text:
Our Mission
The Peace and Justice Action League of Spokane engages everyday people to build a just and nonviolent world
Our Vision for PJALS
Everyday people are together advancing peace, economic justice, and human rights, through campaigns grounded in the intersections of these values. We are:
- Engaging youth, cultivating youth leadership and long-term involvement.
- Nurturing strong relationships & active partnerships with communities of color, LGBT+ communities, faith communities, and other progressive bases.
- Sharing our messages, setting the frame of debates, and engaging everyday people.
- Delivering high-quality work through robust volunteer involvement and leadership, appropriate staffing, strong organizational systems, and a funding base that's expanding, stable, and sufficient.
The History of PJALS
We're delighted to share with you our video "Engaging Everyday People" celebrating our 40 years of engaging everyday people for peace and justice!
Click here for all posts about our Anniversary!
PJALS works on issues of peace, economic justice, and human rights. We have been active since 1975, promoting social, political and economic change through grassroots community organizing, nonviolence training, volunteer involvement, education and advocacy. We network with local, regional and national peace and human rights groups to initiate change locally and globally. PJALS is a nonprofit 501(c)3 corporation.
PJALS depends upon gifts and dues from members. We welcome anyone who favors free exchange of ideas and nonviolent action to war or to inaction and ignorance. PJALS members are low-income and professional, young and older, new to action and seasoned, urban and rural. Members determine their own level of support and participation. Members also determine issues and projects that get the most attention and effort.
Will you make a donation to support our work?


text:
The Poetry of Elorithryn
Sinps and snatches of the poety I've written through the years...
A Rose
A rose, a lonely rose,
That sits as it grows;
And ponders the world,
As its leaf is curled.
It will sit and wait,
For a rose's fate;
And on the dawn of that day,
All its petals will fade away.
Unless it goes to a Victorian home,
Where a rose is preserved with a life of its own;
Over the household it will watch with care,
And joyfully observe all that goes there.
And when in the end its time is past,
The legacy it leaves will still be fast;
For the rose's sweet scent will linger on,
Until the last of its children are finally gone.
[Author's note: The first two stanzas were written in 6th grade, while the last two were written just after college (university)]

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Notice: On March 31, it was announced that Statalist is moving from an email list to a forum. The old list will shut down on April 23, and its replacement, statalist.org is already up and running.
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st: R: missing data for LCA, cross-sectional complex survey data
"Carlo Lazzaro" <firstname.lastname@example.com>
st: R: missing data for LCA, cross-sectional complex survey data
Wed, 7 Jul 2010 07:43:52 +0200
As far as references about missing data are concerned, Peter may want to
take a look at:
McKnight, P. E., McKnight, K.M., Sidani, S., Figueredo, A.J. Missing Data: A
Gentle Introduction. New York: The Guilford Press, 2007
Little RJA, Rubin DB. Statistical Analysis With Missing Data (2nd ed).
Chichester: Wiley, 2002.
Rubin DB. Multiple Imputation For Nonresponse In Survey. Hoboken: Wiley
Classics Library, 2004.
Groves RM, Dilman DA, Eltinge JL, Little RJA. Survey Nonresponse. New York:
Wiley, 2002.
HTH and Kind Regards,
-----Messaggio originale-----
Da: email@example.com
[mailto:email@example.com] Per conto di Cabrera, Peter
Inviato: mercoledì 7 luglio 2010 6.40
A: email@example.com
Oggetto: st: missing data for LCA, cross-sectional complex survey data
First time poster here. I am relatively new to Stata and I am still learning
about various approaches to handling missing data. My questions pertain
mostly to statistics and not coding. I am using Stata version 11.1.
I performed a "baseline" exploratory LCA using Mplus version 5.2. Of course,
Mplus handled the missing data on the latent class indicators using FIML,
and I obtained a 3 class solution. However, there was substantial
missingness on the polytymous covariates I wanted to include in the model
(ranging from 5% to 20%, MAR). Following the guidelines in Applied Survey
Data Analysis by Heeringa, West & Berglund, I was able to use Royston's MI
ICE command in Stata 11.1 to impute the missing data. I used all of the
analysis variables as well as auxiliary variables as recommended by Heeringa
et al., the UCLA Statistical computing website, and almost every other
source I encountered including the Stata Journal, etc (I have also ordered 2
texts on Amazon devoted entirely to handling missing data and I am eagerly
awaiting their arrival...if anyone can recommend something akin to the
Complete Idiot's Guide to Missing Data, I would be forevever in your debt).
Next, I imported the imputed !
data sets (M=10) into Mplus. I then ran the baseline Latent Class model
again using the imputed data, but this time I obtained a 3 class solution
with wildly different proportions for each latent class.
I have since updated to Mplus version 6, and I am receiving virtually the
same baseline 3 class solution as I obtained using MI ICE in Stata 11.1. If
I grok what I have been reading, MI is generally superior to FIML approaches
to handling missing data. But I still shouldn't be obtaining such vastly
different results for the baseline LC model, no?. My questions are:
(1) Given the differences in the baseline LC solutions when using FIML vs
MI, is it safe to assume that I must have seriously screwed up when I
specified my missing data models?
(2) Is there an alternate universe where it might be acceptable to only use
MI for the covariates in the LC model while using FIML to handle missingness
on the LC indicators (I suspect the answer is a resounding "no" and that by
even posing such a question I deserve nothing but scorn and derision....As a
non statistician, I figured it couldn't hurt to ask, however. Please be
Thank you for your consideration.
P. Cabrera
* For searches and help try:
* http://www.stata.com/help.cgi?search
* http://www.stata.com/support/statalist/faq
* http://www.ats.ucla.edu/stat/stata/
* For searches and help try:
* http://www.stata.com/help.cgi?search
* http://www.stata.com/support/statalist/faq
* http://www.ats.ucla.edu/stat/stata/


text:
Hi there. I'm a new owner of a preowned Honda Odyssey 2002 and am delighted with it so far. The vehicle only has a cd player but I wanted, if possible to add a tape deck to it also. Before you call me crazy I want to add it so that I can utilize my mp3 payer through the tape deck. I know I can buy used radio/tape decks for around $30 but I have know idea about how to hook it up. There's a slot right below the cd/radio where it should fit but I don't know which cables need unhooked or if I need a splitter or something. I've already taken the dash apart to get the serial number for the cd play (silly security codes) so I know what I'm doing there.
Any help would be much appreciated.
Thanks in advance


text:
The research for the Youth Justice Board found that reoffending risk factors around family and personal relationships, education, and training and employment, reduced more for young offenders serving longer sentences than those serving six months or less.
Prison staff also cast doubt on the effectiveness of shorter sentences, with one in three stating that they offered "insufficient time for staff to build strong relationships" or provide "appropriate and effective" interventions.
The report said that these findings, coupled with previous research on short sentences and evidence that intensive community punishment results in lower reoffending rates, meant that alternatives should be considered.
"Options could include increasing the minimum length of a detention and training order to 12 months, alongside a higher custody threshold and replacing sentences of six months or less with community-based alternatives," the report states.
The government has previously expressed a desire to move away from handing young people shorter sentences, through strengthening community options.
Andrew Neilson, director of campaigns at the Howard League for Penal Reform, said the research shows that short-term prison sentences are "failing children".
"Effective community sentences that work with children to help them turn their backs on crime are the solution," he said.
"Warehousing children in a prison filled with other troubled young people, often for a period of weeks, is counterproductive, inhumane and a pitiful waste of public money.
"We could not agree more with the report's conclusions. Custody should be reserved for the very few children who need some time in a secure environment.
"It is high time that we moved towards a system where we are no longer needlessly locking up the potential of so many children."
The research was based on a survey of 1,245 young people approaching the end of a custodial sentence, an analysis of administrative records, and 42 in-depth interviews with secure estate staff.


text:
Aaaaaaah HIMYM booth! dammit haha
Times square, comedy show, HIMYM bar
Trip Start Aug 17, 2013
541Trip End Ongoing
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We took some photos and then walked a few blocks in the rain in the direction of Times Square where we bumped into Bryant park
We were constantly being approached by people selling tickets to comedy shows, their opening line being "hey guys you like drinking and laughing? Then come to a comedy show tonight!" We got talking to a guy who promised us the who's who of NYC comedy and the best meal we would eat in NYC cooked by a contestant from Hell's Kitchen. He was convincing so we got 3 tickets to go tonight.
Brett was in town visiting his family so I gave him a call and he came and met up with us in Times Square, we went around the corner to one of the many Irish pubs that surrounds Times Square
After dawdling around for a few hours, shopping and organizing, we headed to "the stand" comedy club for our show. As promised I did have a meal that the coming few days would have to work really hard to beat- "duck duck goose" which was roast duck with a side of roast goose and marrow dumplings. Now that my mouth was warmed up it was ready to laugh so we headed downstairs for the show. The show had 5 comedians; Big Jay Oakerson, Kurt Metzger, Luis Katz, Ben Bailey and Wyatt Cenac, all celebrities in North America but lost on me. However they are all famous for a reason and we didn't stop laughing the whole 2 hours except when we wanted to puke at the talk of fat smelly vaginas being rubbed over the face of a fat smelly bearded comedian. That aside I would definitely recommend doing a comedy show in NYC.
To top off the great day we went to probably the coolest place in the world- mcgees (mclarens) the bar from how I met your mother. After running around like a child looking at all of the memorabilia from the show I sat down in "the booth" that the shows booth was modelled off and enjoyed a jug of beer. The drinks menu is modelled off episode in the show like "the slutty pumpkin", "robin sparkles", and "the naked man" which just added to the amusement. After contemplating buying a commemorative t shirt for $16 (no thanks) we all went home to bed


text:
Layers of Christian Community: 'Micro'
It is no secret that this is the most neglected and forgotten layer in the Church.
It is also in this layer that lies the secret to everything – the pathway to a spiritually vibrant community life.
In the first layer we considered the power of a life centered on God. While the Christian walk is never private, it is inherently personal; inviting each heart to pay attention to the love and power of God in their life. Learning to cultivate a unique, organic relationship with the Divine is what produces the unyielding stream of life that Jesus promises in John 4.
As John Donne has aptly stated, "No man, is an island." We cannot thrive as humans while separated from others. Nevertheless, there is a neglect of the Micro Layer, especially in the West, where individualism and mass corporatism reign supreme. We are a highly narcissistic bunch, and unfortunately, this makes truly engaging the lives of one or two others very difficult, if not impossible. We want it to be "all about me" making "empathy," "teamwork," and "community" good ideas only…but ones that are never realized.
Generally speaking, the Church in the West has only a tacit awareness of the Micro Layer – the communities of two or three. Accountability groups became for many nothing more than sin-management sessions, and Catholic priestly confession took an important habit of the early church and distorted it, setting up an actual one-way wall that only invited one-way confessions. In contrast, I believe that we are all priests, and we are all confessors. 1 Peter 2:9
Much of the burden of spiritual formation has been left up to two people in the Western Church: the first is the pastor, who does what one can to spiritually nurture a crowd once a week, and second, the loner Christian whose spiritual life and struggles are not to be shared with anyone else for fear of rejection from the group. This becomes particularly toxic when the pastor takes his own spiritual formation as privately as the rest of us – which results in many of the clergy scandals we've seen in the news of late.
But a quick skim through the relationships found in the Scriptures shows a different life. David and Jonathan didn't have the private-life reservations we Americans hold today. They knew that life was best lived with a friend at your side. Jonathan even made a vow of brotherhood to David in covenantal friendship, 1 Sam 18:3-4. Or what about Moses and Aaron – learning to lean on each others' strengths to fulfill the will of God that bound them together for life. Or Paul and Barnabas, who relied on each other to earn the trust of Jewish Christians and Gentile skeptics for the sake of the Gospel. Or Peter, James and John – Jesus' tight knit band of brothers. That's what we need – we need a band of brothers.
We need a fellowship of the heart that will fight for each other. To be a place of sanctuary for another's heart where they can feel safe to ask tough questions without fear of rejection, mutually confess sin, and realize dreams they could never achieve on their own. Where the challenge of discipleship can be lived out on a practical level and practice the teachings of Jesus. It is in the Micro Layer that we first experience God's Kingdom come on Earth as it is in Heaven…the hard work of peace-making, reconciliation, and loving/ serving/ submitting/ praying for one another.
It takes a church to raise a Christian.
This is the smallest unit of church – where the core elements of the Church's DNA are first expressed: Divine Truth, Nurturing Relationships, and Aposotlic Mission. I think of the Micro Layer as the most important part of the church.
Like leaves on a tree – they may be the weakest part of the organism, but leaves are where light enters in, and collectively they keep the tree healthy and strong. If a tree has a strong trunk, but no healthy leaves, we assume the tree is sick and dying. The same is true for a church – the massive worship gatherings may be strengthening to the church, but if marriages, fathers and sons, mothers and daughters, and soul friends throughout the crowd are not connecting with each other and inviting God to speak to them, there is something very sick about the church. This is the power of the Micro Layer.
Why do so many avoid the Micro Layer? Because it is easier to keep our masks on and hide in our shadows. But the benefits of community (Eccl 4:9-12), accountability (1 Tim 5:19), confession (Matt 18:15-17), flexibility (Matt 18:20), and especially reproducibility (2 Tim 2:2) bring transformation to every child of God.
The Micro Layer is the "on ramp" for each disciple into living the abundant life Jesus promised and the earliest Christians experienced.
I've observed that many, when they realize this piece of their spiritual life is lacking, quickly get frustrated because there is no program to join or curriculum to follow. At the micro level, there are only simple structures. Below are a few examples of the Micro Layer in action:
- Life Transformation Groups – our organic church network attempts to make LTG's a community practice. It involves a same-gender group of 2-3 reading lots of God's Word (25-30 chapters a week), confessing sin to each other while speaking forgiveness over each other, and praying for the lost. The DNA of the Church in its most raw form.
- CO2's – or "church of two." In addition to LTG's we are pushing marriages and families to take on the task of being the church together in a daily way. It means listening to our hearts and sharing them honestly with one other person. Using the tool of SASHET and VIRKLER we are "listening attentively to my heart, your heart and God's heart."
- Read up on the Anamchara from 6th Century Celtic Christians in Soul Friend.
- Read the Shack, and consider the "Micro Layer" found in the Trinity!
- Check out Centered by my friend and mentor Kent Smith.
Why would Jesus send his 70 disciples out to share his gospel in pairs? Couldn't he have spread his message further with 70 individuals rather than 35 pairs? I think his decision reveals God's desire for a the human heart – to have a companion for the journey. Whether its Adam and Eve, Paul and Timothy, or you and me, as soon as one disciple of Christ joins another, they become an "incarnate capsule of the Kingdom," "Jesus with skin on," displaying the glory of God through redemptive relationship.
Imagine what would be different about the Church if everyone was in a covenant friendship with just one other Christian. Just imagine…it would change the world. The Micro Layer may be the hardest to find, and the hardest to keep – but for those who seek it – there is no doubt they will find it. And lives will be transformed.


text:
Free Samples tagged with 'Free Books'
Free Science Fiction/Fantasy eBooks from Baen Publishing
Free Stuff Tags: Media, Free Stuff, Book, Science Fiction, Online Freebies, Downloadable Books, Fantasy, Books Online, Baen Books, Baen Free Library, Online Freebies, Free Books
Baen Books has a really neat selection of Sci-Fi and Fantasy books online available for free download in various formats or as web pages, collectively known as the Baen Free Library. These are full books, not sample chapters. There are numerous well-known Sci-Fi/Fantasy authors available, including Harry Turtledove, Andre Norton, Fred Saberhagen, David Weber, David Drake, Jerry Pournelle, Larry Niven, Mercedes Lackey, and many others. These tend to be older books by these authors, not their most well-known works, but still, if you like Sci-Fi or Fantasy novels, this is a treasure trove of free reads. Click on The Series, The Authors, or The Books to see what is available free on the site. To download the free eBooks, click on the title of the book, and then choose the format that you would like to download the eBook from, which is located under the book cover image.
Note: If you choose the option to "Email book to my Kindle", Amazon will charge you $.15 per MB sent by email TO your Kindle. We are not trying to discourage you from doing so, we just want to be as clear as possible, as the fee is not charged by Baen Publishing!
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text:
Of the future in Iraq, the study's three authors say this: "The premise is continued engagement, not disengagement, but in contrast to the Bush administration's current approach, America's support to Iraq would not come for free." Prediction: expect this to be the basis for Obama's campaign position, cloaked, of course, in more comforting and soothing rhetoric.
Hard-line war opponents will ask, "What is Obama afraid of?"
One answer is that Obama fears the domestic political backlash that will result in some shape or form once the American public makes the leap that the withdrawal they justifiably favor means that Bush's war, which the public once bought into, was a failure. Traditionally, American culture has not been big on failure. Contemporary culture is also not big on personal responsibility. If Obama fears being held accountable for the collapse of Bush's war, he has good reason to be. Here in the United States of Amnesia, the guy on the spot gets the credit or the blame. And Obama, savvy pol that he is, wants as much credit and as little blame as possible.
The other answer is that Bush's backsliding in Afghanistan, his stalemate in Iraq, and his expanded secret war against Iran has seriously destabilized the entire Near and Middle East. If Obama is indeed the next president, it makes sense for him to hedge his bets.
Those troubled by the expected Obama readjustment on Iraq should ask themselves this: who is preferable? A compromising Obama? Or a gung-ho McCain?
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text:
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text:
County budget down 6 percent; city's up nearly by 22
While Roswell city leaders have approved a $19.6 million increase in [auth] the city's budget, Chaves County leaders have trimmed $2.8 million from the county's authorized year-to-year spending, while also giving all county employees raises.
The Chaves County commissioners last month unanimously approved the county's $43,354,116 budget for the 2014-15 fiscal year.
The county's projected spending from July 1, 2014, through June 30, 2015, is a 6.1 percent reduction from the county's 2013-14 budget of $46,200,394.
By contrast, the Roswell City Council last week approved a 21.7 percent increase in the city's authorized expenditures from last fiscal year.
The city's $110,332,668 budget for the 2014-15 fiscal year is a $19,658,552 increase in authorized spending from the city's $90,674,116 budget for the 2013-14 fiscal year.
The city's budget passed 8-1 at an emergency City Council meeting Thursday, after failing to pass a roll call vote at a special City Council meeting on July 29.
City Councilor Steve Henderson cast the dissenting vote, saying he had concerns revenues would be sufficient to meet the city's first-ever, nine-figure budget of $100 million-plus.
The city needed to pass a final budget by July 31 to meet a reporting deadline with the New Mexico Department of Finance and Administration.
City leaders said the city's budget expenditures will increase $19.6 million in a single fiscal year because of one-time only, non-recurring revenues and expenses totaling $23,667,965.
The city's $110 million budget includes $8.5 million for a runway project at the airport, $4,699,000 for the North Main Street rehabilitation project, $2.7 million for bond refinancing, $2 million for New Mexico Youth ChalleNGe, $2 million for a clean water loan, $1,271,270 for a hangar project at the airport, $581,342 to pave the parking lot at DeBremond Stadium, $500,000 for a roofing project at Yucca Recreation Center, and $1,416,353 in other legislative appropriations.
The city is receiving state and federal matching funding for several of the capital projects.
The commissioners adopted their final budget for the 2014-15 fiscal year on July 24.
Both the city and county fiscal years began July 1.
Staff increases
Both the county's and city's budgets for the 2014-15 fiscal year add employees.
The county's budget adds seven new full-time positions for the Chaves County Detention Center that is under renovation, while eliminating the county's indigent health care position.
The indigent health care position, which is currently vacant, has been rendered obsolete with the expansion of Medicaid in New Mexico and the new federal health care law informally known as Obamacare.
The total number of county employees will increase from 260 to 267, said Chaves County chief financial officer Joe Sedillo. Four jail positions are being added this summer, with three more in January.
County Manager Stanton Riggs said the county has not added employees in 10 years. Riggs said the new positions were only necessary due to the $15 million jail renovation that is expected to be completed next year.
A half dozen more jail employees are expected to be added in future county budgets.
"Food service and medical service (costs) will also go up," Riggs said.
Two-thirds of the jail renovation costs are being paid by the county.
The city's budget adds three police officers to serve as school resource officers, one animal control officer, and a part-time custodian to the city's 600-employee workforce.
Budget breakdowns
The county's $43.3 million budget for the 2014-15 fiscal year entails $23,199,327 for operational costs, $10,215,611 for personnel, $9,332,178 for construction costs, and $607,000 for capital outlay projects.
Riggs said the operational costs of the county's various departments were flat-lined from last fiscal year.
The county's $43.3 million of authorized spending for the 2014-15 fiscal year is funded by $30,440,565 of projected revenues, with carry-over funds making up the difference.
The county's 2013-14 fiscal year budget of $46,200,394 was predicated on $35,467,686 of projected revenues, and carry-over funds.
The city's budget entails $35,769,315 for personnel, $32,768,593 for operational costs, and $41,794,760 for capital projects.
The city's $110 million budget is funded by $91,560,053 of anticipated revenues, and $18,772,615 of carry-over funds from the city's 2013-14 budget.
Pay raises
The county's budget for 2014-15 includes 3 percent across-the-board wage increases for all county employees. The raises are the first cost-of-living increases for county employees in three years, when county employees also received 3 percent cost-of-living raises.
Sheriff Rob Coon said the pay raises for deputies would help the sheriff's office with recruitment and retention.
"Everyone is very thankful for that," Coon said.
The city's budget for 2014-15 does not include across-the-board raises for city employees, although it does include $341,000 more for additional health insurance costs for city employees.
The county's budget includes a 10 percent increase in the county's costs for employee health insurance.
Riggs said this is the third straight year county employees have experienced double-digit increases in health insurance costs, rising 35 percent in three years.
The city's 2014-15 fiscal year budget is predicated on a 2.5 percent increase in the city's gross receipt tax collections.
Henderson said the city's projected collections of GRT proceeds was "stretching the imagination of revenues."
"I don't think they'll be there, but I hope I'm wrong," Henderson said at the City Council's meeting Thursday when the final budget was adopted.
County Commissioner Greg Nibert said the county's purse strings would be tight for the next few years until a bond for the Chaves County Courthouse bond is paid off in 2019.
"In 2019, there should be some easing of the budget numbers," Nibert said at the commissioners' July 24 meeting. "Some projects that have been out on hold, we ought to be able to address them as a county. The overall budget, I think is good."
Nibert and Commissioner Kyle "Smiley" Wooton said raising taxes was not an option.
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text:
The Kauffman foundation has produced the results of its latest survey of economics bloggers. Included in the survey was a question at the request of Bryan Caplan that I found quite interesting. The survey asked:
The net externality of the birth of an additional child in the United States is… [POSITIVE, ZERO, or NEGATIVE]
The results show that a majority of econo-bloggers believe the externalities to be positive:
This begs the question of the externalities of immigrants. After all, positive externalities for natives probably don't start appearing until after high school or college, and before that they are on average consuming far more than they produce.
Since the average immigrant age is around 30, that means when they've arrived they are already past the stage when they just consume society's resources, and have begun producing externalities. Doesn't this suggest that positive externality of immigrants is even larger than that for natives? If you're going to claim that the average lower education level of immigrants reduces their externalities, keep in mind that immigrants are also more likely to be small business owners and PhDs than natives.
It's interesting that when immigration is discussed economists quickly jump to the debate about the impact on native wages. I doubt that the 72% of economists above believe that the average externality of people is smaller than 6% of the wages of highschool dropouts, which is around the lowest credible estimate in the literature, so why don't economists accept that externalities of immigrants trump wage effects and quickly move to arguing for more immigration?


text:
Another nice contestant bites the big one, leaving us with five determined women but who is looking like a winner to you? I'd say Frances at this stage because she's brilliant but she's also taking on board the judge's feedback and adapting to survive. Anyway, someone else will be with you next week, for one week only. Then it's me all the way to the final. Have a good night and see you in a fortnight!
Beca warns that the atmosphere in the tent will sour next week. And in the flash-forward to next week, Ruby breaks a Pyrex bowl with the sheer force of her gloom.
The evictee
Tonight's unfortunate is... Glenn. I don't believe it. They've done it again. He should NOT be leaving tonight. He should form a support group with Rob and Howard. This series is totally discriminating against the men. I might write a letter. Christine, it's you next week.
The moment of truth
The star baker is...Frances
The Eccles cakes a good. The mille fuille is well baked but the fruit is raw. The baskets are perfect. Could she have done more? So who is going? Name a name.
And now will Christine redeem herself with those dead flies?
Kimberley's also go down well apart from one flaky base. Now for Ruby and her untidy confection. It's messy like her hair but Paul reassures her that they taste really nice. He didn't say that to Glenn.
Frances' flavours have worked. "Right, the horn" says Paul. He likes it too. She is through, no question.
Beca's golden array has risen beautifully but Paul doesn't think they look all that. He shoves most of a vol au vent into his gob and says it's not bad.
Paul sharpens his claws to lay into Glenn's "special pastry". And he's used too much cinnamon. Oh no, could the last man standing be on the verge of tent eviction?
And so to the final tasting. They all look spent.
"Get a ruddy grip," says Mel to Ruby, with passion. We've all been shouting it at the screen for weeks. Well done, Mel.
Goo is being piped in zigzag patterns which can only mean we're on the final straight. Five minutes to go and then we'll know who has made it to the quarter final. Could it be Christine's week to leave? And if not, who else?
Beca's mille feulle has risen to impossible heights and looks like a bouncy castle. I don't think that's supposed to happen.
Frances is wrapping little pastry horns around tiny steel cones. Where do you even buy tiny steel cones? The Lakeland catalogue probably.
The Eccles cakes are being filled and then rolled flat to resemble fly sandwiches. Christine is daydreaming about putting live flies in which will buzz around Mary's head when she bites into one.
Christine's making Eccles cakes and two other fruity numbers. She admits the pressure is getting to her but the fight is going out of her, you can tell. I'm trying to decide if that means she's now an underdog and I can like her again.
Glenn needs to be further ahead as usual.
Ruby is making white chocolate ganache. Bit sickly. But also my favourite thing, Portuguese custard tarts. Mmmm. Paul and Ruby's interactions continue to rankle. He's going for the full blue steel and it's skeeving me out.
Kimberley's trio of tarts sounds the most complicated. I'm already having palpitations at the idea of freezing things and hoping they'll be cold enough in time. Why do they do this to themselves. They need freezers with windows so they can gawp through the glass at their slowly chilling pastry. Just to torture themselves further.
Paul and Mary watch Glenn make his "new pastry" like a couple of smoking prefects at the corner of the netball court, watching a first year pick up their used fag butts.
Frances rolls furiously while bantering with the judges. I'd wave the rolling pin at them and tell them to rack off. How is one supposed to bake with Hollywood breathing all over your surfaces?
Paul rather cattily calls Glenn's pastry "this new pastry". He's a doubting Hollywood.
Puff pastry is 50% butter so why does it always taste like layers of arid paper bag and air to me? Beca politely tells the judges to go away so she can get on with her pastry. Kimberley is explaining the folding technique whereby you folding the mixture into the flour in great big lumps. Glenn has chucked away the rule book and is using a food mixer. He's going to crash and burn. Baking has rules. You do not break the rules.
Beca has a mouthful of nun bun and cannot tell us how happy she is to have won the tech challenge. I'd like to see them eating the stuff more. Otherwise where's the fun?
The showstopper should be spectacular. Massive horns are mentioned. They're pretty much freestyling with puff pastry. The sky is the limit. If Rob was still in the competition, not even the sky would stop him. Imagine his mighty puff pastry space station, twinkling with silver balls. They are fools to have sacked him off if only they knew.
Beca's nuns are getting a good report. No hail Mary (Berries) for Beca tonight. Sorry. Christine's face is fixed in misery as both judges give her the thumbs down. As for the others, they've done pretty well. Last place goes to Christine. Ouch. Second is Ruby and first is Beca. Paul and Ruby can't do eye contact without looking all shy. Oh dear. I hope this isn't going the way I think it might be.
The nun buns have proved too difficult for some. All that slippery chocolate makes it almost impossible for them to stand erect under the studio lights. And so to the tasting.
Now the contestants wield syringes full of creme pattisiere to fill their hollow buns. I wouldn't want any of these people ever administering intravenous drugs to me, judging by their shaky techniques. "I don't think I'd be able to cover it up with ganache," says Christine of her flawed offerings. She knows Mary will find her out. And she's furious. One of Glenn's nuns has lost her head and then oozed brains when he tried to stick it back on. I can't watch.
Christine's buns have not puffed. I'm twanging an elastic band on my wrist to remind me not to smirk.
They all begin piping their mixture. I'd be hopeless this week as piping is another thing I always cock up. Meringue and I are not friends either for this reason. The choux buns are puffing up nicely as everyone crouches by their ovens, peering through the window like a floury stalker.
I love it when Glenn admonishes himself. He is his own harshest critic. He's so angry at himself for not beating the eggs that I'm fully expecting him to take himself off round the back of the tent and black his own eye.
Choux pastry is what they use to make profiteroles right? Ooh, will that be the show-stopper? It's bound to be isn't it? I want someone to make a half-scale depiction of the Bake-Off tent in profiteroles with a profiterole Mary and Paul inside. I'm getting ahead of myself. Back to the creamy nuns. Sue started it!
Over all, everyone managed pretty well. Close-up of a bee on a flower and we're back under canvas for the technical challenge. This week is Mary Berry's recipe. I can't spell them in French but they are basically little nuns full of cream. "I've never eaten a nun before," says Sue with outrageous blatant pride.
Kimberely's is "steamed perfectly" and Christine's is infuriatingly back on form. Mary almost spits out the word "perfect". Well done, Christine. *tight smile*
Beca's juicy lamb pud has almost worked but there's way too much pastry. What a lot of stodge. Paul and Mary will be constipated for weeks, I fear. Imagine if you suddenly became wheat intolerant and you were Mary Berry. Career over.
Glenn's pud and booze sauce looks richer than a premiership footballer. Paul loves the brandy but Mary finds it overwhelming which is not like her. Ruby's jam roly poly goes down well with Mary, Paul loves the ice cream. "I'd choose that on a menu," he simpers at Ruby. Frances' goat gamble hasn't entirely backfired and her flavours pass muster.
Ooh, someone has made spun sugar 1980s telephone cords. A neat trick. Jugs of custard and butterscotch sauce are being filled, ice cream is scooped. The challenge is... over.
"Do you like goat," Frances asks Sue. Sue does a face like, well, a goat smelling its own cheese. Glenn's given up with the grill and is now resorting to naked fire. Will anything cook his ornate suet log?
Frances is making ice cream to go with her pudding. Glenn is sloshing in yet more alcohol to "keep Mary happy". What is it with the contestants this series? Howard tried to dose her up with hemp, Glenn's trying to get her legless.
Half an hour until the signature suet challenge is at an end. Glenn's tin is leaking bubbling fat, Ruby's bun roll looks jammy, Christine's tight-lipped which is a sure sign she's worried.
I do love ceilidh but I'm now picturing a shivering Scottish community all gathered around one dumpling. I don't think that's what the Scottish lady meant.
And the puddings are in the oven. Some are wrapped and secured with strung, others simply flung in the oven on a tray. They are all baking entirely different things which surely defeats the object of comparing their results.
Now for the historical bit. Something about Mull, crofters and some women standing in a large bucket. Wither the suet? Ah, there it is. Call me picky, but a close-up of something slicing fat like a Sunday roast is quite off-putting.
Ah, the Chelsea bun roll, my old friend. I don't know if you know this but I myself made some....oh all right all right. Glenn is surprised but happy to still be in the competition and is celebrating with boozy prune pudding. He's cheating by cooking it in a shaped baking tin which looks like a hangbag.
Christine's eye contact with Mary Berry says, "Don't screw with me, bitch". Forgive the language but Christine's either really concentrating or she hates Mary. A lot. Kimberely is struggling with her hatred of authority and Glenn is nodding like Joey in Friends saying "How you doin?" while he brandishes a bottle of Armanac. Beca's pudding is savory and features lamb, the juiciest of all the meats. Paul asks her how she will combat her juice. I despair.
Ruby seems more focused this week. The light behind her eyes has come back on. Oh, it's the new cat! Pet therapy has awoken something in Ruby's otherwise doleful head. I'm pleased. Although she does herself no favours referring to herself as "one of those cat ladies". She's got a few decades until she can declare herself "on the shelf".
Frances is going for the flavour again this week with a giant fig roll affair, incorporating honey and ground almonds. She is talking my language so far. Until the "hint of goat" bit. Worth it for Mel's impression of a small, sad goat.
Hang on, the first challenge is a suet pudding which is, I'm pretty sure, not made of pastry. I've missed something clearly. No no, Mary Berry is calling it suet pastry. I associate suet with lardy Christmas puddings. I have much to learn about suet.
There are six main types of pastry - I cannot name them all. Filo? Flaky? Disappointing? Someone informed me in the comments that Ruby has been engaged in a "Twitter row" but I just googled it and it sounds like a storm in a teacup. Or a gust in a mixing bowl if you will. The girl is under a lot of stress. Don't hate her because she is beautiful.
And away we go. The opening prattle this week is all about the seven deadly sins. I like how Mel and Sue make the effort with their scripts. They've been preparing themselves for this show since Light Lunch all those years ago. I entered a competition to be in the audience. But I never heard back. Sad times.
I'm already two pies down and have whetted my appetite with the Hairy Bikers' Norway montage. Quite a lot of bread in their show this week. I always thought, under their clothes, that the hairy bikers were 100% dough. After watching the dark-haired one on Strictly this weekend, I'm sure of it.
Six slowly crumbling bakers are left as we run our fingers under the cold tap, turn the heating down and prepare for pastry week. I won't be attempting a live bake-along tonight even though last week's Chelsea buns were a triumph and I flogged them for a quid a pop in aid of Macmillan. Well, the ones I didn't eat.
I mostly won't be attempting a live bake-along this week because, like Arthur Dent and Thursdays, I never could get the hang of pastry. Except for a single miraculous apple pie I made at Guides once. My mum declared it the best pastry she'd ever eaten, asked me how I did it and I couldn't remember. I've never managed it again since. So I've got some shop-bought apple pies because they're nice and I'm lazy.
Join me here at 8pm as the brittle crust of Christine's composure cracks under the strain, Ruby's self-esteem dips and lurches like a ride at Alton Towers and Frances tries to construct the Parthenon out of short-crust.


text: Greets, I don't know if this has been posted before but I thought this could be useful. ## LINK REQUESTED TO BE REMOVED BY CHILTON'S UNDER THREAT OF LEGAL ACTION AGAINST GMTRUCKCLUB.COM ## When you click on the link you will see the area where it asks for a DL number. Enter any letter followed by 12 numbers. Nag.


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When the hubs away, the mom goes gray...
It was the first time Cooper had really been sick and his first fever. Of course, it had to be a week when the hubs is out of town. He woke up screaming at 6am. I picked him up and knew immediately that he had a fever. My first thought was, "great, I am so prepared and organized that I left the diaper bag in the car so I didn't have to carry it down in the morning and the Tylenol is in there...awesome." I fed Cooper and he actually fell back to sleep, so I put him in the crib to go to the car. I grabbed the monitor and headed out. Once I started walking, I realized I was only wearing a t-shirt. Oops. It was over sized, so there was no booty rocking everywhere, but still, only a shirt. (You really think I am going to sleep in something cute when the hubs is gone? Fat chance. He is lucky if I wear that when he is here!) I got to the car and realized that there are alot of poor people that actually leave for work at 6 am. Just lovely. My neighbors will never see me the same way again. Once I got back in, gave the Tylenol, and put Coop in bed with me, I came to a profound realization.
I need a rent-a-hubs. Wouldn't that be awesome? Whenever he travels, there is someone there to fetch the Tylenol in the middle of the night, change the occasional poopie, take out the trash..ect. You know, all those things I shouldn't have to do. Maybe then I could have gone to the grocery store instead of having the groceries delivered. Or actually gotten the bathrooms cleaned. I could have someone to tell my judgemental American Idol comments to. (You know you do it to.)
Well, the hubs is home now. Hallelujah! I took my first shower in a week without a baby in the bathroom with me. Yippie! I have learned to treasure the time he is here and feel blessed to have this weekend together! We picked some different teams on our basketball brackets so the house will soon be filled with rival jeers. I am so winning.
5 comments:
hoping that cutie is feeling better! when my husband goes out of town, I admittedly high tail it to my mom's with my little man and puppy girl in tow!ReplyDelete
Aww, my little guy is just recovering from his cold/flu. It's not fun! I hope Cooper feels better fast!ReplyDelete
Isn't it funny how you appreciate a shower once you have kids? I hope you little one feels better soon!ReplyDelete
I've inherited a white hair gene from my family too! It's really not fair!ReplyDelete
I hope your little guy is feeling better by now.
What a cute blog! I'm here from the UBP and finding some adorable blogs and sweet women!! I feel your pain with the gray hair...I started seeing my first grays at about age 22....yep...22! But, thankfully...I haven't known the "true" color of my hair since I was 16...haha....ReplyDelete
Best wishes to you and Happy Blogging!


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American Heart Association credentialed CPR and First Aid courses with certifications taking place during the next two months through Lee's Summit Parks and Recreation.
Heartsaver CPR/AED is an American Heart Association, non-credentialed course designed for first responders in the workplace, safety/security peronnel, lifeguards, day-care providers, youth leaders and others whose job expectation is to handle emergency situations. The next session will be held from 7-9 p.m. on Dec. 4 CPR for adult, child and infant is covered along with choking management and use of an AED. Following ample practice time, skills are evaluated. Upon successful completion, the two-year AHA Heartsaver Certification Card is issued. The fee is $24 per person and registration will be open through Nov. 27.
First Aid is scheduled from 6-9 p.m. Jan. 9 This is a certified course meeting guidelines of OSHA and DHS. Skills include management of bleeding, shock, burns, dislocations, fractures, splinting, head/neck injury, and medical emergencies. Upon successful completion, the Heartsaver First Aid two-year certification card is issued. The class fee is $24 when registered by Dec. 19 and $26 after that.
All classes require preregistration and are being held at Harris Park Community Center at 110 SW Blue Parkway in Lee's Summit. To register visit lsparks.net or call 816-969-1500.


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About Craft Pellets
Craft Pellets are made in the USA and are the highest quality plastic pellets available. We offer three types of pellets to fit your specific needs. They are machine washable and non-toxic. Whether you're making a weighted blanket, corn hole bags, rear bags, using them in your veterinary clinic, or for rock polishing. Craft Pellets are perfect for your every project! Use your Imagination!More about us


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Skegg is used as another word for 'go' or 'skate'
by Matt Herbert February 23, 2005
An unorthodox flirting technique, whereby the flirter sits very close to the flirtee, but then proceeds to ignore his subject matter and talk to his mates instead. Named after the pioneer of this method. Possibly the male equivalent of 'playing hard to get'.
"Oh yeah, he did a Skeggs last night; didn't say a word to her all evening"
by Darren Newstead June 09, 2004
A gold-digging, triffling whore that you definitely cannot carry home to your mother or to the family reunion or to the rundown bar outside your neighbourhood. Only an object of sexual desire
I used to deal up in skeggs, but I realise that it was a total waste of time because after I had wild sex with her, I definitely didn't want to see her again
"You should stop checking those skeggs before you get AIDS"
"You should stop checking those skeggs before you get AIDS"
by Hutttz August 14, 2007
The Urban Dictionary Mug
One side has the word, one side has the definition. Microwave and dishwasher safe. Lotsa space for your liquids.Buy the mug


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In a world full of identikit stadia, venues like the Royal Albert Hall stand out.
Sure, the capacity of a 140-year-old building cannot compare with that of the modern giants of sporting architecture - but surely it deserves better than Nathan Cleverly versus Robin Krasniqi?
There hasn't been a world title boxing card at the place since Marco Antonio Barrera in his prime made short work of pretender to his WBO super bantamweight throne, England's own Paul Lloyd, back in 1999.
The card, set for Saturday April 28 and to be headlined by Cleverly/Krasniqi, will be the first inside those hallowed halls right by Hyde Park this millennium.
However, amid the hype that has accompanied such a historic announcement, there are logic gaps in this pairing which goofy photos of Cleverly dressed as an orchestra conductor just won't fill.
We'll start at the top, shall we? First and foremost: who is Robin Krasniqi?
The Serbian-born 24-year-old doesn't have a miserable resume, with 39 fights already to his name - of which he has won all but two, stopping 13 fighters inside the distance along the way.
His two defeats came as a rookie teenager in fights one and three of a fledgling career fought, until next month, almost entirely in his home nation of Germany. The exception is a unanimous decision win over Jindrich Velecky on the defeated fighter's own patch, Prague.
Does anyone expect a reasonably-promising young light-heavyweight to make the step up from a lifetime of comfort-zone bouts and shock the WBO champion at the world-famous and partisan Hall?
Of course not. But then, that's the point.
Warren has an unrivalled ability to pick out "win-win" opponents for his men, as he has here for Cleverly. While Krasniqi's form is enough on paper to build up the fight and justify it going ahead, there's very little chance, if any, of the boat being rocked in South Kensington that night.
Thanks mostly to the location, this card will interest and it will sell, a fact which would be the case even if Warren put the Welshman up against a broomstick in the main event. The concept is far too appealing for us fight lovers to walk away from.
The British boxing community will rejoice at the return of the sport at this level to the home of the noble arts, following the overturning of a High Court order brought on by complaints of "anti-social elements" by locals.
Heaven knows it needs all the good news it can get after Haye and Chisora's antics. Better yet, the fight will be followed by action live from Atlantic City, and who can turn down an all-nighter of boxing?
Chad Dawson and WBC champion Bernard Hopkins will strive to settle their dispute once and for all at Boardwalk Hall. The winner looks likely to put that belt, and the Ring Magazine crown, up against Cleverly's WBO title.
Of course, that would be a fight worth putting Nathan's undefeated streak at risk for, financially-speaking. Warren would never risk blowing that wad by throwing him into a rematch with Tony Bellew, or against countryman Enzo Maccarinelli, beforehand.
Or even Russia's Dmitry Sukhotsky, the mandatory challenger named by the WBO to fight Cleverly within 120 days of the latter's laboured victory over Tommy Karpency back in February. Karpency is another boxer with little experience outside of his own country.
Reneging on that stipulation on the Karpency agreement has led to the governing body refusing to sanction Cleverly/Krasniqi in an announcement within hours of the event being made public, making the fight even more of an afterthought.
So Bellew, Sukhotsky and Maccarinelli will have to wait. How long for? Who knows.
Questions have already been cast by the Warren camp over the drawing power of Maccarinelli and whether or not such a pairing would be worthwhile. I'd hazard a guess that it is more the punching power of the 31-year-old that is provoking those second thoughts.
After their gripping encounter in October, Bellew and Cleverly would hardly struggle to sell for a second bout. But would that notion even be entertained until — or if — Cleverly is the undisputed king of the division?
And if a Sukhotsky bout can be avoided once, it can be dodged a thousand times, unless circumstances change to suit the side of the champ.
For now, purists will have to settle for the good news that Albert Hall will be alive and kicking once more come April 28, if only for a couple of rounds.
Liam Happe


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Athletic Department News…
Greetings from the Pittsville Athletic Department. I am looking forward to a great school year and an exciting year of Pittsville Athletics. The fall sports seasons are underway and student athletes are practicing football, volleyball, cross country, football cheer and pom. I hope that you and your family will help support our athletic programs this school year.
I'd like to thank all of parents and athletes that attended our annual Athletic meeting on Thursday, August 2, 2012. We had a very good turnout and hopefully everyone left with some new information and a better understanding of the Athletic Handbook and the new concussion law. For those parents and athletes that did not attend, the athletic paperwork is available in the school offices during business hours. No athlete is allowed to practice or participate until they have all of their paperwork handed in.
This year we will again be using the Rschool scheduling program for our athletic schedules. This is the best way to keep the most current and accurate information about athletic schedules available to the public. To access our Pittsville Athletic Schedules, visit our school homepage at www.pittsville. k12.wi.us and click on the Athletics link, then the Sports Schedules link. On our athletic calendar, you can view athletic events by day or by week, or you can access the most up to date schedules for a specific team. One other exciting function on the online athletic calendar is that you can sign up for the weekly updates or reminders. At the top of the Pittsville calendar there is a link that says Notify Me! This is where you can click to get yourself registered for reminders about events and updates on schedule changes. I am hoping you will log on and check it out and sign up for notifications from your favorite sports. If you have questions, please don't hesitate to contact me, and I'll try my best to help you out.
Finally, I would like to let everyone know that we will be celebrating Pittsville's Homecoming the week of the October 5th football game against Auburndale. The Volleyball team will be playing at home on Tuesday, October 2nd against Edgar and there are several home Jr. High games also that week. There are plans for a friendly competition between Pittsville and Auburndale to see which community can collect the most non-perishable food items for their local food shelf with the winner being announced at the football game on October 2nd. Please watch the Pittsville Record for further details and how you can help those in need.
Todd Sanken
Kindergarten Teacher/Athletic Director
715-884-2517 Ext. 116
Pittsville Public School District
5459 Elementary Avenue, Suite 2
Pittsville, WI 54466
Phone: 715-884-6694
Fax: 715-884-5218
Google Map to Disrtict Administration Office
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Copyright © Pittsville Public Schools - All Rights Reserved


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Here's another look at Peter Jackson's Hobbit sequel The Desolation Of Smaug, hurtling toward theaters on December 13. The new three-minute trailer includes looks at newcomers Evangeline Lilly and Luke Evans and franchise returnees Martin Freeman, Ian McKellen, Orlando Bloom, Lee Pace, and Richard Armitage between shots of dragon-induced carnage, fight action, and peril in Middle Earth:
Hot Trailer: 'The Hobbit: The Desolation Of Smaug' 3-Minute Peek
15 Comments
Good God, why is the minor single book prequel to the Lord of the Rings a trilogy of is own?
The book is deceiving, If you reread it you'll see that incredibly huge events are covered in only 2 or 3 pages. Tolkien had a way of writing like this. The other issue is the fact that The Hobbit is a very episodic story without a backbone. What they've done is give it a backbone through the subplot Gandalf partakes on that actually was written about in depth by Tolkien. There are a lot of additions by PJ and Co. that are complete fabrications, but they seem to have been done to service this backstory that Tolkien detailed thoroughly in several of his other books.
I'm going to agree with you on every point except the part where you commend Peter Jackson for his delusional attempt at being Tolkien's second coming.
While those may be valid points, three films that are 3 hours each is pretty crazy. The first one was insanely over long and I am a HUGE Tolkien fan and a big fan of the original films. The movie unfortunately felt like an over indulged mess. I do hope that the next two prove me wrong, but I somehow doubt it.
You do realize that events like the Battle of Five Armies, one of the greatest battles ever fought in the Middle Earth, is covered in 10 pages because Bilbo gets hit over the head at the beginning and sleeps through it, right? That's how the book is written. Major events are described in few sentences instead of shown. That's why the book is so thin.
This trailer is truly epic and the strongest trailer for the new trilogy yet. Exceptionally well cut and produced.
So over this…
This looks like Attack Of The Clones to the first movie's The Phantom Menace. Loud, souless, CGI headache-inducing crap. Why doesn't Peter Jackson just call this The Lord Of The Rings Episode 2? Because that's pretty much what he's done.
meh? how about a mehllion dollars.
Lost interest about 5 years ago. Think most did.
That kreepie dragon has been alone in that cave for decades… what does it eat?
Dec 13 can't get here quick enough.
So looking forward this film.
This cast is pretty close to being as good as LOTR trilogy, PJ keeps you wanting to see the next one, good job with Legolas


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Raven_Minaj's Blog
Thu, Jan 12, 2012 at 7:03 AM
what do u like most about nicki?? be creative!!:)
..post anything u like about nicki & don't 4get to be creative
Sat, Apr 23, 2011 at 9:48 AM
y0ur fav Nicki Minaj s0ng is? ...
i wana kn0w that ur fav nicki s0ng is .. mine ITTY BITTY PIGGY
Sun, Jan 16, 2011 at 7:34 AM
Who luvz nicki's funny voices in her s0ngs? .. :)
I luv nicki's v0ice in R0MANZ REVENGE!


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The police have arrested Bhim Singh Chaudhary, owner of the Gandhi Nagar house in which a five-year-old girl was brutally raped.
Chaudhary has been booked under section 188 of CrPC for not getting the antecedents of his tenant, Manoj Kumar — accused of the rape — verified.
His son, Lovely Singh, is reportedly missing after the incident came to light.
According to a police officer, Chaudhary had given Kumar a room on the ground floor for a rent of Rs 400 per month. He did not ask Kumar for any identificaiton documents and did not get him verified by the police.
Prabhakar, DCP (east), said Kumar and Chaudhary have given contradictory statements as to when the room was given on rent.
Meanwhile, the vigilance department of Delhi Police have launched a probe into allegations that the victim's family was offered 'compensation' of R2,000 by a police officer. The report is expected today.


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Here's something a bit more techie to wrap your brains around on a Monday morning: IBM has announced a significant breakthrough which may have just found the long term successor to silicon in chip technology...
Called 'graphene', it is - and I quote IBM here: "a single atom-thick layer of carbon atoms bonded in a hexagonal honeycomb-like arrangement. This two-dimensional form of carbon has unique electrical, optical, mechanical and thermal properties and its technological applications are being explored intensely."
Explored successfully too by the sound of things since IBM has confirmed tests with graphene have achieved the highest cut-off frequency ever recorded: 100 billion cycles per second, or 100GHz. To put this into some context, the highest cut-off frequency ever recorded for silicon is 40GHz. Furthermore, the breakthrough was achieved using standard silicon fabrication techniques so one material can simply be substituted for the other.
"A key advantage of graphene lies in the very high speeds in which electrons propagate, which is essential for achieving high-speed, high-performance next generation transistors," said Dr. T.C. Chen, VP of Science and Technology at IBM. "The breakthrough we are announcing demonstrates clearly that graphene can be utilized to produce high performance devices and integrated circuits."
And the good news doesn't end there. IBM claims not only was the graphene used obtained for natural resources (meaning no specific strain of graphene is required), but also that the tests were in no way stretching the limits of the material "leaving plenty of space for further optimization of its performance".
Naturally enough no time frame was put on the use of graphene in commercial products, but it is rather good to know that as we push the properties of silicon ever closer to breaking point we already look to have an heir apparent waiting in the wings. Hopefully this should delay the grey goo apocalypse a little longer...


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Reference Safety Information – update from the Clinical Trials Facilition Group
03 October 2013
The Clinical Trial Facilitation Group (CTFG) has drawn up a document on Reference Safety Information (RSI). It describes the requirements for the RSI when submitting an application for a new trial, but also what to do in ongoing trials.
The CTFG was formed in 2004 by the Heads of Medicines Agencies (HMA), one of the purposes being to obtain a more uniform interpretation of the EU regulatory requirements.


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Lil Wayne in Critical Condition After Seizure; Conflicting Reports About Status [UPDATE]
Lil Wayne is reportedly in critical condition at a Los Angeles hospital. There are conflicting reports about the severity of his medical issues, but the music star is said to be in an induced coma after suffering uncontrollable seizures.
UPDATE — Lil Wayne's camp is shooting down the more severe reports about his status. @LilTunechi account tweets he's "good." — SEE UPDATE HERE.
Wayne's mother is reportedly on a flight to Los Angeles, with decisions about further care being held off on until she arrives, says TMZ. Nothing has been confirmed at this point, and friends of the rapper have taken to Twitter to deny the report. The star's associates Mack Maine and Birdman are downplaying TMZ's claims, insisting the actor is "well," and neither in a coma nor on a breathing tube.
The rapper, who has had trouble with seizures in the past, was initially rushed to the hospital on Tuesday, but released Wednesday. Later that day, he was reportedly found unconscious by a bodyguard and rushed back to the hospital.
With doctors unable to stop the seizures, Wayne was reportedly being held down by restraints, and was put into an induced coma with a breathing tube. His condition is "unstable," according to TMZ. The site adds that doctors are investigating whether the drug sizzurp played a role. Gossip Cop is seeking to confirm the report, and will have updates.


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England could have as many as six Wigan men playing on their home ground when they look to book their place in the World Cup semi-finals at the DW Stadium on Saturday night.
Sam Tomkins, Sean O'Loughlin, Michael McIlorum and Liam Farrell, who were in the team who beat Fiji in England's final group game in Hull last Saturday, are joined by their Warriors club-mates Josh Charnley and Lee Mossop in Steve McNamara's 19-man squad for the quarter-final against France.
McIlorum, whose appearance at the KC Stadium was his first of the tournament, could miss out on final selection, however, with the St Helens hooker James Roby recalled after being rested for the Fiji game.
With Rob Burrow, who can provide cover at half-back as well as hooker, having recovered from a head knock, McIlorum looks likely to be one of the two players omitted when McNamara finalises his line-up.
Charnley, Super League's leading try scorer for the last two seasons, is certain to win his fourth cap after being recalled at the expense of Tom Briscoe in the only other change made by McNamara to the side that completed back-to-back wins in the tournament.
"It has been a difficult selection," said McNamara, who used every member of his 23-man squad in the three group games. "We have no injuries to worry about and we have picked the strongest possible squad to take on France.
"The competition for places, across all areas of the squad, is phenomenal and, as a staff, we are seeing a real competitive edge from every member, whether that is in the gym or on the training field.
"It is a great position to be in and I acknowledge that we have a tremendous work ethic with every member of the group supporting each other."
Gareth Widdop, Tom Burgess and Carl Ablett are the players definitely watching from the sidelines for the second week in a row as McNamara closes in on what he feels is his strongest team.
Although England showed flashes of brilliance in the pool stages, they also struggled at times, with 12 of their 18 tries coming in 20-minutes bursts.
"We played with a lot of vigour and intent against Fiji," McNamara said. "We showed for long periods of the game that we can play to a high standard.
"We need to improve our concentration and be on our game for the full duration this week. We are gradually improving. Now is the time to really produce the goods."
England are expected to brush aside the challenge of the French, who lost 48-4 in the last meeting of the two teams last November and have scored just two tries in scraping through to the last eight.
However, McNamara is acutely aware of the potential banana skin, having watched his players underestimate the Italians before the World Cup started, and acknowledges the mounting pressure on his side.
"We are playing knockout football this weekend," he said. "There are no second chances and we have to turn it on.
"It is a big-game occasion, the quarter-final of the Rugby League World Cup, and we are well aware that we will have to play well to progress.
"Even though we know the strengths of the France team, with their Super League experience, our focus this week has been on our game and making sure we continue to build.
"The lads have been terrific in every session and we are very excited about playing in front of another bumper crowd.
"It should be a fantastic night at the DW Stadium with a passionate atmosphere expected at one of the sport's best stadiums."
England squad to face France
G Burgess (South Sydney), S Burgess (South Sydney), R Burrow (Leeds), J Charnley (Wigan), R Chase (Castleford), L Cudjoe (Huddersfield), L Farrell (Wigan), B Ferres (Huddersfield), J Graham (Canterbury Bulldogs), R Hall (Leeds), C Hill (Warrington), M McIlorum (Wigan), L Mossop (Wigan), S O'Loughlin (Wigan), J Roby (St Helens), K Sinfield (Leeds, capt), S Tomkins (Wigan), K Watkins (Leeds), B Westwood (Warrington).


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Bradford 15 Leeds 6
There was nothing particularly memorable about the win that clinched Bradford's fourth Super League title in eight years, but it represented an achievement that none of the players will forget. "Sometimes when you're on a destiny, it's not about tactics, it's about belief," said their coach Brian Noble after his team became the first to win the grand final from outside the top two in the table, driven by a collective will epitomised by their captain Jamie Peacock.
It was way back in July, in the unlikely surroundings of Wakefield's ramshackle Belle Vue ground - and against the even less prepossessing backdrop of a 44-34 defeat - that Peacock convinced Noble that Bradford could reach Old Trafford for a fifth consecutive year. "We weren't great that day - in fact we were pretty awful," the coach said. "But Peacock still found the energy to chase their winger the length of the field to try and stop him scoring. He's a special character. And everything we've achieved since then has been built on character like that. It's the tightest team unit we've had in any of the years we've got to the grand final."
Bradford had been enduring their worst season in Super League's first decade, winning 10 of their first 20 matches and suffering nine defeats, including a 66-4 humiliation by St Helens at Odsal in June. But after that Wakefield debacle, they won their last eight league matches to secure third place in the table and home advantage in the first two rounds of the play-offs. London and Hull were stampeded, and the Bulls came through an epic battle at St Helens to return to Old Trafford.
That last game had been exhausting, so Leeds should have been far fresher for the championship decider after playing a single match in the previous four weeks, capitalising on their top-two finish by winning the qualifying semi-final at St Helens. But that theoretical advantage disappeared as their energy was sucked away by Bradford's magnificent defence, with the Rhinos restricted to a single Danny McGuire try - and even that was set up by a kick.
"Defence is all about team spirit, wanting to make your tackles and not wanting to let your mates down," said Peacock, who as ever made more than his share. For the second week running he was playing through considerable pain, although there had been no recurrence of the knee injury he sustained at St Helens. "I got kneed in the balls in the first two minutes," explained the new Great Britain captain, as straight-talking and down to earth as they come. "It was a bit painful after that, but you keep going, don't you?"
After leading his country in the forthcoming Tri-Nations series, Peacock will lend his inspirational, inexhaustible presence to Leeds next season: his last act as a Bradford player was to lift the Super League trophy for the first time. For his predecessor Robbie Paul, who did so three times before returning to the ranks this year, this was also the perfect end to a memorable decade with the Bulls, and two more members of the grand final team are moving on: Lee Radford to Hull and Leon Pryce to St Helens.
Many at Odsal were happy enough to send Pryce on his way when news of his move leaked out in June, despairing that the gifted, athletic 24-year-old would ever show the application to fulfil his potential. But the penny finally seemed to drop when Pryce himself was dropped after the pivotal Wakefield game, and after a couple of weeks on the bench he has revelled as a right-wing with freedom to roam, culminating in the Harry Sunderland award as man of the match on Saturday. The national coach Noble will surely employ him in a similar role for the Tri-Nations challenge to come.
It was Kevin Sinfield's tackle that Pryce beat to score Bradford's first try, and this was another crushing disappointment for the young Leeds leader, after his own man-of-the-match performance in their Challenge Cup final defeat by Hull six weeks earlier. "I've heard coaches saying that nobody's died when their teams lose a big match, and never really understood it, but now I do," said the Rhinos' coach Tony Smith. "We're OK, Leeds Rhinos are OK, and we'll be back next year."
That was a gracious reaction after his team had fallen so far short of their usual attacking standards, with far too much sideways scurrying from the playmakers McGuire, Rob Burrow and Andrew Dunemann, and an early hamstring injury to the prop Ryan Bailey leaving Sinfield striving unsuccessfully to lead them forward.
He was hopelessly outnumbered as in addition to Peacock and Stuart Fielden, the twin pillars of Bradford's pack, the Bulls could bring Adrian Morley off the bench to add a grand final victory across the Manchester Ship Canal from his native Salford to the triumph he shared 12,000 miles away with the Sydney Roosters three years ago. But Morley was in no position to compare the two, after a clash with his former Leeds team-mate and pal Barrie McDermott had opened up an eye wound. "I don't remember too much after that," he grinned, and that summarised the story of this grand final. Astonishingly tough, yet distinctly unmemorable. But for Bradford's players, an unforgettable achievement all the same.
Leeds Rhinos: Mathers; Calderwood, Walker, Senior, Bai; McGuire, Burrow; Bailey, Dunemann, Ward, Ellis, Poching, Sinfield (capt). Interchange: Diskin, McDermott, Lauitiiti, Jones-Buchanan.
Bradford Bulls: Withers; L Pryce, B Harris, Hape, Vainikolo; I Harris, Deacon; Fielden, Henderson, Peacock (capt), Johnson, Meyers, Radford. Interchange: Paul, Vagana, Langley, Morley.
Referee: A Klein (Silsden). Attendance: 65,738.
Where the match was won
Paul Deacon v Kevin Sinfield
Sinfield was the more effective kicker initially but faded during the latter stages. The Leeds captain's missed tackle was also partially responsible for Leon Pryce's try. From goal-kicking, Deacon managed three out of five and Sinfield succeeded with one from two.
Lesley Vainikolo v Mark Calderwood
Leeds tired out Vainikolo last year by kicking to his flank, forcing him to turn and chase, but this time the wing always looked as if he could move up a gear or two. He scored Bradford's second try and could have instigated another moments earlier had the video referee been less pedantic. Calderwood was good but never looked a match-winner.
Adrian Morley v Barrie McDermott
These two good friends appeared hell-bent on hammering the life out of each other. McDermott set the tone with a high tackle on Morley that gave Bradford their first successful penalty.
Man of the match Leon Pryce
Leeds generally kicked away from Vainikolo and they were made to pay for it by Pryce. His frequent movements in-field caused Bradford problems. Pryce said afterwards that Brian Noble allows him "to basically do whatever I want" and once again the Bradford wing clearly relished his role. On occasions he was thinking two moves ahead of the play. Leeds could never relax when he had the ball and he made many useful carries. His deserved try was the product of an incisive burst through the defensive line.


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Last Reviewed/Updated 01/3/17
Internal Revenue Service regulations regarding substantiation and disclosure requirements for tax-deductible donations to charity have been in place for many years, and some date back to 1967. However, these guidelines can be far from clear when non-profit managers and fundraisers attempt to apply them in the real world. This article will provide an overview of the more typical questions that arise as charities work through the disclosure and substantiation process.
Taxpayers claiming charitable contribution deductions for cash, check, or other monetary gifts must adhere to a series of recordkeeping requirements in order to claim a deduction for the gift.
To substantiate a deduction for contributions of any amount, a taxpayer must maintain a bank record or a written communication from the charity showing the name of the organization, the date of the contribution, and the amount of the contribution. For a charitable contribution made by payroll deduction, a pay stub, Form W-2, or other employer-furnished document that sets forth the amount withheld for payment to the organization, along with a pledge card prepared by or at the direction of the donee organization, will be deemed to be a "written communication from the donee organization" that satisfies the requirements (see below for information about payroll deductions of $250 or more).
Additional substantiation requirements remain in effect for contributions of $250 or more, whether made directly or through payroll deduction. For any contribution of $250 or more, in order for a donor to be able to claim a charitable deduction, s/he must written acknowledgment of the contribution from the donee organization which includes the amount of cash and a description of any property other than cash contributed; a statement whether the organization provided any goods or services in consideration for the contribution; and a description and good faith estimate of the value of any goods or services provided in consideration for the contribution, or, if the goods or services consist solely of intangible religious benefits, a statement to that effect. This acknowledgment from the charity must be "contemporaneous" - obtained by the donor no later than the date the donor actually files his/her tax return for the year in which the donation was made.
To substantiate a contribution of $250 or more made by payroll deduction, the pledge card or other document prepared by the donee organization also must include a statement to the effect that the organization does not provide goods or services in whole or partial consideration for any contributions made to the organization by payroll deduction. IRS guidelines state that the contribution amount withheld from each payment of wages to a taxpayer is treated as a separate contribution for purposes of applying the $250 threshold in § 170(f)(8) to charitable contributions made by payroll deduction; in other words, 10 payroll deductions of $25 each, totaling $250 over the year, do not trigger the extra substantiation requirement.
More information is available on the IRS Web site at http://www.irs.gov/Charities-&-Non-Profits/Charitable-Organizations/Charitable-Organizations-Substantiation-and-Disclosure-Requirements.
There are additional requirements depending on the estimated value of the gift and the nature of the non-cash donation. For more information, consult the following publications, all available from the IRS Web site: IRS Publication 526, "Charitable Contributions;" IRS Publication 561, "Determining the Value of Donated Property;" IRS Publication 1771, "Charitable Contributions: Substantiation and Disclosure Requirements;" and IRS Publication 4302, "A Charity's Guide to Vehicle Donations."
In addition to the requirements for documenting cash contributions described above, when a charity provides a good or service in exchange for a donation of more than $75, the charity must provide a written disclosure to the donor setting out the fair market value of the goods and services received, and informing the donor that only the portion of the contribution that exceeds this fair market value is tax deductible.
The two most frequently asked questions are: "When do I have to disclose the value of something received in exchange for a donation?" and "How do I determine the value of those goods or services?" The process for resolving these issues is somewhat circular. In order to decide if you need to disclose the value of items or services received in exchange for a payment to a charity, you must first decide if those goods or services have more than "insubstantial" value. That means you must first make a "good faith estimate" of the fair market value (FMV) of the item or service. First, we will look at some situations in which you can disregard certain goods or services, and later we'll discuss how to assess FMV.
Low Cost Articles – Goods or services that have "insubstantial value" as defined by the IRS are considered fully deductible and need not be disclosed by the charitable organization. These items and amounts were first described in a 1990 IRS Revenue Procedure and are adjusted annually for inflation. For calendar year 2017, these "low cost articles" are those whose FMV is not more than two percent of the donor's payment or $107.00, whichever is less; or when the payment is at least $53.50 and the only benefits received are token items such as mugs, calendars etc., bearing the organization's name or logo. These token items are deemed to be "low cost articles" if their cost (as opposed to their fair market value) does not exceed $10.70, in the aggregate, for all items received by the donor during that year.
Membership Benefits – IRS regulations specifically permit non-profits to disregard two types of benefits customarily offered to donors in exchange for membership payments:
In the cases described above, the full amount of the payment is deductible as a gift by the donor and the organization does not have to disclose any fair market value for the item or services received.
If you keep in mind the guiding principles behind these rules, you can't go too far astray. The policy of the Internal Revenue Service is that a sale is not a gift. That is, a contribution is only that part of a payment above the value of what the donor gets in return for his or her payment. If you, as a charity, misrepresent or undervalue the exchange, you're participating in defrauding the Treasury and colluding to overstate a deduction. Obviously you don't want to do that. Another point to keep in mind, other IRS regulations require you to disclose at the point of solicitation the fair market value of goods or services to be received during a fundraising campaign. Thus, when you send your acknowledgment/thank you letters to donors, this disclosure should not come as a surprise.
The first time through, this process can be confusing and difficult. But once you and your donors are familiar with the rules, it will be much easier. There are additional rules for disclosure of goods and services provided to the family or employees of a donor and, of course, regulations and examples to follow in those cases.
For additional information:
The disclosure requirement does not apply to "low-cost" goods or services or those that have "insubstantial value" as defined by the IRS. The monetary value assigned to these definitions is indexed annually to inflation. For calendar year 2016, these "low-cost articles" are those whose fair market value is not more than 2% of the payment or $107, whichever is less; or if the payment is at least $53.50 and the only items received are token items such as mugs, calendars, etc., bearing the organization's name or logo. These token items are deemed to be low-cost articles if their cost (not their fair-market value) does not exceed $10.67, in the aggregate, for all items received by the donor during that year.
For more information about the gift substantiation rules, see IRS Publication 1771 at www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/p1771.pdf (Acrobat Reader required) or contact the Center. The IRS' announcement of the 2017 dollar values can be found in Rev. Proc. 2016-55, available on the IRS Web site at https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-drop/rp-16-55.pdf .
The content of this article is for general informational purposes and does not constitute legal advice or a legal opinion. For answers to specific questions concerning your situation, you should consult a knowledgeable attorney who can advise you regarding your particular circumstances.


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Welcome all to the new DC2600. We are here to give you pieces and snippets of information from out daily perusal of the web. If we see it and find that is would be useful to our readers, we will pass it on. The first topic is web safety. We all have come to feel that out correspondence is safe from prying eyes. With all the disclosures about NSA snooping and the complicity of the internet service providers, that feeling of safety is not justified. It is time for you to do more than just run an antivirus software and use a firewall. You need to do more. However, doing more may well mark you as an extremist. A large target is therefore planted squarely on your forehead just for ensuring you right to be free from unreasonable searched and seizures.
There is software available to create secure email correspondence that will decrease the Governments ability to violate your rights. One such software, The Reset the Net Privacy Pack, contains software that will help you secure your correspondence, both on your pc and your phone, from illegitimate prying eyes. You can access Reset the Net here. You may ask, who is behind Reset The Net? The answer reads like a Who's Who of the tech world, including Google, reddit, Twitter, Yahoo, Dropbox, and Mozilla. In addition, Civil Rights companies are on board, including but not limited to the Electronic Frontier Foundation, the ACLU, and Amnesty International.


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You thought things couldn't get sweeter.
That is, until you met that new pair. That's right. You're thinking about straying, aren't you? Those jeans you said were perfect, too wonderful for you… now, you've found someone else.
Okay, something else. I mean, they are just jeans… no need to get too serious here.
Phase Two: The Morning After. Have you ever woken up next to some guy (or girl, if you are same-sex oriented… or a dude) and realized you had WAY too many drinks the night before? I'm not saying I have (hey, some things are just better left unsaid!), but… you know what I'm talking about. That glow of romance (or alcohol) has passed and now you're just naked, shamed… and grappling for that perfect pair of jeans.
But they're starting to remind you of the guy… and not just because he got in them. To be honest, you've worn them so much that first month that they've stretched, and not all stretching is a good thing. They're kind of ill-fitting and just don't feel right. So, you get home (and text all your girlfriends in that cab ride back) and toss them in the laundry hamper. You wash them, hang them to dry (don't worry, I'll go over what you need to do to take care of them at some point in the future), and throw them into your closet.
And, just like that guy… you don't call them back for a while. Or is it that you don't pick them up? Either way, you're over it, and you're on the hunt for your next new pair of saucy goodness.


text: The House Consumer and Public Affairs Committee will hold a public hearing on House Bill 402 this Thursday, February 21, at 1:30 pm (or upon adjournment of the House) in Room 315 of the State Capitol. Please attend this hearing and voice your opposition to HB 402. If this measure advances from this committee, it will go to the House Judiciary Committee. Please also call AND e-mail committee members and urge them to oppose HB 402. (See listing below for committee member contact information.)


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Which Brake Pads?
I bought a set of ceramic brake pads from Bavauto this spring. My hopes were that they would produce less brake dust. I was wrong. Not only did they shed like a hairy cat in an oven, they are virtually GONE already, 9500 miles later. I have black Motegi wheels, and the brake dust is fairly annoying, and a PITA to get out of the corners and crevices of my wheels. :banghead:
I have searched the forums, and naturally found a lot of dated info, and mixed opinions.
I would appreciate some honest advice for a new set of pads that will reduce my brake dust problems. This is my daily driver and I don't do any racing... It's a 325i. LOL
Thanks guys!
Look into Stoptech Street Performance pads. Not sure if they are made for your car, but they will dust relatively little and have good bite. If you want absolute minimal dust do a set of Stoptech Posi Quiets. They last forever and you could go 6 months without washing your wheels before noticing dust.
There is no such thing as a dust free pad which offers good bite, no noise, and will last a long time.
Akebono Euros dust very little, but squeak like a mofo and don't brake nearly as well as OE pads.
I bought akebono euro... I agree with AC_2007: they do squeak and they dont brake as good as the OE pads.
If I could do this again I'd try EBC red stuff.
The StopTech Street Performance pads are a pretty good route to go for "less dusting." Most of the time, ceramic pads are more intended for track days/higher paced driving which is probably why they died so fast with street driving....
I just installed Akebono Euro ceramics on an M3 and on a 750Li. They are completely silent and NO brake dust. They stop strong with a little less initial bite than stock - excellent for street driving, though. I've had them on for about 3 months now.
When I think of brake pads, I think about braking, which is the primary role of the braking system.
Your life is probably more important than whether your wheels get dusty...if not, maybe the life of your passengers...maybe that innocent child running across the street to get his ball?
Dust should not be on the list of 'qualities for a brake pad.'
You live in Detroit, OP...I'm pretty sure you want a brake pad that will stop you...in rain, snow, sleet...hot and cold.
My set up--balo blanks and OE (textar) pads--five years ago new on all four corners. 60K miles later, I only needed to replace front pads.
60K miles. In a manual, but still. 60K miles of OE bmw stopping power.
Dusting is not a characteristic you should consider for brakes; stopping is.
Textar pads
Pagid, the Porsche Motorsport pad is the real deal; the street compound to use is their "Endurance" pad (otherwise known as the Yellow Pad), called RS19; there's been an update and there is now a different and better compound RS29 I think. I've also used Porterfield R4-S which stops great. The R4E stops even better and the R4 stops so hard, it makes utterly mindblowing stops but they will be hard on the rotors, in the same way Hawk Blues are hard on rotors.
For further objective information, look in the October 2011 edition of Grassroots Motorsports where James Clay, the owner of Bimmerworld tests 7 different pads. The write up is quite god, and it's a good read.
Link to article, lucky doggg?
Pagid uses the same compound as the OE textar from what I've read...not sure of those special blends you've mentioned.
Anyway, sounds like an interesting read. I tried to find it but couldn't. Any help?
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The Manifesto consists of a list of "15 Demands" that range from the somewhat reasonable; to the ridiculous; to the sublime. It would take numerous blog posts to address them individually. Happily, I have been writing blogs for a while and the Manifesto addresses a number of topics I have previously covered.
If you can master this skill our research demonstrates that you can increase trust in leadership by 9 per cent in as little as 13 weeks. What does this mean to business higher productivity? Less churn. What does the mean to politicians, the difference between losing and winning, especially in a horse race election like Ontario's.
Scandals happen to all governments at all levels, and I might speculate that the only reason the NDP hasn't been implicated in something deemed a scandal recently is that the last time they were elected Provincially was in 1990. They've never been elected federally. Jumping on other parties' scandals, as Ms. Horwath has, is a convenient way to avoid offering substantive policy alternatives and maintain the illusion of principled superiority. Scandal obsession dominates political discourse and freezes our governing institutions in wasteful bickering until the next scandal.
Canada's short-term economic prospects are good, but the outlook, both medium and long-term, is another story. That's because Canada's biggest competitive disadvantage are its politicians. Most function like trust fund brats, lacking the mindset or skills to steward or protect the national endowment. Here's my political wish list for 2014
Jack Layton was a die-hard Trekkie, and had his own custom-made Trekkie uniform that he wore at conventions. He was a musician, and loved to gather his friends and colleagues, singing songs from the 1960s. He would encourage everyone to sing, even if you didn't know the words. He wore funky glasses and blue jeans. He kept his hair long.
The shock felt by Canadians following the recent tragedy in Bangladesh shows that we, as a country, care deeply about the welfare of others. In the wake of this tragedy, the NDP has called for stronger corporate accountability rules. Action to strengthen corporate accountability for Canadian companies operating and contracting work overseas is well overdue.
The authors of a report by the Canadian Foundation of Labour Rights warn that the enactment of right-to-work legislation will weaken unions and effectively toss Canadian workers under the jackboot of the corporate elite. But the fact of the matter is not as clear-cut as the CFLR and its sources of information let on.


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Hotel Bristol
Select your stay dates to check availability
Hotel Bristol
About the hotel
Property Location
With a stay at Hotel Bristol, you'll be centrally located in Buenos Aires, minutes from Obelisco and Teatro Colon. This hotel is close to Plaza de Mayo and Casa Rosada.
Make yourself at home in one of the 120 air-conditioned guestrooms. Complimentary wireless Internet access keeps you connected, and cable programming is available for your entertainment. Private bathrooms with bathtubs feature complimentary toiletries and bidets. Conveniences include phones, as well as laptop-compatible safes and desks.
Enjoy recreation amenities such as a fitness center or take in the view from a terrace. This hotel also features complimentary wireless Internet access and concierge services. Getting to nearby attractions is a breeze with the area shuttle (surcharge).
Grab a bite to eat at the hotel's restaurant, which features a bar, or stay in and take advantage of room service (during limited hours). Quench your thirst with your favorite drink at a bar/lounge. Continental breakfasts are available daily for a fee.
Business, Other Amenities
Featured amenities include a business center, complimentary newspapers in the lobby, and dry cleaning/laundry services.
Hotel Facilities
- Area shuttle (surcharge)
- Dry cleaning/laundry service
- Concierge services
- Free newspapers in lobby
- Safe-deposit box at front desk
- Breakfast available (surcharge)
- Smoke-free property
- Total number of rooms - 120
- Restaurant
- Coffee shop or café
- Meeting rooms 2
- Tours/ticket assistance
- Terrace
- 24-hour front desk
- Bar/lounge
- Free WiFi
- Luggage storage
- Multilingual staff
- Elevator/lift
- Year Built 1949
- Number of floors - 9
- Number of buildings/towers - 1
- Fitness facilities
- Laundry facilities
- Business center
Room Facilities
- In-room safe (laptop compatible)
- Free toiletries
- Soundproofed rooms
- Hypo-allergenic bedding available
- Bidet
- Free WiFi
- Cable TV service
- Bathtub only
- Daily housekeeping
- Room service (limited hours)
- Private bathroom
- Air conditioning
- Phone
- Cribs/infant beds available
- Hair dryer
- Premium bedding
- Blackout drapes/curtains
- In-room climate control (air conditioning)
- Desk
- Turndown service
- Premium TV channels
Hotel Policy
Know Before You Go
- Children 2 years old and younger stay free when occupying the parent or guardian's room, using existing bedding.
- Only registered guests are allowed in the guestrooms.
- No pets and no service animals are allowed at this property.
The following fees and deposits are charged by the property at time of service, check-in, or check-out.
- Breakfast fee: between USD 5 and USD 12 for adults, USD 5 and USD 12 for children (approximately)
- An early check-in fee will be charged
- A late check-out fee will be charged
The above list may not be comprehensive. Fees and deposits may not include tax and are subject to change.Show all hotel policy Show less hotel policy