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Why Are Republicans Charging to Ask Questions?
August 18, 2011
Why Are Republicans Charging to Ask Questions? "Are some House Republicans avoiding the public during the August recess? … Norman Ornstein, an expert on Congress at the American Enterprise Institute, says he can't remember a time like now when it appeared as though lawmakers were avoiding meeting with the public…[These Republicans] know how potent they can be. They know Americans aren't happy with Congress and, especially, not happy with them," he said.
- USA Today: If it's August, House members hold events to meet the public
See below for a small sample of why Americans are out in full force this August, pushing their Republican members on why they continue to stand by tax cuts for billionaires and big oil at the expense of middle class families.
Rep. Randy Hultgren (R-IL) Beacon News: Constituents at Sandwich town hall session press Rep. Hultgren to tax the rich: "A number of his constituents sent a clear message to U.S. Rep. Randy Hultgren on Wednesday night — go ahead and raise taxes. "Stop coddling the mega-rich," said David Edelman, an Oswego resident, quoting America's wealthiest taxpayer, Warren Buffett. "Everyone understands we have a problem, and the solution is shared sacrifice."… But despite a discussion dominated by those in favor of a more progressive tax structure, Hultgren reaffirmed his campaign promises of lowered taxes and regulations — to spur economic growth — and a more simplified tax code… A shouting match erupted briefly between both sides of the tax debate when the lone speaker in favor of continued tax cuts addressed Hultgren, who shushed the crowd repeatedly throughout the hour so people could be heard… Though constituents quizzed Hultgren for about 40 minutes on his anti-taxation stance, in particular his decision to sign the Taxpayer Protection Pledge of lobbyist Grover Norquist that promises to vote against any bill that would raise taxes, those who spoke said they didn't think their voices were heard. "It just established for me that Randy Hultgren is fighting for the top 1 percent," said Edelman. "The vast majority of Americans want a shared sacrifice, but right now we're not being asked to contribute much of anything."
Rep. Randy Hultgren (R-IL) Kane County Chronicle: Hultgren hears from constituents seeking answers on jobs: "[Randy] Hultgren – R-Winfield, who represents the state's 14th Congressional District – and his staff were greeted with homemade signs reading "Tax Wall Street millionaires" and "Jobs: So simple even a caveman knows it." … In response to a question about raising taxes, Hultgren said his "commitment is to my constituents. I've said all along I would not raise taxes." Later, an audience member asked how he could make that commitment without knowing what the future holds. … Dean Edelman of Oswego quoted a recent opinion piece by Warren Buffett that appeared in The New York Times in which the billionaire urged Congress to "stop coddling" the country's superwealthy citizens. "We have to be there for our veterans and our seniors. My question to you is, who are you fighting for, the working people?" Edelman asked. "Words don't mean as much as actions." In answering Edelman's question, Hultgren said the tax code needs to be cleaned up. At least two people asked about Medicare issues. "Why is it OK to take money from Medicare?" one man asked, suggesting a line-by-line review of the budget. "I'm all for looking into that. Let's be transparent and accountable," Hultgren said.
Sen. Scott Brown (R-MA) Martha's Vineyard Times: Senator Scott Brown answers Martha's Vineyard friends and foes: "Pat Gregory, who owns the Vineyard Haven office supply business Educomp, asked a pointed question about tax policy, an issue he said his staff talks about. "Across the United States, there's growing income disparity between the haves and the have-nots," Mr. Gregory, West Tisbury town moderator, said. "Do you think tax policy can affect that, and whether your pledge to not ever raise taxes would impede that?" "Raising taxes in the middle of a 2.5 year recession is a job killer," Sen. Brown responded. "I understand cutting taxes is supposed to create jobs," Mr. Hale said. "I haven't seen any jobs being created in the last ten years, never mind the last eighteen months. How do you reconcile the fact that decreases in taxes have not increased jobs?" "I respectfully disagree that we haven't had job creation," Sen. Brown responded.
Rep. Frank Guinta (R-NH) Seacoast Online: Guinta faces tough crowd in Greenland: "U.S. Rep. Frank Guinta met with a rancorous crowd Wednesday at a District Discussions meeting organized by the freshman Republican congressman…Fifteen activists with the N.H. American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations, N.H. Alliance for Retired Americans and Moveon.org picketed outside with signs bearing slogans like "Hands off Medicare and Social Security."… Civility was lost in a display of the public's frustration over the state of the country as people argued and interrupted each another and Guinta. Jobs were on the minds of many, including John Cochrane, of Barrington, who has been out of work for 3½ years. "I need desperate help," he said. "I want to be a good American again. I don't want to be a second-class American."… Many voiced concerns about tax breaks for corporations and America's most wealthy. … Joan Jacobs, 67, a retired Portsmouth resident, clashed frequently with Guinta's remarks, interrupting him several times to argue about his stance on Obama's health care reform and other topics. "You went and voted for a terrible agenda," she said. "I want to know about your votes and your policies, and I'm not happy at all."
VIDEO Think Progress: GOP Rep. Frank Guinta Refuses To Say Whether He Would Accept A 10:1 Spending Cuts To Revenue Deal: "Rep. Frank Guinta (R-NH) was asked about such a deal yesterday at a town hall in Greenland, NH. He dodged the question — admitting to the crowd "I don't know if that answers your question" — and instead told attendees that he was not opposed to new revenue as long as it didn't come from actually raising tax rates. Multiple attendees then challenged him, asking him why he wouldn't support raising rates on corporations or the wealthiest Americans."
Rep. Lee Terry (R-NE) USA Today: Town-hall-style meetings offer chance to connect: "Bill Meyers, 77, challenged Rep. Lee Terry, R-Neb., about his support of an "unreal" balanced budget amendment, and his support of a pledge, authored by anti-tax activist Grover Norquist, not to raise taxes. "Which takes precedence? Your constituents or Grover Norquist?" "If you look at my record of raising taxes, you'll see a big goose egg," Terry said proudly. "What about the wealthy?" shouted a man from the back of the room… "Even Warren Buffett says so!" shouted Scott Downing, 71, a retired math teacher. "Yes, I've had that thrown in my face a thousand times," Terry responded, saying he disagrees with Buffett on taxes."
Rep. Jeff Fortenberry (R-NE) USA Today: Warren Buffett's congressman: 'We disagree on taxes': "Terry said he's not sure the majority of people in Nebraska support Warren Buffett's position on taxes. One who does is Rep. Jeff Fortenberry, who represents the neighboring district that includes Lincoln and much of rural eastern Nebraska. At a town hall meeting in West Point, Neb., later the same day, a woman asked, "Did you hear what Warren Buffett said?" "Yes, and I don't necessarily disagree with him, either," said Fortenberry, a Republican. Fortenberry later told USA TODAY that he doesn't want to see taxes raised on small businesses and entrepreneurs. But he said Buffett is right that loopholes in the tax code "skew in favor of the ultra-wealthy, ultra-wealthy corporations and the overseas aristocracy."
Rep. Tom Petri (R-WI) Manitowoc Herald Times Reporter: Town hall talk turns heated: "Peter Fricke's voice rose to a shout Wednesday as he stood to make comments that were not well received by many attending U.S. Rep. Tom Petri's Town Hall gathering at City Hall. "Barack Obama has created more private jobs in the past two years than George Bush did … FDR was one of our best leaders … you have to raise revenue from the rich," Fricke said. The Two Rivers resident said he has four daughters. "I'm making $30,000 a year and just trying to get by … I'm not going to tolerate any more lies … watch what you say," he said…[Petri] believes tax rates should be raised on hedge fund managers whose incentive bonuses are treated as capital gains and not as income."
Rep. Steve Chabot (R-OH) Cincinnati Enquirer: Senior citizen lunch turns into Chabot town hall: "In front of a room full of senior citizens, U.S. Rep Steve Chabot (R-Westwood) defended his support of a federal budget that means dramatic changes to Medicare…Some questions from the crowd: Show me the jobs that are being created from the tax breaks for corporations. Chabot's response: "There are folks who are scamming the system. It's outrageous. But it happens because the tax code is so convoluted. I'm hoping there'll be a tax reform."
Rep. Jeff Miller (R-FL) Pensacola News Journal: Miller takes heat for debt deal: "U.S. Rep. Jeff Miller came home Tuesday to a constituency ready to vent its frustration. …A crowd of constituents, Democrats, Republicans and independents, showed up at the church — many bashing federal spending and prolonged war, a few encouraging higher taxes. Miller, R-Chumuckla, had a consistent response: "We don't have a tax problem in Washington. We have a spending problem."
Rep. Sean Duffy (R-WI) Wausau Daily Herald Editorial: Our View: Duffy must clarify his plan for jobs: "As has been the case since the Ashland Republican first began to campaign for the job, he argued the U.S. debt and deficit are the most serious long-term challenges the nation faces. This might well be the case. But in the immediate term, clearly the most serious issue is jobs, and the number of Americans who don't have them. Duffy tends to conflate the two issues -- debt and jobs -- but they are not the same thing and really need to be treated separately. Like other Republicans, Duffy is adamant that "raising taxes won't get Americans back to work." Fair enough. But that's a description of a policy he opposes. If he believes that what the U.S. economy needs is fresh tax cuts, then he should introduce legislation to cut taxes in the way he thinks is most beneficial. Otherwise we are stuck in the status quo."
08.18.11 | permalink
Darrell Issa never misses a chance to defend Goldman Sachs
August 18, 2011
MUST READ BELOW – Darrell Issa never misses a chance to defend Goldman Sachs, going to great lengths to prop up the big banks to benefit his pockets but this recent revelation – concealing the identity of a key staffer who was a top exec at Goldman Sachs – is beyond the pale. This behavior, if not blatantly unethical, is certainly appalling and disgraceful from any member of Congress, but especially the chair of the committee that's in charge of conducting investigations on behalf of the public interest.
Exclusive: Goldman Sachs VP Changed His Name, Now Advances Goldman Lobbying Interests As A Top Staffer To Darrell Issa
By Lee Fang on Aug 18, 2011 at 3:21 am
Peter Haller, also known as Peter Simonyi, a former Goldman Sachs VP now working for Chairman Issa to block regulations on Goldman Sachs
Has Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA) turned the House Oversight Committee into a bank lobbying firm with the power to subpoena and pressure government regulators? ThinkProgress has found that a Goldman Sachs vice president changed his name, then quietly went to work for Issa to coordinate his effort to thwart regulations that affect Goldman Sachs' bottom line.
In July, Issa sent a letter to top government regulators demanding that they back off and provide more justification for new margin requirements for financial firms dealing in derivatives. A standard practice on Capitol Hill is to end a letter to a government agency with contact information for the congressional staffer responsible for working on the issue for the committee. In most cases, the contact staffer is the one who actually writes such letters. With this in mind, it is important to note that the Issa letter ended with contact information for Peter Haller, a staffer hired this year to work for Issa on the Oversight Committee.
Issa's demand to regulators is exactly what banks have been wishing for. Indeed, Goldman Sachs has spent millions this year trying to slow down the implementation of the new rules. In the letter, Issa explicitly mentions that the new derivative regulations might hurt brokers "such as Goldman Sachs."
Haller, as he is now known, went by the name Peter Simonyi until three years ago. Simonyi adopted his mother's maiden name Haller in 2008 just as he was leaving Goldman Sachs as a vice president of the bank's commodity compliance group. In a few short years, Haller went from being in charge of dealing with regulators for Goldman Sachs to working for Congress in a position where he made official demands from regulators overseeing his old firm.
It's not the first time Haller has worked the revolving door to help out Goldman Sachs. According to a report by the nonpartisan Project on Government Oversight, Haller — then known as Peter Simonyi — left the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) in 2005 to work for Goldman Sachs, then quickly began lobbying his colleagues at the SEC on behalf of his new firm. At one point, Haller was compelled to issue a letter to the SEC claiming he did not violate ethics rules. A brief timeline of Haller's work history underscores the ethical issues raised with Issa's latest letter to bank regulators:
– After completing his law degree in 2000, Haller was employed by Federal Energy Regulatory Commission as an economist, and later with the Securities and Exchange Commission in the Office of Enforcement.
– In April of 2005, Haller resigned from the SEC to take a job with Goldman Sachs. He soon began lobbying the SEC on behalf of Goldman Sachs.
– On September 2, 2009, Haller left Goldman Sachs to take a job with the law/lobbying firm Brickfield Burchette Ritts & Stone.
– In January of 2011, Haller was hired to work for Issa on the Oversight Committee. Under the supervision of Haller, Issa sent a letter dated July 22, 2011 to bank regulators (including the heads of the Federal Reserve, FDIC, FCA, CFTC, FHFA, and Office of Comptroller) demanding documents to justify new Dodd-Frank mandated rules on margin requirements for banks dealing in the multi-trillion dollar OTC derivatives market, like Goldman Sachs.
When he took over the chairmanship of the Oversight Committee this year, Issa dramatically shifted the committee's focus away from its traditional role of investigating major corporate scandals. Instead, Issa has used the committee to merge the responsibilities of Congress with the interests of K Street and Issa's own fortune.
In June of this year, ThinkProgress broke the story about Issa's own complicated relationship with Goldman Sachs. We revealed that Issa purchased a large amount of Goldman Sachs high yield bonds at the same time as he used the Oversight Committee to attack an investigation into allegations that Goldman Sachs had systematically defrauded investors leading up to the financial crisis. This conflict of interests, along with our exclusive story about Issa's earmarks benefitting his own real estate empire, received coverage in a recent piece by the New York Times.
We also broke a story last month revealing other revolving door conflicts within Issa's staff. Peter Warren, Issa's new policy director, maintains some type of financial contract with a student loan lobbying group he led last year, and received a bonus from the lobbying group before leaving to work for Issa. Since joining Issa's staff, Warren and his colleagues have fought to weaken the recently created Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, the new agency charged with overseeing student loans.
The new revelations about Peter Haller, however, raise even more significant ethical concerns than Peter Warren and other ex-lobbyists working for Issa. Why did Issa hire a high-level Goldman Sachs executive to work on stopping regulations on banks like Goldman Sachs? Haller's direct involvement in the July letter brings Issa's ability to lead the Oversight Committee — charged with conducting investigations on behalf of the public interest — into serious doubt.
08.18.11 | permalink
Even in the dog days of August, Republicans are still being grilled by the public
August 16, 2011
Even in the dog days of August, Republicans are still being grilled about their efforts to stand by tax cuts for billionaires and big oil. Americans are out in full force telling their members to that the middle class won't pay another dime – time for the wealthy to pay their fair share.
Rep. Rick Berg (R-ND): INFORUM: Rick Berg town hall meeting in Fargo tense:
"Some 200 area residents gathered to hear Berg answer for his political positions in Congress and to voice their own opinions on how to fix the nation's fiscal situation… However, several residents criticized Berg's position, saying the amendment won't solve immediate problems – like getting unemployed Americans back to work. "The balanced budget amendment is like trying to drain a lake to save a drowning person," West Fargo resident Darrel Lund said. "People are in trouble now." Lund said Congress ought to have just raised the debt ceiling as they were tasked to do, instead of adding to the problem through political deadlock. "That's what's caused uncertainty – that Congress can't even do one thing," Lund said to applause. "They had to make a political statement."
"Whether to raise taxes sparked the most volatile debate of the evening. Early on, Berg asked if the audience believed raising taxes would help the struggling economy… Berg is firmly against tax increases of any kind – but many attending Thursday's meeting openly disagreed with his stance… Several residents grilled Berg for signing the pledge and for his refusal to consider tax increases, specifically for the wealthiest Americans, like him. "You work for North Dakota residents, not some guy from another state," West Fargo resident Don Frost said."
Rep. Fred Upton (R-MI) Kalamazoo Gazette: Congressman Fred Upton faces disruptive crowd during senior issues forum: "At a public forum Monday, Congressman Fred Upton said he was open to closing tax loopholes to help bring the federal budget into balance. "We need to look at everything," Upton said in his first public comments since being appointed by House Speaker John Boehner six days ago to the "super committee"… The St. Joseph Republican spoke to a crowd of close to 200 people at a meeting of the Kalamazoo County Advocates for Senior Issues at the Coover Senior Center. About another 150 people were not allowed in due to space reasons, while some demonstrated outside against Upton and policies he supports (see below)…But while he did not comment specifically on how to raise revenue, he said, "I'm not afraid of looking at tax loopholes. Tax reform is long overdue."… About 20 people who appeared to be in an organized group sometimes broke into chants. They declined to identify who they were with, with one woman telling a photographer her name is "I am jobs." At one point, as Upton was talking about reducing the cost of Medicare and ensuring its solvency, a man shouted, "Where are the jobs on your chart?" A woman stood up and started yelling at Upton, and the group begain chanting "bring back jobs."
VIDEO: http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/16667419
Rep. Robert Dold (R-IL) Nortbrook Patch: Dold: Tax Hikes Not Off the Table: "Rep. Robert Dold (R-Kenilworth) indicated he would not automatically reject any deficit reduction program that includes a tax increase after giving a legislative update to more than 45 people Monday at Highland Park Rotary Club meeting at the Highland Park Country Club. "I don't want to put it off the table," Dold said, adding he preferred not to raise tax rates. "It's not the right thing to do in the face of this down economy."… "How is that possible with the Grover Norquist pledge?" asked Penny Fields. "I have a problem with pledges. They limit you." The pledge by Norquist, the head of Americans for Tax Reform, attempts to get members of Congress and candidates for the office to oppose tax increases. "I signed it early on as a candidate in the campaign," Dold said. "I did sign the pledge, but my first pledge is to the people of the 10th District and the nation.".. Attendee Larry Block was skeptical about reducing the deficit without finding more revenue. Dold responded that he wants tax reform that lowers the corporate tax rate and closes ambiguities in the current Internal Revenue Code."
Sen. Kelly Ayotte (R-NH) MUST SEE VIDEO From Ayotte Newport Town Hall (WMUR): "I hope that our representatives will be willing to look at the income side and not just say, 'We're going to continue to cut off the wealth of the middle class and working people.' (This is) how we're going to balance our problems," Langdon resident Peter Simoneaux said. Democrats said they believe cuts in social spending must be paired with tax increases for the wealthy. "People need Social Security. We don't need a raise in our retirement age, and we don't need a cut in our benefits," Newport resident Nancy Jachim said.
Rep. Joe Walsh (R-IL) Northwest Herald: Walsh seeks opinions at last town hall: "Opinions were flying Saturday afternoon as 8th District U.S. Rep. Joe Walsh hosted the last of his 10 town hall meetings of his 10-day tour… Popular topics to arise included health care, jobs and the economy. The first to act was Deeya Roberts, of Lake Zurich, whose question of why the government is not taxing the wealthy was met with applause. Walsh stated that the tax code needed to be simplified and that he has no intention of supporting a tax raise.
Rep. Nan Hayworth (R-NY) VIDEO: Constituents confront Rep. Nan Hayworth (R-NY): "In the town hall meeting, constituents repeatedly asked what she was going to do about bringing jobs back to this country when companies like Verizon continue to send jobs overseas. Hayworth kept dodging with the answer that we should lower tax rates for corporations, but couldn't answer why companies like Verizon ship jobs overseas when they pay few taxes on billions in profit."
Sen. Tom Coburn (R-OK) Muskogee Phoenix: Coburn speaks during Town Hall Meeting: "During Monday's meeting, Coburn outlined a number of things that need to be done, including the wealthy paying more for the country to have confidence in the economy."
Rep. Mo Brooks (R-AL) Huntsville Times: Mo Brooks speaks to constituents at town hall meeting: "The theme of U.S. Rep. Mo Brooks' town hall meeting Saturday morning was consistent with his campaign message: runaway spending is ruining the country, and Congress is not taking the steps to set things straight… Other comments touched on the need for a "home-grown energy policy" to help wean the country off foreign oil. Another audience member said that he wanted the focus in Congress to be on creating jobs and buying American-made goods."
08.16.11 | permalink
"How can you stand there in front of all of us and take a pledge not to raise taxes?"
The drum beat continues as Republicans are being greeted by chants, boos and walk outs as they dig in to protect big oil and multi-millionaires from having to make one dime of additional sacrifice. Whether it's the northern border of Minnesota or the heat of Arizona's summer, people are standing up for the middle class and refusing to be the only ones to bear the burden. Their message is clear: big corporations and Wall Street need to share the sacrifice to get our economy back on track.
*POLITICO: The return of town hall anger*
SEN. JOHN MCCAIN (R-AZ) Arizona Daily Star: Tucsonans give McCain earful: "If U.S. Sen. John McCain's town hall on Tuesday had a theme, it's that Greater Tucson has been dipped in a big vat of angry. And the heat isn't just the domain of the tea party any more, with progressives showing up in force, just as torqued as their conservative counterparts…As McCain entered, waving, he was greeted by the standard applause, and by sustained chanting of "Where are the jobs?" … When he said he wanted to cut the corporate tax rate by as much as a third, it triggered such a round of angry outbursts and smatterings of applause that McCain asked again for "common courtesy." When he said he wanted to close loopholes in the tax code, including subsidies for ethanol and sugar, someone yelled, "oil!"
MUST SEE VIDEO- KVOA-TV McCain faces rowdy crowd in Tucson: "The question of taxes caused the loudest outbursts. McCain recommended, "Let's cut the corporate rate from 35 percent to 25 percent." Some in the audience cheered. Others booed. One man screamed at McCain, "You're an idiot." Another speaker begged McCain to raise taxes on wealthy Americans like him. He said, "I'd rather pay higher taxes so that man can live, rather than take another trip to Italy." Many in the audience applauded. But McCain said "no." "How can you stand there in front of all of us and take a pledge not to raise taxes?"
Rep. Frank Guinta (NH-1) CNN: Town hall voters fear for country: "A restive crowd vented to Rep. Frank Guinta over pocketbook issues and political wrangling in Washington at a town hall Wednesday. … Citing corporate tax loopholes, the national debt and the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, one man asked: "How can you stand there in front of all of us and take a pledge not to raise taxes?" During his campaign Guinta promised to oppose any tax increases while in Congress. "I don't believe that our problem in this country is that we don't receive enough money from taxpayers," Guinta said in response Wednesday, but was drowned out by exclamations of both support and frustration … "We're in dire straits here," argued Michelle O'Rourke, a Democrat, who said later she was fearful for the country's future, especially for the middle class. O'Rourke wants to end the Bush-era tax breaks for Americans making more than $250,000 a year."
REP. STEVE PEARCE (NM-1) Silver City Sun-News: Pearce talk draws fire in Silver: "A woman stormed out of Congressman Steve Pearce's town hall meeting Tuesday night at the Silver City Senior Center, after calling Pearce a liar and saying "You're just (BSing) everyone and we don't buy it." "He got off on the wrong foot with me because he started to lie because he said the reason we got downgraded by S&P was because of our deficit," said Anne Nitopi of Silver City. "That's not the reason. … The government's inability to compromise is the reason they downgraded us…They allowed the Tea Party extremists to threaten our country with default." Pearce wasn't fazed by the disruption and continued with his presentation… A person before her had said that he heard the 400 wealthiest families in the U.S. had more money than 90 percent of the population and that 80 percent of Americans support a balanced approach to balancing the budget - meaning cutting spending and raising taxes - but Pearce said he vowed that he would never raise taxes. "The polls show that a majority of the people want a balanced approach, yet you have taken a vow that you will never raise taxes," she said. "It's inappropriate for elected officials to go beyond accepting the vote as a method of judging their ability to govern, and constrain themselves by taking an additional vow that says they will never do something even if their country needs them to do it. Part of governing is to compromise."… Pearce said any increase in taxes - including letting the Bush tax credits expire - would be a job killer eventually. "Why would we agree with something that would be destructive to our job market?" he asked. ... Villanova said he is also in favor of letting the Bush tax cuts expire, something Pearce has said he is against, calling it akin to raising taxes, which he vowed he will not do."
Rep. Chip Cravaack (MN-8) Duluth News Tribune: Cravaack challenged on budget, economy in Deer River: "Cravaack said he wanted to bring down the tax rate to 25 percent for small businesses because higher taxes are passed on to consumers or result in layoffs. Audience member Dave Garshelis of Cohasset said President George W. Bush tried that plan and it didn't work. "Is this an experiment or a concept or do you have information from somewhere that shows this works?" he asked. "I'm wondering when the jobs are going to happen."… Kevin Kooiker of Pequot Lakes wasn't so sure of Cravaack's answer and said the tax rate today is lower than it's been in years. He said major corporations are known to be sitting on sizeable amounts of money instead of creating new jobs. "People need to get more money in their pockets," he said. "The stimulus bill was way too small." … Another man asked why Congress could not come to some kind of agreement to fix the budget problem… Cindy Martin of Grand Rapids asked why Cravaack was supporting lower taxes for the rich. Cravaack countered by asking, "Who are the rich? Give me a number."
REP. RANDY HULTGREN (IL-14) Montgomery Patch (IL): Seniors Hear From Hultgren, State Lawmakers in Montgomery: "About 40 people, most over the age of 55, were on hand Tuesday morning to meet five of their federal and state legislators at Montgomery Village Hall… Joanne Perkins of Aurora questioned that, saying, "We cannot put the country back to work with mom and pop operations. What is the responsibility of the corporations and the government to provide good jobs?" Hultgren said he would like to see both small businesses and large corporations start hiring again."
REP. SCOTT TIPTON (CO-3) Cortez Journal: Congressman holds town hall: "The congressman was asked why the government should not seek increased revenues by repealing tax cuts on the wealthy and closing loopholes for the taxation of corporations. Tipton said he opposes raising taxes on "job creators." Instead, Tipton advocated for deregulation of business to allow for economic growth and job creation."
08.11.11 | permalink
House Majority Leader Cantor is Aboard the Tea Party�s Renewed Drive for Dismantling Medicare
August 4, 2011
It's Official – House Majority Leader Cantor is Aboard the Tea Party's Renewed Drive for Dismantling Medicare Under the Ryan Plan
See below, on the heels of the alarming article yesterday from Reuters: 'US Tea Party groups see Medicare overhaul chance' -- now the unofficial tea party leader in Congress says Americans need to "come to grips" that the promises of Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid "frankly, are not going to be kept for many" and wants to be the conductor on the Tea Party Express' renewed drive to pass the Ryan plan for dismantling Medicare, decimating Medicaid. This is the same guy that has made a lot of promises to protect wasteful subsidies for his big oil industry donors at the same time they're enjoying record profits.
Cantor: Entitlement Promises 'Frankly, Are Not Going To Be Kept For Many'
By Pat Garofalo on Aug 4, 2011 at 9:35 am
During an interview with the Wall Street Journal, House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-VA) said he is ready and willing to slash entitlements like Medicare, because, in his opinion, Americans have to "come to grips with the fact that promises have been made that frankly are not going to be kept for many":
What we need to be able to do is to demonstrate that that is the better way for the people of this country. Get the fiscal house in order, come to grips with the fact that promises have been made that, frankly, are not going to be kept for many. [...] The math doesn't lie.
Watch it: http://thinkprogress.org/economy/2011/08/04/287560/cantor-entitlement-promises-frankly-are-not-going-to-be-kept-for-many/
Republicans have been saying for months that they want to preserve programs like Medicare and Social Security for all people over the age of 55, but that those under 55 will have to shift into a different program. But Cantor's pronouncement is maybe the most explicit explanation that, under the GOP's vision, the government would be actively reneging on promises made to those who haven't yet hit the arbitrary age of 55.
Of course, the math would look much better, particularly on Social Security, if the GOP were to back off its insistence that the government not collect a single dime in new revenue. Meanwhile, Jacob Hacker, political science professor at Yale University, has called the GOP's scheme to raise the Medicare retirement age "the single worst idea for Medicare reform" since it "saves Medicare money only by shifting the cost burden onto older Americans caught between the old eligibility age and the new, as well as onto the employers and states that help fund their benefits."
08.04.11 | permalink
Tea Party Launches Campaign to End Medicare
August 3, 2011
A MUST READ BELOW FROM REUTERS – With just a few fingers on the steering wheel in Washington, Tea Party Republicans came within inches of purposely driving the economy off the cliff this week, taking the GOP's no-jobs agenda to a new extreme. And now corporate-backed Tea Party leaders want the American people to know: if you hand them the keys they will drive Medicare straight into a wall and seniors' health care costs through the roof. Tea Party leaders don't care that the Ryan plan to end Medicare is hugely unpopular with America's seniors – they don't even care that the vast majority of self-described tea party members have rejected it.
US Tea Party groups see Medicare overhaul chance
Wed Aug 3, 2011 11:59am EDT
* FreedomWorks lobbies for Ryan plan for Tea Party push
* Support from powerful elderly voting bloc at stake
By David Morgan
WASHINGTON, Aug 3 (Reuters) - With Medicare at the top of U.S. lawmakers' fall agenda, Tea Party movement leaders hope to ignite support for Republican plans to transform the popular federal healthcare program for the elderly.
Thousands of Tea Party movement activists are expected to descend this month on town hall meetings across key battleground states as part of an intensifying campaign ahead of the 2012 presidential and congressional elections.
Their priority is a plan to slash Medicare costs proposed by House of Representatives Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan, which could gain momentum now that a debt-limit deal between President Barack Obama and Congress has made potential Medicare cuts a centerpiece of the deficit debate. [ID:nN1E7711QM]
A new congressional committee charged with finding $1.5 trillion in spending cuts by November 23 is expected to focus on Medicare, and the program would see automatic cuts if the committee failed to reach agreement, or if Congress did not approve its recommendations by December 23. Market values of companies that depend on Medicare spending fell more than 10 percent in a sell-off on Wall Street after the agreement.[ID:nN1E7700Z3]
"The August town halls are going to be, potentially, a referendum on Democrats who don't care and Republicans who've dared to offer real policy solutions, particularly on things like entitlements," said Matt Kibbe, president of FreedomWorks, the small-government advocacy group organizing the initiative.
"The Ryan plan is the only one out there so far, and what we need is an adult conversation with all politicians talking about the real issues."
Decried by retirees, labor unions and Democrats as a voucher system that would end Medicare, the Ryan plan appeared near death after opposition to it helped Democrats capture a congressional seat in a Republican stronghold in upstate New York in May.
But FreedomWorks, which helped found and shape the Tea Party movement, sees its campaign as the opening salvo in a long battle to secure a place for the Ryan plan in the 2012 debate and the legislative session that will begin in January 2013.
The gambit poses risks for Republicans in swing states including Florida, Pennsylvania and Ohio, which FreedomWorks is targeting.
At stake is the support of senior citizens, a powerful bloc of swing voters who broadly oppose the Ryan plan and could punish its supporters in Congress if Republicans fail to turn the debate in their favor, according to analysts.
The Ryan plan -- which the House approved in April but which went nowhere in the Democratic-led Senate -- would preserve Medicare for current beneficiaries but transform it for future retirees from a system that provides guaranteed benefits to one that gives the elderly financial assistance to buy private insurance.
Polls point to broad public support for preserving Medicare in the deficit debate, with majorities favoring higher taxes for the wealthy over program cuts.
Still, a June CBS poll showed that nearly 60 percent of Americans know little about the changes proposed by the Ryan plan, suggesting that many voters have yet to form an opinion.
FreedomWorks faces a daunting challenge from Democrats and progressive groups including the coalition Health Care for America Now, which pushed for healthcare reform in 2010 and intends to defend that new law and Medicare against Republican attacks through the 2012 election.
"Each side is going to try to scare the hell out of seniors. And they're going to do that because it works. It motivates seniors to get to the polls," said Michael Cannon, a health policy expert at the libertarian Cato Institute.
Kibbe, whose group is led by former House Majority Leader Dick Armey and claims 800,000 volunteers nationwide, says Republicans lost in New York because they abandoned the Medicare debate to Democrats.
Republican lawmakers now need to come out swinging before the same thing happens elsewhere, he says.
"If they don't do that, we won't win this debate," Kibbe told Reuters. "You can't move a legislative initiative unless you've vetted it through the political season."
Ryan himself appears to agree and has been promoting his views on television and in a Wall Street Journal Op-Ed piece.
"We need a public education campaign and that means people from all around the country, different groups, need to engage with their people," Ryan told CNBC a day after the House approved the debt limit deal.
"You've got to have wherewithal to get out to the public to educate them as to the pending bankruptcy of Medicare."
A perennial campaign issue, Medicare could be key in 2012 House and Senate elections in swing states and could help determine the outcome in the White House race as Democrat Obama takes on a Republican challenger.
Senior citizens demonstrated their electoral clout in last November's midterm elections, when they rebelled against Obama's healthcare reforms in large enough numbers to help Tea Party activists install a Republican majority in the House.
People age 60 and older accounted for 34 percent of the vote, even though they make up only about one-quarter of the population, according to a July 29 article in the New England Journal of Medicine.
Robert Blendon, who teaches health policy at the Harvard School of Public Health, says elderly voters fear the Ryan plan could undermine support for Medicare among younger taxpayers by denying current benefits to future retirees.
But the current Democratic edge might disappear quickly if elderly voters associated Obama with program cuts that could come under the deficit-cutting deal.
"If their take-away is that neither party stood up for us, Medicare won't play a big role," said Blendon, who co-authored the New England Journal of Medicine article. (Reporting by David Morgan; Editing by Michele Gershberg and Vicki Allen)
08.03.11 | permalink
Boehner Prepares to Launch Sneak Attack on Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid
July 13, 2011
Boehner Prepares to Launch Sneak Attack on Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid Shrouded in So-Called "Balanced Budget Amendment"
Tipping The Scales Against America's Seniors: Republican Balanced Budget Amendment Would Force Deep Cuts in Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid, While Protecting Tax Breaks for Millionaires, Big Oil and Job-Outsourcing Corporations
Ø From ABC News, July 13: House Speaker John Boehner released a new video blog today on his website, expressing his support for the balanced budget amendment that the House of Representatives will consider next week, but Democrats are indicating their opposition to the bill they describe as "extreme and draconian."
House Republicans made very clear when the passed their budget on April 15 that they intend to dismantle Medicare and decimate Medicaid one way or another to pay for more tax breaks for big oil and jet-owning CEO's. Poll after poll after poll shows the American people have resoundingly rejected their plan, and many outraged seniors have shown up at town halls across the country to express their disapproval to their Representatives personally. And so it's no surprise that these Republicans -- who remain as determined as ever to shred the social safety nets that keep millions of seniors, children, survivors and people with disabilities out of poverty -- would look for a back door way to achieving their goals. Enter the "Balanced Budget Amendment."
GOP's "Balanced Budget Amendment" = "sweeping cuts to Medicaid, Medicare, Social Security"
Ø National Women's Law Center: Current Proposals for a Balanced Budget Amendment Are More Extreme and Dangerous Than Earlier Versions: Capping future spending below Reagan-era levels would force sweeping cuts to Medicaid, Medicare, Social Security, child care, education, and many other critical programs.
Ø CBPP: Balanced Budget Amendment Would Require More Extreme Cuts Than Ryan Plan: "It contains deeper Medicare cuts than the Ryan budget. The RSC budget includes the Ryan proposals to convert Medicare to vouchers and raise its eligibility age from 65 to 67, but it raises the eligibility age sooner than the Ryan budget would. It raises the Social Security retirement age to 70. It also contains cuts of almost unimaginable depth in the core programs for the poorest and most disadvantaged Americans: in 2021, Medicaid, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, formerly food stamps), and Supplemental Security Income would all be cut in half…It cuts at least $86 billion over ten years from Pell Grants, which help low-income students afford college."
Ø CBPP: A Constitutional Balanced Budget Amendment Threatens Great Economic Damage: "…the amendment would force policymakers to cut spending, raise taxes, or both just when the economy is weak or already in recession — the exact opposite of what good economic policy would advise… Social Security could not draw down its reserves from previous years to pay benefits in a later year but, instead, could be forced to cut benefits even if it had ample balances in its trust funds as it does today. The same would be true for military retirement and civil service retirement programs. Nor could the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation respond quickly to bank or pension fund failures by using their assets to pay deposit or pension insurance, unless they could do so without causing the budget to slip out of balance."
Ø Democratic House Budget staff: The balanced budget constitutional amendment (H. J. Res. 1) recently approved by the Judiciary Committee is a masquerade designed to foster the policy choices of the Republican budget: to end the Medicare guarantee for seniors and slash vital services while providing tax breaks for the wealthy. This balanced budget amendment would have dire consequences on the economy, on Medicare and other government guarantees to our citizens, and on Congress's ability to respond to changing needs.
Ø Economic Policy Institute: "Beyond shrinking government to implausibly low levels, the House BBA would also irrationally constrain fiscal policy during recessions…As we argued before, parliamentary restrictions on tax increases and budget deficits would amplify political gridlock, handicap fiscal policy, and intensify economic downturns by ruling out effective responses to both cyclical events and unforeseen emergencies."
07.14.11 | permalink
The Heat is On
The Heat is On: Vote to End Medicare, Block Grant Medicaid Still Facing Fire From NM to WI to NY, "mass protests" "spirited exchanges"
Jim Commentucci / The Post-Standard
Demonstrators, including Tina Fitzgerald of Mattydale, vice-president of Disabled in Action of Greater Syracuse, who is in a wheelchair, gather outside the James M. Hanley Federal Building in Syracuse on June 16, 2011 to protest Rep. Ann Marie Buerkle's support for a proposed overhaul of the Medicare system.
Las Cruces Sun-News: Pearce talks debt in Las Cruces: "Unlike a town hall meeting in April that drew only supporters, Saturday's event featured much sharper questions and spirited exchanges. A woman who identified herself as Cynthia from Las Cruces and later declined to give her last name challenged Pearce on his vote for the House budget crafted by Paul Ryan that would, among other things, change Medicare to a voucher system. "You're cutting off my Medicare while at the same time giving tax breaks to the richest 2 percent of the country," she accused, adding that the gap between wealthy and poor in this country is as wide as its been since the 1920s. … "I'm not a big fan of the Ryan plan, but it's the only plan in Washington," Pearce said."
Brookfield Patch (WI): Medicare Concerns Dominate Town Hall Meeting: "Concerns about Medicare and health care dominated a Town Hall meeting Sunday held by U.S. Rep. Jim Sensenbrenner, who along with state legislators also fielded questions on issues ranging from deficits and collective bargaining to voter ID and ethanol. At age 54, Menomonee Falls resident Paul Race said he just misses the cutoff in U.S. Paul Ryan's proposal to reform Medicare for those younger than 55. "If it's good enough for the people 54 and younger... then I think it's good enough for people 55 and older," said Race, a former Marine who has been a teacher for 25 years… Sensenbrenner said, "I'm not here to say he's (Ryan) right or he's wrong, but at least he's got a plan."… Darcy Gustavvson of Brookfield said Congress should prioritize funding for essential social nets such as "decent, affordable health care" for seniors who need it most. "Your job is to fund what the American people want," she said, not turn Medicare into a "voucher system.'"
Syracuse Post-Standard: Rep. Ann Marie Buerkle under pressure over her support for Medicare overhaul: "Six months after taking office, U.S. Rep. Ann Marie Buerkle is facing the first mass protests of her congressional career over her vote for a Republican plan to cut spending by dramatically overhauling the federal Medicare program. Over the past three weeks, Buerkle said, she and her staff answered hundreds of phone calls from Central New Yorkers — including some from sobbing seniors — worried about the future of Medicare, the public health care system for the elderly and people with disabilities. The freshman congresswoman also faced angry protesters at a town hall meeting in the Wayne County town of Palmyra this month, and later a raucous crowd rallied in front of her Syracuse office to protest the proposed reforms… For seniors currently receiving benefits, the Ryan plan would reopen the prescription "doughnut hole" that had been fixed by President Barack Obama's health-care reforms passed by Congress last year. That means 11,300 residents of the 25th Congressional District would pay more for their prescription drugs, costing local seniors an extra $111 million over 10 years, according to a study by House Democrats."
06.27.11 | permalink
Charlie Bass: What, me, vote to end Medicare?
Concord Monitor, 6/20 : "The allegation that I voted to end Medicare is just absolutely factually false," [U.S. Representative Charlie] Bass said.
Wall Street Journal: Bass-Ryan Plan "would essentially end Medicare"
Statement from Jeremy Funk, spokesman for Americans United for Change: "Numerous independent analysts have concluded that the budget plan that Charlie Bass voted for on April 15 would effectively end Medicare and replace it with an ever-shrinking private voucher system that would not keep up with health care costs and would leave seniors paying at least $6,000 more out of pocket. Rep. Bass seems to think he and his Republican colleagues can scrap Medicare for a private voucher system and still call it 'Medicare' – they can't. Just ask the folks at Coca-Cola how that worked out when they tried changing their formula and still called it Coke – no one bought it, just like no one is buying the Republican plan to privatize Medicare. The radical plan Rep. Bass voted for doesn't stop at dismantling Medicare – it would also kick millions of seniors in nursing homes today off of Medicaid, all to pay of trillions of dollars in new tax breaks for millionaires, big oil and companies that ship jobs overseas."
Bass-Ryan Plan "would essentially end Medicare"
Ø Wall Street Journal, 4.4: The plan would essentially end Medicare, which now pays most of the health-care bills for 48 million elderly and disabled Americans, as a program that directly pays those bills.
Ø The Economist, 4.5: But there is one thing about it that's fairly clear, regardless of what's in the details Mr Ryan will announce today: Mr Ryan's plan ends the guarantee that all American seniors will have health insurance.
Ø McClatchy-Tribune News Service, 4.5: Ryan's is the opening move in a political chess match that's likely to unfold over several years. His plan effectively would end Medicare for seniors, revamp Medicaid for the poor, scrap the 2010 health care law, roll back nonmilitary federal spending overall and lower individual and corporate tax rates.
Ø New York Times columnist and Nobel-Prize winning economist Paul Krugman, 5/16: I know that serious people are supposed to be shocked, shocked at the Democrats calling the Ryan plan a plan to dismantle Medicare — but that's just what it is. If you replace a system that actually pays seniors' medical bills with an entirely different system, one that gives seniors vouchers that won't be enough to buy adequate insurance, you've ended Medicare. Calling the new program "Medicare" doesn't change that fact.
· More Krugman, 'Vouchercare Is Not Medicare': But Comcast, the station's owner, rejected the demand — and rightly so. For Republicans are indeed seeking to dismantle Medicare as we know it, replacing it with a much worse program…. But there's nothing demagogic about telling the truth. Start with the claim that the G.O.P. plan simply reforms Medicare rather than ending it. I'll just quote the blogger Duncan Black, who summarizes this as saying that "when we replace the Marines with a pizza, we'll call the pizza the Marines." The point is that you can name the new program Medicare, but it's an entirely different program — call it Vouchercare — that would offer nothing like the coverage that the elderly now receive. (Republicans get huffy when you call their plan a voucher scheme, but that's exactly what it is.)
Ø Talking Points Memo, 6.14: Here's Tom Scully -- former Bush administration director of the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services -- on the Republican plan, in an interview with me. "It gets rid of -- and I would do that -- gets rid of the current Medicare program where the government is the insurance company and the government sets the prices."
Ø Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, 4.7: The first year the voucher would apply, CBO estimates that total health care expenditures for a typical 65-year-old would be almost 40 percent higher with private coverage under the Ryan plan than they would be with a continuation of traditional Medicare. CBO also finds that this beneficiary's annual out-of-pocket costs would more than double — from $6,150 to $12,500. In later years, as the value of the voucher eroded, the increase in out-of-pocket costs would be even greater.
06.21.11 | permalink
Mark Amodei tries to ignite a 'Red Scare' in Nevada, but what's really scary is if he had his way
June, 20, 2011
Mark Amodei tries to ignite a 'Red Scare' in Nevada, but what's really scary is if he had his way
In Case You Missed It: Mark Amodei's Ad Depicts Chinese Army Marching On Capitol, Thanks To 'Obama's Debt Ceiling' (VIDEO)
Statement from Jeremy Funk, spokesman for Americans United for Change: "While an ad this absurd is a clearly a desperate cry for attention, what Mark Amodei has really drawn attention to is his reckless position that the U.S. should default on its debt obligations, which the business community warns would crush our economy and, ironically, would mean hundreds of billions of dollars in new debt. While Mark Amodei is trying to ignite a 'Red Scare' in Nevada, what's really scary is if the GOP congressional hopeful had his way: defaulting on our nation's debt could very well lead to another economic collapse and kill Nevada jobs. Amodei's extreme positions don't stop there: he proudly backs the Paul Ryan plan to end Medicare and kick millions of seniors in nursing homes off of Medicaid, all to pay of trillions of dollars in new tax breaks for millionaires, big oil and companies that ship jobs overseas."
DEFAULTING ON NATION'S DEBT = "Dangerous Gamble," "higher federal debt," "Could Blow Up the Economy," "possible collapse in equity prices, bank failures and a severe depression"
Ø Wall Street Journal, 5/17: Business Groups to Congress: 'Raising Debt Ceiling Is Critical' : Sixty-two business groups, including the American Gas Association, the Telecommunications Industry Association, and the National Association of Manufacturers, urged congressional leaders on Wednesday to raise the federal debt ceiling amid fears that political brinkmanship could lead to another financial crisis.
Ø Talking Points Memo, 6/9: "Experts: Even Brief Default Could Blow Up The Economy" : Because interest rates on bonds determine how much it costs the US government to secure more debt, even seemingly slight changes can affect the long term deficit on a large scale. A 1% rise in interest rates, or 100 basis points, would grow the deficit by over $400 billion over the next five years and $1.2 trillion from 2012-2021, according to the CBO.
Ø Talking Points Memo, 6/14: 'CBO Director Elmendorf: Debt Default 'A Dangerous Gamble'. Ironically, Elmendorf noted that one of the potential consequences of even a brief period of default would be higher federal debt, triggered by a spike in interest rates and, thus, higher interest payments on federally issued debt.
Ø Talking Points Memo, 5/19: 'Moody's, S&P Warn U.S. Risks Triple-A Credit Rating If It Defaults On Debt — Even Briefly'. But two of the biggest ratings agencies say they could downgrade the United States' triple-A credit if the government misses even a single debt-service payment.
Ø Wall Street Journal, May 13: US Chamber Urges Lawmakers to Raise Debt Limit 'Expeditiously'. The business community's chief lobby in Washington made the case in a letter to lawmakers signed by Bruce Josten, the group's head of government affairs, arguing that failure to pass legislation authorizing an increase in borrowing by Aug. 4 "would create uncertainty and fear, and threaten the credit rating of the United States."
Ø Politico, 4/27: 'Bank execs warn GOP on debt limit' : Executives from the deep-pocketed industry that traditionally pumps millions into political campaigns are warning members that failure to raise the limit would risk a spike in interest rates, a possible collapse in equity prices, bank failures and a severe depression.
Ø New York Times' Economix, 4/26: 'What Happens if the Debt Ceiling Isn't Raised'
06.20.11 | permalink


text:
Kuroshitsuji - Noble Dog by TaymehoWatch
©2013-2016 Taymeho
So cute!! Did you make the costume yourself?
Thank you, we both made our own cosplays.
I usually make all of my own unless stated otherwise in the artist comment.
Awesome as always! You two look incredible.
pretty awesome cosplay~
wow very elegant!
lol why do these characters remind me of Ciel and Sebastien? LOL
Because it is Ciel and Sebastian? lol
Aww I wish I saw you at AX! AMAZING COSPLAY!! I was cosplaying as Konan, Fi, and Maleficent!
Awww, thanks! I was pretty busy trying to find my friends so I wasn't always around much. I wore 6 cosplays so it might've been hard to recognize me too X'D
yeah me too 6 wow! I spent alot of time in the repair station with my Fi costume, it malfunctioned a bit but I got it back to being wearable again, lol it was XD and 161,000 people were there so there you go! I forgot you live in Utah lol I have so many cosplay plans that I'll have years to do each one lol you should cosplay for Zelda some time!
Thats a fantastic cosplay.
Really good portrayal of emotion!

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Originally posted on Baseball Professor | Last updated 1/25/13
I love everything about what Chris Sale did last year. By winning 17 games on the back of a 3.05 ERA in 192 innings, Sale gave us a blueprint for what a successful reliever-to-starter conversion looks like. Until further notice, whenever I read that a reliever is going to give it a shot in the rotation, I'll compare him to Sale to estimate his chances at succeeding. But while almost every single aspect of Sale's surprising 2012 season points to his success being legitimate and not fueled by luck, there are a few warning signs. I love his ground ball tendency, but he allowed line drives 23.0% of the time compared to 20.9% MLB average. Sale's infield fly rate was good (12.2% versus 10.0% MLB average), but those line drives indicate batters were able to square up on him a little too easily. Plus, Sale's strand rate was 80.0%, noticeably higher than the 72.5% MLB average. While strand rates in the high-70s and 80s are possible in any given season, they're tough to maintain over the long haul. Over the last three years exactly 100 pitchers have totaled 400 innings pitched. Only Jeremy Hellickson has a strand rate over 80.0% during that span (82.2%) and only 15 of the 100 have posted strand rates better than the 75.5% we project for Sale. To make a long story short, Sale is a legitimate fantasy starting pitcher, but he's not as god as the 52nd overall ranking he earned last year. I'd expect an increase in ERA in accordance with a drop in his strand rate as well as a rise in his WHIP. Still, Sale is a high-K pitcher with a lot of potential, and at just 24 years old he has plenty of room left to grow. At a Glance Strengths: ERA, WHIP, K, K/9, QS Neutral: W, L, BB, IP Weaknesses: none Player Comparisons Best-case scenario: Cole Hamels (PHI) Likely scenario: Lance Lynn (STL), Jeff Samardzija (CHC), Zack Greinke (LAD) Worst-case scenario: Tommy Hanson (OAK) Chris Sale 2013 Fantasy Projection Last season Sale's stats looked almost identical to Cole Hamels'. According to MockDraftCentral.com's early draft results, Sale is going in the same range as Roy Halladay, Yovani Gallardo, Max Scherzer, Johnny Cueto, and Ian Kennedy. We recently did profiles for Gallardo and Kennedy, so clearly we'd take Sale over them, but the rest seem like pretty fair value. There's also the potential that Sale's 2012 line is repeatable. Anyone who points to his second-half ERA (4.03) as evidence of Sale's impending demise, it should be noted that the drastic rise in ERA was due to a 19.2% HR/FB rate after the Break that led to 14 second-half homers. In reality, Sale's 3.20 xFIP in the second half was lower than his 3.28 xFIP in the first half (xFIP normalizes for HR/FB rate). If there is cause for concern, it's that Sale's line drive rate rose to 26.0% in the second half and his infield fly rate fell to 9.6%. Both were below league average. As for Sale's projected fantasy value, he will continue to strike batters out and remain one of the best command pitchers in the game (measured in K:BB ratio). That prevents him from having a surprisingly terrible ERA, as does his low fly ball rate. A little correction in luck will probably lead to his ERA and WHIP rising, but he'll still be no worse than league average there, and probably noticeably better. Sale contributes positive gains in every category, and he'll be elite in some. And he's just 24 years old. Tweet
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text:
PLANO, Texas (1080 KRLD) – The Plano school district and its taxpayers were the victims and federal officials say Carol LaRue and Kris Gentz are now facing up to five years in prison.
According to prosecutors LaRue owned and operated two companies – a fire safety and security systems business.
Officials claimed she conspired with Gentz, who worked with the Plano ISD, to write up invoices for work that was never done – from May of 2011 to December of last year.
The scheme defrauded the district out of nearly $7 million, of which LaRue was responsible for a lot not exceeding $2.5 million.
No sentencing date has been set.
The U.S. Attorney handling the case says the two defendants not only cheated the taxpayers, they robbed the children in Plano.
(©2014 CBS Local Media, a division of CBS Radio Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
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The Bluff's in H oughton is celebrating seniors by offering a block party.
This is the very first year for the event, and seniors from all over the community were invited. Seniors enjoyed live music from the Country Drifters, and they even got a chance to spend some time with dogs and pet ferrets from the Copper Country Critters. Vendors were also there, and some seniors got their eye glasses adjusted and hearing aids cleaned.
Some even opted for a nice back massage.
"I think it's important to recognize seniors, and I don't think all of them are aware of what's available in the town, especially what we have here at the Bluff's because it's not just for our residents, it's for everyone. We have monthly blood pressure checks, hearing aid checks, different things," said Katie Kioski, the activities director.
The Bluff's say they plan on having another block party for seniors to enjoy next year.


text:
New Markets Tax Credit:
The Credit Helps Fund a Variety of Projects in Low-Income Communities, but Could Be Simplified
GAO-10-334: Published: Jan 29, 2010. Publicly Released: Jan 29, 2010.
Additional Materials:
- Highlights Page:
- Full Report:
- Accessible Text:
(202) 512-9039
Office of Public Affairs
(202) 512-4800
The Treasury Department's Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFI) Fund awarded $26 billion in New Markets Tax Credits (NMTC) through 2009 for investment in low-income communities. The NMTC allows investors to claim a tax credit totaling 39 percent of their investment in Community Development Entities (CDE) over 7 years which CDEs reinvest in qualified communities. This mandated report (1) describes where and how CDEs are using NMTCs, (2) assesses how CDEs use NMTCs to offer favorable financing terms to low-income community businesses and describes options for simplifying the NMTC, (3) describes how, if at all, NMTC investments support low-income community development, and (4) determines how effective IRS and the CDFI Fund have been in monitoring NMTC compliance. GAO analyzed CDFI Fund and CDE data, did case studies of CDEs, and interviewed relevant experts.
Since 2003, CDEs have made NMTC investments in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico, with about 65 percent for real estate. NMTCs are often used as "gap financing," accounting for a portion of total project costs. NMTC investments in low-income community businesses generally use leveraged structures, where equity is left in the businesses, or subsidized interest rate structures, where below-market interest rate loans are offered. Recently, investors appear to be paying less for tax credits than in previous years and they made fewer NMTC investments in 2009 than in previous years. The CDFI Fund does not collect data that could identify the portion of the subsidy channeled to businesses, such as data on credit pricing, transaction fees, and the amount of equity left in businesses. Two potential options (i.e., changing related parties tests or converting the NMTC to a grant program) could simplify the program and make additional funds available to businesses. CDEs have used the NMTC program to support a variety of investments, but project impacts are difficult to measure and likely vary depending on the project. GAO identified NMTC-supported projects for mixed-use facilities, housing developments, and community facilities, among other qualified business activities. The CDFI Fund does not collect data on incomplete or failed projects, which might be used, for instance, to improve credit allocation selections. Projects with NMTC financing likely contribute employment and other outcomes to low-income communities. Limitations with available data make it difficult to isolate project impacts and GAO's analysis does not allow it to determine whether the projects supported by NMTCs would have taken place absent the credit. Continued improvements could be made in collecting project-level data (e.g., removing double-counting of some outcomes). IRS monitors CDE and investor compliance with applicable laws, while the CDFI Fund monitors CDEs' compliance with their allocation agreements. IRS and CDFI Fund officials weighed the costs and benefits of options to monitor compliance and selected controls on that basis.
Matter for Congressional Consideration
Status: Open
Comments: As of January 2015, Congress has not taken steps to offer grants to Community Development Entities (CDEs) that would provide funds to low-income community businesses in lieu of the New Markets Tax Credit.
Matter: Should the program be extended beyond 2009, to ensure that the maximum amount of capital ends up in low-income community businesses, Congress may wish to consider offering grants to CDEs that would provide the funds to low-income community businesses. If it does so, Congress may wish to require Treasury to gather appropriate data to assess whether and to what extent the grant program increases the amount of federal subsidy provided to low-income community businesses compared to the NMTC; whether the grant program otherwise affects the success of efforts to assist low-income communities; and how costs for administering the program incurred by the CDFI Fund, CDEs, and investors would change. One option may be for Congress to set aside a portion of funds to be used as grants and a portion to be used as tax credit allocation authority under the current structure of the program in a future allocation round to facilitate comparison of the two program structures.
Recommendations for Executive Action
Status: Closed - Implemented
Comments: In August 2011, the Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFI) Fund began collecting data on the sale price of New Markets Tax Credits (NMTCs), associated fees, and the equity the Community Development Entity (CDE) projects it will ultimately leave in the business benefiting from the NMTC. Having this data helps the CDFI Fund better understand the benefits of the NMTC program in relation to its costs and gives Treasury and the Congress useful information on how to best structure the program.
Recommendation: Should the program be extended beyond 2009 and absent a broader restructuring of the program, to ensure that the CDFI Fund has complete data on the amount of capital flowing to low-income community businesses from the sale of NMTCs to investors, the Secretary of the Treasury should direct the CDFI Fund Director to collect data that show the sale price of NMTCs from CDEs to investors, fees paid by QALICBs to close NMTC transactions, and the amount of equity that the CDE projects it will leave in the qualified active low-income community business (QALICB) at the end of the 7-year period during which investors can claim tax credits.
Agency Affected: Department of the Treasury
Status: Closed - Implemented
Comments: In August 2012, the Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFI) Fund implemented new reporting requirements whereby Community Development Entities (CDEs) reporting project outcomes to the CDFI Fund for projects with New Markets Tax Credit (NM TC) investments from multiple CDEs would either have to designate a "Lead CDE" to serve as the single point of reporting for the project or participating CDEs would be required to develop a coordinated approach to reporting that avoids double counting outcomes. Having this information will help the CDFI Fund better understand the outcomes of NM TC projects by receiving more reliable information that does not contain the potential for double counting.
Recommendation: To more effectively assess the outcomes generated by the NMTC program in low-income communities, should the program be extended beyond 2009, the Secretary of the Treasury should direct the CDFI Fund Director to continue improving strategies for collecting NMTC project-level data that clearly identify the potential outcome of each project without the potential for double-counting the outcomes of some projects or undercounting the outcomes of others.
Agency Affected: Department of the Treasury
Status: Closed - Implemented
Comments: In August 2011 and August 2012, the Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFI) Fund implemented new requirements that Community Development Entities (CDEs) provide project failure information by reporting on the status of New Markets Tax Credit (NMTC) loans, NMTC projects being refinanced, and the amount "charged-off" in cases where NMTC investments have been restructured. Collecting data on the failure rate of NMTC projects gives the CDFI Fund a better understanding of the projects best suited for NMTC financing and could improve its ability to make better future decisions about how to allocate credit funding.
Recommendation: To ensure that the CDFI Fund understands which projects have stalled or are not going to be completed and whether the criteria for funding selection could be improved, the Secretary of the Treasury should direct the CDFI Fund Director to collect data on the failure rate of NMTC projects.
Agency Affected: Department of the Treasury
Explore the full database of GAO's Open Recommendations »
Jan 14, 2016
2015 Tax Filing Season:Deteriorating Taxpayer Service Underscores Need for a Comprehensive Strategy and Process EfficienciesGAO-16-151: Published: Dec 16, 2015. Publicly Released: Jan 14, 2016.
Jan 13, 2016
IRS Return Selection:Wage and Investment Division Should Define Audit Objectives and Refine Other Internal ControlsGAO-16-102: Published: Dec 17, 2015. Publicly Released: Jan 13, 2016.
IRS Return Selection:Certain Internal Controls for Audits in the Small Business and Self-Employed Division Should Be StrengthenedGAO-16-103: Published: Dec 16, 2015. Publicly Released: Jan 13, 2016.
Nov 30, 2015
IRS Whistleblower Program:Billions Collected, but Timeliness and Communication Concerns May Discourage WhistleblowersGAO-16-20: Published: Oct 29, 2015. Publicly Released: Nov 30, 2015.
Sep 14, 2015
Electronic Cigarettes:Effect on Federal Excise Taxes Collected on Traditional Cigarettes Is Not Currently EvidentGAO-15-771: Published: Sep 14, 2015. Publicly Released: Sep 14, 2015.
Sep 10, 2015
IRS Case Selection:Automated Collection System Lacks Key Internal Controls Needed to Ensure the Program Fulfills Its MissionGAO-15-744: Published: Sep 10, 2015. Publicly Released: Sep 10, 2015.
Jul 29, 2015
IRS Case Selection:Collection Process Is Largely Automated, but Lacks Adequate Internal ControlsGAO-15-647: Published: Jul 29, 2015. Publicly Released: Jul 29, 2015.
Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act:IRS Needs to Strengthen Oversight of Tax Provisions for IndividualsGAO-15-540: Published: Jul 29, 2015. Publicly Released: Jul 29, 2015.
Jul 24, 2015
IRS 2016 Budget:IRS Is Scaling Back Activities and Using Budget Flexibilities to Absorb Funding CutsGAO-15-624: Published: Jun 24, 2015. Publicly Released: Jul 24, 2015.
Jul 23, 2015
IRS Examination Selection:IRS Should Strengthen Internal Controls for Exempt Organization SelectionGAO-15-753T: Published: Jul 23, 2015. Publicly Released: Jul 23, 2015.
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You are a fan of meeting recaro ? Come to discover the best forums meeting recaro on the internet and share your experience with a community fan of meeting recaro . You can also build a forum meeting recaro and create your online discussion.
Free forum : Taskforce44 for WoWs is a player club aimed at Australian & New Zealand English speaking players as a meeting place for club activities and announcements.
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Free forum : World wide tennis officials discussion forum
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A meeting place for anyone who would like to express their ideas and concerns to us, the student council, and will allow us to archive and keep track of our plans.
century, acadomy, student, council, #meeting, place, express, ideas, concerns, archive


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Police investigating truck in parking lot on Woodstock Avenue in RutlandJuly 02,2014
Police gathered in the parking lot at Home Depot earlier today. It is unclear what they were investigating.
Police and federal agents are keeping the public away from a field near Home Depot in Rutland Town pic.twitter.com/CvEa9AZ9uX— Brent Curtis (@RH_crime) July 2, 2014
State police, some carrying machine guns, say the case the situation at Home Depot is being handled by Federal ATF pic.twitter.com/NITH9ircGm— Brent Curtis (@RH_crime) July 2, 2014
Police are examining a blue truck parked in the field. No subjects seen in custody. No ambulance at the scene pic.twitter.com/EfjlUB11aC— Brent Curtis (@RH_crime) July 2, 2014
State police Capt. Donald Patch: no risk to public at Home Depot scene— Brent Curtis (@RH_crime) July 2, 2014MORE IN This Just InBy Emily Cutts Full StoryWhile the eyes of the nation are focused on the New Hampshire primary this Tuesday night, Rutland... Full Story
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12 Comments
Would be cool to see this printed+1
I like it, nice job :)
great design , would be cool in other colours too
ten_minute_man Artist from Spain
Really cool! +1
DuncanBoxie Human from
Dont mess with baboons…they are hardcore.
Nice, baboons will be replacing bears! +1
jessicahall Artist from
+1 this is amazing!
so many boons… more than coons….what do we do…?...it has 2 be soon!!
awesome work. XD
oh cool :)
nice work!
Please log in to add your comment.


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Recommended production settings
Recommendations for production environments.
Recommendations for production environments; adjust them accordingly for your implementation.
User resource limits
You can view the current limits using the ulimit -a command. Although limits can also be temporarily set using this command, DataStax recommends making the changes permanent:
cassandra - memlock unlimited cassandra - nofile 100000 cassandra - nproc 32768 cassandra - as unlimited
* - memlock unlimited * - nofile 100000 * - nproc 32768 * - as unlimited
root - memlock unlimited root - nofile 100000 root - nproc 32768 root - as unlimited
* - nproc 32768
vm.max_map_count = 131072
$ sudo sysctl -p
$ cat /proc/<pid>/limits
Disable swap
Disable swap entirely. This prevents the Java Virtual Machine (JVM) from responding poorly because it is buried in swap and ensures that the OS OutOfMemory (OOM) killer does not kill Cassandra.
sudo swapoff --all
To make this change permanent, remove all swap file entries from /etc/fstab.
For more information, see Nodes seem to freeze after some period of time.
Synchronize clocks
The clocks on all nodes should be synchronized. You can use NTP (Network Time Protocol) or other methods.
This is required because columns are only overwritten if the timestamp in the new version of the column is more recent than the existing column.
Optimum blockdev --setra settings for RAID
Typically, a readahead of 512 is recommended, especially on Amazon EC2 RAID0 devices.
Check to ensure setra is not set to 65536:
sudo blockdev --report /dev/<device>
To set setra:
sudo blockdev --setra 512 /dev/<device>


text: quote:Mills was arrested and originally charged with second degree battery for allegedly punching a woman near his apartment in May and has been suspended from the football team, which begins fall practice Monday. On Sunday, LSU coach Les Miles said he did not expect Mills or freshman defensive tackle Travonte Valentine to be with the team when practice begins Monday. Valentine's high school transcript is being certified by the NCAA Clearinghouse.


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Easy Garden Markers
Turn tongue depressors into garden markers to note where your herbs and veggies are planted. It's easy to do and…
Angry Bird Paddles
These Angry Bird paddles aren't just cute. Use them to play a rousing game of Balloon Ping Pong! Fun for…
Paper Plate Parrot
Whether flying through the jungle or hanging out on a pirate ship, these colorful parrot will be a hit anywhere….


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Published on Brock University (http://www.brocku.ca)
Canada's three major research funding agencies --the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC), the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC) and the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) -- have announced a new Tri-Agency Open Access Policy on Publications requiring grant recipients to make the results of their research freely available online.
Implementation affects grants awarded after May 2015. Recipients of grants from NSERC and SSHRC must ensure that any peer-reviewed journal articles must be freely accessible within 12 months of publication date: either via publishing in an Open Access journal or depositing their work in an online archive/repository. CIHR recipients already adhere to an Open Access policy.
The James A. Gibson Library supports Brock researchers in complying with the policy with services including:
For more information, contact Elizabeth Yates, Liaison/Scholarly Communication Librarian, at email@example.com or ext. 4469.


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Google+ Local Creates Need For 'Local Social' Strategy
Just a few weeks ago, Google launched "Google+ Local," transforming the former Google Places pages for businesses into their Plus-page equivalents. The much-anticipated change also melded reviews and ratings information from Google's recently acquired Zagat property into the mix. So, if you are a company with local presence, what will these changes mean for you?
If you've already been using Google+ before this sea change, the layout generated for local business pages will look pretty familiar. The business's name appears in the upper left of the Google+ Local page, with the address in a lighter gray, small print beneath. Just below that is a strip of up to five, clickable thumbnail photos, or a wide masthead cover photo similar to what appears on individuals' profile pages — if no thumbnail images or cover photo are available for your business, Google may display a wide map image of your location here — and a larger primary image representing the business is to the right of the smaller photo thumbnails or overlaying the masthead cover photo. In the center area below the masthead, address information may be displayed, the business's website URL, Zagat scores, categories and pricing information. Below the larger primary image on the right, is a small pinpoint map, below which can be other photos and related links.
While this change was anticipated since late last year, it's still not completely over. Some local businesses already set up Plus pages for their businesses in addition to their already-existing Place pages. Google plans on merging those preexisting pages with the newly generated ones. The Google Places dashboard will continue to be the administrative interface for these new pages, although when you're posting status updates, you'll likely be doing so from the Google+ Local page itself, just as when you post to your personal Google+ page.
Even though the dust hasn't completely settled on Google+ Local, post-launch, there are a number of clear takeaways that point to how businesses will need to adjust their online marketing plans to effectively compete.
Google Plus overall marks a significant shift in Google's focus. Until now it has not had a successful domestic social media venture. However, the implementation of Google+ beats its past, abortive attempts, and the integration is deeper with other services such as mobile apps, Google Maps, Google Latitude, and within Google's search results.
Challenge to Facebook?
While the overall usage and adoption rate for Google Plus is still well below that of Facebook, it's Google's integration in its regular keyword search results and with local search and Maps that can be expected to provide a reasonable equivalent to Facebook in many ways. Reviews and recommendations by one's friends will draw the eye to specific listings in search results, and will increase socially-influenced personalizations more and more. Listings of articles and blog posts in search results will draw the eye — and clicks — more if they are enhanced with photo icons and bylines of their authors.
But, there are more than superficial reasons to integrate more deeply with your Google+ Local pages. Beyond just the layout changes and listings getting dressed-up a bit more, it's reasonable to predict that these changes are going to have a significant impact upon rankings themselves.
Over the long term, businesses that are followed by more people in online social communities could logically be considered to be more popular than businesses with few followers. And, Google likes to quantify popularity signals to use them as potential ranking signals.
Additionally, ongoing and consistent engagement with online communities is something for which consumers have shown a preference. And, another hallmark of Google's products has been an obsessed devotion to improving the quality of user-experience with each iteration of their evolution. So, those companies that are more active on their Google+ pages may also get some beneficial treatment from Google, too.
Even if Google wasn't focused on promoting the pages that users interact-with more, Google pays attention to indications that a business is active and viable, since it's often very difficult to detect when companies have shut down. A company that posts ongoing Google+ updates is clearly still in business, and could rank higher in search listings, than companies that are not giving off any signals of activity.
There are other reasons to build communities of followers around your business and to maintain ongoing engagement with them. Developing passionate fans and friends interested in your business can give you a platform for communicating special offers, seasonal items, new products and services, and developments of interest.
For all these reasons, local businesses need to plan to develop their social media presence more through Google+. The work involved with this may be daunting for small businesses that have not already integrated social media. If this is the case, try ramping up gradually to posting status updates once a month, once every two weeks, once weekly. Different frequencies make sense for various types of businesses as well. You can also hire online marketing companies to handle this for you, too . This option that may be ideal if you have little experience in social media.
Google+ Local is on course to change the game. The practice of setting up and optimizing your business information, then merely leaving it alone is fast going to become a thing of the past. Plan now to begin developing your social media presence – whether by doing it yourself, or by hiring a company to perform social media campaigns on your behalf. Start working on it now to get ahead of your competition, and to maintain and improve your position in local search rankings.
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Comments ( 8 )
Have Something To Say ?
You forgot to mention that Google are also launching Google Business Photos that lets business owners have 'virtual tours' of their business (aka streetview) with quality point of interest images.
I was looking for a restaurant last week while the wife and I were in London to see a show. We did a local search on my phone and as Chris says above we were able to see inside a couple of restaurants. My wife picked the one she liked the look of and we called and made a booking as reviews on the page were also positive. Very nice it was too.
I did very similar thing. My husband and I were looking for a nice restaurant for our anniversary and found Mezza Luna in Cardiff which also had a 3d look around. We went there and it was as good as it looked on the internet.
The VT that this restaurant has is particularly usefull when searching for a place to eat as it realy stands out amongst other listings on the Google page. Great article for Google+
Don't forget your Mobile Strategy, Google+ has a ton of social plugs and has yet to truly tap into the power of text marketing. When it does, watch out! Local Social Strategy is crucial to foot traffic…the other commenters are proof!
Oops, I was late reading this article. It does get difficult telling clients that they need to add another social media platform. In this case Chris tells us that adding G+ is not so hard. I'm going to pass this article to my clients. It's always nice to have back-up.
Good info. Google+ is certainly challenging Facebook. It is not enough to have a "Like" button, it is necessary though to have the Google+ button. To apply the code to the backend of your website is simple.
The thing about this change for me is that I struggled as a virtual business for years to have a presence on Google Maps without having to list an address as I do not have a store.
They finally offered a service area and I was in!
But now I'm out as they've seemed to shut out my business because it doesn't have a store front.
I've offered an address where I do some business and clicked hide the address because it is a private address. Still I'm not listed and my request is "pending" how long will I be in pending is anyone's guess.
I value the search-tasticness that Google offers, but I would like to be in Google + local, just cuz.


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Front Page
In Brief
Job Postings
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About Monitor
Peter Lu
A BGSU chemist whose work has been described as "providing unprecedented insights into mechanisms of important enzymes and proteins" has been named the 2009 winner of the Olscamp Research Award. Dr. Peter Lu, Ohio Eminent Scholar in chemistry, is an internationally recognized expert in the field of single-molecule spectroscopy—the study of biological and nonbiological processes in real time.Presented Nov. 5 at the annual research and creative activity conference, the award comes with a $2,000 cash award and a reserved parking space for one year. "Dr. Lu's many accomplishments reflect positively upon our institution, and we are extremely fortunate to have him as a member of our faculty," said Dr. Michael Ogawa, chair of the chemistry department, in nominating Lu for the award.Accepting the award for Lu was Dr. Felix Castellano, who described Lu as an "absolutely fantastic colleague, who is very energetic and cares about our graduate program. He works diligently to help us all succeed as a unit."Ogawa noted the chemist's stature in his field as well as his remarkable productivity. When Lu came to BGSU in 2006, he was described by Dr. Joseph Hupp of Northwestern University as "one of a handful of pioneers in the area of biological applications of single-molecule spectroscopy."By being able to track the actions of a molecule as it interacts with other proteins and enzymes, instead of merely looking at static images, researchers can learn much more about metabolism and how to address biological problems.Since coming to Bowling Green, Lu has also applied his methods of single-molecule fluorescence spectroscopy to the study of nonbiological systems relevant to the conversion of solar energy. A grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) supports his collaborative study with a German colleague of electron-transfer reactions on semiconductor surfaces.The Olscamp award is given to a BGSU faculty member for outstanding scholarly or creative accomplishments during the previous three-year period. The quality of research is evaluated in terms of significance within the discipline, national and international import, artistic or scholarly creativity, and contribution to knowledge, culture or professional practice.Ogawa wrote, "Dr. Lu's accomplishments during his three years at Bowling Green have been simply remarkable. After quickly constructing the specialized equipment and infrastructure needed to conduct leading research in his field, Dr. Lu has produced 15 peer-reviewed publications appearing in very prestigious academic journals, has been awarded five separate federal research grants (one each from the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the NSF and the Department of Energy and two from the U.S. Army Research Office), and was invited by the Nobel Committee in Stockholm, Sweden, to present his research findings at the 2008 symposium on single-molecule spectroscopy."In addition, he has been named senior editor of the journal Nano Reviews and has been an organizer of several international symposia as well as a member of five separate NIH study section review panels.


text:
Malibu Property Management, Inc.
Malibu's Only Property Management Corporation
Malibu Property Management, Inc. offers cost effective, luxury, full-service management, leasing and investment programs designed exclusively for Malibu owners. As the first property management corporation located in and dedicated to Malibu, we understand the Malibu market and guarantee the highest level of professionalism and performance relating to your real estate needs. You can rest assured that we will always be within minutes of Malibu properties entrusted to our care.
Malibu Property Management, Inc. applies skill and experience in solving problems that typically arise in real estate transactions to ensure all parties are satisfied. We offer superior service at competitive pricing and will tailor a program to fit your specific needs. From the beginning our goal has remained the same: an unrelenting commitment to exceptional customer satisfaction. and to meeting all of your real estate needs.
Types of properties we manage:
• Single Family Homes
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• HomeOwner's and Property Owner's Associations
• Small Commercial Buildings
We look forward to assisting you and would appreciate the opportunity to discuss your specific needs. Thank you for considering Malibu Property Management, Inc.
Contact us today by calling locally at
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directly at email@example.com .
Malibu real estate partners
Jannette Frazier, realtor
License No. 01894739


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- Games for girls
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*Please excuse the mess in the background but hey this picture doubles as a sneak peak into my work station. *
So up till now, I have always been making miniature animals. Now I introduce to you...*drum roll*..... TEENIES!!
Still handmade with genuine Swarovski crystals. I have been working on these teeny animals because they are a much more suitable size for earrings and necklaces...and even charm bracelets!
The miniatures, however, are definitely not leaving. They are a suitable size for phone charms, key chains, and figurines!
So now it looks like I'm making a bunch of baby and adult animals lol but they are ALL still small nonetheless. In addition, there's a teeny strawberry ice cream and mint chocolate ice cream on the very left next to the dime, so not only are there teeny animals but also teeny desserts.
To see more of the original miniature animals so you can compare them to the teenies, please visit my shop: www.etsy.com/shop/SparkleMeHap…
Thank you!
P.S. I love comments.
Eeeeee~ The teenie seal! They are so cute! I can't believe you got your work to be even smaller! >u< I love them! Well done.
Thank you! I initially couldn't believe it too! haha I just ordered a bunch of teeny beads so I could make more.
Oh wonderful. I can't wait to see more from you
Heh! So cute and nice! ^^
aww great
They are all so0o0o0o CUTE <3 <3 <3 <3 <3
Oh my, that turtle!! So cuuuuute
Thank you!! I think small turtles are very cute so I'm glad I could make one that you think is cute as well!!
Omg...the teeny seal!!! ^_^
Heehee thanks! The teeny seal has a tendency to draw you in with its cuteness when it turns its head to the side.
oooo, i love the seal!!!
Im in love!!!!!!!!! Maaaaaaan!!!! <3333333333333333333333333333


text:
What does SKTC stand for?
What does SKTC mean? This page is about the various possible meanings of the acronym, abbreviation, shorthand or slang term: SKTC.
We've found a total of 4 definitions for SKTC:
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S K Technologies Corporation
Schwell Kopp Träscher Club
Swasthya Kalyan Technical Campus
Storekeeper (technical) Chief Petty Officer
Still can't find the acronym definition you were looking for? Use our Power Search technology to look for more unique definitions from across the web!
"SKTC." Abbreviations.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2016. Web. 6 Feb. 2016. <http://www.abbreviations.com/SKTC>.


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Open Door Art Studio welcomes dedicated volunteers who support our goals, vision and mission. Our volunteers provide meaningful opportunities through individualized education and mentoring, assisting each artist to reach their full potential.
A variety of volunteer opportunities are available to those ages 13 and above, including students who need service hours. Open Door also offers internship programs for college students majoring in visual arts or a related field.
Volunteer hours are available Tuesday through Friday 11:00 to 4:00 and for special events.
Volunteers can utilize their skills in different areas such as, but not limited to:
Share your skills and have fun working directly with the studio artists. Volunteers in the studio support our artists by helping them set up their art-making areas and by providing assistance and critique for an endless number of wonderful works. Come prepared to get your paint on!
Open Door hosts five amazing in-house exhibitions a year, and that much awesome requires a lot of hard work! Help us prepare our gallery for these exhibitions or assist at an opening reception. We'd love to find a way to include you!
There are plenty of small but important tasks that make an art studio function efficiently. We rely on volunteers to help "behind the scenes" to maintain supplies and provide our artists with a clean and organized space to create their amazing works of art.
Some school programs require an internship experience that adheres to specific guidelines. Talk to our Volunteer Coordinator to discuss how an internship experience at Open Door can be a perfect fit for you.
If you have any further questions about volunteering or internship opportunities, please contact our volunteer coordinator, Sharon Dorsey, at 614-486-4919 ext. 3104 or firstname.lastname@example.com.


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Respond to Review of Sweet Lemon Vegan Bistro
by Tigra220
Review: I was able to sample some of this restaurant's food VegFest last weekend and boy, was it tasty! I didn't have time to visit the restaurant itself, but if they can serve food that good at a convention, with limited space and accomodations, then I'm sold!
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