text:
The Dolphins have been used recently by Fisher and Harbaugh to drive up the price of other organizations and at the end the Dolphins always end up looking bad because it looks like had to settle for their back up plan. I just have the feeling that neither of those coaches were seriously considering Miami and were just letting reports leak that they might be interested to just rise the price because they knew that Ross has a bunch of money he is willing to spend. Now I don't know if Manning is going to do this to us but it could be a real possibility. He could just leak information that the Dolphins are in hist top 3 teams he wants to go to, but in reality the Dolphins are his backup plans in case a certain list of teams don't want him.
I just don't want to see us looking like we got our 2nd choices at head coach and QB. It might be in their best interest to just pursue Flynn, who probably has the Dolphins as his top option, than Manning who could have the Cardinals as his top option. However this is just my speculation, for all we know Manning could have the Dolphins as his top option. This is why the Dolphins are in a risky position with Manning, if they try to get him he could just use us to drive up the price for another team, we could lose out on Flynn if we get caught up too much with Manning, and even if we do get him we might not see him play a down this season because of his injury.
Which do you guys think is less of a risk Manning with all the things I just mentioned plus his age, or Flynn because of his lack of playing time?


text:
Candidates face tough choices in the 2014 elections as the American public embraces freedom over draconian drug policies. A new CNN/ORC poll released in the evening of Monday, January 6, 2014 found a majority of Americans feel marijuana should be legal to buy and sell across the nation. The poll also showed Americans feel marijuana is less dangerous than alcohol or tobacco.
Last year 82% of Floridians polled supporting the legalization of marijuana in the state. "If the folks who want to legalize medical marijuana in Florida can get their proposal on the ballot, they are overwhelmingly favored to prevail next November," said Peter Brown, assistant director of the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute. Even amongst Florida Republican voters well over 50% support its legalization.
With so many voters in favor of its legalization, it is a true wonder why politicians are so frightful to come out publicly in support of legalization. From city council to President Obama the mantra seems to continue what hasn't worked and how politicians need to be strong against drugs. The Florida legislature could virtually guarantee their reelection on this one issue due to its huge support, however they are unlikely to pass anything meaningful in the 2014 legislative session which begins in March.
It would seem the only political parties in tune with the majority of Americans is the Libertarian Party and the Green Party. Libertarians do not condone or condemn marijuana use however are strong to support one's right for its use. The Democratic and Republican parties and their elected candidates do not support one's personal right of freedom to ingest marijuana as they have both supported the failed War on Drugs repeatedly for decades.
On January 1, 2014 Colorado businesses have now been allowed to sell marijuana for recreational and medical purposes however the plant remains illegal on the federal level. The federal government has kept marijuana/cannabis as a Schedule 1 drug which means they claim it has no medicinal value. This is an outright lie as the U.S. Government has held a patent for its medical benefits for over tens years.
It will interesting to see how 2014 elections move forward and how previous anti-marijuana legalization politicians such as Charlie Crist are able to compete with candidates such as Adrian Wyllie in their run to be Florida's next governor. Crist was strongly against medical usage of cannabis and now apparently, since the polls have turned, has changed his mind on yet another policy. According to VoteSmart.org as early as 2012 Charlie Crist favored increased penalties for selling illegal drugs and opposed the decriminalization of the use of marijuana for medicinal purposes.
Suggested Links
- Frankel faces three Republican opponents for District 22
- Commentary: Florida state legislators want to be your nanny
- Ohio's Governor Kasich may have Libertarian opponent in November
- U.S. patent on cannabis in effect for 10 years
- Obama continues to advocate for drug prohibition in Columbia and United States

subset: commoncrawl


text:
According to a Thursday story in USA Today, a provision in the Senate version of the appropriations bill that funds NASA may inhibit the ability of commercial space companies to deliver spacecraft in a cost effective manner. The provision was slipped into the bill by Sen. Richard Shelby, R-Al. It would require participants in the commercial crew program "to submit 'certified cost and pricing data' similar to what's required in traditional contracts NASA uses for other services." Some space advocates regard it as a poison bill designed to cripple the government funded commercial space program.
The commercial crew program operates under what is called a "Space Act Agreement" that sets milestones for the development of the commercially developed spacecraft but leaves the details up to the various companies. This allows a certain flexibility that in turn keeps development costs down. However it trades that with a lack of NASA oversight that Shelby suggests may cause problems to arise undetected. Shelby's move seems to be an attempt to force the commercial crew participants to behave more like traditional NASA contractors.
Many commercial space advocates are having none of it. Space blogger Rand Simberg fired off an angry post entitled "Dick Shelby, Putin's New Pal." The implication is that Shelby's provision, if it is allowed to stand, would perpetuate the monopoly that Russia has on human space flight to and from the International Space Station. This has become of a particular concern due to recent Russian threats to withdraw from the ISS program in 2020.
One commercial space group, the Space Access Society, is accusing Shelby of protecting the heavy lift Space Launch System, which it regards as "wasteful" and as being threatened by the government funded commercial space craft such as the SpaceX Dragon and the Boeing CST-100. This may be a bit of a stretch. The SLS is designed to send astronauts in the Orion spaceship beyond low Earth orbit. None of the commercial spacecraft have that capability without a complicated and risky architecture that involved many multiple launches and the use of space based fuel depots.
The appropriations bill goes before the full senate after which it must be reconciled with the House version of the NASA spending bill. The House version does not have the Shelby provision. However it is slightly less generous than the Senate in funding the commercial crew program.


text:
Bigg Boss Rahul Roy
2 Bigg Boss Rahul Roy Articles
Shahrukh Khan, Ajay Devgn, Abhay Deol, Emraan Hashmi….what makes them work?5 years ago 4
Good looks is not always a guarantee for box office success. Some of the biggest names in Bollywood have...err...unconventional faces. Can Aazaan's… Read Article ▶
Will 'Bigg Boss 5′ make Pooja Bedi famous?5 years ago 2
Pooja, a contestant on Bigg Boss 5, recently claimed that being on the show does not get anyone work on more television shows and movies. We took a… Read Article ▶


text:
March 12, 2001
NEW ORLEANS, La. - Tulane freshman Michael was named the Conference USA Hitter of the Week for his strong offensive performance against No. 2 LSU and Siena College, the league office announced Monday.
Aubrey hit .500 on the week with two home runs and 11 RBI. He posted a 1.125 slugging percentage and had a .619 on base percentage. Aubrey was 8-for-16 through four games, including two doubles, a triple and a pair of home runs.
Against LSU, Aubrey hit for the cycle and sent in a career high five runs. He was 4-for-6 with two runs scored. In Sunday's game against Siena, Aubrey was 3-for-5 with four RBI and a home run.
In the polls, the Green Wave (17-3) gained ground as they moved from 24th to 22nd in the Collegiate Baseball rankings. Despite going 4-0 last week and defeating No. 2 LSU, Tulane remained at No. 16 Baseball America Top-25 Poll.
The Green Wave hosts Nicholls State on Wednesday, March 14 at 6:30 p.m. Tulane opens C-USA play this weekend as they host South Florida in a three-game series beginning on Friday, March 16 at 6:30 p.m.


text:
Arrival Experience: JFK's arrival experience for weary travelers is not simple as it requires a ride on the Air Train to get to the hotel shuttle pickup area. However, once there, the Best Western JFK hotel's free shuttle makes the rounds once an hour and quickly whisks guests to the front door. The compact reception area does not promote lingering, but luckily guests are assisted quickly by a friendly staff. A single elevator whisks guests up to their rooms.
Dining: The hotel's dining area is located one level above reception and serves a complimentary hot breakfast each morning. On the menu is a selection of scrambled eggs and sausage, numerous cereals, fruit, bagels, toast, and spreads. Also appreciated is the high-tech coffee machine that prepares beverages like cappuccino and espresso in addition to more standard coffee drinks. There is no lunch or dinner here, but microwaves make it easy to heat up food from outside. The shuttle is also happy to take guests to nearby restaurants if it is not busy with airport runs.
Accommodations: The rooms are bright and comfortable with large king or queen beds draped in soft duvets and a quartet of thick pillows. Alarm clocks sit on the nightstand (important for an airport hotel since many guests have early flights), and adjustable bedside lighting is on either side. The design of the room is efficient with desks tucked into one corner and flat-screen cable TVs sitting atop storage space. Free wireless high speed Internet is available throughout the rooms and public areas. Convenient electrical outlets are within easy reach on the desk. Another shelf covers the refrigerator, and adjustable air conditioning units work well. Views are of the street or surrounding area, none of which is inspiring. Most guests here are in and out for a quick night's stay, and the convenience to the airport is the primary draw. Bathrooms feature Pantene Pro-V hair products, plentiful towels, and hair dryers. Full-length mirrors and coffeemakers are appreciated. The accommodations are all clean, modern, well-kept and attractive.
Conclusion: The front desk offers a station to print airline boarding passes, and the airport shuttle runs like clockwork 24 hours a day. An exercise room keeps guests in shape with modern cardio equipment. Of the affordable options near the airport, this is one of the best and most reliable. Like all Best Westerns around the world, this hotel is individually owned and operated providing the owner's own touch that is noticeable and friendly. For a quick and affordable stay without a slew of amenities, the Best Western is a great option by JFK airport.


text:
Rivera's Three Homers, Astiazaran's Five Doubles And A Home Run Pace Softball To Doubleheader Sweep Of Butler
April 12, 2004
Indianapolis, Ind. - Junior Cameron Astiazaran and senior Amanda Rivera paced an offensive explosion for the UIC softball team on Monday afternoon as the Flames totaled 25 runs on 24 hits, 16 of the extra-base variety, in a doubleheader sweep of host Butler at Varsity Field.
UIC (19-18, 5-0), which has now won eight straight games, used a nine-run seventh inning to take game one, 16-6, and then pounded out a 9-2 triumph in a six-inning, darkness shortened nightcap versus the Bulldogs (9-24, 4-6).
Astiazaran had a career day for the Flames, going 6-for-9 at the plate with five doubles, a home run and seven RBI.
UIC's leadoff hitter roped a trio of two-baggers and tied her career-high with four RBI in the opener, before going 3-for-4 with a pair of doubles and a two-run homer in game two. Astiazaran, who is on a 14-game hitting streak, has now tallied a team-high 16 doubles this season while leading the team with a .421 batting average.
Rivera was not to be outdone by her counterpart on Monday, blasting a trio of homers in the twinbill, finishing the day 4-for-8 at the plate with six RBI.
The Redondo Beach, Calif., native made UIC history in the seventh inning of game one with two homers in the frame. She launched a solo blast to centerfield with one out in the frame and then came back later in the inning with a two-run shot to center. She came back in her second at-bat of game two with a three-run opposite field blast. The UIC career home run leader now owns a team-high 10 homers this season.
In game one, UIC capitalized on numerous Butler errors to earn a 16-6 victory. The Flames plated 13 unearned runs on six Bulldogs miscues.
Rookie pitcher Chelsey Barclay picked up the win in relief for the Flames to move her record to 5-4 this season. She allowed just one run on two hits in 4-plus innings of work.
UIC trailed 1-0 until the third inning when the Flames erupted for six runs. Two-run doubles Astiazaran and Nicole Shepard, as well as a solo home run by Sara Hernandez highlighted the rally.
Butler closed the gap with four unearned runs in the bottom of the third inning, which chased UIC starter Alison Aguilar from the game.
The Flames led just 7-6 heading into the top of the seventh inning when the flood gates opened behind a pair of home runs from Rivera and run-scoring hits from Joyce Cathey and Astiazaran. All in all, UIC scored nine runs on five hits in the frame to cruise to the 16-6 final tally.
Game two saw the Flames fall behind by a 2-0 margin as Butler tallied single runs in the first and second inning off starter Brittany McIntyre.
Rivera got the UIC offense going in the top of the third inning, though, with a three-run blast to right field for her third homer in her last four at-bats.
Rivera's offense was contagious as the Flames went on to tally a pair of runs in each of their next three at-bats.
Astiazaran launched her fifth homer, a two-run blast, in the fifth while back-to-back RBI knocks from Shepard and Elizabeth Jacoby (3-for-4, RBI) highlighted the sixth inning.
The game was called due to darkness after Butler's at-bat in the sixth.
McIntyre picked up the win for UIC, going the distance en route to her seventh win of the year.


text:
Motorola Aura Diamond Edition announced, costs $5,730
Remember the Motorola Aura, the uber-expensive luxury phone announced by Moto last year and promoted by David Beckham? Well, Moto has announced an even more expensive Aura, called Motorola Aura Diamond Edition.
The new Aura is plated with 18 carat gold and has 34 diamonds, 30 of which are embedded above and bellow the phone's circular display.
Specs-wise, the Aura offers quad-band GSM/EDGE connectivity, CrystalTalk technology, stereo Bluetooth, Music and video players, email, web browser, 2MP camera and 2GB of internal memory.
Motorola Aura Diamond Edition should be available starting October 26. As for the price, well, the phone costs no less than £3,500 (about €3,815 or $5,730).
If luxury phones aren't your thing, you should know that Motorola is getting ready to launch the Motorola Droid (via Verizon), which should be the company's flagship Android phone.
Via Pocket-lint


text:
James Falkofske - Site Owner
PedagogyOnline.com provides tips, tools, techniques, and tricks for transforming eTeaching into eLearning. On this site you will find articles, software tools, demonstrations, sample assignments and assessments, and links to interesting stories and websites.
This top page also serves as a collection spot for articles which I post on other blog sites.
There should be a lot of great ideas and tools on this site - hopefully providing you with different ways of looking at your course designs. As you explore this site, please remember that eLearning is about the activities which help student accomplish their goals (Learning Objectives) for a course through successful completion of the course Assessments. Don't be too tempted to add in superfluous articles, links, and tools to your course sites -- as these may confuse and delay the learning process for your students.
Enjoy the site!
As part of some institutional research, I am exploring ways of using common tools to create "dashboards" for data.
Here are some fun links I've discovered which talk about "hacks" to get speedometer style gauges from your data (mainly using MS Excel).
Gauge Chart using XY Scatter Chart (AndyPope.Info)
Gauge Chart by Overlaying a Pie Chart on a Doughnut Chart (chandoo.org)
Other Dynamic Dashboards (chandoo.org)
Excel Template for Gauge (Microsoft.com)
Other Dashboard Ideas (MyExcelTemplates.com)James Falkofske - TechnologyBites.blogspot.com
Recent lawsuits by the National Federation of the Blind against universities with inaccessible websites and course management sites once again raises the importance of universal design.
Here are some links relating to accessibility of websites and academic course web pages.
James Falkofske - TechnologyBites.blogspot.com
If you're receiving SPAM messages from your Facebook friends, don't blame them entirely. Spammers and hackers are creating applications which are asking Facebook users to enter in their Usernames and Passwords so that they can "authorize" applications and games to post to their pages. Well... once they have the credentials - they take over your account.
Facebook is adding a capability of Remote Log Out - so that you can see all the devices and connections logged into your account and "log out" specific devices and instances. This is also handy for people who store their passwords and then the preying eyes of roommates and family members simply go to Facebook have an automatic "in" to the site under your account.
Check out the article link for more details.James Falkofske - TechnologyBites.blogspot.com
The Center for Social Media has developed a great series of tutorial on the doctrine of Fair Use under the Copyright law.The site also contains sets of Best Practices for using materials for Media Literacy, using Online Video, using materials in Documentary Filmmaking, and many other areas.
Of particular interest might be the video "Remix Culture" which addresses best practices in Fair Use for Online Video.James Falkofske - TechnologyBites.blogspot.com
Baker University has an excellent tool for faculty who are interested in teaching online.It is titled Am I Ready to Teach an Online Course?The self-assessment examines the technical skills, attitudes towards online learning, teaching style, and communication style of the prospective online teacher and then provides feedback about then answers provided by the candidate.James Falkofske - TechnologyBites.blogspot.com
This site is owned by James Falkofske. Any postings contributed to this site become the property of this site.


text:
Archive for the 'SPF 15' Category
NuGlow Sheer Protector SPF 45 UVA-UVB: Don't Hit The Beach Without It!
If you need a little more SPF protection on your face, NuGlow's Sheer Protector is the perfect choice for you!
NuGlow's Sheer Protector has an SPF of 45, which will protect your skin from the damaging rays of the sun. Sheer Protector's SPF 45 UVA-UVB is water resistant, so you can swim safely, re-applying every hour or so. Your skin will also be protected during any outdoor activity, such as mowing, gardening, etc, but be sure to re-apply if you're sweating a lot! Sheer Protector is also a moisturizer, and even has a sheer, light tint, giving your skin a healthy outdoor glow and eliminating the need for foundation when you go to the beach, etc. (You can also wear Sheer Protector under your foundation if you wish.)
As with other NuGlow products, Sheer Protector is fragrance-free, and will blend invisibly into all skin tones. Just apply to your face and neck in the morning and reapply, as I mentioned above, after swimming or perspiring.
Summer's coming up, so get your NuGlow Sheer Protector soon. Never go outdoors, even if it's cloudy, without SPF protection on your face.
NuGlow Contest Deadline Extended!
First of all, we've extended our NuGlow Contest deadline to April 10, so you still have plenty of time to enter!
Next, I just want to say that I am looking forward to hearing, from the winners, in a few weeks, how much THEY love their NuGlow products! I never would have believed that I would be this attached to any kind of skincare product. I never would have believed I'd ever stick to any kind of regimen, either, unless showering morning and night equals a regimen.
The results I'm getting from NuGlow, though, are so spectacular. . . I've been using NuGlow since February 23, and the difference in my skin is amazing. I never would have believed it if I wasn't seeing it for myself. And feeling it.
Oh, I'm still pale, but I'm no longer pasty. My skin tones have evened out. I look healthy!
Let's all remember, too, that even though the NuGlow Daytime has SPF 15 in it, it's NOT a good idea to expose your skin to the sun. A tan is not worth your life!
So, enter the NuGlow contest if you haven't already. Tell your friends about it! I want everybody's skin to experience what mine has. It's awesome.
NuGlow Concentrated Therapeutic Cleanser: It's The First Step!
Before beginning any kind of skin regimen, it's absolutely necessary to make sure your skin is clean – safely clean, not scrubbed raw or shining with oil. NuGlow's Concentrated Therapeutic Cleanser is the perfect way to clean your skin; it will help clear pores and diminish the appearance of enlarged pores, and it will eliminate excess oil – not your skin's essential oils, but the OILY oils that cause problems. NuGlow's Concentrated Therapeutic Cleanser will also help minimize skin irritation and excessively dry skin, and help correct uneven skin tones.
NuGlow's Concentrated Therapeutic Cleanser is excellent for any and all skin types, even sensitive skin, blemish-prone skin, and individuals with post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation concerns. No matter what kind of skin irritation you might have, NuGlow's Concentrated Therapeutic Cleanser will not irritate it further and will, in fact, leave your skin feeling positively refreshed!
All Nuglow products contain a combination of ingredients guaranteed to benefit your skin; our Concentrated Therapeutic Cleanser contains a SmartPeptide that is a revolutionary antimicrobial ingredient that reduces and binds skin damaging toxins that cause redness and irritation. This, along with the other ingredients, will help protect your skin from environmental damage and improve its appearance and condition.
Use NuGlow's Concentrated Therapeutic Cleanser both morning and evening. Apply just a small amount of cleanser into your hands and rub them together to activate the product. Gently massage into dampened skin for 15-30 seconds, then rinse and pat skin dry.
Never rub your skin vigorously with a towel; always pat your skin dry, especially your face, as "toweling off" can irritate the skin.
After cleansing your skin with Concentrated Therapeutic Cleanser, you'll be ready to apply NuGlow Daytime Therapy, or NuGlow Daytime Therapy with SPF 15. Remember, that cold-weather winter sun can be even more harsh than the blazing summer sun! Never go out with sunscreen!
Remember that all Nuglow products come with a 100% guarantee.
NuGlow 5-Piece Kit: You'll Save Money!
NuGlow has several kits, all of which will save you a considerable amount of money over purchasing each item separately. Remember that if you become a Club Member, your savings will be astronomical.
Our 5-piece Kit, which consists of NuGlow's Copper Peptide Serum with Antioxidants & MD3 Copper, Nuglow Copper Peptide Eye Therapy with MD3 Copper, NuGlow DayTime Cream with SPF 15, NuGlow concentrated therapeutic Cleanser, and NuGlow Skin Brightening Serum with Smart Peptide, can be described as five short steps, twice a day,for younger looking skin.
Each morning and evening, just use each of the five NuGlow products according to the directions, and your skin will begin to show improvement in an amazingly short time.
Remember that the winter sun can be even harsher than the bright summer sun, and your skin should be covered with sunscreen whenever you are outdoors in any season. This will be taken care of with NuGlow's DayTime therapy with SPF 15, which not only protects your skin from the dangerous UV rays; it also leaves your skin refreshed and radiant.
NuGlow's Copper Peptide Serum with MD3 Copper & Antioxidants is designed to penetrate the outer layer of your skin, and you should see the beneficial results in the first four weeks. However, after eight weeks you'll be delighted with the results.
All five products will last a long time, as only a small amount of each is used each time. Each product can be purchased separately, of course, but remember: you'll save some big bucks when you buy our kits – this 5-piece kit, for example, will save you almost $300.00 over the individual price of the five products.
Your satisfaction is guaranteed with ALL NuGlow products, even if the bottles are empty when you return them. NuGlow is so confident about the quality of our products, and so convinced that our MD3 Copper Peptides are the best possible complex for every skin type, that we are able to offer a guarantee like this.
NuGlow 3-Piece Serum, Day, and Cleanser Kit
While all of the NuGlow products can be purchased separately, you can save money – a lot of money – if you purchase one of our kits.
This particular kit, the 3-Piece Serum, Day, and Cleanser Kit, contains a 60 day supply of Nuglow's MD3 Copper Peptide Complex and Antioxidants, Concentrated Therapeutic Cleanser, and DayTime Therapy with SPF 15 – remember that the winter sun can be even more harmful to the skin as the summer sun, and skin must be protected with sunscreen year-round.
NuGlow Concentrated Therapeutic Cleanser is a skin revealing gel cleanser that refines, brightens, and tones the skin. It also helps loosen dead skin cells, and hydrates the skin. It promotes skin clarity and enhances skin tone and texture, and is ideal for sensitive, acne-prone skin. Just apply a small dot of cleanser into your hands and rub together to activate the product, and gently massage into dampened skin for 15-30 seconds, then rinse and pat your skin dry. Use daily both morning and night.
Next, apply a small amount of NuGlow Copper Peptide Serum with MD3 Copper & Antioxidants to your cleansed skin both morning and night. This promotes healthy skin while protecting it from free radicals. When you begin to use this product, you can actually SEE your skin begin to glow. Use NuGlow's Copper Peptide Serum both morning and night.
Each morning, use NuGlow DayTime Therapy with SPF 15, which is specially formulated to moisturize and protect your skin from the damaging effects of the environment and especially the sun; it will leave your skin refreshed, dewy, and radiant.
With your first order, you will automatically become a member of the NuGlow Skincare Club. Membership is absolutely free, and members will save up to 70% off the regular price of our products along with other special offers and exclusive club benefits.
Satisfaction guaranteed.
NuGlow Skin Brightening Serum with Smart Peptide Technology
Often, people with extra-sensitive skin have a difficult time finding skin products that don't irritate. NuGlow has good news for people with all skin types, however, including ultra-sensitive types, because NuGlow products are ideal for everyone's skin type, no matter how sensitive.
NuGlow Skin Brightening Serum with Smart Peptide Technology will help clear pores, fade discoloration, and diminish the appearance of any kind of imperfection, including lines and enlarged pores. Our Brightening Serum's thick consistency helps support the deep penetrating action of the product and will leave your skin soft and hydrated. If your skin is prone to acne, NuGlow Skin Brightening Serum with Smart Peptide Technology is the perfect product for you!
Our skin brightening serum is excellent for all skin types, in fact, and for all skin ages, as well. Whether you have aging skin and are worried about lines and wrinkles, or whether you have blemish-prone skin and are worried about acne, NuGlow's Skin Brightening Serum with Smart Peptide Technology is exactly what you have been seeking.
Whatever your skin type, you should apply the product in the evening, approximately 10-20 minutes after cleansing. Use a small amount and apply a thin even layer; once the product is absorbed, all "stickiness" will disappear. When you first begin using this product, you might notice a slight tingling sensation that will last only a minute or two, and should disappear altogether after a few weeks' use. Many customers find the best results when they alternate Nuglow's Brightening Serum with NuGlow's Antioxidant Serum, on alternating nights.
Remember to always protect your skin with a broad-spectrum SPF 15 or higher sunscreen regularly; even in winter, the sun is not your skin's friend.
After your nightly application, follow with your regular NuGlow care regimen.
As with all skin products, keep away from your eyes.
NuGlow Copper Peptide Serum with MD3 Copper & Antioxidants: Perfect For All Skin Types
NuGlow's Copper Peptide Serum with MD3 Copper and Antioxidants is a silky blue skin-hydrating serum for the face and neck. No matter what skin type you might have, NuGlow's Copper Peptide Serum is perfect for you. The natural ingredients of our serum, such as green tea, several vitamins, and copper, can be used both morning and night to improve skin elasticity, reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles, restore firmness, increase collagen and elastin, bright the skin, and even out skin tones and uneven pigmentation – including age spots and blotchiness.
The secret? MD3 Copper Peptide, which as been demonstrated and proven to stimulate and support the natural tissue building process, and encourages old skin cells to flake off faster, to be replaced by healthier new cells. The natural results of NuGlow Copper Peptide Serum with MD3 Copper & Antioxidants? very visibly fresher, firmer, and smoother skin.
This serum may be used with NuGlow's Copper Peptide Eye Therapy, and with NuGlow's Nighttime Therapy before bed, or our Daytime Therapy with SPF 15, under your makeup and before you start your busy day.
As with any skin cream, be sure not to get NuGlow's Copper Peptide Serum with MD3 Copper & Antioxidants in your eyes.
NuGlow's Seaweed Exfoliating Soap: Skincare in your Shower
Using our exfoliating soap couldn't be simpler: just use it in the shower and bath, every time. There's really no "special" way; just keep it in your shower or tub and it will be right there when you are.
The natural ingredients in NuGlow's Seaweed Exfoliating Soap will leave your skin soft, moisturized, exfoliated, and ready for its nightly application of Copper Peptide Night Time Therapy or its morning application of Daytime Therapy With SPF 15.
And all night, as you sleep, or all day, as you go about your business, you can occasionally think about how you are effortlessly nourishing your skin, and smile.
Keep Your Skin Hydrated & Protected From That Winter Sun!
Winter skin tends to be dry, and dry skin needs to be pampered with more than perfumes and hand lotion. We must also remember that the winter sun can be brighter than the summer sun, and our skin must be protected just as we do in summer.
NuGlow Daytime Therapy with SPF 15 not only hydrates and softens your skin; it also protects your skin from the sun's UV rays. Our day moisturizer has been proven to keep your skin moist, and because it is made with several natural ingredients that, working together, help keep even dry winter skin moist, soft, healthy, and protected from the "forces of nature" that want so badly to dry the skin, even people who are allergic to most such creams are able to use NuGlow without reaction.
Every morning, just apply NuGlow Daytime Therapy with SPF 15 to your clean skin; you'll find that your makeup goes on even more smoothly over the NuGlow.
Your lips will benefit from Nuglow Daytime Therapy as well, but keep the cream away from your eyes.
NuGlow skincare products are packed with antioxidants, which do far more than just moisten your skin. Your skin will be nourished by the combination of ingredients in all NuGlow products.
There are other skincare products with similar claims, of course, but NuGlow products, with MD3 Copper Peptide, have been scientifically proven to be successful. In fact, our customers like our products so much, their testimonials are included on our website!


text:
The Entertainment Software Rating Board provided an updated rating for the upcoming open-world action-adventure title, "Watch Dogs." According to a report from Dual Shockers on April 14, the video game is still receiving a "Mature" rating although several new scenes and sequences were added. It was tagged for containing blood, intense violence, nudity, strong language, strong sexual content in addition to use of drugs and alcohol.
On the intense violence side, "Watch Dogs" has some realistic gun fights that lead to blood splattering. Players will be able to kill enemies using explosives and firearms from their arsenal. The vicious nature of the video game is also going to be depicted through cut scenes.
The nudity in the new intellectual property involves topless women. Some of the females can be seen performing several sexual acts during the non-interactive movies. However, nothing was explicitly shown to the end user. According to Polygon, Ubisoft stated in the past that new contents were added to "Watch Dogs" after the video game was delayed.
The company explained that they wanted to polish the software product into a satisfactory state before releasing it to the public. During that time, they decided to add more scenes to the title, including one that involves topless women. Although this prompted a rating increased from the Australian Classification Board, the Entertainment Software Rating Board decided to stick to the original "Mature" rating.
Ubisoft has two separate release plans for "Watch Dogs." The video game is coming to the PC, PS3, PS4, Xbox 360 and Xbox One first on May 27. The Wii U version should be released in the autumn season as the company needed more development time when compared to the other iterations. You can find a screen featuring the upcoming title from the official "Watch Dogs" Facebook page near the top of this article.
Suggested Links
- 'Watch Dogs' release date updated for Wii U, PS4, Xbox One and other systems
- 'Watch Dogs' PS4, Xbox One, PS3 and Xbox 360 disparities further discussed
- Potential 'GTA 5' PC, PS4 and Xbox One E3 2014 appearance discussed
- 'Watch Dogs' creative director further elaborates on release date delay
- 'GTA 5' PS4, Xbox One and PC release date time frame hinted by retail manager


text:
Where Will JC Penney Go From Here? Six Options for the Company
Whatever happens could decide the fate of JC Penney as a public company -- or even as a company that remains in existence.
The Ron Johnson experiment at JC Penney (NYSE:JCP) is over.
In steps former CEO Mike Ullman as an interim CEO to fill the gap until the board of directors can find a full-time replacement. Shares are tumbling as sales growth stalls and customer traffic plunges. The real question is: Where does JC Penney go from here?
Analysts at Credit Suisse commented after the announcement late Monday and said, "The key issues that Mike Ullman, the newly reappointed CEO of JC Penney will need to address in the next 60 days include: liquidity, merchandising in general (and the fourth quarter in particular), and rebuilding the management team.
"Mike Ullman was certainly not the top-of-mind candidate to replace Ron Johnson, but he does come with certain attributes. He knows his way around all JCP constituents and has a passion for the business. But he must be viewed as an interim appointment, meant to stabilize the situation. His immediate task in our opinion is to gain additional long term liquidity, something he ensured during his previous tenure at JCP."
Thus, the liquidity issue comes back to light. JC Penney is a heavily indebted company with over $2 billion in net debt as of January, compared to an enterprise value of $5.5 billion. With negative earnings and EBITDA and some analysts forecasting negative operating free cash flow for 2014, the liquidity issue could transform into one of solvency, risking bankruptcy or worse, liquidation.
Therefore, the new management team needs to quickly, efficiently, and prudently analyze any and all means to raise the company's long-term liquidity position. Right now, the company can pay its debts. Looking forward, however, the situation gets rosy and the company needs to begin to worry about these issues now. The company can do a few things to bolster its liquidity position over the next few years both internally and externally and as either a public or private entity.
Option 1: Cost-Cutting
The age-old strategy of troubled companies is to cut costs to boost the bottom line and protect cash flows. Thus, JC Penney could look to close stores, lay off workers, and shrink the size of its operations to make the company leaner and more able to withstand changes in its customers preferences. A key negative for the company has been the reduced foot traffic due to the flip-flopping in discount policies at the stores.
The Credit Suisse analysts noted that much of the senior management are protégés of Johnson, brought in to the company during his tenure. "We would expect turnover in these positions followed by the need to fill them rapidly with individuals that have experience in the middle markets of America," Credit Suisse wrote. Thus, layoffs could actually start from the top down.
A revamped marketing campaign that better targets JC Penney's customers could also help to boost the top-line.
Tom Keene, the famed anchor of Bloomberg Surveillance, said Tuesday morning that Ron Johnson was amazing at marketing a product that everyone wanted at Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) in the iPhone; however, JC Penney is selling an entirely different product to an entirely different consumer. Better targeting this consumer could bring traffic back to stores and keep the company afloat.
Option 2: REIT Spin-Off
Another option for JC Penney would be to spin off some of its stores into a REIT, as mentioned by analysts over the past few weeks. In this scenario, JC Penney would spin off some of the company's key stores into a new Real Estate Investment Trust, raising cash quickly for the company. However, raising cash in a quick accounting move such as this creates its own set of problems.
First of all, owning your stores can be beneficial because it shields you from rent inflation. Assuming that the key properties that will be spun out are in strong real estate markets in urban areas such as New York City, JC Penney would now expose itself to the inflationary nature of rents as well as regulation such as rent control. In sum, this is a great way to raise cash quickly but can also have negative side affects in the long run.
Option 3: Leveraged Buyout
Bill Ackman, who runs Pershing Square Capital, is notoriously the largest shareholder in JC Penney, owning over 18 of the shares. Also, he has a very close relationship to the board of Vornado (NYSE:VNO), the REIT that also owns a large stake in JC Penney. Since the companies already own a large portion of JC Penney stock, the LBO would require less equity in the deal than comparable deals done in the buyout boom of 2005-2006.
However, the leveraged buyout has its own drawbacks. As mentioned, a key issue of JC Penney is its liquidity position and its debt load. An LBO requires the investment firm launching the deal to load the company's balance sheet with lots of debt, as stated in the name. Thus, an LBO will be difficult due to the company's already large debt pile. Therefore, investors can pretty much write an LBO off of the table.
- 1
- 2
The information on this website solely reflects the analysis of or opinion about the performance of securities and financial markets by the writers whose articles appear on the site. The views expressed by the writers are not necessarily the views of Minyanville Media, Inc. or members of its management. Nothing contained on the website is intended to constitute a recommendation or advice addressed to an individual investor or category of investors to purchase, sell or hold any security, or to take any action with respect to the prospective movement of the securities markets or to solicit the purchase or sale of any security. Any investment decisions must be made by the reader either individually or in consultation with his or her investment professional. Minyanville writers and staff may trade or hold positions in securities that are discussed in articles appearing on the website. Writers of articles are required to disclose whether they have a position in any stock or fund discussed in an article, but are not permitted to disclose the size or direction of the position. Nothing on this website is intended to solicit business of any kind for a writer's business or fund. Minyanville management and staff as well as contributing writers will not respond to emails or other communications requesting investment advice.
Copyright 2011 Minyanville Media, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Daily Recap Newsletter
entertainment, education and
smart market commentary.


text:
The Wallflowers rocked Little Rock's Riverfest on Sunday, May 25, 2014 at the Coors Light/Arkansas Federal Credit Union stage. The show started at 7:45, right before the Riverfest fireworks display.
Jakob Dylan and his band opened with "Three Marlenas," before playing a tight set that consisted of "Closer to You," "6th Avenue Heartache," a new song called "Love is a Country" and a cover of The Box Tops' song "The Letter." The band closed with two songs from their hugely successful CD, "Bringing Down the Horse." They were the crowd pleasing "One Headlight" and the rocking song "The Difference."
The Wallflowers have gone through a lot of personnel changes the past few years, with Jakob Dylan being the constant frontman. The band sounded great despite the short time some of them have played together.
For more information about The Wallflowers, visit www.thewallflowers.com. For more on Jakob Dylan, visit www.jakobdylan.com.


text:
Fluorescence Excited-State Lifetime Imaging
Time-resolved fluorescence spectroscopy is a well-established technique for studying the emission dynamics of fluorescent molecules i.e. the distribution of times between the electronic excitation of a fluorophore and the radiative decay of the electron from the excited stated producing an emitted photon. The temporal extent of this distribution is referred to as the fluorescence lifetime of the molecule. Lifetime measurements can yield information on the molecular microenvironment of a fluorescent molecule. Factors such as ionic strength, hydrophobicity, oxygen concentration, binding to macromolecules and the proximity of molecules that can deplete the excited state by resonance energy transfer can all modify the lifetime of a fluorophore. Measurements of lifetimes can therefore be used as indicators of these parameters. Furthermore, these measurements are generally absolute, being independent of the concentration of the fluorophore. This can have considerable practical advantages. For example, the intracellular concentrations of a variety of ions can be measured in vivo by fluorescence lifetime techniques (Szmacinski et al., 1994 Methods Enzymol. 240, 723). Many popular, visible wavelength calcium indicators, such as Calcium Green 1, give changes of fluorescence intensity upon binding calcium. The intensity-based calibration of these indicators is difficult and prone to errors. However, many dyes exhibit useful lifetime changes on calcium binding and therefore can be used with lifetime measurements (Lakowicz, et al., 1994 Cell Calcium 15, 7). This gives the considerable advantage that absolute measurements of concentration can be made with no elaborate calibration procedures required. Alternatively, lifetime measurements may be used to calibrate the intensity signals from these indicators when maximum sensitivity is required.
An exciting new development of the field has been the development of the technique of fluorescence lifetime imaging microscopy (Lakowicz et al., 1992 Anal. Biochem. 202: 316). In this technique lifetimes are measured at each pixel and displayed as contrast. Lifetime imaging systems have been demonstrated using wide-field (Lakowicz et al., 1992 Anal. Biochem. 202, 316-330), confocal (Sanders et al., 1995 Anal. Biochem. 227, 302-308) and multiphoton (French et al., 1997 J. Microsc. 185, 339;) imaging modes. FLIM combines the advantages of lifetime spectroscopy with fluorescence microscopy by revealing the spatial distribution of a fluorescent molecule together with information about its microenvironment. In this way an extra dimension of information is obtained. This extra dimension can be used to discriminate among multiple labels on the basis of lifetime as well as spectra. This would allow more labels to be discriminated simultaneously than by spectra alone in applications where many labels are required such as FISH, for example. There are also promising applications of lifetime imaging in the medical sciences.
We at LOCI are particularly interested in the possibilities that are opened up by multiphoton lifetime imaging of live specimens. In these applications lifetime imaging, in conjunction with spectral imaging should greatly facilitate studies using ion indicator probes and FRET studies of intermolecular distances. For example, a remarkable calcium indicator has recently been described that is a chimeric protein based on two spectrally distinct forms of fluorescent protein (cyan and yellow) and a calmodulin molecule (Miyawaki et al., 1997 Nature 388, 882). Being a naturally fluorescent protein, genetic transformants can be made so that transformed animals will express the indicator in a range of cell types determined by the promoter. The excitation wavelength is chosen to primarily excite the cyan fluorophore. On binding calcium, the calmodulin portion of the molecule changes conformation bringing the two fluorophore regions closer together allowing resonant energy transfer between the cyan and the yellow. This will cause a shift of the emitted spectrum from cyan to yellow. The development of this engineered protein (known as Cameleon) is a remarkable development as it circumvents all the problems associated with loading probes into cells since stable transgenic lines can be used which all express Cameleon. However, one of the problems with Cameleon is that, although ratiometric methods can be used, the signal change on binding calcium is quite small making this indicator less sensitive than other indicators such as Calcium Green. Lifetime measurements are a sensitive indicator of FRET (Godella et al., 1995 J. Cell Biol. 129, 1543) and in combination with spectral measurements, should provide a more sensitive indication of calcium levels.


text:
Editors Note
The Global Arms Bazaar at Centurys End
Lora Lumpe
Buy These Planes, or Else! The Hard Sell of Military Advertising
Glenn Baker
NATO Expansion: Jackpot for US Companies?
Tomas Valasek
Small Arms, Global Challenge: The Scourge of Light Weapons
Owen Greene
Beating Swords into Ploughshares: Military Conversion in the 1990s
Michael Brzoska
Technological Change and Biological Warfare
Malcolm R. Dando and Simon M. Whitby
Nuclear Weapons: Instruments of Peace
Ernest W. Lefever
The False God of Nuclear Deterrence
Lee Butler
Russias Nuclear Imperative
Anatoli and Alexei Gromyko
Reflections on the Kosovo War
Richard Falk
New World Disorder: The Roots of Todays Wars
Michael Renner
Child Soldiers: The Destruction of Innocence
Michael Wessells
The Lust of Battle: Pain, Pleasure and Guilt
Joanna Bourke
Book Review
Chomsky's Tour de Force on Palestine
Michael Jansen
Book Review
Iranian Enigma
Michael Theodoulou
Volume 1 ● Number 2 ● Autumn 1999Weapons and War
Nuclear Weapons: Instruments of Peace
It is certainly a good thing for the world that Hitler's crowd or Stalin's did not discover this atomic bomb.
The sharp criticism, especially in America, also reveals a lingering Wilsonian idealism that invests unwarranted confidence in multilateral agencies and comprehensive arms control treaties. Complaints that India and Pakistan had violated "international norms" recall Woodrow Wilson's plea in 1919 for the Senate to support the League of Nations: "Dare we reject it and break the heart of the world? The stage is set … by the hand of God."
Both New Delhi and Islamabad, for decades bitter adversaries over disputed Kashmir, justified their tests primarily in the name of self-defence, though each clearly sought to enhance its political clout and national prestige—as the organised public jubilation in both countries attests.
The case for India's tests was argued forcibly by Jaswant Singh, a senior foreign policy adviser to Indian Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee. Mr Singh's central point is that India needs a nuclear and missile capability because it is situated in the "neighbourhood" of a hostile China and Pakistan, each a potential nuclear threat. In pressing his case, he barely mentions India's intense desire for self-esteem and international prestige—to be a proud member of the nuclear club.1
Emulating Prime Minister Nehru's Cold War penchant for blaming both sides, Mr Singh accused the major nuclear powers, principally Washington and Beijing, of hypocrisy and double standards—of "nuclear apartheid", as he put it. Pakistan's justification, though less strident, was cut from the same cloth. Singh's self-serving brief aside, his charges of major nuclear power hypocrisy have some merit. As does his criticism of the arms control orthodoxy that places unwarranted confidence in the ability of the Non-proliferation Treaty and the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty to control the spread of nuclear arms and tame the behaviour of those who possess them.
The attack on India's tests of 11 and 13 May 1998, and Pakistan's tests of 28 and 30 May, recalls the outcry over India's first nuclear test in 1974. In both cases, critics were motivated in part by the demonisation of all nuclear weapons, a phenomenon that began even before America dropped the bomb on Hiroshima in August 1945 and which persists to this day.
Demonising any new and more lethal weapon has a long history. When gunpowder was invented in the thirteenth century, critics called it satanic, some pointing to its sulphuric odour to emphasise their point. In the 1860s when Swedish physicist Alfred Nobel invented dynamite, he felt so guilty that he established the Nobel Prize for Peace to atone for his sins.
Cursing the atomic bomb began in 1945 with another physicist, J. Robert Oppenheimer, who played a leading role in developing it. After witnessing the first atomic blast in New Mexico, he quoted the Hindu religious poem, the Bhagavadgita: "Now I am become Death, the destroyer of worlds." His sense of guilt fed his ambiguity about the atomic bomb and his later outright opposition to the American hydrogen bomb. (His repugnance did not deter him from passing atomic secrets to Soviet agents.) Other American physicists were also afflicted by nuclear pacifism and apocalyptic foreboding. When America detonated its first H-bomb in 1952, the hands on the doomsday clock of the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists were moved from five to three minutes before midnight.
Leo Szilard, the Hungarian-born physicist who with Albert Einstein had advocated development of the atomic bomb, urged President Harry S. Truman on "purely moral grounds" not to use it against Japan. But Assistant Secretary of State Dean Acheson, like most presidential advisers, urged Truman to use the bomb (originally intended for Germany) against Japan as soon as possible. In his diary on 25 July 1945 Truman said simply: "The most terrible bomb in history … can be made useful … It is certainly a good thing for the world that Hitler's crowd or Stalin's did not discover this atomic bomb."
Hiroshima's Long Shadow
On 6 August 1945 the Enola Gay dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima. Three days later another was dropped on Nagasaki. The following day, Emperor Hirohito sided with Imperial Japan's "peace faction" and accepted unconditional surrender. In an exquisite understatement, he declared that the war had "developed in ways not necessarily to Japan's advantage". These dramatic events ignited a debate that persists to this day.
Despite arguments by Gar Alperovitz2 and other revisionists who label Hiroshima an American atrocity, most Americans then and now believe that Truman did the right thing for the right reasons: to end the brutal Pacific war and avoid a bloody invasion that could have cost a million lives (mostly Japanese). Mainstream American historians concur.
Many critics of Truman's decision contend, however, that the atomic bomb is uniquely evil for one reason alone—its powerful destructive force. But what, one may ask, is the moral difference between killing eighty-five thousand to one hundred thousand Japanese in Tokyo on 9 March 1945 with thousands of fire-bombs, and killing approximately the same number in Hiroshima with one bomb five months later?
True, atomic weapons have devastating radiation effects that conventional bombs do not. This fact intensified the debate between the demonisers and those who regarded the bomb, like all weapons of war, as politically and morally neutral. The apocalyptics, however, asserted that nuclear weapons had introduced a radically new and evil force in history. Half right: the force is new, but it is not evil. Nuclear arms, like tanks and fighter aircraft—like all technology—are morally and politically neutral. They can be used to liberate or enslave, to perpetrate aggression or to deter it. And like fire, nuclear energy will be with us until the end of time.
Damning nuclear weapons is much like damning war itself. The failure to distinguish between just wars and wars of aggression is the basic moral flaw of the political pacifist. This crucial moral distinction was absent from Erich Maria Remarque's powerful anti-war novel All Quiet on the Western Front (1929), which fed the pacifism and cynicism of the interwar period.
Fortunately, the essential moral and political neutrality of arms has been implicitly understood by all American presidents from Hiroshima until the fall of the Berlin Wall. Yet throughout the Cold War, each president's national security decisions were made more difficult through the confusion spawned by nuclear pacifists in the West who demonised the weapon and by nuclear apocalyptics who predicted Armageddon. Public discourse was further clouded by advocates of détente with the Soviet Union who blamed the superpower conflict mainly on Washington. This sorry record holds lessons for today.
The H-Bomb and Nuclear Tests
Moscow's first atomic blast in August 1949 intensified the debate over whether America should build the H-bomb. Again, the lines were drawn between vocal apocalyptics and principled pragmatists. Albert Einstein warned of "general annihilation". Former US ambassador to Moscow George Kennan opposed America's H-bomb and urged Washington to set an example of restraint for Moscow. Oppenheimer opposed the H-bomb on "moral and technical" grounds, as did Harvard's James B. Conant and Enrico Fermi. Three of the five Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) members opposed it, chairman David Lilienthal casting the deciding vote with a cryptic warning: "We have to leave many things to God."
To resolve the matter, Truman set up a special committee chaired by then Assistant Secretary of State Dean Acheson. Rebuking Kennan, Acheson asked: "How can you persuade a paranoid adversary to 'disarm by example'?" He and most other advisers, including Edward Teller ("father of the H-bomb") and the Joint Chiefs, urged a "crash programme". Dismissing the bomb-haters, General Omar Bradley said it was "folly to argue whether one weapon is more immoral than another. The stigma of … immorality must rest on the nation which initiates hostilities".
It took Truman only seven minutes to accept Acheson's draft urging the AEC to continue its work on "the so-called hydrogen bomb". He authorised it on 31 January 1950. Turning to Lilienthal, the president said America should never initiate the use of "these weapons", which were designed for deterrence and self-defence. He recalled critics of his aid to Greece and Turkey (the Truman Doctrine) who had "predicted the end of the world [but] the world didn't come to an end".
Bomb-demonisers came in all shapes and sizes. For over a decade, Herblock, the Washington Post's cartoonist (not distinguished for nuance), did his bit to portray the bomb as a satanic force. In 1949, his sinister short-legged atomic monster sported a Roman helmet and wore ordinary shoes, but after the H-bomb decision, he was given hairy hands and hobnail boots. Aping the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, Herblock's evil creature wore a doomsday watch and played ball with a hapless world.
Scorpions and Porcupines
Despite vociferous elite opposition, Truman's decision received overwhelming public support, and on 1 November 1952 the United States exploded its first H-bomb. Less than a year later, in August 1953, the Soviet Union conducted its own first hydrogen explosion. Then, with its Sputnik launch in 1957, Moscow demonstrated its intercontinental missile capacity. These developments, along with the increasing accuracy of weapons, highlighted the dangerous strategic confrontation that lasted until the collapse of the Soviet empire.
The most apocalyptic metaphor of the nuclear standoff portrayed two deadly scorpions in a bottle. In fear, one scorpion stings the other and in its death agony the second stings the first. Both fall to their deaths. A whimsical but perhaps more accurate metaphor would be two porcupines in love. How do porcupines make love? Very carefully.
After Moscow acquired the H-bomb, both superpowers emulated porcupines. By ironic necessity, they were simultaneously enemies and allies. Although they were political and moral adversaries, they had a common interest in preventing a nuclear holocaust. All presidents from Truman to Bush rejected extreme nuclear eschatologies in favour of political prudence, including the moral constraints—especially proportionality—embraced by the Christian just war doctrine.
Assorted nuclear pacifists, flying in the face of historical evidence and good sense, continued to damn the bomb, particularly the American bomb. Perhaps their skewed concern stemmed from an awareness that only a democratic America was subject to moral suasion, and from a vain hope that American restraint would be emulated by a totalitarian Soviet Union.
Opposition to nuclear arms also came from Wilsonian multilateralists, some of whom held that the American "military and industrial complex" was largely responsible for the Cold War. Virtually all critics supported the "arms control establishment", a cluster of government officials and outside advocates wedded to formal negotiation and comprehensive international treaties to curb, reduce or eliminate nuclear arms.
George Kennan, author of the "containment doctrine" (Foreign Affairs, July 1947), was among those who spoke of a moral symmetry between America and the Soviet Union. Asserting that US policy was rooted in Cold War paranoia, he asked whether the "decadent West" was really worth defending. Contradicting his own containment article, in which he said America should confront "the Russians with unalterable counterforce at every point", he retroactively criticised the Truman Doctrine and went on to oppose NATO, the American H-bomb and virtually every other new American defence initiative.
Kennan also opposed US nuclear tests by greatly exaggerating the long-term risks of radioactive fallout: "[W]hoever gave us the right, as Christians, to take even one innocent human life?"3
As a matter of record, testing enabled the United States to build smaller and "cleaner" tactical arms with less fallout. Such weapons strengthened NATO's deterrent against a Soviet tank assault against West Germany because Moscow rightly assumed that the Western allies would be morally inhibited from using bigger "dirty" ones that could kill many civilians. (After arduous cost-benefit analysis, Washington continued testing—but only underground—and undertook strenuous measures to contain radioactive waste from all nuclear reactors.)
Since Hiroshima, nuclear arms have been demonised in books and articles, in highly touted apocalyptic movies, such as On the Beach (1959), and in TV fantasies, such as The Day After (1983). As late as August 1998, American network TV broadcast the apocalyptic On the Brink of Doomsday.
Among the prominent figures who have called for the abolition of nuclear weapons are the philosopher Bertrand Russell, the entertainer Steve Allen, CNN's Ted Turner, former US Senator Claiborne Pell, Notre Dame president Theodore Hesburg, South African Bishop Desmond Tutu and the Dalai Lama.
Détente and a Nuclear Freeze
In the late 1970s and early 1980s, advocates of détente and a nuclear freeze between Washington and Moscow reflected both Western moralism and Soviet cynicism. President Carter saw merit in their arguments. He slowed production of long-range and medium-range missiles and the Trident submarine and cancelled the B-1 bomber—with no reciprocal Soviet restraint. Then he capitulated to the nuclear extremists by abruptly cancelling the "neutron bomb" because it "killed people, not property", as the Soviet disinformation people put it. Actually, the "bomb" was a small tactical device that was more discriminating than the battlefield weapon it was intended to replace. Specifically, it could knock out a Red Army tank without killing nearby civilians. In the name of morality, Carter made an immoral decision.
By 1980 Moscow had gained strategic parity with Washington and had deployed 315 medium‑range SS-20 nuclear missiles in eastern Europe capable of devastating every major city from Oslo to Istanbul. NATO didn't have a single comparable missile to counter the SS-20s. At this inauspicious moment, the Soviet-sponsored nuclear freeze offensive, spurred on by dread of the bomb and visions of détente, if not of a warless world, gained momentum in America and western Europe.
Advocates of détente, again focusing on numbers of weapons rather than on Soviet behaviour, demanded a bilateral freeze on nuclear arms, including medium-range missiles. In their eyes both sides were fuelling the "mad arms race". Senator Edward Kennedy called for a vague "global freeze". The National Council of Churches condemned the "strange insanity" of the superpowers, and an American Catholic bishops' pastoral letter virtually urged unilateral disarmament. Other freeze advocates included astronomer Carl Sagan, Helen Caldicott (who became an anti-nuclear activist after seeing On the Beach), former Defence Secretary Robert McNamara, former CIA director William Colby and Playboy's Hugh Hefner.
If their advice had become policy, Soviet superiority in key weapons categories would have been legitimised by a Moscow–Washington treaty. All of which led the London Economist to comment: "A worldwide freeze on nuclear weapons, popular among left-wing American Democrats, is the undefinable in pursuit of the inequitable."
Perhaps the most absurd apocalyptic vision was Jonathan Schell's in The Fate of the Earth (1982). Asserting that atomic bombs threatened "planetary doom", he called for a new man, a new politics and the abolition of the state itself: "The task is nothing less than to reinvent politics: to reinvent the world." As a first step, he advocated a 50 per cent cut in the superpowers' nuclear arsenals, ignoring Moscow's massive conventional superiority in Europe. In a recent book, Schell repeated his foolishness.
Abolishing the Bomb
Despite the Cold War's end, dozens of American pressure groups still work diligently to abolish the bomb. They draw support from isolationist and neo-Wilsonian sentiment and feed on the 1960s' countercultural emphasis on America's "transgressions" abroad. Two of the more significant groups are the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation in Santa Barbara, which sponsors celebrity conferences and proclamations, and the Center for Defense Information in Washington, which purports to be an objective educational group.
The Center for Defense Information was founded by retired Admiral Gene LaRocque and is staffed by other retired military officers. It promotes its radical critique of US defence policies on Capitol Hill and in the academy. It has accused Washington of "militarising" outer space and opposed virtually all nuclear-related weapons systems, including intercontinental ballistic missiles, the M-X missile, the stealth bomber and the Strategic Defence Initiative designed to blunt a missile attack. Center publications assert that military spending harms the American economy and that our "bloated" military forces are a response to "phantom" threats. The center also says the United Nations should take the lead in "policing world trouble spots". If its advice were adopted, the United States would become more vulnerable and would be less able to fulfil its key responsibility for maintaining strategic and regional peace.
Mutual Deterrence Worked
For fifty years, critics of the bomb have conveniently overlooked the obvious realities of the nuclear era. Despite their doomsday forebodings, the atomic bomb has not unleashed Armageddon, or even ignited a single war. On the contrary, nuclear weapons have been forged into instruments of peace. I emphasise instruments because weapons are not actors in the global drama, but tools to be used or misused by fallible human beings. Used responsibly, nuclear arms brought to an abrupt end the horrendous Pacific War. Equally significant, they helped make possible a half-century of great-power peace, an achievement unmatched in modern times, perhaps in history. Paradoxically, peace was bought at the risk of nuclear war. As Churchill predicted: "Safety will be the sturdy child of terror, and survival the twin brother of annihilation."
Ironically, the 1962 Cuba Missile Crisis highlighted not the evil or danger of nuclear weapons, but rather their stabilising impact. This most dangerous "eyeball to eyeball" confrontation demonstrated the virtue of restraint and reinforced the tendency of the Cold War adversaries to rely on less lethal means of resolving conflict. Many Americans had feared Armageddon, but JFK's security adviser McGeorge Bundy estimated the risk at about one to a hundred. At the same time, the nuclear standoff dampened regional conflict and ethnic strife, especially in areas where both Moscow and Washington were vying for influence.
The Soviet Collapse
Prudent nuclear policies also helped precipitate the collapse of the Soviet Union. Fed up with Carter's last-minute recognition of US nuclear vulnerability and, it must be said, his failure to rescue US hostages in Tehran, the American people swept Ronald Reagan into the White House in 1980. Soviet leaders scornfully dubbed him a "nuclear cowboy", but they were dead wrong. Years before he came to Washington, Reagan had likened nuclear war to the biblical Apocalypse, but he was convinced that the best way to avoid catastrophe was to build a convincing American arsenal to deter an expansionist Soviet Union.
In September 1983, in the face of intense opposition in Europe and America, Reagan sent Pershing II missiles to Europe to counter the Soviet SS-20s. Thousands of nuclear freeze advocates demonstrated against him in London, Paris and Rome. But the president's courage, stoutly backed by Helmut Schmidt and Margaret Thatcher, caused the frenzied freeze campaign to fizzle. Schell and other apocalyptics, apparently more worried by the not-yet-deployed Pershing IIs than by Soviet missiles already aimed at NATO targets, were stunned.
Then came another big surprise. With the Pershing IIs now in Europe, Mikhail Gorbachev in 1987 agreed to eliminate all medium-range missiles. Both sides promptly jettisoned this highly destabilising system with its short warning-time. Eliminating these weapons was by far the most significant strategic arms reduction in the thirty-five-year nuclear standoff. This singular accomplishment came about not through years of formal negotiation with Moscow, but because Reagan's forthright deployment of the Pershing IIs demonstrated that governments negotiate more effectively by prudent unilateral action than by words or multilateral disarmament treaties.
Reagan built up nuclear arms in order to build down—and he succeeded. Feasibility questions aside, his much-maligned Strategic Defence Initiative also had a crucial impact. In 1992, Vladimir Lukhin, Russia's ambassador in Washington, said: "SDI accelerated our catastrophe by at least five years." Alexander Solzhenitsyn concurred: "The Cold War was essentially won by Ronald Reagan when he embarked on the 'Star Wars' programme."
Reagan had the courage to move beyond containment to direct confrontation, a course that earlier presidents had rejected as too risky. His action and his words ("Mr Gorbachev, tear down this wall!"), combined with a wrenching internal Russian crisis, led to the Soviet empire's collapse. Reagan's 1981 prophecy was fulfilled: "The West will not only contain communism, it will transcend communism."
The West won the Cold War, not merely by standing firm and threatening nuclear retaliation, but by steadfastly insisting that all peoples had a right to breathe free.
Treaty Shortcomings
The sorry record of international disarmament and arms control agreements has stretched from the disastrous 1930 London Naval Reduction Treaty to the ineffective 1968 Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty. Yet "assertive multilateralists" continue to urge governments large and small, nuclear and non-nuclear, to sign these unenforceable agreements. The NPT was powerless to stop India and Pakistan from conducting their tests. The current US obsession with comprehensive arms control measures, writes former national security adviser Zbigniew Brzezinski, is "a hypocritical policy, dressed in high-sounding rhetoric … lacking any serious commitment of American power".4
After noting that the five major nuclear powers had conducted over two thousand tests before the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty was opened for signature in 1966, India's Mr Jaswant Singh makes a telling point: "This treaty, alas, was neither comprehensive nor related to disarmament but rather devoted to ratifying the nuclear status quo." Before the NPT was signed in 1968, the United States alone had conducted more than one thousand nuclear tests and had amassed an arsenal of thirty thousand nuclear weapons and an impressive array of air, missile and submarine delivery systems. Given these circumstances and its dedication to peace and freedom, it is unbecoming for the United States to preach to Third World regimes. But by virtue of our power and influence, we have an obligation to act when any regime, e.g., Iraq, Libya or North Korea, presents a clear and present danger to peace. And our national ethic bids us to act firmly, but without hubris.
Mr Singh also asserts that the status quo, which now includes India, Pakistan and Israel as nuclear powers, is not as catastrophic as the apocalyptics assert or as dangerous as the arms controllers fear. He suggests that perhaps the mutual deterrence that ensured strategic stability between Washington and Moscow might operate on the regional level as well. Persuasive on both counts.
I made precisely these same points twenty-three years ago, shortly after India's first explosion.5 Questioning "the widely held assumption that the danger of local or strategic war or nuclear blackmail will inevitably rise with the increasing number of governments that possess them [nuclear weapons]", I noted that India undertook its costly nuclear effort because it "felt severely threatened by China" and to gain international prestige. To mitigate new risks posed by India and other new nuclear states, I recommended that Washington not impose sanctions, but rather extend status-conferring measures, such as nuclear and other forms of technical assistance or economic aid.
Perhaps my advice is still relevant. In recent years, Washington has invested millions to help tighten Russia's nuclear command and control system. Should we not provide similar assistance for India and Pakistan? Why not encourage them to look upon their own "delicate balance of terror" as an incentive for restraint as they attempt to settle the long-simmering Kashmir issue? We cannot force any government to abandon its nuclear arms or to sign the UN Test Ban Treaty, but by quiet example we can commend restraint and bilateral negotiation.
In July 1999, a senior American official characterised the Kashmir conflict as "one of the most dangerous situations on the face of the earth" that "could have escalated out of control" and caused a nuclear war that neither side wanted. But evidence suggests that the current clash between India and Pakistan has been muted precisely because of the mutual fear of nuclear war. The very existence of these weapons may have prevented a more serious war with conventional arms. One may hope that India and Pakistan are emulating the prudence and restraint developed by the nuclear superpowers during the Cold War.
The United States and the other big nuclear powers should acknowledge the severe limits of formal multilateral arms control treaties and emphasise the merit of tacit agreements and prudent unilateral or alliance behaviour that embraces built-in restraints.
In addition to specific measures directed at India and Pakistan, the United States should continue to dissuade Russia and China—and our NATO partners—from exporting sensitive nuclear and missile technology to aspiring nuclear states, especially rogue regimes. (Russia's economy, approximately the size of Spain's, is in acute crisis. This fact, plus Russia's approximately twenty-three thousand nuclear weapons, has produced incentives to export nuclear technology by open or black-market sales.)
And, of course, America must build up its sagging defences. We need strong, mobile US military forces capable of deterring or throwing back regional threats to peace, such as those posed by Iraq and North Korea. This means more money. In 1986, defence spending was 6.2 per cent of GDP, and by 1995 it was 3.8 per cent. By 1998, defence spending fell to a smaller percentage of GDP than at any time since 1940, when America was thoroughly isolationist.
Twenty years ago, I wrote: "The overwhelming nuclear threat to the United States is from the USSR, with a secondary threat from China." At the same time, I supported then Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld's call for the development of a US "missile defence against 'third' country attacks". And today, I endorse the Rumsfeld Commission's call for a credible defence against ballistic and cruise missiles. Failure to develop such a defence provides rogue states with an incentive to accelerate their missile efforts.
The past is prologue, and I believe Americans can muster the moral courage and military capacity to restore the nuclear-induced disciplines of the past half-century as we enter a new one. This means we must reject the demonisation of nuclear weapons and the foolish advice that flows from a perverse nuclear eschatology.
2. Atomic Diplomacy: Hiroshima and Potsdam: The Use of the Atomic Bomb and the American Confrontation with Soviet Power (London: Pluto Press, 1995).
3. "Foreign Policy and Christian Conscience", Atlantic Monthly 203, no. 5 (May 1959), pp. 44–9.
4. Washington Times, 18 May 1998.
5. "Undue Alarm over Nuclear Spread?", Wall Street Journal, 15 October 1976.


text:
M - F : 9am - 7pm • Sat: 9am - 5pm • Sun: Closed
We have years of experience in building quality homes. We have tested and improved our product and practices, ensuring that you and your family will enjoy the value of your home for many years to come. See how our homes are built from start to finish.
Want to take a look into our homes as if you were standing in them? Try the new Virtual Tour 360° feature to view room by room!
Oakwood Homes of Newport News, Virginia first opened our doors in 2008. Since that day we have prided ourselves on offering only the most updated and newest floor plans.
If you want to find that perfect home that fits your lifestyle come on by and visit with us today!


text:
Serving needs with speedp
Business functions are time-critical we know. We understand how integral rapid response is in the corporate world. When your seamless business flow depends on our flawless operations we go the extr mile to exceed customer expectations. Our resources, personnel and processes are fine tuned to one fundamental purpose, of delivering your business to your satisfaction. Our 360 degree solutions cover pick-up, transportation and delivery of documents and goods across the world with the promise of delivering value by delivering safely, speedily and correctly.
Our Services


text:
9.27.10 - Executive Director of Cleveland Marathon Inducted into Greater Cleveland Sports Hall of Fame
CLEVELAND (Sept. 27, 2010) – On September 23, Olympic athletes, national champions, state record holders and NFL franchise founders were inducted into the Greater Cleveland Sports Hall of Fame. Rounding out the class of eight was the Rite Aid Cleveland Marathon Executive Director Jack A. Staph, for meritorious service to the sports community.
Staph helped create the first Cleveland Marathon in 1978 through the funding of his then employer, Revco. For the past 33 years, he has been a fixture of the event in one shape or form. In 2001, his Cleveland Marathon Inc. bought the race when it was in risk of closing and has since grown participation by 200 percent in the last eight years.
Staph is the president of the Cleveland Marathon, Inc., owner of the Cleveland Marathon, Half Marathon & 10K. He is also the Executive Director of the Rite Aid Cleveland Marathon, Half Marathon & 10K, as well as a practicing attorney and counselor in private practice in Pepper Pike, Ohio, specializing in corporate, business and antitrust law. He is also a private investor and an executive in several companies throughout the country.
From 1972 to 1997, Staph served as senior vice president, secretary and general counsel for Revco, D.S., Inc. in Twinsburg, Ohio, the original title sponsor of the race. Staph was race chairman under the CVS title sponsorship in the early 2000's and secured the Rite Aid title sponsor relationship after his Cleveland Marathon, Inc. purchased the race in 2001. Staph has been involved with the Cleveland Marathon as race chairman for 33 years and has run in seven marathons around the country.
In the past five years, Staph has added the popular half marathon and 5K events to provide more opportunities for runner and walker participation. In 2007, he orchestrated Cleveland Marathon Charities, a 501(c)3 that rewards non-profit groups for their participation in the race as volunteers or participants. Thousands of participants and volunteers have raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for their charities through the Cleveland Marathon since 2007, and more than $1 million has been raised and donated to charities since the first event in 1978.
The 2010 marathon on May 16 generated nearly $15 million in economic impact for the City of Cleveland and set a new record for runner participation, with 15,631 registrants. Last year's race saw a 200 percent increase in runners since 2003 and marked the eighth consecutive year of growth. Currently in 2011, registrations are up 85 percent from this time last year, and race directors are expecting more than 18,000 participants on May 14 and 15, 2011.
"The continued growth of this event has captured the attention of not only national companies seeking the attention of the running community, but also local organizations who want to support an event of this magnitude and all the benefits it brings our city," said Staph. "The two things I'm most proud of regarding the race is bringing significant dollars into the great City of Cleveland and providing an outlet for health and fitness for all ages in Northeast Ohio."
Councilman Joe Cimperman represents Cleveland's 3rd Ward and has served in that position since 1997. He is also the newly elected chair of the Health & Human Services Committee, and was honored as Grand Marshal of the 2010 Rite Aid Cleveland Marathon. "The Cleveland Marathon consistently brings positive attention to our city, supports the health of our community and brings an economic impact that aids in revitalization," he said. "Council has passed a resolution regarding the efforts of Jack Staph, because his tireless work has improved our community immensely over 33 years through this wonderful event. We thank and commend him."
The Greater Cleveland Sports Hall of Fame was founded in 1976 as a bicentennial celebration event. Prior to the 2010 inductions, a total of 456 people have been voted into the hall, 14 of whom have been honored in more than one category, making a total of 470 inductions. Of those, 361 were selected for their accomplishments in 26 different sports and 109 have been enshrined for meritorious service. Inductees are nominated by a community member, reviewed by the selection advisory board and voted on by the directors of the hall of fame.
The Rite Aid Cleveland Marathon offers the following opportunities for people to participate in the event: full marathon, half marathon, 10K, full marathon walking division, half marathon walking division, 10K walking division, 5K (run or walk), Kids' Run and 10K Corporate Team Challenge. The events take place May 14 and 15, 2011. To register for any of the events, or learn more about the Rite Aid Cleveland Marathon, visit www.clevelandmarathon.com.
There are also opportunities for non-profit organizations to raise funds through their participation in the race through Cleveland Marathon Charities, for which information can also be found on the marathon's website.
About the Rite Aid Cleveland Marathon
The Rite Aid Cleveland Marathon, Half Marathon & 10K is in its 34th year of providing a running experience for all individuals who want to participate regardless of their abilities. More than 280,000 runners have participated, generating nearly $15 million annually to benefit the Cleveland community. More than $1 million has been raised for local charities through Cleveland Marathon Charities' programs and gifts.
Mission Statement:
· To provide a running experience for all individuals who want to participate regardless of their abilities.
· To produce an event that highlights the Cleveland community and provides a positive economic impact for the community.
· To give charities an opportunity to benefit financially from the Rite Aid Cleveland Marathon, Half Marathon, 10K and 5K events.
# # #
Permalink || Monday September 27th, 2010


text:
"What I would like to teach Maggie is that she'll be pulled in many directions as she grows," Gibson says. "A decision that's right one day might be wrong the next. I hope I can help her develop integrity so that when she looks into her soul and asks, 'Is this where I want to be?' she'll have the strength to answer honestly and the guts to move on. I want her to take her dreams seriously — and, above all, have fun."
Lessons #4 – #7
#4: Don't Work for a Jerk
Our daughters' generation may think sexual harassment is a thing of the past (it's illegal now, right?), but one anonymous reader knows it isn't.
She wrote to me that in the late 1990s, as her responsibilities doubled, she suggested to her boss that she be elevated to supervise some planned new hires. He suggested they discuss it over lunch, where "he told me to dump my husband and get a sugar daddy like himself so I wouldn't have to be concerned with ambition," she wrote. "Then, when we got back to the office, he told a colleague we'd been at a hotel. Behind closed doors, I told him he was out of line. He agreed and said we should forget this ever happened. I did — or tried to. He didn't."
After receiving a mixed performance review, she realized that her future at the company was iffy at best. But she stayed on for what she describes as a year of pure hell. "I was working too many hours to look for another job, and I was constantly on the defensive," she wrote. Finally she was given another bad review and asked to sign it or resign. She chose the latter. Her experience points up the need to be careful in the process of filing a complaint and to be prepared with an escape hatch.
Now a successful writer, she has this advice for her daughter: "Sexual bullying and discrimination are facts of life. To succeed in business, you have to work in a supportive environment. If you're afraid of being jobless, I promise you can move back home."
#5: Stand Up for Yourself
When Laura Levine graduated from Harvard Law School in 1989, she launched a corporate career at a time when women were often undervalued. Her primary message to her 9-year-old daughter, Abby: Toot your own horn. "Don't sit back and expect to be recognized just because you do good work," says Levine, now 41 and living in Larchmont, New York. "Women often feel that they will come across as too aggressive if they highlight their contributions. Make sure you get credit for your work, because the men surely will."
Recently divorced after nearly 10 years of marriage, Levine would also counsel her daughter to retain her independence no matter what. "Make sure you're always able to support yourself," she says. "Start saving and investing from day one."
#6. Follow Your Passion
Janet McGrotha, 51, of Jonesboro, Georgia, hopes that her 21-year-old daughter, Dana, will find her passion early, even if it comes with risks. "For years, I was prisoner to a paycheck," she says. "I brought home a good salary to provide for my children but found the work unsatisfying." Now retired from a career in telecommunications, McGrotha wonders whether she'd do it all again. "I know I would put my own needs aside to meet the needs of my family," she says, "but I would plan differently so I could also do what I loved." Dana is an English major who loves to write — not exactly a surefire income generator. "I still say she should go for it," McGrotha says, "even if it means writing that bestselling novel in her off hours!"


text:
Regional Headlines
Clarksville gets Blueway grants
(2010-10-01)CLARKSVILLE, TN (wkms) - City of Clarksville officials expect $145,000 in state grants for a new Blueway project. The money is part of a $3.5 million dollar disbursement from the Local Parks and Recreation fund, which finances similar projects across Tennessee. The grant requires a 50 percent local match. The Clarksville Leaf Chronicle reports the Blueway project is an initiative to open city waterways to canoeists and kayakers. © Copyright 2016, wkms


text:
Miley Cyrus Was NOT Rude to Fans at "Never Say Never" Premiere
In a piece about the premiere of Justin Bieber's Never Say Never, HollywoodLife takes a cheap shot at Miley Cyrus.
According to an eyewitness account from one of HollywoodLife's crack reporters, Cyrus "was trying to avoid speaking to many people on the red carpet."
Actually, Cyrus spoke to several outlets, but clearly ignored HollywoodLife.
The site then reports, "She rushed around to get into the theater and didn't really acknowledge her fans screams. I guess that is just Miley being Miley!"
No, Cyrus spent a lot of time with her fans, who even tweeted how she spoke to them and signed autographs.
In fact, the picture (above) is just one of the many photos in which Cyrus can be seen hanging out with her fans.
Guess getting things wrong is just HollywoodLife being HollywoodLife.


text:
have a magical day Jovana
Thank you for all your green stars Jovana. Have a pleasant night my dear friend
glad to be yours too .Have a lovely day
Thank you for being my new friend. Hugs
Problem on this page? Briefly let us know what isn't working for you and we'll try to make it right!


text:
RSS | Free Trial
Home | Advertise | Classifieds | About | Contact
Sign In
Reader Comments (0) Print
June 28, 2012
Cheney's Ryan Gray scored an 87-point win in the final go-round, winning $7,700 last Saturday night in bareback competition at the Reno Rodeo.
In the process, Gray shot up the bareback riding standings from 31st to 18th just as the schedule enters the time of the year called "Cowboy Christmas." That's a time where 31 rodeos begin and/or end during the week of July 1-7 and offer total prize money of some $3.3 million.
Gray will be fully a part of the craziness as he rides in 14 rodeos in 10 days, including tonight (June 28) in Prescott, Ariz. Yes, Gray will actually ride in two rodeos in one day on two different occasions. That started yesterday (June 27) at the Ponoka, Alberta Stampede and Airdrie, Alberta. He will do it again in Livingston and Red Lodge, Montana, July 4.
This time of year is crucial for cowboys who are working their way to the year-end Wrangler National Finals Rodeo in Las Vegas.
Cheney Free Press | 1616 W. First St., Cheney, WA 99004
Ph: (509) 235-6184 | firstname.lastname@example.com | www.cheneyfreepress.com Content and information copyright 2015 Free Press Publishing Inc.
Powered by ROAR Online Publication Software
© Copyright 2015 Lions Light Corp.
— Software for newspapers & magazines


text:
The Sun - November 15, 2013
This image of an active Sun comes from a hydrogen-alpha telescope at the Phoebe Waterman Haas Public Observatory. It was taken at 11:48 am ET on November 15, 2013.
This kind of telescope shows the atmosphere of the Sun. This view illustrates that the largest sunspots are not necessarily the most active. A sunspot, appearing as a dark spot on the Sun, is a region of intense magnetic activity. The largest sunspot on the Sun on this day, toward the left, is significantly larger than the Earth. However, it has a simple, untwisted magnetic field, and shows little magnetic activity around it.
The two swarms of smaller sunspots toward the lower center are much more magnetically active. The many small sunspots are joined by complex, twisted magnetic fields. They are surrounded and even obscured by brighter clouds of gas called plages. These clouds can brighten dramatically when a flare occurs nearby.
Solar scientists watched all of these sunspots with great interest. The group to lower right, AR1893, produced a powerful X-class flare several days later, just before rotating out of view.
Telescope: 100mm Lunt hydrogen-alpha
Camera: Lumenera SKYnyx 2-2M
Image Number: WEB13669-2014
Credit: Image by Smithsonian Staff, Phoebe Waterman Haas Public Observatory
For print or commercial use please see our permissions page.


text:
Popular Topics
- The Connection Newsletter
- Employee Highlight
- Meet Our Customers & Speakers
- New Photo Products
- Photography Marketing
- Social Media Marketing
- Photography Training Tuesdays
- School Photography
- Sports Photography
- Wedding Photography
- Guide To Photography Jobs
- Photographic Industry Trends
- WordPress for Photographers
How Facebook Contest and Promotion Changes Impact Photographers
Yippee, Yahoo, Hurray! Facebook announced this week that they made changes so that it's easier to create and administer promotions. Facebook used to require a third-party application for giveaways, events, contests and other promotional initiatives, however that is now changed and is no longer required.
Why would Facebook make this change? They want businesses to run more of these types of programs and make it easier than it has been. Some of the third party applications also have a fee associated with them and that has caused people to shy away from them. It's also a great platform for businesses to use Facebook's advertising platform to promote these types of posts. So, think about it, it's another source of revenue for Facebook.
Let's take a look at some of the top benefits for you:
- It is now easier. You no longer have to find the right 3rd party application, figure out how to use it, how to add it to the Facebook application tabs, etc.
- Now you can use some of the money you have saved and utilize Facebook's advertising offerings. This will help you reach a larger audience. Having a larger reach means more fans, more engagement opportunities, and hopefully more overall success for your business.
- According to statistics, almost 60% of the people who like a page are really hoping that they will get some sort of discount or special offer. Now it's as easy as putting up a post and voila – you're all set.
- Now you can directly engage with your fans right on the wall, you don't have to point them to a tab where you use to with the old rules.
Contests can still prove to be a daunting task, so there still some very good reasons why you may want to continue to use an application: manually collecting entries, monitoring comments, etc. As an example, let's say you run a photo contest where the winner is the one who gets the most votes. If you have a large prize worth a lot in dollars, you may get hundreds of entries. Counting and sorting these could well be a community manager's nightmare. Users can still delete their entries, edit their comments, they may even change their entry based on how people are responding.
So in summary, the benefits are low cost, no mobile compatibility issues, good for getting engagement going on your page and they are easy to create. The downside there is no easy way for data collection (emails), can be hard to manage, and challenging to find a winner.
What do you think about these changes? Will you try one now on your timeline?
Guest post by Georgia McCabe follow her on Google+ – As an author, speaker, trainer and social media and photography evangelist, her perspectives on social media appear in print in her newest book entitled "SocialMorphosis – Transforming Your Business through Social Media". Georgia is also a co-author of the book "The Relationship Age", with social media guru Mari Smith. Georgia is a frequent guest blogger for our professional photography lab.
No related posts.
1 Comment
This is great for small quick contests. Though I agree that it may be best in the long term to pay the small fee to use a 3rd party app to manage the data and help with organization.
For example, I'm about to run a simple giveaway contest and plan to give extra entries for those who share about the giveaway. It would take me forever to tally the entries, count the shares, not to mention collecting the emails into a list from just my timeline. So the best choice is an app. However by the time I code the app or pay a developer to, it's would be less than a third of the cost to just use Offerpop, Tabsite, or one of the many established contest providers.
Also, is anyone else concerned about Facebook pages looking like mess now if people are going to run contests on the Timeline?


text:
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) - Al Unser Jr., who had worked to put a racing slump and troubled personal life behind him, is accused by a girlfriend of hitting her after they left a strip club.
Jena L. Soto, 38, of Albuquerque, N.M, told police Unser struck her early Tuesday while she was driving him home because he was drunk. She accused him of hitting her in the face and leaving her on the side of a highway in the middle of the night.
The report dismayed Unser's uncle, Bobby, who said his nephew, a two-time Indianapolis 500 winner, was having a positive year after some personal and professional struggles.
"He lost a lot of weight and seemed to be going good," Bobby said. "He turned this year into a good year."
Unser, who won the Indianapolis 500 in 1992 and 1994, posted a $30,000 bond on preliminary misdemeanor charges of domestic battery and domestic violence.
Amarillo Globe-News © 2016. All Rights Reserved. Terms of Service | Privacy Policy / About Our Ads


text:
All-new productFIND with
expanded search, more products
and improved functionality.
Find Thousands of Products & Companies
Join now and get your
Save, Share, Compare and Find New Products. Sign Up for Your Personalized Binder.Join Now >
Western's 600 Series Multi-Slide Doors and Windows are the epitome of design and functionality. While in the closed position, our multi slide systems are aesthetically pleasing with their narrow sight lines and enormous expanses of glass. Customers love the bold vertical lines and massive panel size options. No stacking door system is better for capturing a custom view. However, we know the real reason you will love our Multi-Slide products…they disappear. Every panel can slide and stack to the side or completely vanish into a pocket, opening up entire rooms to the gorgeous weather while you entertain.
For specifications for Western's 600 Series Multi-Slide Windows and Doors please visit our website at www.westernwindowsystems.com.


text:
The Feds Are Going to Look Very Closely at Metro-North's 'Safety Culture'
The first probe of its kind on a passenger railroad.
In the first investigation of its kind into a passenger railroad, the Federal Railroad Administration is planning to take an especially close look at Metro-North's operations and its "safety culture" after months of mishaps culminated in the recent derailment that killed four in the Bronx. With 50 investigators working for an expected 60 days, Operation Deep Dive, as they're calling it, will examine all 750 miles of Metro-North track, as well as the railroad's rolling stock, signals, communications, training, medical requirements, and of course safety procedures. The MTA, which operates Metro-North, said it had been conducting its own safety review since the spring. Obviously, the feds think it needs a little help.


text:
Welcome to
Art 7 the apartment
The vacation apartments Art7 are located on the first and second floor of a significant building in San Sebastian, the former Astoria cinema. This building stands out above all because of the high quality materials used in its construction as well as for being a truly singular building.
The ART7 apartment is situated in the Amara neighborhood, close to the coach station and about a 15 minute stroll from La Concha beach and the Old Town. It is a pleasant and quiet neighborhood where there are all sorts of shops.
The apartment has been decorated using a combination of traditional Basque style and the Seventh Art, with a touch of modernity.