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By Ravi Agrawal, CNN
Editor's note: Ravi Agrawal is senior producer of Fareed Zakaria GPS. The views expressed are his own. This was originally published in September 2012 and re-posted as Mexico's President-elect Enrique Pena Nieto meets with President Obama on Tuesday.
Here's some trivia. Which of these countries has the highest average income: India, China, Brazil or Mexico? If you guessed Brazil, you'd be wrong. And if you guessed India or China, you'd be way off: even if you combine the incomes of the average Indian and Chinese you wouldn't reach the $15,000 annual purchasing power of the average Mexican.
These numbers don't fit with many people's perception of America's southern neighbor. Mexico, you see, has a PR problem. A quick Google search for news from Mexico throws up a set of results that usually includes the words violence, drugs, cartels, and migrants (or the 2010 oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico). But it's not just the international media that seems to have it in for Mexico's reputation. Mexicans themselves seem woebegone. A recent Pew survey found that only a third of Mexicans think they have a good national economic situation. Compare that with half of Indians, 65 percent of Brazilians, and 83 percent of Chinese. Or let's go back to average citizens: 52 percent of Mexicans think they have a good personal economic situation, but for Indians, Chinese, and Brazilians, those numbers rise to 64 percent, 69 percent, and 75 percent respectively – and that's despite the fact that in purchasing power terms, Mexicans actually earn more per capita than citizens of all three of those countries. And, unlike the others, Mexico's growth rate is actually rising.
Indeed, Mexico's economy has a number of strengths. It is the 14th largest in the world. If you take into account purchasing power, it is the 11th largest economy – larger than Canada, Turkey, and Indonesia. It is projected to grow 4 percent this year, and even faster in the coming decade, a rate that the financial services firm Nomura says will lead to Mexico overtaking Brazil as Latin America's biggest economy within 10 years, despite the fact that Brazil's economy is currently twice as large.
Still, there is a weakness in Mexico's growth, as I saw for myself when I was there last month: the money hasn't been trickling down. According to the Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development, Mexico has the highest rate of poverty among the group's 34 member nations. If you consider inequality, the OECD ranks it the second most unequal, with only Chile more unequal.
So although the headline numbers might surprise, Mexico presents something of a mixed bag. Yet this hasn't deterred investors taking a growing interest in this Latin-but-North American country. In a special report on investing in Mexico, the Financial Times went as far as to call its macroeconomy "virtually bulletproof." Move over BRICs – Brazil, Russia, India, China – it's time for the MISTs – Mexico, Indonesia, South Korea, Turkey.
Part of Mexico's appeal to investors is tied into what I think may be the country's key weakness: inequality. You see, at the lowest-end, labor remains cheap. The Economist points out that in 2003, Mexican pay was three times China's rates; now it is only 20 percent higher. So Mexican manufacturing is poised for a boom. And while in the past few years Mexico banked on its proximity to the U.S. (lower transport costs) and trade deals like NAFTA to compete with China, it will now be able to manufacture and price products at an advantage.
The big question, of course, is whether the export dollars will trickle down. But making this happen will require significant market reforms. In his recent book "Breakout Nations: In Pursuit of the Next Economic Miracles," Morgan Stanley's Ruchir Sharma points out how the top 10 Mexican families account for more than a third of the country's stock market value – an almost unheard of number. "Private cartels produce about 40 percent of the goods that Mexicans consume and charge prices that are 30 percent higher than international averages," he writes. "Phones, services, soft drinks, and many foodstuffs cost more in Mexico than in the United States."
One thing is clear – Mexico is not the war-torn wasteland it is often made out to be. Its people have a glorious history, and a hopeful future. This isn't to say that Mexico is destined to be the next investment hotspot – that's far too simplistic a way of looking at this. Instead, the numbers suggest the truth is somewhere in between. Mexico has enormous capacity to surprise on the economic stage. But to really shine, it needs to work on developing a vibrant – and bigger – middle class.
Where is the prompt to e-mail this item?
It seems that being able to share via e-mail is getting left behind.
Please include an e-mail link..
the older options work if one can collude the older editions of life.
It's all relative. The average Mexican probably doesn't see themselves as "well off" because they live next too a very rich country and are exposed to it's media and lifestyle. The average Indian or Chinese was dirt poor in a backwards society for generations and any improvements are seen as awesome.
Many Americans would like to exterminate foreigners who sell drugs to USA citizens. Pure and simple truth.
EIlrey, Would Americans also be willing to kill the drug users. Without drug users, there would be no drug sellers. Also would they be willing to kill the domestic drug pushers. They are the ones that actually sell the drugs to the drug users. The drug trade is driven by drug users. Unfortunately,some people in the United States can't understand the simple fact of demand and supply and look for excuses to blame foreigners and others. Drug users = drug suppliers.
No misconceptions here. I KNOW it's a s_h_i_thole. Hahahahahahaaa
What most of the people do for a living there?
I find all of the comments about the supply and demand of drugs and Mexico being the root of US drug problems absolutely hilarious. If every drug cartel in Mexico was shut down tomorrow, I can guarantee that there would be no difference in the amount of drugs consumed in the United States. It would just change the source that some of the drugs come from. I know plenty of entreprenuers that grow their own drugs at home. I used to live in a classy neighborhood that had the honor of being called the Meth Capital of the Pacific Northwest. An old aquaintance of mine used to sell the drugs he was prescribed by his doctor at a significant mark up and another aquaintance used to use his prescription sleep aids for that lovely narcotic effect they produced when you didn't use them to aid in sleeping. The demand is here, and that's a problem we have to fix on the US side of the border.
Regarding the actual article, I had no idea that Mexico had the 14th largest economy in the world. I've heard a lot about the growth in Brazil and China, but all I ever hear about Mexico is drug cartels and violence. This article was an eye opener.
Will the last person to leave Mexico please turn off the lights?
I'm pruod to be Mexican and almost a Texan!
Good article, sadly most Americans (i'd say over 90%) are completely stupid and they think they live in a bubble and anything foreign is bad. Just by reading a couple of comments here makes me wanna slap the next American I see you think all Mexicans are dying in the country, wanting to escape to the US cause things are horrible, please! the majority of Mexicans are middle class and live much better than the middle class in the US. Just go on a tour in a middle/upper class neighborhood in the country and you will see it clearly. Mexico's curse is only being next to a country full of retards.
I totally recommend this article about Mexico http://www.thexygeneration.com/xy-lifestyle/misconceptions-about-mexico/
El precio de descuento durante todo el ano en nuestra tienda online camisetas de fútbol
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City of Colorado Springs employees don't mind bearing the brunt of terrible turkey puns for a good cause. Last week, several employees took vacation time and dressed in Thanksgiving costumes to inspire turkey donations from fellow employees. As a result, they provided 90 turkeys and $300 to Care-n-Share to help with meals for those less fortunate this Thanksgiving. This is the 3rd year that City employees have participated in the effort after being inspired by KKLI's annual Take a Turkey to Work Day. It also continues the efforts of City employee Green Team volunteers who grew 170 pounds of vegetables for Care-n-Share in a small vegetable demonstration garden at City Hall.
The Catamount Institute's Southern Colorado Sustainability Conference is one of the region's leading events featuring cutting-edge sustainability experts, technology, products, and best practices attracting hundreds of people each year from the business, local, and military communities. Thursday, Nov. 18 events (Recycling Summit, breakout sessions, State of the Region, and reception) are free as a gift from the Catamount Institute to the community. Friday, Nov. 19 conference events are $85 with a Pikes Peak Sustainable Business Network membership. As a part of the Southern Colorado Sustainability Conference, enjoy the second annual Sustainability State of the Region on Nov. 18 at no cost to community attendees. This two-hour program runs from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. at the downtown Antler's Hotel. The event is open to the public and features regional government (including the City?s own Vice Mayor Small) and private sector leaders sharing current sustainability efforts and next steps.
Environmental Sustainability E-Newsletter from the City of Colorado Springs
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This e-newsletter funded by the State of Colorado Department of Local Affairs and City of Colorado Springs.


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Company Overview of DMW Worldwide, LLC
BOARD MEMBERS AFFILIATED WITH Warren A. Hunter *
Chairman of The Board
*Data is at least as current as the most recent Definitive Proxy.
MOST CONNECTED PEOPLE TO Warren A. Hunter
|Gary S. Laben
|120 Relationships
|G. Steven Dapper
|118 Relationships
|Wesley D. Protheroe
|117 Relationships
|Bryan Eisenberg
|112 Relationships
|Richard M. Hochhauser
|109 Relationships
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Local residents are encouraged to make a difference through the 13th annual Curves Food Drive which is set to kick off this April.
Throughout the month, Curves of Borger will participate in this drive to collect non-perishable food and cash donations to benefit their local food bank. From April 4-17, Curves will waive the membership fee for new members who donate a bag of non-perishable food or make a minimum donation of $30.
"Our goal is to top the donation that we made last year," Clesta Collins of Curves of Borger said. "This is a great opportunity for the members of our Curves community to help strengthen the Borger community too. Everything that our members donate at our club will benefit local families in need."
In addition to the food and monetary donations that each gym collects, Curves International is offering gyms the opportunity to wish cash prizes for their local food banks.
Prizes will be awarded to clubs with the most food collected, clubs who beat their 2010 donation level by the largest amount and to two randomly selected clubs drawn from all the clubs who enter the contest.
Curves clubs have donated more than 61 million pounds of food in the U.S. and Canada since 2004.
Last year, Curves International made a $500 donation to Living Water Ministries due to the tremendous success from the people of Borger. The Borger Curves also won a trophy and bragging rights with the Amarillo clubs for collecting the most food per member between the participating clubs.
Local citizens are challenged to top last year's results, drop their non-perishable food or money donation by Curves, 515 North Main, Borger. The goal is to fill the front window with food for the food bank.
This year's food drive will get off to a strong start when Curves International founders Gary and Diane Heavin are featured on ABC Television's new show, "Secret Millionaire," airing Sunday, April 3 at 8/7c.
The Curves founders' episode will help Curves members understand how the Curves Food drive is the perfect opportunity for each of them to give back to their own communities.
"The past few years have been difficult for many families," D. Heavin said. "Curves' annual food drive is one way that everyone in the Borger area can make a real difference for a local family that is struggling. We encourage everyone, not just our members or those who are thinking about joining our gym, to make a cash donation or drop off a bag of non-perishable food items in April."
For more information about Curves of Borger, 515 North Main, and the 2011 Curves Food Drive, contact Curves of Borger at 273-8388. For more information about Curves, visit www.curves.com [3].
[1] mailto:firstname.lastname@example.com
[2] http://www.borgernewsherald.com/sites/default/files/curves food_0.jpg
[3] http://www.curves.com


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Photo by Ditte Isager
YIELD: Makes 8 (side dish) servings
ACTIVE TIME: 45 min
TOTAL TIME: 2 1/2 hr
- 1 1/2 pounds fresh poblano chiles (about 5)
- 1 pound onions, cut lengthwise into 1/4-inch strips
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 3 pounds large Yukon Gold potatoes
- 1 1/2 cups heavy cream
- 3/4 cup whole milk
- Equipment: an adjustable-blade slicer
Roast chiles and make rajas:
Roast chiles on their sides on racks of gas burners on high, turning with tongs, until skins are blackened all over, about 10 minutes. Immediately transfer to a bowl and let stand, covered tightly, 10 minutes.
When chiles are cool enough to handle, peel or rub off skin. Slit chiles lengthwise, then stem, seed, and devein. Cut lengthwise into thin strips.
Cook onions with 1 teaspoon salt in oil in a 12-inch heavy skillet over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until golden, about 8 minutes. Stir in chiles and remove rajas from heat. Reserve 1/2 cup rajas for topping.
Make gratin:
Preheat oven to 400°F with rack in middle. Generously butter a 3-quart shallow baking dish.
Peel potatoes, then cut crosswise into 1/16-inch-thick slices with slicer. Transfer to a small heavy pot. Add cream, milk, and 1 teaspoon salt and bring just to a boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally (liquid will thicken). Stir in rajas, then pour mixture evenly into baking dish. Sprinkle reserved 1/2 cup rajas on top.
Bake until potatoes are tender, 45 minutes to 1 hour. Let stand 15 minutes before serving.
Cooks notes:
Chiles can be roasted by broiling on a broiler pan
2 inches from heat, turning, 8 to 10 minutes.
Rajas can be made 3 days ahead and chilled.
Gratin can be made 1 day ahead and chilled. Bring to room temperature and reheat, covered, in a 350°F oven (about 30 minutes).
my notes
Nutritional Info
- Calories371
- Carbohydrates45 g (15%)
- Fat20 g (30%)
- Protein7 g (15%)
- Saturated Fat11 g (55%)
- Sodium47 mg (2%)
- Polyunsaturated Fat1 g
- Fiber6 g (24%)
- Monounsaturated Fat6 g
- Cholesterol63 mg (21%)


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Post Game: Knicks 104, Rockets 131
Tonight at the Toyota Center in Houston, the Knicks (8-3) were defeated by the Houston Rockets (6-7) by the score of 131-104. Box Score
Carmelo Anthony led the Knicks in scoring tonight with a season high 37 points on 14-24 shooting which included making seven three's.
James Harden scored 33 to lead the Rockets while Chandler Parsons had a career high with 31 points. The five starters for the Rockets combined for 105 points.
Jeremy Lin had 13 points on 6-12 shooting with seven rebounds and three assists with four turnovers. Raymond Felton had 17 points on 6-11 shooting with eight assists and four turnovers. Lin was +24 while Felton was -13
The Knicks were out rebounded 49-30. Asik had 14 rebounds, double Tyson Chandler who had seven to lead the Knicks.
The Knicks have lost two in a row and this was the most points allowed under Woodson since he took over as Head Coach. The Knicks have not given up this many points since 2009 when they allowed the Clippers to score 140.
The Knicks are now 3-3 against the Western Conference while 5-0 against the East
Matthew Falkenbury
Now normally, I give you my best effort in trying to explain what I saw during Knicks games this season. Tonight in honor of the Knicks defensive effort, I'm going to mail it in and instead use the video below to explain what the Rockets did to the Knicks tonight.
Coming up next, the Knicks will return home for another Sunday afternoon game as they take on the Detroit Pistons at Madison Square Garden, at 1:00 PM. The game will be on MSG.


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19 U.S. Code § 1677i - Downstream product monitoring
(a) Petition requesting monitoring
(1) In general
A domestic producer of an article that is like a component part or a downstream product may petition the administering authority to designate a downstream product for monitoring under subsection (b) of this section. The petition shall specify—
(2) Determination regarding petition
Within 14 days after receiving a petition submitted under paragraph (1), the administering authority shall determine—
(A) whether there is a reasonable likelihood that imports into the United States of the downstream product will increase as an indirect result of any diversion with respect to the component part, and
(B) whether—
(i) the component part is already subject to monitoring to aid in the enforcement of a bilateral arrangement (within the meaning of section 804 of the Trade and Tariff Act of 1984),
(ii) merchandise related to the component part and manufactured in the same foreign country in which the component part is manufactured has been the subject of a significant number of investigations suspended under section 1671c or 1673c of this title or countervailing or antidumping duty orders issued under this subtitle or section 1303 [1] of this title, or
(iii) merchandise manufactured or exported by the manufacturer or exporter of the component part that is similar in description and use to the component part has been the subject of at least 2 investigations suspended under section 1671c or 1673c of this title or countervailing or antidumping duty orders issued under this subtitle or section 1303 [1] of this title.
(3) Factors to take into account
In making a determination under paragraph (2)(A), the administering authority may, if appropriate, take into account such factors as—
(B) the extent to which the component part has been substantially transformed as a result of its incorporation into the downstream product, and
(4) Publication of determination
The administering authority shall publish in the Federal Register notice of each determination made under paragraph (2) and, if the determination made under paragraph (2)(A) and a determination made under any subparagraph of paragraph (2)(B) are affirmative, shall transmit a copy of such determinations and the petition to the Commission.
(b) Monitoring by Commission
(1) In general
If the determination made under subsection (a)(2)(A) of this section and a determination made under any clause of subsection (a)(2)(B) of this section with respect to a petition are affirmative, the Commission shall immediately commence monitoring of trade in the downstream product that is the subject of the determination made under subsection (a)(2)(A) of this section. If the Commission finds that imports of a downstream product being monitored increased during any calendar quarter by 5 percent or more over the preceding quarter, the Commission shall analyze that increase in the context of overall economic conditions in the product sector.
(c) Action on basis of monitoring reports
The administering authority shall review the information in the reports submitted by the Commission under subsection (b)(2) of this section and shall—
(1) consider the information in determining whether to initiate an investigation under section 1671a (a) or 1673a (a) of this title regarding any downstream product, and
(d) Definitions
For purposes of this section—
(1) The term "component part" means any imported article that—
(A) during the 5-year period ending on the date on which the petition is filed under subsection (a) of this section, has been subject to—
(i) a countervailing or antidumping duty order issued under this subtitle or section 1303 [1] of this title that requires the deposit of estimated countervailing or antidumping duties imposed at a rate of at least 15 percent ad valorem, or
(ii) an agreement entered into under section 1671c, 1673c, or 1303 [1] of this title after a preliminary affirmative determination under section 1671b (b), 1673b (b)(1), or 1303 [1] of this title was made by the administering authority which included a determination that the estimated net countervailable subsidy was at least 15 percent ad valorem or that the estimated average amount by which the normal value exceeded the export price (or the constructed export price) was at least 15 percent ad valorem, and
[1] See References in Text note below.
Source(June 17, 1930, ch. 497, title VII, § 780, as added Pub. L. 100–418, title I, § 1320(a),Aug. 23, 1988, 102 Stat. 1189; amended Pub. L. 103–465, title II, §§ 233(a)(1)(E), (2)(A)(vi), 261 (d)(1)(B)(iv), 270 (a)(1)(M),Dec. 8, 1994, 108 Stat. 4898, 4910, 4917.)
References in Text
Section 804 of the Trade and Tariff Act of 1984, referred to in subsec. (a)(2)(B)(i), is section 804 ofPub. L. 98–573, which is set out as a note under section 2253 of this title.
Section 1303 of this title, referred to in subsecs. (a)(2)(B)(ii), (iii) and (d)(1)(A)(i), (ii), is defined in section 1677 (26) of this title to mean section 1330 as in effect on the day before Jan. 1, 1995.
1994—Subsec. (c)(1). Pub. L. 103–465, § 261(d)(1)(B)(iv), substituted "or 1673a(a)" for ", 1673a(a), or 1303".
Subsec. (d)(1)(A)(ii). Pub. L. 103–465, § 270(a)(1)(M), inserted "countervailable" before "subsidy".
Pub. L. 103–465, § 233(a)(1)(E), (2)(A)(vi), substituted "normal value" for "foreign market value" and "export price (or the constructed export price)" for "United States price".
Effective Date of 1994 Amendment
Amendment by sections 233(a)(1)(E), (2)(A)(vi) and 270(a)(1)(M) ofPub. L. 103–465effective, except as otherwise provided, on the date on which the WTO Agreement enters into force with respect to the United States [Jan. 1, 1995], and applicable with respect to investigations, reviews, and inquiries initiated and petitions filed under specified provisions of this chapter after such date, see section 291 ofPub. L. 103–465, set out as a note under section 1671 of this title.
Amendment by section 261(d)(1)(B)(iv) ofPub. L. 103–465effective on the effective date of title II of Pub. L. 103–465, Jan. 1, 1995, see section 261(d)(2) ofPub. L. 103–465, set out as a note under section 1315 of this title.
LII has no control over and does not endorse any external Internet site that contains links to or references LII.


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Twenty-Eight Photographs
door Gregg Newton
A collection of twenty-eight moments, recorded over the past three decades which showcase the author's career as a photographic generalist. A former Senior Photographer with Reuters News Pictures, his images have been published in many of the principal magazines and newspapers across the globe. Share a close look at some unique moments as captured through the lens of an accomplished photojournalist.
A native of the Pacific Northwest, I first picked up a camera at the age of nine in my home state of Oregon. The camera has been a ticket to the world ever since. After college (BA Political Science) I was a Senior Photographer and Picture Editor with Reuters from 1989 to 2005. Fluent in Portuguese and Spanish, I lived and worked abroad for more than two decades. Possessing a formidable photographic archive, my work has been published in the worlds leading newspapers and magazines, such as LIFE, Time, Newsweek, Sports Illustrated, National Geographic, Stern and The Economist. Corporate clients include Red Bull, Walt Disney Attractions, Yellow Shoes Creative Group, International Monetary Fund, McDonalds, Universal Studios, Children's Miracle Network and U.S. State Department. My images have received numerous international awards including the Pictures of the Year, POYi, Best of Photojournalism, Alfred Eisenstaedt Awards for Magazine Photography and the Black & White Spider Awards.
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text:
Remember the old comedy skit wherein a well-meaning fellow decides he wants to do a good deed by helping an elderly woman cross a busy street? He eventually hauls her kicking and screaming safely through the traffic to the other side only to have the old lady kick him right in the yarbles as she scolds him for dragging her back across a street she just spent an hour to cross in the other direction.
Apparently Congressman Jared Polis liked this routine so much he wants to reenact it at the state capital by way of Governor John Hickenlooper's proposed special legislative session that could come as soon as June 8 and will aim to keep local control over oil and gas development off the ballot this fall.
I like what Polis has done on a lot of issues, most of them, in fact, but he's come up short on fracking for a number of reasons I'll get to shortly. So for his sake, let's hope that the Congressman is wearing a cast-iron cup. Because if he successfully manages to drag a half million of his constituents kicking and screaming back across the fracking wasteland to the same place it took them two years of inspired grassroots activism and door-to-door democracy to get away from in the first place, he's going to need it.
So here's the backstory. The good people of Longmont, Lafayette, Boulder, Boulder County, Fort Collins and Broomfield have either banned or placed moratoriums on fracking in their communities because, frankly, the State of Colorado's oil and gas regulations are an unenforceable joke designed to sound impressive while accomplishing virtually nothing to protect the environment and public health (See "America's dirtiest secret" in BW's March 13 issue). This is not an overstatement.
Because of various exemptions and special treatment for the oil and gas industry under federal environmental laws, state regulators in Colorado and across the nation have basically been neutered. Or as one Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) manager explained it to me, there has been a statute on the books in Colorado for 30 years or so that doesn't allow the state to pass any statutes on oil and gas production waste so long as the federal government is still exempting all such waste from the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act's (RCRA's) subtitle C. He went on to tell me that, as a result, all Colorado can really do is issue "policies and guidance" that have no real enforcement capacity, in other words, suggestions. When asked if the state could even fine a company that ignored its guidance and policies when it comes to production waste, he said "No, not unless you could prove the public had been put in danger, and that's nearly impossible."
And so with this lack of enforcement backdrop, local communities decided to do what the state wouldn't and couldn't: protect themselves from oil and gas industry contamination to their air, land and groundwater by prohibiting fracking, which tends to make all oil and gas development within city limits pretty much uneconomic.
So Hickenlooper has commanded the state to join his oil company pals and industry trade groups in suing local communities that had the guts to try to protect themselves.
Now back to the present. The oil and gas industry has been spending millions of dollars on advertising to buy off the mainstream news media (TV and newspapers) and convince Coloradans that fracking is good for you. It hasn't worked, of course, because people aren't stupid.
The industry's argument that fracking is good for you because it creates jobs makes about as much sense as saying terrorism is good for you because it employs bomb builders and generates economic rewards for the families of suicide bombers. The oil and gas industry only makes up about 1 percent of Colorado's work force and many of those jobs are in offices in downtown Denver and aren't going anywhere regardless of Colorado's local fracking bans, even if such bans start appearing statewide. Many other oil patch jobs are in places like Weld County that are enthusiastic about trading their air and water quality for new county buildings, so those jobs aren't going anywhere either. In fact, if you actually tried to calculate how many oil and gas jobs would never be created — not "lost" as the industry is so fond of stating — because drilling rigs aren't allowed inside city limits, the number would be so small as to be meaningless, as in negligible. How do I know it's negligible? Because as I said, the entire industry makes up less than 1 percent of the Colorado workforce and fracking uses up about 1 percent of the state's water and in that scenario the industry says 1 percent is "negligible." I'm just applying the oil industry's own standard to its jobs.
The industry is scared. It's bought the Governor; it's bought the mainstream media and its spending millions on 30-second spots and mailers to convey its disinformation and its still getting its ass kicked by a bunch of moms and dads and even kids who don't mind giving up a few hours a week to encourage their neighbors to preserve the quality of life in their communities. It must be so frustrating. I feel bad for them, I do.
In an effort to keep citizen initiatives off the November ballot that would give more control over land-use decisions such as drilling to local governments statewide, Hickenlooper is desperately trying to call a special session so that state legislators can pass a law, supposedly a compromise of some sort between the industry and environmentalists, that would get the initiatives dropped off the ballot.
Here is what is wrong with this picture and the current position of our friend Congressman Polis.
If you really wanted to create a compromise you would invite the two sides in opposition. That's how it works, Governor. You don't invite the oil and gas industry, an industry-friendly environmental group that opposes fracking bans and Jared Polis to sit down and carve out a middle ground. Those people are already on the same side for all intents and purposes. You failed to invite the actual other side, which is composed of local grassroots organizations like Our Longmont, Our Broomfield, Citizens for a Healthy Fort Collins, Be The Change, The Garfield Transparency Project, Food and Water Watch, What the Frack?, The Mother's Project, 350 Colorado, Protect Our Loveland and Frack Free Colorado. These are the organizations who actually represent the places where roughly a half million people are now protected from the oil and gas industry.
Note to everyone who has been invited to the governor's private negotiations designed to get fracking off the ballot: Stop treating this massive citizens movement like the simple political fodder you're used to. You don't get it.
As if to clearly demonstrate their total disconnect from the anti-fracking, local-control groundswell, those with the secret invites to the governor's table have been making public statements like "we all want to resolve this issue before both sides are forced to spend millions and millions of dollars in a bitter election battle." Are you kidding?
Hello. The people who are pushing the citizen-driven local-control ballot initiatives don't give a rat's ass how much money the industry has to spend in its next feeble attempt to buy an election. The real grassroots organizations fighting the industry don't actually care how much money Polis spends either. Grassroots organizations opposed to fracking already know and have proven they don't need mass amounts of money to win. They have won every election so far while being outspent by tens of millions of dollars.
In fact, what the oil industry PR machine doesn't understand is that the more it spends screaming that fracking is safe, the more suspicious and weary the public becomes. In the real world, people who aren't doing something wrong don't feel the need to tell you they aren't doing anything wrong every two minutes.
No one wants to compromise away their air and water to avoid spending money on TV commercials. This whole "spending" argument by those supposedly working on a compromise just proves that only one side is at the table.
Jared, please remember the past. Longmont City Council passed a new set of oil and gas ordinances that gave them more control over setbacks, light, noise, dust and even established stricter water and air monitoring at the oil industry's expense. It was a very similar set of rules as those now being proposed as a grand compromise worthy of a special session at the capital.
Do you recall what the citizens of Longmont did after their council established these new rules? They immediately said that's not nearly enough to protect our quality of life and our children's health and they went against the council and put a fracking ban on the ballot and passed it overwhelmingly.
Don't sit down with Hickenlooper and his oil industry pals thinking you can cut a deal that will carry your constituents back across a difficult road to a place they've already been and rejected. That's a routine best left to professional comedians.
If the people of Colorado wanted this compromise then they would have chosen to follow Longmont City Council's lead years ago, but they didn't. They rejected such meaningless partial measures then and they still reject them today.
If you don't want to spend a ton of your own money bankrolling an election battle on local control of fracking, then don't. No one will think the worse of you for that, but sell the people out with a compromise they didn't ask for and don't want, and that's a different story.
And while I have your attention, it doesn't actually seem possible to be for the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP) and still claim to be an opponent of fracking. But maybe you have never considered yourself an opponent of fracking. Maybe you are for fracking any and everywhere so long as it isn't next to houses like yours. We need to know your true position loud and clear.
The TPP not only makes it possible to export unlimited amounts of natural gas without need for federal approval, it also makes it possible for oil companies to go before non-elected arbitration judges and have local fracking bans, moratoriums and other environmental regulations overturned. It makes corporations more powerful than local, even state, democracies. If you support the ballot measures then how can you support a trade agreement that would overturn them?
The industry is excited about the TPP and the pending European trade agreement because both will cause massive exports that will lead to the largest natural gas boom in U.S. history, albeit a short boom lasting only until other countries get their own gas online. But short as it will be, perhaps 10 years, that boom will be more environmentally devastating to the nearly 40 states that it impacts than anything this country has ever experienced.
And if the new research is correct, the methane that such an export-driven boom will release will do more to destroy the planet by way of global warming than anything that could have been done by burning coal and oil. If the industry wins this battle, it will be too late to save the planet, period.
You can't have it both ways Congressman, either admit to the voters that you are in favor of a shale gas drilling boom for the purpose of enriching the oil and gas industry in the export market so long as it's done away from houses, or fight it on all fronts. Until then, it's probably not a good idea to pretend to be speaking for the rest of the folks who know exactly what they are fighting for. They have no interest in Hickenlooper's oilfriendly compromise. Thanks, but no thanks.
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Jared Polis - you are an obstacle to a true grassroots movement. Step aside. We do not want to appease the Governor or the fracking industry. Period.
You came with us on a 'tour de frac' and saw the active toxic fracking wellpads near homes. You told the home owners to move! Now we are asking you to move.
You are now a part of the overall problem we are resisting.
The only compromising involved with Hickenlooper and Polis will result in further compromising citizen's rights to clean air, water and soil. Both these fellows are having an illicit relationship with the oil and gas industry involving lots and lots of fracking.
Sorry, Democrats. You have betrayed your base.
As lifelong Democrat, I feel completely betrayed by my (former) Party. I will be neither sending my hard-earned cash the the DNC nor will I be voting for the Democratic incumbents.
Join the "Conditional Democrat" movement which I just started 4 minutes ago. You, too, can be a Conditional Democrat by: 1) refusing to accept the status quo; 2) being upset that your progressive vote has been taken for granted ever since Jimmy Carter!; 3) letting Democratic GMO mongers and Democratic Fracking mongers know that you've had it with their Monsanto-loving ways; not voting Democrat in 2014.
This is a defining moment for you, Jared. You made much of your reputation funding 2 popular statewide ballot initiatives -that became Amendments 23 and 41. You even pledged to introduce a bill for NATIONAL ballot initiatives: http://spryeye.blogspot.com/2008/12/my-congressman-jared-polis-on-record.html and have taken some baby steps towards this.
Now you must decide whether people or money rule. We're counting on you to use wisdom as well as intelligence.
I'm so thankful you wrote this article but am compelled to share my perspective regarding your comment about Weld County being, "... enthusiastic about trading their air and water quality for new county buildings..." As I'm sure you're aware, the people of Weld County (on average) have less economic and educational privilege as do their neighbors in Larmier and Boulder counties. This inequity stems from several issues of social injustice, which must be considered alongside environmental injustice. Political engagement often accompanies privilege, and many people in Weld County cannot even vote. Please keep this in mind, and thanks again for writing a great article.


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Hi All,
Is it possible to find out which device file in /dev is assigned
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the device file assigned).please help.
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Super minion
Redirected from Super Minion
this wiki
|40 ( +1 / 3 min)
1500 (+200 / 3 min) (Classic)
830 (+8 / ? min) (Dominion)
|Attack damage
|190 (+10 / 3 min)
|Attack speed
30 (Fixed) (Classic)
6 (+1 / ? min) (Dominion)
|Magic resistance
-30 (Fixed) (Classic)
23 (+3 / ? min) (Dominion)
|Movement speed
325 (Classic)
350 (Dominion)
|Spawn time
|Respawn time
A super minion is the most powerful type of minion that fights in League of Legends.
In the classic game mode, they will only spawn in a lane while the enemy inhibitor on that lane is down. In that case, one super minion will spawn in each minion wave, in front of regular minions. If all inhibitors are destroyed, a second super minion will spawn in each lane behind the first one. While super minions are spawning, no siege minion will spawn in that lane. On Twisted Treeline, super minions deal more damage but have less health. Super minions are controlled by artificial intelligence, and use a melee attack against their enemies. Their health, resistances and damage are far superior to regular minions, receive only 70% damage from towers and grant nearby minions a buff that increases their damage by 40% and gives them 40 armor and magic resist. Super minions are able to easily push the lanes and destroy enemy turrets if left unprotected. Super minions will stop spawning after the Inhibitor on that lane re-spawns.
The super minions' stats increase over time, with no known cap.
In Dominion mode, each minion wave is composed of 2 regular minions with 1 miniature-sized version of a super minion.
The itemcannot be cast on super minions.
If you attempt to look at the super minion's buff, the source is named as "Super Mech".
Super minions actually stop spawning as soon as the Inhibitor respawn is called out rather than when it actually spawns. This means that when it does respawn the minion wave that spawned after the call out will be a regular minion wave.
Patch History
- Visual and Gameplay Update on Howling Abyss map (to match Summoner's Rift).
- Minions no longer gain magic resistance over time.
- Minion health gain over time increased to compensate the loss of resistances.
- Super minions now grant nearby allies minions bonus damage and resistances.
- Visual Update on Summoner's Rift map.
- Super Minions now take 70% damage from Turrets, increased from 50% damage
- Super minions now reduce turret damage by 50% (down from 65%).
- Super minions now reduce turret damage by 65% (up from 50%).
- Fixed a tooltip bug "This unit receive..." with super minions.
- On Twisted Treeline:
- Health increased to 1200 from 1000.
- Base damage increased by 30.


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A versatile karaoke player with plenty of compatibility and format options.
In addition to NEO+G discs, the RSQ NEO NK-2000U Karaoke Player also plays DVDs, CDs, CD+Gs, and more. The NEO+G player features a SD/MMC card reader as well as a USB port with powerful utilities to help you manage your media, including movies, music, and photos. The player can also copy movie clips (small files), music, and photos from your CD or DVD into your USB device. It will also encode MP3 music directly from normal Audio CDs to your USB device.
The NEO NK-2000U has the ability to function as your number-one karaoke player as well, turning your living room into a home theater with 5.1 surround sound. Utilizing the built in AC-3 and DTS audio decoders, the RSQ player will allow you to have front left and right speakers, surround left and right speakers, center speaker and a subwoofer. No matter if you're singing your favorite karaoke tunes or watching your favorite movie, you'll get the best picture and sound quality possible with the NEO NK-2000U player.
The buttons on the front panel give you direct access to just about all the features on this karaoke machine. You'll rarely have to use your remote control. You'll be able to adjust the key (13-steps) and echo while you're singing. The NK-2000U karaoke player also has an individual microphone volume control so each singer can set the microphone volume accordingly. You can reserve up to 99 songs to sing at one time, but for even faster track access, you can use the 0-9 keys to just punch in the track you want instead of having to forward through them. It even gives you intro silence skip to take out the silent introduction part of the songs.
NEO NK-2000U Karaoke Player
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Best Uses
Comments about RSQ NEO NK-2000U Karaoke Player:
Purchased the NEO NK-2000U Karaoke Player for our church. Use is for music participation and also DVD's used in teachings. Fast Queue-Up time is very important, as well as dependability that I have seen through my profession as an entertainer. This is a very versatile machine. System arrived quickly, and was easy to set up. Having purchased items through Musician's Friend in the past made this a no brainer.
Comments about RSQ NEO NK-2000U Karaoke Player:
This particular player was recommended to us by a friend at church and I would say we are very pleased that we purchaced this brand. Changing the key a song is played in is a BIG plus for us and you are able to change the tempo to a song, faster or slower to suit your taste. Got it in a timely manner and have used it several times. I would highly recommend this player over any other in this price range. The sound is awesome.
Comments about RSQ NEO NK-2000U Karaoke Player:
I bought the RSQ NK-2000U, two months ago, strictly as a backup to my three tray RSQ MV-333. I have used it everyday in practice just to make sure it was going to hold up. It has held up fine. It has a good sound but does takes 15 to 20 seconds to Q-up. I have only used the karaoke function on this player so I don't really have an opinion on the rest of the functions. My overall opinion on this unit is that if it is going to be used as a multi-purpose unit for home use or as a backup it a good piece for the money, however, if its intended use is for pro or semi-pro karaoke, then I would defiantly go with a better player that is intended for pro karaoke work. It will cost you a little more but will be well worth it. With all that said I still do not find any fault with the NK-2000U player.
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- Admissions
- Academics
- Campus Life
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- News & Events
- About Plattsburgh
Two of our academic programs, cytotechnology and medical technology, include a required 12 month clinical internship at in a hospital setting. For more information on these clinical internships please visit our medical technology or cytotechnology page.
Outside of the academic setting, our students occasionally find paid internships at local or regional institutions. Such paid internships allow students to gain invaluable research experience while completing their program of study.
If you would like more information about biological sciences at SUNY Plattsburgh, please contact:
Dr. Neil Buckley, Chair
Office: Beaumont Hall 444
Phone: (518) 564-3155
Email: firstname.lastname@example.com


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Often referred to as the Florence of the North, Salzburg offers world-class scenery, art, and history with every turn. Tickets to Salzburg will transport you to towering spires set against rolling green hills. Discover the wealth of creativity found within this location dubbed the "Golden City of High Baroque", found along the Salzach River and bordered by the northern Alps.
Salzburg's Must-See Attractions
- Stroll along the captivating medieval alleyway of Getreidegasse and visit the house in which the influential composer Mozart was born
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With your flights to Salzburg, you will be able to visit the Schrannenmarkt, an open-air marketplace held every Thursday, featuring over 200 stalls of local specialty goods. Villa Kast is a 19th century Neoclassical building that is home to a variety of contemporary art exhibits throughout the year.
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Taste an authentic Wiener Schnitzel with your flight deals to Salzburg. This breadcrumb-covered, deep-fried steak is a local delight that has become popular throughout the world. Taste the creamy richness of the Austrian milk chocolate Mozartkugel, a Salzburg specialty that pays homage to one of its favorite sons.
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Beautiful summer weather tends to draw the most crowds to the city of Salzburg. Visitors thin out as temperatures begin dropping in the fall, making it a perfect time to enjoy the city. Cheap hotels in Salzburg can be found in the winter when regional temperatures are chilliest. Springtime can be quite cold, as well, but offers a splendid opportunity to witness the rebirth of nature. Let airberlin fly you to Salzburg for a smooth, worry-free trip.


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BUFFALO, NY - It looks like the Sabres have relieved two of the top members of their coaching staff from their duties.
James Patrick confirmed to 2 On Your Side's Adam Benigni that he was fired. A separate source confirmed to Benigni that they Sabres have also relieved Assistant Coach Kevyn Adams.
All this comes two days after the team announced Ron Rolston would be the head coach going forward.
Patrick told Adam, "I loved my time in Buffalo...and I loved working for Lindy." Lindy Ruff was fired in March after 16 seasons with the team.
Patrick playedsix seasons with the Sabres and signed on as an assistant coach in 2006. He took over for an injured Lindy Ruff behind the bench for several games of the 2011-2012 season.
Adams became an assistant coach with the Sabres in 2011.
So far, sources tell Adam that other members of the coaching staff retain their jobs.


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Bergen, Doris L. The Sword of the Lord: Military Chaplains from the First to the
Twenty-First Century. Notre Dame: University, 2004.
This is a great read for a new candidate or somone interested in the history of the chaplaincy. It is throughly academic and is therefore appealing to the seminarian or scholar. Bergen focuses her attention on the Western development of the chaplain from the Roman Empire to today. It's a great read, I highly recommend it if you are interested in the history of the chaplaincy.


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Gas-Grilled Whole Red Snapper
Published January 30, 2007.
Serves 4
Grilling a whole fish (head and all) delivers a richer, deeper flavor than grilling boneless fillets. If your fish are a little larger (between 1 1/2 and 2 pounds), simply grill them a minute or two longer on each side. Fish weighing more than 2 pounds will be hard to maneuver on the grill and should be avoided. Serve the fish with lemon wedges or add one of the related sauces.


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45 U.S. Code § 1110 - Repealed.
Section, Pub. L. 97–35, title XI, § 1161,Aug. 13, 1981, 95 Stat. 682, related to transfer of Conrail light density rail service lines.
LII has no control over and does not endorse any external Internet site that contains links to or references LII.


text: Reports of my death Culture 17 June 09 by Howard Swains Desk: http://www.flickr.com/photos/johanl/2541710549/ Cemetary: http://www.flickr.com/photos/mdu2boy/337721092/Flickr CC montage: Johan Larsson and Phil Romans "When the editors at Wired.co.uk commissioned this article, we all knew there was a chance I wouldn't live to see it published. I was diagnosed last September with a disease that was chomping through my body with the impunity of a pepped-up Pacman in a ghost-free maze. I would be writing about my experiences of a new treatment, in the vanguard of medical technology, but doctors told me to prepare for the worst. I was dying, they said, and may not even make Christmas, let alone the April launch date of a new website."I could go on. I could tell you how agonising my treatment has been, how the drugs have dulled the pain but sharpened the emotional torment. I could describe the anguish, anger, resentment and waste of someone dying unmarried and childless at 33. I could describe all this in a blog from my hospital bed, and invite you to comment and show your support; to tell me I'm loved, form an emotional bond with a stranger and let me know that we're battling this monster together.I could do that, but it would all be lies. It would be a story, an online fabrication you would stand little chance of disproving. Although you may hate me when you discovered I had lied, and feel betrayed, used and manipulated, neither of us would be alone. People are dying all the time on the internet – dying through disease, dying in accidents, dying by their own hand – and their deaths are reported in great detail on blogs and discussion forums. Writers present harrowing stories of battles against the odds, tragic tales of misery heaped upon misery, blight following calamity following gross misfortune. Some of the stories sound too tragic to be true. And they are. Many online tales of death and suffering are works of complete fiction, "pseuicides" dressed up as real-life catastrophes. Some are contrived to titillate or garner attention, some result from something more serious, and some are the result of a uniquely modern psychiatric disorder known as Munchausen by internet."I think the explanations are broader than simply seeking attention," said Dr Marc Feldman, a psychiatrist who has studied thousands of cases of factitious disorders, and watched as the internet has propagated an increase in such frauds. "In some situations, the deceptions are so engaging and heart-rending that I believe there is an undeniable element of sadism."In two investigations between 2007 and 2009, I encountered countless examples of fake deaths in all corners of the online world. A contributor to a knitting forum, for instance, faked her death rather than provide patterns she had been commissioned to design. A member of an online art gallery discovered that the 18-year-old, gay, male, lead-singer of a rock band, with whom she had developed a close friendship before he was killed in a car crash, was actually the work of two 14-year-old girls, who had entirely invented his life. A teenage British boy broke up with his real-life girlfriend to marry a 16-year-old online friend, later discovering (on her "death") that his deceased wife-to-be was a 12-year-old fantasist who had been sending photos of her older cousin and inventing graphic details of incest and rape. A LiveJournal community, known as fake_lj_deaths, has more than 6,000 members committed to investigating suspicious "deaths" reported on the social networking site. The sleuths are motivated by a desire to spare credulous readers the all-too-real grief and bereavement over the imaginary passing of a sometimes-imaginary friend. "I would venture only one in ten deaths that we are asked about turns out not to be fake," said Anne Soffee, the moderator of fake_lj_deaths, the community that has investigated, and exposed, hundreds of such frauds. The motivations of the fakers are almost as opaque as the fictions themselves, but one clue may lie in the power granted by online communities to quantify the sympathy for an illness or the shock of a death via comments boxes or replies to a journal thread. During a lengthy battle against terminal illness, blog writers can attract support from thousands of friends who follow them through treatments, and who cry real tears when they die. In more than one example, bereaved online friends have created tribute websites where they have posted poetry and photographs in memorial books that stretch to hundreds of pages. It feeds the desire of the narcissist and provides the lonely with the attention that they may never previously have known."I have never felt more loved and cared for in my entire life," wrote one faker, named "Sara" in an astonishing confession of a life filled with online deaths. "I suddenly craved for everyone's attention, love, care, concern and affection … People posted messages about how they were very concerned, they were keeping "Sara" in their thoughts and prayers, and so many things. It became more interesting to me. It became very appealing to me. I decided to play with it more. I do not know how or why, I just did."Any investigation into fake online deaths soon encounters the name "limeybean", the online moniker of one of the most notorious and far-reaching fakes, which originated in the UK in late 2005. Limeybean was the 18-year-old daughter of immigrants to London, with a family history of tuberculosis. She was a popular and prominent contributor to a Harry Potter fan community, and a prodigious writer of journals, on which she announced one day that she too had been diagnosed with the same rare strand of untreatable TB that had killed her father and twin brother.As limeybean struggled gamely with her illness, she garnered a huge following of admiring, concerned readers, who offered their support via email and in comments on her blog, sometimes even talking to her in conversations punctuated by coughs and wheezes. When limeybean eventually succumbed to her illness, news relayed on a confidante's MySpace page, there was an unprecedented outpouring of grief from numerous other friends who had drawn strength and inspiration from her battle. One of their number, however, was not so credulous. "As a medical student, limeybean's story didn't really seem plausible," said a journal writer named "snellios" in an email to me three years after he investigated the details of limeybean's illness and eventually exposed it as a fraud. "If you have a rapport with a person you know, you generally give them the benefit of the doubt. With limeybean … there came a point where the probabilities of her telling the truth were so low, I wouldn't have believed her no matter what her relationship was to me."Snellios studied the symptoms of TB and compared medical opinion with limeybean's description of her illness, concluding that the community had been duped, and publishing the evidence on his own journal. "I feel like an asshole for rummaging around in what's done, but everyday I see people citing nonsense without the facts," he explained as he went public, an apology that was still not enough to convince all of limeybean's friends."I just really hope [limeybean] isn't up there sitting on a cloud sighing at all the people who totally don't believe her and call her a liar," read one post beneath snellios's expose. "I still love you [limeybean], I really do." Limeybean was eventually persuaded down from her cloud as the rumblings of a fake grew louder. She returned to her journal and posted a half-apology, half-self-justification that infuriated those who had trusted her. "All apologies," limeybean began. "So we're clear, I had never intended for things to go this way. I had not meant to 'die' from the beginning, but I wanted an escape and it gave me one should I ever want to leave. I've always had a problem when it comes to telling the truth on the internet, to be honest."She continued: "After realising the effect my bravery in my illness had on people, I then used it as a vehicle to try and get some of the idiot emo kids on LJ to buck up and realise they don't really have it all that bad … the lie was worth something, wasn't it? How bad is a lie if it helps?"Few commentators were understanding: "Holy shit, I can't even think of the proper words to describe the SCUM you are!!! You hurt SO many people through what you did, you hurt your FRIENDS! You are an AWFUL person."Although limeybean deleted her journal, and another unrelated user now has the profile, the case has become something of a template for fake online death. Many of the characteristics of the limeybean deception reappear in countless, less sophisticated, ruses, which often share similar inconsistencies and are increasingly simple to detect. It usually begins with a blogger saying that he or she has contracted an illness, followed by a description of a gradual decline in health, often aided by unlikely and unlimited access to a computer beside a supposed hospital bed. Alternatively, for a short, sharp exit, fakers are "killed" in a horrific accident, often a car crash, before their deaths are announced by close friends or relatives, who just happen to know the password to protected journals and are not too distracted by the mourning process to announce their loss to a group of anonymous strangers.Although some fakers display a remarkable degree of endurance and research, stretching the fiction across many months of detailed and anguished description, even the most dedicated can slip up. Slight details can introduce contradictions and, while anyone caught up in the deception may be willing to forgive a slight oversight, disinterested sleuths are more ruthless. They are prepared to call funeral homes, hospitals or local newspapers where obituaries may (or may not) be published, and with countless pairs of eyes poring over ever detail, few contradictions escape.In one harrowing case, a woman named "dancediva81" joined online parenting groups and even met other users for play-dates with a baby, before later reporting that the child had fallen ill. Over many weeks of exceptionally detailed journal entries, she described how the baby underwent seizures and lung failure before doctors told the mother to decide whether to turn off a life-support machine."They took him off the respirator, but I made them put him back on. I couldn't stand there and watch my baby die. He is my baby....MY GOD. I cannot do this." Despite the unflinching sadness of the case, a number of fake_lj_deaths detectives trawled through dancediva81's journal archives and found earlier references to a baby of a different name and gender. They eventually discovered that the "real" baby was a girl, that dancediva81 was simply her child-minder, and that the police were already involved in investigating allegations of a wide-reaching fraud that bridged the internet and the real world.For obvious reasons, the fakers themselves are more difficult to track down than those who have been duped from afar. Many either lock their journals so that only friends can access them, or else purge them entirely and deny the fake. Although the suspicious sometimes take screenshots as evidence of the fraud, many perpetrators simply slip away, either sufficiently chastened to stop the deceptions or to reappear as another character elsewhere.Some, though, do talk, either offering something akin to an apology to the "friends" they have deceived, as in the limeybean case, or, in extreme examples, seeking the help of a professional to address what can be a serious psychiatric condition.In his 2004 book Playing Sick, Dr Marc Feldman, a clinical psychiatrist at the University of Alabama, offers the first published investigation into a disorder he refers to as "Munchausen by internet", or MBI, which introduces an online element to the symptoms of Munchausen syndrome, the condition whose sufferers fake sickness and may demand medical treatment for a illness they do not really possess."The easy and ready access to the internet propagates MBI," said Feldman in a recent email. "In fact, I believe that MBI is more common than MS in 'real life'. The reason is that it is so easy to use the net to research medical conditions, post fallacious materials, and engage others without the need to literally enact an ilness. Many of these people seem to be very lonely, and the internet offers a readily and continually-available source of unconditional support."In one startling case, a woman from New Zealand named "Sara" approached Feldman with an 8,000-word confession of her own Munchausen by internet, a story of vast complexity and novelistic detail in which she created more than eight online aliases, constructed intricate relationships between them, and killed at least five. "As in other MBI cases, one emerges confounded by the extraordinarily bad luck of the apparent patient and her associates, but – with the information having been provided gradually over time – it still struck some people as believable," Feldman said.Sara's story began when she was diagnosed with a rare, but non life-threatening illness, which she began to research online. Soon after discovering an online support community for sufferers, she began to grow close to a number of its members – and, gradually, to exaggerate the seriousness of her illness. She introduced numerous other similarly-afflicted characters, known by medical professionals as "sock-puppets", to indulge many of her fears and desires and to perform lives – and deaths – that were not her own."I started talking to the people in the group as 'Joanne'. I got closer and closer to so many of them. We formed bonds and friendships, and it made me feel so wonderful. People were so kind to me. People loved me. People cared about me. We opened up about a lot of things."As it progresses, Sara's confession reads like a woman dealing with an addiction, an irresistible compulsion for continuing a fiction that has run out of control. "I thought then that I could stop. I tried to end everything. I stayed away from the computer. I did everything I could. But the power it had over me was so strong. It was like every computer in the world was calling out to me. It became a compulsion. I went back and gave in to the urge." Some of Sara's prose becomes so impassioned that it is tempting to wonder whether even her confession to her psychiatrist is the truth. As she came clean both to the support group and to Feldman, Sara went so far as to provide her "real" name, telephone number and address, inviting those she had deceived to wreak their revenge for her behaviour, as if to punish herself for her disorder.While the suffering of online friends at the hands of duplicitous journal writers is already real enough, fakers can do the most damage in online communities, such as that targeted by Sara. Numerous online support groups offer people affected by illnesses a place to share experiences and receive frank advice and counselling from fellow sufferers. Fakers serve to undermine these efforts and are especially unwelcome."Our community is very much a place of refuge and calm," said the moderator of an online support group for a major cancer charity, who was reluctant to talk on the record and requested that he not be named. "The question of fake users is a very sensitive one, particularly when users invest a great deal of time with someone who is faking. Raising the topic increases suspicions and raises emotions across the site, which can be detrimental to the emotional support that our members are looking for."Anne Soffee, who established the fake_lj_deaths community, was motivated by a similar loathing for disruptive fakers. "I didn't like seeing people use ljers4eternity [a site of remembrance for people who have really died] to get their jollies. We had people who were really mourning, who really lost people, and then some attention-seeking idiot would come in and post about their 'friend' who died who in reality was just a character they'd invented and were tired of writing scenes for. And many times, it was just blatant. They were sloppy. And I got disgusted."On the flip-side, Soffee also understands the potential danger of over-zealous sleuths, who can sometimes make the erroneous assumption that every death they encounter online is fake. Most social networking sites offer relatives of deceased users the opportunity to leave a journal open for tributes to be paid. In the case of a real death, it can be harrowing for the bereaved to read comments claiming that the death has been faked.That doubt can persist about something as fundamental as death is a side effect of the unique way in which online friendships are conducted. The immense popularity of the likes of Facebook and MySpace means that strangers often build and maintain relationships entirely on the internet. This anonymity permits any number of lies to be accepted as truth, and inventive deceptions, with whatever motive, can be carried all the way to the virtual grave.In 1999, when online interaction was still in its relative infancy, a prominent poster on the popular usenet group alt.religion.kibology perpetrated one of the earliest fake deaths, partly as a way "to be a fly on the wall at my own funeral" but also purportedly as part of an investigation into the nature of online relationships. A long-time and regular poster named M Otis Beard suddenly became unusually argumentative with fellow contributors over a brief period, before one of Beard's friends, who had met him in real life, posted a muted and thoroughly credible notice that Beard had killed himself.Beard's friends and adversaries alike began posting their tributes to the deceased, remembering, usually with fondness, many of his notable contributions. The user who had announced Beard's death, however, added a touch of scepticism, and suggested that the group's contributors take some time to examine the nature of their relationship with the dead man."Um, yeah, so Otis was pretty cool and all, and it's sad when anyone dies, but his connection to most of us was no more than the connection between Kurt Cobain and a 14 year-old Nirvana fan," began the post. "We read his stuff, we laughed or thought or were moved, and that's all there really is to it. We know more about him than about some celebrity, but not really enough that any of us can say we *knew* him."Some days later, Beard himself resurfaced with a message that, while overbearingly smug in tone, is underpinned by what he claimed was an intellectual motive. After a gleeful pronouncement that "rumors of my death have been greatly exaggerated", Beard announced that his "little escapade" had been a method of testing the sense of community in the group and had been designed to offer a perverse sense of catharsis when the deception was revealed."You thought you had irretrievably lost something; that something is now returned to you," he wrote. "If I hadn't made you sad by pretending to be dead, I wouldn't have been able to make you happy (well, OK, angry and THEN happy) by jumping out of my coffin, whole and hale. Forgive me for putting you through the emotional roller coaster ride, which I hope was a healthily cathartic experience for all of you."Although Beard hardly received the outpouring of gratitude he seemed to expect – the first response to his big reveal was: "Let me be the first to welcome you back to the land of the living. Now go fuck yourself." – some of his thinking predicted many preoccupations experienced in subsequent years over the unreliability of online friendships."USENET … is real enough that my 'death' caused grief in many of you whom I have never so much as exchanged e-mail with, much less met in the flesh," Beard wrote. "On the other hand, USENET is unreal enough that I was able, without breaking any laws, to play dead so effectively as to make people grieve in the first place."These concerns were echoed by snellios, who exposed the limeybean fake, and wrote in a recent email: "As other users can see conversations between their friends and other users, they are able to participate almost vicariously, voyeuristically in each other's relationships. This often helps to solidify bonds between friends, who participate passively in their mutual friends' discussion."When limeybean was outed it questioned this whole paradigm – could users continue to treat online identities as real, permanent presences in their lives? How far could anyone really be trusted online, where manipulation of relationships was so much easier to achieve? How did it affect users' views of their relationships with other users'?"It seems unlikely that such philosophical quandaries will ever be resolved, although the moderators of fake_lj_deaths happily report that increased awareness has resulted in a notable recent downswing in the number of the most damaging frauds. Feldman's warning in Playing Sick, however, remains true: "In every area, the internet brings with it new opportunities and new problems. It has brought crucial information and it has bred lies. It has expanded horizons and it has facilitated distrust and even crime."Meanwhile, Sara's deception, although fanatically extreme, was underpinned by a motivation that clearly pre-dates, and will likely survive, any technological innovation for detecting even the most sophisticated fraud."Just because it is given a name, Munchausen syndrome or Munchausen by internet syndrome, does not meant that I can or will get away with everything I have done. I am a fake, a liar, a fraud, a manipulator, whatever you call it. I have intense self-hatred and I know that I am pathetic, despicable and evil … Everyone wants and needs someone to care for and about them. Humans crave love and attention. We all want to feel loved. We all want to feel that someone actually cares about us."Click here for an in-depth Q&A with Dr Marc Feldman Edited by Holden Frith Comments Waaaaaah!? I had no idea this kind of thing was a) happening andb) is being investigated and oustedAmazing, interesting read. Jesse Mar 26th 2009 Good article -- one small issue:"She introduced numerous other similarly-afflicted characters, known by medical professionals as 'sock-puppets'"I doubt too many medical professionals (outside of the ones who lurk Livejournal) would even have a name for them :) Erika Mar 27th 2009 This happens on many different levels, more likely than most think. It even happens where people fake identities to garner the romantic intrests of other users, then avoid actual meet ups, or posting pictures because they are lieing. The best way to protect yourself is, hold internet pals at arms length until you meet them. If you care so much about some one, you will set up a date to meet them in real life. Michelle! Mar 27th 2009 Just a point of fact, I was in the hospital for five weeks with pregnancy complications, and I had my laptop and I was able to connect to the hospital's wireless internet - I didn't even need a password - and it was all cleared by the doctors. Now, I wasn't in the ICU or anything, but there was plenty of machinery around. I had pretty much 24/7 access to my laptop and to the internet. So I'm not sure that internet access is a reliable predictor of a fake.And I just said to a friend that I'm kicking myself realizing that I had a golden opportunity to virtually off myself and I didn't take it. What was I thinking?!?! Camden Mar 27th 2009 Great article! It fits remarkably well with my own experiences. I have been duped, along with several others in a community I used to frequent, by a very charming but ultimately fraudulent person who made us all believe the most far-fetched scenarios and stories, simply by building them up gradually over the years. Eventually, some of us got a little sceptic about the number of car crashes, cancer illnesses, lost babies and other tragic events that were happening to this one person and her family, and we began to snoop around in the reality behind her stories - and sure enough, when we got too close, she too died in a "car crash". And just like described in the article, someone - "who just happen to know the password to protected journals" - announced her death in her own online journal! And yes, the concept of "sock puppets" is one I'm only too familiar with. J Mar 27th 2009 This article really seems to capture the essence of the phenomena is all about. My first contact with this attention seeking activity was through a trying to conceive forum where a woman went through the "I can never have babies"->"OMG I'm pregnant!"->"Oh no I've lost the baby!"->"I've lot my tube"->"OMG I'm pregnant again! God must really want me to have a baby!"->"I'm so seriously ill with this baby. I'll die if I have it!"->"OMG! I'm in labour 3 months early"->"Oh please let my baby live" kind of cycle. Only we then found she was going through this cycle all over the internet at different stages of the cycle. In the end the police were involved and she turned out to be a 16 year old fantacist. When I last came across her, she had started her own TTC community and was therefore above suspicion. Anyone that spoke up against her, where instantly banned. These people are cunning and don't actually care about the hurt they cause. As long as they get the attention, they are happy. Sad, but true. Rita Damper Mar 27th 2009 I've been a member of fake_lj_deaths for years now, and friends have often asked me why I "waste" my time figuring out the truth of deaths. My answer is that it's immensely satisfying to uncover fakes and deny them the attention they're seeking. What these fakers do offends me on a personal level, especially when it involves the death of fictitious babies or children; in my professional life I worked in the birth industry and had contact with a number of families who really did have babies die, and their grief is immense. To have some jerk come and appropriate that kind of suffering for their own emotional gain is incredibly offensive to me. They don't have a right to take that kind of sympathy from others when there are people out there who truly need it. I have empathy for the fact that some of these people are psychologically ill, but it's still unacceptable that they harm others rather than seeking help. Robin Mar 28th 2009 This is such an interesting phenomenon, and such fakers can have a huge detrimental impact on a close-knit community - something I've seen first hand.It was a good article, but I was frankly surprised that you didn't mention the story of Kaycee Nicole (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kaycee_Nicole), which is pretty much the quintessential version of this that goes back all the way to the dark ages of the internet - 2001. Anne Mar 30th 2009 I must frequent the sane side of the Internet.It's as peculiar that neither the article or the commenters noted the phenomena's sadness. We have a section of society so desperate for attention they will fake their own deaths. Then, and only then, will they be loved. Eyes like saucers yearning for someone to talk to them, to email them, to be nice to them, to say "Yep, you exist."An investigation into whether the Internet: (i) has provided a new vent for Munchausen's, or (ii) has been an element in causing Munchausen's would be a good follow-up.Article's grammar could be touched up. Jordan Greenaway Apr 6th 2009 When I hear of the death of Howard Swains, I'll be sure to find his door and check up on him before grieving for a good writer. Ben Apr 8th 2009 I think more interesting than the attention that people crave who are challenged by such a "syndrome" as MIB is the amount of attention that those are willing to give to someone who is just a pseudonym. The breakdown of community and face to face communication is becoming the death of true society. Humans choose to interact through face-less communications services that the internet provides over walking outside and chatting to their neighbours. Ultimately, this new take on communication is spawning more problems than we truly realise. The irony of it all? The worst perpetrator of such face-less communication is actually facebook. How many of those "friends" would you really chat to in real life?My comment may be a little off-topic but still has merit. anon Apr 14th 2009 To be frank this kind of interesting behaviour is something that I had never heard of before reading this article. I assumed (rather naively) that people tended to fake their own deaths as a method of escape or as the final act in some form of intricate criminal adventure.I think it is quite fascinating that an individual would fake their death or the death of someone else as a method of drawing attention to themselves.I am not sure I am comfortable with calling this behaviour despicable though. It is clearly 'not normal' (for want of a better phrase) but these people are clearly unwell and the internet provides a vent through which they manifest this behaviour. Is it so 'despicable' simply because of the number of people that can be reached?Why are so many people so taken in by these stories? I personally would find it very difficult to form a meaningful relationship with a person over the internet. Death clearly is a sad time but I cannot imagine a situation where I am upset by the death of someone I have never met but have only communicated with via a chatroom or through email.Who are suffers of this disorder actually affecting anyway? How close knit are these online groups that suffer at the hands of these fakers?Are there similar disorders where people fake other events in the hope of attention? tailoredHEN Apr 18th 2009 Very interesting article, I was aware that this kind of thing occurred but I wasn't aware that there were so many academics and other bloggers investigating it. I can't make myself feel particularly strongly either way, or rather I feel quite strongly both ways - I sympathise with the people who feel addicted to this kind of behaviour, yet I find it difficult to understand how they can so drastically deceive so many people. On the other hand, I understand how people can get attached to other blog users and feel distinct sadness when they die, but I question the authenticity of most of these grief ridden tributes. In the end I end up sitting in the middle...Either way, I'll have to include a section on this in my MA dissertation on the role of blogs in the creation of an online identity.That is, if I don't pop my clogs before I can complete it. I'm very ill you see... Distillledwill Apr 20th 2009 This happened on a football fan forum that I frequent. The guy had made up a fantastical life (3 degrees, wife, 6 kids, wealth etc) but wanted to start meeting up with some of the fellow posters. His solution was to introduce himself as the fictional character's nephew and then kill off the original character with cancer. He took it that far that there were posters jumping out of planes in the dead character's name for cancer charities.After a while, a few guys figured out what had gone on and he confessed. The story ended up in one of the tabloids.It was fascinating to watch the entire thing unfold. I didn't realise that it was so widespread. Keith May 5th 2009 I luv you for writing this up :) ajat Jun 10th 2009 Reply to a comment Name Email Comment Submit » Prev Next Page 1 of 2 1 2 Latest on wired.co.uk


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Business & Professional Studies
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Business & Professional Studies at the University of Toronto School of Continuing Studies prepares you for the future. In a world of ever-changing technology, shifting economic landscapes and organizational renewal, we help you meet the challenge of change.
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I am coming over 28th May for two weekes. My first trip. Iwill find out more about this beautifull spot and maybe my cousins will take me there.
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CHICAGO (MarketWatch)—The housing market is beginning to recover and the rental market is hot. At the same time, yield-seeking investors are looking for places to park cash and see it grow—and real estate is starting to look like an attractive option.
Not only do you get cash flow from the rental, but if you buy when prices are low you may expect appreciation before you eventually sell.
And that's causing an increasing number of people to ask their financial planners whether the coast is clear for real property to occupy space in their retirement portfolios.
"The rate of inquiry [in real-estate investments] is definitely up," said Joe Sicchitano, senior vice president and head of financial planning for SunTrust Bank Private Wealth Management, which is based in Atlanta. "A lot of that is a consequence of rates being suppressed yield-wise in other investments," he said.
Big tax bills can devastate your retirement savings. MarketWatch's Robert Powell and Andrea Coombes talk about strategies to employ before and during retirement to lower your taxes.
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But sometimes people who are interested can't seem to take the leap.
When asked what their goals are with regard to investing in this asset class, clients will often say they're interested in boosting their returns, Sicchitano said. As the conversation progresses, it's revealed many have a "healthy hesitation" about the investment; they desire a higher yield but not at the expense of undue risk, he said. And using leverage by financing the purchase gives many would-be investors the chills.
Of course they are hesitant: Many saw friends and family lose big on real-estate investments after the crash. If those investments were meant to fund retirement, those people may now be faced with having to remain in the workforce for longer than expected.
It's also important to point out that there are ways to invest in real-estate without purchasing a piece of property solely for its income-producing potential.
Some investors decide to diversify their portfolio with shares in publicly traded real-estate investment trusts, vehicles that can be traded like stocks and are based on properties including large apartment complexes or retail buildings.
Others choose to "invest" in their own mortgage, paying their home loan down in a quicker fashion to be mortgage-free in retirement. That option allows people to decrease their housing costs during retirement so they have a lower withdrawal rate from their other investments.
Still others opt to buy their retirement home now, given the current low prices and mortgage rates, with the intention of renting it out until it becomes a permanent residence.
Read related story: Should you buy your retirement dream home now?
But whether you were moved by Warren Buffett's statement earlier this year that he'd be buying thousands of single-family homes if he could, or if you're motivated by the large number of renters in the market today, you may still have an itch to buy an income-producing property.
Before you do, there are some questions you need to ask yourself—ones that go deeper than assessing whether you want to be a landlord, at what price you can acquire the property or what kind of cash flow you expect the property to return. Below are several.
How will it fit into your portfolio?
This can be tricky for those with sizable real-estate investments, Sicchitano said. Unlike stock and bond allocations, for example, real-estate often doesn't fit neatly into a pie graph.