text:
|Average mark earned by all 3 Holyoke schools
|Written by April Peregoy
Holyoke School District, along with close to 1,800 school programs in the state, received annual report cards from the State of Colorado on Tuesday, Dec. 9.
All three schools in the Re-1J District earned an "average" ranking in academic performance for the 2007-08 school year, scoring very close to what they did one year ago on the State Accountability Reports (SAR).
In the eighth year of receiving SAR scores, this is the second year in a row that none of the schools have ranked in the high category. Schools are ranked based on results from the Colorado Student Assessment Program (CSAP) tests. Rankings range from "excellent" to "unsatisfactory."
SAR reports also indicate academic growth of students, which are rated differently this year than in years past. Rating categories are now "low," "typical" and "high" versus "significant improvement," "improvement," "stable," "decline" and "significant decline." The rating is calculated using student percentile scores matched over two years.
Holyoke Elementary School ranked "high" in the academic growth category, while both the Jr. and Sr. High schools earned "low" ratings.
Re-1J School Supt. Stephen Bohrer, along with HES principal Jennifer Kral and JR/SR High principal Susan Ortner, admitted to being somewhat disappointed by the district's results. And all three were hesitant to offer explanations as to why, comparatively, their scores were not as high as some other neighboring schools, saying they were afraid everything would "just sound like an excuse."
However, they did offer some valid points. First, in comparison with other area schools, the Re-1J district has a significantly larger percentage of ESL students.
Also, they noted the schools are lumped into three percentage groups and compared against each other to come up with the "low," "average" and "high" rankings. So even if a school sees significant improvement over a year, if all the other schools show slightly more improvement, it can still hurt the ranking.
As Kral explained it, within the three groupings, there are sub-categories of low, average and high that each individual student is placed in. "We can have a student who receives an unsatisfactory-low rating one year, and then next year gets an unsatisfactory-high."
However, even though improvement was shown, because that student is still in the "unsatisfactory" grouping, the results are counted negatively against the school.
Kral and Ortner also said there are positives to be found in the results. They like the fact the SARs are beginning to show longitudinal growth of students, rather than comparing this year's grades to the year before. While there were some drops in proficiency scores, over time, many of the grades have shown improvement.
Ortner made the following observation as well: "When you look at the number of students performing at or above proficiency, we are on the same levels as the state average," said Ortner, "and in Math, we're doing very well."
Kral added the SAR results indicate 10 percent of the district's tests could not be counted because the students were either new or unable to due to language. Yet, the district does not know how that percentage compares with other schools. "Is that 10 percent close to the number of tests that weren't counted at the other schools?" she asked. "Would it have made a big difference if they had been counted? We don't know."
The federal No Child Left Behind Act requires states to track whether schools are making Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) toward the goal of ensuring that all students know and are able to do grade-level work in reading and math.
All three Holyoke schools made AYP in reading and math. The elementary met all 30 of its targets, while JH met its 14 and HS all 10.
Many changes have been made to the SARs this year as far as the type of data that is collected. They include the following:
—school comparisons now include academic performance and growth rating by school (2006-07 only reported the Academic Performance Rating).
—student performance pie charts have been replaced by bar charts for different subgroups of School, Economically Disadvantaged, ELL, Students with Disabilities, White, Hispanic, Black, Asian and American Indian.
—teachers with tenure and no tenure are replaced with teachers with three years or more of teaching experience and teachers with less than three years of teaching experience, respectively.
—Non-CSAP Course Offerings have replaced Safe and Orderly School Features.
New additions to the SARs are:
—program type.
—school website provided.
—bar graph of the "Percent Proficient and Advanced for Elementary Grades for All Content Areas," which includes a three-year history.
—chart providing the "Student Test Scores Used for Calculating Overall Academic Performance."
—school pride and goals section.
—number of teachers with masters or doctoral degrees.
—financial information that includes long term debt proceeds, total district revenue per pupil, district per pupil operating revenue, state average per pupil operating revenue, debt service, other expenditures and capital expenditures.
Length of school year, safety and discipline total incidents reported and teacher average days absent information have all been deleted from the SAR reports.
Other data in the SAR includes:
—comparison of other schools within a 75-mile radius.
—student/teacher ratios.
—number of staff members.
—average teacher and administration salaries.
—student attendance.
—student enrollment stability.
—students eligible for free and reduced lunch.
—district taxpayer's report.
The district taxpayer's report shows Re-1J's two main sources of funds are state (48 percent) and local (29 percent) tax contributions, followed by federal (10.5 percent) and state (5.9 percent) grants. Total district operating revenue amounted to $5,756,092 in 2007.
Total district operating revenue per pupil equaled $9,941. This is well above the state average per pupil operating revenue of $6,080.
Most of the district use of funds in 2007 went into instruction and instructional support, with $3,558,502 (65 percent) being spent in that category. Administration, operational expenditures and building and facilities maintenance costs followed at 8.7, 8.5 and 8.2 percents respectively. Debt service and other expenditures made up the rest of the expense categories.
Total district operating expenditures amounted to $5,305,092. With the addition of capital expenditures of $163,776, total district use of funds for 2007 was $5,468,868. The district's total outstanding bonded debt in 2007 was $2,175,000 with an average annual percentage interest rate at 3.91 percent. The amount raised from the most recent bond was $2,125,000.
JR/SR High School
Much of the information for the junior and senior high schools accountability reports is the same since the schools have the same administrators and are located in the same building.
Both the senior and junior high schools earned an "average" ranking, the same one they received the year before. Attendance rates also remained the same as in 2006-07 at 95 percent.
A total of nine incidents were reported in the JR/SR high, four less than what was reported in 2006-07. Violations included three substance abuses (tobacco), two fights and four other violations of code of conduct.
The SAR report indicates an increase in student enrollment stability from 92.2 percent in 2006-07 to 96.2 percent this year. Students eligible for free and reduced lunch make up 24.8 percent of the schools' student populations.
Non-CSAP courses offered by Holyoke JR/SR High are art, theater, music, physical education, opportunity for civic or community engagement, internet safety program, extracurricular activities, athletics, career and technical education and advanced placement.
A comparison of Holyoke's Junior High ratings for overall academic performance to other area schools follows:
Holyoke—Average, Low
Haxtun—Average, Typical
Revere—High, No Rating
Julesburg—Average, Low
Fleming—High, Typical
Lone Star—High, No Rating
Buchanan—Average, Typical
Caliche—Average, Typical
Yuma—Average, Typical
Otis—High, Typical
Sterling—Average, Typical
A comparison of Holyoke's Senior High ratings for overall academic performance to other area schools follows:
Holyoke—Average, Low
Haxtun—Average, Typical
Revere—Average, No Rating
Julesburg—High, Typical
Fleming—Average, No Rating
Lone Star—Average, No Rating
Wray—Average, Typical
Caliche—High, Typical
Yuma—Average, Typical
Otis—High, Typical
Sterling—Average, Low
Elementary School
Holyoke Elementary School's SAR rating for academic performance remained the same this year from last at "average." Attendance figures were up slightly from 95.5 percent in 2006-07 to 95.8 percent this year.
Only three safety and discipline incidents were reported, down significantly from the 11 reported in 2006-07. All three were listed under other violations code of conduct.
At the elementary school, student enrollment stability went up from 95.4 percent in 2006-07 to 97.3 percent in 2007-08. 46.3 percent of students qualify for free and reduced lunches.
Non-CSAP courses offered by the school include art, music, physical education, internet safety program, full-day kindergarten program and a before-and-after-school care program.
A comparison of Holyoke's ratings for overall academic performance and growth rating to other area schools follows:
Holyoke—Average, Typical
Haxtun—High, Typical
Platte Valley—High, Typical
Julesburg—High, Typical
Fleming—High, Typical
Lone Star—High, High
Buchanan—Average, Low
Wray—High, Typical
Yuma—Average, Typical
Caliche—High, Typical
Kenneth P. Morris—Average, Typical


text:
Baby boomers destigmatizing Alzheimer's, linking walking and Alzheimer's, and a photo series tackles the reality of Alzheimer's (read more).
Must reads
The FDA announces it will start regulating medical-laboratory testing, more coverage on 'Alive Inside', and five reasons to be optimistic about Alzheimer's research (read more).
New drug target for Alzheimer's identified by University of Michigan researchers, the power of music for dementia patients, and dementia rates rise by more than 60% in UK (read more).
George Vradenburg talks about the importance of biomarkers, the White House announces it will hold a conference on aging in 2015, and a Q&A with World Dementia Envoy Dennis Gillings (read more).
Rep. Cathy Rodgers (R-WA) calls for increased support for medical innovation, George Vradenburg talks about the U.K.'s efforts to boost Alzheimer's research, and Roche research backs up Lilly's Alzheimer's drug results (read more).

subset: commoncrawl


text:
EQ-1 Tripod Leg Fix?
Started by RAK on Tour , Apr 06 2009 03:18 PM
7 replies to this topic
Posted 06 April 2009 - 03:18 PM
What does anyone do when the clamp at the bottom of the tripod leg cracks? The clamping screw is fine, but the black plastic that surrounds the aluminum has cracked. Are replacements available, or does one have to make a new clamp out of -- what?
Posted 06 April 2009 - 04:05 PM
Call your dealer or manufacturer and try to buy a new clamp. If that fails, try to buy a used tripod on CN or AM
Posted 07 April 2009 - 10:50 AM
Here are a couple of things I did. The first was a temporary fix done in the field but if done a little more deliberately could be permanent. I first applied a Cyanoacrylate based glue (superglue) to the both sides of the break. Once the glue got a bit tacky, I mated the break and applied light pressure until it stayed mated. Then I took some 5lb monofilament fishing line and made two tight wraps around the top of the clamp. There is a little lip around the top that makes it easier to keep the line in place. You'll also want to make sure that your first two wraps capture the bare end of the line under them. This will provide an anchor for the next steps. I pulled this as tight as I could then applied glue to the fishing line on the clamp and let it dry. This soaks in and basically fuses the line into one clean, strong band. Once the glue dried, I made several more clean orbits around the clamp applying very high tension as I did so. I then coated the new line with glue, again forming a single strong band of plastic. Once dry I snipped the line as close to repair as possible and applied one more dot of glue to keep the end down. This proved to be a very strong fix. A side benefit to this is that because monofilament is nearly transparent, the repair was barely noticeable. Total time to implement the fix was about 20 minutes. That fix was only for the top of the clamp and lasted until the bottom broke too. At that point I decided to reinforce the remaining clamps in addition to fixing the broken clamp. As before, I used superglue to mate the two sides and let it completely cure. I then took two black 6-inch zip-ties and attached them end to end to form a single long zip-tie. I put these on the top and bottom of each clamp, applied as much torque as possible and snipped the ends off . I used two shorter ties rather than on long tie because the two together form angles that mate with the clamp better then a single tie. You also get two points where torque can be applied rather than one. Total time for this fix was about an hour. I can post some pictures later today if you are interested.
Good Luck,
Good Luck,
Posted 07 April 2009 - 11:46 AM
I really appreciate the ideas! I am a little fuzzy on the zip-tie fix, so pictures would help a lot (I'm a visual learner!). I definitely would prefer repairing the clamp to fabricating something from scratch, and it will be quicker than trying to find an exact replacement part.
I really appreciate the ideas! I am a little fuzzy on the zip-tie fix, so pictures would help a lot (I'm a visual learner!). I definitely would prefer repairing the clamp to fabricating something from scratch, and it will be quicker than trying to find an exact replacement part.
Posted 07 April 2009 - 12:21 PM
I'll see what I can do picture wise. Once you see it you'll . It'll be a little later tonight. Heck, if the sky's are clear tonight it may be tomorrow.
Posted 07 April 2009 - 12:28 PM
On my EQ 2 I replace the legs with wood legs as soon as I got it.
Posted 07 April 2009 - 08:39 PM
Just for fun I re-did the repair using a single 8-inch zip tie rather than two 6 inchers joined. It worked almost as well and looks fine. Here are a couple of pics.
Posted 08 April 2009 - 09:26 AM
Thanks, Jay. I thought that's what it would look like, but a visual always makes it easier. Clever solution - cheap and functional. That's the best kind!


text:
AUBURN, Wash. (September 13, 2013) – Credit Line drew off to an easy 3 ¼-length victory Friday in the $12,700 Pilot Freight Services Purse for 3-year-old colts and geldings at Emerald Downs.
With Eliska Kubinova riding, Credit Line ran one mile in 1:36.80 and paid $16.20, $7.20 and $5.20. Bonnie Jenne is the trainer for owner Frank McDonald of Marysville, Wash.
A 3-year-old Washington-bred by Cahill Road-Kaaaching, Credit Line has a winning habit with three victories in six starts, and $16,694 in earnings. The gelding has won every other start this year, breaking his maiden in his second start June 16, followed by wins in his fourth start July 19 and his sixth start Friday. McDonald acquired Credit Line for $7,500 from his maiden victory.
Credit Line relinquished the lead briefly to 2-to-5 favorite Risky Road on the backstretch, regained command on the last turn, opened a three-length lead into the stretch and was in complete control to the wire.
Barton Hill, ridden by David G. Lopez, held second place and paid $8.20 and $4.40. Big Question finished third, paid $5.40 to show and was followed by Tale Spinner and Risky Road.
Risky Road, also a 3-year-old son of Cahill Road, entered the race in top form, compiling two wins and a second in his last four starts. But the gelding suffered through a bad trip, breaking poorly and rushing into contention, and tired late.
NOTES: Owner/trainer Bobby Pate saddled his first Emerald Downs winner as Foxie Moose ($35) rallied to win the fifth race under Jose Zunino in 1:11 for six furlongs. Pate had a good winter with a relatively small barn at Turf Paradise, compiling a 7-5-12 record in 46 starts…Trainer Rigoberto Velasquez remained red-hot with a three-win night and is on a 9-for-16 roll at Emerald Downs. Velasquez won the early daily double with Memphis Mobster ($3.40) and Mo's Flashy Date ($3), and completed the hat trick with Slew the Cat ($6.60) in race seven…Juan Gutierrez rode the first two Velasquez winners and opened a 95-91 lead over Isaias Enriquez in the jockeys' standings. Enriquez' lone win Friday was on Slew the Cat…Debbie Hoonan and Jennifer Whitaker continue their nip-and-tuck battle for honors as the track's all-time leading woman rider, with Hoonan holding a 430-429 lead including a 23-19 edge this season…Whitaker got a win Friday as 6-year-old gelding Its Our Pleasure ($7.40) won his second straight in race six…Live racing continues Saturday with first post 2 p.m. The $0.50 Pick 5 carryover is $4,521 to Saturday. The sequence begins on race four at 3:24 p.m.


text:
May 25, 2016
Blueprint Intergovernmental Agency 2000 Press Release
Tallahassee, FL- In conjunction with the improvements underway on Capital Circle Northwest/Southwest there will be intermittent lane closures along the eastbound travel lane of Gum Road daily from 7:30 a.m. until 5 p.m. beginning Monday, March 11 and continuing through Friday, March 15, 2013. Flagmen will be present to assist motorists through the work zone. Delays are anticipated, please plan accordingly.
Note: All activities are weather dependent and may be delayed or re-scheduled in the event of inclement weather.
If you have questions, please contact Blueprint 2000 at 850-219-1060. For details on this and other Blueprint 2000 projects, log on to www.blueprint2000.org.
Click Here to access the online Public Inspection File
Viewers with disabilities can get assistance accessing this station's FCC Public Inspection File by contacting the station with the information listed below. Questions or concerns relating to the accessibility of the FCC's online public file system should be directed to the FCC at 888-225-5322, 888-835-5322 (TTY), or firstname.lastname@example.com.


text:
After 5 long hours of multiple tests and a sonogram, my diagnosis was that I had a subchorionic hemorrhage. Unfortunately there is nothing that can be done for this condition except for me to take it easy and hope that my body will heal itself. Fortunately the baby is still right on track as far as it's development is concerned as has not been affected by any of this. I hope you'll understand as my posts these days will be a bit more infrequent as I try to recover. Thank you again for your continued support and well wishes!
P.S. I just announced the winner of my Monster.com BeKnown giveaway!
Ask me anything on FormSpring


text:
Day after Day Job
Day after Day Job: Our Weekly Series on Home Roasters Turning Pro
Part 3 The Heat is On
Roasting is important. I've said it in every single other place and I will continue to say it again and again. Don't tell me, or anyone, that you roasted the coffee so that you wouldn't show too much influence over it, that you're letting the coffee shine on its own. That's ridiculous and misplaced humility. Roasting is not that incredibly difficult but it does require attention and care, just like cooking anything well does. You do need to have equipment that gives you some control over the energy input and the airflow, allows you to take accurate (or at least consistent) measurements, and has a trier that you can use to observe what is happening to the coffee during the roast. Can you achieve amazing roasts on your air-popper, Behmor, or other home roasting machine? Emphatically yes, but working at a commercial scale with any kind of efficiency, while at the same time being able to have control over shaping the roast, requires these utilities.
I don't care about your logging software. I don't. Is logging and keeping records of your roasts important? Absolutely, but it is not nearly as important as a sample trier that allows you to get a decent sample so that you can see and smell what's happening to the coffee. You also need to be able to hear the first and second cracks. Coffee is not ones and zeros, and if you're roasting to numbers instead of what is...


text:
Chairman Brownback, Chairman Smith, distinguished Commissioners, I appreciate the opportunity to discuss with you the efforts of the Department of State on behalf of American families and Romanian children in need to urge the Government of Romania to live up to its international treaty commitments and allow intercountry adoptions.
The Department of State is committed to fostering an international environment for intercountry adoptions that protects the interests of orphaned and abandoned children, their birth parents, and American families. The Department's role is divided into several broad substantive areas. First, U.S. implementing legislation for the Hague Convention on Protection of Children and Cooperation in the Respect of Intercountry Adoption designates the Department of State as the central authority for the United States, and assigns regulatory and accrediting responsibilities to the Department of State.
Second, as a foreign policy matter, we encourage other nations to become parties to the Hague Convention. The U.S. Government considers this instrument to be most effective in establishing a set of internationally agreed requirements and procedures to govern intercountry adoptions. A key element of the Convention is that it identifies the advantage of a permanent family to a child for whom a suitable family has not been found in the child's country of origin.
The Department of State also has the responsibility for reviewing immigrant visa applications filed on behalf of children who have been adopted or will be adopted by American citizens. In fiscal year 2004, around the world we issued 22,884 immigrant visas to these children, enabling them to join their new families in the United States .
Romania 's child welfare and adoption systems are of continuing concern to the Department of State. In 2001, the Government of Romania imposed a moratorium on intercountry adoptions. This action was taken in response to concerns in the U.S. Government and others about the Romanian adoption system as it existed prior to 2001. Specifically, a joint U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) Report on Intercountry Adoption in Romania, published in January 2001 stated, "[T]he nature of the child welfare services in Romania…was susceptible to corrupt practices and … many of the financial resources generated for child protection programs through the intercountry adoption process were being misappropriated." The report also stated that Romania had "virtually uncontrolled adoption activities that allowed prospective adoptive parents to fly to Romania and adopt directly from the birth parents or orphanage officials…" and there was "very little focus on the use of child centered adoption procedures."
Clearly, Romania 's previous adoption laws failed to provide child welfare protections, and reform of the system was imperative. To that end, the United States , UNICEF and other countries and organizations provided suggestions and guidance to the Government of Romania as it worked to craft a revised adoption law that would meet international standards.
The Department of State worked aggressively with the Government of Romania to address these serious issues and develop a transparent adoption system. Our objectives have been to restore transparency, improve the Romanian child welfare system so that it meets international standards and lift the intercountry adoption moratorium as early as possible. The Department's efforts took on greater urgency and importance in June 2004 when the Government of Romania passed an adoption law that effectively bans intercountry adoptions from Romania by restricting such adoptions to the child's biological grandparents. This legislation went into effect on January 1, 2005.
Because the current legislation failed to include a mechanism for processing cases that were registered by Romanian officials under the moratorium, its passage effectively froze action on these cases. At the same time that the moratorium was put in place, Romania nevertheless allowed prospective parents to continue to register their applications to adopt with the Romanian government. Regrettably, this legislation is so restrictive that it has ended up harming the very children and families it ostensibly was designed to protect. Children continue to face long term institutional care – the least desirable outcome.
Romania is a party to the Hague Convention on Intercountry Adoption, and has therefore agreed to certain international standards and principles, one of which is that intercountry adoption is a legitimate option for children who cannot find permanent placement in their country of origin. However, the Romanian Government's current adoption law, by effectively closing off this option, runs directly counter to this principle and Romania 's treaty commitments. It is also inconsistent with UNICEF guidelines and with the legal framework of virtually all European Union member states.
Furthermore, the Romanian government's handling of international adoption issues over the past four years has, according to the Romanian adoption authority's own estimates, created an impasse for many hundreds of children in need of families.
I think it is important to describe to you in real terms the impact of this moratorium. Earlier in my testimony I mentioned the Department of State's responsibility for adjudicating immigrant visas. In fiscal year 2004, when we issued almost 23,000 immigrant visas to adopted children worldwide, our Embassy in Bucharest issued only fifty-seven immigrant visas to Romanian children adopted by Americans. Since January 1, 2005 our Embassy has issued precisely one of these immigrant visas. Since the moratorium began, the only immigrant visas we have been able to process have been on behalf of children who were registered for intercountry adoption before the moratorium.
Given the number of Romanian children in need and the relatively smaller number of Romanian families looking to adopt domestically, the Department of State is concerned that this law prevents thousands of Romanian children from finding permanent families to raise them.
As previously mentioned, while the moratorium was in effect between 2001 and the June 2004 passage of the current adoption law, a court order required that the Government of Romania continued to register applications to adopt Romanian children from families outside Romania , including from the United States . There are approximately 200 registered cases that involve U.S. families. Looking for a reasonable resolution to these cases has been the primary focus of the Department of State's most recent efforts.
The Department of State has repeatedly sought commitments from both the current and former Romanian governments that they would process pending cases to conclusion. The U.S. Government has held conversations with Romanian officials at all levels, including a March 2005 meeting between President Bush and President Basescu. Secretary of State Rice discussed this matter with the Romanian Foreign Minister in May 2005. Past U.S. Ambassadors to Romania and other U.S. Embassy officials in Bucharest have repeatedly discussed the issue with Romanian officials there. At every opportunity, the U.S. Government has impressed upon the Government of Romania the importance we attach to processing the pending cases to conclusion in a legal, transparent and expeditious manner.
Despite periodic commitments to establish a mechanism to resolve the pending cases, the Romanian Government has taken only tentative, intermittent steps. In fact, Romanian officials have offered many promises, but there has been little or no follow-through.
For example, in late 2004, then-Prime Ministers Nastase of Romania and Raffarin of France publicly suggested the creation of an international commission to review the pending cases. This did not happen under the former Romanian government, and its successor similarly has not pursued it.
In March 2005, Romanian President Basescu, during a visit to Washington , met with a number of American families whose adoptions are still pending and he committed to pursuing a solution to the pending U.S. cases immediately. But so far we have seen no action by the Romanian Government.
I traveled to Romania in early May 2005 and met with President Basescu, Foreign Minister Ungureanu and other officials of the Government of Romania. My message was quite clear: we need to resolve the pending intercountry adoption cases as soon as possible. I received assurances from the Romanian officials that they are committed to resolving the intercountry adoption issues. My response to these assurances was, "Hope is not a policy."
The Romanian Government has asserted that its adoption law and its failure to proceed with pending cases are being driven by concerns over Romanian accession to the European Union. It is the understanding of the Department of State, however, that there is no European Union law or regulation restricting intercountry adoptions to biological grandparents or requiring that restrictive laws be passed as a prerequisite for accession. All current EU member states with the exception of Ireland have ratified the Hague Convention.
The Department has sought clarification from the European Union on its stance with regard to Romania and its adoption legislation. I am hopeful that the European Union will be able to shed light on what are and are not the actual adoption-related requirements, if any such requirements exist, for EU candidate countries.
Chairman Brownback, Chairman Smith, it is with great disappointment that I appear before you today. After rounds of discussions and years of consultations, the fact remains that there has been no real progress. This is a humanitarian issue, a child welfare issue. Hundreds of Romanian children are being denied the opportunity to live with families that are prepared to give them a permanent, loving home and American families are being asked to suspend their lives in hopes of some future resolution. Again, I say: Hope is not a policy. The Department of State will continue to press Romania to fulfill its commitments to the U.S. Government and American families to resolve the pending cases with concrete, transparent criteria so that Romanian orphans and abandoned children can have the future they deserve.
I thank the Chairmen and the members of the Commission for your attention to this important subject. At this time I am pleased to answer any questions you might have.


text:
ATLANTA -- A 22-year old Atlanta mother faces charges for allegedly leaving her two young children at home alone, in a dark house without electricity.
Police arrested Shantonia Heard Tuesday night, when she came home to her apartment on Confederate Court in SE Atlanta. According to the police report, a security guard noticed the unit's back door open and went inside to make sure everything was alright.
Inside he found a six-year-old boy and his two-year-old sister, under the covers in a bedroom. There was no electricity to the unit. But the gas oven was on and the door left open.
"You're supposed to know better," said Marquita Crudup, a neighbor with a six year old boy of her own. "I would be worried about the house burning down, if he would open the door for someone. I just don't understand," she said.
Police say Heard told them she had gone to her cousin's apartment down the street to charge her cell phone. The police officer on scene said he was there for at least an hour before she returned, long enough to call EMS and have the children checked out before calling DFCS. According to the report, obtained by 11Alive, the children were in good health.
"When I heard about it tears came to my eyes, cuz I have grandchildren," said Augusta Little, who lives near Heard.
Heard's family says this is all a misunderstanding. One of Heard's cousins told 11Alive, she was only gone a few minutes and didn't want to wake the children.
Heard was arrested for child cruelty, but on Wednesday a judge reduced it to reckless conduct, a misdemeanor.
Neighbors, used to seeing police respond to domestic violence calls, shootings or burglaries in the complex say something about this call upset them more.
"I was more heartbroken that a child was in the house with no power, no nothing, with younger siblings. It hurt, I wanted to cry. Like it really hurt," said Cudrup.
Another woman was arrested with Heard Tuesday night. Atlanta police say they took 17-year old Angel Smith into custody for an outstanding arrest warrant in College Park.


text:
A&D Weighing Digital Pocket Scales-3.5 oz. Capacity
Use in the field, vehicle or on your desktop
The convenient size of this digital scale makes measuring soil and seed samples, small parts, postage, etc. no more than a pocket's reach away. Small 5.3"Lx3"Wx0.8"H design makes it easy to carry in your pocket, toolbox or glove box. Measures in grams, ounces, troy ounces, pennyweight and calibration weight. Auto power off after 10 minutes of inactivity. Operates up to 40 hours on two "AAA" batteries (included). Imported.
2016 Master Catalog: Page 448


text:
1960 Mercury Monterey - One And OnlyWritten by on August 1, 2004 Dan Keene's '60 Mercury
He's heard "Chrysler," "Pontiac," "Impala," "some kind of Canadian Ford," but very few people are able to identify Dan Keene's mild custom for what it really is. One old fellow at the Pomona swap meet told him, "I've worked in gas stations my whole life and I've never seen one."
Dan was driving his '48 F-1 pickup around ROD & CUSTOM's Americruise 2000 in Lincoln, Nebraska, when he spotted the car. It didn't take him more than a glimpse of the left rear taillight to know immediately that it was a '60 Merc. He'd seen his first one, driven by a neighbor lady, when he was a kid and had always liked the body style, which he says "looks like it was customized straight from the factory."
When Dan found the car in Lincoln, it was wearing a coat of "vanilla shake" primer and had a "For Sale" sign stuck on the dash. Dan didn't even have to think about whether or not to buy the car-the only things to he needed to figure out were how he was going to pay for it and how he was going to get it home. He borrowed a few bucks from his buddies and got a cash advance on his credit card to buy it. Then he talked his friend Chris Risdon into driving the Merc 1,600 miles to Southern California.
The Merc had been in storage for 25 years before the previous owner purchased it, rebuilt the stock drivetrain and suspension, and added a set of 16-inch American Torq-Thrust IIs. The interior was pretty far gone, but the car was in excellent mechanical condition, free of rust, and complete, right down to the original stainless steel and chrome. "It just needed a little attitude change," as Dan put it.
Seeing no reason to redo the former owner's work, Dan left things alone on the chassis, except for dropping the car with 2-inch lowering blocks in the rear and 1 1/2-inch dropped spindles from DC Enterprises in front. Bruce Stedman installed 11-inch power discs in front along with a GM booster and master cylinder.
The original '60 Merc 383-inch two-barrel is backed up by the factory Merc-O-Matic, which was an option on the Monterey in 1960. Joe at De Anza Muffler Service in Riverside, California, built the custom exhaust which features a pair of two-chamber turbo mufflers and 2-inch aluminized pipes.
The only area in need of serious attention was the interior. The original black brocade seats were goners, so the split bench was rebuilt and covered in buckskin and beige Naugahyde by James at A&C Upholstery in Nuevo, California. An N.O.S headliner and nylon carpet freshened up the rest of the interior. Dan's friend Minna did the wiring and installed the Clarion sound system.
On the outside, Dan kept most of the trim pieces but cleaned the gunsight ornaments from the front fenders and eliminated any exterior lettering that would help people identify the car. He still runs the 16x8 Torq-Thrust IIs, shod with P225/60R16 radial rubber. Dan admitted, "I can paint but not well enough to please myself," so LaRo's Creations in Hemet, California, prepped the well-preserved body and shot the DuPont three-stage paint. The colors are Cadillac White Diamond Pearl with Smokey Carmel Metallic.
Dan has a hunch this is the only '60 Mercury Monterey custom out there. When it comes to bona fide "one-of-a-kind" customs, this is it.


text:
Bricks Breaking
43 Online
Log In to play with your friends
Hello Gamer!
You must sign in to play this game.Sign In
Your high score
Select a Chat Room
Select Room
Players (0)
Hello Gamer!Sign In
There's a bunch of players chatting here, and you're missing the party. Sign in to join the party.
The best way to handle abusive players is to 'Ignore' them.
User you are reporting:xxxxx
Please select the type of abuse:
Please include a comment to describe the incident:
by Absolutist
Clickz! is a Flash & Fresh idea for all fast paced puzzle fans;)! Your task is to have fun and clear the playfield clicking on the groups of 3 or more equal figures and changing the color of the tiles to white. When you match the group of figures – they disappear and the color of tiles changes. Make sure that you have nothing urgent to do before you start playing our addicting puzzle. Good luck and have fun!
Report an Issue
Related Games


text:
Much Shelist is a full-service law firm serving start-up, small and mid-market businesses, and venture capital investors, private equity funds and family offices that invest in them and support their growth. The firm advises early-stage technology and growth enterprises in start-up matters and venture capital transactions. Much Shelist continues to support those enterprises as they grow by providing advice on the full spectrum of legal and business matters a start-up or growth-stage company is likely to encounter, including issues related to employees and other service providers, intellectual property rights and licensing, and negotiations with vendors and strategic partners. The firm also represents clients in litigation, mergers and acquisitions and other extraordinary matters. Much Shelist is headquartered in Chicago and has a branch office in California.
Leavitt Siegal LLC is a boutique tax and accounting firm servicing entrepreneurs, funded start-ups and small and midsized businesses. The partners, Karen Leavitt and Sandra Siegal, have a combined 45 years of experience working with individuals and their businesses. Previous to working with us, many of our clients felt that over the years their accountants weren't giving them the personal attention they deserved. That they were viewed as a number, not as an individual. At Leavitt Siegal LLC, we understand that feeling. That is why we started our firm. We handle every single one of our clients, big or small, with the personal touch they deserve. We take pride in building a lifelong relationship with all our clients. That's why our motto "Proven Experience with a Personal Touch isn't just a slogan, but a set of values we live by.
Wintrust Financial Corporation is a financial services holding company with $17.5 billion in assets. Comprised of 15 community bank charters and more than 100 locations in Chicagoland and Wisconsin, Wintrust offers a real commercial banking advantage over the big banks and smaller community banks in our area. We pride ourselves on local decision making and servicing of our commercial clients. Our commercial banking staff is well versed in all aspects of corporate finance and they provide a customer-focused approach to banking. You won't find a better team of bankers to meet the capital and cash management requirements necessary to help your business grow.


text:
Faber Cylinders for scuba diving are manufactured from steel plates to ensure light tanks with the right buoyancy.
1. The material (steel plate) is carefully selected depending on its eventual use conditions, after verifying the chemical, physical, mechanical characteristics.
2. The design of Faber cylinders uses not only specified calculation formulae but also linear finite element analysis. The calculated data are then verified experimentally using strain-gauge measurements.
3. The fracture mechanics analysis of the steel allows us to define the maximum permissible defects in the cylinders, in order to enable us:
- to establish the non-destructive tests during production
- to guarantee the product fatigue life
- to demonstrate that a leak precedes the hypothetical burst of the cylinder (LBB)
4. The cylinders' surface protection is considered to be a function of the various environmental conditions of use and of the various corrosion agents.
5. Faber's cylinders are manufactured according to a quality control program certified to ISO 9001 and ISO / TS 16949 (where applicable).
Design Tests and Analyses are performed for new design approvals of diving cylinders:
- On materials
- Mechanical tests: tensile, elongation, impact, toughness, ductility, stress-cracking
- Chemical analysis
- On prototype cylinders (check of safety performances)
- Hydraulic burst test
- Pressure cycling test
- Ductility and impact resistance test
- Environmental test
- Extreme temperatures monotonic and cycling tests
- Flawed cylinder burst test
Production tests
During production all the cylinders are subject to:
- Hardness test
- Ultrasonic inspection
- Hydraulic (proof and volumetric expansion) if required by the standard tests
- Leak test on spun cylinders
- Check of the critical dimensions and of the threads
- Check of the marking
- Check of the specified internal and external surface finish
- Flawed cylinders burst-test
If you are already using steel tanks when diving you don't need to be convinced about the advantages of steel. Just make sure that next time you purchase a tank the FABER stamp is on it (go to How to recognize Faber Cylinders).
If you are not using steel cylinders, try to use one and you will soon realise what you have been missing.


text:
Options: Family Physicians and Obstetricians for Maternity Care
What types of caregivers provide maternity care? What are my options?
What are the "Midwifery model of care" and the "Medical model of care"?
What are characteristics of medical training and practice for maternity care?
Where do physicians practice? What are trends in the use of physician care?
What types of physicians provide maternity care?
What types of caregivers provide maternity care? What are my options?Several types of midwives and several types of physicians provide prenatal care, attend births, and care for women after birth in the United States. This page provides information about these options.
The great majority of childbearing women in the U.S. are well and healthy, and can consider choosing from among the full range of maternity caregivers. If you have a serious medical condition or are at high-risk for developing such a condition, you will probably want to (1) be in the care of a doctor who has completed a residency and is board-certified in obstetrics (see below), and (2) plan to give birth in a hospital. Maternity caregivers understand and can advise you about situations that may call for more specialized care.
What are the "Midwifery model of care" and the "Medical model of care"?Views of the childbearing process and of appropriate care for childbearing women vary. Two contrasting perspectives are often called the "midwifery Model of Care" and the "Medical Model of Care." There are striking differences in the two models. These differences can have a great impact on your experience and outcomes.
Here are some contrasts between the two models:
Naturally, the midwifery model describes the practice of many midwives, and the medical model describes the practice of many doctors. But many caregivers combine elements of both. It is possible, but less common, to find doctors whose practice most closely resembles the midwifery model of care and midwives whose practice most closely resembles the medical model.
Thinking about these different views can help you to understand your own values and ideas about pregnancy and birth, and can help you select a caregiver who is compatible with your needs and values. Many women have a clear preference for one or the other of these models.
Physicians and Maternity Care
What are characteristics of medical training and practice for maternity care?Medical training for maternity care emphasizes expertise in identifying and managing risks and complications. For this reason, doctors who provide maternity care, and especially obstetric specialists, are optimal caregivers for women with serious health problems or risks for such problems.
Because of this focus on problems, medical maternity care may emphasize physical concerns and give less attention to emotional matters or normal childbearing processes. From this perspective, many tests and treatments may be recommended for well women to be sure nothing is wrong or in case a problem may arise. The role of the doctor may be to take charge by managing care and delivering the baby. Rules, restrictions, and routines may be applied to most women.
Where do physicians practice? What are trends in the use of physician care?Nearly all physician-attended births in the U.S. are in hospitals. A small number of physicians attend births in out-of-hospital birth centers or in homes. They provide prenatal care and care after birth in office settings.
Physicians attend over 90 percent of births in the U.S. at this time. With the growth of midwifery care in the U.S. during the last quarter century, this proportion has been declining.
What types of physicians provide maternity care?Family physicians (FPs) are doctors who provide cradle-to-grave care to the whole family and approach care from a family-oriented perspective. They address needs and concerns relating to all bodily systems. This means that they can provide ongoing care for mothers, babies, and other family members.
Roughly 25 percent of family practice physicians provide maternity care and attend births. They may work together with an obstetrician or refer to an obstetrician if a complication arises. Quite a few FPs are trained in surgery and perform cesarean sections. A "board-certified" family physician has: received an MD or DO degree from an accredited school, completed three years of training and practice in an accredited family practice residency program, and passed an examination given by the American Board of Family Practice. All 50 states license family physicians.
Studies comparing practice styles of family physicians to other maternity caregivers have generally found that women using FPs are more likely than midwives and less likely than obstetricians to have common maternity interventions, such as cesarean section, episiotomy, and labor induction. FPs may combine both an obstetric style of maternity practice and a view of childbirth as an important family event and normal life process. Within family medicine, general family care leads seamlessly to maternity care. And maternity care leads directly into women's postpartum health care, and newborn and baby care.
Obstetricians are doctors who have special training in prenatal care, labor, birth, high-risk pregnancy, and surgery. Many obstetricians also provide gynecological care and other health services to women.
Obstetricians are well-suited to care for women with established serious medical problems or who are at high risk for developing such problems. Many obstetricians approach birth as a medical event best managed by highly trained specialists. Obstetricians tend to have higher rates of interventions (such as cesareans and episiotomy) than family physicians and midwives, even when the health status and risk level of women is similar.
Providers who are "board-certified" in obstetrics and gynecology have: received an MD or DO degree (see below) from an accredited school, completed at least four years of training and practice in an accredited obstetrics and gynecology residency program, and passed an examination given by the American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology. All 50 states license obstetricians.
Osteopaths (DOs) are graduates of accredited colleges of osteopathic medicine. Osteopathic medicine complements use of medical tests and treatments with hands-on diagnosis and treatment known as "osteopathic manipulative treatment." This approach gives special attention to muscles, bones, and nerves. Nearly all DOs complete residency training in a specialized area of medicine. Osteopaths trained in family medicine or in obstetrics and gynecology may provide maternity care. Osteopaths are "board-certified" in these specialties if they receive the DO degree, complete an accredited residency program, and pass the examination given by the American Board of Family Practice, The American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology, or the corresponding specialty boards of the American Osteopathic Association. All 50 states license DOs, and they attend about four percent of births in the U.S.
We do not have good information to help us characterize the maternity care practice style of osteopaths. Osteopaths may combine both an obstetric style of maternity practice and a view of childbirth as a normal physiological process.
Most recent page update: 3/15/2011
© 2016 National Partnership for Women & Families. All rights reserved.
Founded in 1918, Childbirth Connection has joined forces with and become a core program of the National Partnership for Women & Families. Together, these two women's health powerhouses are transforming maternity care in the United States.
News and Features
Featured Resource
Check out our resource, "Hormonal Physiology of Childbearing: Evidence and Implications for Women, Babies, and Maternity Care"
Read more
Special Announcement
Childbirth Connection has joined forces with and become a core program of the National Partnership for Women & Families.
Read more
Our Vision
We want all women and babies receive the best possible maternity care.
Play video
Get Involved


text:
For the most current version of this Note, see Background Notes A-Z.
Republic of Kenya
Area: 582,646 sq. km. (224,960 sq mi.); slightly smaller than Texas.
Cities: Capital--Nairobi (pop. 2.9 million; 2007 est.). Other cities--Mombasa (828,500; 2006 est.), Kisumu (650,846; 2005-6), Nakuru (1.3 million; 2005-6), Eldoret (193,830; 1999).
Terrain: Kenya rises from a low coastal plain on the Indian Ocean in a series of mountain ridges and plateaus which stand above 3,000 meters (9,000 ft.) in the center of the country. The Rift Valley bisects the country above Nairobi, opening up to a broad arid plain in the north. Highlands cover the south before descending to the shores of Lake Victoria in the west.
Climate: Tropical in south, west, and central regions; arid and semi-arid in the north and the northeast.
Nationality: Noun and adjective--Kenyan(s).
Population (June 2007 est.): 37.9 million.
Major ethnic groups: Kikuyu 22%, Luyia 14%, Luo 14%, Kalenjin 11%, Kamba 11%, Kisii 6%, Meru 5%.
Religions: Christian 80%, Muslim 10%, traditional African religions 9%, Hindu/Sikh/Baha'i/Jewish 1%.
Languages: English (official), Swahili (national), over 40 other languages from the Bantu, Nilotic, and Cushitic linguistic groups.
Education: First 8 years of primary school are provided tuition-free by the government. In January 2008, the government began offering a program of free secondary education, subject to some restrictions. Attendance--92% for primary grades. Adult literacy rate--74%.
Health: Infant mortality rate--57.4/1,000. Life expectancy--55.3 yrs (2007 est.).
Work force (1.95 million formal sector wage earners): public sector 30%; private sector 70%. Informal sector workers--6.4 million. Services--45%; industry and commerce--35%; agriculture--20%. Structure of Economy (% of GDP) Services--58.2%; industry and commerce--19%; agriculture--2%.
Type: Republic.
Independence: December 12, 1963.
Constitution: 1963.
Branches: Executive--president (chief of state, commander in chief of armed forces), prime minister (head of government), and two deputy prime ministers. Legislative--unicameral National Assembly (parliament). Judicial--Court of Appeal, High Court, various lower and special courts, includes Kadhi (Sharia) courts.
Administrative subdivisions: 69 districts, joined to form 7 rural provinces. The Nairobi area has special provincial status. The government has gazetted 37 new districts. The process of establishing these districts is ongoing.
Political parties: Over 100 registered political parties. Two coalitions, the Party of National Unity (PNU) and the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM), dominate the political party scene. PNU membership is filled by parties representing Kikuyu and closely related ethnic groups; ODM membership ranks are filled by parties representing nearly everybody else. PNU and ODM agreed in February 2008 to form a grand coalition government in a power-sharing arrangement that ended the political crisis erupting after disputed national elections in December 2007.
Suffrage: Universal at 18.
GDP (2007 est.): $29.5 billion.
Annual growth rate (2008): 2.5%.
Gross national income per capita (2007): $680 (Atlas Method).
Natural resources: Wildlife, soda ash, land.
Agriculture: Products--tea, coffee, sugarcane, horticultural products, corn, wheat, rice, sisal, pineapples, pyrethrum, dairy products, meat and meat products, hides, skins. Arable land--5%.
Industry: Types--petroleum products, grain and sugar milling, cement, beer, soft drinks, textiles, vehicle assembly, paper and light manufacturing.
Trade (2007): Exports--$4 billion: tea, coffee, horticultural products, petroleum products, cement, pyrethrum, soda ash, sisal, hides and skins, fluorspar. Major export markets--Uganda, United Kingdom, Tanzania, Netherlands, United States, Pakistan, United Arab Emirates. Imports--$8.5 billion: machinery, vehicles, crude petroleum, iron and steel, resins and plastic materials, refined petroleum products, pharmaceuticals, paper and paper products, fertilizers, wheat. Major suppliers--United Arab Emirates, India, China, United States, Japan, South Africa, United Kingdom, Germany.
Kenya has a very diverse population that includes three of Africa's major sociolinguistic groups: Bantu (67%), Nilotic (30%), and Cushitic (3%). Kenyans are deeply religious. About 80% of Kenyans are Christian, 10% Muslim, and 10% follow traditional African religions or other faiths. Most city residents retain links with their rural, extended families and leave the city periodically to help work on the family farm. About 75% of the work force is engaged in agriculture, mainly as subsistence farmers. The national motto of Kenya is Harambee, meaning "pull together." In that spirit, volunteers in hundreds of communities build schools, clinics, and other facilities each year and collect funds to send students abroad.
Kenya has six full-pledged public universities: University of Nairobi, Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology, Egerton University, Moi University, Maseno University, Masinde Muliro University (most of these universities also have constituent colleges); and approximately 13 private universities, including United States International University. Public and private universities have a total enrollment of approximately 50,000 students with about 80% of these being enrolled in public universities (representing 25% of students who qualify for university admission). In addition more than 60,000 students enroll in middle-level colleges, where they study career courses leading to certificate, diploma, and higher diploma awards. International universities and colleges have also established campuses in Kenya where students enroll for distance learning and other flexible programs. Other Kenyan students pursue their university education abroad.
Fossils found in East Africa suggest that protohumans roamed the area more than 20 million years ago. Recent finds near Kenya's Lake Turkana indicate that hominids lived in the area 2.6 million years ago.
Cushitic-speaking people from what is now Sudan and Ethiopia moved into the area that is now Kenya beginning around 2000 BC. Arab traders began frequenting the Kenya coast around the first century AD. Kenya's proximity to the Arabian Peninsula invited colonization, and Arab and Persian settlements sprouted along the coast by the eighth century. During the first millennium AD, Nilotic and Bantu peoples moved into the region, and the latter now comprise two thirds of Kenya's population. The Swahili language, a Bantu language with significant Arabic vocabulary, developed as a trade language for the region.
Arab dominance on the coast was interrupted for about 150 years following the arrival of the Portuguese in 1498. British exploration of East Africa in the mid-1800s eventually led to the establishment of Britain's East African Protectorate in 1895. The Protectorate promoted settlement of the fertile central highlands by Europeans, dispossessing the Kikuyu and others of their land. Some fertile and well watered parts of the Rift Valley inhabited by the Maasai and the western highlands inhabited by the Kalenjin were also handed over to European settlers. For other Kenyan communities, the British presence was slight, especially in the arid northern half of the country. The settlers were allowed a voice in government even before Kenya was officially made a British colony in 1920, but Africans were prohibited from direct political participation until 1944 when a few appointed (but not elected) African representatives were permitted to sit in the legislature.
From 1952 to 1959, Kenya was under a state of emergency arising from the "Mau Mau" insurgency against British colonial rule in general and its land policies in particular. This rebellion took place almost exclusively in the highlands of central Kenya among the Kikuyu people. Tens of thousands of Kikuyu died in the fighting or in the detention camps and restricted villages. British losses were about 650. During this period, African participation in the political process increased rapidly.
The first direct elections for Africans to the Legislative Council took place in 1957. Kenya became independent on December 12, 1963, and the next year joined the Commonwealth. Jomo Kenyatta, an ethnic Kikuyu and head of the Kenya African National Union (KANU), became Kenya's first President. The minority party, Kenya African Democratic Union (KADU), representing a coalition of small ethnic groups that had feared dominance by larger ones, dissolved itself in 1964 and joined KANU.
A small but significant leftist opposition party, the Kenya People's Union (KPU), was formed in 1966, led by Jaramogi Oginga Odinga, a former Vice President and Luo elder. The KPU was banned shortly thereafter, however, and its leader detained. KANU became Kenya's sole political party. At Kenyatta's death in August 1978, Vice President Daniel arap Moi, a Kalenjin from Rift Valley province, became interim President. By October of that year, Moi became President formally after he was elected head of KANU and designated its sole nominee for the presidential election.
In June 1982, the National Assembly amended the constitution, making Kenya officially a one-party state. Two months later, young military officers in league with some opposition elements attempted to overthrow the government in a violent but ultimately unsuccessful coup. In response to street protests and donor pressure, Parliament repealed the one-party section of the constitution in December 1991. In 1992, independent Kenya's first multiparty elections were held. Divisions in the opposition contributed to Moi's retention of the presidency in 1992 and again in the 1997 election. Following the 1997 election Kenya experienced its first coalition government as KANU was forced to cobble together a majority by bringing into government a few minor parties.
In October 2002, a coalition of opposition parties formed the National Rainbow Coalition (NARC). In December 2002, the NARC candidate, Mwai Kibaki, was elected the country's third President. President Kibaki received 62% of the vote, and NARC also won 59% of the parliamentary seats. Kibaki, a Kikuyu from Central province, had served as a member of parliament since Kenya's independence in 1963. He served in senior posts in both the Kenyatta and Moi governments, including Vice President and Finance Minister. In 2003, internal conflicts disrupted the NARC government. In 2005 these conflicts came into the open when the government put its draft constitution to a public referendum--key government ministers organized the opposition to the draft constitution, which was defeated soundly. In 2007 two principal leaders of the movement to defeat the draft constitution, Raila Odinga and Kalonzo Musyoka--both former Kibaki allies--were presidential candidates for the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) party and the Orange Democratic Movement-Kenya (ODM-K) party, respectively. In September 2007, President Kibaki and his allies formed the coalition Party of National Unity (PNU). KANU joined the PNU coalition, although it was serving in parliament as the official opposition party.
On December 27, 2007, Kenya held presidential, parliamentary, and local government elections. While the parliamentary and local government elections were largely credible, the presidential election was seriously flawed, with irregularities in the vote tabulation process as well as turnout in excess of 100% in some constituencies. On December 30, the chairman of the Electoral Commission of Kenya declared incumbent Mwai Kibaki as the winner of the presidential election. Violence erupted in different parts of Kenya as supporters of opposition candidate Raila Odinga and supporters of Kibaki clashed with police and each other. The post-election crisis left about 1,500 Kenyans dead, and about 500,000 people were displaced. In order to resolve the crisis, negotiation teams representing PNU and ODM began talks under the auspices of former UN Secretary General Kofi Annan and the Panel of Eminent African Persons (Benjamin Mkapa of Tanzania and Graca Machel of Mozambique). On February 28, 2008, President Kibaki and Raila Odinga signed a power-sharing agreement, which provided for the establishment of a prime minister position (to be filled by Odinga) and two deputy prime minister positions, as well as the division of an expanded list of cabinet posts according to the parties' proportional representation in parliament. On March 18, 2008, the Kenyan parliament amended the constitution and adopted legislation to give legal force to the agreement. On April 17, 2008 the new coalition cabinet and Prime Minister Odinga were sworn in. The Kofi Annan-led political settlement also set out a reform agenda to address underlying causes of the post-election violence. The focus is on constitutional, electoral, land, and institutional reform as well as increased accountability. Negotiation on many key elements of reform is ongoing.
The unicameral National Assembly consists of 210 members elected to a term of 5 years from single-member constituencies, plus 12 members nominated by political parties on a proportional representation basis. The president appoints the vice president; under the power-sharing agreement, the president with the agreement of the prime minister makes the initial appointment of cabinet members from among those elected to the assembly. Subsequent cabinet appointments are made by the president in consultation with the prime minister, in accord with the power-sharing agreement's proportional division of cabinet positions. The attorney general and the speaker are ex-officio members of the National Assembly.
The judiciary is headed by a High Court, consisting of a Chief Justice and High Court judges and judges of Kenya's Court of Appeal, all appointed by the president.
Local administration is divided among 69 rural districts, each headed by a commissioner appointed by the president. The government has proposed 37 more districts, but these are not yet ratified by parliament. The districts are joined to form seven rural provinces. Nairobi has special provincial status. The Ministry of State in charge of Provincial Administration and Internal Security supervises the administration of districts and provinces.
Principal Government Officials
President--Mwai Kibaki
Vice President--Kalonzo Musyoka
Prime Minister--Raila Odinga
Minister of Foreign Affairs--Moses Wetangula
Ambassador to the United States--Peter Ogego
Ambassador to the United Nations--Zachary Muita-Muburi
Consulate General Los Angeles--Peter Macharia, Acting
Kenya maintains an embassy in the United States at 2249 R Street NW, Washington, DC 20008 (tel. 202-387-6101, website: http://www.kenyaembassy.com) and consulates in Los Angeles and New York.
Until post-election political unrest struck in early 2008, Kenya had, since independence, maintained considerable stability despite changes in its political system and crises in neighboring countries. This had been particularly true since the re-emergence of multiparty democracy and the accompanying increase in freedom (including freedom of speech, the press, and assembly).
In December 2002, Kenyans held democratic and open elections, which were judged free and fair by international observers. The 2002 elections marked an important turning point in Kenya's democratic evolution as the presidency and the parliamentary majority passed from the party that had ruled Kenya since independence to a coalition of new political parties. The government lost a referendum over its draft constitution in November 2005. This vote too was widely accepted as free, fair, and credible.
Under the first presidency of Mwai Kibaki, the NARC coalition promised to focus its efforts on generating economic growth, improving and expanding education, combating corruption, and rewriting the constitution. The first two goals were largely met, but progress toward the second two goals was limited. President Kibaki's cabinet from 2002-2005 consisted of members of parliament from allied parties and others recruited from opposition parties who joined the cabinet without the approval of their party leaderships.
In early 2006, revelations from investigative reports of two major government-linked corruption scandals rocked Kenya and led to resignations, including three ministers (one of whom was later re-appointed). In March 2006, another major scandal was uncovered involving money laundering and tax evasion in the Kenyan banking system. The government's March 2006 raid on the Standard Group media house conducted by masked Kenyan police was internationally condemned and was met with outrage by Kenya media and civil society. The government did not provide a sufficient explanation. No one has been held accountable.
The December 2007 elections were marred by serious irregularities, and set off a wave of violence throughout Kenya. Following the February 2008 signing of a power-sharing agreement between President Kibaki and the opposition, a new coalition cabinet was sworn in April 2008, headed by Prime Minister Odinga. The 42-member cabinet is the largest in Kenya's history and includes new ministries for cooperative development, Northern Kenya development, and Nairobi metropolitan development. Several ministries were also subdivided, creating a number of new cabinet positions.
The coalition government is focused on its ambitious reform agenda, aimed at avoiding a repeat of early 2008's post-election political and ethnic violence. The government plans to draft a new constitution by mid-2009, specifically to address the structure of government to create a more effective system of checks and balances, and land rights issues.
After independence, Kenya promoted rapid economic growth through public investment, encouragement of smallholder agricultural production, and incentives for private (often foreign) industrial investment. Gross domestic product (GDP) grew at an annual average of 6.6% from 1963 to 1973. Agricultural production grew by 4.7% annually during the same period, stimulated by redistributing estates, diffusing new crop strains, and opening new areas to cultivation. After experiencing moderately high growth rates during the 1960s and 1970s, Kenya's economic performance during the 1980s and 1990s was far below its potential. The economy grew by an annual average of only 1.5% between 1997 and 2002, which was below the population growth estimated at 2.5% per annum, leading to a decline in per capita incomes. The decline in economic performance was largely due to inappropriate agricultural, land, and industrial policies compounded by poor international terms of trade. Increased government intrusion into the private sector and import substitution policies made manufacturing sector uncompetitive. The policy environment along with tight import controls, and foreign exchange controls made the domestic environment for investment unattractive for both foreign and domestic investors.
From 1991 to 1993, Kenya had its worst economic performance since independence. Growth in GDP stagnated, and agricultural production shrank at an annual rate of 3.9%. Inflation reached a record 100% in August 1993, and the government's budget deficit was over 10% of GDP. As a result of these combined problems, bilateral and multilateral donors suspended program aid to Kenya in 1991. In the mid-1990s, the government implemented economic reform measures to stabilize the economy and restore sustainable growth. In 1994, nearly all administrative controls on producer and retail prices, imports, foreign exchange and grain marketing were removed. The Government of Kenya privatized a range of publicly owned companies, reduced the number of civil servants, and introduced conservative fiscal and monetary policies. By the mid-1990s, the government lifted price controls on petroleum products. In 1995, foreigners were allowed to invest in the Nairobi Stock Exchange (NSE). In July 1997, the Government of Kenya refused to meet commitments made earlier to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) on governance reforms. As a result, the IMF suspended lending for 3 years, and the World Bank also put a $90-million structural adjustment credit on hold.
The Government of Kenya took some positive steps on reform, including the establishment of the Kenyan Anti-Corruption Authority in 1999, and the adoption of measures to improve the transparency of government procurements and reduce the government payroll. In July 2000, the IMF signed a $150 million Poverty Reduction and Growth Facility (PRGF), and the World Bank followed suit shortly after with a $157 million Economic and Public Sector Reform credit. The Anti-Corruption Authority was declared unconstitutional in December 2000, and other parts of the reform effort faltered in 2001. The IMF and World Bank again suspended their programs.
Economic growth began to recover after 2002, registering 2.8% growth in 2003, 4.3% in 2004, 5.8% in 2005, 6.1% in 2006, and 7.0% in 2007. However, the violence that broke out after the December 27, 2007 general election paralyzed the economy in January and early February 2008 and closed the Northern Corridor in Rift Valley province, cutting off vital shipments of fuel and other goods to Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo and South Sudan. Tourists fled, and agricultural production in the breadbasket Rift Valley region was crippled. The manufacturing sector had to cut back operations by 70%, as unsafe roads prevented movement of workers, inputs, or products, and congestion at the Port of Mombasa slowed imports and exports. The signing of a reconciliation agreement on February 28, 2008 put the economy back on track, but the damage in the first quarter to agriculture, tourism, consumption, investment, and the financial, transport, and construction sectors shaved 2008 economic growth from the 8% forecast to below 3%. Governments in major source countries for tourists to Kenya have lifted their travel advisories, and the Kenyan Government and tourism industry will make strenuous efforts to bring tourists back, but revenues were a small fraction of the approximately $1 billion earned in 2007.
During President Kibaki's first term in office (2003-2007), the Government of Kenya began an ambitious economic reform program and resumed its cooperation with the World Bank and the IMF. The National Rainbow Coalition (NARC) government enacted the Anti-Corruption and Economic Crimes Act and Public Officers Ethics Act in May 2003 aimed at fighting graft in public offices. There was some movement to reduce corruption in 2003, but the government did not sustain that momentum. Other reforms, especially in the judiciary, public procurement, etc., led to the unlocking of donor aid and a renewed hope of economic revival.
In November 2003, following the signing into law of key anti-corruption legislation and other reforms by the Kibaki government, donors reengaged as the IMF approved a three-year $250 million Poverty Reduction and Growth Facility (PRGF) and donors committed $4.2 billion in support over 4 years. In December 2004, the IMF approved Kenya's Poverty Reduction and Growth Facility arrangement equivalent to U.S. $252.8 million to support the government's economic and governance reforms. The IMF program concluded without full implementation and the Government of Kenya currently has no IMF program.
The government's ability to stimulate economic demand through fiscal and monetary policy remains fairly limited, while the pace at which the government is pursuing reforms in other key areas remains slow. The Privatization Law was enacted in 2005, but only became operational as of January 1, 2008. Parastatals Kenya Electricity Generating Company (KenGen), Telkom Kenya, and Kenya Re-Insurance have been privatized. Kenya Railways is operating under a long-term management concession, and the government sold 25% of Safaricom (10 billion shares) in 2008, reducing its share to 35%. Accelerating growth to achieve Kenya's potential and reduce the poverty that afflicts about 46% of its population will require continued de-regulation of business, improved delivery of government services, addressing structural reforms, massive investment in new infrastructure (especially roads), reduction of chronic insecurity caused by crime, and improved economic governance generally. The government's Vision 2030 plan calls for these reforms, but implementation will be delayed by the reconstruction effort, coalition politics, and line ministries' limited capacity. In June 2008, the government introduced a revised but still ambitious Vision 2030 plan that seeks to address the economic challenges stemming from the political crisis while still striving to meet growth benchmarks.
Economic expansion is fairly broad-based and is built on a stable macro-environment fostered by government, and the resilience, resourcefulness, and improved confidence of the private sector. Despite the post-election crisis, Nairobi continues to be the primary communication and financial hub of East Africa. It enjoys the region's best transportation linkages, communications infrastructure, and trained personnel, although these advantages are less prominent than in past years. On January 31, 2007, the government signed a $2.7 million contract with Tyco Telecommunications to perform an undersea survey for the construction of a fiber-optic cable to Fujairah in the United Arab Emirates (U.A.E.) called the East African Marine Systems (TEAMS). Two other fiber-optic cables projects are being pursued to link Kenya to the rest of East Africa and India. Once TEAMS and the domestic fiber-optic cables planned by the government are completed, the economy is expected to benefit significantly from reduced internet access prices and improved capacity. A wide range of foreign firms maintain regional branches or representative offices in the city.
In 2007, horticulture exports rose 65% to U.S. $1.12 billion, surpassing tourism as the largest foreign exchange earner. Tourism earned Kenya U.S. $972 million in 2007, up from U.S. $803 million in 2006, followed by tea exports of U.S. $638.9 million. Africa is Kenya's largest export market, followed by the European Union (EU). Kenya benefits significantly from the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA), but the apparel industry is struggling to hold its ground against Asian competition. Currently there are 21 apparel factories and one yarn factory operating in the Export Processing Zones. Ninety-eight percent of AGOA exports are garments, and Kenya's garment exports under AGOA fell from U.S. $265 million in 2006 to U.S. $245 million in 2008.
Kenya does not systematically collect foreign direct investment (FDI) statistics and its historical performance in attracting FDI has been relatively weak. The stock of FDI in 2005 was estimated to be about $1.04 billion, less than half of that in neighboring Tanzania. Net foreign direct investment (FDI) was negative from 2000-2003, but started trickling back in 2004 and showed a significant increase in 2007.Remittances are Kenya's single largest source of foreign exchange. According to the World Bank's Migrations and Remittances Factbook 2008, remittances rose from U.S. $338.3 million in 2004 to U.S. $1.3 billion in 2007, equivalent to 5.3% of the GDP, but there was a significant decrease in 2008.
Kenya faces profound environmental challenges brought on by high population growth, deforestation, shifting climate patterns, and the overgrazing of cattle in marginal areas in the north and west of the country. Significant portions of the population will continue to require emergency food assistance in the coming years.Kenya is pursuing regional economic integration, which will enhance long-term growth prospects. In March 1996, the Presidents of Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda re-established the East African Community (EAC). The EAC's objectives include harmonizing tariffs and customs regimes, free movement of people, and improving regional infrastructures. In March 2004, the three East African countries signed a Customs Union Agreement paving the way for a common market. The Customs Union and a Common External Tariff were established on January 1, 2005, but the EAC countries are still working out exceptions to the tariff. Rwanda and Burundi joined the community in July 2007. In May 2007, during a Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) Summit, 13 heads of state endorsed a move to adopt a COMESA customs union and set December 8, 2008 as the target date for its adoption. In October 2008, the heads of state of EAC, COMESA, and SADC agreed to work toward a free trade area among all three economic groups with the eventual goal of establishing a customs union.
The key independent print media in Kenya are the Nation Media Group, the Standard Group, People Limited, and the Times Media Group. The Nation Media Group publications, which include the Daily Nation, the Sunday Nation, the Business Daily, the weekly East African, and the only Swahili publications, Taifa Leo and Taifa Jumapili, have the largest circulations. The Standard and the Sunday Standard, published by the Standard Group, are also popular newspapers, although with smaller circulations. Approximately 120 foreign correspondents representing 100 media organizations report from Nairobi. There is no government-owned or controlled newspaper.
Major independent radio and television media are the Kenya Television Network (KTN), the broadcast media arm of the Standard Group; Nation Radio/TV, owned by the Nation Media Group; and Citizen Radio/Television, owned by Royal Media Services. The government owns and controls the Kenya Broadcasting Corporation (KBC) and its subsidiaries. KBC is the only national radio and television network.
Kenya also has hundreds of FM radio stations, some broadcasting in Swahili or in local languages. Radio has a wide reach in Kenya, especially in rural areas. Some major international broadcasters, including British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), Voice of America (VOA) and Radio France Internationale (RFI), rebroadcast their programming in Kenya.
Despite internal tensions in Sudan and Ethiopia, Kenya has maintained good relations with its northern neighbors. Recent relations with Uganda and Tanzania are strengthening as the three countries work for mutual economic benefit.
Kenya maintains a moderate profile in Third World politics. Kenya's relations with Western countries are generally friendly, although current political and economic instabilities are sometimes blamed on Western pressures.
The United States and Kenya have enjoyed cordial relations since Kenya's independence. Relations became even closer after Kenya's democratic transition of 2002 and subsequent improvements in human rights.
More than 9,000 U.S. citizens are registered with the U.S. Embassy as residents of Kenya. In 2007 almost 100,000 Americans visited Kenya, up 18% from 2006. About two-thirds of resident Americans are missionaries and their families. U.S. business investment is estimated to be more than $285 million, primarily in commerce, light manufacturing, and the tourism industry.
Al Qaeda terrorists bombed the U.S. Embassy in Nairobi on August 7, 1998, taking hundreds of lives and maiming thousands more. Since that event, the Kenyan and U.S. Governments have intensified cooperation to address all forms of insecurity in Kenya, including terrorism. The United States provides equipment and training to Kenyan security forces, both civilian and military. In its dialog with the Kenyan Government, the United States urges effective action against corruption and insecurity as the two greatest impediments to Kenya achieving sustained, rapid economic growth.
U.S. assistance to Kenya is substantial. It promotes broad-based economic development as the basis for continued progress in political, social, and related areas of national life. The U.S. assistance strategy is built around five broad objectives: Fighting disease and improving healthcare; fighting poverty and promoting private sector-led prosperity; advancing shared democratic values, human rights, and good governance; cooperating to fight insecurity and terrorism; and collaborating to foster peace and stability in East Africa. The Peace Corps, which usually has about 150 volunteers in Kenya, is integral to the overall U.S. assistance strategy in Kenya. Peace Corps volunteers were withdrawn from Kenya due to instability and civil unrest in early 2008, but the program resumed Kenya operations within a few months.
Principal U.S. Officials
Ambassador--Michael E. Ranneberger
Deputy Chief of Mission--Pamela Slutz
USAID Mission Director--Erna Kerst
Public Affairs Officer--T.J. Dowling
The U.S. Embassy in Kenya is located on UN Avenue, Nairobi, P.O. Box 606, Village Market, Nairobi (tel. 254-20-363-6000; fax 254-20-363-6157).
Short URL: http://m.state.gov/md119923.htm


text:
Topic: adding SPF and DKIM record for ISP relayhost
i recently using relayhost with my ISP smtp as a relay
because my mail server IP always blocked on yahoo, gmail and hotmail
so i use my ISP smtp server to send mail from the iredmail
when i send mail to yahoo, i get header like this:
Received-SPF: fail (mta1079.mail.ac4.yahoo.com: domain of firstname.lastname@example.com does not designate 125.160.6.xxx as permitted sender)
125.160.6.xxx is my ISP IP address, not my mail server
and also this:
Authentication-Results: mta1079.mail.ac4.yahoo.com from=unhas.ac.id; domainkeys=neutral (no sig); from=mydomain.net; dkim=permerror (bad sig)
how to fix that ?
- Urgent issue? Pay iRedMail developer to solve it remotely at $39.


text:
someone broke into Liberty Baptist Church in North Union Township and stole 20 Christmas presents intended for local children. The Rev. Ewing Marietta said the gifts included remote-control cars, soccer balls, basketballs and a football that members of the
congregation purchased as gifts for local children.Members of the congregation take a name off the tree and buy a present for the child, returning ...View "How some Grinches are
already stealing Christmas this year" on Spundge


text:
St. Petersburg, FL (Sports Network) - Adam Jones delivered a go-ahead two-run
double during a seventh-inning outburst that lifted the Baltimore Orioles to a
7-4 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays in the season opener for both American
League East members at Tropicana Field.
The Orioles scored five times to battle back from a 3-2 deficit, with Chris
Davis capping the big inning with a three-run homer off Rays reliever Jake
Matt Wieters belted a two-run shot against reigning AL Cy Young winner David
Price earlier in the game, part of a 2-for-3 performance for the Baltimore
catcher. Jones finished with three of the Orioles' 13 hits on the day.
Baltimore also received six solid innings from starting pitcher Jason Hammel
(1-0), with the former Ray yielding three runs and just three hits to win his
first career Opening Day assignment.
Price held the Orioles to two runs over six innings and left with a one-run
edge that McGee (0-1) squandered by being rocked for five runs and four hits
while recording only two outs.
Ben Zobrist went 2-for-3 with a homer and two RBI to pace the Rays
offensively, with Desmond Jennings also collecting a pair of hits that
included a run-scoring double.
The Sports Network


text:
I've Just Been Told I Have Bladder Cancer
There are very few things scarier than being told you have cancer. You may feel like you're in shock. You may not even want to believe what the doctor has told you. And there are probably so many questions you want to ask, but think you can't because you don't know where to start.
First of all, it's OK to be overwhelmed. And it's OK to feel afraid. But you shouldn't let those feelings stop you from finding out as much as you can about your cancer and about the options you have. Because the more you know, the less helpless and afraid you will feel. And the more you know, the better you will be able to work with your health team to make the best choices for your treatment.
To decide the best course of treatment, your doctor needs to know as much as possible about your cancer. This will involve getting a variety of tests and working with more than one health care professional.
For example, your health care team will likely include a doctor who specializes in cancer, called a medical oncologist, and an oncology nurse. Depending on your cancer and the types of treatments you need, you may also see a bladder specialist, called a urologist. You may also see other cancer specialists, such as a radiation oncologist or, if you are a woman, a gynecological oncologist. The team will answer all your questions and guide you through each of the steps that you'll take before, during, and after treatment. Your team will let you know what tests are being done and what the results mean. They'll help you in making treatment decisions.
Treatment for bladder cancer usually begins a few weeks after you've been diagnosed. You'll have time to talk with your doctor about treatment choices or get a second opinion. You'll also have time to prepare yourself and your loved ones for the days to come.
This information is presented to help you start learning the things you need to know to be able to face your cancer experience with confidence. And the best way to start is to learn more about bladder cancer and your diagnosis. People with bladder cancer now have more treatment choices and more hope for survival than ever before. Doctors keep finding new treatments for bladder cancer and ways to help people with bladder cancer have better lives.


text:
This proudly South African restaurant is a favourite among families and serves up hearty meals at affordable prices.
Dros has an extensive menu and dishes include cheesy pizzas, succulent steaks, certain speciality meals like lamb shank and eisbein, and much more. Kids are well catered for with their own menu and an amazing play area fitted with jumping castles, games, playstations and kiddies tables and chairs. Birthday parties can also be catered for.
Dros is fully licensed and offers a wide variety of beverages including the best South African wines and beers. The dessert menu mustn't be overlooked and is the ideal way to end off your meal.
Here you will experience true South African hospitality and awesome food.
Mugg & Bean is a relaxed, cosy restaurant and coffee shop that is ideal for a family dinner, business lunch, or a catching up with friends over a delicious cup of coffee. It is renowned for its famous bottomless coffee and giant muffins.
The extensive menu caters for everyone, including vegans and vegetarians. The breakfast menu has everything from a typical South African farm breakfast to New Orleans French Toast and a Designer Omelette. There is a variety of sandwiches to choose from, as well as gourmet burgers, salads and soups.
There is also a large selection of traditional favourties such as lasagne, steak, chops and ribs. The special kids' menu offers everything from potatoes, to steak to milk and cookies. It is sure to leave the little ones satisfied.
With the Hex River Mountains as its backdrop and an olive plantation that surrounds the restaurant, Olivenbosch Restaurant, located in Worcester offers guests a dining experience with a splendid view and real Boland hospitality.
Visitors can take advantage of the beauty of the natural surroundings by choosing to be seated on the outdoor deck in summer. Rainy winters, with a snow capped mountain in the distance, will however demand a table closer to the fireplace and glass of wine from local selection on offer.
The a la carte menu is mainly Mediterranean with menu items that satisfies tastes all round.
The restaurant is very much family orientated, with a kids' room to occupy the little ones. Guests can also enjoy the social aspect of the eatery that caters for sport fans and those that love karaoke.
Don't miss the Sunday buffet.
Panarottis Pizza Pasta specialises in serving quality Italian-style cuisine. The restaurant offers a friendly and relaxing environment where friends and family can enjoy a delicious handmade pizza topped with the freshest ingredients. Pizzas are traditionally made with a thin base, with calzone and thick base available on request. Every pizza is made from an original and unique recipe, but if none of the pizza options seem satisfying enough, you can create your own pizza with a selection of your favourite toppings.
Tea Garden at Deaf Nursery is located in Worcester and a wonderful place to enjoy your breakfast or lunch. The menu offers breakfasts, light meals and desserts. The kitchen and serving staff are all part of the deaf community. Functions can be booked.
Trading hours:
Monday to Friday, from 8:30 am to 5 pm;
Saturdays from 8:30 am to 1 pm.
*Distances are shown as the crow flies and are not necessarily the actual travelling
Die Tolhuis Restaurant was started by Reint and Karien Grobler, former journalists with a great sense of fun-living and a passion for 'trustworthy' food. After selling their paper they created Die Tolhuis Restaurant into what it is today – a place where one forgets about time and truly enjoys a day's outing.
Set between the mountains with a spectacular view, the restaurant entertains the whole family. Kids can have fun in the play area while moms and dads relax under the shady wild olive or almond trees, or the large fireplace during winter.
The restaurant serves breakfast, lunch and dinner, from Tuesday to Sunday. The food reflects our traditional South African cuisine and the menu varies slightly from summer to winter. Come and experience friendly hospitality and tasty food, and portions that will make your eyes bulge.
Freshly baked on the premises daily and with an assortment of jams and other accompaniments, Bodega do Vinho is a delight for the tastebuds.
An enticing aroma of coffee and freshly baked fare make for a truly inviting atmosphere that puts diners at ease and encourages relaxation. To help with the escape from the hustle and bustle, outside is a children's play area that is also dog-friendly so the parents can really enjoy their leisure time at Bodega do Vinho.
This restaurant is unique in both look and feel. The arty interior and stark colours create a vibrant setting in which diners can enjoy great, unpretentious food that does what its supposed to - just taste good. The restaurant is mainly used as a function venue and caters for weddings, corporate functions, birthdays and pretty much any special occasion. Choose your own menu to complement the special event - slow-cooked traditional goodness is the speciality here.


text:
The goal of hydration is not to add moisture to skin, but to keep natural moisture in. The Pevonia Botanica Daily Hydration series of skin care products promotes healthy, vibrant skin, keeping the complexion fresh as it hydrates naturally. The ingredients in Pevonia Botanica Daily Hydration are carefully formulated to maintain a healthy level of hydration throughout the day.
Soft, glowing skin is a sign of healthy cells which retain the natural moisture they need. Pevonia Botanica Daily Hydration helps keep skin from drying out in the first place. A prime component in all of the selections in the Pevonia Botanica Daily Hydration system is safflower oil, a wonderful emollient from the pressed seeds of the plant. It is similar to the natural lipid components in your skin and does not clog pores or irritate follicles, while relieving dryness. Safflower oil gives the Pevonia Botanica Daily Hydration compounds a creamy feel as they spread on your skin with sensual luxury. The oils are absorbed with ease as you massage them in. Glow with health and contentment as you revitalize and restore skin cells.
There is no reason that hydrating treatments have to feel thick and clammy, and the good folks who developed Pevonia Botanica Daily Hydration obviously agree with that sentiment. Their approach was to create a creamy, even silky, series of moisturizers that would feel wonderfully smooth as they were massaged onto the skin. The key is safflower oil, which is pressed from the seeds of a desert plant related to the sunflower. It is an oil which was valued and used in medicines by the ancient Egyptians, Greeks and China for thousands of years. It is so much like the natural oils found in human skin that it is readily absorbed, but does not clog pores or cause breakouts in follicles.
Pevonia Nymphea Dry Oil Body Moisturizer adds aloe leaf gel, another valuable hydration-promoting ingredient, as well as chamomile flower and lavender flower oils to create a rich lotion that can be applied after a shower or bath.
Skin care also doesn't have to be just about your body. With scents of French rose extract and violets (derived from the orris, or iris, root), Pevonia Preserve Body Moisturizer not only includes safflower seed oil but rosemary leaf and pine needle extracts to help relieve stress and lift your emotional state. The relaxing Pevonia Micro Emulsion Massage Oil Anti-Stress, moves your mood to another level. With Gerarnium maculatum oil, it brings a traditional stress-relieving aromatherapy element to skin care. Apply and massage in gentle strokes and feel your cares begin to fade away.


text:
With an enrollment of approximately 12,500 students, Kaskaskia College is one of the leading community colleges in Illinois. Over the past 13 years, KC's 78% enrollment growth leads all other community colleges in the State. Located just outside Centralia, Illinois (pop. 13,569), sixty miles east of St. Louis, Missouri, KC serves all or part of nine counties, including Bond, Clinton, Fayette, Marion, Washington, Jefferson, St. Clair, Madison and Montgomery.
Kaskaskia College is a student-centered, learning-oriented institution, committed to the success of its students; KC offers a total of 41 degree and 93 certificate programs, including Adult Education, Continuing Education and customized Business and Industry programs, and a wide range of Associate of Arts, Associate of Science, and Associate of Applied Science programs, which are designed to prepare students for meaningful employment or transfer for further education.


text:
I thought I'd post my first efforts. Now that I'm (slowly) getting the hang of CC3, I thought I'd share and ask some general questions. This is a map of the main game region in a world I'm creating to playtest an RPG system I'm developing. The brief context is: Dungeon running is a major sport in this world, a la gladiatorial games. If anyone's ever played X-Crawl, it was what gave me the idea for the playtest world because it's awesome. Anyway, Dungeontown is the heart of the dungeon running sport, so it's almost like a fantasy version of Las Vegas. Which makes the kingdom of Ergoth a very powerful and influential kingdom.
So here is my rambling with a question hidden inside.... While I do like the colorful, more digital isometric maps which seems to be the dominant defaut style of CC3, I'm very very fond of a more hand-drawn look. I love mercator maps, and I really like Sarah Wroot, Pete Fenlon, and Andy Law (Big WFRP player here). That said, what I'd like to do is become familiar with various styles and be able to do maps in the style that best works for the world I'm creating. The Dungeontown world is a very silly sword-and-sorcery feel. I started it on a lark, and while I'm putting real effort and an attempt at realism into designing it, the roots are still silly and tongue-in-cheek, yet with an internal consistancy and realism. This might actually turn into more than just a playtest world, so I'm taking it a little seriously.
So what would be a good style for such a world? Something like what I've got? More to scale? Less to scale? More hand-drawn? I guess the other side to the questions is that I want to create something that looks like it might have come from that world, and that's something that really only I can figure out. But any and all suggestions are helpful. The long and short of it is, I have no head for this sort of thing, and it's hard for me to visualize. Right now I'm just using the tools and plopping down colors, lines and symbols, like playing with colorforms. And I'm having a blast doing it, and it's helping me figure out what the world looks like and how it's laid out, but I don't know if this is what I ultimately want it to look like artistically.
If all that made sense...
Anyway, attached is the current version of the map. It's not terribly to scale, but the size of Ergoth is more or less right. The valley that holds Dungeontown is really only a mile or two wide and maybe half a mile across. And not as deep into the mountains.
Thanks in advance.