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The toolchain for making a PCB using the ProtoMat is: schematic design (e.g., Eagle) -> board layout (e.g. Eagle, FreePCB) -> CircuitCAM (build the tool paths from the Gerber files) -> BoardMaster (cut and drill the board)
The toolchain for making a PCB using the ProtoMat is: schematic design (e.g., Eagle) -> board layout (e.g. Eagle, FreePCB) -> CircuitCAM (build the tool paths from the Gerber files) -> BoardMaster (cut and drill the board)
===Some things we've learned===
===Some things we've learned===
Revision as of 13:18, 4 March 2012
A small, precision milling machine for prototyping circuit boards. It can also be used for engraving of faceplates and other items if the proper bits are used. This unit was made in approximately 1999 by the German company LPKF Laser & Electronics AG. It uses standard 1/8" shank bits, 38mm for cutting the board and 36mm for cutting and milling the copper. The 38mm length is pretty standard, but the 36mm bits are more specialized.
Before using this machine, you must meet with someone who is experienced in using it. The bits are expensive and easily broken, and you must be careful when using the machine as there is a risk of injury if it is not used safely.
The toolchain for making a PCB using the ProtoMat is: schematic design (e.g., Eagle) -> board layout (e.g. Eagle, FreePCB) -> CircuitCAM (build the tool paths from the Gerber files) -> BoardMaster (cut and drill the board)
Shortening 38 mm Bits
Since 38mm cutter scoring bits are much cheaper than the required 36mm bits, some members have ordered 38mm bits and a jig is available to help with grinding. Place the bit through the two holes so that about 3mm of the dull (non-cutting) end are exposed. You may need to expand the gap by placing a screwdriver blade in the edge and twisting lightly. Place the holder with the bit on a bench surface so that the bit is nearest the surface. This will ensure that the washers that clamp the bit are flush with the bottom of the jig. Use two 7/16" wrenches to tighten the bolt / nut so that the bit is secure. Use the "Carbide Only" wheel on the grinder in the metal shop. Move the bit across the face of the wheel to ensure that it wears evenly. It will get very hot as the jig pulls the heat out of the bit. The bits are solid carbide, so it will take about 40 - 50 strokes across the wheel to remove 2mm from the shank. Use a caliper to verify the length. Once you've cut it down to 36mm, let it cool and remove it from the jig. Remember that the bits are brittle and will shatter if dropped. Also, be very light with the caliper to avoid dulling the point on the bit or damage to the caliper!
Some things we've learned
Support Material: Use a backer sheet under whatever you mill. For PCBs this should be 2mm. Do not use anything thicker or you will break bits. Do not use anything thinner or you will drill into the machining bed.
PCB Content: Bits, especially the cutter / engraver bits, have a limited life and they are expensive. If you're working with a harder material like copper or aluminum, minimize the amount of cutting. For example, avoid text. Text does not contribute to the function of the board, it takes a long time to cut, and it wears the bits out faster.
Maintenance Info
See machine manual, linked below.
- Why does the ProtoMat make the final cut to separate my circuit board from the PCB stock offset from where it mills the circuits?
- If you are making a bottom-layer-only board, the CircuitCAM software still puts the cutout milling layer on the top. In BoardMaster, pick Configuration / Phases and choose the cutting phase. Check the "Reversed side" box to put the cutting paths in this phase on the bottom. The cuts, drills, and mills are all assigned to "phases" which roughly correspond to the layers in CircuitCAM. Each phase works on one side of the board. What it's doing in your case is that it is expecting you to flip the board over so it's cutting from the top side, so it's cutting where your board would be if you flipped it over. Since you're making a single-sided board, you should not need to do this. (You remembered to add in bridges so your board doesn't fly out, right?)
- Why are some of the pads for components on my board missing? The area where they would be is milled out and the trace that would connect to the pad just stops there.
- If the missing pads are octagons or some other non-round shape, then the problem is that these are special "flash" element codes in the Gerber file that CircuitCAM does not seem to render. There are two options. One fix is to go back to your PCB design application and change the pads to circular pads. In Eagle, you might have to edit the symbol for the component(s) in the Library file that they are drawn from. The other alternative is to fix the pad sin CircuitCAM. Pick Config / Format Configurations / Gerber - Aperature list ... from the menus; double-click the configuration(s) that has it's Used check box checked (do NOT use the edit button!). Find the flash aperatures (e.g., D13, marked with a * instead of L), edit each one (click the name and then the edit button - do NOT double-click the name!). In the edit window, choose the correct shape and make sure the size is correct. You may have to go back to the board view, or the board design, to determine the correct size. Make sure to save your work.
Procure a full set of the mill, routers, and drills.


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Cut bait — promised land or placebo?/Tom Rozich
As we in the Copper Country endure the dead of winter, with its cold and snow, one's mind tends to turn to more pleasant thoughts like warm weather and fishing. This is what happened to me while pondering this month's column topic:?My mind flashed back to the happy memories of salmon fishing on Lake Michigan during the dog days of summer.
During the dog days, the surface waters of Lake Michigan get very warm from solar heating and the prevailing winds pile up the hot water along the west shore of lake Michigan. This drives the salmon deep, very deep, from 150 to 250 feet down, which requires different trolling tactics to get them to bite.
Lake Michigan salmon fishermen have turned to using cut bait rigs more and more. This technique of using strips of herring has been used on the West Coast for decades and is still a preferred technique in waters of the Pacific Ocean. Does this method work in the Great Lakes, after all they came from Oregon and Washington, and will it catch more and bigger fish? Maybe…
Fish use many senses to detect prey and various species use them to a greater or lesser degree. These senses are in five general categories: 1. Acoustic Senses, 2. Eyesight, 3. Taste, 4. Smell, and 5. Electro-reception. Let us look at these in some detail.
Acoustic Senses Fish have an inner ear, which has no external opening and is used for balance and hearing. Sound waves travel through the fish body to the ear, thus fish "hear." Fish, likewise, have a lateral line that senses vibrations like the ear. The lateral line consists of a series of fluid-filled canals, which contain sensory cells. Tiny hair-like structures project out into the canal and water movement created by turbulence, currents or vibrations moves these hairs and sends an impulse to the brain. These senses work in a wide variety of water conditions, form murky to clear.
Eyesight This sense is well-developed in some fish, while other species are blind and have no eyes. Cave fishes are a species with no eyes. Walleye, on the other hand, have well developed eyes and have a coating called "tapetum lucidum," which gathers and amplifies incoming light. This allows walleye to feed at night. Many fish have color vision, thus the need for hundreds of different color spoons, dodgers, and flies. Some fish have different coloration between the sexes. Male cohos turn red at spawning time and male bowfin (dogfish), which have brilliant green fins and an eye spot, are two examples.
Taste Fish have taste buds in their mouth and some also have them on the head and sides of their body. Catfish are a species with an extraordinary sense of taste like something out of "Ripley's Believe It or Not." The smooth scaleless skin is completely covered with taste buds. A six-inch catfish has more than 250,000 taste buds on its body. A huge swimming tongue, eh! Biologists suspect taste may be responsible for final acceptance or rejections of prey items (lures).
Smell Fish have nostrils on each side of their head. Each one has an incoming and outgoing tube for water and is lined with folds of tissue, like the corrugated lining of cardboard. The more folds, the more sensitive the sense of smell. Salmon can detect smells at one part per billion, while catfish can detect one part per 10 billion.
Electro-reception – Some fish produce a low-voltage electric current that sets up a field around the fish. They have tiny organs on the skin that detect changes in the electric field caused by other fish or objects. These fish detect prey and navigate using electricity. Catfish are a species that has this sense.
So, what does all of this mean about using cut bait? On the charter boat, Sandpiper III, captained by Kevin Hughes out of Onekama and where I was First Mate, we used cut bait rigs when the salmon went deep during the dog days. The results were mixed, but mostly positive. Some days almost all our fish came on cut bait, while some days we could not get a bite on cut bait. The other positive was the largest fish hit the cut bait, which was very important in tournament fishing, where total weight won.
A biological analysis would tell you use a bait that vibrates, smells good, tastes good and looks good, and you will catch fish.
Cut bait..Promised Land or Placebo? Some days, and that's final!
Go Fish!

subset: commoncrawl


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Handbook, Components & Forms
Download the entire Faculty Development Fund Handbook in PDF format. You can then view or print individual sections of the Handbook as needed.
Components of the Faculty Development Fund
The Handbook
Forms and Handbook Appendices
by Reinke, Heidi — last modified Nov 16, 2016 01:33 PM
Copyright 2017 The Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin System


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Want to know who is looking for a grand slam in women's softball or who is wanting a better color scheme after winning five swimming medals in Athens?
The 2008 United States Olympic team is filled with athletes who have interesting stories and circumstances. Here are eight members of the women's team who could be the athletes to watch.
Outfielder Laura Berg (Santa Fe Springs, Calif.), the United State's women's softball team's most decorated member would like nothing better than to win a fourth gold medal in Beijing. It not only would mean a grand slam of gold medals for her in softball's Olympic competition (1996-2008), but also be a symbolic vote of confidence for the sport's survival on the Olympic schedule. Softball currently isn't part of the Olympic schedule for the 2012 Olympic Games in London.
Diving's Laura Wilkinson (Spring, Tex.), the gold medalist in platform at the 2000 Games in Sydney, could be full of surprises in her final Olympic competition. She announced last week that she is ending her 13-year career after competing in Beijing, but she's contemplating making her finale memorable. She just might do a dive rated at 3.8 in difficulty, consisting of a 2 ½ somersault and a 2 ½ twist from a pike position.
Going on 17 isn't an intimidating age for gymnast Shawn Johnson (West Des Moines, Iowa). Last year at 15, Johnson won the all around gold medal in the World Championships. She became only the fourth woman from the United States to win the all around at Worlds. So at 16, competing in the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games is just another day at work.
Charlotte Craig (Murrieta, Calif.), doesn't fit the norm on the United States taekwondo team. She's the only member of the team with a different last name than Lopez. She joins Diana Lopez (Sugar Land, Tex.), Mark Lopez (Sugar Land Tex.) and Steven Lopez (Sugar Land, Tex.) as the team members. Craig also is the youngest taekwondo team member at 17.
If Ronda Rousey (Santa Monica, Calif.), becomes the first U. S. woman to win a medal in judo, she might claim that her cat was an omen. Before the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, Rousey named a new cat Beijing in anticipation of competing in her first Games in China. But Beijing was premature because Rousey made the Olympic team in 2004 and finished ninth in Athens.
Now, swimmer Natalie Coughlin (Lafayette, Calif.) wants to be seen as the golden girl. After becoming the third U. S. woman to win five medals in an Olympic Games in 2004 in Athens, Coughlin is looking for a different color combination in Beijing. Her take in Athens consisted of two gold medals, two silver medals and a bronze medal. Her goal is to improve the color of all the medals in Beijing.
Marcie Van Dusen (Lake Arrowhead, Calif.) comes into the Olympic wrestling competition in the role of the spoiler. She's entering her first Olympic Games in Beijing, but she already has a place on the world scene in wrestling. She handed a first loss to the career of Japan's Saori Yoshida in the World Cup matches, ending Yoshida's hopes of retiring undefeated. Van Dusen wrestles at 55 kg for the United States Women's Team.
A change of mind has brought Sarah Hammer (Temecula, Calif.) back to the sport of cycling and into the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing. After the 2002 season, Hammer, a junior cyclist at the time, left the sport and sold her equipment. However, while watching the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, her interest rekindled and she started back from scratch. It meant new equipment, a new coach, Andy Sparks, and a new direction.
Irv Moss is a freelance contributor for the USOC. This story was not subject to the approval of the United States Olympic Committee or any National Governing Body.


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Fahrenheit Seven has updated its 107 rooms and suites to create a new 'home away from home' ambiance with a focus on design and comfort. Beautiful textures and colors all contribute to a modern and cozy feel but with a vintage twist. Rooms have either views over the slopes including the famous 'Cime de Caron' or over the resort.
Dining at Fahrenheit Seven is truly a highlight. At Fahrenheit Seven breakfast starts at 7 a.m. and features a buffet, but a la carte ordering is available. For lunch, guests can enjoy the onsite Terrace restaurant, which features a south-facing terrace with uninterrupted views over the whole ski area or inside with equally stunning views, the food will still amaze you. The chefs are focused on preparing simple but delicious dishes using high-quality ingredients—locally sourced whenever possible. For dinner, enjoy La Rotisserie or Le Zinc as another, you can choose between two very different menus and atmospheres. La Rotisserie will offer a variety of roasted meats, fish and other dishes as well as options for children. In Le Zinc you will be surrounded by wood and able to try a variety of fondues or other local specialties, sometimes accompanied by a saxophonist, sometimes with an even livelier atmosphere.
Located at the foot of the Val Thorens glacier and ski area, this high-altitude mountain hotel is only 100 metres from the ski lifts. Offering Alpine style guestrooms open onto balconies and come equipped with DVD players, satellite television and minibars. Guests can dine in two restaurants, relax tired muscles in the sauna, pool and steam room and enjoy Kanebo spa treatments.
Nestled in the highest resort of the 3 Vallees ski area, the new Koh-i-Nor Hotel is located at the summit of Val Thorens. Inside you will find a unique experience with all the luxuries of a 5* hotel. The hotel boasts a panoramic terrace with views of the resort and local Alps, lounge bar with musical ambiance, and 3 restaurants. L Atelier d Eric restaurant offers a 5 courses dinner menu included in half board. Second, Le Diamant Noir restaurant offers a selection with gastronomic meals. Lastly, La Cave restaurant offers a unique concept with a large choice of local specialty cheeses and wines. The hotel Spa is equipped with a sauna, hammam, Jacuzzi, salt wall, and heated pools.The hotel has bedrooms and suites all with balconies, flat screen multimedia systems, hairdryer in bathroom and private safe in room. Wifi access, ski room with winter clothing boutique and equipment as well as a shuttle service within the resort are some of the features of the hotel.
Nordic ambiance and noble nature with wood and stone work throughout, the Altapura is a Ski in-ski out hotel that is in harmony with today's environmental expectations. Enjoy the hotels many amenities including an indoor and outdoor pool, sauna, and hammam. There is an indoor Jacuzzi, fitness area, igloo, and SPA, as well as restaurants, bars, and children's center. A hotel shuttle is available to take you to the resort center.
The Hotel Le Val Thorens is exceptionally located in the heart of the resort. Welcoming a large international clientele with ski in / ski out facility, traditional Alpine furnishing and décor. The comfortable and spacious rooms have a balcony. Sun terrace with an expansive view of the pistes, traditional French, Savoyard and Gastronomic restaurants, cosy bar with fire place and piano. Sauna, whirlpool, relaxation room, massages, wireless Internet.
Located at 2,350 m (7,710 ft.) in altitude on Val Thorens ski resort, the five-star Hotel Pashmina is perched on the mountain and delivers all the coziness of an Alpine refuge, with refined interiors, spacious rooms, fine cuisine and spa treatments.
The residence Le Cheval Blanc is located in a calm and sunny area of Val Thorens, in the heart of the ski area. Guests will enjoy direct access to the slopes along with convenient access to various nearby shops, an entertainment center and the Val Thorens sports center. You will appreciate the welcoming and comfortable environment and comforts of this fine establishment.
Luxury Savoyard chalet-style residences situated at the foot of the slopes in a quiet location. Close to the sports center and children's kindergarten and ski school. Free and unlimited access to the indoor heated swimming pool, saunas, hammam and relaxation room. All apartments have a balcony and fully equipped kitchens as well as satellite television, telephone, hair dryer, and free Wi-Fi access.
Located at the center of Val Thorens resort, the ski in, ski out property features apartments with a kitchenette and cable TV.


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Hey Mike
I was wondering if you have deleted posts?? I think I have I guess 100 or so? Not that it is very important to me, but anyway. Maybe you deleted after you changed the outlook of the website??
Moderator: Mike
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Embraceable Cool Nights
Collection Sleep Shirt
Style: 570051022
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For sleep shirt fans, a V-neck beauty embellished with soft-shimmering lace in nude, as comfortable as it is pretty.
- From our Embraceable™ collection. The softest, most luxurious in the world.
- Our exclusive Cool Nights— breathable knit keeps you cool and dry.
- Gathers below the V-neck relax into an easy fit.
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- Approximate length: 37.5".
- 93% Rayon, 7% Spandex. Machine wash, cold; tumble dry low. Imported.
Read more… Read less…


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EHE - Excellence in Higher Education - Introduction
EHE is an integrated approach to assessment, planning, and improvement specifically designed for use in colleges and universities. It combines accreditation concepts from WASC and other accrediting bodies with the Malcolm Baldrige performance excellence framework.
The CSU Quality Improvement Program is supporting the adoption of EHE by providing information and training opportunities, and helping to develop EHE facilitators at campuses.
Learn the basics of EHE
- Read a brief outline of the EHE assessment areas
- View a 45 minute narrated PowerPoint Presentation by EHE author, Dr. Brent Ruben
- Read a paper describing EHE
Hear how EHE has been used in the CSU
- View a 30 minute narrated PowePoint presentation from May 2009 describing how Maritime Academy introduced EHE in the Housing and Residential Life area.
Read more background information on EHE
- Application of the Baldrige process in Higher Education
- Checklist/introduction/starting point for using EHE
- Eight Fundamental Challenges, by Dr. Brent Ruben
- Pursuing Excellence in Higher Education, by Dr. Brent Ruben
Get information about EHE courses
- There are currently no courses scheduled within the CSU
- Search for a public course (Baldrige Goes to College: Excellence in Higher Education) on the NACUBO website
- Purchase the EHE Reference Materials
EHE was developed by Dr. Brent Ruben, Distinguished Professor of Communication and Executive Director of the Center for Organizational Development and Learning at Rutgers University and founding Chair of the National Consortium for Continuous Improvement in Higher Education (NCCI).


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Berkshire's $2B IMC Deal Highlights Buffett's International Hunt
NEW YORK ( TheStreet) - Berkshire Hathaway
The deal is Berkshire's second big acquisition in 2013, and follows its $23 billion acquisition of iconic ketchup maker Heinz
Buffett is buying IMC, otherwise known as Iscar, from the company's founding family, in a move that is similar to deals such as Heinz and Marmon Group .
Berkshire took an 80% stake Israel-based IMC in 2006 at a valuation of $5 billion, and has seen a surge in the company's earnings in recent years.
"Since the time IMC entered our lives, my partner, Charlie Munger, and I have enjoyed Berkshire's association with the company, the Wertheimer family, and the company's management team," Warren Buffett said in a statement.
"As you can surmise from the price we're paying for the remaining interest, IMC has enjoyed very significant growth over the last seven years."
"The growth experienced by IMC since the 2006 Berkshire transaction validates the faith that Warren and Charlie showed in our business and the special people in Tefen, Israel," Eitan Wertheimer said in a statement.
Wertheimer is a member of the company's founding family.
Berkshire's stake acquisition comes just ahead of the company's May 4 annual shareholder meeting in Omaha, Nebraska.
In a Wednesday morning phone interview, Whitney Tilson of Berkshire shareholder Kase Capital said IMC is a representation of how Buffett cuts international deals.
Traditionally, Buffett has held special meetings for Berkshire's international investors at the company's shareholder meeting, in search of investment opportunities.
"I think he will be willing to talk about big deals around the world," Tilson said of his expectations heading into the shareholder meeting. "He is trying to replicate Iscar."
"I'd be curious and I would hope we have a chance to hear more about Warren's appetite globally," Thomas Russo, a partner at Gardner Russo & Gardner , said in an April interview, discussing his expectations for Berkshire's shareholder meeting. "I am just curious why he has softened his hunt for global elephants," Russo added.
Gardner Russo & Gardner is Berkshire's tenth-largest shareholder, with a stake of nearly $800 million in the company's voting shares, according to Bloomberg data.
"Berkshire has a collection of best-in-class companies, which positions it well in nearly any environment," Clifford Gallant, a Nomura analyst, wrote in a Wednesday initiation of coverage on the company's shares.
"From strong brands to low-cost distribution models to dominating market shares or limited competition, all of the major Berkshire businesses have sustainable competitive advantages, in our opinion," Gallant noted in his report, which gives Berkshire Class A shares a $184,000 price target and a 'buy' rating.


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Straight Dark Brown Bob with Side Swept Bangs
This is a cute bob hairstyle as the hair is straight and rounded cut at the back. On the forehead, straight bangs are styled to come across towards one side.A haircut such as this is a medium cut.The hair colour is a dark brown with lighter highlights.
Salon: Citrus Salon & Day Spa, Ble Bell, PA Hairstyle: Stephanie Burdick Haircolor: Stephanie Burdick Makeup: Stephanie Burdick Photography: Tom Carson


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Tuesday, February 17, 2009
Hello Kity Evening Eyes Tutorial
I finally got my Hello Kitty Tutorial out. I know a lot of people have been using the Too Dolly Palette to do purple, pink, blue kind of looks. I wanted to do something different though. I only purchased the 3 items below and wanted to make a look using them.
This was my favorite of the two palettes. The colors are pretty dupeable but I wanted at least one of the palettes for collection purposes.
I've never owned a MAC glitter liner before. I'm impressed! They come out really pigmented and not sheer like some other liners. I went back and got another one, Her Glitz. You can definitely rock these are liquid shadow. Talk about glittery and super pretty!
I really love this blush. It's a beauty powder blush so it's super smooth. I didn't think this color would show up on me but it gives me such a nice glow. I've only been rocking this blush lately.
For my look I decided to veer from the typical colors in the palette and went for a nighttime Hello Kitty look. I used the Glitterpuss glitter liner as a liquid eyeshadow and loved how it came out. I can't wait to try it with my other glitter liner I purchased :)
Check out my tutorial!
As you can see, I strayed from the typical Hello Kitty colors and went for a glittery gold/smokey evening look. It's really easy to do. I've been picking more simple tutorials lately because sometimes I can't deal with using 8 shadows in one look.
Here's What I Used (All MAC unless otherwise stated):
-indianwood paintpot
-yogurt e/s (from too dolly palette)
-glitterpuss glitter liner
-stately black e/s (from too dolly palette)
-smolder eye kohl
-l'oreal double extend mascara
-rimmel professional brow pencil
-msf natural in med dark
-bobbi brown corrector in dark peach
-sculpting powder in shadester
-fun and games blush
-soft wave lipglass
Till next time, Ciao Bellas!
Atlanta Makeup Artist
25 comments:
- Jamilla Camel said...
It looks great...I learned a lot.
Thank you!
- February 17, 2009 at 11:20 AM
- EyezAddiction said...
Hi renren! I love your tutorials! You are so talented! I have learn so much from your videos. Thank you so much for sharing your talent with us. =)
- February 17, 2009 at 11:20 AM
- LOVEpink said...
I LOVEEEEEE this loook!! great tutorial!!! espcially for explaining how to use the glitter liner!! def want to try it out. and the palette! its my fave of the two as well! so pretty.
- February 17, 2009 at 11:23 AM
- iamgrape1119 said...
Your brows are to DIE for!! I love this entire look!
- February 17, 2009 at 11:43 AM
- SugarRimmed said...
Hey Ren! After watching you put together this look, I am now planning to stop by at Mac today for a glitter liner. I was wondering if the liner creased at all when you applied it all over the lid. Thanks so much! <3
- February 17, 2009 at 1:08 PM
- Yas said...
RenRen I love how you switched it up and came up with this gorgeous eye! That gold just makes your eyes sparkle & I love it!
- February 17, 2009 at 1:56 PM
- only x lindah said...
Great HK look! I would've never thought of using the glitter liner as an eyeshadow. You're so creative, thanks a ton! :D
- February 17, 2009 at 2:08 PM
- Iyah said...
Hi ate Renren! :D This is such a pretty look! I haven't played with my HK items yet! :) I'll for sure try this soon! :D
- February 17, 2009 at 3:34 PM
- audgepodge said...
Hi RenRen - gorgeous look! Oh, and you convinced me to get that Hello Kitty blush. Agh, I keep going back to buy more of that collection!
- February 17, 2009 at 3:52 PM
- 12ayOFsunSHYNE said...
Love this look!
- February 17, 2009 at 4:03 PM
- PBW said...
Very nice look. I bought that blush too, but haven't tried it yet.
I didn't think twice about the glitter liners - until now.
- February 17, 2009 at 4:08 PM
- MakeupBliss said...
I love it! makes me think of a Tiger Eye
- February 17, 2009 at 4:23 PM
- Product Junkie Diva said...
really pretty! I think I will have to try this look:-)
- February 17, 2009 at 4:33 PM
- Girl with Curl said...
I love love love this look. I like how that liner can be used on the lid like that.
- February 17, 2009 at 4:47 PM
- Askmewhats said...
love this so much! I love your tuts ! :)
- February 17, 2009 at 7:27 PM
- rockSTARbeauty said...
loves it...very different from other hk looks that ive seen. hope you had a great v-day :)
- February 17, 2009 at 7:42 PM
- ♡ Nic Nic ♡ said...
love this gold/black look on you! looks gorgeous!! I am waiting for my Fun and Games blush!!! looks awesome on you, cant wait to try it out :D
- February 17, 2009 at 9:28 PM
- Sharon Rose said...
Hi there-looking gorgeous my dear!!
- February 18, 2009 at 3:25 AM
- Vanessa said...
gorgeous look sis! Gold is your color!
- February 18, 2009 at 5:26 AM
- *Nehs* said...
love it!
- February 18, 2009 at 7:35 AM
- Wes said...
I was a little skeptical about the "glitter eyeliner" but I loved how you pulled it off... Very cute & chic!
- February 18, 2009 at 9:34 AM
- FuN and MakeUp said...
hey ren.. is that fun & games on ur cheeks? is there a clearer pic? i wanna get that instead.. i find that tippy is soo pink for me =T can i plz see swatches on ur cheeks.. thanks! as always.. ur lookin absolutely GORGEOUS!
- February 18, 2009 at 9:28 PM
- May Nguyen said...
u rock every look!
- February 18, 2009 at 10:13 PM
- Plutonium! said...
I love the blush, too! :D I'm worried that I will run out of it and not be able to find another like it. Do you think there is a dupe for it? :D
- February 19, 2009 at 4:46 PM
- mayaari said...
i'm in love with fun & games blush - i've been using nearly every day since i bought it :)
- February 22, 2009 at 1:39 PM


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BBQ Pro Shop likes to find the best in BBQ and support their efforts to promote their products so that everyone can benefit from the experience and wins that they have seen in competitions. We are very excited to offer four of our most popular rubs in 5 LB bulk packages that are geared towards caterers and competition teams. BBQ Pro Shop offers them at a competitive price and is happy to discuss discounts for cases (25 LBS) for the products we carry.
We are proud to offer the following 5 LB sizes:


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We scored the biggest and best stash of vintage Chanel ever—and we're sharing. Shop over a hundred statement pieces from decades past: logo-print blouses, oversized trench coats, mini-skirt bouclé suits, jewelry and bags, bags, bags. Everything's distinctly vintage Chanel, and perfectly Nasty Gal.
Classic vintage Chanel black tweed skirt featuring a high waist, colorful tweed detailing and an exaggerated fringe at hem. Zip/hook closure at back, fully lined.
The Details
Waist: 32"
Length: 18.5"
Circa: 90s
Label: Chanel
Marked Size: 42
Estimated Size: M/L
Color: Black/Multi
Fabric: Mohair/Wool/Nylon
Condition: Good vintage condition
Emily Jean is a US size 0
Height: 5'9.5"
Bust: 32" / Waist: 23" / Hips: 34"
Astrological sign: Sagittarius
Can't live without: Zoe Cheleski
Tell us a secret: McDonald's is good for the soul!
If you're not utterly obsessed with your recent purchase, it's now so easy to send it back! All US returns can be completed online using our fast, hassle-free system. Check out the links below for more details.
Opened makeup, earrings, ear cuffs and panties cannot be returned.


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LINGUIST List 20.1580
Fri Apr 24 2009
Jobs: Arabic & Ling & Literature: Adjunct Prof, University of Utah
Editor for this issue: Luiza Newlin Lukowicz <luiza
The LINGUIST List strongly encourages employers to use non-discriminatory standards in hiring policy. In particular we urge that employers do not discriminate on the grounds of race, ethnicity, nationality, age, religion, gender, or sexual orientation. However, we have no means of enforcing these standards.
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1. Victor Garcia,
Arabic, Standard & Ling & Literature: Adjunct Professor, University of Utah, UT, USA
Message 1: Arabic, Standard & Ling & Literature: Adjunct Professor, University of Utah, UT, USA
Victor Garcia <victor.garcia
Arabic, Standard & Ling & Literature: Adjunct Professor, University of Utah, UT, USA
E-mail this message to a friend
University or Organization: University of Utah
Department: Languages & Literature
Job Location: Utah, USA
Web Address:
Job Rank: Adjunct Professor
Specialty Areas: Ling & Literature
Required Language(s):
Arabic, Standard (arb)
The Department of Languages and Literature at the University of Utah
announces an opening for a one-year renewable adjunct position in Arabic
language, starting in Fall 2009. Course load is three courses per semester.
Candidates should be trained in modern methods of foreign language
pedagogy, must have native or near-native proficiency in Arabic and
English, and be able to teach Arabic language courses at all levels;
experience teaching Arabic to English-speaking students and familiarity
with the American university system and culture are also required. The
successful candidate will take part in program development, including but
not limited to development and redesign in the existing Arabic language
program, and coordination of lower-level language courses taught by
graduate teaching assistants or adjunct instructors. He/she will be
expected to pursue, and receive support for, ongoing professional training.
Applicants should hold an M.A. or Ph.D. in Arabic. Salary range - upper
thirties + full benefits.
Application should include a CV, statement of teaching philosophy and three
letters of recommendation. Send all materials to Professor Fernando Rubio,
Co-Chair, Department of Languages & Literature (mailing address is provided
below). Review of applications will begin May 1st and will continue until
the position is filled.
Application Deadline: Open until filled.
Mailing Address for Applications:
Professor Fernando Rubio
Department of Languages & Literature
255 S. Central Campus Drive, Room 1400
University of Utah
Salt Lake City, UT 84112-0490
Email Address for Applications: victor.garcia
Contact Information: This position has been filled.
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Special Report #118 on Latin America
September 20, 2012
September 20, 2012 | Special Report on Latin America
Abstract: Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country, Latin America's largest economy, and an important trading partner for the U.S. The Brazilian government dominates many areas of the country's economy, undercutting development of a more vibrant private sector, and Brazil's four-year growth average of 4 percent has recently weakened. Government expenditures consume more than 40 percent of GDP. The pace of Brazil's regulatory reform has slowed, and the tax burden is much heavier than in many other emerging economies. Corruption is high, private property rights are insecure, and the judicial system remains vulnerable to political influence. Brazil needs more economic freedom, and the government should eliminate barriers to entrepreneurial activity—burdensome taxes, inefficient regulation, flaws in long-term financing, and continuing government-created rigidities in the labor market.
The world's fifth-largest country and Latin America's largest economy, Brazil is an important American trading partner. The Brazilian economy averaged better than 4 percent annual growth from 2006 to 2010 largely thanks to surging prices for exported commodities. Yet that growth rate was substantially less than many other major emerging countries,[1] and growth has weakened considerably since 2011. Brazilians are justifiably concerned that their country has become stuck again in the decades-old cycle of high inflation and commodity dependence from which it emerged only in the 1990s. Strengthening the foundations of economic freedom is the critical step required to restore rapid growth.
The Brazilian government continues to dominate many areas of the country's economy, undercutting development of a more vibrant private sector. The efficiency and overall quality of government services are inadequate, and the government seems to be more skilled at collecting taxes than at implementing needed reforms.
Total government expenditures, including public-sector wages and transfer payments, consume more than 40 percent of gross domestic product (GDP). The overall pace of Brazil's regulatory reform has slowed, and the tax burden is much heavier than in the emerging economies of Colombia, Peru, and Mexico. Corruption is problematic, private property rights are insecure, and the judicial system remains vulnerable to political influence.
Brazil is also too dependent on commodity exports and risks being afflicted by the "Dutch disease,"[2] where revenues from natural resources make the currency stronger, imports cheaper, and manufactured products more expensive. Sustainable growth will require internal reforms to boost productivity and economic freedom.
The commodity-induced era of Brazilian prosperity has been driven primarily by China. If China continues to rise for another decade or more, Brazil may become locked in a dependent relationship, which it will have to break later. Alternately, Beijing also faces mounting challenges due to its own backsliding on economic freedom. If China stumbles before Brazil gets its house in order, the result will be more painful. In either case, Brazil's best response to China is to become more competitive and more innovative—to embrace greater economic freedom.
While U.S.-led advances in horizontal drilling and fracking technologies drive down oil prices and make production of Brazil's plentiful but difficult-to-extract "pre-salt" offshore oil ever more problematic, Brazil's government—living in the past—is demanding royalties that are too high for pre-salt production to be profitable. Meanwhile, a recent report indicates that "40 percent of the projects—in infrastructure, housing, transportation, and security—currently being carried out by the Brazilian government to prepare for the millions of tourists that will visit the country" for the 2014 World Cup and 2016 Rio Olympics are not complete.[3]
President Dilma Rousseff has won praise recently in Brazil for taking a hard line against corruption.[4] But her initial response to Brazil's current economic challenges has been to resort to the sort of Keynesian stimulus government spending programs[5] that not only have been tried—and have failed—in the United States and elsewhere, but will also create a plethora of new opportunities for cronyist corruption.
Instead, her government should make the painful structural reforms to create conditions for growth, especially in non-commodity sectors. These reforms should be led by further privatization, especially in infrastructure, and by reducing burdensome taxes, inefficient regulation, barriers to entrepreneurial activity, barriers to long-term financing, and rigidities in the labor market.
As Professor Walter Russell Meade has noted, the "past still haunts Brazil. In spite of its tremendous wealth of natural resources and human capital the country suffered countless booms and busts through the 19th and 20th centuries and was the poster child of hyperinflation in the 1980s and 1990s."[6] As a result, for many decades pundits have said that "Brazil is the country of the future, and always will be." This historic political and economic instability changed, first with the return to democracy through the 1988 constitution, and then with the groundbreaking "neo-liberal" policy reforms of the Washington Consensus—daringly begun in the early 1990s by Finance Minister (and later two-term president) Fernando Henrique Cardoso. This new relative stability was then surprisingly reinforced and strengthened by populist-leftist President Luiz Inácio "Lula" da Silva—and so the Washington Consensus reforms finally broke the back of Brazil's chronic hyperinflation and set the stage for record growth.
The groundwork for reform was laid in 1985. When President Jose Sarney unexpectedly assumed office upon the death of Tancredo Neves, he established a strong executive presidential system with "emergency powers" to enact temporary laws (medidas provisorias or MPs) that became crucial to governmental operation. Thus, although neither Sarney's heterodox Plano Cruzado (involving the creation of a new currency, the "cruzado," aimed at cutting inflation) nor his successor Fernando Collor's more orthodox Plano Cruzeiro (plans for a second new currency, that also failed to bring inflation under control) were successful in defeating hyperinflation, which peaked at nearly 3,000 percent in 1990,[7] crippling Brazil economically, the MP tool was in place. This tool assisted Cardoso in launching the successful Plano Real (the third, and finally successful, introduction of the "real" currency) in 1994 that fundamentally restructured Brazil's economy. Cardoso issued more than 300 MPs (and re-issued 4,500 more)[8] to spur privatization and open Brazil to global trade and investment.
A vigilant, restrictive, and independent monetary policy overseen by neo-liberal former international bankers and "anchored" to the U.S. dollar by high real interest rates permitted the economic rules in Brazil to become more permanent and predictable. Foreign direct investments flowed in. According to Professor Albert Fishlow of Columbia University, the agriculture, mining, and petroleum sectors increased exports while many state-owned industries and much state-owned infrastructure were sold to private entrepreneurs who could manage them more efficiently. The result was a revived industrial sector, increased access to private credit, more efficient bankruptcy processing, and a more effective regulatory regime. Meanwhile Brazil's economy and its politics became "more stable."[9]
Brazil's success would not have been sustained without Lula's commitment upon assuming office in 2003 to continue Cardoso's policies, which he deemed at the time "a political as well as an economic necessity," and to abide "by the terms of a [Cardoso-era] $30 billion bailout"[10] from the International Monetary Fund (IMF). Lula reaped direct political benefits by sticking with these pro-growth policies. Brazil's subsequent prosperity enabled Lula to increase social spending on education, health care, and other programs for more than 11 million households living in poverty. For example, funding for Lula's Conditional Cash Transfer (CCT)[11] Bolsa Familia (Family Stipend) program was made possible only through tax proceeds generated by private-sector-led economic growth.[12]
Helped by booming global commodity prices, Lula's early adherence to Cardoso's neo-liberal reforms boosted the emerging Brazilian middle class while also lifting up the poorer classes. But in the latter years of his presidency, Lula also instituted increasingly assertive and statist "neo-developmentalist"[13] industrial policies through the National Bank for Economic and Social Development (BNDES).[14]
Blaming global economic conditions, Lula gradually abandoned earlier efforts at decentralization and federalism inherent in the 1988 constitution in favor of recentralization. The tendency to backslide toward statism in Lula's second term set the stage for potentially repeating past mistakes by recreating an inefficient and bloated central government that intervenes too much in the marketplace.
The question now is whether President Rousseff will make federalism and private-sector-led growth a priority again. Fishlow has observed that "the new leadership needed in Brazil should not come from the federal government, but from the state and municipal levels as power is concentrated in the hands of mayors of important cities and state governors."[15]
Over the past five years, the People's Republic of China (PRC) has become Brazil's largest trading partner, as well as a significant investment partner. Brazil's fortunes have become intertwined with China's, and the two are understandably compared. The PRC is undeniably the leader in the pace of economic growth, and some see China as a viable economic model for Brazil. Such a view is severely misguided, however, and Chinese-style development would have ugly consequences for Brazil.
Nineteen hundred ninety-one was the last full year of the political and economic repression in the PRC that followed the crackdown after the demonstrations in Tiananmen Square in 1989. At that time, Brazil was eight times wealthier than China and larger in aggregate terms. In 1992, the General Secretary of the Communist Party, Deng Xiaoping, restarted Chinese economic reform. Twenty years later, China is three and a half times larger than Brazil in aggregate terms, and Brazil is less than twice as wealthy. The story of the PRC's recent positive growth performance is well known, but has been misinterpreted.
China's success stems not from the past eight to nine years of government intervention, which has led only to macroeconomic imbalances and unsustainably high liquidity[16]—similar to problems seen in the American economy over the last decade. The PRC's success stems from the market reform years of 1978 to 1989 and 1992 to 2002, culminating with entry into the World Trade Organization (WTO).
As of 2002, the PRC had no macroeconomic imbalance and no excess liquidity, and its economy has structurally weakened since 2006. As it continues to do so, the misunderstanding of the role of an expanding state in market activity is finally giving way to skepticism about China's long-term prospects absent reform. Brazilian policymakers should not be fooled by claims of statist superiority.[17]
China's rapid growth does, however, have important implications for the bilateral relationship. The PRC's expansion and ensuing demand for commodities that it lacks, such as iron ore, soybeans, crude oil, and natural gas, has pulled Brazil along.[18] But while the Brazilian agricultural competitiveness, metal deposits, and expanding energy role have been a boon to China, they certainly do not drive Chinese growth. Rather, China's expansion has driven Brazilian growth.
If China stumbles, the challenge for Brazil will be to find sources of growth that do not rely on transient external demand. Brazil's resource endowment is a boon, but one that waxes and wanes with global cycles. Improving the productivity of domestic labor and capital through reform is a permanent boost, not a transient one. As China fades in this scenario, more economic freedom could make Brazil the new China, only richer.
On the other hand, if China revives its economy, it will be due to renewed reform aimed at achieving greater economic freedom, as Deng accepted in 1978 and re-initiated in 1992. Renewed Chinese reform and efficiency would cut demand for some Brazilian goods, such as iron ore, but gas and farm goods would remain strong on the basis of Chinese consumer demand for higher-quality food and environmental improvements.[19]
The question is whether that is enough. Should Brazil be content following in China's wake even if the PRC can rise for another decade or more? No, Brazil can do better. There is no necessary choice to make between a huge trade and investment relationship with a vibrant China and greater economic freedom. Market-based reform will make Brazil more competitive and more innovative, better able to take advantage of China's strengths, and better able to compete with China. The belief that Brazil must curb economic freedom to compete with the PRC is mistaken.
State support for industries in an attempt to ensure their competitiveness against Chinese or other firms comes at a cost to the rest of society. The PRC has paid that price in ecological degradation, rising income inequality, and economic imbalances that must ultimately be corrected.[20] Brazil can mimic Chinese top-down planning for a time, but it will pay a high price. Meanwhile, market-based reform to improve the productivity of Brazilian workers and expand the range of action for Brazilian companies enhances competitiveness and costs nothing.
Greater efficiency minimizes the threat to the environment by minimizing resource depletion. An open Brazil integrated with the world economy is in a better position to take full advantage of global demand for its resources rather than facing retaliation for its own protectionism and exclusion from preferential trade agreements. A more open Brazil will reward Brazil's farmers, miners, and energy workers, alleviating income inequality. Brazil should respond to a successful China the same way it would to an unsuccessful China: with more economic freedom.
The 2012 Index of Economic Freedom,[21] published by The Heritage Foundation and The Wall Street Journal, provides some important perspectives on Brazil's most-needed reforms. Brazil's overall economic freedom score is 57.9 out of 100, making its economy the 99th freest of 179 countries in the 2012 Index. Its score is only 1.6 points better than in 2011, with improvements in just four of the 10 economic freedoms. Brazil is ranked 20th of 29 countries in the South and Central America and the Caribbean regime, and its overall score is below the regional and world averages of 60 and 59.5, respectively. In each area of economic freedom there is room for significant improvement.Protection of Property Rights. All contracts in Brazil are generally considered secure, but Brazil's judiciary is inefficient and subject to political and economic influence. It is also under-resourced compared to other government ministries and its staff lacks adequate training. Court decisions can take years to be handed down, and judgments by the top-level Supreme Federal Tribunal are not automatically binding on lower courts.
In 2011, the U.S. Department of State reported that the courts were overrun with property rights cases and that the backlog was growing larger.[22] In a 2009 "Assessment of Brazil" conducted by the anti-corruption group Global Integrity, small companies reported that they often cannot afford the costs of a lawsuit.[23] The World Bank's International Finance Corporation revealed in its 2009 "Enterprise Survey" that almost half of small and medium-sized companies in Brazil consider the functioning of the courts a major constraint for doing business in the country.[24] Courts at the lower levels are particularly prone to corruption, political influence, and intimidation.[25]
It is vital to Brazil's healthy economic growth that people, both native and foreign, be able to buy and sell real property easily, with low transaction costs. Brazil's mortgage market is still underdeveloped and foreigners in particular may encounter difficulty in obtaining mortgage financing. Protection of intellectual property rights has improved, but piracy of copyrighted materials persists.
Freedom from Corruption. Corruption is often an obstacle to investment in Brazil. Businesses bidding on government procurement contracts can encounter corruption, which is also a problem in the lower courts. In 2010, corruption investigations of politicians from opposition and government-coalition parties resulted in prison sentences for two governors. Since then, even higher-profile scandals have come to light. Between June and September 2011 "President Dilma Rousseff lost five cabinet-level officials, none who face criminal charges, but four of whom left after allegations of corruption were levied against them."[26]
Corruption also hinders the daily operations of companies, both Brazilian and foreign-owned. A 2008 business survey commissioned by Norway's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, "Collaboration on Anti-Corruption: Norway and Brazil," found a general lack of trust in the judicial system that makes companies reluctant to file complaints to the courts in situations where they have been victims of corruption. According to the survey, filing complaints to courts is considered a waste of time and money by most respondents. Hence, many companies remain silent about corrupt acts committed against them, even if such crimes have cost them important contracts.[27]
Fiscal Freedom. Although Brazil's economy shows great promise to move from the 10th-largest economy in the world to the fourth-largest by 2050, it must still overcome enormous challenges and reduce burdensome regulations and rates of taxation in order to fully realize its potential. The Rousseff government should seek to become more competitive by improving Brazil's score on fiscal freedom.
Achieving that goal will not be easy. As Sao Paolo attorney Raphael de Neto told The Economist, the Brazilian "government's ability to collect taxes has run far ahead of any effort to streamline them, increasing the burden on businesses."[28]
The top personal income tax rate is 27.5 percent. The standard corporate tax rate is 15 percent, which when combined with a 10 percent surtax and 9 percent social contribution on net profit paid by most industries brings the effective rate to 34 percent. Other taxes include a financial transactions tax, with the overall tax burden equal to 34.3 percent of total domestic income. Public spending is over one-third of GDP, resulting in chronic budget deficits. Government debt is 66.18 percent of GDP.[29]
Tax environments that are welcoming to business can help lead to an increase in foreign direct investment (FDI). This is of particular interest to Brazil since "FDI inflows to Brazil fell by 42 percent year-on-year, to USD$25.9bn in 2009, down from record-high inflows of US$45.05bn in 2008."[30]
Among other reasons, Brazil will require massive amounts of FDI and access to advanced technology in order to extract the 80 billion to 100 billion barrels of light sweet crude oil that are thought to lie offshore under five miles of ocean water and an additional mile or two of "pre-salt" rock below the South Atlantic.
As it stands today in Brazil, tax filings are not only financially costly, but the time required to complete tax filings also has an additional negative impact. For business managers, time is money. The complex tax structure consumes roughly 2,600 hours a year for local medium-size companies, according to the International Finance Corporation's and World Bank's annual Doing Business survey. This is primarily due to taxes, such as Brazil's corporate income tax (IRPJ), social security contributions (INSS), and taxes on goods and services (ICMS) that are similar to value-added taxes.[31]
In comparison, Doing Business reports that China has taken steps to improve the tax environment with its new corporate income tax law that unified the tax regimes for domestic and foreign enterprises and clarified the calculation of taxable income for corporate income tax purposes.[32]
Brazil's disadvantage in the worldwide competition for FDI has been noted by corporate executives. These corporate leaders understand that the current tax structure in Brazil is too complicated. Commenting on Brazil's taxation regulatory regime Mark Buthman, chief financial officer for Kimberly–Clark, has said that "if it's not the most complicated tax system in the world, it's certainly right up there."[33] Tarek Farahat, CEO of Procter & Gamble Brazil, has expressed similar concerns, stating that Brazil needs "tax simplification. This will bring transparency and competitiveness [and lay the groundwork for] sustainable growth."[34]
Government Spending. In the most recent year, total government expenditures, including consumption and transfer payments, amount to 41 percent of GDP; public debt is just below 40 percent of GDP. Besides debt service, government spending is focused mainly on pensions, transfers to local governments, and funding the bureaucracy. Public-sector wages and transfer payments account for more than 70 percent of the country's primary spending.
Both private-sector and public-sector pensions in Brazil "are among the most generous in the world, replacing on average 75 percent of pre-retirement income." Some of these pensions are paid to the very poor and are intended to reduce poverty. In general, however, "rural workers aged over 60, and anyone poor and over 65, can get a pension of 622 reals—the minimum wage—without ever having paid into the system."[35] Although this provision is relatively low in budgetary cost to the government—2 percent of GDP annually —the bigger problems it creates, ones which Brazil shares with de facto bankrupt welfare states, such as Greece, stem from rules that allow contributing workers to retire earlier, with larger pensions, than almost anywhere else in the world.[36]
Given that set of anti-competitive and ultimately fiscally unsustainable incentives, perhaps it is not surprising that most Brazilians retire startlingly early: The average male in the private sector is 54; the average woman, 52. Survivors' benefits have no age limits. To make Brazil's unfunded entitlement liabilities even more daunting, there is also a provision that permits families to inherit 100 percent of the pension of a deceased breadwinner, meaning that even young, childless widows never need work. Today in Brazil fully one-tenth of all 45-year-olds are already receiving pensions.[37]
Business Freedom. To become more globally competitive, Brazil should eliminate barriers to entrepreneurial activity by, for example, reducing the number of procedures, the number of days, and the cost associated with obtaining a business license. Although the Brazilian government took some steps in 2011 to ease business start-up costs by enhancing the degree of electronic synchronization between federal and state tax authorities, according to Doing Business,[38] it is nowhere near the top 10 reformers in business freedom globally.
In 2011, the government of neighboring Peru made it significantly easier to start a business, obtain construction permits, register property, and trade across borders. Peru eased the process of starting a business by simplifying the requirements for operating licenses and creating an online one-stop shop for business registration.[39]
In Brazil it takes 13 procedures, 119 days, and roughly the cost of 5.4 percent of income per capita[40] to start a business. In New Zealand, it takes only one procedure and one day to start a company.[41] Even China scores slightly better—starting a business there takes 14 procedures, 38 days, and costs 3.5 percent of income.[42]
Labor Freedom. Brazil's rigid labor market is an added layer of regulatory burdens on the country's private sector that negatively impacts its ability to compete for a stellar ranking in economic freedom. Stifling labor regulations continue to undermine employment and productivity growth. Brazil's labor freedom score falls in the bottom half of the world rankings. The non-salary cost of employing a worker is high, and dismissing a redundant employee can be costly because of government-imposed regulations governing severance and dismissal. Mandated benefits amplify overall labor costs. As a result, the informal sector remains sizeable.
As The Wall Street Journal's Sao Paolo correspondent Paulo Prada has reported, Brazil's "restrictive business environment" and rigid labor code date "back to the 1940s and were originally modeled on the statist policies of Mussolini."[43] The result, tragically for people in Brazil who would aspire to middle-class living standards, is that the high costs generated by these retrograde policies hinder companies from hiring new workers, thus trapping many would-be small business owners, laborers, and self-employed artisans in the shadows of the informal economy. As The Economist reported:
That many of the new jobs are formal (i.e., legally registered) is despite, rather than because of, the labor laws. The trend to formalization is largely a result of the greater availability of bank credit and equity capital on the one hand, and recent changes that make it easier to register micro-businesses on the other. And it coexists with two longstanding Brazilian weaknesses: high job turnover and low productivity growth.[44]
Monetary Freedom. The average rate of inflation was 5.2 percent in August 2012.[45] Prudent fiscal and monetary policies helped Brazil avoid the worst of the global financial crisis of 2008 and 2009, although its booming economy (led by strong commodity exports) ultimately may force authorities to resort to monetary tightening to reduce future inflationary pressures. Although such public services as railways, telecommunications, and electricity have been privatized, regulatory agencies oversee prices. The National Petroleum Agency fixes the wholesale price of fuel and the government controls airfares.
The fiscal system for petroleum production includes, in addition to royalties, a special participation tax (PE). This tax protects the government from underpayment by companies who discover large volumes of hydrocarbon. It has a progressive rate, ranging from 10 percent to 40 percent, depending on the volume produced, the water depth, the location of the field, the net production revenue, and the time of production.[46]
Trade Freedom. Paulo Prada neatly summarizes Brazil's trade freedom challenges thus:
To casual observers, things will look better as Brazil gears up for hosting soccer's World Cup in 2014 and the Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro in 2016. New roads and airport terminals will be christened along with modernized stadiums and scenic, well-policed promenades. But manufacturers, exporters and shippers—who regularly wait days or weeks for backlogs in ports and customs facilities to clear—know Brazil needs more than just cosmetic changes.[47]
According to the World Bank, Brazil's average trade-weighted tariff rate in 2009 and 2010 was 8.7 percent.[48] Increasing reliance on non-tariff barriers and the use of anti-dumping measures is a cause for concern. In September 2011, Brazil slapped an anti-dumping tax on steel products from China, one of its closest trade partners.[49] Foreign investors are granted national treatment (the same treatment that domestic investors receive), but their activity is restricted in some sectors, including communications and mining. The banking sector emerged relatively unscathed from the global downturn, with credits to the private sector increasing. Import bans and restrictions, market access barriers in services, border taxes and fees, restrictive regulatory and licensing rules, subsidies, complex customs procedures, and problematic protection of intellectual property rights add to the cost of trade.
Investment Freedom. Despite some progress, new investment and production remains cumbersome and bureaucratic. Foreign investors are granted national treatment, but foreign investment is restricted in the communications, transportation, and mining industries. In general, Brazilian nationals must constitute at least two-thirds of all employees and receive at least two-thirds of total payroll in firms employing three or more persons. The tax and regulatory environment is burdensome, and legal disputes can be time-consuming. There are few restrictions on foreign exchange transactions. Foreign investors, upon registering their investments with the central bank, may remit dividends, capital (including capital gains), and royalties. The central bank regulates outward direct investment in some cases, including transfers and remittances. Foreign investors must obtain specific authorization to purchase land along borders.
Brazil should privatize state-owned enterprises, such as Petrobras, and open Brazil to more foreign equity participation to develop its rich resources and improve its score in the Index of Economic Freedom. Petrobras will need significant funding in order to develop the billions of barrels of pre-salt oil and natural gas that lie beneath as many as 10 kilometers of water, rock, and salt under Brazil's South Atlantic continental shelf. "Despite its profitability and high market value," states The Economist, "the company lost some US$50bn in market value in January–August 2010 due to rising debt levels," although by May 2012 oil output was back up.[50] Recently, Petrobras increased its "five-year investment plan—already the world's largest corporate spending program—to $237 billion."[51]
Yet Dr. Susan Kaufman Purcell, director of the Center for Hemispheric Policy at the University of Miami, recently noted that the Brazilian government is living in 2008, not 2013, when it comes to its policies to develop these pre-salt reserves. The biggest game-changer has been the tremendous U.S.-led advances in horizontal drilling and fracking technologies to extract oil from shale, which have reduced the estimated cost of producing a barrel of oil from shale [to] $70…[which] is less than the cost of producing a barrel of oil from Brazil's pre-salt reserves, which some analysts have placed at over $100 per barrel.
Furthermore, shale exists in abundance. The largest deposits are in the United States, whose production of crude oil has increased 15 percent since 2008, making it the world's fastest-growing oil and natural gas producer. The U.S. Energy Department projects that the daily U.S. output of oil could reach almost seven million barrels per day by 2020.
Others think that it could ultimately hit 10 million barrels per day, which would place the United States in the same league as Saudi Arabia. Brazil currently produces about 2.5 million barrels per day of oil.
The accessibility of oil from shale means that there will be abundant oil for years to come. This also means that world oil prices will continue to decline. Given this situation, Brazil needs to quickly begin reducing the cost of producing its pre-salt oil. Unfortunately, Brazil is going in the wrong direction, as the government continues to insist on demanding a high percentage of local content in the production of ships, drills and other assets needed to exploit its pre-salt reserves.[52]
In another sign of trouble for Brazil, new foreign investment in Brazilian equities plunged 70 percent in the first half of 2011, dragging down what had been one of the world's most attractive markets for global investors.[53] Although by December 2011 foreign investment had rebounded somewhat, a large portion of that new investment came from China Petroleum & Chemical Corp.'s purchase of a 40 percent share in Repsol, a domestic oil producer.[54]
In general, rising inflation, political interference in key sectors, and measures that slowed down credit growth have all dampened foreign investor sentiment toward Brazil's equity market, forcing some companies to put off the initial public offering (IPO) of stock despite the overall strength of the country's economy.[55]
Financial Freedom. Overall, Brazil's well-regulated and supervised banking sector withstood the global financial turmoil of 2008 relatively well, and has expanded. It has become more competitive and diversified, although the state's role remains significant. Loans to the private sector have steadily increased, with solid economic expansion and the formation of a new lower middle class. Public-sector commercial and development bank assets account for around 40 percent of the financial system's total assets. The two largest state-owned banks control about 25 percent of total assets, and the government directs banks to channel loans to preferred sectors. Three of the top 10 banks are now foreign-owned.
Brazil's insurance sector is now South America's largest, and the reinsurance market was opened to private-sector competition in 2008. The domestic insurance and pension-fund sectors are important institutional investors in local capital markets. The sector is expected to continue to deepen as the domestic economy expands and real incomes of the middle class rise. The operating networks of non-bank financial institutions, however, continue to be underdeveloped.
According to the World Economic Forum's 2011 "Global Competitiveness Report"[56] Brazil improved five places to rank 53rd overall due in part to having one of the world's most efficient financial markets (40th place) and one of the highest rates of technological adoption (47th place) and innovation (44th place) in Latin America and the Caribbean.
In order for the middle class in Brazil to grow, and entrepreneurs to succeed in starting and growing small and medium-sized businesses, the Brazilian government must reverse the country's inadequate mechanisms for long-term financing. "Public-sector bank assets accounted for 41.5 percent of total banking assets at end-June 2010," according to the central bank (Banco Central do Brasil).[57] Despite the surge in lending by state-owned banks, the private sector still lacks access to long-term financing opportunities. The average annual market rate on bank loans was 35.4 percent in July 2010, significantly higher than the subsidized long-term interest rate (TJLP) of 6 percent.[58]
Despite well-intentioned efforts, the Brazilian Development Bank (BNDES) may very well be encouraging mal-investment and distorting market signals. BNDES enjoys preferential access to lower interest rates, cheaper credit, and government backing that private banks do not. Thus BNDES—backed by the deep pockets of the government—threatens to monopolize the credit market and obstruct competition among private free-market banks. This obstruction inhibits the only effective way to ensure optimal credit allocation.[59] The rise of BNDES under Lula and Rousseff is fraught with moral hazard, not unlike the one in the United States involving U.S. government-sponsored enterprises (GSE) and mortgage industry heavyweights Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.
Brazil's progress the past two decades led Goldman Sachs's Jim O'Neill—10 years after including Brazil in his "BRICs" formulation in 2001—to conclude that his "big, bold bet" to include Brazil in the BRICs had been vindicated.[60] Brazilians were finally going to shake off their old habits and turn their country into a world-class power.
Notwithstanding O'Neill's cheery assessment in 2011, however, there have been numerous negative developments since Dilma Rousseff took the reins from Lula that same year. Stalling economic growth, higher inflation, growing regulation, and possible moves toward renationalization of some key sectors of the economy (such as mining and energy production), as well as numerous government corruption scandals, are raising old questions. Is Brazil back sliding? Can Brazil ever permanently escape from its perennial trap of high inflation, due in part to the Dutch disease of overdependence on commodity exports? Is Brazil fated to be the perennial "country of the future?" As O'Neill himself notes, "If we look back 100 years, the majority of the successful world economies were not tied to commodities."[61]
Brazil needs to shake itself loose from its dependence on exporting commodities to China, no matter what happens with the PRC's own economic development. China's current statist model should not be emulated—it is China's earlier market-reform era that should be emulated. President Rousseff's government should implement the necessary structural reforms to spur growth in non-commodity sectors by further privatization (especially in infrastructure) and by eliminating barriers to entrepreneurial activity, burdensome taxes, inefficient regulation, flaws in long-term financing, and rigidities in the labor market.
- James M. Roberts is Research Fellow for Economic Freedom and Growth in the Center for International Trade and Economics (CITE), Mark J. Schreiber is Associate Director for Strategy and Finance, and Derek Scissors, Ph.D., is Senior Research Fellow in Asia Economic Policy in the Asian Studies Center at The Heritage Foundation. CITE Research Assistant Ryan Olson and CITE intern Dylan DelliSanti made valuable contributions to this paper.
Show references in this report
[1]Such as the other so-called BRIC countries (Brazil, Russia, India, and China) and other large developing countries, such as Indonesia and South Africa.
[2]In the 1960s, the Netherlands discovered large natural gas deposits. This ostensibly positive development had serious repercussions for important segments of the economy, as the Dutch guilder became stronger, making Dutch non-oil exports less competitive. This phenomenon has come to be known as the "Dutch disease." Christine Ebrahim-zadeh, "Back to Basics," International Monetary Fund Finance and Development, Vol. 40, No. 1 (March 2003), http://www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/fandd/2003/03/ebra.htm (accessed August 7, 2012).
[3]"AQ and Efecto Naím Joint Report: Is Brazil Ready for the Olympics?" Americas Society/Council of the Americas, August 5, 2012, http://www.as-coa.org/articles/aq-and-efecto-na%C3%ADm-joint-report-brazil-ready-olympics (accessed August 16, 2012).
[4]Andrew Downie, "Brazil Targets Corruption in 'Trial of the Century,'" The Christian Science Monitor, August 15, 2012, http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Americas/2012/0815/Brazil-targets-corruption-in-trial-of-the-century (accessed August 17, 2012).
[5]Mamta Badkar, "Brazil's $66 Billion Stimulus Could Signal a Shift in Its Growth Strategy," Business Insider, August 15, 2012, http://www.businessinsider.com/brazil-66-billion-dollar-stimulus-2012-8 (accessed August 16, 2012).
[6]Walter Russell Meade, "Brazil: The Country of the Future, Again?" The American Interest Via Meadia blog, March 8, 2012, http://blogs.the-american-interest.com/wrm/2012/03/08/brazil-the-country-of-the-future-again/ (August 7, 2012).
[7]Index Mundi, "Brazil: Inflation, Consumer Prices (Annual %)," March 2, 2011, http://www.indexmundi.com/facts/indicators/FP.CPI.TOTL.ZG/compare?country=br (accessed August 7, 2012).
[8]Albert Fishlow, Starting Over: Brazil Since 1985 (Washington, DC: Brookings Institution, 2011), p. 9.
[9]Ibid., p. 86.
[10]Lourdes Sola, "Politics, Markets, and Society in Lula's Brazil," Journal of Democracy, Vol. 19, No. 2 (2008), pp. 32–34.
[11]The World Bank, "Conditional Cash Transfers: Key Facts," 2011, http://web.worldbank.org/WBSITE/EXTERNAL/TOPICS/EXTSOCIALPROTECTION/EXTSAFETYNETSANDTRANSFERS/0,,contentMDK:20615138~menuPK:282766~pagePK:148956~piPK:216618~theSitePK:282761,00.html (accessed June 20, 2012).
[12]Sola, "Politics, Markets, and Society in Lula's Brazil."
[13]Neo-developmentalism was first used in 2003 by Brazilian economist and former policymaker Luiz Carlos Bresser-Pereira in an attempt by statists to oppose the neo-liberal policies of the Washington Consensus. See "A New Developmental State?" Heterodox Political Economy Blog, April 14, 2012, http://europeaneconomics.wordpress.com/2012/04/24/a-new-developmental-state/ (accessed August 8, 2012).
[14]María de Lourdes R. Mollo and Alfredo Saad-Filho, "Neoliberal Economic Policies in Brazil (1994–2005): Cardoso, Lula and the Need for a Democratic Alternative," New Political Economy, Vol. 11, No. 1 (2006), p. 117.
[15] Fishlow, Starting Over: Brazil Since 1985.
[16]Derek Scissors, "China Drowning in Money: What It Means for the U.S.," Heritage Foundation Issue Brief No. 3616, May 29, 2012, http://thf_media.s3.amazonaws.com/2012/pdf/ib3616.pdf.
[17]See, for example, Derek Scissors, "China Grows 10 Percent Again: Is This Believable?" Heritage Foundation WebMemo No. 3098, January 20, 2011, http://www.heritage.org/research/reports/2011/01/china-grows-10-percent-again-is-this-believable.
[18]"Brazil Sets Trade Records, Due to Chinese Demand," NPR, January 2, 2012, http://www.npr.org/2012/01/02/144587105/brazil-sets-trade-records-due-to-chinese-demand (accessed August 8, 2012), and John Whalley and Dana Madianu, "The Deepening China Brazil Economic Relationship," CESIFO Working Paper No. 3289, December 2010, http://www.cesifo-group.de/portal/pls/portal/docs/1/1183998.PDF (accessed August 8, 2012).
[19]Leslie Hooks, "China: Beijing Will Drive Global Natural Gas Demand," The Financial Times, December 20, 2011, and Jikun Huang, "Feeding Growing Food Demand in China," presentation at SAIS conference, Washington, DC, April 17, 2012, http://www.sais-jhu.edu/agriculture/Presentation%201_Jikun%20Huang_China.pdf accessed August 8, 2012).
[20]Ben Blanchard, "China Gives Bleak Assessment of its Battered Environment," Reuters, June 3, 2011, http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/06/03/china-environment-idUSL3E7H30FL20110603 (accessed August 8, 2012); Didi Kirsten Tatlow, "China's Hidden Wealth Feeds an Income Gap," The New York Times, January 25, 2012, http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/26/world/asia/26iht-letter26.html?pagewanted=all (accessed August 8, 2012); and "China's Falling Surplus Masks Domestic Imbalance, IMF Says," Bloomberg, http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-04-17/china-s-falling-trade-surplus-masks-domestic-imbalance-imf-says.html accessed August 8, 2012).
[21]Terry Miller, Kim R. Holmes, and Edwin J. Feulner, 2012 Index of Economic Freedom (Washington, DC: The Heritage Foundation and Dow Jones & Company, Inc., 2012), pp. 121–122.
[22]U.S. Department of State, "Background Note: Brazil," November 30, 2011, http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/35640.htm accessed August 8, 2012).
[23]Globalintegrity.org, "Global Integrity Report: Brazil 2009," p. 128, http://report.globalintegrity.org/reportPDFS/2009/Brazil.pdf (accessed August 21, 2012).
[24]The World Bank, "Enterprise Surveys: Brazil," 2009, http://www.enterprisesurveys.org/ accessed June 21, 2012).
[25]Business Anti-Corruption Portal, "Brazil Country Profile: Judicial System," 2011, http://www.business-anti-corruption.com/country-profiles/latin-america-the-caribbean/brazil/corruption-levels/judicial-system/ accessed August 8, 2012).
[26]"5th Brazilian Cabinet Member Resigns Amid Corruption Allegations," CNN, September 15, 2011, http://articles.cnn.com/2011-09-15/world/brazil.resignations_1_president-dilma-rousseff-corruption-probe-corruption-allegations?_s=PM:WORLD accessed August 8, 2012).
[27]Tina Søreide and Claudio Weber Abramo, "Collaboration on Anti-Corruption: Norway and Brazil," Chr. Michelsen Institute CMI Report No. 2008:1, 2008, http://www.cmi.no/publications/file/2935-collaboration-on-anti-corruption-norway-and-brazil.pdf accessed August 8, 2012).
[28]"A Bull Diminished," The Economist, May 19, 2012, http://www.economist.com/node/21555588 accessed August 8, 2012).
[29]International Monetary Fund, World Economic Outlook Database, April 17, 2012, http://www.imf.org/external/ns/cs.aspx?id=28 accessed August 8, 2012).
[30]"Brazil Investment Regulations," Economist Intelligence Unit, October 4, 2011.
[31]Doing Business, "Ease of Doing Business in Brazil," International Finance Corporation and The World Bank, 2012, http://www.doingbusiness.org/data/exploreeconomies/brazil accessed August 8, 2012).
[32]Doing Business, "Ease of Doing Business in China," International Finance Corporation and The World Bank, 2012, http://www.doingbusiness.org/data/exploreeconomies/china (ccessed August 8, 2012).
[33]Kate O'Sullivan, "Brazil is Booming (and Maddening)," CFO Magazine, July 15, 2010, http://www.cfo.com/printable/article.cfm/14508833 (accessed August 8, 2012).
[34]Jonathan Wheatley and John Paul Rathbone, "Brasileiros não parecem desejar mudanças políticas, mas empresários estão preocupados" (Brazilians Do Not Seem to Want Political Change, But Employers are Concerned), in Portuguese, UOL, January 10, 2010, http://wap.noticias.uol.com.br/midiaglobal/fintimes/2010/10/01/brasileiros-nao-parecem-desejar-mudancas-politicas-mas-empresarios-estao-preocupados.htm (accessed July 5, 2012).
[35]"Tick, Tock: The Senate Debates a Small Measure to Help Disarm an Economic Time Bomb, The Economist, March 24, 2012, http://www.economist.com/node/21551093 (accessed August 20, 2012). At the March 2012 exchange rate, 622 reals were worth about USD$300.
[38]Doing Business, "Economy Rankings: Ease of Doing Business in Brazil," 2012, http://www.doingbusiness.org/rankings (accessed August 8, 2012).
[39]Ibid., Doing Business, "Business Reforms in Peru," 2012, http://www.doingbusiness.org/reforms/overview/economy/peru (accessed August 16, 2012).
[40]Doing Business, "Ease of Doing Business in Brazil."
[41]Doing Business, "Ease of Doing Business in New Zealand," International Finance Corporation and The World Bank, 2012, http://www.doingbusiness.org/data/exploreeconomies/new-zealand/ (accessed August 8, 2012).
[42]Doing Business, "Ease of Doing Business in China."
[43]Paulo Prada, "For Brazil, It's Finally Tomorrow," The Wall Street Journal, March 29, 2010, http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704743404575127913634823670.html (accessed August 8, 2012).
[44]"Employer, Beware," The Economist, March 10, 2011, http://www.economist.com/node/18332906 (accessed August 8, 2012).
[45]Trading Economics, "Brazil Inflation Rate," August 2012, http://www.tradingeconomics.com/brazil/inflation-cpi (accessed August 20, 2012).
[46]Monica Rebelo Rodriguez and Saul B. Suslick, "An Overview of Brazilian Petroleum Exploration Lease Auctions," Terrae, Vol. 6, No. 1 (2009), pp. 6–20,
http://www.ige.unicamp.br/terrae/V6/PDF-N6/T-a1i.pdf (accessed August 8, 2012).
[47]Prada, "For Brazil, It's Finally Tomorrow."
[48]The World Bank, "Brazil: Trade-at-a-Glance Table," World Trade Indicators 2009/10, http://info.worldbank.org/etools/wti/docs/Brazil_taag.pdf (accessed August 8, 2012).
[49]"Brazil Slaps Anti-Dumping Tax on Chinese Steel," Reuters, September 6, 2011, http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/09/06/brazil-china-trade-idUSN1E7851TN20110906 (accessed August 8, 2012).
[50]"Brazil: State Role in the Economy," Economist Intelligence Unit, September 1, 2010, http://country.eiu.com/article.aspx?articleid=1307475115 (accessed August 8, 2012).
[51]"Petrobras Oil Output Up in May with Platforms Back," Reuters, June 27, 2012, http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/06/27/petrobras-brazil-production-idUSL2E8HR47H20120627 (accessed August 8, 2012).
[52]Susan Kaufman Purcell, "Brazil Creates Its Own Economic Woes," The Miami Herald, August 2, 2012. http://www.miamiherald.com/2012/08/02/2928298/brazil-creates-its-own-economic.html (accessed August 17, 2012).
[53]Samantha Pearson, "Foreign Investment in Brazil Market Dives 70%," The Financial Times, July 26, 2011.
[54]Kenneth Rapoza, "Brazil at Risk of Becoming One Big Petrobras," Forbes, February 2, 2012.
[55]James Lord, "Brazil's Equity Market Runs Risk of Overheating," The Financial Times, January 19, 2010.
[56]World Economic Forum, "The Global Competitiveness Report 2011–2012: Country Profile Highlights," http://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_GCR_CountryProfilHighlights_2011-12.pdf (accessed August 8, 2012).
[57]"Brazil: Trade Patterns and Regulations," Economist Intelligence Unit, September 1, 2011.
[59]Alexandre Marinis, "Banks Gone Wild in Brazil Distorts Market," Bloomberg, August 18, 2010, http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2010-08-19/bank-gone-wild-in-brazil-distorts-market-alexandre-marinis.html (accessed July 3, 2012).
[60]Jim O'Neill, The Growth Map: Economic Opportunity in the BRIC and Beyond (New York: Portfolio, 2011).
[61]Vinicius Medeiros, "Interview: Jim O'Neill," Petrobras Magazine, 2011, http://www.petrobras.com/en/magazine/post/interview-jim-o-neill.htm (accessed August 8, 2012).


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Vincent Jackson and Doug Martin made a powerful one-two punch in 2012, each of them in their first season with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Jackson, the prized free agent signee from San Diego, led the NFL with 19.2 yards per catch and nearly set a franchise single-season record with 1,384 receiving yards. Martin, the rookie first-round running back out of Boise State, ran for 1,454 yards, second-best in team annals, and nearly became the third rookie ever to get 2,000 combined yards.
It's fitting, then, that both Jackson and Martin were revealed to be among the NFL Network's Top 100 Players of 2013 on Thursday night, separated in the rankings by only five spots. The Network unveiled the #51-60 segment this week, and Jackson came in at 52, just ahead of Martin at 57.
Jackson and Martin are the fourth and fifth Buccaneers to place among the first 50 players revealed. Safety Dashon Goldson came in at #96, defensive tackle Gerald McCoy at #92 and cornerback Darrelle Revis at #67. That's an indication of how aggressively the Buccaneers have pursued the league's top talents in the last 14 months – Jackson, Martin, Goldson and Revis have all joined Tampa Bay's roster since March of 2012.
The NFL Network's Top 100 list, which is now in its third edition after debuting during the 2011 offseason, is compiled using the votes of NFL players themselves. The first 10-man segment was broadcast on the evening of the final day of the 2013 draft, followed by a new group of 10 unveiled each Thursday evening. Fans can check out the list and watch highlight videos for each player here on NFL.com. Fans can also vote on whether each player is underrated or overrated, and create their own NFL Top 10 list as the whole 100 is unveiled.


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Browsing Port Orford, Oregon Planning Documents by Author "Crawford, Adam"
Now showing items 1-1 of 1
Curry County multi-jurisdictional natural hazards mitigation plan : Report for Curry County and the cities of Brookings, Gold Beach, and Port OrfordOregon Partnership for Disaster Resilience; LeDuc, Andre; Bruce, Josh; Findley, Megan; Crawford, Adam; Passchier, Gregoor (Curry County (Or.), August , 2010)[more][less]
Abstract: Curry County developed this multi-jurisdictional Natural Hazard Mitigation Plan in an effort to reduce future loss of life and damage to property resulting from natural hazards. This plan was developed with and for the following jurisdictions: Curry County and the cities of Brookings, Gold Beach, and Port Orford. These are the same jurisdictions that were represented in the 2005 Curry County Natural Hazards Mitigation Plan. It is impossible to predict exactly when natural hazards will occur, or the extent to which they will affect the community. However, with careful planning and collaboration among public agencies, private sector organizations, and citizens within the community, it is possible to minimize the losses that can result from natural hazards. Description: 274 pp. Maps, tables, figures, illus., appendices. URI: http://hdl.handle.net/1794/10752
Files in this item: 1Curry_NHMP_Final_10.pdf (10.13Mb)
Now showing items 1-1 of 1


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Fried Ravioli
Recipe courtesy of Giada De Laurentiis
- Everyday Italian
Fried ravioli, a popular appetizer in St. Louis, Missouri, is breaded and deep-fried pasta. If frying pasta sounds strange to you, keep[ an open mind: crispy pasta shell, soft cheese filling and ample marinara sauce for dipping; what's not to like?]
- Olive oil, for frying
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 2 cups Italian-style bread crumbs
- 1 box store-bought cheese ravioli (about 24 ravioli)
- 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan
- 1 jar store bought marinara sauce, heated, for dipping
DirectionsWatch how to make this recipe.
Pour enough olive oil into a large frying pan to reach a depth of 2 inches. Heat the oil over medium heat until a deep-fry thermometer registers 325 degrees F.
While the oil is heating, put the buttermilk and the bread crumbs in separate shallow bowls. Working in batches, dip ravioli in buttermilk to coat completely. Allow the excess buttermilk to drip back into the bowl. Dredge ravioli in the bread crumbs. Place the ravioli on a baking sheet, and continue with the remaining ravioli.
When the oil is hot, fry the ravioli in batches, turning occasionally, until golden brown, about 3 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the fried ravioli to paper towels to drain.
Sprinkle the fried ravioli with Parmesan and serve with a bowl of warmed marinara sauce for dipping.
Recipe courtesy of Giada De Laurentiis
CATEGORIES:View All
Pairs Well With
Bright, fruity Italian red wine
- Find easy pairings for your favorite recipes, Bobby's perfect picks and party ideas.
Cooking Tips
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Recipe courtesy of Aaron McCargo Jr.
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Get in the Mood
Whether you're looking to light up a romantic rendezvous or mimic the half-light of a movie theater, get your hands on a light dimmer for instant control
For first-timers, consider Lutron's Credenza three-way lamp dimmer ($10 to $20)—it simply plugs into the lamp and then into the outlet, much like an extension cord. It saves energy; say you dim the lights by 25 percent, then you save about 25 percent on your energy bill and the bulb lasts four times longer. Plus you'll stop constantly pawing the switch underneath the shade (especially helpful for delicate, pricey pieces).
Lutron also offers a great selection of dimmers that can be easily installed in your wall in place of existing light switches. Affordable and easy to use, the new Qoto dimmers ($10 to $20) can be controlled from one or two locations and can blend into any decor when combined with Fassada fashion wallplates, which feature a "no visible screws" design.
If you're ready to dim with abandon, try one of Lutron's whole-house automated systems—RadioRA (starts at $1,800) and the more-extensive HomeWorks (starts at $5,000), which let you personalize and control all the lighting systems in your home with the push of one button. For info: 800-523-9466; lutron.com.
|Check out the complete story in the October 2003
issue of Home Magazine
|Click here for more Design and Decorating ideas


text:
Article Header
US Army Specialist, Dennis Bowsher, Colorado Springs, CO., won the fencing event with 18 victories and 6 defeats- easily positioning him to qualify for the final of the men's World Cup Pentathlon competition to be held Friday in Palm Springs, California.
Bowsher's swim and Combined (running 4x800 meters and shooting laser pistols) were up to his usual high standard in group C of the competition.
Eli Bremmer and Harry Green had extraordinary fencing results (870 and 838 respectively) while Justin Torrellas had the fastest Combined of all the semi-final groups (10:14).
Margaux Isaksen and her sister Isabella lead a strong women's team in their semi-final competition Thursday.


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Build a tour for your property on TourVista.
Our marketing platform helps sell or rent your real estate.
Create a virtual tour in a few minutes, including interactive floor plans. Spread the word on Craigslist, Facebook and more.
Gorgeous presentation, superb marketing tools. It's all at your fingertips with TourVista. Setup a virtual tour for free.
- Each TourVista virtual tour includes three versions to help your online marketing effort:
- Large Widget
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- Dedicated Website
Expand the marketing reach of your TourVista virtual tour with the Large Widget. It is easy to add the Large Widget to other websites – just copy/paste a single line of code.
If your virtual tour includes interactive floor plans, they will show in the Large Widget. If not, we've got your covered: thumbnails of your photos and video scenes will show instead.
The Large Widget is supported by all major blogging platforms and content management systems.
Dynamite comes in small packages with TourVista's Mini Widget. Embed a more condensed version of your virtual tour on your website and blog. No matter how big your home is, no page column is too narrow for the Mini Widget!
The Mini Widget is supported by all major blogging platforms and content management systems.
A dedicated website just for your property. Give your viewers the ultimate virtual tour and send them directly to your dedicated property website. Each site you create with TourVista will have a unique URL that you can use in your marketing efforts. For example, see www.tourvista.com/81 - this is the site TourVista's founder uses to rent his condo in West Seattle.


text:
"I hope to have a safe crossing and to make it a positive experience for the rest of the crew. I also expect to set some records along the way, including a speed record for crossing the Indian Ocean," said Madsen. The current speed record of 64 days was set back in 1971.
Madsen, a veteran of the U.S. Marine Corps and a breast cancer survivor, is also looking to break three other records. If successful, she will become not just the first woman with a physical disability to row across the Indian Ocean, but the first woman ever to do so. Additionally, if the team makes it to Mauritius, it will become the first-ever 8-man crew to row across any ocean.
"More than 30 applicants submitted their names to be considered for this crew. I'm truly astonished that I was not only selected to be a part of this event, but I was asked to be the skipper of the boat, as well," said Madsen. "It's a gratifying feeling to know I'm being seen for my ability and experience and not being overlooked because of any physical limitation I might have."
Madsen became the first woman with a physical disability to successfully row across the Atlantic Ocean in 2007. She and a partner completed that crossing in 66 days, 23 hours and 24 minutes. Most recently, Madsen represented the United States at the 2008 Paralympic Games in Beijing, China, where rowing made its Paralympic Games debut.
For more information on Madsen, the crew and the Indian Ocean crossing, visit Row of Life.


text:
Topic: File storage and
I have a large number of files, each of which is a ruby program that generates a question. Is it OK to create a folder in "lib" for them? I would like to be able to call them from the "question" model by filename (stored as an attribute of question class). I am wondering if I can then "require" the file as needed?
Thanks for the help.
Last edited by dcastellano1 (2012-08-24 13:05:59)


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Our strategy
Address complex natural resource and climate change adaptation issues, with a focus on increasing resiliency in the face of drought and other external shocks. Improve health in rural communities vulnerable to malnutrition, and help farmers and business owners improve their livelihoods. Improve connections between local community organizations and private sector partners to foster innovation.
The context
Ethiopia is Africa's second-most populous nation, and although the economy have been steadily growing, the vast majority of Ethiopia remains impoverished. More than 83 percent of the population lives in rural areas vulnerable to droughts caused by climate change as well as economic instability and conflict spillover from neighboring Somalia and South Sudan.
Our work
- Health: Treating malnourished children and pregnant mothers, and training local communities and health providers to address health issues.
- Agriculture & Food: Improving agricultural practices and supporting income generation of pastoral and farming households
- Economic opportunity: Supporting pastoralists and small business owners through improved access to financial services. Empowering women and girls to become part of the economic process.
All stories about Ethiopia
Ethiopia: Saving and succeeding
Within Mercy Corps' PROSPER program, the Savings and Credit Cooperative project brings much confidence to women in the Konso district of Ethiopia. Once a woman has saved a small amount of money, she is able to join the savings co-op and become eligible to apply for small business loans.
Ethiopia: Reading, finally
They sit in the shade and practice writing for one hour each day, for five days a week. This is usually done in the morning, well before their daily chores begin. While they do this, their older children take care of the younger ones in order to support their mother's education.
Ethiopia: Helping Ethiopian mothers protect their children
It is astonishing to know that very simple solutions exist that will protect our youngest citizens against diseases, yet so few children have access to this basic health care in countries where it is most needed.
Ethiopia: Improving health and education in Ethiopia
Editor's note: Freelance photographer and Mercy Corps supporter Joni Kabana is traveling in Ethiopia and will be visiting our Empowering Ethiopian Girls for Peaceful Change initiative in the eastern part of the country.
Ethiopia: Girls in eastern Ethiopia access literacy and vocational training for the first time
In the city of Gode in eastern Ethiopia's Somali Regional State, Mercy Corps worked with a local vocational training center to set up a computer lab for local girls, in order to provide them with computer skills and literacy training.
Ethiopia: Water, health, safety and extra time
In many parts of Ethiopia, water — or the lack thereof — is a matter of life or death. Birtukan Bulki knows this better than most.
Ethiopia: A view of water poverty
Ethiopia: Bringing Ethiopian communities together through sport
Ethiopia: Images: Helping Ethiopia's daughters stay in school
Ethiopia: Partnering with Angelique Kidjo to help Ethiopian girls stay in school
Starting today, there will be more educational opportunities for young women in some of southern Ethiopia's poorest villages.