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AFM Mainul Ahsan
Share scam 1996: justice delayed and denied
On December 10, 2008 Bernard Madoff's massive Ponzi scheme was unravelled. The following day, FBI arrested Madoff and charged him with one count of securities fraud. On June 29, 2009, Madoff, the man who confessed to organising the largest fraud in the US history, was sentenced to 150 years in prison, the maximum allowed. Samuel D Waksal, founder and former CEO of the biopharmaceutical company ImClone Systems, which developed the drug Erbitux, was arrested on June 12, 2002 on insider trading charges. On October 15, he pleaded guilty to charges of securities fraud, bank fraud, obstruction of justice, and perjury. On June 10, 2003, Waksal was sentenced to seven years in prison.
* * *
The Dhaka Stock Exchange all share price index, which was introduced on September 16, 1986 hovered at around 1,000 in June 1996, and reached 3,627 on November 16 the same year; and then moved further down to 484.44 in January 2000. At the market's peak, shares were trading at an average of over 80 times of relevant earnings. One popular stock, Confidence Cement, sold for 1,060 times of 1996's earnings, after a 1,400 percent increase in its price. Trading data shows that during this period, market capitalisation went up by 265 percent and the average daily turnover increased by over 1000 percent. As all bull runs eventually end in tears, the bubble was eventually burst: stock market prices dropped by close to 70 percent in end-April 1997 from the peak in November 16, 1996. Countless of investors lost their lifetime savings in the blink of an eye.
Graph: DSE All Share Price Index, 1995-1999
* * *
On December 26, 1996 the Securities and Exchange Commission formed an enquiry committee to probe into the irregularities of stock market activities during July 1996 to November 1996. On March 27, 1997, the committee headed by the vice chancellor of Jahangirnagar University, submitted the report identifying a number of companies and some of the country's biggest brokers apparently involved in market rigging. Based on the report, on April 2, 1997, the chief metropolitan magistrate court issued arrest warrants against 32 people in seven brokerage firms and eight listed companies. The SEC also filed 15 share scam cases in the High Court. The High Court, however, granted anticipatory bails to the accused along with nine others on April 6, 1997. Since then the government officials at the SEC have been unable to say anything about the status of the cases. Many say that the government is reluctant to pursue the case.
In 2002, SEC formed two separate committees comprising of officers of the regulatory body to carry out detailed investigation about the 'unfinished task' of the previous committee. SEC member K Iftikhar Ahmed was made convener of the two committees. However as anticipated, these two committees also failed to complete the 'unfinished task'. However, financial market authorities should finish their 'unfinished task' by all means within the shortest possible time. Why?
* * *
The irrational exuberance and its demise in 1996 occurred at the cost of thousands of investors who came to participate in the market for the first time having little or no knowledge of the market fundamentals. No one was held responsible for the scam and justice was denied to the victims. It's been 14 years since the market was raped, still there is no sign that the victims would get justice even in near future. Delayed justice raises questions about SEC's objective of saving interest of market investors.
Why do financial markets need special attention from relevant parties, e.g., legal system, government agencies, or even by other market participants? Presence of a market-oriented legal system determines the quantity and reliability of publicly available information. Researcher Rafael La Porta argues that strong legal protection would enable investors to act on disclosure, whereas weak protection hinders investors to rely on disclosure and future prospects, which makes disclosure less effective.
In a study on corporate governance, investor protection, and performance in the emerging markets, Leora Klapper and Inessa Love showed that firms in countries with weak legal systems disclose less information, which might be, as Rafael La Porta argued, due to the assumption of weak legal systems makes disclosure practices less effective. Besides, a well-developed legal framework enhances financial market liquidity. This is significant because lower liquidity costs have been shown to reduce a firm's cost of capital and thus increases its market value.
A sophisticated financial market produce higher rates of economic growth. The extent of legal protection of investors in a country is an important determinant of development and growth of its financial markets. When laws don't protect investors' rights, development of financial markets is stunted. Weak investor protection increases the cost of external funds and cost of equity in particular. In countries where investors are poorly protected, firms issue less equity and stock markets are underdeveloped. Put differently, poor investor protection affects the supply of equity negatively. For instance, there are total 1,25,929 firms listed with the office of the Register of Joint Stock Companies and Firms in Bangladesh. Among those, 81,888 are private companies, 1417 are public companies, 125 are foreign companies, and 32,295 are partnership firms. However, only about 266 firms are listed on the Dhaka Stock Exchange (DSE). So, even to achieve a thriving and stable financial market, the authorities need to put the scammers behind the bar.
In 2007, according to Motley Fool Global Gains research report, in terms of stock return, Bangladesh stands first in the list with 134 percent return. China, Ukraine, Cote d'Ivorie and Nigeria come next in the list with 132 percent, 125 percent, 110 percent and 106 percent return respectively. Our bourses are making "record transactions" almost every week. Still many investors are reluctant to invest because of the memory of 1996. To some investing in the stock market is synonym to gambling. Hardly any major international investor committed any significant fund in any of our bourses. The stock market scam in 1996 is still a stain to domestic and international investors.
* * *
As justice was denied in 1996, 'manipulators' are again trying to manipulate the market with different innovative ideas. Because of bureaucratic red tape and lack of resources within regulators, 'manipulators' adjust with the circumstance quickly than the regulators. To impede the 'manipulators' from exploiting markets, authorities need to adjust legal and judicial affairs. For instance, all financial market fraud should be considered as non-bailable crime.
* * *
The 1996 debacle took place during Sheikh Hasina's regime. The Awami League leadership cannot deny its responsibility as it has also played a significant role as a catalyst in inflating the market. For instance, former finance minister Shah ASM Kibria and Prime minister Sheikh Hasina herself claimed credit for the "outstanding" stock market performance. Awami League has additional responsibility to serve justice to those who lost their fortune in 1996 stock market scam.
AFM Mainul Ahsan is a PhD student of Economics department in Texas Tech University, USA

subset: commoncrawl


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Tuesday, November 18, 2008
Christmas Gift Ideas at Trixilini!!
Shopping Rewards with Citibank at Millenia Walk!!
Dress Up and Go Out Event with Citibank - Sat, 22 November 2008
Flirty tresses, sexy dresses. Slinky stilettos, fluttery lashes. Spin the disco ball, because it's time to PARRR…TY!
We know you've been eyeing that gorgeous dress for a while now. It's tres chic and so You! At Trixilini, we understand that when it comes to dresses and gems, it's a serious case of necessity, not just some frivolous want! *whispers* So what do you say we spark your party mood and give you… a never-before 20% discount on our apparel AND a 10% on accessories?
You may pull the festive poppers by starting off your discount privilege on The Glamorous Life - Yu's Christmas collection of pretty darn gorgeous long evening dresses as well as ones that bring you from day to night. Inspired by flattering cuts and well-thought-out designs to make you the star of any show, these are absolute must-haves in your closet of party-wear! Go on, raid our boutique!
But before you boogie for joy, there's more!
This season, Shu Uemura and acclaimed photographer Mika Ninagawa celebrate the Art of Beauty through the fusion of Japanese pop and sophistication to colour you beautiful with their limited edition Christmas palette for that unlimited glamour you need at all the parties coming your way! Be the first 20 to RSVP and you get a complimentary eyelash styling from Elite Shu Uemura Artist, Sophia Chia! . Your peepers are in good hands!
That's not all, you fluttery-eyed beauty! The first 60 to RSVP will covet their very own Party Survival Kit gift-bag stuffed with pretty treats and fixes – everything you need to look your prettiest at all times because nothing should rain on your party.
My very own PARTY SURVIVAL KIT check-list:
· I need flawless skin from a trusted source because "beautiful make-up starts with beautiful skin". My 4-piece skin care kit worth $60 from Shu Uemura, check!
· Hair can so make or break you. I need that perfectly styled hair to look oh-so chic. Gorgeous hair-cut and styling by Kr+ (by Kim Robinson), check!
· Burning soles and blisters are so unglamorous! Foot Petals' sole-saving 'Killer Kushionz', will take the "hate" out of my love-hate relationship with my stilettos and let me party in style and comfort all through the night. Check!
· Bloatedness; cramps – it's period hell! Enter Moxie – stylish feminine hygiene products – a touch of girly glamour to an otherwise very unfashionable time of the month. Check!
· Hairy arm-pits with sleeveless dresses? Gross-ness! I want smooth hairless underarms with 'hygiene, speed and quality' for just $5 (U.P.: $15) courtesy of the Ministry of Waxing - Strip. Check!
· A free luxurious body scrub with any purchase of a 90-minute massage from hip spa lifestyle pioneer, Spa Esprit. Everyone would want to touch my velvety smooth skin that's toned and glowing! I'm bringing sexy back! Check!
· A cute guy approaches me and the last thing I want is to turn him off with bad breath. Make an IMPACT for every occasion with my pocket-size tin of Impact Mints in red-apple flavour – to help me hold his attention with my fresh fruity breath.
· Body odour, oh my gosh, no way! Kao Biore's pick-me-up Breezy Floral deodorizing sheets on-the-go to keep me smelling fresh and lovely all night long on the dance-floor. Check!
All that, while you nibble on delectable tea-time treats by Candy Empire - Singapore's largest chocolate and candy gourmet shop with mouth-watering products from Australia, Europe and USA.
Hang on, there's even more, ladies! 3 of you lucky glamourettes will stand to receive a chic hair-cut worth $79 courtesy of Kr+, a Stiletto Stylish Kit worth $55 compliments of Foot Petals, a fun hat box of girly goodies for a stay-over party with your girlfriends from Moxie AND a yummy-licious food hamper worth $100 from Candy Empire!!!
Wait, wait, we're not done yet! There's 1 fabulous Start-to-Finish hamper worth $408 from Shu Uemura up for grabs AND a complimentary buffet dinner for two at Global Kitchen worth $113 proudly sponsored by the Pan Pacific Hotel Singapore, featuring seven dedicated culinary stations including salads, crustacean, pasta, roasted carved meats, European and Asian mains and desserts to tantalize your palate as you savour the goodness! Bon appétit!!!
Yes, I hear you screaming for joy!
Go on, spread the good cheer! Bring all your chic friends along because good things ought to be shared. Psst, by the way, we're expecting rows of new lovely dresses to clad your sexy curves in and jewellery to adorn your body with. Let your hair down! It's time to go crazy!
You want to be at Trixilini, Millenia Walk #01-57
On Saturday, 22 November 2008
From 3 to 5pm (registration starts at 2.30pm)
To R.S.V.P., please email Grace at email@example.com or dial 6338-7060 by Friday, 14 November 2008.
Missing out on this party is a crime, sweetheart!
Friday, November 14, 2008
Cooper St - New Collection In Store Today!
Posse - New Arrivals in Store now!
Thursday, November 13, 2008
Boheme Jewelry - Holiday Collection 2008 in store now!
Felz & Nez Jewelry - Holiday Collection 2008!
White Xmas bracelet - SGD$89


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The team sponsored by Massena Savings and Loan captured consolation honors in the Northern New York Box Lacrosse League High School Division playoffs this summer at the Tri-Town Arena. Coached by Tyler Simms and Kyle Cooke, team members included; Trent Dow, Zach St. Hilaire, Carter Bordeleau, Ben Chilton, Isaac Jandreau, David Beaudoin, Brody Simonds, Garrett Clark, Cole Allen and Jeff Bain. (St. Pierre Photo)
Thousands of readers like you have made Northern New York Newspapers the number one ranked website* for local news and sports coverage in the north country.
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This is what I like to call "measured chaos" – hence the pack name. I was thinking of all tangible accessories to a celebration, like confetti and balloons, and how I could transform such staples into a design. Then I got to work, through a lens of 70's graphic minimalism, and voila!
MOO Designs is a collaborative creative effort from the design team at MOO. All our designers have an individual style that we love, but are also brilliant at working as a team towards a single goal. We'll give them any theme or idea, and they'll meld their minds together to produce a series of beautiful card designs.


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Bob's Bloggers
A community of bloggers who live and die to DIY
Maracana House by Terra E Tuma Architects
By Inthralld on Feb 20, 2013
Terra E Tuma Architects in Brazil have created an amazing bachelor-style residence in Sao Paulo called the Maracana House. The home is built of concrete blocks with large openings for the dark metal-framed glazing.
The interior of the Maracana House is very serene, considering that it's space mainly constructed of concrete. Natural elements are brought in through the vast open spaces, and the interior architectural details are comprised of open and airy urban details. Pops of color and rich woods bring warmth to the interior, and collections of grouped objects make it all feel like home. The exterior features an Alexandre Mancini original ceramic artwork suspended from the upper level, which prefaces the overall mood of the home once indoors.
Industrial Maracanã House in Sao Paulo is a post from: Inthralldblog comments powered by Disqus


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Bus Hostel Reykjavik
Skogarhlid 10, Reykjavik, Iceland, 105
Overall Rating: 79
Welcome. We like you. Bus Hostel is a spanking new hostel located within 10 min walking distance from the Reykjavik city high-street. We aim to be "cheap and cheerful", catering to all kinds of travelers, in addition to being eco-friendly. Our goal is to be fully "green" and only use fair trade goods. We have been super styling the hostel building and offer cozy rooms and hip and cool social spaces.
We have 4, 6 10 and 16 bed dorms, both mixed and a few only for the gals or for the lads. We also offer more private facilities for the single traveller preferring more "me time" or for the couples who are happy to share a bed. And we do of course provide rooms accessible by wheel-chairs. Please note that prices do not include bedding/duvet :)
Facilities at this hostel include:
- Air Conditioning
- Bar
- Credit cards accepted
- Car Parking
- Self-catering Facilities
- No curfew
- Secure lockers
- Lounge area
- Internet / Wi-Fi
- 24 hour reception
- Safety deposit
- 24 hour hot showers
- Tours/Travel Desk
- Wheelchair accessible
- Bicycle hire
- Late check-out
- Reception (limited hours)
- Bar(s)
- BBQ area
- Café
- Common area / room
- Communal kitchen
- Internet access in public areas
- Internet café
- Outside area
Important Information
Our bar area – BUS stop - is the ideal place to mingle with other travelers, exchange ideas, play board games and chat with our fantastic staff who seem to know all the hip places to go and the people to see and what's on in Reykjavik. Not to mention having information on all the latest bargains in town! We offer a great variety of services and will do our up-most to make your stay at the Bus Hostel in Reykjavik, Iceland as ab fab as you are! Budget style in Iceland We are a budget hostel and social to a great extent, both "adventure travel" oriented and "leisure travel" oriented, loving all, even the more venturesome crowd.


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Elevn-year-old Xhana is not going to let being from the bush get in the way of her aspirations to dive for Australia. It helps having an Olympic standard diving centre to train at, just down the road in her hometown of Lightning Ridge.
Video by Maree Breuer, Leon Noel and ABC Open Western Plains.
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Today is October 10, 2015
Front Page
January 27, 2011
Carbon Sports
January 27, 2011
Carbon Sports
Bruised and battered: Dino wrestlers regroup for region
The Carbon High Wrestling team hosted North Sevier on Thursday night. A shorthanded Dino squad went down to defeat 59-16 to the visiting team.
Panthers pick up two region wins
It was a good weekend for the Pinnacle Panther boy's basketball team as they picked up a pair of region wins. On Friday night they ran all over Navajo Mountain and picked up a 67-30 victory. Then on Saturday they beat Monument Valley 61-43 to get an...
Carbon High athlete signs letter of intent
Spring is the time for many of the Carbon high athletes to begin finalizing plans for college and signing letters of intent to their chosen schools. Carbon High senior Darrien Smith, surrounded by Carbon High Head softball coach Tony Pinedo, mother...
Lucky seven: Lady Dinos defeat Wasatch, push win streak to seven in a row
Wasatch was the final team to beat as the Lady Dinos finished up the first half of region play. Carbon made it look easy as they easily downed the Wasps 55-24 in front of a large hometown crowd on Tuesday night. Carbon has a seven game winning strea...
Wasps sting Dinos
It's tough when you are struggling to have to face the top 3A team in the state. But that is exactly what Carbon had to do on Tuesday night against Wasatch. The outcome was fairly predictable as Carbon went down to defeat 72-48....
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BPL Community Profile
Colleen Clemens (tarbubble) - BPL Forum Member
You cannot send this user a personal message (PM) because they have not specified a PM email address yet.
All Forum Posts by Colleen Clemens
too late?
Whoa, I go AWOL for a year or so and look what I miss. Is there any excess or is the whole order wrapped up and sold off?
A Constant Struggle
I try to fight hard against the consumer mentality, but it's not easy. I tend to get a thrill when I find something awesome at a thrift store or a yard sale, so I tell myself that really what ...
baby shtuff
Babies need food, warmth, love, and diapers. Anything else is mostly fluff. For infants I always used a baby sling, maya-wrap style. There are probably a dozen other models available now. Baby ...
hidden errors
there isn't a single garment or piece of gear i've sewn whose imperfections and "oopses" i don't recall. if you're like me, you'll never be 100% happy with anything y...
another sandal-loving loon
it's very difficult for me to find any trail runners that won't blister me (i have bone spurs on the back of my heels). I have yet to find a sandal that i am head over heels in love with, ...
oooh baby
you have my empathy and my respect - i have dabbled in hooded prototypes and when you say PITA, i know what you mean. but it is really, really beautiful. congratulations on an extremely impressiv...
Re: Central Cali PCT
oh, to be a Sierra virgin again. you can't go wrong with most of the PCT through the Sierra. I'd suggest you start by examining the JMT section and then following anything else that get...
great deal
i try to minimize my WM spending, but these little dry bags are an undeniable bargain. we use the big one for stuffing my 6-year-old's quilt - he tends to fall in creeks a bit more often than ...
Re: Los Angeles area meetup
OK, would lunch or early dinner/drinks/whatever be better? i lean toward an after work hours event. This Friday? Next Friday? A different weeknight?
Re: Calling All Picaridin Users
i believe the CDC recommends a 15% or higher concentration for Picaridin. My own highly anecdotal experience supports the CDC's position.
All Reader Reviews by Colleen Clemens
Colleen Clemens has posted no reviews.


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HONOLULU (AP) — Hawaii and the Indonesian province of Bali on Monday took a step toward forging closer ties by becoming sister states.
Hawaii Gov. Neil Abercrombie signed documents establishing the relationship in his chambers at the state Capitol on Monday, saying both places are often defined by the joy they give to visiting travelers.


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Filed Under (Honda) by Doe Namblas on 16-02-2014
Bomz Racing 01-05 Honda Civic EX Air Intake Installation Guide Removal of Factory Intake 1. Turn the ignition OFF and disconnect the vehicle's negative battery cable. 2. Disconnect the air temperature sensor electrical connection. 3. Unclip the battery cable from the air inlet duct. 4. Loosen and remove the two bolts that secure the air inlet duct. 5. Remove the air inlet duct. 6. Loosen and remove the four bolts that secure the air intake resonator. 7. Loosen and remove the two bolts that secure the throttle body plenum. 8. Loosen hose clamp that secures the plenum to the throttle body. 9. Using a pair of piers, depress and pull back the hose clamp on the crank case vent at the cam cover. 10. Pull firmly upwards to remove the throttle body plenum. 11. Using a flat blade screwdriver, unclip the wire harness from the resonator. 12. Unclip the throttle cable and cruise control cable, then remove the resonator by pulling upwards. 13. Secure the throttle cable and cruise control cable to the stock clips. Install of Intake 14. Install the reducer and hose clamps onto the throttle body. Do not tighten at this time. 15. Remove the air temperature sensor from the throttle body plenum. 16. Install the air temperature sensor. NOTE: INSEPECT THE INSIDE OF THE TUBE FOR ANY DEBRIS, AND CLEAN THE INSIDE OUT WITH WATER AND A TOWEL. 17. Install the intake tube onto the throttle body. Tighten hose clamps at this time. 18. Secure the bracket to the rubber mounted. 19. Install the hose onto the crank case vent on the cam cover, then connect the other end to the vent on the intake tube. 20. Reconnect the air temperature sensor electrical connection. 21. Install the filter onto the intake tube and secure with the hose clamp. Adjust for best fit and clearance then tighten all hardware. 22. Reconnect the negative battery cable and double check to make sure everything is tightened and positioned before starting the vehicle. Resetting the ECU This is to be completed at your own risk. This procedure will reset the computer so that it may "learn" of your new intake. We are not to be held liable for any mishaps that you may occur while completing this process. • Disconnect the Negative battery cable for 5 minutes. • Reconnect the battery cable and false panel cover.


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I literally don't know where to start. I'm currently sitting in starbucks praying that the Lord will allow me to type this out without turning into a blubbering mess. No one wants to see me blubber into my Caramel Flan Latte. If you're new here visiting from Kelly's Korner (which I hope you are!), let me introduce myself. My name is Nicole, I'm the blogger here at bloom. But, more than that, I have a sweet friend named Caitlin. THIS GIRL, Y'ALL.
Caitlin and I have been friends since the awkward middle school stage and our friendship has seen many, MANY seasons. The Lord has worked mightily in both of our lives and we're now at a point in our friendship that I think is my favorite. I love this gal. Like, LOVE LOVE LOVE. She's one of my dearest friends and she just gets my heart.
Caitlin is a recent graduate of Ole Miss and is a 9th grade English teacher not far out of Memphis. Let me tell you, she rocks at her job. To see her passion for teenagers (15 year olds at that!) truly inspires me. She's one tough cookie, but I know she's a blessing to every single student she encounters. I see her doing BIG things in education and it fires me up.
I've seen Caitlin's walk with the Lord grow over the years and most recently I've been so encouraged by her faith and her trust in the Lord through her singleness. She serves in a church that is 99.9% married. Yet, she loves on us and serves Jesus there regardless of her own heart's desires because she knows the Lord has called her there. Weekly I see her take big steps of faith and trust the Lord more with her life and it is one of the most incredible motivators of my faith. I want to have faith like that. I want to trust the Lord despite my own heart's desires and despite my own longings. I want to have a heart that longs for God's will. Her heart for the Lord is a blessing.
Caitlin is one of the most fun girlfriends I have and we are ALWAYS laughing. And if we're not really laughing, we have a "crying laughing" emoji in every text. Ha! She loves to experience new places, eat new food, and visit new cities. She's a shopper and a traveler and a lover of being "out". But, she's also a girl after my own heart... she can be a homebody, too! What I love most about our friendship is the HOURS we spend on the couch talking. She's the perfect combination if you ask me. ;)
AND SHE HAS A PUPPY. I mean, come on! Truly, she's one of the sweetest, most genuine women I have the pleasure of calling friend. She's very real, very raw and loves deep. I see her desire to be a wife and mother so clearly and I pray that the Lord would bring that man into her life soon. Caitlin is kind, thoughtful, nurturing, intelligent, genuine, intentional, and like, WAY MORE. I love this sweet girl and I can't wait for a man to come and scoop her up. She's a catch.
And she has the cutest puppy in the world named Charlie. She's a huge bonus!
If you or someone you know in interested in sweet Caitlin (and Charlie!) email me and I'll get you the connection! email@example.com
Labels: friends
5 comments
- Elisha Kearns said...
I don't have any single guy friends but I could not pass by this blog without commenting on how beautiful your friend is and how ADORABLE the puppy is. She will find a great catch one day...God has the perfect plan for her :)
- January 24, 2014 at 9:36 AM
- MIssissippi Mrs. said...
Oh my stars! I used to follow Caitlin here on blogs. Does she still have one??
I totally still want to come to Memphis one day and meet you two! My first blate!
- January 24, 2014 at 10:02 AM
- Amber Marie said...
Hey! I know her! :) AND I totally echo all you say-she's some kind of wonderful!
- January 24, 2014 at 7:57 PM
- Beth Ann said...
I think Caitlin was one of my first blog readers...but I've kind of lost touch with her. She is so beautiful! Didn't know you two were friends. :)
- January 24, 2014 at 8:50 PM
- Kate said...
Awesome!! Love sweet friends who just get my heart. Does she have a blog I can follow? :)
- January 26, 2014 at 11:35 PM
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Gallegly, Jorgensen taking lead in Congressional races
Apparently powered by the appeal of the word "educator," a teacher and former nurse from Solvang appeared headed to an unexpected win in the three-way race for the Democratic nomination in the 24th Congressional District.
Marta Jorgensen, reached by phone Tuesday evening and informed of the early returns, was incredulous. "You're kidding! That's a pretty amazing thing."
For three weeks during the campaign, Jorgensen had suspended campaigning and announced she was supporting Jill Martinez, a developer of affordable housing and the Democratic nominee from two years ago.
But, saying she thought Martinez and Oak Park insurance agent Mary Pallant were not paying enough attention to Santa Barbara County voters, Jorgensen jumped back in.
"I was certain I had shot myself in the foot on that," she said. "I thought maybe I'd get 8 or 10 percent."
With 51 percent of the returns counted, Jorgensen was leading, with 50 percent of the vote, over Martinez, with 31 percent, and Pallant, with 19 percent.
The winner will face incumbent Rep. Elton Gallegly, who easily prevailed in the Republican primary over Westlake Village attorney Michael Tenenbaum. Gallegly led, 78 percent to 22 percent.
The key to Jorgensen¹s apparent victory was likely her ballot designation: "Educator."
In a race in which none of the candidates spent much money to introduce themselves to voters, many Democrats apparently preferred that designation to those listed on the ballot below Martinez ("Businesswoman/Housing Developer") and Pallant ("Insurance Agent").
Jorgensen teaches computer classes in her home, and last year taught technology and journalism to third-, fourth- and fifth-graders at a private school in the Santa Ynez Valley.
Gallegly, 64, will be favored to win his 12th term in a district in which Republicans hold a 7.5 percentage point voter-registration edge. That advantage has diminished slightly from a 10-point edge two years ago, when Gallegly defeated Martinez, 62 percent to 38 percent.
Gallegly, speaking by phone from the same Simi Valley restaurant where he celebrated his first congressional primary victory 22 years ago, said the night provided "a little more nostalgia in some ways."
He vowed to take nothing for granted. "No one's ever been able to say that Gallegly sits on his laurels," he said.
Jorgensen said she achieved her victory "with no support from the party insiders," but that she is committed to trying to defeat Gallegly.
"I have all the same progressive ideas as those other two women," she said.
Because she was the most novice of the contenders, Jorgensen's victory could dampen Democratic hopes that larger political trends would make the district competitive in the fall.
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The Last, Best Gangnam Style Parody You Ever Need to Watch
- 10.23.12
I am sure there are a lot of people out there who have never watched Big Trouble in Little China. And of those who have, some may not have quite enjoyed it. If you are of either of those camps, just move on to the next story.
However, if you are like me, and consider the raucous camp of the funniest of John Carpenter and Kurt Russell movies a part of your core being, then you will not be able to help but totally enjoy this parody of Gangnam Style, produced by the same witty folks who did the awesome Batman Maybe.
Ken is a husband and father from the San Francisco Bay Area, where he works as a civil engineer. He also wrote the NYT bestselling book "Geek Dad: Awesomely Geeky Projects for Dads and Kids to Share."
Follow @KenDenmead and @geekdads on Twitter.


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Director, Third Coast Writing Project
Professor, English Education; Rhetoric and Writing Studies
Fellow, American Council on Education
Department of English
Western Michigan University
1903 W Michigan Ave
Kalamazoo MI 49008-5331
Ph.D., Purdue University
Jonathan Bush is a professor of English, specializing in English Education and rhetoric and writing studies. He currently serves as department chair. He is also the director of the Third Coast Writing Project. He holds a Ph.D. in Rhetoric and Composition from Purdue University. He teaches pedagogy and theory courses in English education and coordinates English 1000: The Writing Process, WMU's developmental writing course.
He is the former editor of the Language Arts Journal of Michigan and has published widely in professional journals, including English Education, Contemporary Issues in Technology and Teacher Education (CITE Journal), English Leadership Quarterly, College Composition and Communication, English Journal, Pedagogy, and others. He is also co-author of But Will it Work with Real Students: Scenarios for Teaching Secondary English Language Arts (NCTE, 2003) and collaborating author of Grammar to Enrich and Enhance Student Writing (Heinemann, 2008). Jonathan currently serves on the NCTE Editorial Board and is co-editor of Teaching/Writing: The Journal of Writing Teacher Education. He also co-writes a quarterly column, "Professional Writing in the English Classroom for English Journal.
He is the former co-chair of the Conference on English Education Commission on Writing Teacher Education and the co-founder and former chair of the Conference on College Composition's Special Interest Group: English Education/Composition Connections.
He lives in Plainwell, MI with his wife, Erin, and four children: Delaney, Avery, Owen, and Eleanor. He is also a public affairs officer in the US Navy Reserve.


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Offering newly renovated apartments with new flooring, appliances, cabinets, and countertops. Westfield Ridge Apartments is definitely the best choice for your new home! Westfield Ridge is conveniently located on Aldine Westfield Rd. near I-45, 59 N, and the Bush Intercontinental Airport. Plenty of parking. The apartments feature a private balcony/patio with additional storage space, huge bathrooms, washer/dryer connections (on-site laundry facility also), and plenty of closet space. Westfield Ridge is professionally managed with 24 hour emergency maintenance. So call us today before they're all gone!
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Looking for that special man who is honest, trustworthy, and flexible. I am a exceptionally romantic individual, must be the Italian in me.I enjoy quality over quantity. Looking for that unique man to share EACH OTHERS goals and dreamsgood times and bad times, sorrow and happiness. I have a fantastic smile and love to make people laugh. I enjoy the beach, people watching, I have been know to hold my own on the dance floor. I'm an excellent cook and enjoy making special meals for that special someone.I'm into Antiques Dealer dedicated i also have a Kid.. called Kevin he is 6 year old I'm kind, sincere, intelligent, romantic, goal-oriented woman who has a positive outlook on life I have a stable career and a good job. The only thing missing in my life and what I think is the most important thing in life is to live for someone and something other than yourself. I have been married and I do have a child and I do want to get married...
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Any woman who has more than one child can tell you how different each child is from birth. You are born with your personality intact. The Color Code is based on your natural, innate personality type. Of course, people may change over time, but your Core Color will always remain the same.
Sometimes it is difficult to choose from the four options given, but there is usually one that fits better than the rest, or at least one that you could see yourself as more so than the others. If you're still unsure, try asking someone who knows you well, such as a parent or sibling. They can give clarity on areas of your personality that you may not notice.


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The Holy See (State of the Vatican City)
Geography and People
Area: 0.439 sq. km. (109 acres).
Population: 870.
Ethnic groups: Italian, Swiss, other.
Languages: Italian, Latin, various others.
Literacy: 100%.
Work force: 3,000 lay workers (reside outside the Vatican).
Type: Papacy; ecclesiastical governmental and administrative capital of the Roman Catholic Church
Independence: Lateran Pacts regulating independence and sovereignty of The Holy See signed with Italy on February 11, 1929.
Suffrage: Limited to Cardinals less than 80 years old.
Budget: Revenues (1999)--$175.5 million; expenditures (1999)--$175 million.
Industries: printing and production of few mosaics and staff uniforms; worldwide banking and financial activities.
Almost all of Vatican City's 870 citizens live inside the Vatican's walls. The Vatican includes high dignitaries, priests, nuns, and guards as well as about 3,000 lay workers who comprise the majority of the work force.
The Holy See's diplomatic history began in the fourth century, but the boundaries of the papacy's temporal power have shifted over the centuries. In the middle of the 19th century, the Popes held sway over the Papal States, including a broad band of territory across central Italy. In 1860, after prolonged civil and regional unrest, Victor Immanuel's army seized the Papal States, leaving only Rome and surrounding coastal regions under papal control.
In 1871, Victor captured Rome itself. The following year Victor Emmanuel captured the city and declared it the new capital of Italy, ending papal claims to temporal power. Pope Pius and his successors disputed the legitimacy of these acts and proclaimed themselves to be "prisoners" in the Vatican. Finally, in 1929, the Italian Government and the Holy See signed three agreements resolving the dispute:
A revised concordat, altering the terms of church-state relations, was signed in 1984.
The Pope exercises supreme legislative, executive, and judicial power over the Holy See and the State of the Vatican City. Pope John Paul II, born in Poland, is the first non-Italian Pope in nearly five centuries. Elected on October 16, 1978, he succeeded John Paul I, whose reign was limited by his untimely death to only 34 days.
The term "Holy See" refers to the composite of the authority, jurisdiction, and sovereignty vested in the Pope and his advisers to direct the worldwide Roman Catholic Church. As the "central government" of the Roman Catholic Church, the Holy See has a legal personality that allows it to enter into treaties as the juridical equal of a state and to send and receive diplomatic representatives. The Holy See has formal diplomatic relations with 166 nations, including the United States. Libya, Guyana, and Angola established diplomatic relations in 1997.
Created in 1929 to administer properties belonging to the Holy See in Rome, the State of the Vatican City is recognized under international law and enters into international agreements. Unlike the Holy See, it does not receive or send diplomatic representatives.
Administration of the Vatican City
The Pope delegates the internal administration of the Vatican City to the Pontifical Commission for the State of the Vatican City. The legal system is based on canon, or ecclesiastical, law; if canon law is not applicable, the laws of the city of Rome apply. The Vatican City maintains the Swiss Guards, a voluntary military force, as well as a modern security corps. It has its own post office, commissary, bank, railway station, electrical generating plant, and publishing house The Vatican also issues its own coins, stamps, and passports. Radio Vatican, the official radio station, is one of the most influential in Europe. L'Osservatore Romano is the semiofficial newspaper, published daily in Italian, and weekly in English, Spanish, Portuguese, German, and French (plus a monthly edition in Polish). It is published by Catholic laymen but carries official information.
Administration of the Holy See
The Pope rules the Holy See through the Roman Curia and the Papal Civil Service. The Roman Curia consists of the Secretariat of State, six Congregations, three Tribunals, 12 Pontifical Councils, and a complex of offices that administer church affairs at the highest level. The Secretariat of State, under the Cardinal Secretary of State, directs and coordinates the Curia. The current incumbent, Angelo Cardinal Sodano, is the Holy See's equivalent of a prime minister. Archbishop Jean-Louis Tauran, Secretary of the Section for Relations With States of the Secretariat of State is the Vatican's foreign minister.
Among the most active of the major Curial institutions are the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, which oversees church doctrine; the Congregation for Bishops, which coordinates the appointment of bishops worldwide; the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples, which oversees all missionary activities; and the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace, which deals with international peace and social issues.
Three tribunals are responsible for judicial power. The Apostolic Penitentiary deals with matters of conscience; the Roman Rota is responsible for appeals, including annulments of marriage; and the Apostolic Signatura is the final court of appeal.
The Prefecture for Economic Affairs coordinates the finances of the Holy See departments and supervises the administration of the Patrimony of the Holy See, an investment fund dating back to the Lateran Pacts. A committee of 15 cardinals, chaired by the Secretary of State, has final oversight authority over all financial matters of the Holy See, including those of the Institute for Works of Religion, the Vatican bank.
Principal Government Officials
Head of State--Pope John Paul II Secretary of State (Prime Minister)--Angelo Cardinal Sodano Deputy Secretary of State--Archbishop Giovanni Battista Re Secretary of Section for Relations With States (Foreign Minister)--Archbishop Jean-Louis Tauran Apostolic Nuncio (equivalent to Ambassador) to the United States--Archbishop Gabriel Montalvo
The Holy See maintains an Apostolic Nunciature, the equivalent of an embassy in the U.S. at 3339 Massachusetts Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20008 (202) 333-7121.
Papal Audiences
The North American College in Rome, owned and operated by the U.S. Catholic hierarchy for training American priests, handles requests for papal audiences. The address is Casa Santa Maria dell'Umilta, Via dell'Umilta 30, 00187, Rome, Italy (tel. 690-0189).
The Holy See conducts an active diplomacy. As noted, it maintains formal diplomatic relations with 166 nations; 69 of these maintain permanent resident diplomatic missions accredited to the Holy See in Rome. The rest have missions located outside Italy with dual accreditation. The Holy See maintains 179 permanent diplomatic missions abroad.
The Holy See is especially active in international organizations. It has permanent observer status at the United Nations in New York, the Office of the United Nations in Geneva and specialized institutes, the UN Food and Agriculture Organization in Rome and the UN Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization in Paris. The Holy See also has a member delegate at the International Atomic Energy Agency and at the UN Industrial Development Organization in Vienna. It maintains permanent observers at the Organization of American States in Washington, DC, and the Council of Europe. In addition, the Holy See has diplomatic relations with the European Union in Brussels. In 1997 the Holy See became a member of the World Trade Organization.
In 1971, the Holy See announced the decision to adhere to the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty in order to "give its moral support to the principles that form the base of the treaty itself." The Holy See is also a participating state in the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe.
The United States maintained consular relations with the Papal States from 1797 to 1870 and diplomatic relations with the Pope, in his capacity as head of the Papal States, from 1848 to 1868. These relations lapsed with the loss of all papal territories in 1870.
From 1870 to 1984, the United States did not have diplomatic relations with the Holy See. Several recent presidents, however, designated personal envoys to visit the Holy See periodically for discussions of international humanitarian and political issues. Myron C. Taylor was the first of these representatives, serving from 1939 to 1950. Presidents Nixon, Ford, Carter, and Reagan also appointed personal envoys to the Pope.
The United States and the Holy See announced the establishment of diplomatic relations on January 10, 1984. On March 7, 1984, the Senate confirmed William A. Wilson as the first U.S. ambassador to the Holy See. Ambassador Wilson had been President Reagan's personal envoy to the Pope since 1981. The Holy See named Archbishop Pio Laghi as Apostolic Nuncio (equivalent to ambassador) of the Holy See to the U.S.
Establishment of diplomatic relations has bolstered the frequent contact and consultation between the United States and the Holy See on many important international issues of mutual interest. The United States values the Holy See's significant contributions to international peace and human rights.
Principal U.S. Embassy Officials
Ambassador--Jim Nicholson
Deputy Chief of Mission--Joseph Merante
The U.S. Embassy to the Holy See is located in Rome in the Villa Domiziana, Via delle Terme Deciane 26, 00153 Rome, Italy, (tel:(396) 46741-3428).


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Getting Started in Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 3, Part 2
An Overview of Lightroom
In a previous article I discussed what's new in Lightroom 3. A complete tutorial would fill a book, but this should give you a foundation. In this article I will present a more detailed background for using Lightroom and its organizational capabilities.
In Part 3, to be published soon, I will discuss the tools for "developing" your images and outputting them to whatever end use you need.
Read What's new in Adobe Lightroom 3
Adobe Photoshop Lightroom was designed for photographers. It is a powerful image management program for getting your pictures into the computer, organizing them in powerful ways, developing raw images (using the Adobe Camera Raw engine), taking them to Photoshop or other external editors, printing, outputting for the web or slideshows, and exporting images for various uses. Bridge, by contrast, is a much more limited browser. Lightroom is a wonderful tool for organizing your images as well as "developing" them. Everything you need is at your fingertips, like the controls in a sports car.
For many images, you may find that you can do all needed adjustments and output in Lightroom. But for some things, such as the use of plug-ins, compositing, and complex masking, you will need to send the images to Photoshop or another editor. Lightroom does that for you, and it brings the new images back into its Catalog for management.
The Catalog
A key concept to understand about Lightroom is that in order to use it you need to let it import folders of images, which it catalogs. The Catalog contains thumbnails and larger previews of images you import, either by downloading from a camera or from images already on your hard drive. In the latter case, the images are not disturbed on your hard drive. Either the Catalog or a separate .xmp file contains metadata for each image (data from the camera and things you add such as your copyright, notes and keywords). You don't have to work with the Catalog; Lightroom uses it behind the scenes.
If your existing images are in a hierarchical folder structure (a Trips folder, a People folder, a Flowers folder with folders for various flowers under it, etc.) that structure is retained when those images are imported. Think of the import process as Lightroom simply making notes about your images. After initially starting to use Lightroom and importing my existing files from my hard drives, I found it easier with my new shoots to let Lightroom import by date shot, and later added an informative name after the date. Because you can assign keywords and then later sort by them, physically sorting images into named folders is no longer necessary. But you can do so during or after import if you wish.
Another key concept is that your images are not "in" Lightroom, just as they are not in Bridge or Photoshop or any other program. They are in folders on your hard drive, just where you choose to put them. But the information Lightroom needs to allow you to work on them and organize them is in its Catalog.
Before I talk about using Lightroom, there are some important things to know. They may seem dry and tedious but they will save you trouble later if you understand them up front. They are dealt with in the next three sections.
Setting Things Up, Preferences and Catalog Settings
Preferences are found in the Edit menu for PCs and the Lightroom menu for Macs. Many are personal choices and if you aren't sure, the defaults are good. In the Presets tab, I strongly prefer to leave Apply Auto Tone Adjustments unchecked. I want to be able to see the differences in my images (such as exposure) without auto correction.
Catalog Settings are found in the same menu, just under Preferences. The choices are just that, choices. There is no major right or wrong here but there is one important thing to understand, and that is the checkbox for "Automatically write changes into XMP." The safest option is to keep this setting consistent between the older and newer versions of Lightroom. Here's why.
If the metadata was not written to an .xmp file (which is in the same folder as the parent image) it was stored in the Catalog. If you are updating from a previous version of Lightroom that had this option un-checked, all your develop settings, keywords, and rankings stored in the earlier Lightroom version's Catalog will be brought into the Lightroom 3 Catalog. If you subsequently change this setting and begin writing the metadata to .xmp files, and you go back to work on an older image, it will then have older metadata in the Catalog and the newer settings you made will be in an .xmp file. (The older settings will have been read as a starting point.)
You can resolve this conflict by moving the metadata for your older images (that were worked up in the previous version of Lightroom) from the Catalog to .xmp files. Go to the Catalog panel and choose All Photographs.
Then go to the Edit menu and choose Select All and go to the Metadata menu and choose Save Metadata to File. This copies the metadata for each image from the Catalog into an .xmp file.
However, this should be done before you begin to work with the changed setting. If you have edited any of the older images in Lightroom 3 with the changed preference that the new metadata is written to .xmp files, you will now overwrite that data with the older data copied from the Catalog. So it is best to make this choice as you first begin using Lightroom 3.
Working With Both Camera Raw and the Lightroom Develop Module
If you aren't careful, using Adobe Camera Raw in addition to Lightroom can lead to lost image settings. The safest thing is to do all of your editing in Lightroom. There is no need to use Camera Raw for images that are in the Lightroom Catalog.
If you are going to use both, you will need to update Camera Raw to the same version Lightroom 3 is using. And you will need Photoshop CS5 in order to use this latest version. Further, in order for Lightroom and Camera Raw to each see the changes made by the other, you need to be sure the develop settings are recorded in .xmp files, as discussed above in the section Setting Things Up.
Color Management and External Editors
Photoshop users who are savvy about color management (and you should be) will notice there are no options in Lightroom comparable to Photoshop's Edit > Color Settings; they are not needed. As with Camera Raw, you only need to specify a color space in which to send out an image, either to an external editor such as Photoshop or in an export operation. For images going to Photoshop or other editors, this is done in Preferences, the External Editing tab. For images being exported, it is done in the Export dialog (see the Export section below).
The external editing color space is an important setting. It should match your working space in Photoshop, and Photoshop should be set up to warn you of a profile mismatch when you try to open an image that has a different profile than the Photoshop working space. That warning is turned off by default, which I think is a mistake. You turn it on by simply checking the three "Ask…" boxes in Photoshop's Edit > Color Settings dialog, in the Color Management Policies section, as shown in the figure below.
If you get a profile mismatch warning and you are not sure of the right answer, the safest thing is to tell it to convert to the working space. The Working Spaces section of this same dialog is where you specify the Photoshop working space.
You should check occasionally to be sure these settings haven't been changed. They can revert to the defaults, especially if Photoshop crashes, and sometimes they seem to revert without any obvious cause.
The Lightroom Interface
There are five modules: Library, Develop, Slideshow, Print, and Web. They are accessed at the top right of the screen. The Library module is shown below.
Importing Images
Lightroom's default preferences will launch the Import dialog when you put a camera card into your card reader (or connect a camera). You specify where you want the pictures copied to your hard drive, in whatever structure you wish, and it copies them there and adds them to its Catalog, which lets you see and work with them. You never need to use Bridge or the computer's file management system. Lightroom does it all.
If the Import interface doesn't come up automatically, click the Import button in the lower left of the Library module screen. The top of the Import screen shows the source, the action to be taken and the destination.
On the left of the screen the camera card will be shown as the source. In the center you will probably want to choose the default—Copy—which will copy the files to your hard drive. On the right, in the Destination panel, you will need to specify the desired destination drive and folder, as shown in the figure. I find it simplest to let Lightroom make a new folder (or folders) by the date(s) the images were shot and later append the filename with a description of the images. In the File Handling panel I check Don't Import Suspected Duplicates.
I find it easiest to import all the new files and later delete the ones I don't want. When you scroll down in the Destination panel, you will see the proposed new folder(s). I have shown a composite view to bring the bottom of the folder list into view. You can see the proposed new folder with 40 images to import.
If you had previously imported images that are still on the card, they will be grayed out. But if you have changed the folder name after import to a custom name, Lightroom will not recognize that they have been imported and will want to import these older images again. The same is true of any images you had deleted after the previous import.
The problem is easily fixed by looking at the proposed import folder(s) at the bottom of the list, and un-checking any that represents previously imported images.
To import files that are already on your hard drives, choose the drive and folder from the list on the left of the screen. This list shows all the folders on your drives(s). If you want to leave your images where they are and just catalog them, choose Add and the destination will be the Catalog.
Tethered Shooting
For some higher-end cameras, you can connect the camera to a computer (including a laptop in the field) and import images as they are shot, using the camera-to-computer cable that came with your camera or wireless options. When the camera is turned on and connected, any images on the card will trigger a normal import operation. To begin tethered shooting, go to File > Tethered Capture > Start Tethered Capture. You will get a dialog that will prompt you to specify handling for the images.
When you hit OK, the camera will be detected, and as the shutter is fired the images will be imported. They will also be written to the card. There is a button in the capture dialog box that lets you fire the camera remotely, but as of this writing you can't change camera settings from Lightroom, although they are displayed. To exit tethered capture mode, go to File > Tethered Capture > Stop Tethered Capture.
The Library Module
After importing, you will be in the Library module and will be looking at a special panel named Previous Import, which is in the Catalog panel on the left of the screen. In order to work with a newly imported folder you should open the Folders panel, below the Catalog panel, and go to that just-created folder. If you work with your images from the Previous Import panel and take an image to an external editor such as Photoshop, when it is returned to Lightroom it won't show in that panel; it will be in the folder to which you copied the images, in the Folders panel.
The Library module is where you do all of your file management. There are two basic modes, Loupe and Grid View. Loupe View shows the selected image filling the center part of the screen, as shown in the first figure. In Loupe View you can see some basic information overlaying the image in the upper left by toggling the "I" key. It cycles between two information displays and none.
Grid View emulates a light box, as shown in the figure below. You can toggle between the Grid and Loupe views with the icons circled in red in the figure below.
On the right side of the screen are panels for the histogram, a Quick Develop panel that lets you make rough adjustments, and panels for keywording and metadata.
After importing folders of images, don't make changes to image file names or folder structure using other applications or your computer's file management system, because these changes won't be seen automatically by Lightroom. You can and should do all file management in the Library module. It will make changes to your hard drives and will catalog the changes properly. You can move images between folders by selecting them from the Filmstrip or Grid and dragging and dropping them on top of a folder in the Folders panel. You can also move folders within the Folders panel.
If you move a folder outside of Lightroom, you will see a question mark on its name in the Folders panel. Right-click it to show Lightroom where to find it, or to delete it from the Catalog. If missing folders are on an external drive that is not connected, just connect it and they will be found.
If you move an image outside of Lightroom, you will see a question mark on the Filmstrip and Grid View thumbnails and a message on the Loupe View that the file is offline or missing, as shown in the figure below. Clicking on the question mark will give you a dialog that allows you to navigate to the image in its new location so it will be correctly cataloged. Or you can go to the relevant folder and go to Library > Synchronize Folder to remove missing images from the Catalog and add new ones.
Rating images
After a set of images is imported, you can go to Loupe view to inspect them. Zoom in to by clicking the 1:1 icon above the Navigator panel, circled in the figure below. You can mark images for deletion with the "x" key or by clicking the black flag in the area above the filmstrip. You can also rank the images with a white flag, 0-5 stars or one of the 5 color codes.
If these options are not visible on your computer, click the triangle on the right end of the bar, just left of the Zoom slider, and choose the ones you want to see.
Keywording is powerful and flexible. You can add keywords to the list, rearrange them in a hierarchical structure and edit the names, as an ongoing task.
There are several ways to assign a keyword. You can highlight all the images in the filmstrip or Grid view that need a certain keyword and click the checkbox to the left of the word in the Keyword panel, as shown in the figure below. In order for the keyword to apply to all the selected images you need to be in Grid view. In Loupe view, it will apply to the "most selected" image. Or you can drag a selection of images from the Filmstrip or the Grid onto a keyword in the list.
I started out with a simple list with no hierarchy, but soon began grouping words. The list of flower names shown in the figure is under the keyword Flower, making them easier to find than if they were listed alphabetically. The Flower heading can be collapsed or expanded, making the list easier to navigate. If you find a word that belongs under another word, just drag and drop it.
The + and - symbols at the top of the Keyword list lets you add or delete words. When you add one you can choose to add it to a selected set of images, and if you want it to go in a hierarchical structure under another keyword, just highlight that word first. (Unlike checking an existing keyword to add it to a selected set of images, if you are adding a keyword to a selected set of images, you can be in either Loupe of Grid view and it will be applied to all the selected images.)
If multiple images are selected, one of them will be the "most selected." This may sound odd, but it enables some very useful features, such as copying parameters from the most selected image to others.
You can find all the images that are tagged with a certain keyword by opening the Keyword panel on the right of the screen, finding the word you want and clicking the arrow that will appear to its right as you hover over it. The filmstrip will then display all the images that have this keyword. If you find some images are keyworded incorrectly, you can fix them easily. But here's another gotcha: When you uncheck the incorrect keyword, the image will disappear from the filmstrip. So first check the correct keyword, then uncheck the wrong one.
You can filter images in a folder using the Filter shortcut below the view window, circled in red in the figure below, or you can hit the backslash key to toggle a filter bar above the image view window. If you click a folder and don't see all the images, check to see if a filter is active.
The Collections feature is a wonderful way to make fluid groups of images. It is found at the bottom of the left-hand panel, below Folders.
Create a new Collection with the "+" sign to the right of the word Collections and add images by dragging from the Grid View or Filmstrip and dropping them on the Collection name. A Collection can contain images from as many folders as you wish.
You are not moving or changing your image, nor making a copy of it. It is just referenced as being in a Collection, and an image can belong to as many Collections as you wish. You can delete it from a Collection or move it from one to another. A collection or any of the images in it can be deleted at any time without disturbing the original images. To delete an entire Collection, click on it and click the "-" sign on the heading of the Collections panel.
If you make an edit in the Develop module to an image in a Collection, the edit will be made to the parent image and will be reflected in the Collection. But if you open an image in Photoshop or another external editor and create a new derivative image, it will appear in both the Collection and the parent folder only if you created it from the Collection folder.
Finding the Parent Image from a Collection
You can easily find the parent folder for an image in a Collection. In the Metadata panel (which is below the Keyword List) the fourth item down shows the folder. Click the arrow to its right to go to it.
The third portion of this series on Lightroom 3, to be published shortly, will show you how to use the Develop, Print, Slideshow and Web modules.
Although I have only given an overview here, it should get you off on the right foot. You can see from the wealth of features that Lightroom 3 is a wonderful tool. I have found I can't live without Lightroom, and in my opinion, Lightroom 3 is a must-have upgrade.
Diane Miller is a widely exhibited freelance photographer who lives north of San Francisco in the Wine Country and specializes in fine-art nature photography. Her work, which can be found on her web site, has been published and exhibited throughout the Pacific Northwest. Many of her images are represented for stock by Monsoon Images and Photolibrary.
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Every so often, a magazine cover comes along that is so utterly refreshing, it catches us by surprise. This is one of those times. Cate Blanchett's cover for T Magazine's Summer Fashion & Beauty issue is lively, fun, and downright pretty.
We love everything about it — the funky Neil Lane earrings, the suggestion of a Dior dress, Cate's messy 'do. Of course, it's her expression that delights us the most: the girl is smiling, laughing even! And that skin. Oh, that skin. Daphne Merkin, who profiled Blanchett for T, agrees:
Mostly, though, I find myself staring at her skin, which has been justifiably much-commented on by interviewers and is, perhaps, the most divalike thing about her: luminous and poreless and the color of a pale peach. Second only to her skin is her bone structure, which is a gift from the gods, and then come her eyes, which are a piercing blue-gray with tiny pupils. Not to mention her generous, mobile mouth.
There's also mention of her chic unmanicured nails and coolly effortless style, as well as some other beautiful pictures shot by Cass Bird. Check them out below:
Image title
this is some kind of spaceship or something.


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February 2 marks Groundhog Day, a Pennsylvania tradition to predict the arrival of spring. According to folklore, if the groundhog spots his shadow after coming out of winter hibernation, then winter will go on for another six weeks. If he comes out of his hole and doesn't spot it, then it's a sign that spring is on the horizon. The town of Punxsutawney, PA—where Groundhog Day originated—celebrates the tradition with an annual festival, awaiting the prediction of Punxsutawney Phil, the towns' groundhog.
Pennsylvania boasts more than just Groundhog Day; it is also home to Cook Forest State Park—one of America's top 50 state parks according to National Geographic Traveler. More than 8,500 acres of its breathtaking terrain stretch across northwestern Pennsylvania, sheltering some of America's finest White Pine and Eastern Hemlock timber strands. Cook Forest State Park is also the first Pennsylvania State Park to be recognized as a National Natural Landmark by the National Park Service.
Bordered by the Clarion River, Cook Forest State Park encompasses a mixture of natural landscapes including rivers, rolling hills, and mountains.
Nine old growth forest areas are situated within Cook Forest State Park. The most popular are Swamp, Seneca, Cathedral, and Cook Trails. The old growth forests are remnants of ancient trees that appeared after a drought and fire back in 1644. Cook Forest State Park has some of the oldest White Pine and Eastern Hemlock tree, dating back 370 years.
The Forest Cathedral Natural Area is one of the largest old growth forests of White Pine and Eastern Hemlock trees in Pennsylvania. Several of the pines exceed three feet in diameter and rise 200 feet. Trees that grand are nicknamed "William Penn Trees" because they're more likely to be 300 or more years old, and date back to the era of William Penn, the first governor of "Penn's Woods." The name Pennsylvania, which translates roughly as "Penn's Woods," was created by combining the Penn surname (in honor of William's father, Admiral Sir William Penn) with the Latin word sylvania, meaning "forest land." The Forest Cathedral has been designated for protection as a state park natural area.
Some other ancient tree species hidden in the forest include strands of Red and White Oaks, Red Maple, and Black Cherry trees.
In addition to the remarkable trees Cook Forest State Park boasts, the forest garners another treasure. Nestled within the Seneca old growth forest area are the remains of a natural mineral spring that produced waters with white sulfur and iron. The spring was believed to possess healing powers and was so popular in the 1900s that a boardwalk encased by gaslights was lit 24 hours a day so visitors could bathe and drink from the spring.
Cook Forest State Park is one marvel worth visiting. If you should ever find yourself in northwestern Pennsylvania, go explore the towering trees that adorn the area and allow yourself to be mesmerized by the daunting beauty of this National Natural Landmark.


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USA TODAY: Tony Rich's "Part The Waves" Is The Pick Of The Week.
"Part the Waves, The Tony Rich Project: Singer-songwriter Rich has always had a penchant for spinning out romantic tales in his gently melodic ballads. On the first single from his fifth album, Exist, he explores the ritual of making an acquaintance that he hopes will blossom into something more. Rich's distinctive tenor and acoustic guitar gives the song the feel of an intimate conversation. Considering the brazenness of most pop music, Rich's subtle approach is both surprising and satisfying."
– Steve Jones, USA Today
Read it on USA Today:
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Download the entire album from The Tony Rich Project, EXIST
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|Recent Press Releases
|Silstar Legacy Combos
|Silstar Legacy Combos.Silstar has recieved a makeover for 2010 season with new age technology and designs.Legacy Combos are the pinnacle of Silstar's range offering quality gear at affordable prices.
|Dunbier glides out new trailer range
|Dunbier glides out another new trailer range.It's new glider series trailers offer superior support for boats ranging 5.3m to 7.5m.Built on fully-rolled and galvanised frames.
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|Honda releases brand new BF60 outboard four-stroke engine it expands the premium product range available to Australian boaters.Slotting in between the widely-acclaimed BF40/50 and the BF75/90.
|Rapala Give a Dog a Bone
|Rapala With the introduction of the X-Rap Subwalk 15,a big brother to the original that was introduced last year.It offers anglers a larger presentation with a running depth of zero to four feet.
|Simrad Broadband Radar debut
|Simrad Broadband Radar makes its debut.Simrad has unveiled its revolutionary Broadband Radar,designed for use with its Glass Bridge integrated helm solutions and NX series multifunctional displays.
Peel Harvey Fishers Netting Closure
Posted: 31/07/07 10:00:00 (Australia/Sydney)
This arcticle has been viewed 650 times.
▲TopPeel Harvey fishers reminded of annual set netting closure
Department of Fisheries officers in Mandurah are reminding fishers that set netting is prohibited in the Peel Harvey Inlet during August, September and October.
This closure applies to both recreational and commercial fishers.
Supervising Fisheries and Marine Officer Bob Kirk said the annual ban was in place to help protect estuarine cobbler during their main breeding season, when they were most susceptible to capture.
The Inletâs cobbler stocks are under increasing pressure due to environmental changes, which have resulted in a loss of breeding habitat for the species that generally nests in burrows.
Set nets are mainly used by fishers in the Peel Harvey Inlet to target mullet, but, other species such as cobbler can and do get caught in their nets.
Between November and July recreational set netting is permitted in specific parts of the Peel.
Harvey Inlet on Wednesday nights only, however, from 1 August to 31 October set netting is completely banned.
The potential penalty for anyone who breaches the ban is significant and an offender could face a fine of up to $3000.
Mr Kirk said it was important that set nets and other netting methods were managed to protect fish stocks and keep them sustainable, by minimising excessive catches of both target and nontarget species.
Fishers are also reminded that set nets are not a permitted method for taking crabs and all crabs caught that way must be immediately returned to the water upon capture,
Recreational fishers are allowed to use throw nets at all times throughout most waters in the Peel Harvey Inlet, however, we encourage everyone to fish for the future and be well aware of bag limits and the rules around the types of nets that can be used,
A recreational netting licence is required. Netting rules are explained in the booklet Recreational
A recreational netting licence is required. Netting rules are explained in the booklet Recreational Net Fishing in Western Australia, which is available from the Department of Fisheries office in Leslie Street, Mandurah. The booklet can also be viewed online, or downloaded from the Departmentâs website, at www.fish.wa.gov.au
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This page has been visited: 6115470 times


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Big Country Ag Calendar
Agriculture calendar
Each Tuesday, Thursday
and Saturday
Abilene Area Farmers Market, 7 a.m., Frontier Texas parking lot downtown, FMI: 325-668-1661
Texas Department of Agriculture Training and Testing for Pesticide Applicators License, 8 a.m., Taylor County Extension Office. FMI: Robert Pritz, 325-672-6048
July 12
Farm and Ranch Club, 6:45 a.m., Town Crier Steak House, Abilene. FMI: Abilene Chamber of Commerce, 325-667-724
July 8-12
Texas FFA Convention, TBA, Dallas. FMI: Local Ag Science Department
July 11-14
Wildlife 2013 Texas Wildlife Association, TBA, San Antonio. FMI: 800-839-9453
July 15-17
Texas Grazing land Conference, TDA, Radisson Hotel, Fort Worth. FMI: firstname.lastname@example.com
July 18-19
2013 Next Generation Agricultural Conference, 8 a.m., Taylor County Extension Office. FMI: Jason Cleere, 979-845-6931 or email@example.com
July 20-27
State 4-H Horse Show, TBA, Taylor County Expo, FMI: Kit Horne, 325-672-6048
Subscribe to the Reporter-News
Need Help? Call us at 1-877-710-6183.
Monday-Friday: 6am-5pm / Saturday: 6am-11am / Sunday: 6am-1pm


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Todd Golden has been named the Director of Basketball Operations for Auburn basketball, head coach Bruce Pearl has announced.
Click here for the original story.
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1. Into a large bowl, measure cereal;set aside
2. In 1-quart microwavable bowl, stir together chocolate chips, peanut butter and butter. Microwave uncovered on high 1 minute; stir. Microwave about 30 seconds longer or until mixture can be stirred smooth. Stirn in vanilla. Pour mixture over cereal, sitrring until evenly coated. Pour into 2-gallon resealable food-storage bag.
3. Add powdered sugar. Seal bag; shake until well coated. Spread on waxed paper to cool. Store in airtight container in refrigerator.
Source:Celeste Francisco
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About this playlist
By now we've got a pretty good handle on the biggest stars of 2011: Adele! Gaga! Rebecca Black! But what about the next wave the up-and-coming artists we're particularly excited about, those we expect will be clogging up RSS feeds and year-end critics' lists and possibly magazine covers sooner rather than later?
With that in mind, welcome to Rhapsody Radar, our month-long series highlighting 24 artists we're especially thrilled about, from blog-rap princesses to fledgling Latin-pop superstars, from roots-rock titans to hip dance-punkers. We'll be highlighting six new names a week, with tons of videos, playlists and additional ephemera to boot. Here's our initial batch, with all songs linked to their Rhapsody pages for instant discovery. Get acquainted, and have fun.
Nicolas Jaar: The Slow-Motion Party-Starter
Things have moved quickly for Nicolas Jaar since the dance-music website Resident Advisor profiled him for its Breaking Through series in late 2009. At that point he had just a handful of tracks to his name, mostly spread across compilation EPs. Since then, he has released his debut album; remixed bigger names like Matthew Dear, DJ T. and Ellen Alien; toured the world; and launched his own label, Clown and Sunset. Oh, and he finally turned 21.
With roots in Chile and France, the New York-based musician and Brown University student is no stranger to navigating boundaries. His music, which mixes keyboards, acoustic instruments, and vocal and digital processing, flits between house-music conventions and idiosyncratic songcraft. That hybrid nature as well as the music's moody, sultry spirit has found an avid fan base that runs from Ibiza to Pitchfork. Lately, he's been developing a full-blown live show: his laptop remains central, but drums, bass and electric guitar take the music into improvised territory, like a kind of slow-motion disco jam band. Philip Sherburne
Key Tracks: "Wouh"; "Too Many Kids in the Dust"; Matthew Dear, "You Put a Smell on Me (Nicolas Jaar Remix)"
Sonny Smith: The Cracked Bedroom Tunesmith
From The Fresh & Onlys to Kelly Stoltz, from Girls to Jason Quever's Papercuts project, the Bay Area suffers no shortage of savvy tunesmiths exploring classic-sounding pop in all its myriad permutations. Add the enigmatic Sonny Smith to that list.
Trying to dig up reliable info on this guy is like sticking both index fingers in a Chinese finger trap made of flypaper. He's from San Francisco kind of, maybe. But he's also bopped about the West playing barroom blues piano, as if he stepped right out of Truffaut's Tirez Sur le Pianiste. Apparently he has also dabbled in organic farming in Central America, spent time in Warm Springs Foundation Hospital in Texas, and is an accomplished visual artist.
He wears Huey Lewis shades, to boot.
Most of the time Smith works under the moniker Sonny & The Sunsets, which is fitting, as he crafts warm-weather pop that blends Jonathan Richman-informed eccentricity, lo-fi cool, Brill Building sublimity and California folk rock. Not unlike the aforementioned Stoltz (a friend and occasional collaborator), Smith possesses an encyclopedic knowledge of sonic hooks and ear candy. Since 2000, he has released a slew of albums and singles, with the Fat Possum imprint dropping his two most recent long players, Tomorrow Is Alright and Hit After Hit, the latter being his best to date.
If you want to hear one song that's tailor-made for immediate conversion, then crank the psych-o-delic instrumental "The Bad Energy from L.A. Is Killing Me" right this second. Total Link Wray biker-movie hell! Justin Farrar
Key Tracks: "Pretend You Love Me," "Mondrian," "Cathedral in the Desert"
Jeff Bridges: The Actor Turned Troubadour
Movies are often reflections of real life, but in this case the opposite is true specifically, as it pertains to the Oscar-winning 2009 film Crazy Heart, in which Jeff Bridges played a grizzled, down-and-out country singer. Now, lo and behold, the beloved actor is signed to a major-label recording contract. But can he pull it off? The very question makes Bridges' self-titled debut album one of this summer's most anticipated releases. On the plus side, the album is produced by T-Bone Burnett (first introduced to the actor by Kris Kristofferson back in 1980, while on the set of Heaven's Gate) and features Rosanne Cash and Sam Phillips three genuine Americana icons. On the kind of weird side, it also features Ryan Bingham, who won an Oscar himself for actually singing Crazy Heart's "The Weary Kind."
Bridges doesn't have the most powerful voice, but there is something warm and comfortable about his gentle warble on forlorn songs about lost loves. The album, due for release on August 16, includes songs written by many of the writers who contributed to the Crazy Heart soundtrack, including the late Stephen Bruton ("What a Little Bit of Love Can Do"), John Goodwin ("Maybe I Missed the Point"), alt-country singer-songwriter Bo Ramsey ("Either Way") and Bridges himself. Linda Ryan
Key Tracks: "Fallin' & Flyin'," "Hold on You," "Somebody Else"
Big K.R.I.T.: The Dirty South Poet
It's not unusual these days for critics and fans to proclaim that the best new rap albums are free online mixtapes. Big K.R.I.T.'s recent Return of 4eva may actually deserve the honor.
Mixtape specialists like Gucci Mane, Curren$y and Lil Wayne use the format to offer a venomous spontaneity often missing from their "official" albums, from meandering songs featuring uncleared samples to rambling yet energetic freestyles. With an hour-plus running time, 4eva has its share of filler, too. However, the Mississippi rapper is hardly treading water for blog buzz and Hulkshare fiends. He produces most of his songs while interpreting mid-'90s Dirty South spiritualism, evoking early solo Scarface and Aquemini-era Outkast. He even sings most of his own hooks. Like most well-made homage, the result honors its sources while sounding wholly unique.
K.R.I.T.'s only major retail single to date is "Country Sh*t," an unapologetic celebration of Southern clichés like candy-painted Chevys and pimping. But he's no hardened trapper. Much like Little Brother, he discusses life as a young man in the South, from writing rhymes on his glove while playing baseball in high school to proclaiming "I don't want to be another n*gg*r" on "Another Naïve Individual Glorifying Greed and Encouraging Racism."
This rise follows years of paying dues, including early mixtapes such as 2005's See Me on Top. His debut retail EP, R4: The Prequel, includes four tracks from Return of 4eva and a remix of "Moon & Stars" with Killa Kyleon, Devin the Dude and Curren$y. As impressive as K.R.I.T.'s recent run has been, one senses that he's got much better music in store and hopefully bigger, too, if the mainstream still recognizes quality hip-hop.
Key Tracks: "Country Sh*t, "Sookie Now," "The Vent"
Foster the People: The Hip Dance-Rockers
Less than two years after forming, L.A.'s Foster the People have already struck the fancy of hip kids worldwide, selling out shows all over the nation and receiving the ultimate stamp of approval with a jam-packed crowd at 2011's Coachella Music Festival all before the release of an actual album. If you haven't yet heard their breakout single, "Pumped Up Kicks," listen up: it's on its way to being this year's "Young Folks" with its whistle-tinged smooth dance groove.
With the strength of this single, the band's debut album, Torches, is primed for summertime ubiquity. Frontman Mark Foster, drummer Mark Pontius and bassist Cubbie Fink know their way around a hook it may have something to do with Foster's previous gig as a composer for TV and commercials. That expert touch for catchy jingles mixes well with the trio's proclivity for breezy electro-pop; the result rings with the relentless synth bounce of Passion Pit, the deadpan dreaminess of Peter Bjorn and John, and the deceptive darkness of MGMT's Oracular Spectacular. (Just listen closely to the chorus of "Pumped Up Kicks": "You better run/ Better run/ Faster than my bullet.") It's a recipe for success far beyond one hit single. Stephanie Benson
Key Tracks: "Pumped Up Kicks," "Helena Beat," "Call It What You Want"
Ximena Sariñana: The Latin-Pop Multi-Tasker
This young singer-songwriter has been on the radar of discriminating music fans ever since her elegant Latin alt-pop debut, Mediocre, dropped in 2008, earning a clutch of Grammy and Latin Grammy nods. Graceful, carefully composed and gorgeously sung, the record didn't sound like anything a 22-year-old should be capable of. It spoke volumes, however, to the experiences that formed her. The child of a film director and screenwriter, Ximena Sariñana grew up acting as often as singing. She also grew up on both sides of the Mexico-U.S. border, immersing herself in both cultures and languages. Her sound reverberates with these influences: Mediocre is thick with drama (see the growling rock pathos of the title track), but it's a thoughtful, almost cinematic theatricality; she regularly crosses aesthetic borders, interweaving indie rock, coffee-shop pop, jazz, subtle Latin elements and mainstream-friendly pop beats.
Her self-titled English-language sophomore album, out August 2, promises to continue exploring such rich terrain. TV on the Radio's Dave Sitek, Latin alt-popper Natalia Lafourcade and The Mars Volta's Omar Rodriguez Lopez (who is also Sariñana's boyfriend) have all contributed production work; she says it's steeped in jazz, though the songs that have trickled out ("Different," "Shine Down") have a distinctly electro-pop feel. A track on the Twilight: New Moon soundtrack and several appearances on the gazillion albums Lopez has put out recently have helped raise Sariñana's profile outside the Latin music world. We can't wait to watch this gifted young artist break out. Rachel Devitt
Key Tracks: "Mediocre," "Vidas Paraleles," "Normal"


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Since PRP's inception, residential design has been at the heart of our business. We have accumulated 50 years of experience and award-winning schemes with a team that has unrivalled experience in this sector.
Drawing from our rich knowledge in all forms of housing, we have an in-depth understanding of our clients' business imperatives and the needs of the end users. Our strength lies in our expertise and ability to achieve best value for our clients by maximising development potential, providing flexible design solutions, optimising the mix of homes and logically assessing the inherent assets of the site to its best advantage.
As industry leaders, we understand current issues and are able to help policy makers shape the housing industry by contributing to research and development.


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- Infowars - http://www.infowars.com -
It's a Depression and Joe Biden Feels Your Pain
Posted By kurtnimmo On June 27, 2012 @ 12:13 pm In Economic Crisis,Old Infowars Posts Style,Tile | Comments Disabled
June 27, 2012
Joe's little anecdote about the jobless rings hollow because his "grand pop" probably knew little about the unemployed – he was in the oil business and was employed as the manager of a local American Oil Company plant in Baltimore during the last Depression.
Article printed from Infowars: http://www.infowars.com
URL to article: http://www.infowars.com/its-a-depression-and-joe-biden-feels-your-pain/
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The Rouge Story
Rouge New York provides an enjoyable, affordable, reliable makeup application service. On the set of Law & Order SVU, makeup department head Rebecca Perkins and actress Stephanie March (famous as ADA Alex Cabot) spent countless hours together in "the chair" talking about women and makeup. More and more, Stephanie found herself calling on Rebecca to do her own makeup off-set, first for parties and events. Or any time "I needed Becca to de-lawyer me" laughs March.
Friends commented how great she looked and what a luxury it was to be able to have the services of a talented makeup artist available to her. Rebecca and Stephanie realized that great makeup didn't have to be—and shouldn't be—a luxury. Makeup artists should be accessible to all women.
After all, what woman doesn't look forward to an easy blowout or a manicure? Women know that gorgeous makeup is so hard to do yourself, and an expert application is so satisfyingly transformative. Most women don't have access to a true, professional makeup artist.
How wonderful would it be to have a place to go to help you design your signature professional look, before a job interview, first date, Saturday (or Wednesday) night out, or the annual meeting? Consider the party where you know you will run into your ex, or the intra-office web video that will live online forever– don't you want to look your best for those events too?
Rebecca and Stephanie want to share this with every woman.


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The Semplice Project announced on August 12th the release of Semplice 2.0.4, skipping one version. According to the developers, Semplice 2.0.3 was supposed to be the next version, but due to a bug in syslinux it coulnd't be released.
Highlights of Semplice 2.0.4:
· cairo-compmgr has been dropped and it's no longer supported;
· lxappearance-obconf has been added, bringing easier maintenance of some Openbox settings;
· The installer does not format by default any selected swap partition;
· Linux kernel 3.2.23 has been added;
· Chromium web browser 21.0.1180.75 has been added;
· Pidgin Internet Messenger 2.10.6 has been added.
A complete list of changes that are part of the Semplice 2.0.4 Linux operating system can be found in the official announcement.
Download Semplice Linux 2.0.4 right now from Softpedia.