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London, UK – 15 November 2012: Polycom, Inc. Nasdaq: PLCM), the global leader in open standards-based unified communications and collaboration (UC&C), today announced that Buckinghamshire-based Language Matters, a leading language training provider, is successfully using Polycom RealPresence video collaboration solutions, to offer language learning to the corporate sector by introducing a new way to support corporate language learners remotely.
Traditionally, language courses have been delivered face-to-face, but Polycom's RealPresence secure HD video and telepresence solutions enable video collaboration from anywhere, so employees can learn a language even when away from the office. Video collaboration software for desktop PCs, laptops, tablets and smartphones that can connect into room-based systems and immersive theatres have opened up alternative methods of delivery to blend face-to-face learning, e-learning and learning via video conference, enabling dispersed workforces to effectively learn at the touch of a button.
Utilising Polycom Telepresence m100 video conferencing to deliver language training, Language Matters have minimised and in some cases eliminated some of the barriers to learning which can affect group language training across a corporate environment. The combination of ease-of-use, premier quality and multi-protocol support offers a more streamlined experience both for learners and trainers and has led to a significant increase in course attendance.
"Our clients tend to travel frequently and have full diaries, so it can be difficult for them to be on-site for their training every week", said Debbie Sasson, founder of Language Matters. "Video conferencing enables them to attend regularly, as they can dial in from wherever they happen to be. And as the training can be recorded, if they do have to miss a session, they can easily catch up by accessing the recorded sequence."
The firm has seen a number of different benefits from utilising video collaboration for its training courses, including:
Significantly reduced training costs – by using video conferencing, Language Matters can avoid having to set up face-to-face training across multiple locations for the same client. Using Polycom video conferencing, teams in geographically dispersed locations can link in to the one course delivered from the main customer site. The clients' costs are significantly reduced, as they buy in one rather than several training courses.
Flexible learning – clients really can learn at any time anywhere. The Polycom RealPresence Media Manager enables organisations to launch training at a time to suit them, even from a mobile platform while on the treadmill, for example. The flexibility is ideal for business clients, who previously felt that they couldn't commit to a regular on-site course, and who welcome the opportunity to improve their language skills through remote learning with a trainer.
Interactivity – Polycom video collaboration brings the trainer and participants together in a virtual setting where they can interact with each other and the trainer in much the same way as they can in a face-to-face environment. So the interactive teaching and learning techniques used in the traditional training room are just as effective when learning via video-conference.
To see a customer video testimonial on this press release please visit the Polycom Website
About Language Matters
Language Matters (UK) Ltd is a language training and translation services provider located in Buckinghamshire. Established in 1992, they have been providing language training to the corporate sector for 20 years and earlier this year they won their first contract to provide the Ministry of Defence with language training. Their clients come from all sectors and include a number of blue-chip companies, both in the UK and overseas. Visit www.languagemattersuk.com.
About Polycom
Polycom is the global leader in open standards-based unified communications and collaboration (UC&C) solutions for voice and video collaboration, trusted by more than 415,000 customers around the world. Polycom solutions are powered by the Polycom® RealPresence® Platform, comprehensive software infrastructure and rich APIs that interoperate with the broadest set of communication, business, mobile and cloud applications and devices to deliver secure face-to-face video collaboration in any environment. Polycom and its ecosystem of over 7,000 partners provide truly unified communications solutions that deliver the best user experience, highest multi-vendor interoperability, and lowest TCO. Visit www.polycom.co.uk or connect with us on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn to learn how we're pushing the greatness of human collaboration forward.
© 2012 Polycom, Inc. All rights reserved. POLYCOM®, the Polycom logo, and the names and marks associated with Polycom's products are trademarks and/or service marks of Polycom, Inc. and are registered and/or common law marks in the United States and various other countries. All other trademarks are property of their respective owners.
Sarah Brambley
Polycom EMEA PR Manager


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Kaleidoscope Playset
Description: Kaleidoscope Playset
A perfectly pint-sized table with distinctly grown-up style, the Kaleidoscope Playset is designed to support active individual and group play. Playful geometric details and a modern duo-tone color palette allow the Kaleidoscope Playset to blend into any modern space throughout the home. With adjustable legs that extend the height (and life) of the included play table and stools, the Kaleidoscope Playset is intended to grow with your family from preschool into the elementary years.
Safety Information:
Please Note: This item is considered a Special Order and will take 10-14 business days to process and ship. Call (206) 254-0400 or email firstname.lastname@example.com with any questions.

subset: commoncrawl


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Injury accident involving motorcycle on Gene Snyder Freeway causes delays
UPDATED 1:12 PM EDT Jun 20, 2013
An injury accident involving a motorcycle on the Gene Snyder southbound caused some delays Thursday morning.
The crash happened at Smyrna Parkway.
The motorcyclist is said to have suffered a broken wrist and was taken to University Hospital.
According to witnesses, the motorcyclist was weaving in and out of traffic.


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- What is Topup.com?
Topup.com is a prepaid mobile phone recharging service adding prepaid minutes to a prepaid mobile phone from 250+ different carriers in 70+ countries. Instantly get the minutes added to the prepaid phone number of your choice.
- How do I create an account at Topup.com?
Enter the phone number you would like to top up on the homepage, or click "Register" in the top right corner of the site. Fill out the customer information forms and select a username (email) and password. Once your account is created you can easily top up your mobile phones.
- What Countries can I top up my mobile phone from?
View our full list of countries on our Homepage. We are always adding new countries to our top up service. If your country is not listed, check back from time to time, or email us to request it.
- How quickly do you top up minutes on my phone?
Top up times depends on the carrier. It may take 5-30 minutes because some carriers operate differently. The recipient phone will receive a SMS text message notifying that the phone has been recharged. Initial orders may take a few extra minutes as the account may have to verified.
- What if my cell carrier is not listed, can you still top up my phone?
We service over 200+ carriers, but unfortunately we do not cover every carrier worldwide. We are always adding new carriers to our top up service. If your carrier is not listed, check back from time to time. We value you as our customer.
- Can I top up my family, friends, or someone else's phone in a different country?
Yes, you can. You can top up as many phone numbers as you want. Just enter the phone number, and how much to add. The funds will instantly be added to the phone. See how easy it is to top up online!
- How much does it cost?
You choose what denomination amount you want to add, and we will add those funds to the phone. Before you pay, you will be told the total amount that is due for the top-up you are sending and also details of any other charges. These charges may include ones from our bank, the card companies and our secure online payment processing company.
- What payment cards can I use at your site?
You can currently use all debit cards, Visa, MasterCard, Discover, American Express, Diners Club International, BC Card, Union Pay, JCB, and Dinacard.
- Why do I have to agree to your terms & conditions?
This is part of our policy to protect all our customer's privacy and security concerns.
- Can I manage multiple phone numbers, and from different carriers?
Yes, you can. You can top up as many phone numbers as you want. You may easily manage multiple contacts, and then just enter the phone number, and how much to add. The funds will instantly be added to the phone. See how easy it is to top up online!
- I just created my account. What do I do next to top up my phone?
Log into your account with your email address and password you created. Select the Recipient's Country and enter the Mobile Phone you want to top up, and click Topup. Next, you will select the Amount you wish to send for top up on the next page. Fill out the form, and continue to make your payment. Once payment is confirmed, the top up request will be sent to the phone's carrier instantly.
- Is my account information safe?
All information transmitted between yourself and TopUp.com is done through secure protocols (SSL - Secure Socket Layer); one of the most widely used and safest security protocols available on the web - you will see it used at all leading sites including TopUp.com. When completing a transaction, we do not store your credit card information. All sensitive information is held by our payment processors who keeps this data secure to the stringent requirements of the Visa and Mastercard compliance teams, which includes PCI compliance. The terms & conditions and privacy policy, which are published on the site and which you agreed to by registering, cover all of our policies regarding your personal information. This includes the fact that we will never release any of your details to anyone and we will only use your email address in order to contact you about TopUp.com services.
- Why can I only have one account with TopUp.com?
You may have only one login account, but you may topup as many phones as you wouldl like. TopUp.com has a very strict set of privacy and security policies to protect our customers - this means that each user and payment card holder must use their own account and only use one account. If you attempt to use more than one account you may not be able to use TopUp.com's services again.
- What are stored phones?
You can store several prepaid phones for easy TOPUP. You can top up your friends and family in different countries in seconds. Just create a contact and add the country and phone number under Saved Phones. This will make it easy to top up different accounts on the fly using the Top Up a Saved Phone option.
- How do I view my online order receipts?
Upon logging into your account, you will see your previous transactions and the amount you were charged under "Order History."
- I have signed up but have not received my order email?
If the email isn't in your inbox we suggest looking in the spam/junk mail folder. If the email isn't in those folders please email us (firstname.lastname@example.com).
- How do I reset my password?
To reset your password, login to your account and click on the "Profile" tab. You will be asked to enter your old password with your new password.
- What should I do if I see unauthorized charges on my card from TopUp.com?
TopUp.com does not store your credit card information. TopUp.com will not make unauthorized charges on any customers account. If you see unauthorized charges that refer to TopUp.com you should contact your bank immediately as it is likely your card has been compromised elsewhere. Please contact TopUp.com directly also so we can take appropriate action on our end.
- Why does my card billing address have to be the same as my TopUp.com account address?
Your address details must match your card billing address to ensure that it is your credit card.
- Why am I charged a secure online processing fee?
This represents part of the charges which we must pay in order to process your card as safely and securely as possible online.
- Are you going to charge me again in the future for something I don't agree with?
Of course not. We only charge your credit card at the time of the transaction. We do not store your credit card information after the transaction has been completed. There are no follow-up charges / recurring charges or anything else. Before submitting your details we state the total amount which you will pay. This is the only charge you will ever see from TopUp.com
- I sent a top up to a friend in a different country, how long before he receives it?
The recipient will receive a text message confirmation to his phone upon the successful transaction and approval of carrier.
- I want to send a friend a top up for the first time?
No problem. It only takes a few minutes to create a free account. Select the country of the phone you want to top up in, and enter the phone number. It's as easy as that.
- Why does it not let me send a top-up to the number I want?
We run several tests on the number including checking with the operator to ensure the number can be topped up. We do this because we don't want to charge you unless the top-up can definitely go through. If this happens you should check the number is correct and that you have chosen the correct mobile operator.
- Will the top-up still get through if the phone is roaming?
The top-up is delivered to the phone account wherever it is in the world. The confirmation message is also delivered wherever the phone is in the world.
- What can I do if I sent the top-up to the wrong number by accident?
All transactions are final. Once the top-up is sent to a phone number, it is available for use immediately; hence it cannot be refunded or removed from the phone again. It is for this reason we make sure you double confirm the number at our site.
- Why can I not send top-up to a particular number?
There are various reasons that your card may not work at our site. The most common is because your bank will not allow us to process the particular card and you should contact them to understand why not. We also limit the number of attempts that you can make with your card; checking back in a few days may resolve this issue.
- Why do I have to pay tax in the country where I am sending top-up?
In all countries the local sales tax must be paid where the product is consumed, just like if you bought the top-up from a store in that country.
- How quickly does the top-up and the personal message get to the phone?
Usually within seconds. Depending on the carrier, it may take up to a couple minutes.


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Media Relations
Press Release:
Dawn Howard
561-297-0910, email@example.com
FAU to Host Events for Disability Awareness Month in October
BOCA RATON, FL (September 24, 2012) – Florida Atlantic University will host a series of events to commemorate Disability Awareness Month during October. The various events offered during the month are designed to physically and mentally energize and challenge all participants and raise awareness about the different types of disabilities.
"We are providing all FAU students with an opportunity to experience what our students with disabilities experience throughout their lifetime," said Nicole Rokos, director of FAU's Office for Students with Disabilities.
More than 850 students at FAU are registered with the University's Office for Students with Disabilities, where trained staff provide students with documented disabilities the academic support services and accommodations they need to give them equal access to all of the academic programs at FAU.
The Center for Autism and Related Disabilities (CARD) within FAU's College of Education is another center on campus that provides support and assistance with the goal of optimizing the potential of people with autism and related disabilities. Stand Among Friends Disability Center, located on FAU's Boca Raton campus within the Christine E. Lynn College of Nursing, provides important information and resources for people with disabilities. The Center includes a computer lab that features many technology devices, and a disability employment program.
Along with the Office for Students with Disabilities, the events are sponsored by several FAU organizations, including Campus Recreation, FAU Student Government Program Board, Student Involvement and Leadership, Owls Supporting Diversity (OSD) Club, and Stand Among Friends.
The following events will take place at FAU's Boca Raton campus, 777 Glades Road, Boca Raton campus, unless otherwise noted:
Goalball Demonstration and Competition
Wednesday, October 3, 5:30 p.m.
FAU Recreation and Fitness Center, Boca Raton Campus
During Goalball, participants compete in teams of three and try to throw a ball with bells embedded in it into the opponents' goal, while being blindfolded so the participant can experience what a team sport is like with a visual impairment. The participants must use the sound of the bell to judge the position and movement of the ball. A presentation and coaching will be provided by Donte' Mickens, a U.S. Paralympic Goalball team member who participated in the Athens and Beijing Olympic Games. For more information and to sign up, visit www.fau.edu/campusrec.
'A Taste of Disability' Luncheon
Tuesday, October 9, 12:30 p.m.
FAU Davie Campus, SD 105
Participants will be assigned a disability and will experience that disability throughout the luncheon. A discussion will follow. Please RSVP to Amy Schwartz Parker at 954-236-1222 or email@example.com.
Wheelchair Basketball
Wednesday, October 10, 1 p.m. Demonstration and 5:30 p.m. Tournament
FAU Recreation and Fitness Center, Boca Raton Campus (all campuses participating)
Participants will either watch or be involved in a highly energetic, fast-paced wheelchair basketball tournament. FAU students have the opportunity to experience playing basketball while using a wheelchair and can create a team consisting of six players that will compete against other FAU teams. Wheelchairs and coaching from Matt Glowacki, a member of the Paralympic games in Sydney and a wheelchair basketball expert, will be provided. For more information and to sign up, visit www.fau.edu/campusrec
Movie Presentation and Discussion
Tuesday, October 16, doors open at 6:30 p.m. and movie begins at 7 p.m.
FAU Student Union Kaye Auditorium, Boca Raton Campus
"Front of the Class," a movie based on a true story, is centered on Brad Cohen. Brad was determined to become a teacher despite having Tourette syndrome. Come enjoy this inspiring movie with snacks and a lively discussion following the movie. Movie presented by Office for Students with Disabilities and Student Involvement and Leadership. For more information, please contact Lynn Gil Jackson at email@example.com.
Diversability Olympics
Wednesday, October 17, 4 p.m.
Jupiter Campus, Recreation Fields
Participants will enjoy a mini-Olympics designed to raise awareness about different abilities. Games include goalball, and more. For more information please contact Farley Leiriao at email@example.com.
A Taste of Disability Dinner
Thursday, October 18, 4 p.m. Boca Raton Campus
Grand Palm Room, Student Union
and also on
Tuesday, October 30, 6 p.m.
SR 108 Jupiter Campus
Students will be assigned a disability and will experience that disability throughout the dinner. If a student assumes the role of someone who is visually impaired, for example, a blindfold will be placed over his or her eyes. If a student is assigned a physical impairment, he or she may be placed in a wheelchair. Discussion groups will be facilitated by the OSD Club and the Office for Students with Disabilities. This event is by RSVP only. Please contact Michelle Shaw at 561-297-3880 or email@example.com for RSVP at Boca Raton Campus. Please contact Farley Leiriao 561-799-8010 or email@example.com for RSVP at Jupiter Campus.
FAU's Office for Students with Disabilities wishes to make these events accessible to people of all abilities. If you need a reasonable accommodation to fully participate in any of these events or for more information, please contact Nicole Rokos at 561-297-3880, firstname.lastname@example.com, or TTY Relay Station at 1-800-955-8770. Please make your needs known as soon as possible to allow sufficient time for effective accommodations, preferably four business days prior to the event.
-FAU-Florida Atlantic University, established in 1961, officially opened its doors in 1964 as the fifth public university in Florida. Today, the University, with an annual economic impact of $6.3 billion, serves more than 30,000 undergraduate and graduate students at sites throughout its six-county service region in southeast Florida. FAU's world-class teaching and research faculty serves students through 10 colleges: the Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters, the College of Business, the College for Design and Social Inquiry, the College of Education, the College of Engineering and Computer Science, the Graduate College, the Harriet L. Wilkes Honors College, the Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine, the Christine E. Lynn College of Nursing and the Charles E. Schmidt College of Science. FAU is ranked as a High Research Activity institution by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. The University is placing special focus on the rapid development of three signature themes – marine and coastal issues, biotechnology and contemporary societal challenges – which provide opportunities for faculty and students to build upon FAU's existing strengths in research and scholarship. For more information, visit www.fau.edu.


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Beginning Friday, free permits will be available for hunting on selected days on portions of the Williamsport Municipal Water Authority watershed.
The authority's watershed will be open for four days of deer hunting on Dec. 3, 8, 9 and 10 and one day of bear hunting on Dec. 3. No other hunting is allowed on the property at any time.
Hunters must obtain and be in possession of a valid 2011 hunting permit issued at the authority office, 253 W. Fourth St. Hunters must supply their valid 2011 Pennsylvania hunting license number in order to apply for the permit. Parents must co-sign for children under age 18 and may apply for and pick up permits for their children under 18 by bringing the child's valid 2011 hunting license.
Maps of the restricted areas and designated hunting and parking areas will be provided with the permits.
Those wishing to take an antlerless deer also must have a state Game Commission Wildlife Management Unit 4D antlerless license or a DMAP harvest permit for the authority property (Unit 775), of which a limited number are available.
The watershed is open daily to visitors prior to the hunting season from sunrise to sunset by signing in at the Water Filtration Plant visitor parking lot at the end of Mosquito Valley Road and observing the posted visitor use rules.
The watershed will be closed to visitors on Nov. 19, 21, 22, 23 and Nov. 28 to Dec. 10, except on Sundays. Only hunters with authority hunting permits will be allowed in the watershed on Dec. 3, 8, 9 and 10.
For more information, call the authority office from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. weekdays at 323-6148.


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"I am the super mother bug!" -- Bug
In many ways, Bug may represent the apex of Ashley Judd's curious career. She's always been something of a green-screen actress without the green-screen, relying on some kind of method to dig deep and come up with seemingly heartfelt, emotive performances in routine thrillers where the surroundings don't warrant that kind of effort. (I'm looking at you, Kiss the Girls.) Judd's motivation is always in her head, which makes her naturally primed to take on a character like Bug's Agnes White, a lonely, small-town waitress who was frozen inside her own emotional headspace years ago, when her young son disappeared out of a grocery cart. She now spends her days being lusted after by the lesbians at a honky-tonk dive where she works, doing drugs, counting up crumpled dollar bills and bracing herself for the unwanted return of her ex-con ex, who has more than one screw loose. "You tried to kill me," she reminds him when he finally washes up on her doorstep. "That was a rough one, yeah," he replies, without trying to be funny.
I've seen the same marketing you have, and I'm not going to comment on whether, at some point during the film, a swarm of giant bugs may come to attack poor Agnes. I will suggest, however, that deserved Oscar nominations for Judd and director William Friedkin may be thwarted by an attempt to make this film sound like it belongs on the same shelf as Blade: Trinity and Silent Hill. Bug is a horror film, for sure -- one that will leave you bug-eyed -- but not one that pins its hopes on special effects. Instead, it uses a horrific set-up to explore some nimble issues, like how emotional vulnerability can weaken you, impair your judgment and make you not only accept the poor logic of others, but actually become a participant in their delusions. If you have nothing in your life, will you grab onto anything? Sociologists have been asking a variant of that question forever, and it's refreshing to see a movie taking a whack at it, with some success.p align="left">The catalyst, the host, whatever you want to call it, comes to the film in the form of Peter, a character portrayed by Michael Shannon, who was memorable as the anti-Tim McVeigh in Oliver Stone's sometimes intriguing but mostly lackluster World Trade Center. Peter is a drifter with a quasi-military past who drifts into Agnes's life one night and doesn't seem to ever leave. Even when a friend or the crazy ex shows up during the film to torment Agnes, Peter sort of hovers in the background, like a piece of furniture, and waits until they're alone again. To say that Peter is uncomfortable in his own skin would be a grave understatement, and I'm not just thinking of the moment when he back-flips onto a bed in agony, clawing at the aphids he believes are burrowing under his skin. I'm thinking mostly of his "too many machines" speech, in which he talks about being able to feel the constantly increasing number of machines, processors, criss-crossing signals and what-not that clutter the environment.
Peter has the verbal incontinence of a paranoid schizophrenic and he holds onto the walls as he walks back and forth, which is never a good sign, but a toxic mix of severe loneliness, the need for a drug buddy and perhaps some kind of twisted need to still be a mother-figure prevents Agnes from cutting loose of him, and the two end up falling into a night of primordial sex, which is filmed by Friedkin as though from the point of view of a germaphobe. The focus is pointedly microscopic, concerned with the sweat and the routine, animalistic function of it all, with no regard for anything like emotion or pleasure. In this and other scenes throughout the film, Friedkin's directing choices are fresh and interesting while also remaining subtle. He doesn't try to make the camera a third person inside the small trailer where the two characters are holed-up -- that would be a distracting mistake. Instead, he delicately keeps out of the way as Judd and Shannon begin to crash into each other at dangerous speeds.
The script, which is an adaptation of the play by Tracy Letts, sometimes feels less adapted and more like a performance of the play being mounted, which can be off-putting. At a recent press conference for the film, Friedkin made it clear that the writing was not something he made any attempt to bend to his personal voice, and that definitely comes across from time to time, but its mostly balanced out by the high-octane acting, which slaps us full in the face whenever our attention starts to slip. Judd and Shannon make these roles their own in every possible way, so minor quibbles all in all for the film. What Friedkin has delivered here is an effective and engaging little nightmare story, as unsettling in its own way as some of the most disturbing moments in The Exorcist. It's a film about what can happen to us when we want to jump out of our skin, but can't. Whether the bugs or real, or whether they are imaginary, I wouldn't suggest showing up at the theater without a bottle of Raid and a mosquito hat.
*Also check out Jette's review of the film.


text: It could definitely be detox, or 'carb flu' as it's sometimes called. Your body is being forced to start burning fat for fuel and it takes a little time for it to adjust. It should go away after a few days to a couple weeks and you'll start to feel much better. Hang in there!


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Come join the Central Rappahannock Regional Library as we present Frank Capra's classic inspirational film It's a Wonderful Life at the England Run Branch on Thursday, December 9th at 2:00 pm.
George Bailey (James Stewart), a desperate and suicidal man, is visited by a guardian angel who shows him how important he has been to those around him in his life. Also starring Donna Reed and Lionel Barrymore.


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In this service-learning course, undergraduates partner with students from Commerce High School in Springfield on print and multimedia journalism projects. Students write about topics not addressed by the mainstream media, working with experts in sites such as homeless shelters, health clinics, and public schools to research their projects. Undergraduates and high school students do intensive field work in their exploration of complicated social realities. In 2012, additional funding also enabled students to visit the Newseum in Washington, DC.
Program Type:
Course Name and Number:
JOURNAL 394C – Community Journalism
Impact Area:
Program Impact Region:
Program Participation:
Program identifies community participants.
Program Start (and End Dates):
November 8, 2012
Commerce High Scool
415 State Street
Springfield, MA 01105United States
Program Director:
Nicholas McBride
Program Director's Email Address:
Program Contact:
Nicholas McBride
Contact Email:
UNIT: Colleges, Schools, Departments, Centers, and Institutes:
College of Social & Behavioral Sciences/Communication
Student Involvement:
This Project Receives External Funding:
Assessment Mechanism:


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- Text Size:
- ASmall Text
- AMedium Text
- ALarge Text
Johnson County Deputy Glenda Morrison was scheduled to appear in court to enter a plea Friday, but her appearance was delayed.
Arkansas State Police said Morrison admitted to lying to a judge under oath. She was serving as a bailiff at a murder trial last October. Police say jurors told the prosecuting attorney that Morrison told them the man on trial was acting up in jail the night before sentencing.
Click here for our report on her arrest.
Morrison is married to Jimmy Dorney, the Johnson County Sheriff.


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The Mets spent last September watching leads evaporate until they lost their grip on first place and eventually the wildcard.
Watching the Marlins celebrate eliminating them on their home turf for a second straight season and the images of C.C. Sabathia riding the Brewers into the playoffs.
In order to prevent this occurrence from happening again, Omar Minaya preparation for 2009 was spent sorting through the bullpen.
He went out and acquired two elite closers and spent a good portion of the offseason bringing in new arms.
The irony is that most of the excitement that has been generated by bullpen overhaul is being overshadowed by the woes of John Maine and Oliver Perez, and the health concerns regarding ace Johan Santana.
Last year, the staff boasted a 3.98 ERA which was good for 7th in the league while the bullpen generated a 4.27 ERA leaving it at 23rd in the league.
We know the bullpen should be better but the question remains, as we look through the rotation, is the staff?


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Following link can be found on www.spaceweather.com.
In the article about 'incoming asteriod' there is a link to NASA (3D-orbit)
Link address is
It causes Firefox 188.8.131.52 to stop responding every time a try it. I'm
using MD 2008.0. Anyone else experiencing this?
I'm using NoScript but get same result with this inactivated.


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HARPERS FERRY - Television sets, sinks, Visa credit cards - seemingly unrelated things that all found a resting place at the bottom of the Shenandoah River.
Amongst the various car parts, piles of trash and even syringes found during the river cleanup in 2012, lies something even more important - a motivation to make people aware of what lives at the bottom of the rivers in Jefferson County.
For more than seven years, volunteers from the Harpers Ferry Outdoor Festival, along with other community members, have been donating their time for the cause of removing the trash from the rivers and riverbanks.
Article Photos
Submitted photo
Volunteers from the Harpers Ferry Outdoor Festival work to keep the trash out of the Shenandoah and Potomac rivers.
Saturday brings another opportunity to fight through the pollen, poison ivy, nettles and gnats for the greater good of the rivers. Treasurer of the organization, Chuck Davis, said it has adopted a 2-mile section of road right along the river from Millville to Blair Road, but he needs volunteers to help with the trash removal.
Davis described the day of cleaning as "awesome, rewarding, and a great exercise," but at the same time, he also said it can be very "aggravating, disgusting and disappointing."
"When I reflect on the day, I think of all the good things about it, but as you're doing it you get a little disgusted," Davis said. "People are such pigs, because we can be."
Beginning Saturday morning, the volunteer group will spend the day working at various locations along the river. Those interested in volunteering can meet at 9 a.m. at one of the following locations: the Shenandoah River Bridge parking lot, Cindy Dee's parking lot or the Shenandoah River Park next to the Millville Dam.
Lisa Cullinane, president of the organization, encouraged participants under the age of 18 to meet at the Millville location due to high volumes of traffic at the others.
"We provide gloves, trash bags and water," Cullinane said. "Volunteers should wear long sleeves, boots and long pants."
The Harpers Ferry Outdoor Festival volunteers will join with the Mason Dixon Canoe Club, the National Park Service, the Alice Ferguson Foundation and many other groups across the four-state area to clean up the Potomac River Watershed.
More than 350 locations are designated for the day.
"It's really nice to get out in the spring and get dirty," Cullinane said, adding that one of the most common things she's found are single shoes submerged under the water.
"Not all the trash out there comes from people being ugly," Davis added. "It comes from not thinking or not being aware of what they are doing."
During last year's event, enough trash to fill more than 100 bags was collected. The trash is then placed in bright orange bags and sat along the roadway, not only for collection, but also to make passing drivers acknowledge the amount of trash found in the waters.
More information on the river cleanup can be found at www.HFOF.org/river-cleanup.
- Staff writer Michelle Horst can be reached at 304-263-8931, ext. 138, or www.twitter.com/mhorstJN.


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Star Tracks: Monday, May 16, 2016 42 years, 2,191 covers and 55,436 stories from PEOPLE magazine's history for you to enjoy
Latest News!
- High Five, Low Five ... No Five: Prince George Leaves Justin Trudeau Hanging During Canada Visit
- Read the Cover Story: Brad & Angelina Split After 12 Years: It's Over
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- April 22, 1991
- Vol. 35
- No. 15
Picks and Pans Main: Junior
Dear Barbie,
There is, of course, the thought that as turn-of-the-17th-century England has come to be known for spawning Hamlet, our culture will be known for The Flintstones.
The TV cartoon series that debuted in 1960 trundles along in reruns, tape series celebrating every related event this side of the invention of the rock and eventually in a movie starring John Goodman as Fred.
One of six new cassettes is "A Page Right Out of History." It includes inane tributes by some current athletes, reminiscing animators Bill Hanna and Joe Barbera, and the episode in which Pebbles Flintstone is born.
The animators prate about their series' best bits—modern gadgets cast in prehistoric mode, such as an elephant whose trunk becomes a vacuum cleaner. There are topical jokes, such as Ben Casey appearing at the hospital where Pebbles is born.
Even at its best, though, The Flintstones just isn't all that much fun to look at today, however you might have to admire its durability. (Hanna-Barbera, $14.95 for "A Page Right Out of History," $24.95 for other tapes)
(Thad Novak, 11, looked incredulous-much as he does when asked if he wants to help with the dishes—at the suggestion that he might like to watch these tapes.)
The hippest, most colorful of video basketball games, not to mention the toughest to beat, Lakers vs. Celtics is just the thing to work off those basketball jones frustrations.
The title is deceptive. While the game is indeed based on real National Basketball Association teams, only Boston, Chicago, Detroit, the Los Angeles Lakers, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Portland, San Antonio and two all-star teams are included. Each team has 12 players closely based on real-life counterparts. Michael Jordan, for instance, will slip between defenders for characteristically lithe dunks other players never make.
Equally enjoyable is the attention to detail. Not only are black players black and white players white, but such quirks as James Worthy's goggles and Mike Gminski's scruffy beard are duplicated too.
While the player controls one member of his team, the other four move too, and the dribbling, passing, faking, shooting, rebounding and even defensive moves are astonishingly realistic. (Bounce and lob passes are used, for example.)
The computer pushes the pace, so scores are too high. The scoreboard is hard to see. Some of the memory used for such (admittedly enjoyable) byplay as having the coaches going bonkers at courtside might have been used to add more teams. Two players can't play on the same team, though head-to-head competition is fun—if you find someone with slower reflexes.
The graphics and programming are sharp though, and if you don't like the way the real NBA play-offs are going, you can try to put things right with this all-pro-caliber game. (Electronic Arts, for Sega Genesis, $49.95)
(T.N. says: "It's great being able to use real stars, and it's a good game. Some of the moves get tiresome after a while though.")
As your significant other all these years, I must say it came as a big surprise to go into the record store today and see your album on display. I mean, I know you've always thought that Debbie Gibson stole your shtick, but I think this is going too far. Singing? If this is another attempt to woo GI Joe back, I just don't know what I'll do.
I admit I bought the album (I got no complimentary copy, thank you very much). I notice you're not writing your own material. There are just covers of pop hits like Roxette's "The Look" and Deniece Williams's "Let's Hear It for the Boy." And I enjoyed someone as stiff as you trying to get down with soul tunes like "ABC." Your voice sounds like Wayne Newton on a helium binge. Then again, maybe it's a Milli Vanilli thing. Was that really Jem's voice?
If I were an 8-year-old girl, this album would be perfect. But I'm a boy doll nearing middle age, and I disapprove of your living the rock-star life. It's okay for a Ninja Turtle, but not for America's sweetheart. What next? A film career? Proving you're a serious actress by doing A Doll's House?
Please take my criticism to heart.
Love, Ken PS. Skipper and I have decided to run off together. Sorry. (Rincon, $9.98-$13.98)
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Report And Die
In many systems, the response to an exception or error is to
. One style is to display a dialog that says something like "An error has occurred, program terminating" and a single "Ok" button that finishes the deed. Another style is to dump a logfile or something similar and then exit. Sometimes a stacktrace or its equivalent is displayed.
All these share common "choreography" - the user is told that something terrible happened, and the program or operation is then terminated.
This page is crying out for advocation of an alternate approach: In ReincarnationProgramming
is replaced with ReportAndDieAndLiveAgain
I use a product called
, written by a cool Dutch guy, HenkHagedoorn
, using Delphi. When it does something horrible, like an access violation, it throws the exception, issues the complaint, waits for the user to click OK, and
from the error without data loss.
It's the only Windows program I've ever used that accomplishes this.
I would suggest that whatever he's doing, or whatever Borland is doing in Delphi that makes this possible should be adopted as a standard.
The only technical features that come to mind that allow ReincarnationProgramming
are checkpointing and rollback and such, which are rarely pervasive anywhere except a database server. Are there others?
People often claim this with regard to Delphi. As a user of many Delphi applications, and a sometime Delphi programmer, it's an illusion - the application isn't actually recovering from an error, it's simply declining to crash, leaving internal data in an unstable state. This may accidentally be recovered from or it may not. Sometimes it's just obnoxious, like when a Delphi app decides to iterate over a non-existent array, popping up dozens of access violation boxes but refusing to die. People don't like applications that crash, but a crash is the *only* reasonable answer to an exception you aren't sure you can recover from. If you are sure you can recover from it, there's no reason to alert the user. The delphi framework installs an exception handler that pops up that message box, then continues as if nothing had happened. There is no magic involved whatsoever.
-- ChrisMellon
Smalltalk applications written against
(I don't know about Squeak) can gracefully recover. Sometimes they don't notify the user, but instead log the incident in some way.
Recover how? Cosmic rays destroy the contents of RAM. A redundancy check reveals a fatal error: important data is smashed. And Smalltalk just...recovers. I think more specifics are in order.
Ok, ok, ok. What I mean is that in the Smalltalk environment, the context of the expression that raised the exception is kept around, and is pointed at by the exception. When an exception is caught, the handler can (some of this varies by vendor):
Do something and continue after the expression/block that raised the exception
Do something and reraise the exception (to give other handlers a shot)
Do something and restart the expression that raised the exception
Do something and restart the block containing the expression that raised the exception
Do something and cause the expression to return with a value, just as if the exception had never occurred
Other options that I don't remember at the moment
Yeah; back in 1990 I implemented an error package for C++ that did exactly this list of things (I had to implement exceptions, too; they weren't yet available in C++). I left the company before seeing what sorts of idioms formed around these capabilities, and I haven't seen such elsewhere. Do you know of a URL that has info about how these things can be used to best effect?
So when your user is deep in a stack of nested modal dialogs, is trying to save and exit, and accidently clicks the (empty) A:\ button instead of the C:\\ button that she wanted, you can handle the no-volume-mounted exception and return back to the nest, no harm done. As opposed to making the user start at the top all over again.
Or, to quote an old apocryphal myth, when your missile guidance system pulls a segmentation fault in the middle of a routine in a math package calculating the inbound target's velocity, you can tell your code to:
Log the failure
Check a timer to see if you have time to be smart
Load an alternative class
Silently try again
Repeat, working further and further up the stack until it looks right
Resume where you left off
Isn't the CosmicRaysDestroyedRam
exception fatal? All kidding aside, you surely COULD try reloading RAM and restarting the operation. That's what it's for.
Yep. I've done that even in C with signal handlers forcing process restart. Handy, especially for a 24/7 task. It's weird, though, fellow programmers actively argued against this approach (at a whole succession of companies, not just one environment). I don't understand why it's so widespread to look at error recovery as evil. "Thou shalt not catch the SEGV signal for any reason!" Huh?
(See also
lmao. I didn't know Microsoft made aircraft instruments. I wonder if the displays spanked the user for improperly shutting them down on their way back up.
word processor is rather less stable than I would like, but its pattern is "save the current document to a .CRASHED file and die". Thus, although it crashes too often, I've never lost work. (Aside: I'm not using the very latest version; it may be getting more stable.)
The ability to "retry" (restart) in a smart way after an error was discovered is an important factor in software quality - knowing that bugfree software is hard to find. The critical part for a successful recovery seems to be the ability of the program to access a non-corrupted state to continue the execution from there. Is there a universal strategy for this? (A
seems to work fine with autosaves, but is this always applicable? What are other approaches?)
See also
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August 31, 2005
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Facebook is scheduled to make an "awesome" announcement today at noon CST, which a lot of observers think is going to be a video chat feature.
It's rumored that Facebook will announce a partnership with Skype that will integrate video chat directly into the Facebook platform. Group chats are also rumored to be on the docket, though some speculate that Facebook may take today to unveil a new mobile platform.
If you didn't receive an invitation to attend the event, Facebook provides a live stream at its Facebook Live channel.
Facebook didn't provide any details in an e-mail inviting media members to the event, to be held at its Palo Alto, Calif., headquarters. But CEO Mark Zuckerberg promised last week it would be "something awesome," CNN is reporting:
Zuckerberg was touring Facebook's engineering site in Seattle and wouldn't give many details, only saying that the announcement would be about something developed there.
It's hard to imagine the timing of the announcement is random.
Since it was launched last week, Google has been getting all the online buzz in the social-media world for its new networking platform, Google+.


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About Terrazas de los Andes
In the 1950s, Moet realized that the global demand for sparkling wines was outpacing their production capabilities. They began searching for ideal vineyard locations outside of France. They ended up settling on Mendoza, founding Bodegas Chandon, known for its fruity sparkling wines.
2008 Terrazas de los Andes Cabernet Sauvignon Reserva Mendoza
Producer: Terrazas de los Andes
Style: Red Wine
Grape Type: Cabernet Sauvignon
Origin: Argentina
Region: Argentina
89 Points | Stephen Tanzer's IWC - March/April 2012
Medium red-ruby. Cassis, black cherry, menthol and chocolatey oak on the nose. Good texture and density, and a restrained sweetness, to the intense flavors of dark berries and spices. Finishes with serious, dusty tannins and good lingering fruit. This wine should drink well for at least the next five or six years.


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Welcome to WebmasterWorld Guest from 22.214.171.124
Forum Moderators: Robert Charlton & aakk9999 & andy langton & goodroi
and so on.
Add also 1 more serach result at top of these 10 for: "the Local business results for [search query here]"
Also add 1 result for "more results from [search query here]" link at bottom of map but still above you.
You have 12 results before your #1.
Now, at top of map you can see up to 3 Adwords horizontal results above the map (3 others paid for) and at right column first 5 Adwords results are above your ex #1 organic result. 1 add is exactly aligned to your right.
Let's do the maths: 10 + 1 + 1 + 3 + 6 = 21
Your #1 site became #22 being the first real organic result.
How to revert this situation?
Under certain circumstances your business don't apply to be listed in local search (IE: your company sells services in several destinations), or your business is not reviewed for those important companies that added other business to map, or your business is not one of those top 10 because in that city there are thousands of bigger business)
One last: business addition is not even available in Google Local (only some countries may add business).
Well you are out of map no matter what.
What's the only remaining option? Pay an Adwords add higher than all other 9 Adwords Advisors. How much is that, well of course not cheap, specially if you want your #1 back, because you have to beat them all so you end paying USD xx for each click.
But what happens in the meantime? I saw this happening: #1 organic result now in #22 position having an Adwords add pointing to exactly same page that their organic result AND having the 9th position, that is the one exactly at your right column!
So when your bidding is beated your add goes down in position and you may end again in #22 or below.
Why? Because all other advertisers also want the place above the map certainly.
Ok, you refine your ads, work on them, focus on CTR, landing pages, bla bla, and most important: pay more.
I notice that this model enforces to buy Adwords, and personally notice that I need it like it or not, and have to pay more than before to stay worst.
What about the older organic results #2, 3, 10.
The local map and horizontal Adwords ads became a barrier that you only trepass buying ads.
Sadly I don't feel local search will dissappear from regular search. I'd like local serach would be only available in maps.google instead being the #1 ever.
The local map and horizontal Adwords ads became a barrier that you only trepass buying ads.
It's only a barrier for advertisers who want the #1 organic spot to be top of the page. For users, local search is helpful and that's why G implemented it.
Does it force you to buy ads? Again, it depends on your situation. If you're a small mom-and-pop store with a new website with hardly any links, it used to be that the only way you could compete with the hardcore SEO'd sites was by buying ads. With localized search becoming default on many searches, these stores now have a chance to show up, and instead it's the hardcore SEOs that need to buy ads to compensate for this.
In the end, what does Google want to show to the user? A site that has invested resources into link building and a perfectly optimized site, or a business located near the user that's selling what they're looking for?
What does Google want to show to the user?... A site that has invested resources into link building and a perfectly optimized site
And shows #1 whatever who pays more (besides a business located near the user of course). That's what thread described and you probably assumed that I was talking about a crappy unkown new site. What I described is happening not to me personally but to big authority sites in several niches.
If you trade nationally and were previously found for 'widgets city' for loads of locations where you didn't actually have an office, then you shouldn't have been there in the first place.
Trying to be found for local searches when you're not local is not that different than trying to be found for products you don't sell or services you don't offer.
If you trade nationally and were previously found for 'widgets city' for loads of locations where you didn't actually have an office, then you shouldn't have been there in the first place.
Trying to be found for local searches when you're not local is not that different than trying to be found for products you don't sell or services you don't offer
False. Thousands of travel agencies for example have their offices in one only place but the important thing for them (and for users who wants to buy their services too) are the destinations they work on, not where is their office located. So if they rent "widgets in city" it's not determinant where their office is physically located.
And your argument doesn't work on the vast majority of businesses. Food, professional services, trades etc, etc.
Before the web, when you used the Yellow Pages, did you want the directory for your city? Or another one?
Many programmers work from India and Pakistan for clients on UK and USA overseas. They don't care much where they are, they care good job and prices.
I agree about restaurants and shops, but about travel services and other niches, not really.
Besides the fact that organic results were depreciated in this new model is the point. They are at "bottom" under Adwords Ads, and now Local search too.
the ability to be independent from physical location.
I am often surprised at the sites I find there - unoptimised sites with very few links. Sometimes I even think they have a few 'wild card' listings. As a webmaster, yes it's puzzling and even frustrating sometimes, but as a user (and a small business) I like the fact that the local results are not dominated by the big boys in the way that the traditional SERPs have often become.
I'm talking of course from advertiser's point of view and not as a Google search engine user looking for something. However I don't think any of registered Webmasterworld's users talk from serch engine user point of view, precisely because this forum is for Webmasters and not for search engine users.
The two are not disconnected. Google is trying to guess what the user wants, and we're trying to guess what Google wants. Thus it's by many considered a good long-term practice to at least take the user in to consideration since that's where G is going. In a situation like local search, thinking about the user experience can give you heads up about where the SERPS are going - such as the increasing prevalence of universal search results.
I see what you're saying though, when you use the word "barrier" you're talking from the perspective of an SEO. But what I'm saying is that it depends on what SEO we're talking about - some predicted this by looking at where search was going and were able to capitalize on it and beat out, as you say, "big authority sites in several niches". For them it was not a barrier, but an opportunity.
And this was in response to the question posed in the title of your thread "Is local search at top of page a way to sell more Adwords"; businesses who could before only show up on the front page by buying ads (due to authority domains claiming the first page) can now show up through the 10-pack. Thus it decreases the need for using adwords for some, and therefore my answer is "no" - it's unlikely to be a trick solely to sell more adwords.
In fact that's not the case. With new model Google shows in position #22 -as explained before- "a site that has invested resources into link building and a perfectly optimized site"
I think that's exactly what I'm saying. It was a rhetorical question because I thought the answer would be obvious. Here it is rephrased:
IMO, Google wants to show a business located near the user that's selling what they're looking for, rather than a site that has invested resources into link building and a perfectly optimized site. This is why we see an increase in 10-packs. Do you not agree with that?


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A grass fire burned not too far from homes in South Sacramento County on Tuesday evening.
Sacramento Metro Fire crews responded to the blaze at Vineyard Road and Crystal Creek Drive before 6 p.m.
The situation appeared to be under control a short time later with no real damage.
The fire burned about 1 acre.
Stay with KCRA and KCRA.com for the latest information.


text:
Many private TV news channels have not only beaten Doordarshan in its tracks, but have in fact gone a step further. They have been crawling for quite sometime now (which Doordarshan mercifully does not do) when they were not even asked to bend.
No sensible person would support naxal violence.
At the same time each and every concerned citizen would agree that no sensible person could support repression and atrocities in the name of 'development'. However I find that none (barring one or two) of the regular faces on the TV channels have had the courage to express even slightest of anger and indignation at the continuous exploitation and displacement of the tribals in the name of 'development'. Big Business in India (and their brand of commentators and economists) I find are not at all sensible enough. With the government supporting crony capitalism, who cares?
Mass protest: Villagers participate in a rally organised by the Posco Pratirodh Sangam Samiti at Balitutha in Jagatsinghpur district of Orissa on Wednesday -- The Hindu photo
Big Business is merrily extracting its pound of flesh with impunity, and does not give a damn for the resulting human cost. 'Development' is actually an euphemism for 'commerce' [Read an excellent analysis Stand Up and Be Counted by Malvika Singh http://bit.ly/9nFyvs]. And the tragedy is that much of the elite in the country thrives on it. The middle-class is a beneficiary of this corrupt and exploitative system and therefore spares no effort to sing pangs of praise for 'development'.
At a time when the mainline media blacks out any news report which show the dirty ways of Big Business, I was pleasantly taken by surprise to read a six-column report (along with a six-column picture) in today's edition of The Hindu. The report under the headline "6 parties back stir against Posco project" (May 20, 2010) tells us about the massive protest organised by the Posco Pratirodh Sangam Samiti in Jagatsinghpur district on Wednesday.
Only a few days back, on May 15, hundreds of armed policemen had resorted to lathicharge and firing to chase away agitators who were on a dharna. You didn't hear about it because the business-controlled media blacked it out. What you therefore see on the TV channels nowadays is what the Big Business wants you to see. This is perhaps the reason why reality shows have become popular in India. Knowing that news is manipulated, it is much better to watch Indian Idol for instance. That's what I do.
Here is The Hindu report:
6 parties back stir against Posco project
Prafulla Das
BALITUTHA (ORISSA): The agitation against the steel plant project of Posco-India got a shot in the arm with senior leaders of six Opposition parties joining hands with the villagers of three gram panchayats in Orissa's Jagatsinghpur district on Wednesday.
Addressing hundreds of men and women who gathered here under the banner of the Posco Pratirodh Sangram Samiti, Communist Party of India general secretary A.B. Bardhan condemned the May 15 police action against the agitators and demanded shifting of the project to some other location.
It was at Balitutha, the main entry point to the three gram panchayats of Dhinkia, Nuagaon and Gadakujang, the site selected for the proposed steel plant, that hundreds of armed policemen resorted to lathicharge and firing on May 15 to chase away agitators who were on a dharna.
"If the State government further uses force against the villagers who have been peacefully opposing the project for the past five years, the agitation will only grow stronger," Mr. Bardhan said.
"If Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik wants to set up the Posco steel plant at any cost, he should choose an alternative site," Mr. Bardhan said, urging the villagers to continue their movement in a peaceful way.
Mr. Bardhan said the State government should hold a dialogue with the protesters to resolve the issue.
The CPI leader questioned a South Korean company's plan to set up a captive port near the proposed steel plant saying it would have an adverse impact on the existing Paradip Port. He opposed the State government recommendation to the Centre to grant the captive mining lease to Posco for sourcing iron ore.
Leaders of the Communist Party of India (Marxist), the Forward Bloc, the Samajwadi Party, the Rashtriya Janata Dal and the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha addressed the agitators.
The president of the Sangram Samiti, Abhay Sahoo, warned State government to stop using the police against the people who were facing displacement and loss of livelihood sources. "Posco can never establish the project in this area as people were determined to make any sacrifice to save their land and homes from being taken over by the company," he said.
Mr. Sahoo alleged that the State government had furnished wrong information to the Union Ministry of Environment and Forests on the forest land where hundreds of people had been living for generations together.
Of the 20,000-odd people living in the three gram panchayats, hundreds of families had been using the forest land for their livelihood.


text:
South Korean Women Get Even, At Least in Number
South Korea's gender gap has been erased–at least in one respect: The country now has as many females as males, though this doesn't necessarily mean women can expect to enjoy the same opportunities as their male peers.
A declining sex ratio at birth has helped propel the female population in South Korea to almost exactly half of the entire population, the latest government data show, with 25.08 million women versus 25.14 million men. This is the closest the two numbers have been since the country began recording such data in 1970.
South Korea still straddles the divide between developing and developed nations by some measures, despite rapid economic development since the late 20th century. Gender parity in terms of population is a sign that the country is moving more firmly into the "developed" column.
Back in 1990, Korea's sex ratio at birth was 116.5, meaning 116.5 boys were born per 100 girls, with the male bias being at least partly the result of selective abortions. By 2012, the ratio had declined to 105.7, comparable to ratios in Western countries, including Canada, Germany and the U.S., data compiled by the World Development Bank show.
The tendency to abort female fetuses stems from a deep-rooted preference for sons to daughters because the former historically carry on the family lineage and take care of their parents in old age–even in the afterlife, according to tradition.
In an effort at reducing the incidence of selective abortion, South Korea enacted a law in 1988 making it illegal for a doctor to reveal the gender of a fetus to expectant parents. In 2009, the proscription was eased so that nowadays, parents can find out if they're expecting a boy or a girl 32 weeks after conception.
"You can't say there's no longer favoritism towards male offspring here," said an official at Statistics Korea. "But that idea is gradually disappearing as more and more couples are having only one child, and they see an increasing number of cases where girls succeed in life. That's affecting the gender ratio."
Despite boys' still-higher sex ratio at birth, women's higher life expectancy has tipped the gender numbers toward equilibrium. As of 2011, Korean women were expected to live on average 84.5 years compared with 77.6 years for men.
In many Western countries, women marginally outnumber men, as higher female life expectancy levels outweigh gender ratios that favor males at birth.
Things are generally looking up for South Korean women, with a growing number finding rewarding, high-status jobs as, for example, doctors and lawyers. And of course, the country now has its first female president, Park Geun-hye.
Still, many women continue to face hurdles as they approach the top echelons of a predominantly male-centric society.
More female students advance to college than male students, but after graduation they get fewer jobs and are paid less.
South Korea's rate of economic participation for women was 49.9% in 2012 compared with 73.3% for men–relatively unchanged since 2000.
Meanwhile, the country's gender income gap has long been the widest among the OECD members. Last year, women were paid 32% less than their male counterparts. This is slightly better than in 2000, when, women were paid 35.3% less than men.
Ms. Park's administration is working on ramping up the country's employment rate to 70% over the next five years from 65% now, and it has identified women's low participation in the workforce as a significant obstacle.


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Following a perfect start to the season on the pitch, there has been lots of activity off the pitch in the week leading up to Blackpool's tough test at the Emirates this Saturday.
The Seasiders snapped up another key player this week, signing Israeli international defender Dekel Keinan. The former Maccabi Haifa player has signed a one year deal with the option of a second year. The 25 year old is Holloway's seventh signing of the season and goes into contention for selection against Arsenal.
Earlier this week Karl Oyston shocked Pool fans by stepping down as Chairman and Director of the Football Club. Since Mr Oyston's announcement, various rumors have been flying around in the local and national press.
There have been suggestions that Oyston is on the verge of bankruptcy, and had to step down under Premier League rules. It has also been said that Oyston has had enough of dealing with greedy agents and their extortionate transfer fees.
Either way, Tangerine fans have been assured that Karl Oyston's relationship with Ian Holloway has not changed and his decision will not affect any possible signings or the continuous development of Bloomfield Road.
Oyston takes a new title of Chief Executive until the end of the season. From what I have gathered, Karl Oysten will still very much be a huge part of Blackpool FC, and it seems to me that the man is very disciplined with his own budget and does not want to deal with agents and their demanding fees in the Premier League.
Let us not forget that on Saturday Blackpool take on the Gunners at the Emirates sitting in one of the Champions League places that Arsenal hope to be in come the end of the season. Despite the 4-0 away win at Wigan, pundits are still predicting a comprehensive Arsenal victory and the bookies still have Pool as 1/3 favorites for the drop.
The start that Ollie's men have made has led to everybody in football talking Tangerine. What do pundit's and book makers know? Lets enjoy another thrilling display of attacking football at the Emirates. Cesc and Arsene beware.
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Messina Gives 'Sneak Peek' at Obama's 2012 Re-Election Strategy
Jim Messina, who is running Barack Obama's 2012 campaign, told supporters in an Internet video released yesterday that they will have to "scratch and claw" to get the U.S. president re-elected.
"We have to act like an insurgent campaign that wakes up every single day trying to get every single vote we can," Messina said in the video, which was described as a "sneak peek at 2012 strategy."
Messina, who earlier this year resigned his position as deputy White House chief of staff to manage the campaign, laid out tactics that he said had worked in 2008, including expanding the electorate to register more voters than Republicans. He said campaign workers should reconnect with past supporters through social media sites, along with using more traditional methods such as calling voters on the telephone and knocking on their doors.
"We've got to assume every single day that we need to build something new, better, faster and sleeker," he said in the video message e-mailed to supporters and posted on Obama's campaign website. "Republicans are going to be fired up to take on President Obama."
In the 2010 midterm elections, Republicans won control of the House and gained seats in the Senate. Responding yesterday to Messina's video, Republican National Committee spokeswoman Kirsten Kukowski said in an e-mailed statement that "it's no surprise" Obama's campaign is "desperately seeking something new, because the American people simply can't afford four more years of the status quo." She cited rising gasoline prices as one of the failures of Obama's first term.
Citizens United Decision
Messina said the U.S. Supreme Court's 2010 decision in the Citizens United case, which gave corporations the ability to use their treasuries to fund political ads through Election Day, has "fundamentally changed the way campaigns are funded." Republican groups have set a goal of raising $120 million to defeat Obama in 2012, Messina said -- something they could not have legally done before the high court's ruling.
"We have to compete with that," he said in the video, sitting in front of a map of the U.S. "What you all are going to build will be even stronger than that."
Democrats are setting up organizations to counter outside Republican groups such as Karl Rove's Crossroads Global Policy Strategies. Former White House deputy press secretary Bill Burton and Sean Sweeney, a former top aide to then-White House chief of staff Rahm Emanuel, are forming a group with a goal of raising $100 million on behalf of Obama for his re-election.
Messina asked supporters to summon the level of enthusiasm they had for Obama in 2008, sign up on the campaign's website and Facebook page, and donate "five or 10 dollars to help us get started."
Campaign Papers Filed
On April 4 the president filed paperwork with the Federal Election Commission to begin his bid for re-election. Since then he has traveled across the country in an effort to make the case for a second term by listing the accomplishments of his first, such as overhauling the U.S. health-care system and imposing new regulations on the financial industry while balancing two wars and dealing with an unemployment rate that reached a 26-year high of 10.2 percent nine months after he took office and is now 8.8 percent.
Messina has asked the top fundraisers to each collect at least $350,000 this year alone -- a significant increase over Obama's first presidential campaign, for which members of the candidate's national finance committee were each asked to raise $250,000 in the two-year 2007-08 election cycle.
Fund Raising
Last week Obama attended events in San Francisco and Los Angeles that were expected to bring in between $4 million and $5 million, according to a Democratic official who was not authorized to publicly discuss the party's fundraising. The price of individual admission ranged from $25 for parties for younger voters to $35,800 for exclusive dinners.
The president and his wife, Michelle, will travel to Chicago tomorrow to tape "The Oprah Winfrey Show." Later in the day they will attend fundraisers in New York City.
Analysts say they expect the 2012 presidential election to cost $3 billion, about 50 percent more than the $2 billion the Federal Election Commission said was spent in 2008 by candidates, the political parties and outside groups.
Obama raised a record $745 million in 2007-08, and he was the first major-party nominee to reject public financing for the general election.
Republican Candidates
So far no clear Republican frontrunner has emerged. Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour said yesterday that he will not seek the White House in 2012. Former Governors Tim Pawlenty of Minnesota and Mitt Romney of Massachusetts have established presidential exploratory committees, taking the first official step toward bids for the White House.
Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich of Georgia on March 3 announced the establishment of a website to enable him to raise money and possibly run for president. Other prospective 2012 Republican candidates include former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee; former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin, the party's 2008 vice presidential nominee; Governor Mitch Daniels of Indiana, a former director of the Office of Management and Budget; and former Utah Governor Jon Huntsman, who is stepping down as U.S. ambassador to China this month.


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HSBC Chief Executive Stuart Gulliver said it has set aside $700 million towards anticipated fines over lax security measures in Mexico and the United States that allowed the bank to be used in money laundering operations by drug cartels and other international crime organizations.
The bank also set aside another $1 billion for British consumers for misleading them on loan insurance and another $237 million to cover payouts to small UK businesses wrongly sold complex interest rate hedging products.
Additionally, HSBC is one of several banks under investigations over its role in the fixing of the LIBOR rate.
Gulliver also told reporters that the fines they expect could be "significantly higher" following a U.S. Senate panel investigating the bank's activities.
"What happened in Mexico and the U.S. is shameful, it's embarrassing, it's very painful for all of us in the firm," he said on a conference call. "We need to execute on the compliance changes and then prove ourselves worthy and rebuild this over a number of years. There are no quick and easy fixes."
The Senate report criticized a "pervasively polluted" culture at the bank and said HSBC's Mexican operations had moved $7 billion into its U.S. operations between 2007 and 2008.
"The firm clearly lost its way in this regard and it's right that we apologize," said Gulliver. "Colleagues internally have been aware that this is the backdrop of why we had to change the firm."
All of this has eaten into profits for the bank as it says economic headwinds would persist and it expected the euro zone economy to contract in 2012, while the United States would achieve sub-par growth this year and next. China's economy should have a "soft landing" and grow 8 percent or more this year, it said.
HSBC was formed in 1865 and operated in 84 countries.
Gulliver added that a new streamlined centrally controlled process will help the bank better manage and oversee its operations globally.


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Just when it looked like the Oakland Raiders were a pretty good read, they went out and completely flipped the script in a Week 9 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday. About the only thing that's certain is that Dennis Allen's team has a whole lot of improving to do at 3-5.
The Raiders put together some impressive numbers on offense: 92 plays, 560 yards, 29 first downs and nearly 38 minutes in time of possession.
Then there was the uglier side of things. Oakland's defense gave up seven touchdown passes and allowed Eagles quarterback Nick Foles to do things only Hall of Famers should be able to pull off.
It all added up to a 49-20 loss for the Raiders that was every bit as bad as it looked.
Here are the Raiders' full roster report card grades from their loss to the Eagles.


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WARREN - When John F. Kennedy's Jad Abdul-Aal stepped off the court at the Trumbull County Country Club following his match against Beachwood's Karan Gill, he thought the Eagles were heading to Columbus.
Kennedy's ace made quick work of Beachwood's No. 1, 6-3, 6-0, and looking down the line, the scores in the two other singles matches seemed promising.
"It was nerve-racking," Abdul-Aal said. "I got done with that match and saw that we were up in both (singles matches), and I felt like we had it in the bag. I don't know what happened."
Unfortunately for the senior and the Eagles, Beachwood managed to come back and outlast Kennedy to win the Ohio Tennis Coaches Association Northeast Ohio district crown, 3-2.
Despite falling short of becoming the first area team to make it to Columbus as a team, Kennedy coach Joe Marino said the Eagles should be proud of their accomplishments, which included a 15-3 record and the farthest a Kennedy team had gone in the tournament.
"They got to keep their heads up," Marino said. "They played very well. I'm pleased. It's been a great year. They have nothing to be ashamed of."
Although the Eagles' second and third singles players, Tyler Cole and John Nader, started out strong, their Bison (19-1) opponents turned the tables around fast.
Cole defeated Alex Mactay in the first set, 6-3, but Mactay pushed back in the second set, taking and forcing a third. Both players went back and forth in the final set before Cole broke Mactay serve and finished him off, 6-4.
"I had to rethink of a way to get in his head again," Cole said. "I just played my game throughout the third set until I got the break, and I served out for it beautifully."
Nader, meanwhile, struggled against Brent Dubin, going into a into a tie-breaker in the first set before pulling away. It seemed to sap the energy out of the junior, and Dubin used his length and speed to take the final two sets.
Combined with Caelan Phillips and Danielle Covelli's loss in the first doubles match, this left the team match score at 2-2, putting all the pressure on doubles duo Daniel LaPolla and Billy Phillips. Having already lost a set, 6-3, the sophomore and junior needed a strong second set, which they did. LaPolla's placement and Billy's power gave Beachwood's Brock Hersch and Kaustav Milik fits.
The Beachwood pair didn't falter in the third set and clinched a district title for the Bison.
"(LaPolla and Billy) hung in there," Marino said. "Another break or two for second doubles or third singles, everything would have been reversed. You have to give (Beachwood) credit - when they needed the points, the crucial game points, they won. They deserved to win."
Like his coach, Abdul-Aal expressed his pride in the way his teammates played all season and on Monday.
"The past two, three months, we've been day after day going as hard as we can at practice," Abdul-Aal said. "It sucks that we have to lose in the finals of (the district tournament), but I couldn't be more proud of my team. They played their best."
Now, all that's left for the Eagles is the singles and doubles district tournament this weekend in Canton. Abdul-Aal will try to qualify as a singles player for the second year in a row, while Cole and Nader will look to take the next step in the doubles tournament after making it to this stage the past two years.
Abdul-Aal said he will be motivated by this loss and wanting to end his career at the state tournament.
"In singles, I saw my draw already," Abdul-Aal said. "I felt like if I go out there and play my game, I'm going to definitely get to state. I don't want to go out my senior year without getting to Columbus."


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Book your next adventure
01348 841336
Welcome to Dragon Activity Guides
Dragon Activity Guides is an award winning, multi adventure activity provider based in Pembrokeshire, West Wales. We offer Coasteering, Kayaking, Surfing, Rock Climbing and BBQ's packages. If you are looking for something slightly different, we also offer some Specialist Packages
Running sessions all over the Pembrokeshire coast. We are a mobile company with many venues available for each activity. We can tailor the sessions to your needs and run the activities close to your accommodation. We will meet you at the selected venue, therefore meaning more time is spent on the activity rather then transport to and from the venue.
Half Day sessions run from 10am - 1pm or 2 - 5pm. Full day sessions run from 10am - 5pm. All activities can be run as half day sessions. For a full day you can either combine two separate activities or you can enjoy Kayaking and Climbing as full day sessions
We pride ourselves on having top of the range equipment and instruction ensuring you are warm, comfortable and are in safe hands with our experienced, fully qualified guides. We are committed to providing first class outdoor experiences at the most affordable prices. Whether you are looking for one to one tuition, organising a family holiday, cooperate package or a Stag or Hen do....We can arrange the perfect adventure package for you.
Pembrokeshire Tourism Silver Award Winner


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This stunning free quilt pattern uses various sizes of fabric strips to create a gorgeous finished product that is perfect for adorning your bed. This scrappy quilt project is perfect for using up some of the leftovers in your stash. Featured in the Spring 2011 Issue of Easy Quilts.
For instructions on how to create Windfall, please click on the link below.
***The free download link is below for logged-in users. To access Fons & Porter web extras, bonus patterns, tips, techniques, and more—all absolutely FREE—please register or sign in here. ***


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BOCA RATON, FL (BocaNewsNow.com) — BocaNewsNow.com has learned that a woman missing from Georgia — 24 year old Ivy Dawn Merck — may be in or near Deerfield Beach. Friends of the young woman emailed us to share local news reports that her cell phone reportedly pinged off a tower in Boca Raton.
She was last seen August 23rd in Kingsland, Georgia, which is roughly 30 miles north of Jacksonville.
For readers joining us from Georgia who are unfamiliar with the area, Deerfield Beach is at the northern end of Broward County, and essentially a neighbor to Boca Raton which is in Palm Beach County. A cell phone in Deerfield Beach could easily hit a tower in Boca Raton and vice versa.
The Broward County Sheriff's Office just released this update:
Broward Sheriff's Office missing persons detectives are helping Georgia law enforcement look for a missing woman whose vehicle was found Wednesday night in Deerfield Beach. Ivy Dawn Merck , 24, was last seen August 23 in Kingsland, Ga. Her dark green 2008 Honda CRV was found around 10 p.m. Wednesday in the parking lot of a Marshalls store at 3850 W. Hillsboro Blvd., Deerfield Beach.
Merck is 5-foot-1 and weighs 115 pounds. She has brown eyes and light brown hair. Anyone with information about Merck can report it to BSO Det. Chris Blankenship, who is working with the Kingsland (Ga.) Police Department, at (954) 321-4268 or anonymously report information to Crime Stoppers of Broward County at (954) 493-TIPS (9477) or online at www.browardcrimestoppers.org
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With millions of page views, BocaNewsNow.com is the leading site for news and information based in Boca Raton, Florida.
We remind readers that an arrest is an accusation. Guilt or innocence is determined in a court of law. Please email us at news(at)bocanewsnow.com if the facts of a news story involving you have changed. This is not a mugshot website. While under no obligation to do so, we will effort to update arrest reports when provided with official information by the arrestee.
Note that ip addresses are logged and may be shared with law enforcement in unique situations.
For advertising information or to submit news tips, please email news(at)BocaNewsNow.com. BocaNewsNow(TM) is a Trademark of MetroDesk Media, LLC. The name may not be used without written permission.


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Waterbury Police Log: Juveniles have BB guns, others seek beerFebruary 05,2013
The following is a sampling of incidents the Waterbury Police Department reported handling recently.
Jan. 28
A man told police his vehicle was rear-ended around 3:10 p.m. on Waterbury-Stowe Road.
A car rear-ended a school bus around 3:25 p.m. on South Main Street. No injuries were reported.
Jan. 31
A 20-year-old woman who ordered pizza complained that the 29-year-old pizza delivery man, whom she knew, grabbed her buttocks while he was flirting with her. No charges were filed.
Three juveniles had BB guns near the Green Mountain Coffee Roasters property.
Four juveniles on a group ski trip from Canada tried to buy beer around 7:55 p.m. at a gas station, then asked people in a parking lot to buy them alcohol.
Sean M. Noonan, who police said has tried to have false prescriptions filled in the past, returned to the pharmacy at Shaws grocery store, prompting a request for a no-trespass order.
Two boys, both around the age of 16 on the same group ski trip, tried to buy beer around 8:45 p.m. at Shaws.
A room at the Best Western hotel reportedly had the odor of marijuana around 10:50 p.m.
Feb. 1
A car window was found shot out at Pilgrim Park Road, possibly by a pellet gun or slingshot. It had happened the previous day, when three windows of vehicles at the state office complex were also shot out. A vans driver side window at the Green Mountain Coffee Roasters property also was broken Monday, Feb. 4.MORE IN Central VermontThe gubernatorial debate Wednesday night in downtown Rutland kicked off with the news of the day. Full StoryWHITE RIVER JUNCTION An East Hardwick man who already has an active felony drug possession case... Full StoryThe new owners of the Rutland Herald and The Times Argus said Wednesday they were still... Full Story
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Kicking Horse Mountain Resort
The Ultimate Big Mountain Showdown, The Annual 'Wrangle the Chute' Event Returns.
February 29th, 2012 – Golden, British Columbia is known for the best in Big Mountain experience, the foremost Big Mountain Freeride Showdown returns to Kicking Horse Mountain Resort on March 17 &18. Wrangle the Chute is a pioneer event and a uniquely Kicking Horse Mountain Resort event combining Big Mountain skiing and riding with a 'Bucking Bronco' ride on the custom kicking horse.
The biggest two-day Big Mountain freeride showdown in the West will not only offer exciting skiing and riding but also features loads of fun for all to enjoy. For maximum fun there will be a patio grandstand including live DJ's and an outdoor BBQ at Kicking Horse's Heaven's Door Yurt Café. Athletes choose the line they want to ski or ride and the tricks they want to attempt to impress the crowds while chasing a $2000 cash purse and additional prizes.
"This is an iconic event for Kicking Horse Mountain Resort," says Kicking Horse Mountain Resort President, Steve Paccagnan. "Many of the top skiers and riders in North America have experienced Kicking Horse Mountain Resort's Big Mountain terrain, unlike anything else in North America, so it is fitting we host one of Canada's top Big Mountain Freeride Showdowns," added Paccagnan.
The on-mountain showdown gets underway at 'High Noon' on both Saturday and Sunday with each pre-qualified participant getting a single run each day. On Sunday afternoon, shortly after the final competitor rolls in, the new champion will be awarded on site. "This event provides spectators the best in Big Mountain skiing and riding excitement," says Matt Mosteller, Vice President of Marketing, Resorts of the Canadian Rockies. "It can't be beat, stay ski in ski out, enjoy incredible snow conditions, relax in the beer garden and savor the juicy BBQ and take in the most unique event held in Canada" added Mosteller.
The Heaven's Door Yurt Café, in Crystal Bowl, will be transformed into a lively grandstand for an outstanding view of all of the action. Spectator entry is free with a lift ticket and Kokanee BBQ will be smoking with mouth-watering burgers. Saddle on up and make your way to witness one of Canada's top Freeski Showdowns, presented in partnership with Kicking Horse Mountain Resort, The Alberta Jeep Dealers Association, Red Bull, Rossignol, Kokanee and Smith Sports Optics.
Official Website – www.kickinghorseresort.com
Book your vacation online @ www.kickinghorseresort.com to view special 'Wrangle the Chute' Vacation Package or by calling 1-866-SkI-KICK
Get Social
Facebook Fan Page – www.facebook.com/kickinghorsemountainresort
Twitter – @KickingHorseMtn(www.twitter.com/kickinghorsemtn)
About Kicking Horse Mountain Resort & Resorts of the Canadian Rockies Inc.
Kicking Horse Mountain Resort is a world-class destination resort located 2.5 hours west of Calgary, nestled between the Purcell and Rocky Mountains in the heart of British Columbia. Winter offers a fully integrated mountain resort experience and the most progressive in-bounds skiing in North America.
Kicking Horse Mountain Resort,www.kickinghorseresort.com, is part of the Resorts of the Canadian Rockies Inc. (RCR) family. Proudly Canadian, Resorts of the Canadian Rockies Inc. (RCR) is the largest private ski resort owner/operator in North America, owning six ski resorts across Canada, including Nakiska Ski Area in Alberta; Fernie Alpine Resort, Kicking Horse Mountain Resort and Kimberley Alpine Resort in British Columbia. RCR also owns and manages a number of hotels and golf courses, including Trickle Creek in Kimberley, and Wintergreen Golf and Country Club in Bragg Creek. RCR aims to provide each and every guest The Ultimate Experience.
For more information, please contact:
Matt Mosteller -VP, Marketing & Sales , Resorts of the Canadian Rockies
(403) 209-3323 email@example.com
Twitter -@PowderMatt – Powder Matt's Blog –www.powdermatt.com
CLICK HERE to view the PDF version
Matt Mosteller
Vice President, Marketing and Sales
Resorts of the Canadian Rockies
1505 – 17th Avenue SW
Calgary, Alberta T2T 0E2
Ph: (403) 209-3323
Email: firstname.lastname@example.com


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When it comes to picking investments, stock guys like me have it easy.
Let's say we're looking for a stock. Well, we like spaghetti. We know that other people like spaghetti. We know that the Whatsamattayou Pasta Co. is the largest manufacturer of dried pasta in the country. The company makes money, and the stock looks undervalued. We buy.
Bond guys have it much tougher. They have to be way better than stock guys at math and economics and reading the tea leaves. That's why I really respect the work they do. No wonder the colorful political pundit James Carville once said he'd like to be reincarnated as the bond market -- that way, he could "scare the hell out of everybody."
So, when I decided to write about the bond market, I had to approach it from a stock guy's perspective.
As I've mentioned, I'm not a "wiggle reader," as I like to call chartists. However, the charts on the 10-year Treasury yield have grabbed my attention big time:
This one-year chart is pretty self-explanatory: Rates are trending lower. And there's money to be made.
Bond prices have an inverse relationship to bond yields: Prices go down as yields rise. So it's also no surprise that the one-year price chart for the 10-year Treasury looks like the yield chart standing on its head.
Treasury prices slid roughly 8% in 2013. While 8% isn't the end of the world, keep in mind that Treasurys are an asset class that have been rallying for nearly two decades. Naturally, investors are a bit freaked out by the erosion in principal value. However, where there are freaked-out investors, there's opportunity.
Bonds appear to be due for a bounce -- the chart and the macro conditions both indicate so. As money rotates out of speculative emerging markets -- as is currently happening -- investors typically gravitate toward safer, more stable markets. And the United States and Treasurys are widely perceived as the most stable investment on the planet.
As investors buy Treasurys, rates will head lower with firmer prices, and interest rate-sensitive stocks will benefit. Here are three plays to consider:
PowerShares Preferred Portfolio ETF (AMEX: PGX): I profiled this ETF just a couple of months ago, and it's still one of my favorites to use in building a portfolio. PGX holds a basket of preferred stocks that mimics the BofA Merrill Lynch Core Plus Fixed Rate Preferred Securities Index. Shares currently trade around $13.80, down 8.5% from their 52-week high, and yield 6.8%. One of PGX's strengths is that 63% of the basket carries an investment-grade rating. All of the top 10 holdings in the portfolio were issued by large banks and diversified financial institutions, which usually benefit directly from stronger bond prices and lower yields.
AllianceBernstein Holdings (NYSE: AB): Asset management companies always benefit from positive financial market. Currently, fund managers are enjoying healthy equity fund inflows after a rough patch since 2008. However, as volatility finally entered the bond market, positive equity flows have been somewhat offset by bond fund outflows. A firmer bond market should stem the negative flow from bond funds.
One of the more attractively valued publicly traded asset managers, this MLP (master limited partnership) trades near $22 and yields a generous 7.3%. AllianceBernstein has a strong, research-driven equity business that should benefit from increased participation by individual investors. AB is trading at a 20% discount to its 52-week high.
Southern Co. (NYSE: SO): Like most utility stocks, SO spent most of last year sitting on the bench, giving up 17% from its 52-week high. The conditions affecting the giant, regulated power producer were mostly macro in nature. Utility companies usually rely heavily on debt financing, so rising interest rates make investors nervous about the ability of those companies to continue their liberal dividend payouts as their financing becomes more expensive and their operating margins are squeezed. Southern Co. is the biggest of the big and well run, to boot. Shares trade near $41 and yield 4.9%. Last year, the company generated over $5 billion in operating cash flow. That consistent strength, combined with interest rates easing, should take some pressure off of the share price.
Risks to Consider: Despite what looks like a near-term rally in bonds, volatility is likely to hang around for some time to come. Fits and starts will affect the price movement of these three securities. The above-average dividend yields and discount prices should provide some insulation and compensation for the risk assumed.
Action to Take --> On average, this basket of stocks trades at a 15% discount to their 52-week highs and has a blended yield of 6.2%. In addition to the attractive yield, prices of these could rise 15% to 20% based on the yield on the 10-year Treasury falling 10%. This would mean bond yields would fall from their current level of 2.8% to around 2.5%.