text:
Photograph by Michael Rubenstein, Redux
From the National Geographic book Food Journeys of a Lifetime
Hamburgers, U.S.
Although the origins of the hamburger are disputed, there is no argument over the popularity of this classic dish. Toppings and accompaniments vary from region to region, but for an original version visit Louis' Lunch in New Haven, Connecticut, which has been serving hamburgers since 1900 and claims to be the oldest hamburger restaurant in the U.S.
Planning: Louis' Lunch is open most days for lunch and some days until the early hours of the morning.
Ackee and Saltfish, Jamaica
Despite ackee's unhappy origins as slave food, Jamaicans have reclaimed it as part of their national dish. A nutritious fruit with a buttery-nutty flavor, ackee resembles scrambled egg when boiled. Jamaicans sauté the boiled ackee with saltfish (salt-cured cod), onions, and tomatoes. Sometimes the dish is served atop bammy (deep-fried cassava cakes) with fried plantains.
Planning: Jake's, Treasure Beach, is renowned for ackee and saltfish and also offers cooking classes.
Coo-Coo and Flying Fish, Barbados
A polenta-like cornmeal and okra porridge, coo-coo pairs perfectly with flying fish, which is either steamed with lime juice, spices, and vegetables or fried and served with a spicy sauce.
Planning: The Flying Fish restaurant overlooking St. Lawrence Bay claims to be the Barbadian national dish's home.
Bulgogi, Korea
Beef bulgogi (fire meat) is a dish of thinly sliced, prime cuts of meat marinated in a mixture of soy sauce, sesame oil, garlic, onions, ginger, sugar, and wine and then grilled. It is often eaten wrapped in lettuce or spinach leaves and accompanied by kimchi (fermented vegetable pickle). Many Korean restaurants have miniature barbecues embedded in tables where diners grill the meat themselves.
Planning: Seoul's upmarket Byeokje Galbi chain is a bulgogi sensation.
Kibbeh, Lebanon/Syria
Dining well Levantine-style often means sticking to the delicious mezes (appetizers). Kibbeh, a versatile confection of ground lamb, bulgur, and seasonings, is a core component of mezes. It is often fried in torpedo or patty shapes, baked, boiled, or stuffed, but is tastiest raw.
Planning: Aleppans in northern Syria are kibbeh's greatest innovators, flavoring it with ingredients like pomegranate or cherry juice.
Goulash, Hungary
Gulyás—Magyar for "herdsman"—became a national dish in the late 1800s, when Hungarians sought symbols of national identity to distinguish themselves from their partners in the Austro-Hungarian Empire. A filling stew of beef, vegetables, red onions, and spices, goulash gets its flavor from the use of slow-cooked beef shin, or similar richly flavored cuts, and paprika.
Planning: For a lighter version, sample gulyásleves (goulash soup).
Wiener Schnitzel, Austria
Made with the finest ingredients and served fresh, this simple dish of pounded veal cutlets breaded and lightly fried is Austria's food ambassador, despite the dish's Italian origins. Austrians typically eat Wiener schnitzel garnished with parsley and lemon slices, alongside potato salad.
Planning: Vienna's Café Landtmann, a city institution since 1873, serves up an authentic version of the dish, as well as a dose of history and glamour: Sigmund Freud, Marlene Dietrich, and Paul McCartney have been among its famous patrons.
Pot-au-Feu, France
Originally a rustic dish that was stewed continuously all winter and topped up as needed, pot-au-feu (pot-in-the-fire) is a warming, fragrant dish of stewing steak, root vegetables, and spices. Traditionally, cooks sieve the broth and serve it separately from the meat.
Planning: In downtown Paris, Le Pot au Feu at 59 Boulevard Pasteur (Métro: Pasteur) specializes in its namesake.
Roast Beef and Yorkshire Pudding, England
Despite England's increasingly cosmopolitan cuisine, this dish remains a much-loved Sunday lunch and national symbol. Named for England's eponymous county, Yorkshire—or batter—puddings originally served as fillers before the main course for those who could afford little beef. Today, the two are usually eaten together alongside gravy-soaked roast potatoes, vegetables, and horseradish sauce.
Planning: Try the traditional British restaurant London's Rules, founded in 1798, or country pubs.
Irish Stew, Ireland
Originally a thick broth of slow-boiled mutton with onions, potatoes, and parsley, Irish stew nowadays often incorporates other vegetables, such as carrots, and many cooks brown the mutton first. It is a staple of Irish pubs worldwide.
Planning: One place in Dublin to enjoy Irish stew and other traditional fare is Shebeen Chic, in George's Street.
Top 10: Food and Travel
Buy the Book
Best of Food & Travel
- Food and Drink in Montana
- Dare to Eat
- Best Beer Trips
- Top 10 Places for Chocolate
- Food Festival Photos
- Top Vineyard Stays
- Photo Tips: Photographing Food
- World Celebration Foods
- Your Food Photos
- World's Best Picnic Spots
- Classic Cafés
- Street Food Photos
Top Picks for Travel
2016 National Geographic Travel Photographer of the Year Contest
Who Will Win?
Browse photos of nature, cities, and people and share your favorite photos.
Shop National Geographic
Travel Wallet
"My Town" Custom Map Puzzle


text:
on March 24, 2013 - 1:00 AM
Last May, after years of treating cultural groups like so many pests to be swatted away, the City of Buffalo finally decided to chuck them some change.
Though the money the city allocated wasn't much – $200,000, to be divided up by cultural organizations and anti-violence groups – it seemed like a good start.
But almost a year later, none of that money has been distributed.
In fact, the city has not even released an official application for those funds. Back in mid-February, the city's Arts Commission prematurely sent out an application form and asked organizations to file them by March 1.
Cultural groups – accustomed to tight deadlines imposed by disorganized governments – scrambled to get their information together for the city. But a few days later, in the latest sign of its ineffectuality, the commission revoked the application and promised to send out a new one. And after that? Radio silence.
Requests from cultural groups to the city's Arts Commission for more information were ignored or evaded. Attempts to figure out why the process had stalled were fruitless. My own appeals to the Arts Commission for more information were first ignored, then politely dodged.
On Friday, when I finally got City Hall spokesman Michael DeGeorge on the phone, he said the money had been tied up in city's legal department and would be forthcoming by the end of the year. That's progress, but it won't exactly come as music to cultural groups' ears, as the funds were supposed to be for a fiscal year that is already half over.
"The Law Department has been working out logistics for this joint process," DeGeorge said. "The applications are ready." He went on to say that a request for proposals "has either just gone out or is on the verge of going out."
"At the end of the day," he continued, "the groups will have a chance to apply for the money."
Which specific day was DeGeorge referring to? He didn't say.
At the time of the city's announcement last spring, I took this change of heart as a promising sign that City Hall was finally responding to the dawning cultural consciousness that emerged in the wake of Erie County's 2010-11 arts funding crisis.
After I wrote a critical column last spring, Mayor Byron Brown's handlers called me in for a meeting with the mayor, during which he made a convincing case that his administration was committed to improving the cultural landscape of the city. He detailed the city's funding of additional security for festivals and cultural events, the work of its (albeit underfunded and largely powerless) Arts Commission and the various other large and small ways it feeds the city's cultural engines.
And most promisingly to me, he seemed knowledgeable about the way Denver, under then-Mayor John Hickenlooper, used culture to transform itself from fly-over territory into a must-visit cultural destination.
But from where we're standing now, with the city dragging its feet on a promise cultural groups were hoping would help them through a difficult year when funding has been slow to trickle in from other sources, it's hard to take Brown's professed commitment to culture seriously.
"I think that on the one hand, the fact that they're trying to establish a process for this, that's a good thing," said Tod A. Kniazuk, director of advocacy-driven Arts Services Initiative. "On the other hand, you know, at some point, you just gotta come up with your best process and a good timeline and get going. This was money that was approved months and months ago."
It's long past time for the city to deliver on its long-deferred promise.
email: firstname.lastname@example.com

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Snow Cancels Final Round at Butler Invite
AVON, Ind. -- The second and final round of the Butler Spring Invitational was canceled Tuesday because of snow, leaving Ball State sophomore Tyler Ostrom with a share of first place.
Four men's golfers and three women's golfers from Ball State competed as individuals in the event at Prestwick Country Club. It was originally scheduled to be a 36-hole tournament.
Kelsey Sear led the three Ball State women's golfers with a 78 on a Prestwick course that played to a par 71 for the women's portion of the event. Sear tied for 12th place, five strokes out of a three-way tie for first that included Detroit's Lindsay Lammers, Cleveland State's Shelly Ford and Green Bay's Avery Steen.
Ball State's Meghan McDougall tied for 24th in the field of 53 golfers with an 82, while Brenna Obergfell carded an 87.
Ostrom finished tied atop the men's leaderboard with Garrett Browning of Robert Morris. Both players carded a 1-under par 71 on Monday in what turned out to be the only round. It was the first career win for Ostrom, a product of Warsaw, Ind.
Albert Jennings and Derek Kundenreich each shot 76 on the men's side to tie for 16th place in the field of 43 golfers. Kundenreich, a Yorktown, Ind., product who joined the team at the end of the fall, was competing in his first event. Quentyn Carpenter shot an 81.
Robert Morris won the men's team race by nine shots, while Butler posted a one-shot victory on the women's side. Ball State did not compete as a team.


text:
Skip to Section Subnavigation Skip to Page Content
Skip to Page Content
The Department of Hospitality and Tourism Management (HTM) in the Pamplin College of Business, Virginia Tech, invites applications and nominations for a faculty position in hospitality food and beverage management.
The position may be at the level of an assistant or associate professor and will begin August, 2013. A Ph.D. is required for the position; individuals who are ABD and anticipate finishing within one academic semester will be considered.
Additionally, potential for an exemplary teaching and scholarly record in food and beverage management or related areas and the ability to work effectively in a collegial environment are required qualifications. Professional experience in hospitality management and demonstrated teaching and scholarly excellence in food and beverage management are preferred qualifications. The appointment and salary will be commensurate with the candidate's experience and qualifications.
The successful candidate will be expected to teach undergraduate, Masters, and Ph.D. courses offered by the Hospitality and Tourism Management Department as assigned by the Department Head, to pursue a program of research in food and beverage management and related areas leading to research grants and publication in major academic journals in Hospitality and Tourism Management and allied fields, to advise undergraduate and graduate students, and to serve on Department, College, and University committees as well as professional and outreach activities as appropriate to the faculty member's interests and rank.
The HTM Department is one of six Departments in the Pamplin College of Business. We are consistently ranked as one of the premier programs in the world. The Department offers an AACSB accredited BS in Business with a major in Hospitality and Tourism Management, and an MS and a Ph.D. in Hospitality and Tourism Management. Currently, there are approximately 275 undergraduates, 15 masters, and 20 Ph.D. students in the program. See www.htm.pamplin.vt.edu for more information.
The Virginia Tech Pamplin College of Business on-campus enrollment is about 3,600 undergraduates and 290 full-time graduate students. Pamplin's undergraduate program is ranked in the nation's 50 best business schools by U.S. News & World Report. Pamplin ranks 46th overall (which puts it in the top 10 percent of the 600+ U.S. undergraduate programs accredited by the AASCB) and 26th among the public institutions. See www.pamplin.vt.edu for more information. Interested applicants should complete an online application at http://www.jobs.vt.edu, (in the right column under "Search for an Opportunity" click on the "Instructional & Research Faculty" button, then either scroll down to or search for posting # TR0122521) and attach the following documents: 1) curriculum vita, 2) a statement of teaching philosophy and evidence of teaching success, 3) a statement regarding your research interests and professional goals, and 4) names and contact information for three references.
Additionally, please arrange for three letters of reference to be sent directly to:
Ms. Melissa Dietrich
Department Head Secretary
Hospitality and Tourism Management
362 Wallace Hall, Mail Code 0429
Virginia Tech
Blacksburg, Virginia 24061 USA
Email: firstname.lastname@example.com
Review of applications will begin December 3, 2012 and will continue until the position is filled. Inquiries can be directed to Dr. Zvi Schwartz, Search Committee Chair, Hospitality and Tourism Management (0429), Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA 24061, 01 (540) 231-3287 or via email at firstname.lastname@example.com with the subject line "HTM Food and Beverage Management Position Inquiry".
Blacksburg is located in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Southwest Virginia, making its beauty and temperate climate attractive to many. Blacksburg also has high quality primary and secondary schools (K-12) as well as a relatively low cost of living. Both the Blue Ridge Parkway and the Appalachian Trail run through the area and there are numerous hiking, camping, mountain biking, and other outdoor recreational opportunities available. In addition to cultural activities on campus, nearby Roanoke, Virginia has a symphony and live theater. Virginia Tech has a strong commitment to the principle of diversity and, in that spirit, seeks a broad spectrum of candidates including women, minorities, veterans, and people with disabilities. Individuals with disabilities desiring accommodations in the application process should notify Professor Schwartz.
Professor Schwartz and Professor Rick Perdue will be attending the Graduate Education and Graduate Student Research Conference in Seattle and will be happy to meet and answer questions.
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University is an equal opportunity, affirmative action institution


text:
Obama bets big on open ed -- with one little catch | Opensource.com
Obama bets big on open ed -- with one little catch
For those who haven't heard, the Obama administration recently announced $2 billion in funding for 2-year colleges, much of which will be used to produce open educational resources. The details are complicated and still being hashed out in discussions all over the internet, but it's clearly the largest single investment in OER since, well, ever. It's an event of seismic proportions in the world of open education. With silver linings, though, come clouds -- and the SCORM cloud looks like it could be a big one.
Last Thursday, the Department of Labor announced a big grant program with a big name: the Trade Adjustment Assistance Community College and Career Training Grants Program, or TAACCCT for "short". A large part of the grant's goal is to create great learning materials for career training -- with the stipulation that all materials created with these grants will be licensed as CC-BY.
The choice of license requirement has enormous implications, which will doubtless by examined and re-examined over the coming months. The excitement in the open education world about the licensing requirement has, however, been somewhat tempered by the imposition of SCORM as a technical requirement.
SCORM is an acronym for "Sharable Content Object Reference Model", originally devised to be used by the United States Department of Defense to package eLearning content for military use. Over time, it has become the de facto standard for sharing eLearning content across various Learning Management Systems -- but the broad and somewhat open-ended nature of the standard (the most recent Documentation Suite is hundreds of pages long) allows wide variation among SCORM implementations. Some of those implementations aren't very good, and even with the best tools, writing SCORM-compliant eLearning modules can be a challenge. Which makes SCORM an inviting target for debate.
The most pointed criticism comes from Rob Abel, the CEO of IMS. IMS has a set of standards that compete with SCORM, so Abel's take on the SCORM requirement is predictable and colorful. Here's a representative excerpt from Abel's note to the IMS community on January 23th:
As a minimum it seems that the Department of Labor and the Department of Education should be allowing industry and institutions to choose from among a list of open standards on TAACCCT, rather than dictating the use of something that has already been shown not to work. The bottomline is that the higher education segment can decide for itself what open standards it should use to build a base of OER content!!! Maybe they'll choose IMS, maybe they'll choose SCORM, or perhaps they will choose to use something else. But we don't need the government regulating this. Does government regulate what Internet standards we use?
Abel then goes on to list seven technical reasons why, in his opinion, SCORM is a poor choice. One of those key points: SCORM is, for most classes of users, a "write-only" standard. It's a great platform for delivering eLearning content, one-on-one, because that's what it was designed to do. SCORM was not designed to allow content to be remixed extensively, as many of its adherents will attest -- which certainly makes it a curious requirement for Open Educational Resources, much of the value of which is predicated precisely on the idea of remixability.
Note also that TAACCCT requires content compliance with SCORM 2004, the latest version of the SCORM standard. Most of the LMS solutions in the wild don't yet fully support SCORM 2004, including Moodle and Sakai, the two largest open source LMS platforms. The practical effect of this mandate, then, at least in the near term, will be to restrict would-be grantees to the subset of content producers who can afford to hire knowledgeable SCORM developers to package their content, or who can pay licensing fees for best-of-breed tools. Rustici Software, a leading SCORM vendor and owner of the scorm.com domain, acknowledges the costs of making content SCORM-compliant:
Achieving basic SCORM conformance for your content can often be accomplished by a talented software developer in a reasonable time frame. The hard part is creating content that is not only conformant, but also broadly compatible. Many LMS implementations have slightly different interpretations of the specifications and other quirks that can make seamless interoperability a challenge.
So according to the leading vendor in the space, one talented software developer buys you basic compliance and poor interoperability. Of course, Rustici has a solution they'll be happy to sell you.
Michael Feldstein, who heads product strategy for Academic Enterprise Solutions at Oracle and certainly knows a thing or two about the LMS world, strikes a more conciliatory tone than Abel does, but comes to a similar conclusion:
I understand why the Federal government wants to mandate a particular standard for content reuse, but I think it's a mistake in this case. Educational content re-use is highly context-dependent, which means that no one standard is going to support all or even most of the relevant use cases. There will be times when SCORM is the best, times when IMS Common Cartridge is the best, times when RSS/Atom is the best, and times when just plain old HTML is really all that you need. Imposing a SCORM requirement for all resources will substantially increase the labor involved in producing them without necessarily bringing a payoff. The likely result will be fewer grantees will produce OERs and fewer of the OERs produced will be re-used.
So what will this SCORM mandate mean? We don't know yet.
One possible solution might be to earmark some of that $2 billion in grant money for improving SCORM integration with open source projects like Moodle or Sakai, or even for Drupal. There's nothing wrong with SCORM vendors making money, of course, but it seems like a good idea to invest in open tools to build open content. It's not yet clear whether anyone will pursue grants for this purpose, and if they do, whether the grantors will consider this to be a good way to spend their money.
One might also wonder whether the Department of Labor understood the full impact of this choice, and whether or not the choice is irrevocable. Even Tim Martin of Rustici assents that Abel "...would be justified in complaining about the exclusion of IMS CC as a potential approach to reuse as part of the grant program." Is it too late for the Department of Labor to change this requirement? It's unclear.
What is clear: securing funding at this level is a momentous achievement for the world of open education. It's laudable that the Obama administration should be so committed to open standards, both for software and for content. Let's hope that strict adherence to a particular standard doesn't undermine the value of using open standards in the first place.
3 Comments
Thanks, Greg! Hopefully, we'll go for a combination of platform(s) + content that enables teaching and learning *flow* - with "flow" understood within the context of a user losing track of time while involved in a learning task, because the task is a *pleasure* to engage toward desired outcomes. That, rather than the frustration of engaging content that forbids the kind of fluid reuse that OERs promise. Every time a new user encounters a serious frustration that runs counter to the promise made by the "OER Brand", we stand to lose a champion, and make it more difficult to convince that same user the second time around.
It's imperative that we achieve this goal; we have to get it right, because unless we do we're not going to optimize the large mass of dormant intellectual capital that OERs are promising to unlock. I know that's stating the obvious, and this is a bit of a rant, but we must get past any scenario that implies a "dueling standards" war for developers and users. This is about *delighting* the user, whether student, or teacher. That's the goal; we need to insist on no less.
Here's more insight from Chuck Severance , in addition to Greg's very elucidating piece.
Strict adherence to standards is very important to share knowledge. Having come from a healthcare technology background and understanding interoperable records and sharing user information, I can't stress the importance of this in education. The key goal is to provide clear guidelines for technology providers to communicate and establish connections to other systems, so standards such as IMS-QTI 2.0 standard, SCORM 1.2 and SCORM 2004 become easily accessible and transferable. That's exactly the model we took when implementing http://www.alphastudy.com
I like your articles and publication. In addition to SCORM, there are many other 'Open' Education resources to learn about and share. Find out about many of them on the non-profit web site COSI Open Education at http://education.cositech.net


text:
Adrienne Maloof is on her way to becoming a real ex-housewife of Beverly Hills.
The reality star's husband, Paul Nassif, filed for legal separation Monday after more than 10 years of marriage, citing irreconcilable differences.
Nassif seeks joint physical and legal custody of their 9-year-old son Gavin their 6-year-old twins Christian and Colin, according to the filing in Los Angeles Superior Court.
He also notes that the couple have a prenuptial agreement, but did not state the exact date of their breakup, listing it as "TO BE DETERMINED."
The couple, who married in May 2002, have a wealth of assets at stake: The 50-year-old Maloof from Bravo's Real Housewives of Beverly Hills is the daughter of a billionaire; Naissif is a plastic surgeon who has appeared on E!'s Dr. 90210.
Adrienne Maloof's Husband Paul Nassif Files for Legal Separation
David Livingston/Getty


text:
World, meet the Cyber-shot® RX100. While this new camera is small, trust me – it isn't your Mother's point-and-shoot.
The RX100 contains the world's first 1.0 inch type Exmor® CMOS Sensor with a resolution of 20.2 effective megapixels. This sensor, 4 times larger than the ones in your traditional compact cameras, takes in more light during content capture and that, […] Read MoreRead More


text:
Just to let you know that Arirang TV is showing a series called Life between Games, and the episode on TODAY (Tuesday 22nd January 2013) is featuring Junior Ladies skaters Park Yeon-Jun and Cho Kyung-Ah.
The next showings is at 11:30 GMT and the final showing is at 15:30 GMT.
The live streaming can be found on:
Arirangs website does have a video on demand service, but you have to register with them. I havent, so I dont know if you have to pay or not.
I caught the last 15 minutes of the second showing this morning, and it is very interesting. You get to see the training regimes and routines, and they talk to the girls and their parents.
My only complaint is that the narrator is VERY patronising, particularly through the practice run-throughs. But, that is a normal feature of Arirangs English language programming!


text:
5 Awful Things Nobody Tells You About Being an Actor
The market for fame is saturated. You can all go home. Sorry for getting your hopes up like that. The truth is, you have a better chance of being hit by a satellite than by fame. And just so we're all on the same page, fame is exactly the point of all this. Any ambition to act for the sake of artistic satisfaction was run down and sucked into the wheel wells under the sports car of fame long ago, because fame makes more money and it's just cooler.
"We just wanted to stop for a minute and say, 'You're welcome.'"
Now most of you probably don't believe me, and that's fine. You've heard that the odds of success are slim, but you're different from all those other people, you have been singled out by providence for this. Parents, teachers and community theater directors have told you your entire life that you are gifted -- that you are born to make emotions with your face under camera and stage lights, a face that was too optimistic or too young to devastate with brutal honesty. Well, I can't see your faces, and I have some bad news.
Here are five good reasons your career path will make you absolutely miserable.
#5. You Aren't Building a Real Skill Set
When your dream is to be an actor, you don't have the luxury of simultaneously perusing a fallback dream. That's why you'll never see a struggling actor holding down a full-time job as a marine biologist. Acting is a jealous and needy career that doesn't like the thought of you keeping your options open. You'll need a job that allows you to leave at a moment's notice for auditions, usually for two or three hours at a time. Or, assuming you are fortunate enough to be cast in anything, you need a job that allows you to miss work for a week at the very least. The logical solution is to work at night at a restaurant or bar. The trouble, however, is that most of these jobs were never intended to be careers. They have high turnover rates and offer little in terms of personal satisfaction.
And that will all seem fine at first -- great, even -- for building that romantic sense of humility you intend to wear once you're famous. Taking orders from customers and folding napkin fans in wine glasses is just part of the struggle that you will remember fondly while masturbating poolside to your own biography.
"Ooh yeah. Keep toiling, right there."
That is, until your friends outside of the entertainment industry start developing actual skill sets that lead to raises, promotions and the general advancement of their careers. Everyone who entered the work force along with you will gradually move into better jobs because they've built up experience and because that's how nearly every other profession is designed to function. Meanwhile, there's no guarantee that you will book a role, ever. All the experience you'll be racking up will just be preparing you for a life in the service industry. Sure, you will still be honing your skills as an actor through classes and auditions, but until your acting resume includes more than school plays and student films, it won't help you get a job, because ...
#4. Most Roles Have Nothing to Do With Acting
Here is an innocuous commercial for Listerine:
There are three people featured for about four seconds apiece in that commercial. Each one of them is an actor who had to audition for that role. That may not sound like much, but take a minute to consider exactly what that entails:
All three of them, without a doubt, started with dreams of being respected actors. They likely struggled for weeks if not months to find an agent, and paid upwards of $500 to have headshots taken and printed. Then they drove to an audition in the middle of a workweek and waited in a waiting room for an hour with 20 to 30 other people who looked exactly like them before being wrangled into a small room four or five at a time to say their names and, finally, to swish. They stood there for a few seconds pretending to swish mouthwash around their mouths. That's it. That's 80 percent of all the auditions you will go to. Now consider the hundreds of people who also auditioned and didn't get that part. All of that energy, time and money amounted to 10 seconds of moving their cheeks around for a casting director who had already seen scores of other eager young actors do the exact same thing.
"Yeah, I get it. You're doing like a crazy thing. Really nice work, there."
Those three actors weren't hired for that commercial based on their acting ability or really anything that they could control. They were hired because they had a look that a Listerine ad sales department thought might sell more bottles, so the purpose of all those auditions was only to be sure that everyone actually looked like their headshots and that they were capable of ballooning their cheeks. But surely that's just a commercial, right? Actors also audition for meaty roles in movies and television, acting must be the deciding factor there. Well actually, no.
#3. You Will Never Be Considered for Roles That Require Acting
Any struggling actors who have never had a significant role before are not members of the Screen Actors Guild. SAG was designed as a union to ensure that actors were paid fair wages for their work. Nearly every movie and television show has to operate within the guidelines of SAG, which means that they can only hire SAG actors or else they have to pay a hefty fine to cast someone outside the union. Naturally, studios will cast SAG members over nonmembers every time. So how do you become a member? Well, that's where things get completely absurd.
The rules of SAG state, "Performers are eligible to join Screen Actors Guild after working on a SAG film in a principal role." So just to clarify, no one will cast you unless you are already in the union, and you can't get into the union until you are cast. A director has to like you so much that he or she is willing to trust you with a primary role despite the fact that you have no previous experience in film and be willing to pay a fine just to have you in that role. Now remember before when I mentioned that there are hundreds of other people who look exactly like you auditioning? At least 50 of them will already have their SAG cards.
"Good luck!"
That still leaves you with non-SAG or Ultra-Low Budget SAG productions. The only trouble there is ...


text:
on December 31, 2012 - 10:22 PM
WASHINGTON – The Democratic White House and Republican congressional leaders inched close to an agreement Monday to avoid most of the tax hikes in the "fiscal cliff," but last-minute hang-ups appeared likely to push the nation over that precipice, at least temporarily.
The Obama administration and Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell announced that they had agreed on a tax deal, but said that differences remain over automatic spending cuts that were set to take effect this morning, and how to replace them.
It all added up to a day of tempered optimism and frayed nerves at both ends of Pennsylvania Avenue.
"It appears that an agreement to prevent this New Year's tax hike is within sight, but it's not done," President Obama said in a mid-afternoon appearance at the White House. "There are still issues left to resolve, but we're hopeful that Congress can get it done. But it's not done."
Minutes later, McConnell, of Kentucky, took to the Senate floor to urge his colleagues to support the coming compromise.
"We will continue to work on finding smarter ways to cut spending, but let's not let that hold up protecting Americans from the tax hike," McConnell said. "We can do this. We must do this."
Hours slipped by without an announcement of a final agreement, but senators prepared for a vote on the package that could occur very late at night or early in the morning on New Year's Day.
With the Senate still waiting on a deal, though, the House adjourned at 6:25 p.m. Monday with plans to reconvene at noon on New Year's Day – meaning that, at least for half a day, the nation would tumble over the cliff.
"Attn. Capitol Hill reporters: It is impossible for the House to schedule a vote on a deal that does not exist," Doug Heye, spokesman for House Majority Leader Eric Cantor, tweeted in the middle of the afternoon. "Thank you."
Still, congressional aides from both parties said that Vice President Biden and McConnell were zeroing in on a deal that would:
• Keep tax rates steady for most Americans, while increasing the rate on individual income of more than $400,000 and household income of more than $450,000. For those higher earners, tax rates would increase from the current 35 percent to 39.6 percent – the level it was at during the Clinton administration.
• Preserve the child tax credit and a tax credit for college tuition.
• Fix the alternative minimum tax so that 30 million Americans would not have to pay it.
• Increase the estate tax for estates of more than $5 million from the current 35 percent to 40 percent.
• Extend unemployment benefits for 2 million unemployed Americans.
• Fix federal dairy policy to prevent a doubling of milk prices early in the year.
• Preserve current Medicare payments for doctors.
The two parties neared agreement on that deal despite a great deal of renewed partisan acrimony, much of it stemming from the president's appearance at a podium in front of middle-class families that supposedly would be affected if the nation were to fall off the fiscal cliff.
With the spending side of the deal still being negotiated – and with it possibly being delayed until talks on extending the federal debt limit in March – Obama said he would not accept a deal at that point that is based on spending cuts alone. Instead, he said, additional taxes on the wealthy might be needed.
"If [Republicans] think that's going to be the formula for how we solve this thing, then they've got another thing coming," Obama said. "That's not how it's going to work. We've got to do this in a balanced and responsible way."
Hearing that, several Republicans took to the floor of the Senate to express their anger.
"If the desire was to offend me, the speech did, but if the desire was to deter me, it did not," said Sen. Johnny Isakson, R-Ga.
In the coming talks over the debt ceiling, "the president's not going to make a deal by poking us in the eye," Isakson added.
The dust-up over the president's comments came as the outcome of the current fight over the fiscal cliff remains anything but certain.
Sen. Tom Harkin, a liberal Democrat from Iowa, said he, for one, was dismayed at the deal that was taking shape.
Complaining that taxes should increase on households earning more than $250,000, Harkin took to the floor of the Senate to say: "No deal is better than a bad deal."
Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., agreed, but for different reasons.
"The Republican Party should have no fingerprints on this and in no way support anything that raises taxes, because it's bad economic policy," Paul said on the Senate floor.
Sen. Joseph Lieberman, an independent from Connecticut who caucuses with the Democrats, said he backed the compromise, while adding that the emerging deal was imperfect because it will not be a full fix of the nation's fiscal problems.
"Regardless of what we do, we're talking about kicking the can down the road with this deal," Lieberman said.
Given such concerns, Senate passage of the measure was by no means certain – and House passage appeared to be even less so.
While waiting on a deal from the Senate, House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, made reference to legislation the House passed months ago to extend all the George W. Bush-era tax cuts that were set to expire at midnight, as well as to restore defense spending cuts that are also part of the fiscal cliff.
"The U.S. House has passed legislation to avert the entire fiscal cliff," Boehner tweeted. "With hours to go, Senate Dems still have not acted."
Congressional aides said, though, that the Senate's delay actually might win additional votes for the passage of the compromise in the House. That's because nearly all House Republicans have signed a pledge not to raise taxes – a pledge they would have to violate by voting for the compromise in 2012.
But with the tax hikes technically taking effect at midnight, the same vote on Tuesday will actually be a vote for a tax cut, which makes it much more politically palatable for conservative Republicans.
Then again, the Senate and the White House appeared to be hung up on the automatic budget cuts that were set to take effect at midnight, which were programmed into law by the 2011 deal to extend the federal debt ceiling.
Adding up to $1.2 trillion over 10 years, including $109 billion in 2013, the cuts are evenly split between defense and domestic programs – meaning they are so draconian that Republicans and Democrats alike loath them.
But it was unclear whether the emerging deal would include a way to replace the cuts, which are labeled "sequestration." Rep. Brian Higgins, D-Buffalo, lamented pending cuts that could hurt local institutions ranging from Moog Inc., a local defense contractor, to Roswell Park Cancer Institute.
"Sequestration cannot be viewed in the abstractions of Washington and this institution," he said on the House floor. "Its real consequences will be felt hard by real people in real communities throughout this nation, including Buffalo in Western New York."
News wire services contributed to this report. email: firstname.lastname@example.com.


text:
on February 12, 2013 - 5:45 PM
A Buffalo man pleaded guilty today to possession of child pornography.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Aaron J. Mango said a search of Kevin Baron's residence last March revealed a computer and DVD disks that were found to contain more than 600 images of child pornography, including some depicting violence.
Mango said a forensic analysis also revealed that a privacy and cleaning software had been installed and was run on two occasions in February of last year.
Baron's plea is the result of an investigation by the FBI and Cheektowaga Police. He will be sentenced in May.


text:
Source: Reuters
quote: As we understand it, the investigation is not questioning the legality of the agency model, but, rather, whether it was arrived at in an illegal manner. The critical point we made to DOJ was that any attempts on the government's part to remedy any alleged wrongdoing must not end the agency model, which has created a more competitive marketplace.Since the introduction of the agency model, the market has become not less competitive, but, rather, far more competitive. There is much more competition in the retail sector, as Apple, Barnes & Noble, Google, Kobo, and indie booksellers have all entered the market, offering consumers many more choices. There is also far more competition among publishers, which are now regularly offering special promotional offers, with lower-priced titles. In our channel, we have seen that the average prices to booksellers and to consumers have dropped since the introduction of the agency model.Before the introduction of the agency model, a single online retailer was selling e-books significantly below cost, dominating this nascent market, and rapidly growing readership in their proprietary format. It may be that their intent was to capture this market not only for book purchases, but, perhaps more importantly, to sell these consumers products from the full range of other online product offerings — everything from lawn furniture to flat-screen TVs. As many analysts have noted, the losses that online retailers have been willing to accept on book sales by selling below cost can be seen from another perspective as nothing more than shrewd ongoing customer acquisition costs.In our meeting with DOJ, we argued strongly that if the agency model goes away, there is every reason to conclude that major online retailers will again use considerable resources to dominate — and ultimately monopolize — the market, and that, in a relatively short amount of time, consumers will have a radical reduction in choice when it comes to purchasing books in both digital and print formats. The market will be far less competitive on all levels, and this stark reality will adversely affect the health of the entire publishing ecosystem. In the end, we believe, it will mean a far less diverse range of titles being published and a much diminished range of publishers.


text:
Pocket Guide: Milan
Romans to Renaissance
Modern Milan may conjure up images of fashion houses and boutiques, but if the urge to shop until you drop should desert you, it's worth remembering that the city's history, which dates back to 400 BC, is all around you. As capital of the Western Roman Empire, a medieval center of trade, and later under periods of French, Austrian, and Spanish control, Milan's history is long and varied and the city sights are a testament to its importance across the centuries.
A guided Milan city tour will take you through the city's key points of historical interest including Castello Sforzesco, a former palatial residence now open to the public as a museum and art gallery, the imposing gothic cathedral Il Duomo, and La Scala theatre. The tour also takes in a viewing of Leonardo da Vinci's 'The Last Supper', viewable only by appointment and housed in the convent of Santa Maria delle Grazie.
While Milan is rich in Renaissance, Gothic, and Baroque works of art (the Brera Art Gallery alone brings together Italian masterpieces from the 14th century to the modern day), this artistic center looks towards the future and contemporary art exhibitions are held in PAC (Padiglione Arte Contemporanea) and CIMAC (Civico Museo Arte Contemporanea).
Eating and drinking
Milan has a profusion of restaurants offering cuisine from all over the world; brunch is big news in Milan and the nightlife in this eclectic city starts early, with hundreds of bars and clubs to suit every taste. The essential Milanese ritual of happy hour is a famously loosely applied term, and between the hours of 6 PM and 9.30 PM most clubs offer drinks, cocktails, and buffet food at reduced prices. The majority of clubs can be found in the Porta Romana, Porta Ticinese, and Navigli regions of the city, but excellent food and drink are never far away. Getting around Milan is easy too, with a public transport system that includes three subway lines, trains, buses, and an extensive network of trams.
Explore Lombardy
Beyond the city itself, the glacial Lake Como, the third largest lake in Italy and one of the deepest in Europe, is celebrated for its beauty and tranquillity. Take a day coach tour of the lake and the historical center of Como, explore the scenery, and visit one of the many silk factories.


text:
Erie woman charged in burglary
Erie police have charged a city woman with stealing beer and a purse from an eastside residence in a burglary Saturday morning.
Sabrina D. Giles, 53, of the 800 block of East 20th Street, was arraigned Thursday night before Erie 1st Ward District Judge Sue Mack on a felony count of burglary.
Police accuse Giles of entering a residence in the 800 block of East 20th Street and taking several items before fleeing, according to the criminal complaint.
The female victim told police that Giles and an unknown man entered the residence through an unlocked back door and took four beers from the refrigerator and a purse containing cash, credit cards and pills, police wrote in the affidavit of probable cause accompanying the charges.
Mack set bond at $2,500.


text:
on February 1, 2013 - 8:03 AM
Buffalo's city treasury expects to collect more money this year in license fees for chicken coops than from the Seneca Nation for operation of the Senecas' multimillion-dollar downtown casino.
And it expects to collect a lot more from the quarters that are dropped into parking meters than from the quarters dropped into slot machines at the casino.
Those are among the startling statistics presented Thursday night by a professor of hospitality and tourism management during a gathering of about 60 opponents of casino gambling in Buffalo.
Steven H. Siegel of Niagara University said the city has budgeted income of $100 from the issuance of chicken coop licenses and none from the Seneca Buffalo Creek Casino at Michigan Avenue and Fulton Street. He said the city expects to collect more than $1.7 million from its parking meters but nothing from the casino's slot machines.
"Evidently the licensing of chickens is a more lucrative revenue stream than a $130 million casino is," he said.
The professor used those examples from the 2012-13 city budget to illustrate his point that the casino makes little direct contribution to the city treasury. The Senecas have, however, agreed to replace sidewalks and do some relatively minor landscaping around their temporary casino building while their full casino and hotel complex is under construction.
The city originally expected to receive about $3.5 million a year from the Senecas through a compact in which the state granted the Indian nation the exclusive right to operate casinos in Western New York. The Senecas are withholding the payments, because they say the state violated the compact by permitting the installation of slot machines at nearby racetracks.
The city received nearly $2.6 million through the compact in the 2009-10 fiscal year but nothing since then. Meanwhile, it has adopted a $25 license fee for anyone who wants to raise up to five chickens in a backyard coop as part of an urban chicken farming trend. It also collects 25 cents for 15 minutes at most city parking meters.
Siegel's examples were part of a much larger presentation on what he said were the actual costs of a casino. He said slot machine gamblers would lose $56 million a year if the casino expands to a proposed 800 slot machines; state and local sales tax income would drop by more than $5 million a year because the sovereign Indian nation is not subject to sales taxes; and the city would forfeit $100,000 to $250,000 in annual property taxes because the nation is tax exempt.
Siegel was among speakers at a meeting sponsored by Citizens for a Better Buffalo, an organization formed to stop construction of the Buffalo casino. The group met in the Buffalo Transportation Pierce-Arrow Museum at 263 Michigan Ave., about three blocks from the casino site. The citizens organization has filed lawsuits aimed at stopping the casino project.
email: email@example.com


text:
In addition, the nine Lebanese Red Cross blood centres, open 24 hours a day, are supplying blood to hospitals. The LRC mobile clinics, staffed by medics and nurses, are visiting centres and schools where thousands of people are gathering for protection. According to the Lebanese Red Cross, at least 700,000 people have been displaced by the hostilities and the number is rising every day.
Some 400 youth volunteers are also busy sorting humanitarian assistance in LRC centres for distribution to the most vulnerable. The Lebanese Red Cross first aid service is in dire need of protective equipment for their volunteers, bulletproof helmets and vests in particular. Body bags are also needed.
The distribution of emergency medical and other needs is being coordinated by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), which, under its mandate, has also issued several calls to respect International Humanitarian Law. The ICRC is also supporting fuel and repair costs for the LRC ambulance fleet and has sent in a convoy carrying medicines, food and hygiene articles. Lebanese hospitals are functioning thanks to emergency stocks, but small dispensaries and clinics in the south of the country are beginning to run out of medicines.
National Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies around the world are ready to send in assistance and funds, as required.
As national provider of ambulance and paramedical services, the Lebanese Red Cross covers approximately 80% of all ambulance missions in the country, through a network of 42 stations and more than 2,200 volunteers.
In addition it has a network of 24 clinics, 24 dispensaries, eight mobile clinics, nine blood banks and some 1,800 youth volunteers.
For its part, the Magen David Adom in Israel (MDA) is on alert in 10 of its 11 regions, including its reserve units. It has treated some 150 injured people as well as 200 patients suffering from acute stress, and evacuated bodies.
The MDA has moved half its blood service operations as well as its regional dispatch centres into shelters. A nationwide blood donation campaign is underway and hospitals and community health care systems are also on high alert.


text:
- Text Size:
- ASmall Text
- AMedium Text
- ALarge Text
A dog at an animal shelter in Independence, Mo., has learned how to open a door and escape.
The adoption ad for Squeaky, a 2-year-old American bulldog mix, lists her as "one smart dog."
Staff at the shelter set up a camera to watch Squeaky after they couldn't figure out how she kept getting out of her room.
They're hoping some family out there is looking for a smart pet and will offer her a permanent home.


text:
The Wisconsin state Senate began debate on a 2-year budget Thursday, including the discussion on 32 amendments.
No email address was supplied by
To complete your registration on this site, please supply an address.
Please confirm or modify the email address to which you will have subscription offers sent.
For a more personalized experience, please supply the following optional information.


text:
Sleepy Cat Bluetooth® Speaker
Product Actions
Additional Information
Sleeping Cat Sculpture has a Bluetooth® Speaker
- Charming sculpture has a built-in Bluetooth® speaker
- Play music, listen to a phone call or play a movie soundtrack
- Use indoors or outdoors
This delightful cat sculpture has a secret: It's a Bluetooth® speaker, too! Place it anywhere, indoors or out, and you can add instant ambience by playing music using any Bluetooth-enabled device, such as a cell phone, tablet or personal computer. Perfect for summer parties! Use the phone or other device to adjust the volume, pause the music or skip a track. You can also use the sculpture as a speakerphone, play the radio, or play the soundtrack to a movie you're watching. Made from rustproof cast aluminum that's been hand-finished to resemble aged brass. 13' power cord plugs into outlet. Waterproof box covers plug/extension cord attachment.
Product Details
- Cast aluminum, glass
- 15-1/2" W x 8-1/2" H x 10-1/2" D
- Power cord is 13' L
- Weighs 5-1/2 lbs.
- Waterproof AC adapter
- Bluetooth® Version: V2.1+EDR; Frequency: 2400.0 - 2483.5 MHz; Output: 12 VDC 1000 mA; Speaker: 10W max
- Adapter input: 120 V AC 60 Hz; output: 12V DC 1000mA
- Note: Small antenna projects from sculpture; do not remove
- Operating range is 30 feet
There are no special shipping restrictions or charges associated with this item. For detailed information about our delivery methods and charges, click here.
We're proud of the fact that this item is shipped to you directly from our warehouse in Vermont, by one of our 250 employee-owners. In-stock items are packed with care and shipped within the next business day to ensure prompt delivery to your home and garden!


text:
Lifestyles Photos
WaterTower's 'Xanadu' provides some inspired silliness
Photo: Ron Heflin/Special Contributor
Brittany Danielle during the performance of "Xanadu" at the WaterTower Theatre in Addison, Texas, Monday, July 29, 2013.
To post a comment, log into your chosen social network and then add your comment below. Your comments are subject to our Terms of Service and the privacy policy and terms of service of your social network. If you do not want to comment with a social network, please consider writing a letter to the editor.


text:
Resident accused of growing pot
Published: Thursday, February 21, 2013 at 1:54 p.m.
Last Modified: Thursday, February 21, 2013 at 1:54 p.m.
Probation agents believe a man was growing marijuana plants inside a closet of his Golden Meadow Home, the Lafourche Sheriff's Office said.
Steve Cheramie Jr., 44, 20864 La. 1, was arrested after Lafourche Drug Task Force agents and Probation and Parole agents checked his home Tuesday, the Sheriff's Office said. They searched his home and found seven pots filled with soil, along with items to control lighting and climate. They also found three marijuana leaves, three bottles filled with suspected marijuana seeds or leaves and drug paraphernalia.
Cheramie is charged with marijuana cultivation and possession. He is in the Lafourche Parish jail on a $50,250 bond, deputies said.
Reader comments posted to this article may be published in our print edition. All rights reserved. This copyrighted material may not be re-published without permission. Links are encouraged.


text:
- Faith Traditions at SLU
Faith Traditions at SLU
In hopes of nurturing the spirituality of all SLU students, Campus Ministry works together with religious leaders and ministers of different faiths.
Click on the name of your religious affiliation to find out more about resources at SLU:
- Baptist
- Episcopal
- Interdenominational Christian
- Islam
- Judaism
- Lutheran
- Methodist
- Presbyterian
- Places of Worship
We find inspiration in the following words from the Pontifical Council for Inter-religious Dialogue for our collaboration:
"We recognize that in the interrelated context of our contemporary lives, inter-religious cooperation is no longer an option but a necessity. One could say that to be religious today is to be inter-religious. Religion will prosper in this century only to the extent that we can maintain a sense of community among people of different religious beliefs who work together as a human family to achieve a world of peace."
("Spiritual Resources of the Religions for Peace," from the Symposium hosted by the Pontifical Council for Inter-religious Dialogue (Rome, 16-18 January 2003))


text:
Selected Interest Rates (Daily) - H.15
Historical Data
1. The daily effective federal funds rate is a weighted average of rates on brokered trades. Return to top
2. Weekly figures are averages of 7 calendar days ending on Wednesday of the current week; monthly figures include each calendar day in the month. Return to top
3. Annualized using a 360-day year or bank interest. Return to top
4. On a discount basis. Return to top
5. Interest rates interpolated from data on certain commercial paper trades settled by The Depository Trust Company. The trades represent sales of commercial paper by dealers or direct issuers to investors (that is, the offer side). The 1-, 2-, and 3-month rates are equivalent to the 30-, 60-, and 90-day dates reported on the Board's Commercial Paper Web page (www.federalreserve.gov/releases/cp/). Return to top
6. Financial paper that is insured by the FDIC's Temporary Liquidity Guarantee Program is not excluded from relevant indexes, nor is any financial or nonfinancial commercial paper that may be directly or indirectly affected by one or more of the Federal Reserve's liquidity facilities. Thus the rates published after September 19, 2008, likely reflect the direct or indirect effects of the new temporary programs and, accordingly, likely are not comparable for some purposes to rates published prior to that period. Return to top
7. Source: Bloomberg and CTRB ICAP Fixed Income & Money Market Products. Return to top
8. Rate posted by a majority of top 25 (by assets in domestic offices) insured U.S.-chartered commercial banks. Prime is one of several base rates used by banks to price short-term business loans. Return to top
9. The rate charged for discounts made and advances extended under the Federal Reserve's primary credit discount window program, which became effective January 9, 2003. This rate replaces that for adjustment credit, which was discontinued after January 8, 2003. For further information, see www.federalreserve.gov/boarddocs/press/bcreg/2002/200210312/default.htm. The rate reported is that for the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. Historical series for the rate on adjustment credit as well as the rate on primary credit are available at www.federalreserve.gov/releases/h15/data.htm. Return to top
10. Yields on actively traded non-inflation-indexed issues adjusted to constant maturities. The 30-year Treasury constant maturity series was discontinued on February 18, 2002, and reintroduced on February 9, 2006. From February 18, 2002, to February 9, 2006, the U.S. Treasury published a factor for adjusting the daily nominal 20-year constant maturity in order to estimate a 30-year nominal rate. The historical adjustment factor can be found at www.treasury.gov/resource-center/data-chart-center/interest-rates/. Source: U.S. Treasury. Return to top
11. Yields on Treasury inflation protected securities (TIPS) adjusted to constant maturities. Source: U.S. Treasury. Additional information on both nominal and inflation-indexed yields may be found at www.treasury.gov/resource-center/data-chart-center/interest-rates/. Return to top
12. Based on the unweighted average bid yields for all TIPS with remaining terms to maturity of more than 10 years. Return to top
13. ICE Swap Rate mid-market par swap rates (previously known as ISDAFIX). Rates are for a Fixed Rate Payer in return for receiving three month LIBOR, and are based on tradable quotes sourced at 11:00 a.m. from regulated electronic trading venues. Source: ICE Benchmark Administration. Return to top
14. Moody's Aaa rates through December 6, 2001, are averages of Aaa utility and Aaa industrial bond rates. As of December 7, 2001, these rates are averages of Aaa industrial bonds only. Return to top
15. Bond Buyer Index, general obligation, 20 years to maturity, mixed quality; Thursday quotations. Return to top
16. Contract interest rates on commitments for 30-year fixed-rate first mortgages. Source: Primary Mortgage Market Survey® data provided by Freddie Mac. Return to top
17. CPFF refers to the Federal Reserve's Commercial Paper Funding Facility. The rates are identical under the CPFF for financial and nonfinancial commercial paper. An issuer of commercial paper into the CPFF may avoid the surcharge by providing a collateral arrangement or indorsement that is acceptable to the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. The CPFF expired on February 1, 2010, and therefore these rates are no longer calculated. Source: Federal Reserve Bank of New York. Return to top
18. Series ended August 29, 1997. An average of offering rates on commercial paper placed by several leading dealers for firms whose bond rating is AA or the equivalent. Return to top
19. Series ended August 29, 1997. An average of offering rates on paper directly placed by finance companies. Return to top
20. Representative closing yields for acceptances of the highest rated money center banks. Source: Telerate, Inc. Return to top
21. Series ended June 30, 2000. The quotes continue to be available on Telerate, which was the source for these rates as reported on the H.15. Return to top
22. An average of dealer bid rates for certificates of deposit (CDs) that are actively traded in the secondary market and are issued by top-tier banks. Bids are generally for CDs issued in denominations of $1,000,000 or greater. Responses are not reported when the number of respondents is too few to be representative. Return to top
23. Series ended June 28, 2013. Return to top
24. Series ended January 8, 2003. Rate for the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. Return to top
25. Auction date for Daily data; Weekly and Monthly averages computed on an issue-date basis. On and after October 28, 1998, data are stop yields from uniform-price auctions. Before that date, they are weighted average yields from multiple-price auctions. Return to top
26. Series ended June 30, 2000. Return to top
27. Series ended December 31, 1986. Return to top
28. Series ended May 31, 2004. Return to top
29. Unweighted average of rates on all outstanding bonds neither due nor callable in less than 10 years. Return to top
30. Series ended June 30, 2000. Return to top


text:
Room to Read | World Change Starts with Educated Children
In August 2006, John Wood, released a memoir entitled Leaving Microsoft to Change the World: An Entrepreneur's Odyssey to Educate the World's Children.
As seen on The Oprah Winfrey Show, Leaving Microsoft tells the story of Room to Read's infancy, our early successes, and lays the groundwork for our long-term vision of world change. John vividly chronicles Room to Read's beginnings, from his life-altering decision to leave the corporate world, to his quest to create a non-profit with a strong business ethos.
Former President Bill Clinton endorsed the book by stating, "Just think what would happen if a couple of hundred people followed his example."
Publisher's Weekly described the book as, "an infectiously inspiring read ... the kind of book that business colleagues will discuss with their acquaintances, spouses and friends."
USA Today stated, "Wood's dynamism permeates the book…The bottom line is passion, and it seems the world is better off for John Wood having followed his."
Named by Amazon as one of the Top Ten Business Memoirs of 2006, Leaving Microsoft has now been translated into 20 languages throughout the world and is available in hardcover and paperback.
Available on Amazon.com »
To learn more about the book, please visit www.leavingmicrosoftbook.com.
Invest in Room to Read
results updated annually
Solving the Puzzle Learn More
Get current on the Room to Read news and stories from the field. And, don't forget to sign up for our Twitter feed!Learn More
Email Sign-Up
Privacy and Cookies Policy | Terms & Conditions Copyright © 2015 Room to Read. All rights reserved. Room to Read, the Room to Read Logo and World Change Starts with Educated Children are registered trademarks of Room to Read in the United States and other countries.


text:
"Sandy, oh Sandy" I can hear John Travolta crooning away in Grease, but now "Sandy" evokes a slightly different memory.
Forget "stranded at the drive-in." For the East Coasters affected by dear old Hurricane Sandy, it's more like stranded at your powerless apartment realizing, "Oh dear lawd, I'm addicted to technology!"
It's funny how dependent we have become on technology. As I write this blog on my cell phone, it's even more apparent. When you have no power, your cell phone is like a life-line on Who Wants to Be a Millionaire. Have a question about what's going on? Easy! Just check Twitter to connect with the rest of the world. But like on the game show, there is a limited number of times you can check – because after a storm like Sandy, cell service becomes spotty and your battery life is just as limited.
Right now I'm at an Upper Manhattan Starbucks, charging my phone. I had made a video for this week about "the funny road to bald-dom," but no "free" Internet wifi has enough bandwidth to upload it. Which got me thinking.
I'm here at this Starbucks with my usual two-hat motif – one hat forwards, one slouchy hat pulled to the back covering every inch of my bald head. Yet, I just made a video of my bald self, documenting my "road to bald-dom" totally exposed. So why do I race for a head scarf as my sister enters my bedroom or frantically tug at my hat as a gust of wind threatens to expose my soft bare bulbous scalp?
I think because while writing a blog or documenting something on your cell phone or flip camera you feel like it's a modern version of a diary entry. You are not face-to-face with someone who can judge your thoughts or emotions. It's just yourself and an electronic device whose only job is to record ... i.e., no electronic equipment has a judgment switch.
Understanding the Trolls – Sort OfI have realized this "distance" between a person and the content they put out there makes more room for honesty – but also more room for trolls. Yes trolls, as in people who make nasty comments behind a cloth of invisible identity.
From the very beginning of this journey I have vowed to be honest in these blogs and videos. I have loved reading comments and supportive words of kindness, and I've also appreciated words of advice or concern and appreciated people's willingness to disclose their own experience with infertility, cancer, invisible illnesses, etc.
However, the few trolls who used their invisible identity cloaks to inflict pain through nasty ill-willed comments ... I never understood until now.
I feel I am stronger dealing with my cancer/chemo side effects this time around. I can look in the mirror and become fascinated with the medical side effects the drugs have had. Yet, I am still not comfortable going outside without a head wrap. I am not even comfortable having my loved ones see me so ... raw ... so ... vulnerable.
Yes vulnerable. I have faith I will get more comfortable in my skin as time passes, but isn't ironic that my loved ones have only seen me with out head wraps on the Internet? I have more guts behind a self-made video online than I have in person. So I guess the trolls that have left me death wishes in the comment section here on this PEOPLE blog also have more "guts" from behind their computer screens.
Shocking Death CommentsWhen I first read comments talking about my impending death I was shocked, hurt and amazed. Why would someone wish death upon someone they don't even know?
I received death comments ranging from people saying I won't survive this round of treatment, people saying I deserve to have cancer again because I didn't remove both ovaries the first time, and even people saying that I don't deserve to live because I delayed cancer treatment in order to freeze eggs. These comments created a pain that burned deep inside, a pain that I've never felt before.
I would learn to dismiss these trolls as people who are not happy with something in their own lives, who are just looking for a way to retaliate. Although it's not easy, I can handle ill-willed comments, and being a person of faith I believe "God gives you what you can handle," so I realize these few troll commenters lashed out at me so maybe they would not torment another person who couldn't handle it at a particular moment. I, after all, have had the good fortune of soooo many beautiful people wishing me well 100 times over, which well out-numbers the few nasty troll commenters.
This might be a weird blog, but as I realized how dependent we are on technology from a power outage in Lower Manhattan. I think there is a gift in technology to be braver than we could ever be face-to-face. But there is a responsibility to also realize that being brave doesn't mean being cruel. Expressing your feelings, views and opinions is one thing, but inflicting pain by being a cruel cyber bully shows a severe crack in character in my humble opinion.
I hope to become as brave as I am behind a computer screen. I think technology has given us so many ways to express ourselves and so many ways to have our voices heard. The question is ... What do you want your voice to sound like? :)
Check back for updates every Thursday: Diem will be chronicling her journey through fertility treatments, chemotherapy and her quest to educate others about ovarian health exclusively for PEOPLE.com. You can also follow her on Twitter @DiemBrown.


text:
Top Definition
The call to arms, so to speak, for partying and raging.
Hey, I got the night off, lets get some booze and call the dealer, ITS PARTY TIME!
od uživatele barbertime 11. prosinec 2008
Trending Now
Can you define these popular missing words?
When a girl does not want to have sex so you instead stick your penis in her butt cheeks like a hot dog in a bun.
"Hey baby lets go fuck"
"Im not ready for sex"
"Okay can we still have some party time"
"If you must"
"Im not ready for sex"
"Okay can we still have some party time"
"If you must"
od uživatele Mikey Peanut 28. listopad 2011
a game played by sitting on the ground across from someone with your legs spread. you take turns lobbing the ball at their private parts. if someone flinches then you get to throught the ball at them with only their face covered. best played with a ball made of duct tape.
hey greg, lets play a few rounds of party time.
od uživatele nick 11. červen 2003
At any time of the day whether gettin fucked up nd wasted @ the bar, getting your grind on spitting game to some bitches @ the club, gettin high smoking a bowl w/ ur peeps, or just having the time of your life.. U say..... "It's Partyy Timeee Bitchezzz!!!"
Hey, Johnny.. What Time is it???? "It's Party Time Bitchezzz!!!"
od uživatele PartyTimeJohnny 29. červenec 2010
When you're in a bar and you see loads of women that are game and you know you're gonna get laid
"oh my god have you seen those three sluts at the bar checking us out? it's fucking party time!!"
od uživatele sproodley meads 20. srpen 2007
A gangbang wherein five guys fuck one bitch. One dude is laying on his back on the ground, while he fucks the broad's asshole as he holds her hips. The second guy is standing up and fucking the girl's pussy, as the bitch is arched up a notch while being fucked in the ass by the first guy. The other three guys are standing over on the other side, as the one in the middle is getting sucked off and the two guys beside him are being jacked off by the chick.
That, folks, is a party time.
That, folks, is a party time.
Shit, guys, that cunt is so fucking wasted that she's up for a party time with all of us.
od uživatele Anthony King 17. srpen 2007


text:
someone who prevents a guy from using his dick to satisfy a woman
That fuckin cockblocker wouldn't leave Tom's house last night when he was anxiously awaiting to fuck Sarah.
dodane przez Katie S. marzec 20, 2006
Someone who takes or makes themselves obstacles in your way of you getting some action or a person you like or want.
Person 1: I really like Don, do you think I can get him?
Person 2: Mmm... probably but I just smashed him yesterday, sorry.
Person 1: Oh my gosh, you knew I liked him! You're such a cockblocker!!
Person 2: Mmm... probably but I just smashed him yesterday, sorry.
Person 1: Oh my gosh, you knew I liked him! You're such a cockblocker!!
dodane przez Corina Annetta marzec 14, 2011
when someone interupts you before or during sexual intercouse.
omg trent is the biggest cock blocker i was about to get in
dodane przez email@example.com lipiec 15, 2009
Someone who prevents other people from having sex.
nick powell is the biggest cockblocker alive.
dodane przez cassia;) maj 12, 2009
Street term for the female contraceptive device otherwise known as a diaphragm.
Paulina was impregnated by Joe because she forgot to put her cock blocker in that night.
dodane przez Robert Polack maj 01, 2008
A person who has unnatural tendencies to stop sexual encounters before they begin.
Terrible. Some chick cockblocker screwed me big time
dodane przez Meandmybaby czerwiec 27, 2011
Someone who blocks cock.
The guy was about to stick his cock into the fine-ass bitch when the Cock blocker came out of no where and side shoved the guys cock.


text: Panda Business Partner requirements Partners Panda Security To achieve each of the three levels of Panda Security certification, your company must first register in the Partner Program. Additionally, depending on the number of certified professionals and the degree of commitment, your company can achieve a high level of certification, and consequently more advantages and better margins. Requirements BUSINESS PREMIER ELITE Registration in the Partner Program Yes Yes Yes License Panda solutions through a welcome offer Yes Yes Yes Certified sales representative - 1 person 2 people Certified technician - 1 person 2 people Business plan - - Yes Become a Partner


text:
Environmental Emergencies
Program Mission
The Environmental Emergencies Program protects Canadians and their environment from the effects of environmental emergencies through the provision of science-based expert advice and regulations.
Environment Canada's Environmental Emergencies Program is composed of a regulatory and policy team in Gatineau, Québec and a preparedness and response team in Montreal, Québec. These teams coordinate with the Emergencies Science and Technology Section in Ottawa, Ontario, and the Enforcement Branch, the Meteorological Service of Canada and Canadian Wildlife Service staff across Canada, to provide science-based expert advice to prevent, prepare for and respond to the effects of environmental emergencies.
In delivering its responsibilities, the Program works in close partnership with other federal government departments, other levels of government, the private sector and international organizations.
Emergencies Program Mission and Guiding Principles
What is an environmental emergency?
There are different types of environmental emergencies, such as natural events like forest fires, earthquakes, floods, hurricanes or ice storms. There are also environmental emergencies caused by human activity, such as industrial or transportation related accidents that release hazardous substances, thereby endangering the environment and human health. Environmental Canada's Environmental Emergencies Program focuses efforts on emergency pollution incidents related to releases or spills of hazardous substances such as oils and chemicals.
Who to call when an environmental emergency occurs?
Depending on the nature, size and location of an emergency pollution incident, a wide variety of private and public sector organizations may play an important role in reducing the damage to life, property and the environment.
In most cases when such events occur, provincial, territorial and federal laws require that authorities be notified Who to Call in an Emergency .
- Date modified:


text:
For lovers of Typically Swiss Hotels
It is not called "Romantic" for nothing: anyone treating themselves to a stay at the Romantik Hotel Schönegg is certain to get a lovely warm feeling. And not only on mild, sunny days in winter on the beautiful terrace.
Certainly when chef Hubert Mayer serves up his magical culinary delicacies for the candlelit dinner, the guests go into raptures.
At this very special hotel in the car-free resort of Wengen, in the heart of the fantastic Jungfrau region, your holiday prospects are simply the best.
Hotel details
- - Radio in all rooms
- - Telephone in all rooms
- - T.V. in all rooms
- - Room with bathroom
- - Sauna
- - Especially quiet rooms
- - Non-smoking hotel
- - Non-smoking rooms
- - Central location
- - Garden/parking facilities
- - Lift
- - Public restaurant
- - Open deck/garden restaurant
- - Snack restaurant
- - Restaurant with view
- - Bar
- - Pets allowed
- - Hikers
- - Near train station
Thanks to its central location in Europe, Switzerland is served by more than 12 countries with international trains. Within Switzerland Wengen can be reached by intercity trains from Basel, Zurich, Geneva and Bern to Interlaken Ost and from there on to the Jungfrau region. Wengen is car-free, the Lauterbrunnen railway station is the interchange station to Wengen. The trip from Lauterbrunnen to Wengen takes 14 minutes. Lauterbrunnen can be easily reached by car. There you can park your car in the parking garage.


text:
Top Definition
N. This describes when one does not wipe (in going to the bathroom) properly, and thus infestations of what was to be wiped are now pushed under the poor sap's fingernail(s). (This term was begun by Artie Lange of the Howard Stern Show.)
"Yo Bill what's that under your fingernail? You stupid ass, can't you wipe yourself? Now you've got shitnail."
dodane przez Sigge grudzień 19, 2008
Trending Now
Can you define these popular missing words?
A term used to describe an angry or extremely unpleasant surprise in reaction to information or a situation. Akin to "shitting a brick," the term derives its meaning from the horrific experience that "shitting nails" would be, and thus a person suffering through it would naturally be in a pissy mood.
"Evelyn shit nails when I told her I didn't really get a vasectomy."
dodane przez Pimpsta G luty 26, 2008
After fingering your partners butthole, you now have shit under your finernails.
Hey get your shitnail away from me you butthole fingerer.
dodane przez Danielle Shaw luty 25, 2008


text:
- Flat Rate Shipping. Any Size Order! -
- A Portion of Proceeds Benefit Baltimore Ravens Athletics -
Main Content
- Cotton exterior
- Officially licensed
- Single carrying strap on top
- Polyester interior
- Screen print graphics
- Zipper closure on top
- Measures approx. 18" x 12"
- Imported
- Imported
- Brand: Forever Collectibles
Ravens Customers also liked:
Special event items are produced by manufacturers only after the outcome of a game or event. These are advanced sale items and will ship immediately after they are received in our warehouse.
Manufacturer direct items are shipped directly from the manufacturer. These items are not available for international or expedited shipping.
Customized items can be personalized with options such as your name, your favorite number, and/or designs. Some options may be limited by league rules.


text:
Modern Bird Studios
Acrylic Mounted On Wood
- Color:
- multi
- Size :
- 12x12
- 12x24
- 24x24
- 1
Description: These pieces require a bit of mind twisting to pull off properly because they are multi-dimensional. They are a combination of vinyl and paint applied to both the acrylic and the wood. In fact, trying to explain it further is headache inducing! The end result is a very modern, very sleek piece that has great depth and movement. Trust that it is very technical and the end product is just about the tastiest awesomesauce you'lll ever sample.
Voucher instructions:
Place your purchase Gilt, you will then complete the personalization on http://www.modernbirdstudios.com
An electronic voucher will be emailed to you within 24 hours from Gilt with your voucher/certificate number
Visit http://www.modernbirdstudios.com to order your prints
Redeem your code through website -- http://www.modernbirdstudios.com -- by choosing and adding to your shopping cart the style and size ordered through Gilt.
Add the voucher/certificate number in the field 'Add a coupon' on the checkout page.
Click update and that should zero out the balance. Delivery costs will be charged by ModernBirdStudios.
Customer submits photo(s).
Partner with ModernBirdStudios for digital proofs of the photo within chosen color choices (about 165 colors to choose from) and size parameters
After approving digital proof, order goes into to the production queue.
Once the piece is completed, ModernBirdStudios ships it out directly to the customer.
If you have any questions email firstname.lastname@example.com
EXPIRATION: Offer must be redeemed by February 11, 2014, subject to Terms & Conditions below
The following terms and conditions apply to the product voucher purchased in connection with this sale through Gilt Groupe, Inc. except as otherwise required by law. In the event of a conflict between these terms and conditions and the actual Voucher, the Voucher itself will control. All persons purchasing, printing, accepting, using or attempting to use any Voucher (each, a 'Customer') agree to these terms and conditions. All Vouchers are promotional in nature and are issued by the participating merchant or vendor through Gilt as a service provider. The Vouchers are coupons that provide a discount price from the actual or retail cost from the Vendor. That discount is available until the expiration date stated on the face of the Voucher. After that time, where and to the extent required by law or allowed by the Vendor, the Voucher may be redeemed by the Vendor for goods of the Vendor in the amount originally paid by the Customer to Gilt and as otherwise set forth on the Voucher. For example, a Voucher purchased for a particular product of the Vendor at the discounted price of $50 (actual retail price of $100) with an expiration date on the discount of six months from a specified date, may be used for the particular product for six months from such specified date; and then if and to the extent required by applicable law, thereafter, the Customer may use the $50 value of the Voucher to purchase other goods of the Vendor as set forth on the Voucher. Customer's acceptance of any redemption of a Voucher constitutes an acceptance of the redemption and a waiver of any claims associated with the Voucher. The Voucher may not be redeemed for products or services other than those specified on the Voucher or as otherwise specifically permitted by this paragraph and may not be used to pay account balances or for products or services purchased from the Vendor prior to the purchase of the Voucher.
The Vendor is the holder and issuer of the Voucher and under no circumstances shall Gilt be deemed the holder, issuer or seller of the Voucher. The law applicable to the Voucher shall be the law of the state where the Vendor interaction with the Consumer occurs. As the holder and issuer of the Voucher, Vendor is solely responsible for the value and redemption of Voucher and for any and all bodily injury, illness, damages, claims, liabilities and costs suffered by or relating to any Customer and the compliance with all laws, including, without limitation, unclaimed property and escheatment laws relating to the Vouchers. Each Customer hereby knowingly waives and releases Gilt and its affiliates and their respective officers, directors, employees, shareholders, agents and representatives, from any and all injuries, liabilities, damages, claims and rights of any nature whatsoever arising from any act or omission to act of the Vendor in connection with the Voucher, the provision of the services and products relating to the Voucher, and compliance by the Vendor with applicable law, including, without limitation, unclaimed property and escheatment laws. Gilt's sole role is as a service provider for the Vendor, and the applicability and compliance with any relevant law relating to any Voucher is solely determined by and complied by the Vendor
Vouchers are transferable without notice to Gilt or Vendor. No resale of Vouchers is permitted unless such resale is permitted pursuant to applicable law. Vouchers are not redeemable for cash (in whole or in part) and have no cash value except as required by applicable law. If cash redemption is required by applicable law, the Customer will only be entitled to cash redemption based on the amount paid by the Customer to Gilt for the Voucher, not the actual or retail cost form the Vendor. Vouchers may not be combined with any other offer, coupon, promotion or discount or certificate and must be used in a single visit to Vendor except as required by applicable law. Limit one Voucher per person per visit or purchase. Neither Gilt nor Vendor is responsible for lost or stolen Vouchers. If you lose your Voucher, go to the 'My Accounts' section of the Gilt site and print your certificate. The Vendor will accept the first Voucher presented with the unique number printed on the Voucher. Treat your Voucher as you would cash. Vouchers are subject to any limitations stated on the Voucher or by the Vendor. The issuance of any credits for the Vouchers are at the sole discretion of the Vendor except as required by applicable law. Vouchers may not be used for prior balances, shipping or handling, or other fees except as expressly provided on the Voucher or as allowed by the Vendor and as permitted by applicable law. Unless otherwise stated on the Voucher or disclosed in connection with the purchase of the Voucher by Customer, the Voucher price does not include sales, value added or use taxes, which may be charged to you separately by the Vendor at the time you redeem the Voucher. Any attempted redemption of a Voucher in violation of these terms and conditions will render the Voucher void.
Material: Acrylic
Brand: Modern Bird Studios
Origin: United States


text:
on March 14, 2013 - 7:29 PM
, updated March 15, 2013 at 1:45 AM
Four men and two women have been arrested by Brant police and Erie County sheriff's deputies for an allegedly beer-fueled target shooting spree with rifles off Route 5 near Commercial Street on Sunday afternoon in the Village of Farnham.
Investigators said one shot nearly struck a young birthday party-goer in the head when a bullet whizzed through a house. Nearby, horses had to be restrained to prevent them from jumping over their pasture fences, police reported Thursday.
With an investigation continuing and more arrests expected, the numerous gunshots fired at beer cans set alongside trees at about 2:45 p.m. Sunday resulted in the six arrests on charges of first-degree reckless endangerment, felony criminal mischie+f and reckless endangerment of property.
Arrested were John Bingel, 54, and his wife, June Stresing, 45, of Angola; Joseph D. Vail 45, and his daughter, Jaime L. Vail, 25, of Evans; Mark Hartman, 59, and his son, Jacob Hartman, 33, of Angola.
All the suspects have been ordered to appear in Brant Town Court for criminal proceedings later this month.
Brant Police Lt. Mark Slawek said neighborhood residents reported hearing several hundred shots fired from a high-powered rifle. He said a Commercial Road homeowner told officers a bullet whizzed past the head of a young girl attending a birthday party at his house.
Another homeowner said his 8-year-old daughter and a friend lay on the floor of a shed for safety until the numerous rounds of gunfire halted. Other neighbors described a "very chaotic" scene as they took cover on garage floors until police officers arrived and restored order.
Slawek said police were told by one neighborhood resident that all the gunfire so traumatized his horses they all tried to escape their electrified pasture behind his home by jumping over the fence. The horse owner said he and neighbors physically restrained the horses.
Village prosecutors are expected to seek court-ordered financial restitution for property damage caused by the target shooting spree, Slawek said.