to the lake." It's not exactly Biology 101, but Johnson recognizes the difficulty of singing about the unsingable and makes grand efforts to put relationships in his own chaos-leads-to-order terminology.
This view of love-as-dysfunction is seen most charmingly on the last track, "When U Love Somebody." Here Johnson and Lisée, who are romantically and musically involved, echo another Chicago-based duo, Dolly Varden's Stephen Dawson and Diane Christiansen, with doe-eyed harmonies and inside jokes that only the bandmates can understand. When they sing "Baby, remember on the bus and your hand was on my knee/when you love someone it's hard to think about anything but to breathe," you want to be on that smelly Greyhound with them, just witnessing a tender moment.
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The Ecosystem Marketplace's Mitigation Mail
Conservation and Wetland News You Can Bank On
It's been a slow month for biodiversity markets, with low attendance at a Biodiversity and Ecosystem Finance GreenPower conference recently held in New York City and light news days on the web.Ā Ecosystem Marketplace picks up the slack, with original articles putting the spotlight on mitigation banking in Florida (see: Sheri Lewin: The Tie That Binds , and Will Florida Panthers Boost Species Banking? ).Ā
We see West Coast-East Coast links of regional ecosystem market development in a collaborative project called Marketplace for Nature, which brings together efforts in the Willamette (Oregon) and Chesapeake Bay (multi-state watershed stretching from New York to Virginia).Ā Oregon presses ahead with a draft bill on ecosystem services making its way through the state legislature--more on this as the bill moves forward.
No news is... no news, at least for the changes to the US Endangered Species Act pushed through late in the Bush Administration.Ā The LA Times reviews the Obama administration's options for blocking or overturning the changes to the act.Ā Also being challenged are Bush administration shrinkages in critical habitat area of 18 endangered species, in a lawsuit filed by the Center for Biological Diversity .
In the international arena, the European Union released a mid-term report on the implementation of the EU Biodiversity Action Plan and say they're not likely to hit 2010 biodiversity goals unless major additional efforts are pursued.
For those of you interested in developments in the forestry carbon market, Ecosystem Marketplace recently launched the first phase of ForestCarbonPortal.com , an online information clearinghouse for the terrestrial carbon markets. Although still under construction, the site is active and can be viewed here .
A conference to add to your calendar: the 12th annual National Mitigation & Ecosystem Banking Conference, May 5-8, 2009, Salt Lake City.Ā The conference will focus on "Banking under the New Rule." Learn more and register here .
Enjoy details of these and other biodiversity market stories below.
—The Ecosystem Marketplace Team
If you have comments or would like to submit news stories, write to us at firstname.lastname@example.com.
Forestry advocates believe that halting the destruction of tropical rainforests is one of the easiest and most effective ways to slow global warming, and that's led to a surge in development of projects designed to capture carbon in leaves, stalks, and bogs, but no centralized information hub for keeping track of all the activity - until now. Introducing: ForestCarbonPortal.com .
ĀĀ– Go to Article
Not that long ago, wetland banking was just an interesting idea backed by a gaggle of nature-minded entrepreneurs looking to make a buck by saving valuable swamps and marshes. Today, it's a bona fide industry, with sub-sectors and service providers all across the United States. Now species banking looks set to do the same, and it's Sheri Lewin's job to keep them all on the same page.
by Rhett A. Butler, mongabay.com
Everyone agrees the tropical rainforests are worth more alive than dead, but our economic and political systems still fail to reflect that, with devastating results. Rhett Butler of mongabay.com takes stock of the emerging market mechanisms for protecting the world's largest rainforests.
With 93 established banks, California is the undisputed national champion of species banking. So what's up in Florida? It's got significant development pressure, plenty of threatened and endangered species, and a strong wetland mitigation market, yet only two species banks on the ground. That could change soon; Ecosystem Marketplace has the story.
by Dr. Morgan Robertson, University of Kentucky
Fans of the Ecosystem Marketplace often complain of being slammed by the left for cavorting with markets and by the right for snuggling up to government. One prominent social scientist says an important challenge may come from ecosystem market supporters themselves, who fail to recognize the assumptions underlying their own worldviews and those of potential allies.
ĀĀ– Go to Editorial by Dr. Morgan Robertson, University of Kentucky
The global recession may have taken the wind out of prices for carbon offsets in 2008, but the mechanisms necessary for building a truly functioning market for ecosystem services also began falling into place this year. Ecosystem Marketplace takes a brief look at some of this year's highlights.
Blog: Mongabay.com
Writing in the journal Trends in Ecology and Evolution (vol. 24, no. 2), scientists claim "disinformation campaigns" by palm oil industry downplays threat to forests in Southeast Asia: "A prohibition on the conversion of primary or secondary forests to oil palm is urgently needed to safeguard tropical biodiversity. Until that happens, oil palm might well be the single most immediate threat to the greatest number of species."
ĀĀ– Read story here
New Scientist –USA
The Nature Conservancy has developed computer modeling that predicts where development will occur after oil and gas companies develop resources.Ā The modeling allows oil and gas companies to target conservation of habitat to areas under threat of development, thus matching mitigation more closely with impact.
Associated Press--USA
States and 31 federal agencies spent $884 million in one year on efforts to save over 1,100 endangered species, according to 2006 figures just released by the US Fish and Wildlife Service.Ā Since 1988, Congress has required an annual report of state and federal dollars spent on a species-by-species basis.Ā Top most expensive species since reporting began include: the Mojave desert tortoise, salmon in the Pacific Northwest, and the Stellar sea lion.Ā The range of spending in 2006 was wide: from just $6 spent on a rare plant in Utah (Barneby reed-mustard) to $39 million on the pallid sturgeon.
The Desert Sun--CA, USA
The Center for Biological Diversity filed seven lawsuits against Bush administration reductions in critical habitat of 18 endangered species.
Tropicanarainforest.com website
Drink a glass of OJ, save a hundred feet of rainforest--that's Tropicana's new voluntary Rescue the Rainforest promotion that I discovered while sippin' the sweet stuff. The deal works by visiting a website, registering (aka delivering customer information?), and entering a code from special subtly-marked cartons of juice. Tropicana is partnering with CoolEarth to deliver the rainforest protection while working with local communities in the Ashaninka Corridor in Peru. CoolEarth's website says they've protected 5,000 acres so far.
ĀĀ– Tropicana's promotion website
ĀĀ– CoolEarth website
Environmental Defense Conservation Incentives Newsletter
"Effects of Agricultural Conservation Practices on Fish and Wildlife is a bibliographical guide to recent scientific literature. Cited works provide information on conservation programs and practices specifically designed to improve fish and wildlife habitat and also those intended for other purposes, such as water quality improvement. Part of a multi-volume set, the guide was developed by the Water Quality Information Center at USDA's National Agricultural Library."
ĀĀ– Access Effects of Agricultural Conservation Practices on Fish and Wildlife here
ĀĀ– Read newsletter story here
Provides an overview of market-based approaches for environmental conservation and published figures on market volumes, including New Carbon Finance's estimate of the carbon market ($118 billion in 2008, to grow to $150 billion in 2009), and Ecosystem Marketplace's estimates of the regulated biodiversity offset market ($3.4 billion annually) and water markets ($500 million by 2010).
World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) Press Release
The WBCSD and the IUCN have developed a role-playing exercise to help participants understand potential benefits and drawbacks of ecosystem markets.Ā The "game" is free and available online.
ĀĀ– More information here
A Conservation Blog
In a very strange collision of the wildlife and communications world, the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources and Salt Lake Tribune have released a testosterone-filled YouTube video highlighting wildlife management and relocation efforts.Ā The opening scene sets the weirdness level at factor 5 with a clip of bighorn sheep wrangling/wrestling, accompanied by metal guitar.Ā Some of the department's relocation/management efforts: bison, mountain goats, moose, and bighorn sheep.
ĀĀ– See video here
Wildlands Inc. says they're ready to provide wetland and species credits to speed delivery of the Obama administration's infrastructure plans in the federal stimulus package.
ĀĀ– Read press release here
World Resources Institute (WRI) Press Release
WRI is offering a training on their methodology to devise strategies for managing risks and opportunities related to a company's relationship with ecosystem services. The Corporate Ecosystem Services Review (ESR) training will be offered to consultants on February 10-11, 2009, in Washington DC and via video conferencing.
ĀĀ– For information and to register
USDA website
The 2008 Farm Bill reauthorized programs providing incentives for landowners for wildlife habitat management, wetland restoration, etc.Ā Some amendments to programs have been made, including: Environmental Quality Incentive Program (EQIP) payments extended to non-industrial private forestlands and organic producers; increased EQIP payments to historically underserved producers; exclusion of non-agricultural, non-forested and publicly-owned lands from eligibility for the Wildlife Habitat Incentive Program (WHIP); an additional 10% of the WHIP budget can be used for protection/restoration of "essential" plant/animal habitat. The publishing of interim rules in the Federal Register provides an opportunity for public comment.
The USDA also announced $20 million will be available for Conservation Innovation Grants (CIG) in fiscal year 2009.
ĀĀ– Read about the programs open for public comment here
ĀĀ– Read about CIG grant funding here
New Mexico Conservation Cooperative website--NM, USA
New Mexico landowners can earn up to $250,000 in tax credits when donating land or conservation easements.Ā These tax credits can be used to reduce the landowner's own tax liability, but it might take years for a taxpayer to use their credits against a state tax liability. Now, there's another option--cash in the tax credit by selling it to someone else to let them reduce their state income tax liability. The option became available in January of 2008, with the first credits being transferred in the final months of the year. It's a brave new-ish world of transfer markets for conservation tax credits. Ecosystem Marketplace previously reported on the precedent set in Colorado and Virginia .
ĀĀ– New Mexico Conservation Cooperative website
Internal documents
Two regional ecosystem marketplace efforts in the Willamette and Chesapeake watersheds in the US have joined forces to cooperate on developing a voluntary marketplace for landowners to sell ecosystem services to buyers interested in offsetting their ecological footprints. The cooperative project, deemed Marketplace for Nature, intends to develop a marketplace where buyers and sellers can find each other to transact in credits that offset or mitigate ecological footprints with on-the-ground projects.
European Commission press release
"In 2006, the European Commission produced an Action Plan to halt biodiversity loss by 2010, setting out concrete actions and outlining the responsibility of Community institutions and Member States. Today's report is an overview of progress, and represents the last real opportunity for stock-taking before 2010. The report studies four main policy areas: biodiversity in the EU, the EU and global biodiversity, biodiversity and climate change, and the knowledge base. A summary of progress in each Member State is included for the first time.
The main conclusions are that an enormous effort will be required if the EU is to meet its 2010 target, and that intensive efforts will be needed, at the level of both the European Community and the Member States, if the EU is to even approach its objective."
ĀĀ– Read press release here
ĀĀ– Access reports here


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We're excited to let you know that VH1 You Oughta Know artist Ximena Sarinana will be performing via live stream tomorrow at 1 p.m. ET. The live stream will be an intimate experience with the Mexican singer-songwriter, a dream for fans and newcomers alike. With many of our You Oughta Know artists moving on to big things (like Grammy nominations), this is a special event you don't want to miss — get on board with Ximena Sarinana so you can say you always loved her when she becomes a household name!
You can watch the live stream here at 1pm EST on Tuesday December 13.


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What are your picks for the best restaurants near DLR? How about a 5 mile radius of DL to start.
What are your picks for the best restaurants near DLR? How about a 5 mile radius of DL to start.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/blendyweeIf you can keep your head when all around you have lost theirs, then you probably haven't understood the seriousness of the situation.
Casual - MiMi's near the HoJo.
It wasn't me, it was Lisa!
Carl's Jr.
It's a restaurant...
Finish each day and be done with it. You have done what you could. Some blunders and absurdities no doubt crept in; forget them as soon as you can. Tomorrow is a new day; begin it well and serenely and with too high a spirit to be encumbered with your old nonsense.
~Ralph Waldo Emerson
Within 5 miles? Hmmm...
I'm a sucker for Benihana's filet mignon and shrimp...
Buca di Peppo
Fine dining? Casual?
When we stay at the Residence Inn on Harbor, we enjoy Red Robin's. The IHOP next to the Radisson for breakfast.
When we stay on property, we enjoy the usual spots.
We enjoy Po' Folks, which is next to knott's.
No need to go any further than that.
Ya, I'd say Buca di Beppo's if you're in the mood for Italian. I personally like Tortilla Joe's in Downtown Disney, too.
Heck if you're going to go to Po'Folks you might as well go to Mrs. Knott's Chicken Dinner Restaurant. I haven't eaten there in years and even if the food is not as good as it once was you gotta have it. After all Walter Knott and Walt Disney were great friends.
Outback Steakhouse and Joe's Crabshack! Yum!
Mom, remember, it's not what a person is like on the outside that counts,it's what they are like in their HEART!
- Wolfette
What's the name of that place east of Knott's that has the delicious wet Vienna Beef sandwiches? They're originally from Chicago and now I can't remember the name! It's on La Palma and is probably just outside your 5 mile range but boy, if you're from the Windy City, those sandwiches taste like home! Well worth the drive.
Anita's New Mexican
600 S Harbor
(it's about two blocks north of the Fullerton Disney Character Store)
Excellent sopapillas.
Mc Donalds......lol
but seriously theres a Mimi's Cafe on Ball Rd, I love that place.
also theres a iHop on Katella I believe
check me out on Flickr
Tony Roma's.. if you love ribs and stuff.. Bucca is good for the italian food.. gosh.. benihana.. yes..
All of them sound good.. now I'm hungry!
Mmmmmm food....
-Market Broiler at the Block of Orange
-Corner Bakery at the Block
-King's Fish House Katella and Main St in Orange
-Cha Tai if you like Thai food, a little hole in the wall, on Chapman before you get to Main St. in Orange
-Felix's (Cuban food) at Orange circle corner of Chapman and Glassell
joe's crab shack.
we also like mimi's cafe'.


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Just thought I would ask who and how many of you are using Netbeans? I have been using it for more then 6 months now and for those that are not using it….you are truly missing out! I have tried every editor on the market and I have found nothing like Netbeans. At first it rubbed me the wrong way, but then the more I used it all these hidden gems appeared. If you use PHP (wordpress) and jquery alot not to mention html/css….it almost reads your mind with code completion.
So how many are using it? and if not….why?
I might give it a shot again as I've heard good things. The reason I use E Editor is the simplicity and the ease of accessing files online.
You can do what E does and so so so much more with Netbeans. Working with files is awesome with Netbeans as well…just set up a project and you are all set.
Netbeans rocks! I was using Notepad++ before and for PHP,it s not ideal. but Netbeans,that's something else.I tried switching to Aptana a month ago because of Jaxer but after 10 minutes, I already missed NB. At first I didn't like to have to start Apache just to practice Jquery stuff but you get used to open everything under a PHP project. Its also nice when it tells you about missing closing tags. For a newbie like myself, It's a good tool.
I agree Netbeans is very good – I have not had chance to set it up properly though yet. I just need to get into it properly. I found Aptana a little too heavy.
Aptana can't do half of what Netbeans can.
I too am a recent convert to Netbeans from Notepad++. I still use it for basic HTML/CSS stuff, but do all of my PHP in Netbeans now. No going back. It's not as dramatic as the jump from regular Notepad to Notepad++, but still, there's quite a bit of the "how in hell did I get anything done before this?!"-factor.
I tried netbeans again on my new computer build, and it still gave me the heavy feeling that Aptana did when I tried it. It might be because the only things I work with are javascript, css and html. But I just love the simplicity of E.
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Works for me using WiiFlow R92a on ios 249 rev19 base 57... Played for an hour yesterday, no crashes after training.
Great Game!
Anyone getting Other M to work on a Wasabi modchip? I get disc read error after "now loading" right after you chose a language and subtitles for the game. Total bummer.
Works for me using WiiFlow R92a on ios 249 rev19 base 57... Played for an hour yesterday, no crashes after training.
Great Game!
Sys Menu 4.1U - DriveKey - Bootmii/boot2 - PriiLoader 0.7 - cIOSx d2x-V8
works Great with usbLoader on cios 222!
3.2 wii menu
The game Kinda sucked. Too MUCH story....
Samus is a hot edit Butt kicking Bounty Hunter. This game make her a babiling cry baby!
1 out of 5!
Sure hope the next one is more like any of the primes
Last edited by Krank; 09-02-2010 at 09:36 AM.
I burned metroid other m to a dual layer disc and on neogamma I got dvd error 1208 or something. But then I saw your guide for metroid prime triogly.
It says that cios38 rev 14 can disable dual layer backups. Is this the same for metroid other m?
I have one question.
I can't play Metroid: the Other M because I need to update my Wii. It's a hardmodded 4.1u Wii with wiikey2 ver 1.3. Will it work if I use the same method Ithian posted in Mario Galaxy 2 Guide to update the IOS? (http://www.wiihacks.com/wii-games/59...tml#post369062)
I heard you need IOS56-64-v5661 (IOS56-64-v5661.7z) to make it work.
EDIT: I accidently typed "can" instead of "can't" in my original post.
Last edited by trrrr; 09-02-2010 at 03:29 PM.
I'm sort of lucky here. I can't play backups on my wii, on through usb can I do that, and this game takes about 7 gigs! Luckily I have a 8 gig flash drive
Trrr: I don't know if you need it or not. I have the ios installed on me and it works fine


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Too Drunk to Remember St. Louis Mardi Gras? 19 Awesome Photos to Help You Remember
Categories: Jesters
|She's also the founder of Booze for Jesus.
|Wrong cleavage, dude.
|Those are some big balls.
|Jack in the Box got too drunk at Mardi Gras again. Oh, Jack.
|For some reason, beer makes ladies crouch during pictures. We can't figure out why.
|If your friends get out of control, just tie them to you with beads. Genius.
More genius photos on the next page!
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All the stars from RAD by Rad Hourani on New York Autunm-Winter 2012-2013
Click on one of the 29 pictures to enlarge photo
All the latest on the newest little royal
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HUNTSVILLE, Ala. (WHNT) – This is cool. A friend of the station gave us $5,000 with one condition. Find 50 people and do a random act of kindness for them by giving them each $100. It didn't take long to put some smiles on some faces.
On a Wednesday night, the power of faith resonates in waves of warmth and reflection through the sanctuary of True Light Church of God in Christ. It's a big church with a bright light to the heavens. And on this night, Mother Parker was leading the call.
In a pew was a dear lady, LaJonda Jordan. Her friends call her LJ.
"What we call this is a random act of kindness. I'm Greg Screws. I think I'm the lucky one to meet you here tonight," we said. "It's something here for the holidays. It's for whatever you want to do. Can I give you a hug?"
"You may," Jordan replied.
On a Sunday morning at The Rock, Rusty Nelson let us interrupt his service.
"This isn't a Deal or Dud is it?" he asked.
The Rock is just that, a foundation of hope and faith in the community. On that morning in the warm embrace of his church family, we recognized a man who so often puts others in front of himself.
"Is there a guy named – I lost his name – no, I didn't. Is there a guy named Tim Nesmith here?"
Tim Nesmith is a guy that is The Rock when the doors open and when the doors close. He also drives a bus taking people to and from their weekly service. We gave Tim $100 from our Secret Santa.
"It's not about me," Nesmith replied. "It's about what God has done in my life. I just love to go out and serve people," he told us.
At the Tinsel Trail, we found a great opportunity for a mom with a carload of teenagers — eight of them, in fact. It was her daughter's birthday party.
"How many you got? Eight? That one is on me. We got them all. Merry Christmas."
"Thank you so much," she replied. "It's my daughter's birthday."
Tionne Griffin had been at work since 7 a.m. the day we met him. He was exhausted and had been shopping for an hour. But, he gets what the holiday is all about.
"It's all about giving, not receiving, but giving," Griffin said. "Tell me about that," we asked him.
"Always told it's best to give than receive," he said.
Tionne is just who we are looking for on this Secret Santa mission.
"I would like to help you with that," we said. "Merry Christmas."
"This is real?" he asked quietly. "Yes," we said.
While doing the Secret Santa stories, it's amazing how people that you give $100 to have no intention of using it for themselves. Jo Wettendorf fits that bill.
"We're having a toy drive on Sunday," she said. "Perfect!"
"This will be great. Thank you very much — we're gonna give it to the toy drive," Jo said.
WHNT News 19 zipped over to Five Points for a Star Market stop, where we met 10-week-old Aubrey McKey. We surprised Aubrey's mom.
"Do you know what a Secret Santa story is? You know what those are?" we asked.
"Yeah, sorta kinda," she replied.
"Well, this is one of those. And, we're glad you stopped."
"Oh my goodness. Thank you," she said.
We found Adrian Woodland, a college student going to school and working full-time. She still finds time to volunteer in the community.
"I used to volunteer in Lincoln Village," said Woodland. "It's a great charity if anyone is looking to volunteer. I would highly suggest Lincoln Academy."
"This is a Secret Santa story, actually," we told her. "This is for you."
"Thank you! Merry Christmas," Woodland replied. "Wow. Gotta shop. I really appreciate that," she said.
Our random act of kindness/Secret Santa tour proved one thing I had always suspected. Most people, when you give them $100, will pass it forward. And, if you ask people to give them two minutes of your time…
"My parents are retired teachers," one said. "What did they teach?" we asked.
Generally, they will give you that time, even if you put a big camera in their face.
We found the Dooleys in the Costco parking lot. They had driven over from Scottsboro.
"We don't do a lot of gifts. It's not what Christmas is about," they said.
"You can take that," we said, handing them $100. "Anywhere you want to redirect that?"
"Our church has 25 families and we're a small church. We have 25 families that we're doing gifts for and food for and this will be very helpful," the Dooleys said.
Teresa Plattsmier will not be with family on Christmas Day. She will be working.
"I will be nursing my patient who needs me more. And, that's okay," Plattsmier said.
"You know, not going to see family so that you can take care of someone else seems to me to be what it's all about," we said.
"You are right, Greg. And, she is like family," she replied.
If anyone deserves a random act of kindness, it's Teresa Plattsmier.
"Merry Christmas," we said while handing her $100. "You are kidding me," she replied. "Oh my goodness. I've given a lot of my clients gifts for Christmas."
We found the Rogers family at the Tinsel Trail. Alisa Rogers said she would like to see the reason for the season remembered more.
"Jesus is the reason for the season," she said. "We're celebrating actually his birth, not the giving of the gifts for the kids. It's the birth of Jesus that makes this a special occasion," Rogers said.
The Rogers family will pass this Secret Santa along to someone who will need it.
"This is a Secret Santa story. So, that's for you," we said. "Wow." "Will you put that to use?" "Thank you. We sure can," they replied.
Shakespeare once wrote: "How far that little candle throws his beams! So shines a good deed in a weary world."
Thank you to WHNT News 19's Secret Santa for making this possible.
Click the links to see our Secret Santa in action in other areas:
Secret Santa Patrol Surprises People In Florence


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Thanks for the questions, readers — please keep them coming.
And now, some answers.
Jennifer Catterson wants to know whether Colorado Springs Utilities still takes part in cloud-seeding efforts to combat drought conditions.
The answer, Jennifer, is yes. Utilities is a member of the Front Range Water Council, a group of water providers that joins ski areas in paying for a cloud-seeding program to produce snowfall.
This season Durango-based Western Weather Consultants will fire up 78 generators placed in various spots in the Colorado Rockies. This is nothing like "The Rainmaker" and does not involve Burt Lancaster hiking the Continental Divide in a cowboy hat while pounding a bass drum.
The company's Larry Hjermstad explained that different sets of generators are used depending on conditions. Then the atmosphere is injected with silver iodide crystals that can attract moisture to produce snow.
The generators power a gadget that is like "a big Bunsen burner on top of a tank," said Hjermstad, who has contracted with ski areas for 37 years.
In the early part of the snow season Hjermstad works for ski areas, but at the end of December the water providers start paying him, too.
Colorado Springs Utilities' share of the cost is $9,600. When there is a big snow season, Hjermstad makes less money, because when snowpack levels reach a certain point, he shuts his operation down.
We're in the second year of low snow; so far it looks like the cloud seeding will continue.


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Enterprise content management (ECM) strategy consulting clarifies business objectives prior to implementation. We develop a roadmap and business case to shape your business needs into a solution vision. Our ECM methodology and pre-packaged EMC Documentum configurations help achieve faster results, higher user acceptance, and long-term value.
Leading industry analysts believe that 80 percent of business activities are supported by unstructured content. Yet bringing content management to an enterprise level can be challenging. By not taking a strategic approach, your organization may lack the following:
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- Enterprise information sharing.
- Project leadership.
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- User adoption.
Our approach is based on extensive deployment experience and best practices. Instead of "rushing to build," we take the time to construct a strategic yet simple ECM strategy. EMC consultants help you:
- Understand your ECM maturity.
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Set up an ECM program and change management.
To accelerate return on your ECM investments, you need to deliver simple functionality to a wide user base as quickly as possible. Our strategy services enable rapid deployment and easy adoption. We:
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FoodWire: The Return of Balaban's
Categories: Restaurant News & Reviews
Well, this one caught me by surprise: Central West End institution Balaban's is being reborn in (wait for it...) Chesterfield as (wait, again, for it) Balaban's Wine Cellar & Tapas Bar. The new Balaban's will be located at 1772 Clarkson Road, in a Dierberg's shopping center. The Balaban's website predicts a November opening. Steve McIntyre, who bought the original Balaban's from Herbie Balaban in 1986 and owned it for most of the next twenty years before selling to Brendan Marsden and Harlee Sorkin in late 2006, is behind the new Balaban's.
From the restaurant's website:
From the restaurant's website:
Of course, the original Balaban's location reopened late last year as Herbie's Vintage 72 under the stewardship of Monarch co-owners Aaron Teitelbaum and Jeff Orbin, which resurrection just earned that restaurant Best Comeback in the Riverfront Times Best of St. Louis 2009.In the spirit and tradition of the original legendary café -- the inviting atmosphere, the world class wine list, the beloved bistro inspired recipes -- Balaban's lives as a wine cellar stocked with signature vintages and as a tapas bar infused with the tastes and aromas of Balaban's original café recipes.
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|Newegg Daily Deals
|Thread Tools
Registered User
the wei is messed up for graphics
I 1st had a wei score of 7.9 on both desktop and gaming graphics in 2 way sli. As time went on, it downshifted to a 7.7. When I just recently reinstalled windows when I upgraded my mb and gtx 480 2 way to a 3 way sli, I get a 4.2 on the desktop and 5.3 for gaming. Mind you, that was windows doing on it's own. When I manually did the wei, it says that tri-sli gtx 480's score 7.5 on the desktop and gaming end. I mean is ms putting out wei score patches to make it harder for high wei scores? Weird thing is my 980x and ram went from 7.7 to 7.8 without overclocking. I actually have my 1600 ram running at 1333 because the mb wont allow it to run at 1600. It's not the 1st mb that wouldn't allow this.
gigabyte f2a78m-d3h mb, 32gb ddr3-2400 mhz ram in dual channel,amd a10-7850k 3.7 ghz quad core cpu, zotac amp extreme gtx 970 4gb vc,OCZ vector 150 240 gb ssd,antec 650 watt 80 plus platinum psu,corsair carbide 500r white case,lg 16x bluray writer, steelseries 6gv2 keyboard ,insignia 24' 1080p tv, logitech g502s 12000 dpi mouse ,xbox 360 wired controller for windows,visiontek usb 3.0 120gb ssd flash drive,windows 8.1 64 bit,creative labs sound blaster z pci-e sc,logitech z506 5.1 speakers
I'd rather walk with God in the Dark than shine in the light alone.
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The Bachelorette
Bachelor Pad 3 Finale Promo: Who Is Rachel Truehart Cussing Out? (VIDEO)
Everything we ever needed to know about life we learned from Bachelor Pad 3. Namely, it's probs not the best idea to wear both huge earrings and a beaded headdress when confronting your ex on television (cough Jamie Otis cough). Also: Rachel Truehart's bangs are our spirit animal. Check out the explosive promo for the finale, which airs next Monday, September 10, 2012!


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Sydney Opera House
Media Release: Tuesday, July 27, 2010
Katie Noonan joined by a chamber string orchestra for a sumptuous solo concert
Tickets on-sale Friday, August 6
"Noonan's soaring, beautifully phrased high notes, ultra-musical communication of meaning and expressive use of the microphone and digital technologies were stunning." The Australian
Katie Noonan's technical mastery and pure voice have made her one of Australia's most versatile and beloved vocalists.
A mother, singer-songwriter, producer and pianist, Katie first received widespread praise as the angel-voiced leader of indie-pop band George and has since taken audiences on sublime excursions through jazz, pop and classical music.
The five-time platinum songstress will return to the Sydney Opera House to perform her deliciously over-the-top alternative pop at the grand piano for one show only on Sunday, October 31.
A truly beautiful night of music making, this will be the first opportunity to hear Katie perform tracks from her latest critically acclaimed album Emperor's Box, accompanied by a luscious chamber string orchestra and soloists.
Sumptuous will also include a selection of songs from her back catalogue including her folk trio's self titled album Elixir, the gold-selling top 10 album solo album Skin and smash hit tracks from George.
Co-produced by Katie and Grammy Award winning engineer/producer Nick Didia, Emperor's Box marks an exciting return to form for Katie – back to her beloved lush, organic band sound and strong and inspiring personal stores.
The album has been widely critically acclaimed, with Rolling Stone giving a glowing 4-star review: "a sumptuous and skewed take on the art form that combines the experimental beauty of Sigur Ros and Radiohead with the dark, dreamy atmospherics of 27".
Katie has also worked with the country's top orchestra's including her recent fruitful collaboration with Richard Tognetti and the Australian Chamber Orchestra.
WHAT: Sumptuous WHO: Katie NoonanWHEN: 31 October WHERE: Opera TheatreTIME: 7pmDURATION: 90mins (no interval)PRICE: Premium $ 75/A Reserve $65/B Res $50/C Res $40BOOKINGS: 02 9250 7777 or www.sydneyoperahouse.com
MEDIA CONTACT: Nathan McIlroy, Senior Publicist, Sydney Opera House02 9250 7596 / 0434 146 121 / firstname.lastname@example.com
Follow the latest Sydney Opera House news on Twitter - @SOHnews gives you all the latest information, special offers as well as news from behind the scenes of Australia's busiest performing arts centre.
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© Copyright 2015 Sydney Opera House


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John Honeycutt is a pioneer in missionary church planting who has made discipleship a priority in his ministry. He spoke to The Baptist Voice about the importance of one-on-one discipleship and developing a heart for missions.
What prompted you to develop the Daily in the Word discipleship course?
Around 1989, I had the opportunity to partner with sixteen pastors in Asia to start churches. We pieced together training materials from different resources, but it wasn't a natural flow. It was missing important topics we thought were needed for a young church, and it didn't always use the best verses for certain subjects. We cleared the table and asked, "What does the Bible say we are supposed to be doing here?" Using that question as a starting point, we found seven key passages of Scripture that became the outline for the discipleship lessons.
How does discipleship relate to a missionary's purpose?
Well, it's at the core of his purpose. The Great Commission is to go, teach (win them to Christ), baptize, and teach them to observe all things. Sometimes it's the last part that doesn't get much attention, but it is the very core of the Great Commission.
What is essential for consistent discipleship in a church?
Starting with purpose, having proper procedures, and choosing the right people as your first disciplers is key. Focus your time on those people who are ready to move forward. There are many things that demand our attention in ministry, but discipleship focuses our attention on people who want to grow. Work with them until you can trust them to disciple newer or younger Christians. The key is making disciples who can make other disciples.
What difference do you see in Christians who have and have not received discipleship?
It's very much like the comparison the Bible makes of a newborn baby. If the newborn does not get proper nutrition and care, then he doesn't develop properly. There will be a serious delay in his growth and possible damage to his physical health. The same is true for spiritual newborns. They need to get nourishment and loving care immediately to mature properly and to be able to reproduce in the future.
How can a pastor get started if his church is not doing one-on-one discipleship?
For an existing church, there are careful procedures to follow. These are listed on Daily in the Word Discipleship website.
You grew up in a missionary family. How did God bring you back to the mission field?
I went to the Philippines when I was sixteen, and it was a positive experience for me. At that time in the Philippines, people were just becoming receptive to the Gospel. My father and Bob Hughes placed a million Bibles in the country, and I saw the dramatic effect it had. After ministering in the states for ten years and through a series of short-term missions trips, the Lord confirmed He wanted us to plant churches in Asia. That was in 1987.
You have planted five churches yourself and helped over 500 other church plants get started. How does this happen?
The key is that there are national pastors who are ready to start churches. A country has to be producing pastors who are church planters themselves. They are planting churches and planning to start more. We have sought these men to partner with them in finances, personnel, Bibles, and discipleship lessons. Because they were also dedicated to multiplying disciples, it accelerates everything.
Where is God using you today?
We have relocated to Hong Kong, planted a church, and plan to start more. We use the new church plants to train our Chinese partners. These church planters are dedicated to multiplication, and they partner with their home church to accelerate the new plant. We provide one hundred Bibles and discipleship lessons, and we help secure temporary funds in different ways for the new church. We train them to start three congregations at the same time. So far we have seen nine churches, and forty more are ready to go.


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VISION 2012 Contest Rules
Here are the rules for the WCIC MacBook Air Giveaway:
To enter, fill out a VISION pledge form, even if you are unable to give, before Tuesday, October 9th. Mailed entries must be received before October 9th. Online pledges can be made at wcicfm.org. All current ongoing monthly supporters will also be in the running. The grand prize winner will receive a 13-inch MacBook Air valued at $1,199. The grand prize will be awarded Wednesday, October 10th at 10 a.m. by random drawing from all eligible entries.
You must be 18 to enter, no purchase necessary, one entry per household. If you or anyone in your household has won a prize from WCIC in the last 30 days or any prize valued at $600 or more in the last year, you are not eligible to enter. Employees and immediate family members of New Life Radio Network, its participating sponsors, or affiliated agencies are not eligible to enter.
All general WCIC contest rules apply and are available at wcicfm.org or at our studios on Baring Trace in Peoria during regular business hours.


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Discover the new and enhanced features in Adobe Illustrator CS6.
Tour the interface, learn the workflow, and be introduced to core techniques like working with artboards, understanding layers and objects, and making and moving selections.
"As a teacher, I respect the way that your tutorials are hands-on and interactive. They are quick and to-the-point, and the teachers you have chosen are patient and concise." —Joshua M.
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I am a licensed CPA in both New York and Massachusetts, and a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants.
How to Reform 4 Types of 'Problem Employees'
How do you handle problem employees? Do you just get rid of them, or do you attempt to counsel and train them? There are four common problem types: The Whiner, The Emotional Time Bomb, The Glory Hog and The Slacker. Read this article to see how to identify and reform these types of employees.
Posted by OSYB Staff on Sunday, October 6, 2013


text: Chanel Convoitise (90) Illusion d'Ombre Eyeshadow ($36.00 for 0.14 oz.) is a softly warmed-up, pale gold with a frosted, slightly metallic, finish. It has hints of yellow, but it's not a strong, true yellow gold–it is muted and not quite neutral but close. MAC Greenluxe #2 is more metallic. Disney Charming is lighter. Disney Sand in the Glass is less shimmery. Giorgio Armani #18 is similar. NARS Hollywoodland is darker. MAC Retrospeck is similar. L'Oreal Eternal Sunshine is darker, yellower. Lancome Eternal Gold is darker, yellower. Chane lApparence is a bit darker. See comparison swatches.