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Topic: Commentary
I haven't posted much here lately because my personal life has been very busy, but there are a few things I would like to say about the current state of the economy.
If you have read much of the economic material on this website then you should have some idea that the warning signs for the current economic condition were visible long before this so called "down turn" happened.
Despite this, I still have yet to hear a single news story or analyst address the real root causes of the economic crisis in America, and around the world. The root cause is growing economic disparity.
Economic disparity has been growing in developed and developing countries around the world over the past 30 years, but in no developed economy has the growth in disparity been as great as it has been in the United States, which now has economic disparity on par with Mexico.
I have presented plenty of data addressing this issue on this website, so I'm not going to present it here again, but the data is clear that ever since the "Reagan Revolution" economic disparity has been growing in America, and in fact it grew at its fastest pace under the presidency of Bill Clinton, despite the fact that the Clinton years were the only time in the past 30 years in America when median income barely beat out the rate of inflation. While the incomes of average Americans did rise slightly under Clinton, the incomes of the top 1% grew more rapidly than any time in American history, far out pacing the rate of increase for average Americans.
Along with this growing economic disparity there has been a direct correlation of growing personal and public debt as average Americans have been encouraged by corporations to live beyond their means.
Over the past 30 years, up until 2008, as America has operated on the basic economic foundation put in place by the Reagan administration, average Americans have spent more money on their own educations, they have worked longer hours, family incomes have grown slightly because more wives have entered the workforce to try to maintain the family standard of living, the personal savings rate has gone down dramatically, the level of personal debt has risen dramatically, incomes for the bottom 90% of income earners have been stagnant, productivity has risen dramatically, incomes for the top 1% have risen dramatically, corporate profits have risen dramatically, taxes have consistently been reduced (primarily on the wealthy and corporations), corporations have directed the largest off-shoring of American production in the nation's history, and, very importantly, the percentage of capital gains income going to the top 1% of income receivers has risen dramatically, while the portion of capital gains income going to the bottom 90% has gone down.
So, what is the root cause of all of this? Well, quite simply is it "capitalism", i.e. the core structure of an economy where the rights to all newly created value are owned by capital owners. The root cause of America's economic problem is that capital ownership has been both strengthened over the past 30 years by the "Reaganomic" agenda, and capital ownership has been increasingly consolidated into fewer hands.
Now this last part may seem a bit odd, because what about all of these retirement programs setup under the Reagan administration and pursed by following administrations, such as the move from pensions to 401K programs and IRAs? These were claimed by market advocates to be better types of saving systems that would "empower individuals" to make their own decisions and personally own their own retirement accounts, which was supposed to be so much better than pensions and which was supposed to broaden capital ownership. (the rate of return on pensions is higher than most 401Ks or IRAs).
Well it didn't exactly work out that way, and it's not certain that it was ever really intended to. On the one hand yes, the number of Americans who own some stock grew over the past 30 years. More Americans own stock, either directly or indirectly, than at any time in America's history, BUT, and this is a big but, the portion of capital ownership BY VALUE held by the bottom 90% of the American population has gone down!
Why is this?
Well, two things. The first thing is that while more Americans own stocks, either directly or via mutual funds, etc., fewer Americans directly own their own capital than in the past. By this I mean that over the past 30 years there has been a massive loss of small businesses. Now if you only look at the numbers this may not appear to be the case because there are a lot of registered small businesses today and that number has grown over the years, but most of those businesses are not significant. Much of that growth has more to do with paperwork and accounting than anything else, with many of those businesses reporting incomes of under $5,000 a year. These are mostly side businesses and not primary means of income.
So, while the number of Americans owning stock has gone up over the past 30 years, the portion of Americans personally owning their own private, meaningful, capital has gone down. The percentage of Americans working for large corporations has increased over the last 30 years, with now more than 50% of Americans working for a company of 500 employees or more.
So the first thing is that the percentage of Americans owning paper certificates has gone up, but the percentage of Americans owning capital that they personally control, such as their own store or their own farm or their own production facility, has gone down. This loss of personal capital ownership has exceeded the gain of stock ownership, and this is exactly what one would predict would happen in a "free-market" or "free-marketish" capitalist system.
Secondly, while the number of people owning at least some stock has increased in America, the majority of that stock is locked up in retirement accounts. What has actually happened is that the percentage of capital gains income going to the top 1% in America has gone up over the past 30 years while the percentage of capital gains income going to the bottom 90% has gone down. So despite more people owning stock, the percentage of value owned by the bottom 90% has gone down, while the percentage of capital value owned by the top 1% has gone up, and on top of that, the value that is owned by the bottom 90% is mostly locked up in retirement account where it goes unused until after age 65, whereas the top 1% receive on-going income from capital all the time.
So, where does this capital gains income come from? Well, it comes from workers. Workers are the ones who create the value that is owned by capital owners and which is received by executives and share holders. So, as worker productivity has increased over the past 30 years, and as the cost of obtaining an education has gone up, those gains have not been realized by the workers who are responsible for those gains, instead those gains have been taken by executives and share holders.
And that is why we are in the situation that we are in today, despite the fact that over the past 30 years there have been major advances in technology and major increases in worker productivity and major improvements in workforce education. The average American has not benefited from these advances because the average American in a wage earner and does not own a significant amount of capital.
Given that this is the issue, it can be safely said that none of the proposals on how to "fix the economy" being put forward by politicians or even leading economists are going to truly solve the problem. What Barack Obama is proposing is a standard old school approach to fixing an economic down turn, and it probably will have a beneficial effect, but it won't solve the root causes of the problem.
Every time this happens what American leaders do is they implement some policies that temporarily reduce income and wealth disparity, which temporarily masks the issues and lets the economy keep working for a while, but the core problem, as has been understood by economists for over 100 years, is that ownership of capital is not evenly distributed in a "free-marketish" capitalist system, and thus capital owners are always exploiting and stealing value from workers.
The old school socialist approach to solving this problem, by making capital publicly owned, has been shown not to work. Marxist Socialists have correctly identified the problems with capitalism - they have just failed to identify the solutions.
The solution has to be relatively equal, but private, distribution of capital ownership. Instead of having the state own the capital, what the state needs to do is distribute the capital to the individuals, so that individuals directly own the capital and directly receive income from capital ownership.
I've already made several proposals for how to do this on this website, but there are other steps that could be taken as well. What is important to understand is that the spending and taxation proposals of either the Republicans or the Obama administration aren't going to solve this issue. In order to solve this issue a radical change to our economic system has to be made.
Something needs to be done along the lines of the federal government setting up a national investment program where everyone with a Social Security number gets a federal investment account into which shares of full-market index funds are deposited quarterly, and with which everyone can do with as they please. They can sell the shares or save them and collect the dividends, etc. Every citizen in the country, no matter what their age or status, would receive the exact same number of shares every month.
Everyone would still have their normal job from which everyone would receive the same types of income that they do now, but everyone would also accumulate capital ownership and capital income. This would, initially at least, need to be paid for by a progressive tax that is heavily weighted toward the wealthy, because after all, the currently wealthy in this country (I'm taking here about those with incomes in excess of a million dollars a year and net worths in the tens of millions of dollars plus) have gotten that wealth by taking it from the American, and indeed global, working class. It is an absolute fact that their wealth is the product of other people's work, and the economy will never be fixed and will never be stabilized until the small minority stop draining off the value created by the working majority.
The solution here is not to increase wages or to just increase taxes on the rich, the solution here has to be a fundamental shift in capital ownership from 1% of the population owning and controlling most of the capital to broad based capital ownership, where capital gains income is relatively equal across the board. The financial schemes of the Republicans over the past 30 years have clearly failed to do this.
And this is all the more interesting because the claims of the Republicans and so-called market advocates has been all along that "a rising tide lifts all boats" and that the "ownership society" would bring benefits to everyone. Clearly the evidence shows that over the past 30 years income disparity has grown in America. The only thing that we can conclude from this is that either A) this was by design all along, or B) the policies of the Republicans and "market advocates" have failed to achieve their goals and have indeed backfired. I tend to think that the issue is option A, because every time I listen to what these people say, on the one hand they make the case for their policies by saying things like "a rising tide lifts all boats", or that the goal or effect of market economies is to allow the market to create benefits for everyone, that everyone benefits from market systems, etc., but then as soon as you question these claims and start to point at the data they change their tune and begin to justify inequality. It is as if they really know that these systems are unfair and create inequality, they just lie on the outset to try and advocate policies that they know are actually going to help the rich and hurt everyone else, under the guise of claiming that its going to be good for everyone.
People have to understand the role of capital in a capitalist system. Capitalism isn't about "free markets", its not about trade, its not about small businesses, its not about entrepreneurship, it is not about rewarding hard work. What defines capitalism is the role that capital plays in the economy. Capital is "productive property", by definition. In a capitalist system the owner of the productive property retains 100% of the rights to all of the value that is created with that property. Capital ownership in a "free-marketish" capitalist system will always naturally tend towards consolidation where fewer and fewer people own more and more of the capital, and by their ownership of capital the capital owners will receive a larger and larger portion of the value created by society, not value created by them, value created by everyone else. This is how a small number of people in capitalist economies become extremely wealthy, not by working millions or billions of times harder than everyone else, but by owning the rights to the value created by millions or billions of people.
The corporate executives and hedge fund managers and large investors over the past 30 years have not worked millions of times harder than everyone else, they have just received value that was created by everyone else. The only way to fix the economy long term is to stop that process of redistribution of wealth from the working poor and middle class to the capital owning wealthy. Make no mistake about, the American economy today has been demolished by the wealthy, both directly and indirectly. The wealthy have both siphoned off trillions of dollars of value from workers to their own private incomes, and they have directly made the decisions that have further devastated the American economy, such as off-shoring American production to China and other countries in order to take advantage of cheap labor. This loss of productive capacity was very much a short-sighted profit driven move that transferred trillions of dollars from American workers to into the bank accounts of a relatively small wealthy elite in America, at the expense of long-term national economic viability. Not only was this a stupid move for the long-term in general, but it was even more obviously stupid given the obvious implications of the inevitable rise in the cost of fuel. Inevitably the cost of fuel was going to go up, so constructing a manufacturing system where parts and materials are shipped all over the world so they can be assembled by the cheapest labor possible is an obviously bad move when the cost of shipping was inevitably going to go up with both an increasing demand for fuel and decreasing supply of it. And the decisions to do all of this were made by the "captions of industry", by both the heads of corporations and leaders in government who cooperated with them. These people made large one-time gains from selling America out, and there is no doubt that the fingers of blame for our current economic situation must be pointed squarely at many of the wealthiest people in America today, whose gains came at the expense of everyone else and the nation's future.


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One of the "funnies" my friend forwarded to me the other day by email was a website that can forecast my life expectancy if I plug in the relevant details. I figured why not? I uploaded the requested data and the answer was 101.5 years! Well, I am in my early seventies in pretty good shape and look after myself, my mom died at 96, statistics claim centenarians are becoming one of the fastest growing demographics and medicines are keeping us alive even longer. There is a reasonable chance that my demise at the age of 101.5 is not a joke. There is only one problem: I will have far outlived my retirement funds! When I retired 10 years ago, like most people, I calculated the cost of living on the basis of 60-70 percent pre-retirement income, a foundation still used today. I did all my due diligence with a budget and with the mortgage paid off, and no other debts, I thought that my wife and I were well within the comfort zone of income coming in from investments and pensions.
It wasn't too long before reality surfaced - nothing drastic, just "things" that were never given a heading in the old budget. More to the point, it was the realization that while our income was more or less fixed, our needs were increasing.
What are your missing items? If you are about to retire, and counting your chickens, listen up! If you are well into retirement, you can just nod and say, "Yup, he's got that right!"
If you've decided to stay in your house, budget for that new roof or other major maintenance. If you've downsized and moved to a townhouse or condo, strata fees will increase regularly and there are regular assessments. For those who haven't switched to riding a bike or a scooter, you'll eventually need to replace your car. Allocate funds for these items unless future depletion of capital is not a problem.
God bless them, those kids and grandkids - the more the merrier. With their significant others, how many birthday and Christmas gifts need to be purchased? What about grads and weddings or other special occasions? Put aside a chunk of money for these expenses. Oh, and let's not even talk about the potential cost of helping out children coming home after a marriage break up, job loss or other financial disaster - the kind of events that could trash any budget.
If you were lucky to keep your extended health insurance from employment, great! If not, you pay the premiums, which increase with age and health problems.
If you pay the freight as you go along, just some simple blood pressure meds, vitamins and supplements, eyeglasses and perhaps a hearing aid, physio and dental may run into thousands. As you age, these costs keep going up! And have you considered critical illness insurance?
That was on the top of the list for your retirement activities, right? Before you go anywhere, you had better have travel insurance and hope to be healthy, because on top of the age-based increases in premiums, the extras for various health problems are significant. Then you need to allow for the ever-increasing cost of all travel-related functions and hope that in 10 years' time you can afford to travel further than Calgary!
Even with the best financial advisor managing your funds, another trashing by the markets like a couple of years ago, may put a major damper on your financial future. You'll need all the help you can get unless you are a financial wizard or independently wealthy, in which case, none of the above would bother you. Happy retirement!
Article by, By George Zador, Reprinted with permission from Senior Living Magazine
Q - I heard there is an age cut-off for donating blood – is this true? What are the most common reasons a senior donor might be deferred from donating blood? And what are the most common reasons a senior might need blood products to stay healthy?
A – These are great questions and will hopefully help spread the message about the importance of blood donation! We'll start with answering your first question in this edition of "Maturity Matters", followed by responses to your second two questions in future issues. For many years, Canadian Blood Services deferred donors from giving blood once reaching a certain age – either 61 years of age for first time donors, or 71 for regular donors. Over time, increasing evidence indicated that healthy, senior donors could safely donate and also, many of our loyal, long term, and highly motivated senior donors were advocating that they be allowed to continue donating. In December 2004, after careful assessment, Canadian Blood Services obtained Health Canada approval to allow seniors to begin donating blood after age 61 and continue donating beyond age 71, after assessment of their fitness to donate by their physician. Seniors are asked to complete a medical document, called the "Letter to the Attending Physician" which is given to their doctor, to indicate their assessed fitness to donate and, which is then returned to Canadian Blood Services. The form can be obtained at your local blood donor clinic or online at www.blood.ca, and should be completed if you are a first-time donor above the age of 61, or annually for donors above the age of 71.
Today, senior donors are an important part of Canadian Blood Services' donor base. In British Columbia, for example, while donors above the age of 65 account for 3.7 per cent of the overall donor base, they also account for 5.2 per cent of all donations, proving they're among our most loyal and frequent blood donors.
Dr. Mark Bigham is a Medical Consultant for both Canadian Blood Services and Fraser Health Authority in British Columbia.
Soufflés are tricky as they puff up beautifully and then collapse before you know it. The best part about it all is that you get to see it happen and enjoy the creamy delicious flavour that it has. Choose a 1 L (4 cup) size bowl for this simple soufflé to watch it grow and puff in the microwave as it cooks. Makes 1 serving.
Ingredients - 10 mL (2 tsp) soft, non-hydrogenated margarine, 60 mL (1/4 cup) skim milk, 15 mL (1 tbsp) all-purpose flour, 1 mL (1/4 tsp) dried oregano, Pinch cayenne pepper, 15 mL (1 tbsp) finely chopped roasted red pepper, 1 egg white or 30 mL (2 tbsp) liquid egg white.
Directions - In 1 L (4 cup) bowl, combine margarine and milk. Microwave on High for 30 seconds. Whisk in flour, oregano and pepper. Microwave on High for 30 seconds. Whisk to combine. Whisk in red pepper. Using electric mixer, beat egg white until firm peaks. Fold into milk mixture until evenly combined. Microwave on High for about 1 minutes or until puffed and cooked through. Slide out onto plate to enjoy.
Nutritional Information Per Serving - Calories: 137, Protein: 7 g, Total Fat: 8g, Saturated fat: 1 g, Cholesterol : 1 mg, Carbohydrate: 10 g, Fibre: 1 g, Sugar: 4 g, Sodium: 200 mg, Potassium: 181 mg
Recipe developed by Emily Richards, PH. Ec. ©Heart and Stroke Foundation 2011.
Two men, both seriously ill, occupied the same hospital room. One man was allowed to sit up in his bed for an hour each afternoon to help drain the fluid from his lungs. His bed was next to the room's only window. The other man had to spend all his time flat on his back. The men talked for hours on end. They spoke of their wives and families, their homes, their jobs, their involvement in the military service, where they had been on vacation.
Every afternoon, when the man in the bed by the window could sit up, he would pass the time by describing to his roommate all the things he could see outside the window. The man in the other bed began to live for those one hour periods where his world would be broadened and enlivened by all the activity and colour of the world outside.
The window overlooked a park with a lovely lake. Ducks and swans played on the water while children sailed their model boats. Young lovers walked arm in arm amidst flowers of every colour and a fine view of the city skyline could be seen in the distance. As the man by the window described all this in exquisite details, the man on the other side of the room would close his eyes and imagine this picturesque scene.
One warm afternoon, the man by the window described a parade passing by. Although the other man could not hear the band - he could see it in his mind's eye as the gentleman by the window portrayed it with descriptive words.
Days, weeks and months passed. One morning, the day nurse arrived to bring water for their baths only to find the lifeless body of the man by the window, who had died peacefully in his sleep. She was saddened and called the hospital attendants to take the body away. As soon as it seemed appropriate, the other man asked if he could be moved next to the window. The nurse was happy to make the switch, and after making sure he was comfortable, she left him alone.
Slowly, painfully, he propped himself up on one elbow to take his first look at the real world outside.
He strained to slowly turn to look out the window beside the bed. It faced a blank wall.
The man asked the nurse what could have compelled his deceased roommate who had described such wonderful things outside this window. The nurse responded that the man was blind and could not even see the wall.
She said, 'Perhaps he just wanted to encourage you.'
Epilogue: There is tremendous happiness in making others happy, despite our own situations. Shared grief is half the sorrow, but happiness when shared, is doubled. If you want to feel rich, just count all the things you have that money can't buy. 'Today is a gift, that is why it is called The Present .'
Author Unknown
Canada Pension Plan benefits are revised annually. For 2011, they increased by 1.7 percent (for those already receiving CPP benefits) effective January 1, 2011, reflecting the change in the Consumer Price Index (CPI) over the last year. The CPI increased by 1.7 percent in that period, and consequently Canadians already receiving CPP benefits saw their benefits increase by that amount. The maximum CPP retirement benefit for new recipients increased from $934.17 to $960 per month on January 1, 2011. This is calculated based on the Average Yearly Maximum Pensionable Earnings for the past five years.
Source: www.hrsdc.gc.ca/eng.corporate/facts/seniors.shtml
Travel Tip - Seniors should consider their physical limitations when planning a trip. Those with heart disease, for example, might choose an itinerary that does not involve strenuous activities. Seniors may also have a hard time recovering from jet lag and motion sickness, so they should take these factors into account when planning a trip.
Source: www.seniorsgotravel.com
This newsletter was created by the Certified Professional Consultant on Aging team, a proud member of the Age-Friendly Business®
International Group of Companies.
Jennifer Legge, Newsletter editor, Age Friendly Business®
Copyright 2010-2011. No reproduction in part or in whole is permitted without written consent of Age Friendly Business®

subset: commoncrawl


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Title text: There's also a unicode-handling bug in the URL request library, and we're storing the passwords unsalted ... so if we salt them with emoji, we can close three issues at once!
| This explanation may be incomplete or incorrect: How does salting with emoji fix the unicode-handling bug in the URL request library? Does it really? Additionally, this explanation requires a thorough grammar and spelling fix from the fourth paragraph onward.
Cueball asks if an off-panel character can look at his bug report. The person asks if it's a "normal one" and not a "horrifying" one which "proves that the whole project is broken beyond repair and should be burnt to the ground". This implies that there have been reports of the "horrifying" variety in the past.
Cueball promises that it is a normal one but it turns out that the server crashes when a user's password is a resolvable URL, which implies that the server is in some way attempting to resolve passwords as if they were URLs. A resolvable URL is one that is syntactically correct and refers to a find-able and accessible resource on the internet (i.e. does not return a 404 error or equivalent when resolved). This can be because it contains a fully qualified domain name or a valid ip address, and optionally (in either case) a resource that exists on the destination server.
Also, Cueball specifically states that the server is crashing, rather than his application. While this could be an example of misused terminology on the part of Cueball or Randall, given Cueball's history his choice of terms is probably accurate. In the context of web services the server refers to either the computer itself or the program that responds to web requests and executes the user's (i.e. Cueball's) application. Cueball would be in charge of building the application. The importance of this distinction is that a typical system has safe guards in place at many levels to prevent a misbehaving application from crashing anything other than itself. So for his application to crash the server (either the computer itself or the server software hosting his application) would require his application to be operating in a way far outside of the norm. Alternatively, the project might include its own server software without the safeguards.
While there appears to be little reason for the code that processes passwords to attempt to resolve the input string as a URL, then a common function in password programs is the functionality of assessing the strength of a password, using a combinations of heuristic testing for uniqueness, length, good use of mixed characters and dictionary lookups for common words -- this password function have extended the dictionary lookups to using DNS names and URLs, so people choosing a password like "XKCD.com" would be given a low strength score, even that no part of it is a dictionary word and it contain both upper, lower case and special characters. However, accessing the internet in any security function like password creation open up, not only possibility of new bugs like the one mentioned, but also a completely new set of security issues which is not what you want from a critical function handling passwords. Realizing the wealth of new security issues, the off-panel person resigns and decides that burning the project to the ground is the only solution, telling Cueball I'll get the lighter fluid.
In the title text another two issues with Cueball's program are mentioned together with a possible solution that would fix all three problems at once. The second problem is unicode-handling bug in the URL request library, and the third is that the passwords are stored unsalted. Salting passwords increases security in the event that the database is compromised by ensuring that users with the same password will not have the same password hash. This makes some attacks used to decipher hash databases, such as rainbow tables, effectively impossible.
The proposed solution is to salt the passwords with emoji, which is claimed to solve all three issues at once.
When the passwords are salted with emoji, the URL request library will fail to resolve any (salted) passwords because emoji are not valid characters in URLs. Since the server only crashes on resolvable URLs, this should mean the server won't crash anymore. In addition, the passwords will now be salted.
Given that this comic comes only five comics after 1695: Code Quality 2 is seems likely that the off-panel person is Ponytail and as could be seen in the first of those two comics, 1513: Code Quality, the perpetrator is indeed Cueball. In the title text of this first one, using emoji in variable names is mentioned.
In 1349: Shouldn't Be Hard Cueball is also programming and finding it very difficult in-spite that he thinks is should be easy. An off-panel person suggest burning the computer down with a blowtorch much like the off-panel person in this one suggest burning the whole project (including the computer) to the ground with lighter fluid. In the very next comic, the multi storyline 1350: Lorenz, one story line results in a computer being burned with a blow torch.
- [Cueball sits at his desk in front of his computer leaning back and turning away from it to speak to a person off-panel.]
- Cueball: Can you take a look at the bug I just opened?
- Off-panel voice: Uh oh.
- [Zoom out and pan to show only Cueball sitting on his chair facing away from the computer, which is now off-panel. The person speaking to him is still of panel even though this panel is much broader.]
- Off-panel voice: Is this a normal bug, or one of those horrifying ones that prove your whole project is broken beyond repair and should be burned to the ground?
- [Zoom in on Cueballs head and upper torso.]
- Cueball: It's a normal one this time, I promise.
- Off-panel voice: OK, what's the bug?
- [Back to a view similar to the first panel where Cueball has turned towards the computer and points at the screen with one hand.]
- Cueball: The server crashes if a user's password is a resolvable URL.
- Off-panel voice: I'll get the lighter fluid.
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text:
In just one season as the head coach at the University of Arizona, Todd McCorkle has not only maintained the program's status as one of the nation's best, but further strengthened that reputation as well. As the Arizona women's golf program embarks on a new century, McCorkle has it headed in a familiar position, as the Wildcats are poised for another run at the national championship.
After taking over the program's head coaching reigns prior to the 1998-99 campaign, McCorkle directed the UA women's golfers to a pair of runner-up finishes at the 1999 Pac-10 & NCAA West Regional Championships before placing fourth at the NCAA Championship. In the process, he helped produce one first team All-America golfer and the NCAA West Regional medalist in Jenna Daniels, and a pair of second team All-Americans as well (Jill Gomric & Cristina Baena). The team would finish the year ranked third in the country after finishing in the top-three in nine of its 12 tournaments and it was the only golf program to have four individual golfers ranked among the nation's final top-25. Pretty impressive debut, to say the least.
It wasn't as if all of this success was something new for the 36-year old golf professional. Prior to his arrival at Arizona at the start of the 1997-98 season, McCorkle had been the head coach of the men's and women's teams at Coastal Carolina University in 1997. That season, he led the men to their first Big South Conference Championship in nine years, and as a result, was named the Big South Conference Coach of the Year.
His collegiate coaching career began in 1993, when he was the assistant men's coach at the University of Florida. He was there from 1993-96 and during that time, the UF men won the 1993 NCAA national championship and four consecutive Southeastern Conference titles. In 1994, he was selected as interim head coach of the Gator women's team.
Now in his third season overall in Tucson, McCorkle joined the Arizona golf program in October of 1997 as associate head coach for both the men's and women's teams before being promoted to his current post of head women's coach in June of 1998. He replaced director of golf Rick LaRose, who served as head women's coach since 1995. In McCorkle's first year as an assistant at the UA, McCorkle helped the women successfully defend their Pac-10 Championship as well as capture the NCAA West Regional title and post a third-place finish at the NCAA Championships.
He also helped the men win two regular season tournament championships, at the Missouri Bluffs Invitational and Red River Classic, and finish in the top-five in 12 of their 13 tournaments. In addition, both the men and women were ranked No. 1 at the conclusion of the fall season, while the men were No. 1 for the majority of the spring as well.
McCorkle owns top-flight credentials as both a coach and administrator. He graduated from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte in 1986 with a degree in psychology. Following college, Todd turned professional and began working as an assistant professional at the Grand Cypress Golf Club in Orlando, Fla., where he also taught at the golf academy. McCorkle moved on to the International Golf Club in Orlando before becoming the assistant golf professional at Lake Nona Golf Club, a private club in Orlando. He has caddied on the PGA Tour for Russ Cochran and has been a golf instructor at the Golfweek Academy, in addition to other venues.
He also has been involved in various charitable community events, directing the Coastal Carolina University-Knight Foundation Developmental Golf Camp, a two-week instructional camp for underprivileged children. In addition, McCorkle served as the director for Gator Golf Camps, a week-long camp for junior golfers, ages 11 to 18, and was the Director of Instruction and Assistant Golf Professional at the University of Florida Golf course.
McCorkle is also a member of the Professional Golfers Association, holding a Class "A" membership. He competed professionally, playing seven years on the Florida mini-tours before gaining exempt status on the Ben Hogan Tour (Nike Tour) in 1991 and 1992.
McCorkle is a native of Charlotte, N.C., and was married in 1999 to his wife, Karlin.


text:
Philosophy is the study of the intellectual foundations of human thought and action. Philosophers examine the nature and justification of moral values and scientific explanations, the relation of thought and action, the grounds for deciding among the alternative accounts of reality, and the nature of reasoning and argument.
Philosophy majors develop abilities to read critically, write logically, analyze divergent viewpoints, and present persuasive opinions. Philosophy majors are also prepared for advanced graduated study in the field or in related areas such as law.
Possible Careers
Successful graduates work in a wide variety of careers, such as;
- Education
- Management
- Sales
- Public Relations
Why Choose Philosophy at WIU?
The study of philosophy leads in many directions, qualifying undergraduates for further study in graduate school and giving them a leg up in certain areas of the job market. Most philosophy departments offer students training in a unique combination of skills, including direct observation, critical thinking, logical analysis, moral reasoning, and cross-cultural understanding. In many professional fields, such skills are in high demand. In addition, many philosophy majors or minors go on to study law, business, education, and medicine in graduate school. The skills you aquire while studying philosphy are in high demand in all areas of life.
At A Glance
Degree Available: Bachelor of Arts
Minor Available? Yes
Graduate Degree Available? No
Campus: Macomb
Study Opportunities:
- GradTrac
- Honors


text:
Actress America Ferrera is snapped looking less than impressed after she is rudely interrupted by a red carpet intruder.
06:21, UK, Saturday 17 May 2014
Actress America Ferrera's appearance on the red carpet at the Cannes Film Festival is one she is unlikely to forget, after a man had to be dragged away after diving under her skirt.
Stunned onlookers watched as a man, identified in US media reports as Ukrainian prankster and journalist Vitalii Sediuk, rushed the red carpet during the Friday premiere of How To Train Your Dragon 2.
He dived under the former Ugly Betty star's voluminous dress and sat giggling before security officials attempted to drag him away.
And he didn't leave without a fight - he was pictured grabbing on to Ferrera's ankle as he was pulled away.
Most, although none more than Ferrera herself, looked shocked by the incident, which took place at a red carpet event known for its strict decorum.
Immediately afterwards she was pictured being comforted by co-star Cate Blanchett.
But she wasn't ruffled for long, and went on to pose for photographs with the film's other stars - Kit Harington, Jay Baruchel and Djimon Hounsou - before making her way into the premiere.
Mr Sediuk has built a reputation on pulling pranks on celebrities at high-profile events.
He was once slapped by Will Smith after trying to kiss him on the red carpet.
He also stormed the Grammys stage during Adele's acceptance speech in 2013, before getting dragged off by security.
Ferrera is the voice of the character Astrid in the DreamWorks animated sequel.
Astrid, alongside Jonah Hill's character Snotlout, fights for peace in the troubled world of vikings and dragons.
By posting a comment you are agreeing to abide by our Terms & Conditions. See our House Rules and FAQs.


text:
Using Formulas to Make Profitable Real Estate Decisions
We all have heard of Rate of Return or Rate of Investment but do you really understand how they apply to real estate investments? Those of you who have taken a Real Estate Class know to emphasize Cash after Debit Service, and touch on Capitalization Rate as two formulas that you need to understand when buying rental property. There is also return on Equity for those investors that have held assets for a long time and want to know what kind of return their equity is getting. Understanding how these formulas are calculated and what goes into them will help you better understand and analyze your investments.
ROR and ROI are the most frequently used formulas to analyze an investment. ROR/ ROI are the ratio of money made in relation to the investment made, also known as Capital. The money made will be referred to as the Return; this can be either interest paid or profit.
The ROR/ROI Formula is:
((Return-Capital)/ Capital) = Rate of Return
Example – Invest $200,000 in real estate and a year later the property is worth $250,000. The ROR/ ROI is 25%, calculated as follows: 250,000-200,000 = 50,000/200,000 = 25%
Most of the time Capitalization Rate is used for estimating the value of commercial income property, Capitalization Rate represents the projected return for one year, if you purchased the property with all cash. The Capitalization Rate formula is:
Operation Revenue – Operating Expense = (Net Operating Income) NOI / Sale Price.
Example – Property has a NOI of $250,000 and sales price of $2,250,000.
$250,000/$2,250,000 = 11.1% Capitalization Rate
Capitalization Rate is a useful formula to know when looking at commercial or rental property however it doesn't take into consideration the debt, the cost of the debt or cash flow. The value of the investment and the ROR are important, but how much cash is going into the bank every month is a big factor. The formula used to find that out is, Cash after Debit Service. Cash after Debit Service uses actual income, all operating expenses and the cost of Debt Service. The Cash after Debit Service formula is:
Operating Revenue – Operating Expense = NOI – Debt Service= Cash after Debit Service
Example – An 8 unit apartment building has Operating Revenue of $4,600, Operating Expense is $2,495 making NOI $2,105 and Debt Service of $1,105 has Cash after Debit Service of $1000.00. $4,600-$2,495= $2,105- $1,105=$1000.00
Many investors who have owned investment properties for a long time have exhausted depreciation a major tax benefit; this in turn can create a poor annual return on their equity. To figure out what the return on equity is, we'll use the following formula known as ROE.
The ROE formula is: Net Income/Estimated Net Equity = ROE,
a) Annual gross income = monthly rent(s) times 12.
b) Annual Expenses = all expenses including mortgage payment, insurance, taxes, maintenance.
c) Annual Net Income = A-B
d) Estimate the Net Equity of your property: Start with the Fair Market Value of the property then subtract the purchase price plus any capital improvements. These formulas are very important for real estate investors; they define what high-quality deals are and what deals that you should pass are.


text:
Gary Fong Lightsphere Flash Diffuser Universal (CLOUD) + Accessories for Digital SLR Camera Flashes - GFLSUCLOUD-47057-Kit
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The Gary Fong Lightsphere Universal Inverted Dome Cloud Flash Diffusion System is a large round soft and flexible diffuser that slips over the front of any standard shoe mount flash unit. The inside of the Lightsphere is completely textured to make the light dispersion even more "soft" than it would be otherwise. And because of this design it is possible to make the material more translucent keeping the unit from losing a lot of light while actually increasing the diffusion and softness of light. An opaque color has been added to the inside of the Cloud version and this "frosted" version creates an even softer effect which makes it ideal for close-ups portraits and event photography. The included inverted dome allows you to softly diffuse direct light with a large soft source without creating flare on the front of your lens. In addition this kit also includes a cinch strap and archival grip band. KEY FEATURES This Universal flash diffuser fits almost virtually any shoe- or handle-mount flash unit. Its innovative mounting design provides a secure and adjustable grip to any flash head. This means there is only one model you need to buy ever. Especially ideal for vertical flash shots where the flash coverage is still similar to horizontal shots due to the large rounded shape of the diffuser. Minimizes the need for a flash-flip bracket. Easily fits into a camera bag.
|Gary Fong
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|a) Gary Fong Lightsphere Flash Diffuser Universal (Cloud)
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text:
J. Gilbert's Wood-Fired Steaks Map
6930 Old Dominion Dr. (Rte. 123)
703-893-1034 | Make Restaurant Reservations | Menu
Use this map to J. Gilbert's Wood-Fired Steaks to get there and back safely. If the "Get directions" pop-up does not appear, click the green arrow to get driving directions to and from this restaurant.
Sign up to receive the 2016 edition of GAYOT's Annual Restaurant Issue, which will feature the Top 40 Restaurants in the U.S. and more.


text:
When I investigate a room, do I take one card per action turn at a time or do I take them all on that action turn?
Board & Card Games Stack Exchange is a question and answer site for people who like playing board games, designing board games or modifying the rules of existing board games. It's 100% free, no registration required.
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Here's how it works:
- Anybody can ask a question
- Anybody can answer
- The best answers are voted up and rise to the top
You resolved them one at the time from the top. Unless you fail a puzzle or is lacking an item this usually means that you take all the cards as one action.


text:
Healthy Body + Wellness = Workplace Productivity
In today's economy every company needs to capitalize on the productivity of their staff. If you have employees that are unhealthy and unhappy, motivating your employees can be a daunting task and it is costing your company valuable time, money, and resources. Employees that are healthy and happy become increasingly more valuable and have decreased absenteeism, higher productivity, and good morale.
Our Guarantee
SICFIT Scottsdale's Corporate Wellness programs are the answer to making your company a healthier, happier, and more productive place. Our all-encompassing FITness program includes many different variable options to bring FITness, nutrition, and education to your company. Our staff of certified and expert coaches will help anyone who is committed see tremendous results.


text:
In the spirit of Thanksgiving I thought I might look back at Halloween ('cause it's more fun, haha). Straight to the title question, shall we? If anyone who has protested Halloween would like to answer that question, please feel free, but know that I'm looking for a reasonable answer. Something not like, "because it's a sinful holiday" since that doesn't tell me much, especially considering there's no such thing as "sin." I don't particularly see any real benefit. Perhaps the ideal goal is to try and "save souls" (which also don't exist), but I don't see why anyone would think protesting Halloween might accomplish that.
I spent this past Halloween in New Orleans (at CSI Con) and went out to Bourbon Street Saturday (29th) and Monday (31st) nights. Saturday there was one Christian group there. They had a large cross they stood around, most of them looking disgusted, clenching their Bibles to their chest, while one man shouted scripture out of a megaphone. That night I briefly talked to a woman who approached me as a bunch of people were taking silly pictures in front of the cross. Unfortunately, she wasn't able to keep up with the conversation, so that engagement didn't last long and we were on our way.
Monday night there were three groups. The same one as before along with one who just stood in a circle looking mad, holding up large banner signs that quoted scripture and said we were going to hell. The third gathered around a smaller cross, handing out tracts. I was feeling silly, so I walked up to one woman and asked her if I could have a tract (I collect the "good ones"). She handed one to me, then I asked for another (just to see how many she'd give me). At that point she stood from her chair and asked, "What are you going to do with them?" I thought for a moment, looked into her eyes, and took a bite out of it. Aghast, she shouted, "You're eating the word of god!" and I took another bite, spit it out and walked away.
Needless to say, we had a good time on Halloween and, in a sense, the protestors enhanced the comedic amusement of our evening to some degree. Oh, and if anyone is curious, the guy in the picture was Noob Saibot and I was Sonya Blade.


text:
Goodwell, Okla.—It's about that time of year football fans...football season
is upon us. This Saturday night, the Oklahoma Panhandle State University
Aggies head to Rolla, Missouri for their first regular season game against
the Miners of Missouri University of Science and Technology.
After a strong showing in the Aggies scrimmage last week, the coaches and
players are ready for this game to be underway. The first games of the
season are always the most important for the team as they are a great sign
of what is to come for the rest of the year.
This game, like every other on the schedule, is no walk in the park. The
Missouri Miners had a strong season last year going 6-5 and running the ball
was where they shined as they averaged 141.2 yards per game. They look to
continue that success on the ground this year with their same cast of big
men up front. The weak spot to look at for the Miners is their secondary as
three of their four starters from last year completed their eligibility and
are looking for their young guys and transfers to step up this year. The key
player to watch out for on the Miners squad is by far senior wide receiver
Smook Thomas. Thomas was named to the USA Football News pre-season
All-America team for NCAA Division II and will be a threat as a receiver and
in the special teams department.
The Aggies, on the other hand, are basically starting fresh this year with a
new head coach and a lot of fresh faces on both the offensive and defensive
sides of the ball. Head coach Russell Gaskamp brings in his own style of
quick-paced, smash mouth football to the Aggies and looks forward to
starting his career here at OPSU. This is not the same team as in recent
years and that is always tough going into a season with players still
learning how to play with one another.
The Aggies go into this season without several starters from last year and
one of those is quarterback Kevin Lauchland. Now look for transfers Caleb
Holbrook and Justin Billiot to battle it out for the starting spot this
year. The one notable returner for the starting offense is running back
Justice Patterson. He came onto the scene late last year and will be a key
role player to start this year. On the defensive side of the ball, the
Aggies are without their top two tacklers from last year, but have several
returners hungry to get back on that field. Look for senior linebacker Chase
Boyer to lead the defense this year for the Aggies.
This game should be a good test for the Aggies and battle to the last
whistle. It is scheduled to start at 6:30 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 1. Fans
can listen live on KPSU radio, 91.7 FM or tune into the broadcast
at www.minerathletics.com. Live stats will also be available on that
©2016 Seward County Broadcasting Company, Inc.
1410 N. Western Ave. Liberal, KS 67901


text:
Quick heads-up about FusionForge. The main news of course is that 4.8 has been released upstream (and uploaded to Debian experimental). We'll keep fixing major bugs on that branch of course, but our focus is now on trunk.
We're finding it tedious to deal with legacy code, so one of the goals we have now is to clean up the codebase to bring it more in line with good practice. That's going to take some time, though, because there's lots of code. Some of that code, however, seems unused (it's been broken for some time without anyone complaining), so it's likely that we'll deprecate and/or remove bits of code unless someone steps forward to maintain it (or at least bring it into shape). In particular, we're looking at the MySQL support (which hasn't been maintained for years) and some of the old visual themes which are going to require some work to keep working with some changes we're planning in the way the pages are displayed.
This should make maintenance easier for the implementation or integration of new features down the line. Which will be the subject of a future post, when a currently undercover French Forge Cabal actually starts producing concrete results. Watch this space.


text:
≡ Category: Anime Pulse, Interviews, Ze Shows | Author: Ichigo | ≅ Leave a Comment
Here it is, and exclusive interview with Itagaki Shin, an Animator/Director from Madhouse. Anime Pulse were the only ones granted interviews with the Japanese guests at NDK. So check it out.
Itagaki Shin's ANN profile
Anime Pulse with Itagaki-san. From left to right: Batou, Itagaki-san, Ichigo.


text:
BEREA – Browns outside linebacker Marcus Benard said stress was the reason he fainted in the locker room last week. His third son was born prematurely Monday morning.
"It was stress-related, had a lot going on personally and just got to take care of my body better with the things that are going on," he said Thursday.
Benard didn't want to get into details, but Ashai Sharoz, which means "a special gift" in Muslim, was born prematurely. He said the majority of the worries are over.
"Everything's all right," Benard said. "He's healthy, he's big."
Benard collapsed in the locker room Nov. 11 and spent about eight hours in the hospital. Doctors cleared him of any serious ailment and he played against the Jets, registering a sack to give him a team-high 5½ on the year.
"It was a little scary," he said. "But I'm a fighter. My dad didn't raise no punk. So it's going to take a lot more than that to keep me away from football."
Benard, who plays mostly in passing situations, is in line for a bump in playing time with starter Scott Fujita sidelined with a knee injury. Benard didn't practice Wednesday with an illness but returned Thursday.
That's just one of the injuries affecting the Browns.
Starting offensive lineman Eric Steinbach (calf) and Floyd Womack (knee) missed their second straight day of practice. Coach Eric Mangini hopes they can play Sunday in Jacksonville, but rookie Shawn Lauvao filled in at right guard and Steve Vallos at left guard. Vallos has eight starts in his career but hasn't played in a game this year.
Defensive back Mike Adams (abdomen), linebacker Eric Barton (thigh) and defensive lineman Shaun Rogers (ankle) returned to practice Thursday.
Receiver/returner Joshua Cribbs (toes) and cornerback Sheldon Brown (shoulder) sat out again, but could play Sunday.
Mangini said he expects Jake Delhomme (ankle) to be healthy enough to be the third quarterback Sunday. Mangini said it was too early to tell if Delhomme could move ahead of Seneca Wallace as the backup to rookie Colt McCoy.


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Skunks are known to have very few natural enemies. Like their namesake the Nakedi's are peace loving people. The Nakedi's have scattered all over South Africa to the detriment of their clan identity.
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FAMILY CARE; For Pediatricians, a Struggle Against the 'New Morbidity'
By ANNE ADAMS LANG
Published: June 25, 2000
THERE is a barely perceptible, almost wistful, longing for the time when his practice largely consisted of curing childhood diseases. Measles, mumps, chicken pox -- these were definable ailments that would likely go away with proper treatment. Now, Dr. Jack Swanson, a pediatrician in Ames, Iowa, spends his days dealing with more elusive problems: depressed children, anorexic and bulimic teenagers, sexually precocious tweens, young substance abusers, younger perpetrators and victims of violence.
In the heartland, on the East Coast and the West, America's 55,000 pediatricians are no longer just baby doctors dispensing inoculations, cough syrups and bromides. They have become de facto psychiatrists and subspecialists. They are child welfare advocates, conduits to other social services and navigators of byzantine H.M.O.'s. They are trench warriors in the battle against the ''new morbidity.''
''Sex, alcohol and drugs, these problems have always been there, but they've shifted to a younger age in the last 20 years,'' Dr. Swanson observed, reflecting on two-and-a-half decades of hands-on experience. ''We find now that at ages 8 and 10, children are talking about these kinds of things.'' As a result, he said, ''There's a lot more time being spent by pediatricians on emotional, behavioral and school problems.''
More and more, the psychosocial aspects of childhood and adolescence are muscling out the more traditional medical functions, making the calculus of pediatrics complex. Immunizations have reduced the number of children felled by rubella or even by flu. Advances in treatments and surgeries have turned even always-fatal diseases into more chronic conditions. As Dr. Swanson noted, ''Fortunately there aren't as many real sick children who require time in the hospital the way they used to.''
At the same time, headline-grabbing tragedies -- the Columbine High School massacre, elementary-school-age rapists -- have set society's teeth on edge. Parents have an ever-tougher time distinguishing between normal bumps in the developmental road and serious disorders.
''When it comes to suicidal ideation or sexual precocity, parents will, generally speaking, only raise these topics when they're in crisis,'' said Katherine Peets Grimm, a Manhattan. ''When a child seems to be doing well, they're more likely to bring up Lyme Disease.''
Identifying the trouble spots is not easy. ''The first step now is that you look for the signs of distress,'' said Dr. David Kaplan, the chief director of adolescent medicine at The Children's Hospital in Denver. ''The high rates of suicide, depression, certainly violence, sexuality and substance abuse are so prevalent in society that when children and adolescents come for a 'well' visit, you inquire about signs and symptoms of depression.''
Many of these problems have been around for generations. But they often went unrecognized, undiagnosed and untreated unless, or until, they could no longer be ignored. To an extent, the rise in the number of reported cases is a function of better screening, Dr. Kaplan said. Other dangerous behaviors, like eating disorders, are also on the rise.
''Most of us working in the field see an increase, and it's not just a matter of recognizing it,'' said Dr. Kaplan, who works only with teenagers. ''We're seeing kids coming in at 65 percent of their ideal body weight and with heart rate in the low 30's. We are seeing more boys than we ever have. All that is very different than five years ago.''
One of his patients, Dawn Foster, came into his care in September 1997, when she was hospitalized for anorexia and profound underlying depression. Her mother, Joan, a biology professor at Metropolitan State College, noticed that Dawn, then 14, was losing weight rapidly, 1 to 2 pounds a week, about 20 pounds over three months. Her pediatrician warned Dawn that more weight loss would lead to hospitalization.
''My friends got me into eating disorders,'' Dawn said. ''When you have people around like that, you think about it more. I think it was a big attention-getting issue. I would sit there and say, 'I'm fat,' for the attention. But the more you say it, the more you believe it.'' She reported, too, that many of her peers use drugs -- mainly marijuana -- and are sexually active.
Ultimately, she spent several months in the psychiatric unit of The Children's Hospital, where she met Dr. Kaplan. Over the past two years, Dawn has seen him once or twice a week, and relies on him to be her supporter, to protect the privacy of their conversations and serve as a bridge between her and her parents.
Two-and-a-half years later, Dawn is off the antidepressants that helped put a floor under her free fall. She has put 30 pounds on her 5-foot-2-inch frame. She will graduate from high school in the Denver suburb of Wheat Ridge, and attend a Christian university nearby.
She still confides in Dr. Kaplan, saying she is lucky to have found him, but suggesting that he is an anomaly. ''There's no place really to go with these kinds of issues,'' she said. ''Nobody I know would talk to their pediatrician.''


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Possible Duplicate:
What factors should I use to price an item in the auction house?
This question is really about how to value items bought and sold on the auction house. Obviously the answer will be subjective on a per player basis, but in the aggregate I expect there are certain stats that tend to make items sell for far more.
I'm imagining it's something like:
Most important:
- Primary stats (Strength, Intelligence, Dexterity) -- because they increase damage
- Vitality -- because everyone needs vitality
- Magic Find
- +Damage
- Has Sockets
Lesser importance:
- Armor
- +Experience
- Etc.
Nearly useless:
- Resistances
- Etc.
Obviously not a complete list, but this is the type of answer I'm looking for.


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aNueNue Papa II Concert ukulele has that original Hawaiian sound. The Papa II concert features easy playing which makes it suitable for strumming and chord playing. The Papa II Concert has good action and feel up and down the neck. Plus the sustain is impressive and the intonation is set up correctly. Featuring a beautiful design that is appealing, aNueNue is making them with only the finest woods, components, specifications and build techniques. A perfect blend of historical perspective and modern skills.
aNueNue Papa II Concert Ukulele Features


text:
Hawaii Revisited
A Photographic Journey 2007
Leonard M Carreira
Research scientist retired from a major printing company in upstate NY. Now pursuing life long love of photography and thanks to Blurb getting some of my photos into print.
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Mysterious Hoh
Published October 10, 2007
An Alaskan Journey
Published October 08, 2007
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Saudi Arabia will give Niger $2 million in humanitarian financial assistance, reports Undersecretary of the Foreign Minister for Economic and Cultural Affairs Yousef bin Tarrad Al-Sadoon. The money will be used to aid development projects in Niger. Undersecretary Al-Saddoon stated that Saudi Arabia is aware of the difficulties facing Niger due to its geographical location and limited economic resources.
Saudi Arabia has contributed $213 million in humanitarian aid to date. The Saudi Red Crescent Society has contributed by offering medical services amounting to over $1 million. The Saudi Development Fund has overseen the digging of wells and has aided in the process of rural development amounting to $79 million.
Undersecretary Al-Saddoon ended his speech at the Niger's Donor Conference by stating, "It is hoped that the conference will yield positive results and take decisions that help in realizing food security to Niger."


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Rated 4.8 out of 5 by 50 reviewers.
Rated 5 out of 5 by Jill Quality at a good price It took me many searches to find this cover. The size was not available elsewhere at such a great price. I was a bit unsure how good the quality would be, but it is absolutely fine...with elastic on the bottom edges for a good fit. October 25, 2011
Rated 5 out of 5 by joanie Recommend this This cover fits our park bench and the cat (who sits on it more than we do) loves it... November 4, 2011
Rated 5 out of 5 by HUGGER Great Product I have been having a problem finding a cover large enough to fit my new outdoor wicker-look 3 cushion sofa. This looked and measured large enough. I was surprised with the quality and fit of the cover, and it has velcro closures at the bottom to keep the wind from blowing it away. Previously my outdoor covers got very brittle and stiff when they spent the winter outside. This cover did not. I am very pleased with this purchase. November 12, 2011
Rated 5 out of 5 by Snowbird Would buy again look great, fit great easy to install. I would buy them again November 12, 2011
2 Questions : 4 Answers
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2 answers
Loveseat Cover
I have a Haniment Loveseat with the following dimensions - Loveseat: W53.9"xD25.4"xH34.8"
I also have two chairs - Club Chair: W27.4"xD25.4"xH34.8"
I am trying to find covers to fit. Do you have any recommendations? Your Glider and Setee covers seem to be too short.
Thank you.
I also have two chairs - Club Chair: W27.4"xD25.4"xH34.8"
I am trying to find covers to fit. Do you have any recommendations? Your Glider and Setee covers seem to be too short.
Thank you.
Age: 55-65
Gender: Female
2 years, 10 months ago
Auburn, CA, USA
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Answer:I have a teak bench 66 inches wide and the two seat glider cover is 72 inches wide I don't see how it would be short unless you are talking height, of 30 inches.
7 months ago
Oregon City, OR
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Answer:Thank you for your questions,
Unfortunately Improvements does not have a cover to fit over your furniture pieces. The 2 seat Glider cover will be slightly larger and shorter than the size you need for your loveseat.
For the Club chairs the High Back Chair Cover would be the closest fit but slightly larger in length and width and added inches in height.
2 years, 10 months ago
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I need covers for the following Items: Patio Bar -: 68"L x 42"Wx 38"H; 2 Tall Chairs
Patio Bar - 68'" L x 42" W x 38"H; 2 Tall Bar Height Chairs - 24" L x 24" W x 48"H; Bar Height Round Table & Chair Set - 82" W x 50" H; Swing Seat - 54" L x 28" W x 20' H; Bistro Table & Chair Set - 72"L x 28"W x 20"H. I need to know if you have covers that would fit these items.
Thank you,
Armella Wallstrom
Thank you,
Armella Wallstrom
Age: Over 65
Gender: Female
1 year, 11 months ago
California, USA
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Answer:Thank you for your questions.
Unfortunately after reviewing the measurements of your pieces above Improvements cannot accommodate your needs.
Patio Bar - do not carry this profile
Bar Ht Chairs - our cover is two small by 3"
Bar Ht Rd Table and Chair Set - do not carry this profile shape/size.
Swing Set - do not carry this profile
Bistro Table and Chair Set - do not carry this table and chair set size
1 year, 11 months ago
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Answer:Thank you for your questions.
After reviewing your sizes we cannot accommodate you with your needs. Some of the profiles you need we do not even carry.
We do apologize.
Patio Bar - do not carry covers for these.
Tall Bar Chairs - our cover is two small.
Bar Ht table and Chair Set - do not have a bar ht table chair cover set
Swing Seat - do not carry swing covers
Bistro Table & Chair Set - size is not available for what you need.
1 year, 11 months ago
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Product:390362-Glider Covers


text:
Travel update: South West Trains delays to last until lunchtime
08:05 29 January 2013
Commuters travelling on South West Trains services to and from Waterloo face disruption because of over-running engineering works near Surbiton.
There are currently delays of up to 20 minutes between Woking and Wimbledon, while trains towards London are unable to stop at Berrylands.
Passengers who usually go to that station to use services to Waterloo should travel to Surbiton instead.
Hampton Court to London Waterloo services will run between Hampton Court (leaving at 24 and 54 minutes past each hour) and Surbiton (departing at five and 35 minutes past the hour).
In addition, Shepperton to London Waterloo services will run between Shepperton (departing at 10 and 40 minutes past each hour) and Kingston (departing at 10 and 40 minute past each hour).
Passengers travelling to Berrylands should travel to Wimbledon for a train back to Berrylands.
Trains from London Waterloo to Guildford via Cobham & Stoke d'Abernon (departing at three and 33 minutes past each hour) will also call at Raynes Park, New Malden and Berrylands.
South West Trains said the changes will stay in place until around 1pm. Passengers will be able use their tickets on buses and the London Underground network on reasonable routes.


text:
Politics and Security in Venezuela
Politics and Security in Venezuela
A conversation with David Smilde
15 Aug 2011
Adam talks with David Smilde of the University of Georgia about the political impact in Venezuela of Hugo Chávez's illness, public security concerns, and Venezuelan foreign policy.
Download 15-08-2011 (11.05 MB)
Duration: 24:00 m - Filetype: mp3 - Bitrate: 64 KBPS - Frequency: 44100 HZ
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As a desperation move to promote peace in Colombia a poet there has made an unusual offer that loudly blares a serious message to people that he's absolutely and totally concerned about needing to get the peace message out. Raffael Medina Brochero is a poet and has made this offer which appears to be totally serious.
The Huffington Post reported this story today. Other sources have reported the asking price was $200K.
According to the source I cited he has suggested that maybe his testicles could be used to place in a person who wants to replace his old (used?) testicles. He also suggested these could be replacement (what?) testicles for some , perhaps, lost somehow.
Here's a troubling thought he suggested: maybe someone could make soup with them. I didn't make that up. I couldn't make that one up.
He has offered to sell his testicles to the first person who gives him $20,000 for them. Both of them. Uhhhh! He wants to promote his peace message with a European publicity tour to promote his message which is displayed through poetry. So his money will be for something and not for nothing.
In this world of David Letterman I bet some of you might have thought this man was just doing it for fun when you first heard the partial story.
That money-- from selling his testicles--will start the ball(s) rolling to get him an operating room appointment scheduled and remove those pesky things that are worth a lot to most people. How much would you demand--or request--for yours.
Remember he's asking for $20K for the pair. He's not willing to give up just one. Of course he'll be fitted (fitted?) with some replacement ones (walnuts, filberts, Brazil nuts, or pecans you might be thinking as a joke.) No, actually he'll be given synthetic ones.
Dare I say it: he'll be given a new pair of synthetic ones. I guess they'll be new. To be accurate they're not actual nuts: they are, of course, testicles. It's very authoritative sounding.
Let the jokes begin. This could be an entire comedy special on just this story.
His new synthetic testicles (nuts sounds better for some reason) will be made of plastic I believe though I couldn't get anyone to speak to me authoritatively what synthetic testicles are actually made of. Perhaps they're made of the resin of tree sap.
Do you know anyone in need of a pair of 52-year-old testicles: slightly used I suppose you could say.
I guess there will soon be ads on intenet sites about this very story I told here advertising this man's offer.
This is, honestly, not a fake story. It's real: really.


text:
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By PAUL DELANEYStaff Reporter
Eagle seniors in final regular season home game at Roos
November 21, 2013 | Vol. 117 -- No. 31
Eastern Washington University 2013 seniors will play their last regular season football game Saturday. The group has an outstanding resume, highlighted by many being a part of the 2010 national championship team. These seniors will have been part of a group that has also won three Big Sky Conference championships and won 26 of 31 league games.
There's a lot on the line in Saturday's final 2013 regular season home football game for Eastern Washington as they take on Portland State.
At stake on the surface are:
• Their holding onto the Big Sky Conference lead, finishing a perfect 8-0 and winning an outright title.
• Securing the championship would likely make sure the road to the national championship in Frisco, Texas, Jan. 4 travels at least partially through Cheney and Roos' red turf.
That will be accomplished by defeating a PSU team that engaged the Eagles in a wild shootout last year at soggy Jeld-Wen Field where EWU scored...
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Thankfulness: A Thankful Heart
By Gary L. Carver
Wednesday, November 01, 1995
Imagine with me: two friends meet on the street in the ancient city of Philippi. One says to the other, "Have you heard from Epaphroditus?""Not since we heard that he was on his way with the love gift to visit Paul in prison."
"Have you heard anything from Paul?"
"No, other than he is in prison awaiting trial at any time. If he is found guilty he could be executed immediately. He could be dead even as we speak."
"It's hard to believe that our beloved Pastor could be dead. It seems like only yesterday that Paul and Silas visited our city for the first time. They went to the edge of the water searching for those to join in prayer and found the women. Lydia and her household were Paul's first converts."
As the two were talking another approaches and asks, "Have you heard that Epaphroditus has returned? Paul is well. Epaphroditus has another letter from Paul that will be read in our worship on the Lord's day." They dismissed saying, "I'll be there!" "So will I!" "And so will I!"
In worship we seek to translate the experience of the biblical text to the needs of today's worshipper. In doing so we try to recreate the experience to which the Scripture bears witness. Paul, the founding pastor of the church, had written to them a personal letter. He had sent to them several letters which were read aloud to the congregation as they assembled in someone's home to worship.
As we try to recreate that experience, we begin by asking who was there to hear the first reading of the letter. Syzygus was there, the person to whom the letter was written. Euodia, Syntyche and Clement were there. Euodia and Syntyche had been in disagreement and Paul wanted them to get their problem solved. Paul calls all three fellow workers in Christ. These three faithful servants are about to hear the final words of their former pastor. Then, of course, there is Lydia. No doubt, Lydia is there with her family. They are about to hear the final words from the man that led them to Christ.
I would like to think that the jailer was there. You remember the story of the jailer. Paul and Silas were thrown into prison, beaten and tortured because they freed a slave girl from demon possession. At midnight they were singing hymns and praising God when God caused an earthquake to shake the jail. The doors were thrown open. The jailer, thinking that the prisoners had escaped and realizing he would inherit their sentence, started to take his own life. Paul called out, "Do not harm yourself. We are still here!"
The jailer rushed in to where Paul and Silas were and he said, "Sirs, what must I do to be saved?" The jailer and his entire family were won to a saving faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. I cannot help but think that the jailer and his family were gathered to hear the final words from the man who was responsible for saving his life not once but twice -- physically and spiritually.
Can you put yourself there? Take a seat right now in that home and hear Paul's final words to his favorite church:
Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus, to all the saints in Christ Jesus at Philippi, together with the overseers and deacons: Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. It is right for me to feel this way about all of you, since I have you in my heart; for whether I am in chains or defending and confirming the gospel, all of you share in God's grace with me. God can testify how I long for all of you with the affection of Christ Jesus. And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ -- to the glory and praise of God." (NIV)
What would it have felt like to have been there? What would it have felt like to have heard the words that God gave to Paul to give to you? What would it have felt like to know that Paul was praying for you? Here is a man awaiting trial and -- if found guilty -- could be executed at any moment. Here is a man about to die and he is praying for you! "In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now." (NIV)
Prayer is most appropriate as one nears death, but Paul is not praying for himself. Jesus took care of that on the road to Damascus. No, Paul is not praying for himself. He is praying for you!
I still have in my possession, and I read it again this morning, the last words I received from my paternal grandfather. They were written on a postcard in shaky script right before his death. His last words were a prayer. He wrote, "I pray that it will be God's will for me to hear you preach God's Word. May God bless you. Love, Grandpa." Those words changed my life.
Here is the great pastor Paul's last prayer -- that you grow and grow in Christ's love.
Everett Alvarez, Jr. was the first American pilot shot down over North Vietnam. He spent nine years as a prisoner of war. His attitude, spirit and behavior became a model for all other prisoners. Upon his release, speaking for all of the prisoners, he said, "We knew the right to be who you want to be and the right to be what you want to be were what we were fighting for." Paul is saying the God-given right to be all you want to be and the God-given right to be all God has created you to be is his prayer. He reminds us that we are in process and that God continues to work in our lives each day so that we may abound more and more in Christ's love.
What would it have been like to hear Paul's last words assuring you that what Christ has created in you, He will accomplish? What Christ has begun in you, He will finish? What Christ has started in you, He will sustain? Look at
This past week I listened to the tape of your former pastor, Don Harbuck, as he preached his last sermon to this great church. Knowing he was dying of cancer, he entitled his final sermon "Why Be a Christian?" It was a wonderful sermon. In his sickness he labored, but through that laborious effort came forth a heart of love and compassion of a pastor preaching for the very last time to his beloved congregation. He talked about why be a Christian; about how to become a Christian; and about why not become a Christian now? A simple sermon; the basic elements of the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. This great intellect and marvelous spirit of a man came to his church with his last words, offering the very basics that had started him on his journey with Christ.
These are the same basics that God has begun in you -- repentance, trust and faith. These are the same basics that will sustain you through anything life throws at you and will take you into the world beyond to a home in Heaven to an eternity with God. Yes, what God has started, He will sustain; what God has begun, He will finish. We can be assured of that.
What would it have felt like to have been there and heard Paul's words? What would it have felt like to have heard Paul say, "Every time I think of you, I thank my God." In
Mark Twain once contracted to write articles for $5.00 a word -- an astronomical sum in those days. He was asked by an interviewer what was the most significant word. His answer was simple. He said the most significant word is "thanks."
We have so much to be thankful for: God's grace that has been extended to us and role models that have helped us to see it. Every time I think of the role models in my life my heart smiles and I thank God for their presence in my life. Our role models may have been a parent, a Sunday School teacher or a school teacher, an aunt or uncle or a grandparent or it might have been a fellow Christian in the church. As you are recalling them now your heart beats a little faster and you want to smile and say, "Every time I think of you, I thank my God."
Wouldn't it be wonderful if one day little Benji or Hannah or Mary Margaret or Mary Catherine -- children this church has dedicated -- came up to you and said, "Every time I think of you, I thank my God."
We have much for which to be thankful. Let's be the kind of faithful friends and role models for which others will be thankful, too!