text:
My bug out spot is about 15 miles from this city (Medford, Oregon), But, the last few miles can be blocked off easily and it would be necessary to walk them. And, if the S hits the F, that's what we plan to do.
How Far Out of Town Should Your Survival Retreat Be Located?
AUSTIN, Texas, June 25, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- With European countries falling like dominoes, out of control spending by Governments across the globe, nuclear meltdowns, tsunamis, and possible pandemics or terrorism events, the 'prepper and survivalist' movement is growing by leaps and bounds.
A recent survey with 1,840 prepper respondents showed an overwhelming 76% believe the most likely big disaster for the US is Economic Collapse. (http://www.growyourowngroceries.org/...-big-disaster/).
The very real possibility of the US defaulting on its debt would cause a worldwide depression that would last for decades or possibly generations.
Many prepper families are taking the radical step of looking for a retreat location in a rural area.
"Most people think that getting out as far away as possible is the best strategy. But moving way out to the hinterland is the biggest mistake you can make," says Marjory Wildcraft, author of the recently released book "7 Shortcuts To Finding The Perfect Survival Retreat," available at Relocation Shortcuts.
Wildcraft has been described as the "Martha Stewart of self-reliance." She is a regular guest on national radio and television shows and was recently featured as an expert in sustainable living on National Geographic's hit series "Doomsday Preppers." Wildcraft is best known for her video series Grow Your Own Groceries (Turn Your Backyard Into An Organic Food Producing Paradise « « Grow Your Own Groceries), which is a crash course on growing food that is used by homesteaders, survivalists, universities, and missionary organizations.
"When we first panicked we headed out as far as we could," says Wildcraft. "We were at least 6 miles from the nearest little store and 25 miles from a small town. After years of living that far out we realized as a family that we wanted to be closer to other people. I have seen this same pattern repeated among people who move -- they head way out. Then they end up moving back in a little closer.
"We humans are at heart, really social. Who will sew you up after a misplaced blow while chopping wood? Who will help you fight off that renegade mafia claiming to be the new Government? Who are your kids going to marry? Who knows the local plants to treat infections after the antibiotics are expired? With whom will you make music or swap jokes?"
So being near a small community is ideal. Americans with our car-centric culture have lost touch with a pedestrian lifestyle. How close is best?
In the middle ages many European markets were spaced approximately 14 miles apart. That way you were only 7 miles at most from any town. Seven miles was a good distance as a person can walk into town, spend a few hours at church or the market, and then walk back home all within a day.
So being in, or within 7 miles of a small community is ideal.
For more useful insights, buy Wildcraft's new book "7 Shortcuts To Finding The Perfect Survival Retreat," available at Relocation Shortcuts.
This press release was issued through eReleases(R) Press Release Distribution. For more information, visit Press Release Distribution | Press Release Distribution Services.
SOURCE Marjory Wildcraft
How Far Out of Town Should Your Survival Retreat Be Located? -- AUSTIN, Texas, June 25, 2013 /PRNewswire/ --
Black Blade: My BOL cabins are in very remote locations in the west. No roving masses will be near me when the SHTF.
When you're born you get a ticket to the freak show. When you're born in America , you get a front row seat. - George Carlin
My bug out spot is about 15 miles from this city (Medford, Oregon), But, the last few miles can be blocked off easily and it would be necessary to walk them. And, if the S hits the F, that's what we plan to do.
i live further than their suggesting for a bug out --guess what?
these woods are crawling with meth cookers, various criminals , idiotic FUDDs, scrap-metal thiefs, and every other kind of moron and nare-do-well you can think of.
behind every tree there is some kind of moron-- and the shit ain't hit the fan yet! this is 25 miles ffrom the nearist small town and 100 miles from the city.
i suspect you'll need to be in the black hills somewhere , pretty much everywhere else is going to be overrun when the citys empty out.
all this shit about needing other people is utter BS. what is going to happen it these other people who you THINK you can depend on are going to be a problem.
if i could i would be at least one full tank of gas away from EVERYBODY.
if you could get about the range from the city as what a full tank of gas would carry--that would reduce the 'overrun" quite a bit.
imagine 300,000,000 displaced people-- no gas except what they got i their tanks, no power and no food , and many are going to be off their medications , and knowing out liberal justice system the jails will probably be emptied cause their be no food to feed the convicts.
now tell me-- even a community of preppers that have made serious preperations is going to be in a world of hurt when the city empties out on their lawn.
I've heard several times that if you live less than a tankful of gas away from a city you're in trouble come SHTF. Not too many places fall into that catagory, so the Best you can do is get as far off the beaten path as you can.
I'd rather be a "has been" than a wannabe!
2TIMOTHY2,4 No man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairsof this life; that he may please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier.
God, Guns and Guts made America free,
Lets keep all three.
oh im just "minutes" away from decent sized towns.... but im far enough off the path that your not gonna run across us with out us knowing your coming...
im not planning on "going" anywhere in that type of situation... we'll be fine right where we are.
Hate takes LESS energy & thought... Dont be so Lazy.
Building or Bitching? which are you here to do?
YES, i work for TEC Tactical. 02/07 SOT
I worry about the starving hordes coming out of Little Rock. Many of these folks are about as far removed from the rural ways of yesteryear as they can be. I live on the outskirts of a small town only 15-20 minuites from L.R. But, we in our small community of roughly 75 people, have an understanding. We're gonna fort up. Theres one road that leads here, and we plan to block it. Everybody here grows gardens that are way to big, and we can alot of it and give alot of it away. If we have to escape, and we cant get out by the road, we can go by river, which is 2 blocks from my house. From the river and by land we can get to thousands and thousands of almost uninhabited forest and pasture land. Aint the perfect plan, but its better than nothin.
Clan MacPherson
As long as you can barricade the road far enough away you should be OK. Most gangbangers aren't going to walk very far...
Perge, scelus, mihi diem perficias.
Those pretty little nice homes out there in the middle of nowhere are select targets for raiders on their way out of the city.
Might want to rethink the strategy some?
Keep the surrounding areas mowed or bush-hogged clear. When the raiders show up, pick them off with the rifle and then put their heads on stakes around the property line. Add any useful vehicles to your fleet, run the rest down the road and burn them to make a better barricade...
Perge, scelus, mihi diem perficias.
The truth is all your survival retreats do is buy you time. Eventually you will be found, the question is will it be by roving bands of thugs and looters, innocent people fleeing hostilities, or the government.
If the size of the group of thugs is large enough eventually they will overwhelm you and probably kill you and take your stuff. If it is the government I don't care how well you are armed, they are armed better. If it is just innocent citizens fleeing you will have to decide what you will or won't do for them.
I think preparing to shelter in place is a sound strategy to a point, but being able to be quickly mobile is important too.
Life's a crap shoot. Sometimes you say crap and sometimes you shoot. Make sure that you don't mess those 2 up!


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Planted Tank Guru
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post #1 of 2 (permalink) Old 08-02-2008, 04:07 PM Thread Starter
Nano fish/warm water?
Hi, I need some ideas for some nano fish that like warmer water, besides bettas. This tank will top out at 79-80* deg.
post #2 of 2 (permalink) Old 08-02-2008, 05:30 PM
heterandria formosa - least killifish, i found a few in my pond and are loving the warm temp of the betta tank. i think they max out at 1 inch.
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subset: commoncrawl


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1. A messy decision, ripe for the Supreme Court
Bronx Household of Faith wanted to rent space for Sunday morning worship at Public School 15 in New York City. The city refused, saying allowing church services would suggest endorsement of that church. Like many cases of this kind, it's had a long, messy history in the court system. Monday, it got messier. The three judges on the U.S. 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals each reached very different conclusions.
"Our disparate views of this case leave us without a rationale to which a majority of the court agrees. While two judges who disagree on the merits believe the dispute is ripe for adjudication, the court cannot decide the merits of the case without the vote of the third judge, who disagrees as to ripeness," the court ruled.
The fractured judgment "could provide the U.S. Supreme Court with its next big establishment clause case," The New York Sun concluded. "The case likely prompted such division because of the question, more theological than legal, at its center: What is worship?"
In its 2001 case Good News Club v. Milford Central School, the court said a school district couldn't discriminate against an extracurricular Christian club if it allowed other extracurricular clubs. But "the federal high court appeared to draw a distinction between religiously oriented lessons and outright worship," the Sun notes, so Bronx Household of Faith v. Board of Education of the City of New York would allow the Supreme Court to go into more detail on what's acceptable.
2. Sheldon Jackson College suspends operations
The Presbyterian college in Sitka, Alaska, is $6 million in debt, so it has suspended operations for a year "to determine a financially viable future."
3. European Court of Human Rights ...1
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Bob Dylan Acknowledges 50-Year-Long Hoax: My Lyrics Don't Make Sense
Sponsored Links
Rock and roll legend, Bob Dylan, acknowledged in a recent interview that he has perpetuated an elaborate hoax on the public for more than fifty years. "I can't sing, half of the time I don't even say real words, I just mumble, and my lyrics make no sense."
Dylan, born Robert Zimmerman, said it began innocently in a concert at the New York Coffee House, "The Bitter End" in 1962. "The audience was so stoned that when I started to play 'This land is My Land' for the eighth time, I started to mumble sounds. The audience went crazy. The critics said I was the 'future of rock and roll' so who am I to disappoint them? I was just giving the people what they wanted. "
Dylan, often referred to as a "poetic genius", claims he never knew what people were talking about. How profound is 'don't want to be a bum, you better chew gum. The pump don't work 'cause the vandals stole the handles'?" I just made up simple rhymes. Any child could have done what I did."
The Rolling Stone interview was a promotion for the star's recent autobiography "Buy This Book and the Charade Will Continue".
The confession has had no apparent impact on the singer's popularity, with his new book topping Amazon's best-seller chart this week.
"Apparently, Lincoln was wrong. You can fool all of the people, all of the time," Dylan added.
By TGE correspondent Jello Marx


text:
Størrelse110 m²
- Familie / Barne vennlig
- Kjøkken
- Klimaanlegg
- Vaskemaskin / tørketrommel
- Internett/WiFi
- Balkong/terrasse
- Håndklær
Oversikt over eiendommen
|Calle Bamberg, 41004 Sevilla, Spania
|Eiendoms ID
|Innen noen få timer
|Kalender oppdatert
|I går
It is a very quiet site but very close to bars restaurants and shops of all kinds.
It is located in the historic center of the city, fifteen minutes from the airport and ten minutes from the train station. It is equipped with all comforts: air conditioning, heating, free internet, linens, towels, washing machine.
The apartment has two floors: downstairs is the master bedroom with a double bed, living room, dining room, kitchen and bathroom. Three large balconies all facing the street Bamberg make the rooms are very brights. Upstairs is a bedroom with 3 twin beds and a reading area, and the lovely terrace full of flowers and plants, with dining table for four and a seating area for six persons.
The whole apartment is bright and quiet, and is a lovely place that will make unforgettable your stay in Seville.
Two of the best restaurants in Seville "Casa Robles" and "Bar Giralda" are very close.
The apartment is located in the historic center and shopping area. All shops in the commercial area of Seville (Sierpes Street, Tetuan, Francos, Plaza Nueva) are very close to this unique residence.
You can explore on foot the city without public transportation: The Guadalquivir River, the Torre del Oro, the Alcázar, the Museum of Fine Arts, the Palace known as "La Casa de Pilatos," and anything that can be visited in Seville.
The apartment is located just fifteen minutes by taxi from the airport. The cost of the taxi is only 25 euros airport-centre city. From the train station ten minutes by taxi, which can cost 8 euros.
You can also access the airport by bus and walking minutes from the last stop of this bus in the center of Seville.
HusreglerNo parties allowed
No pets
No smoking, only on terrace
Damage deposit
|Ukentlig rate for opptil 5 gjester
|Månedlig rate for opptil 5 gjester
|Innsjekking etter
|Check-in før
|Etter avtale
|Utsjekking før
|Etter avtale
Vurderinger for denne vertens andre eiendommer
The apartment has an excelent location and is very well equipped. Maria was very friendly and helpful. We enjoyed our stay
This apartement is good value for money.
With the three bedrooms and 2 bathrooms it is big enough for 6 adults and the location is good.Well stocked supermarked 2min walk, easy acces to bus/taxi and in walking distance to everything you might want to see.The kitchen is well equiped with microwave,toaster,a good oven and an electric coffeemaker. There is a washingmachine,no dryer but space on the roof to dry the laundry. Reasonably good WIFI (not very fast, but certainly enough to get by)and a small LED TV and DVD player.One person in our party has a bad back and the beds were not comfortable for him, could use some new matrasses.The building and the apartement itself have some backup maintenance;windows that will not lock properly,showerstall with a missing door and getting hotwater was sometimes a bit difficult. Probably all solved by the time the next renter comes in.
We had a great time,Maria was very helpfull and easy to reach
Nice apartment in the centre of the city. Because it is situated in a busy area with lots of bars it can be noisy at night (in the weekend). Maria was very helpful.
Fantastic apartment. Perfect location and excellent place to stay.
The location of the Apartment in Center of Sevilla is fantastic. Only 200 meters from the Cathedral and with part view to the Cathedral - which is beautiful at night.
Some small issues regarding the Apartment which could be improved.
1. It's not possible to hang the shower head on the wall when taking a shower. This is very inconvenient.
2. The hot Water in the Apartment is limited. It's coming on and off - so no long showers.
3. The air condition Works fine regarding keeping the pre selected temperature in the rooms. But in the sleeping room the noise from the Air Condition engine is immense and, it makes a lot of noise. Should be fixed.
But even with these inconveniences - the apartment is value for the Money.
Regards Alex Andersen.
The apartment was like the photos and it was in a very central position, less than one minute by feet to the cathedral. The apartment was very very tidy and in the kitchen there was everything you need for cooking. The wifi was perfect.
We were in 5 and our stay were very good, but we think the aparment is better for only 4 people because the 5th bed is in the living room, but it isn't a big problem for short stay.
What a nice place o stay in Sevilla, at the doorsteps of the great Cathedral. Entering the apartment via the entrance, situated on a causy little square (Plaza del Cabildo) the elevator brings you right to the door of an enormous apartment, elegantly furnished with a big living room, two seperate and large bedrooms and a fully equipped kitchen. From the balcony you look right into the square near the church and eating and drinking is no more than a few steps away.
i went tp the congress, but my colleges in their smart hotels were quite impressed, both by the size of the apartment and the place we stayed.
We enjoyed our stay in Towers Duplex Terrace. The location is absolutely perfect, very close to the cathedral and to many other places of interest to the first time visitor in Sevilla. The small street where the house is located is a busy and lively place with lots of bars and restaurants. Do not expect luxury as to the interior of the flat, but then the price is fair and moderate, and it is comfortable and clean. It is marvelous to have your very own terrace on the top of the house, where you can enjoy mornings and evenings when the sun is not too hot.
Excellent location downtown!!
The flat was really pleasant. We spent a great moment in Sevilla!!
Thank you Maria
A lovely apartment right in the heart of the old town, just steps from the Cathedral and plentiful Tapas Bars.
The apartment was clean, light and airy in a beautiful old building, with the delightful terrace on the roof. There is a tight spiral staircase to the third bedroom and terrace which may not be suitable for everyone, but for us it was no problem.
We stayed at the end of the Feria de Abril so were treated to the sight of the Sevillian ladies all dressed up. The weekend finished with a spectacular firework display over the cathedral to which we had a great view from the roof terrace.
- Kvalitetssikret innkvartering
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- Sikker betaling med SSL-kryptering


text:
Archive for the 'Brain' Category
Help accelerate biomedical research from the comfort of your couch
By Jenny Cutraro April 27th, 2017 at 6:35 pm | Comment
The Science Behind WeCureAlz: A Participatory Research Project Tackling Alzheimer's Disease
By Guest April 22nd, 2016 at 5:13 pm | Comment
by Egle Marija Ramanauskaite
Earlier this year, we introduced you to WeCureALZ – a groundbreaking new project that for the first time is set to use the power of citizen science to conduct Alzheimer's research. Enabled by the support of the BrightFocus Foundation, the team is already preparing for the alpha testing of our first online activity – a game that will allow everyone to search for stalled capillaries in the brains of Alzheimer's-affected mice.
With a beta launch planned later this year, we thought it was about time we tell you the key part of the story – the science behind WeCureALZ, and what is it that you – citizen scientists – will be helping researchers do! Read the rest of this entry »
SciStarter's Top Fourteen Citizen Science Projects of 2014!
By Arvind Suresh January 5th, 2015 at 7:00 am | Comment
VerbCorner – A Window Into The Brain One Thought At A Time
By Melinda T. Hough January 31st, 2014 at 8:56 am | Comment
VerbCorner invites citizen scientists to answer fun questions about words and their meanings to eventually help train computers to understand language.
SciStarter is shuffling science into the language department. Explore the science of words with these citizen science projects!
Verb. Noun. Pronoun. Adjective. Adverb. Preposition. Conjunction. Interjection… If you're anything like me, the sight of sentence diagrams and parts of speech trigger nightmares of grade school English class and number 2 pencils. But, how do we understand what a word means? As useful as dictionaries are, they only provide other words in their definitions. How do we know when to use one word in a sentence and not another? How do we explain a complex idea to children?
In July 2013, Lily Bui introduced us to VerbCorner, a citizen science project investigating the structure of language and, ultimately, the structure of thought. According to Dr. Hartshorne, the director of MIT's Games With Words, "Scientists still haven't worked out the exact meaning of most words… It is [similarly] hard to understand how children come to learn the meanings of words, when we don't fully understand those meanings ourselves… I can tell you as a former translator, we translate words into meaning and then back into words." With an infinite number of words and sentence structures, where should linguists begin to understand their meanings?
In VerbCorner, the mammoth task of understanding how language is structured is broken down into smaller, simple tasks. Through wild stories, each task focuses on one of seven unique aspects of verb meaning to elucidate the fundamental building blocks scientists think make up language such as how a verb is used and its relationship to a change of state. To date, over 1500 citizen scientists have provided more than 117,000 judgments on the initial 641 chosen verbs and six aspects of meaning, supplying Dr. Hartshorne and colleagues enough preliminary data to begin understanding how we understand words.
Are there patterns to how we use verbs? Do we systematically choose words? Or is our word choice completely random and learned in childhood? Regardless of what language you speak, scientists are learning that how we choose words appears to be similar. Scientists have discovered there is a relationship between grammar and meaning which is systematic, and thereby machine learnable. Previous work by Beth Levin lead to the creation of VerbNet, a database where verbs are categorized based on their meaning and usage. Citizen scientists in VerbCorner are helping Dr. Hartshorne's team verify that verbs with similar descriptions (such as contact or force) are similarly classified and only work in particular grammatical situations.
According to Dr. Hartshorne, "The most interesting things we are learning are about the building blocks of the mind." In the initial release of VerbCorner, one task tried to understand the building block 'change of state' be it physical, mental, or a location. "If 'change of state' really was a core component of how we conceptualize the world, it should have been easy to make a task that got at it. We were unable to make such a task. People found it very hard to keep track of all three types of changes." Dr. Hartshorne explained. Consequently, the initial task was broken down into three new tasks, each focusing on a different aspect of changing state. Suddenly, citizen scientists were able to complete the task. "This suggests that linguists were wrong about 'change of state' being a building block of meaning… Rather the building blocks are probably 'change of physical state', 'change of location', 'change of mental state', and possibly more."
With these results, VerbCorner achieved its first goal – the analysis of the original 641 verbs and six aspects of meaning. But, there is lots of work still to do – another 400 verbs and four additional tasks have recently been added to the project which ultimately plans to cover all the verbs and components of meaning in VerbNet. Linguists, psychologists, and computer scientists plan to use our evolving understand of language and meaning to develop a deeper understanding of human thought as well as fine tune the artificial intelligence programming society is increasingly reliant upon.
Why not flex your mind over language skills at VerbCorner this afternoon? I'm certain you know more than Siri.
Dr. Melinda T. Hough is a freelance science advocate and communicator. Her previous work has included a Mirzayan Science and Technology Graduate Policy Fellowship at the National Academy of Sciences (2012), co-development of several of the final science policy questions with ScienceDebate.org (2012), consulting on the development of the Seattle Science Festival EXPO day (2012), contributing photographer for JF Derry's book "Darwin in Scotland" (2010) and outreach projects to numerous to count. Not content to stay stateside, Melinda received a B.S in Microbiology from the University of Washington (2001) before moving to Edinburgh, Scotland where she received a MSc (2002) and PhD (2008) from the University of Edinburgh trying to understand how antibiotics kill bacteria. Naturally curious, it is hard to tear Melinda away from science; but if you can, she might be found exploring, often behind the lens of her Nikon D80, training for two half-marathons, or plotting her next epic adventure.
Can Words Trigger a Response from Your Senses? Find Out with the Investigating Word Modalities Project
By Emily Lewis January 21st, 2014 at 12:18 pm | Comment
Investigating Word Modalities seeks citizen scientists to help investigate words attached to senses.
SciStarter is shuffling science into the language department. Explore the science of words with these citizen science projects!
Modality describes a pathway in the body through which a stimulus is registered. It essentially refers to one of the five senses. For example, the stimulus light is registered through the visual modality with the eyes. However, unexpected stimuli can sometimes trigger a modality, such as words. The goal of the Investigating Word Modalities Projectis to explore which words elicit a response from the auditory (hearing) or visual modalities.
Drs. Bonnici and Simons from the Memory Lab at the University of Cambridge are performing the research, which Simons describes as "a small pilot study." They ask that participants take a quiz rating how strongly a series of words are associated with an auditory sensation, a visual sensation, or both. The words range from onomatopoeia, in which the word mimics the sound it is describing, to names of objects that make sounds, to things that make no sound at all. Similar types of words are explored for the visual modality, ranging from things that can be seen to those that are invisible.
When I took the quiz, it was interesting to see what words triggered a sensory response. I found that a number of words describing silent objects still caused me to have an auditory response, while similarly, I experienced visual sensations with words that name invisible things. I also found that many words evoked distinct auditory or visual memories.
Overall, the quiz was a fun exploration of the associations made my brain. If you have a spare twenty minutes, give it a shot – you, too, might be surprised by the response of your senses. Plus, you'll be helping scientists understand how words can elicit a modality.
Emily Lewis is a PhD candidate in chemistry at Tufts University, where she analyzes catalysts for synthetic fuels on the nanoscale. She received her BS and MS degrees from Northeastern University, and her thesis work examined fuel cell catalysts under real operating conditions. She loves learning about energy and the environment, exploring science communication, and investigating the intersection of these topics with the policy world. When she's not writing or in the lab, you'll probably spot Emily at the summit of one of the White Mountains in NH. Follow her: @lewisbase, emilyannelewis.com.


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Abbott Sofa Item # D2320
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|The First
Truly Modern Celebrity
Beau Brummell: The Ultimate Man of Style
By Ian Kelly.
Free Press, 2006. xv + 393 pages (312 pages of main text, minus Notes and Bibliographies).
32 pages of B/W illustrations. Hardcover. $26.00.
Reviewed by Sarah S. G. Frantz.
George Bryan Brummell is one of the iconic figures of the Regency period, perhaps more culturally significant than the man for whom the era is named, the Prince Regent himself. Beau Brummell, after all, taught men how to dress, almost single-handedly changing the entire look of the male wardrobe in a revolution called The Great Masculine Renunciation—a revolution that still has a direct effect on modern culture every time a man wears a power suit.
Ian Kelly has written a much-needed, brilliantly-researched biography of this sartorial demi-god, contributing an easily- accessible, well-written, enjoyable volume to the current academic examination of the changing meaning of masculinity in early nineteenth-century England. As Kelly claims so aptly: "The way men began to dress because of Brummell was an arresting corollary to the sea change in attitudes toward masculinity, and the debate over gentlemanly behavior that reverberates in the novels of Jane Austen as much as in the politics of the Enlightenment."
Kelly begins the actual biography with a strict chronological examination of the first twenty-one years of Brummell's life, encompassing his early schooling and his time in the Tenth Light Dragoons, the Prince of Wales' own regiment. The vivid descriptions of Brummell's time in the army in Brighton provide "a vivid reminder that the world Elizabeth Bennet dreaded for her sister Lydia in Pride and Prejudice was very real, very brazen and based all around the Tenth Light Dragoons' officers' mess." It is only when Kelly falls victim to the apparently irresistible biographers' urge to speculate on Brummell's formative "psychosexual health" that the narrative stretches credibility—although Kelly redeems himself later when he logically and systematically considers the mystery of Brummell's likely sexual orientation.
Kelly covers the next seventeen years of Brummell's life, from 1799 to 1816, after he left the army and moved to London, by organizing the book into sections that follow Brummell's daily routine—and by extension, the daily routine of most aristocratic men of the time. Kelly begins in the "Morning" with Brummell's toilet and London shopping. "Afternoon" describes Hyde Park and the gentlemen's clubs, and "Evening" is spent at the Theatre, Almack's, and the brothels. "The End of the Day" deals with Brummell's ruinous gambling addiction.
While this structure satisfies the love of Regency detail of those of us brought up on Austen, Georgette Heyer, and modern Regency romances, its very historicity means that Kelly pairs incidents that happen fifteen years apart with no recognition or discussion of the changes in Brummell's life, in London culture, or in British history during that tumultuous period. I was confused, for example, as to when exactly Brummell finally fell out of the Prince Regent's favor. Kelly's description of the party Brummell hosted at which Brummell responded to being snubbed by the Prince with the famous quip to the Prince's companion, "Who's your fat friend?" is related in the chapter on Almack's and men's clubs with nary a date. Kelly doesn't discuss either the Napoleonic Wars or England's internal unrest at all, sustaining the popular view of Regency London as a timeless round of shopping, parties, and gambling that in some small measure contributes to the critical view of Austen's novels as themselves timeless.
For the period after Brummell left London in debt and disgrace, Kelly jumps back into a chronological examination of his sixteen years in exile in Calais and his ten years in Caen, where he variously acted as Ambassador Consul, was jailed for debt, and died of syphilis in an asylum. Kelly's unrelenting detail of the truly awful progression of Brummell's syphilitic condition, while revolutionary in its diagnosis of Brummell's disorder, is rather depressing. It's horrifying to read of Brummell, the fastidious man who once stunned and reeducated his peers by washing every part of his body every day, "left lying on a soiled straw mattress," his mind and body ravaged by syphilis, his linen "changed once a month." But then I was also tempted to reach through history and shake Brummell when reading about his complete inability to subsist on his income, even after he is devastated both physically and emotionally when jailed for debt in Caen.
In the Introduction, Kelly claims boldly that "Beau Brummell has a story as both symbol and man," that he is "the first truly modern celebrity." The biography describes in engaging detail the origins and originality of Brummell's fashion, style, and legacy: the clothes and the manners—"the poise, deft wit and air of languorous indifference"—of the gentleman. But Kelly ends the biography abruptly with the death and burial of a ruined man, without any re-examination of Beau Brummell the symbol. While this move seems slightly disingenuous and left me needing to read the bold claims of the Introduction again, it does serve to emphasize the humanity of the man George Brummell, rather than belaboring the legend of the Beau immortalized in a Billy Joel song.
S. G. Frantz is an assistant professor of English at Fayetteville State
University, North Carolina, and an officer in the North Carolina Army
National Guard. She is currently editing a volume of essays on
how female authors construct their male characters.
News v.22, no. 3, Winter 2006, p. 27
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text: My name is Rick Pilgrim and hello to everyone! We run a mid size landscape maintenance co, and are mostly GM powered, 5 out of 8 are GM products. Am also a partner in my sons auto repair business. Hope to be as much help to everyone as you are to me!


text:
Subaru WRX Forum (http://www.wrxtuners.com/forums/)
- - Transmission and Differential service w/synthetic (http://www.wrxtuners.com/forums/f69/transmission-differential-service-w-synthetic-1319/)
Transmission and Differential service w/synthetic
I need to change the gear oil in my tranny and diff in my 03 wrx- it doesn't take any additives in the diff liek other cars with limited slip does it? Will 70-90 wt be ok in both? im using redline synthetic, thanks.
i think mt-90 will work the best, but im not totaly sure.
u are right, but I recomend NEo synthetics because those are used by the rally wrx
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text: It seems Wagner made a concerted effort to master some 3-3 combos for this season. Yet it doesn't seem to be helping her. Last year her best LP scores were in the high 120s. I am sure she thought by pushing the technical envelope more she could crack into the 130s. Yet she isn't scoring any better than she was this time last season despite now doing atleast one 3-3 in each LP. She still cant come close to cracking 130, which Julia with her tiny jumps and only moderately good PCS is even doing. Was it even worth the effort and it is going to pay off for her at any point.


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Create a free account to check out faster, store multiple shipping addresses, view and track your orders in your account, and much more.
Please enter your password to continue.
I needed this for my chella highlighter sample but I am glad it does more than just sharpen that pencil and that it can do more- worth the purchase!5


text:
Marathon offers a challenge to develop community spirit
Bernard Chan compares Hong Kong's run to Japan's and finds it wanting
In 1997, the first Standard Chartered Hong Kong Marathon had 1,000 runners on a route to Shenzhen to mark the handover. Since then, it has gone from strength to strength. This year's, in February, attracted 72,000 participants, with over 14,000 doing the full marathon.
That included top runners from Asia and the rest of the world, including Kenyan and Ethiopian champions. It is our biggest outdoor sporting event and an important vehicle for raising funds for charity.
Not everyone is impressed, however. A friend of mine who takes marathons seriously went to the Tokyo one this year (on the same day as Hong Kong's). In many ways, he says, the standards are similar, but something about the Japanese race stands out.
Both events, he says, are well organised. Finding affordable hotel space is a challenge in both cities. In terms of logistics and arrangements for runners - refreshments, transport and so on - both are professional and efficient. Hong Kong has some interesting scenery, but also a lot of gloomy tunnels, which are not fun to run in, and more climbs due to hills and bridges.
But the really noticeable difference, my friend says, is that the Hong Kong race is so obviously segregated from the local community, while in Tokyo the marathon and the local people come together in a carnival atmosphere. Tokyo's motto this year, "The Day We Unite", was not an empty slogan.
There seem to be several reasons for this. One is that the Japanese public is simply more interested in marathons. Some of the world's top runners are Japanese, and long-distance sports seem to be part of the country's sporting culture. Perhaps Japanese people are also more likely to enjoy a communal activity like watching a marathon than people here.
Most of all, however, it is the timing and routing of the race.
Having taken part in long-distance endurance events myself, I can see the bright side of starting the Hong Kong event so early in the day before it gets warm or humid. Runners here set off from between 5.30am and 7am.
However, the main reason for the timing seems to be to allow the authorities to open the roads up to normal traffic by around 1pm - which is when the race is at its height in Tokyo. By the time most people in Hong Kong have got up on a Sunday, the top runners have reached the finishing line.
Most of all, the route in Hong Kong seems designed to avoid the public. For much of the time, full marathon runners are going over the Stonecutters and Tsing Ma bridges and the associated viaducts and tunnels, as well as through the Western cross-harbour tunnel. Only at the start in Tsim Sha Tsui, and the end through Central and Wan Chai to Victoria Park, do they pass through urban areas where crowds can watch and cheer. Because of the early start, the only spectators runners see are at the end in Causeway Bay.
In Tokyo, the race is held during normal hours and through downtown city streets. The crowds line much more of the route and cheer and pass water and even soup to the runners. Other top marathons like New York, Boston, London and Berlin also manage to involve the wider community.
The reason for this is simple. If our transport, police and other agencies arranged for more of the 42-kilometre route to pass through our dense urban areas, it would require major temporary traffic arrangements. Cars, buses, vans and even pedestrians would face major diversions for a day.
The marathon could have been a huge event for the community. But the authorities were so afraid of upsetting particular interests and hearing loud complaints that they segregated the event from the people. Who can blame them? It is a reflection of a problem that hinders far bigger decisions and changes in our society.
Bernard Chan is a member of the Executive Council
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Brian Hayes
In a two-dimensional world, it's easy to find a continental divide, if it exists. Think of an ant farm: a thin layer of soil sandwiched between two upright panes of glass. An ant walking along the surface of the soil from west to east will trace a one-dimensional profile, a graph of elevation as a function of longitude. If the profile has just one peak—that is, if the ant climbs steadily to some maximum elevation and thereafter descends continuously—then obviously that unique peak is the divide. ("It's all downhill from here," the ant might well say.) If there are multiple peaks with valleys between them, the highest of the summits must be the divide.
Some pathological possibilities could spoil this easy analysis. The ant-farm profile could have several tallest peaks, all at exactly the same height, or a plateau might form a continuous line of highest points. In these cases there is no unique continental divide. But such landforms are unlikely. Ignoring them, the algorithm for finding the ant-farm divide is straightforward: Just look for the highest point.
Leaving behind the ant farm to consider a two-dimensional surface embedded in three-dimensional space, the divide problem gets more interesting. In particular, the find-the-maximum algorithm no longer works. Just try it for the case of North America! When you search out the highest point in the lower 48 states, you find yourself atop Mount Whitney, in California, elevation 4,418 meters. But Mount Whitney is nowhere near the continental divide, and all the water that falls on its flanks winds up in the Pacific, none in the Atlantic. (Indeed, much of it flows through the municipal water mains of Los Angeles.)
Thinking about this phenomenon on a larger scale raises doubts about the whole concept of a continental divide. Just as runoff can sneak around Mount Whitney, it can also find a path around the entire American Cordillera, which doesn't really separate the Pacific from the Atlantic. After all, you can get from New York to San Francisco without climbing even the smallest hill: There is a sea-level route, around Cape Horn. From a topological point of view, a continental divide can exist only if a continent girdles the planet, so that the divide is a closed curve, with an inside and an outside.
Perhaps the best answer to this complaint is that the idea of a great divide belongs to the field of topography, not topology. Insisting on mathematical rigor is not necessarily helpful. In any case, we can rescue the concept of the divide, at the cost of making it somewhat artificial. The key step is to cut away a rectangular section of the earth's crust, corresponding roughly to the lower 48 states, and put it in a high-walled glass box—a terrarium, not so different from the ant farm. Now a continental divide is either a closed curve that lies entirely inside the box, or else it is a continuous line whose endpoints are anchored to the glass walls. With this definition, the divide truly does divide the territory into separate regions.
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The Caravan for Peace Arrives in D.C., Speaking Truth to Power
Posted by Admin in Global Exchange News & Events, Mexico, World News & Events on 12th September, 2012 | 3 Comments
The Caravan has arrived in Washington, D.C. after a month on the road. From one coast to the next, we have listened to one another's stories—learning how violence and fear has touched every part of Mexico—and to the stories of brave souls we met along the way. We have come to speak these truths to the power that resides within the nation's gleaming capitol buildings.
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text:
KG 2 Mathematics Worksheets
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Learning is enhanced with pictures and activities. Bringing to you high quality colored worksheets for children from Kindergarten to class 6 that makes learning a happy and interesting experience.
Worksheet Solutions are available at Online.
Here are some key features of our worksheets:
1. Bright colorful pages to intrigue and engage the child.
2. Variety of activities to reiterate the understanding of the concepts.
3. Easy understanding of the questions, thereby limiting a parent's supervision to read the questions. (only for class 1 to class 5)
4. Stiffer pages that can withstand rough handling.
5. Designed by experienced educationalists and in tune with the current NCERT syllabus.
Topics covered in Mathematics (Number of pages: 140)
1. Count and add
2. Count and write
3. Number sequence
4. Pattern completion
5. Ordinal numbers
6. Identify Shapes and color them
7. Money and currency
8. Count and write
9. Skip counting – 2, 10
10. Maze games
11. Addition
12. Subtraction
13. Identify the Time
14. Measurement
15. Before and after
16. Analyze the pattern
17. Months in a year
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Originally posted on Seahawk Addicts | Last updated 8/11/12
Well, we couldn't have asked for a much better first play to open the year, could we?
CB Brandon Browner grabbed a bobbled pass to Titans TE Jared Cook and returned it for a touchdown, making this arguably the flashiest start to a Seahawks season that I can remember. The throw, ironically, was from none other than former Seahawk QB Matt Hasselbeck.
After a bit of a defensive battle back and forth throughout the first half, the score now sits at 10-3 at halftime, in favor of the Seahawks. Some notes from the game so far:
- The first-team Seahawk defense looks stout and as solid as advertised. Besides Browner, CB Richard Sherman had an interception when Hasselbeck was going for the red zone in the first quarter.
- DEs Jason Jones and Bruce Irvin have consisently applied pressure to the QB and giving the Titans' offensive line plenty to deal with, though they've generated no sacks so far. I'm not expecting perfection on the first game of the preseason, though.
- RB Robert Turbin has looked like he's somewhere between a Marshawn Lynch and an in-his-prime version of Marion Barber. He's surprisingly fast for a guy with biceps the size of the Space Needle.
- Matt Flynn has looked confident, poised and accurate in the pocket. He did throw an INT late in the first half, but again, I'm not expecting everything to be perfect just yet. Flynn's upside so far has undoubtedly outweighed his slight mistakes. This is what preseason is for -- ironing out the kinks in the game. Flynn will be the starter for the Seahawks this season, barring any freak occurrences (knock on wood.)
- LB Bobby Wagner has been all over the place. This kid could very well be our answer to Patrick Willis, as Michael Robinson predicted earlier this week. We'll see how this pans out, but I have high hopes for our 2nd-round pick so far.
The second half is now underway -- let's see how QB Russell Wilson runs the offense now.
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text:
Adcom GFA-585 Parts Needed
I have a Adcom GFA 585 Limited Edition with a bad PCB. I spoke to Adcom and the part isn't available any longer.
Maybe somewhere out there, someone has a parter and call sell me the boards.
Short of that, maybe I'll sell mine for parts. Any ideas what one of these would be worth?
So, if anyone has access to some parts for one of these, let me know.
driver board from 565
I am not completely certain, but I think each of the amps in a the 585 are the same as the monoblock 565. If that is the case I have a single, non-functional board from a recently parted out 565. The PCB itself is perfect, but it has an undiagnosed fault. I also have the service manual and ~40 original, tested pairs of the Toshiba output transistors, all removed from Adcom amps.
Thanks for responding. I'll call the Adcom guru at the company and ask them about the board you mentioned.
If they give the green light, let's work out a deal !
Thanks again.
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DOL Annual Report, Fiscal Year
Performance and Accountability Report
Management's Discussion & Analysis
Financial Section
Improving Financial Performance Through Transparency
Over the past fiscal year, the Department has also worked on enhancing its managerial cost accounting system, Cost Analysis Manager (CAM). The Department's success in implementing a Department-wide managerial cost accounting system was highlighted in the Government Accountability Office's (GAO) Survey of Managerial Cost Accounting Practices at Large Federal Agencies. In addition, the Department was praised for its efforts in making managerial cost accounting information readily available at a hearing before the U.S. House of Representatives on September 21, 2005. CAM is an indispensable tool for improving program performance. It improves accountability and transparency for how well tax dollars are spent. In FY 2005, the Department reported in its Performance and Accountability Report the cost of its Department-wide performance goals. This year, it is providing cost information on more than half of its Department-wide performance indicators.
The Department continues to work on the implementation of a new core financial management system, known as Labor Executive Accountability Program (LEAP). LEAP will provide readily available, transparent data to managers and decision-makers for use on a day-to-day basis. This Financial Systems Integration Office (FSIO)-compliant COTS package will make available timely, accurate, and reliable financial information, and will provide the tools to conduct sophisticated financial analyses to better manage program resources. This will result in an increased use of integrated financial and performance information that will empower superior decision-making through better business intelligence.
When fully implemented, the new system will be a strategic asset for the Department allowing, managers to create customized reports online at their desktops to meet their management needs in real time. LEAP is currently being hosted by a Shared Service Provider (SSP). This SSP was selected in Q2 FY 2006, and the SSP hosting of LEAP started in Q4 FY 2006. For Q1 FY 2007, LEAP is scheduled to complete the configuration of the Oracle Federal Administrator (Budget Execution) module for internal reporting and evaluation purposes.
The Department is the first Federal agency to deploy an-end-to end web based electronic travel management system, which was completed on September 30, 2006. Now, DOL employees have the advantage of being able to assess their travel system 24-hours a day/7 days a week to enter travel authorizations, book travel reservations, and complete their travel vouchers. The system is accessible from the office, home, or while on the road. E-Gov Travel is totally paperless and affords DOL employees the ease of taking advantage of the latest technology while providing cost savings.
The Debt Collection Improvement Act of 1996 (DCIA) designated the Department of the Treasury as the central agency for collection of Federal debts over 180 days delinquent. The Department cross-services all delinquent debts in accordance with this statute. Debt management accounts for a relatively small part of our financial management activity. The majority of debts managed by the Department relate to the assessment of fines and penalties in our enforcement programs. During FY 2006, the Department referred $84.2 million, which represents 79 percent of all eligible delinquent debt, to Treasury for collection. The Department continues to monitor and aggressively pursue its debt greater than 180 days old.
The Department continues to make improvements in its efforts to meet guidance and regulations outlined in the Prompt Payment Act. The Prompt Payment Act requires Executive agencies to pay commercial obligations within discreet time periods and to pay interest penalties when those time constraints are not met. In FY 2006, of approximately $1.2 billion in gross payments, $452,000 was paid in interest fees and penalties. Additionally, during FY 2005, there were over 73,000 payments made to vendors and travelers. Of this amount, 2,476 invoices were paid late, resulting in only 3% of the total payments incurring interest penalties. These results represent significant improvements from the prior year.
The Department continues to work aggressively with its agencies to increase the number of vendors receiving payments through electronic fund transfer (EFT). The percentage of vendors receiving EFT payments increased by 7% to 95%. ESA benefit and medical programs, although increasing in EFT payments, continue to remain low.
Analysis of Financial Statements
The principal financial statements summarize the Department's financial position, net cost of operations, and changes in net position, provide information on budgetary resources and financing, and present the sources and disposition of custodial revenues for FY 2006 and FY 2005. Highlights of the financial information presented in the principal financial statements are shown below.
Financial Position
The Department's Balance Sheet presents its financial position through the identification of agency assets, liabilities, and net position. The Department's total assets increased from $71.5 billion in FY 2005 to $83.5 billion in FY 2006. The increase in total assets primarily was account for in the Department's investments. The Department invests in non-marketable, special issue Treasury securities balances held in the Unemployment Trust Fund. The Department did not experience major changes in liabilities during FY 2006. Liabilities totaled $20 billion at the end of both FY 2006 and 2005. Beginning in FY 2006, agencies were required to report earmarked non-exchange revenue and other financing sources, including appropriations. The Department was also required to report the portions of cumulative results of operations and unexpended appropriations on the face of the Balance Sheet.
Net Cost of Operations
The Department's total net cost of operations in FY 2006 was $44.8 billion, a decrease of $9.6 billion from the prior year. This decrease was attributable to the following crosscutting programs:
Income Maintenance programs continue to comprise the major portion of costs. These programs include costs such as unemployment benefits paid to individuals who are laid off or out of work and seeking employment as well as payments to individuals who qualify for disability benefits due to injury or illness suffered on the job.
Employment and Training programs comprise the second largest cost. These programs are designed to help individuals deal with the loss of a job, research new opportunities, find training to acquire different skills, start a new job, or make long-term career plans.
Statement of Budgetary Resources
This statement reports the budgetary resources available to DOL during FY 2006 and FY 2005 to effectively carry out the activities of the Department as well as the status of these resources at the end of each fiscal year. The Department had direct obligations of $50.3 billion in FY 2006, a decrease of $1 billion from FY 2005.
Limitations on the Principal Financial Statements
As required by the Government Management Reform Act of 1994 (31 U.S.C. 3515 (b)), the principal financial statements report the Department's financial position and results of operations. While the statements have been prepared from the Department's books and records, in accordance with formats prescribed by OMB, the statements differ from the financial reports used to monitor and control budgetary resources, which are prepared from the same books and records. The statements should be read with the realization that they are a component of the U.S. Government, a sovereign entity, and that liabilities reported in the financial statements cannot be liquidated without legislation providing resources to do so.
Management Assurances
The Department committed significant resources in implementing the requirements outlined in the revised OMB Circular A-123, Management's Responsibility for Internal Controls. The Department's implementation leveraged and improved upon existing successes in financial management, including the Quarterly Financial Management Certification program, which requires managers at all levels to attest to the adequacy of effective management controls over program resources, financial systems, and financial reporting. The Department's approach to the A-123 requirement is compliance at managed cost, sustainability by reducing compliance mindset and reliance on outside parties to discover errors and problems, and improvement in effectiveness and efficiency of agency programs.
Statement of Qualified Assurance
Federal Managers' Financial Integrity Act
The Department of Labor's management is responsible for establishing and maintaining effective internal control and financial management systems that meet the objectives of the Federal Managers' Financial Integrity Act (FMFIA). DOL is able to provide a qualified statement of assurance that the internal controls and financial management systems meet the objectives of FMFIA, with the exception of 7 significant deficiencies in 2 non-financial systems in complying with the Federal Information Security Management Act (FISMA) which are required to be reported as material weaknesses. The details of the exceptions are provided below.
DOL conducted its assessment of the effectiveness of internal control over the effectiveness and efficiency of operations and compliance with applicable laws and regulations in accordance with OMB Circular A-123, Management's Responsibility for Internal Control. Based on the results of this evaluation, DOL identified 7 significant deficiencies in 2 non-financial systems which are required to be reported as material weaknesses in its internal control over the effectiveness and efficiency of operations and compliance with applicable laws and regulations as of September 30, 2006. Other than the exceptions noted below, the internal controls were operating effectively and no other material weaknesses were found in the design or operation of the internal controls. DOL is also in conformance with Section 4 of FMFIA.
In addition, the DOL conducted its assessment of the effectiveness of internal control over financial reporting, which includes safeguarding of assets and compliance with applicable laws and regulations, in accordance with the requirements of Appendix A of OMB Circular A-123. Based on the results of this evaluation, DOL can provide reasonable assurance that its internal control over financial reporting as of June 30, 2006 was operating effectively and no material weaknesses were found in the design or operation of the internal control over financial reporting.
Federal Financial Management Improvement Act of 1996
The Federal Financial Management Improvement Act of 1996 (FFMIA) requires agencies to implement and maintain financial management systems that are substantially in compliance with Federal financial management systems requirements, Federal accounting standards, and the United States Government Standard General Ledger at the transaction level. All Department of Labor financial management systems substantially comply with FFMIA.
Disclosure of Federal Information Security Management Act (FISMA) Significant Deficiencies
The Federal Information Security Management Act (FISMA) requires the Department of Labor (DOL), Office of Inspector General (OIG), to perform annual independent evaluations of the DOL information security program and practices based upon audits of a subset of DOL's identified major information systems. The objective of the audits is to determine if security controls over the systems were in compliance with FISMA requirements.
Based on the audits performed during FY 2006, the OIG identified 7 significant deficiencies in 2 non-financial systems in the following security control areas:
- Enforcing appropriate access controls;
- Developing and implementing change control procedures;
- Ensuring service continuity; and
- Implementing incident response procedures and training.
To address the significant deficiencies in the security of the data, the OIG recommended that DOL document and implement procedures and processes to ensure that:
- Only authorized personnel have access to the systems and system changes are authorized;
- The Contingency Plans are current and tested and personnel are trained in their contingency planning and operational roles; and
- Security incidents are handled in accordance with applicable requirements and personnel with incident handling responsibilities are trained.
In its response to the audit reports, DOL generally concurred with the findings and recommendations and has already taken corrective actions to address several of the recommendations associated with these deficiencies and is in the process of taking corrective actions to address the remaining recommendations.
IPIA Compliance
Improved financial performance through the reduction of improper payments continues to be a key financial management focus of the Federal government. At Labor, developing strategies and the means to reduce improper payments is a matter of good stewardship. Accurate payments lower program costs. This is particularly important as budgets have become increasingly tight.
Over the past several years, identifying and reducing improper payments has been a major financial management focus of the Federal Government. A PMA key component is to improve agency financial performance through reductions in improper payments. OMB originally provided Section 57 of Circular A-11 as guidance for Federal agencies to identify and reduce improper payments for selected programs.12 The Improper Payments Information Act of 2002 (IPIA) broadened the original erroneous payment reporting requirements to programs and activities beyond those originally listed in Circular A-11.
IPIA defines improper payments as those payments made to the wrong recipient, in the wrong amount, or used in an improper manner by the recipient. IPIA requires a Federal agency to identify all of its programs that are risk susceptible to improper payments. It also requires the agency to implement a corrective action plan that includes improper payment reduction and recovery targets. The act also requires the agency to report annually on the extent of its improper payments and the actions taken to increase the accuracy of payments.
To coordinate and facilitate the Department's efforts under IPIA, the Chief Financial Officer (CFO) is the Erroneous Payment Reduction Coordinator for the Department. OCFO works with program offices to develop a coordinated strategy to perform annual reviews for all programs and activities susceptible to improper payments. This cooperative effort includes developing actions to reduce improper payments, identifying and conducting ongoing monitoring techniques, and establishing appropriate corrective action initiatives.
Due to the inherent differences in managing and accounting for funds in a benefit versus a grant program, the Department conducted its FY 2006 risk assessment using different methodologies to assess their improper payment risk. Per OMB guidance, Unemployment Insurance (UI), Federal Employees' Compensation Act (FECA), and the Workforce Investment Act (WIA) programs are deemed to be high risk irrespective of the determined improper payment error rate. This determination is based on the fact that the financial payments for each of these programs exceed $2 billion. UI and FECA are benefit programs. WIA is a grant program.
FY 2006 benefit programs with FY 2005 outlays totaling less than $200 million were deemed to be low risk, unless a known weakness existed in the program management based on reports issued by oversight agencies such as the Department's Inspector General (IG) and/or the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO). Hence, these benefit programs were not statistically sampled. For benefit programs with outlays greater than $200 million, the Department conducted sampling to determine their improper payment rates. This sampling included FECA, UI, Black Lung Disability Trust Fund, and Energy Employees Occupational Illness Compensation Fund. UI was the only program determined to be susceptible to risk13 as a result of this approach. However, the Department is also reporting on FECA's improper payment rate since it is required per OMB guidance.
As mentioned earlier, the Department used a separate methodology to assess the risk of improper payments in grant programs except for Job Corps which was sampled. The Department analyzed all FY 2004 Single Audit Reports14 to identify questioned costs, which were used as a proxy for improper payments, and to estimate an approximate risk for each of the Department's grant programs. The improper payment rate was determined by calculating the projected questioned costs and dividing this total projection by the corresponding outlays.15 All error rates were determined to be well below the 2.5 percent threshold; therefore, no grant programs were determined to be susceptible to risk as a result of this approach. However, like FECA, the Department is reporting on WIA's improper payment rate since it is required per OMB guidance, even though its improper payment rate is well below the 2.5 percent threshold.
Challenges for IPIA Compliance
Like many other Federal agencies, the Department faces challenges in meeting its improper payment reduction and recovery targets, particularly with programs that are sensitive to the U.S. economy fluctuations or natural disasters, such as the UI program. Despite implementing new initiatives that will reduce its improper payments, the UI program's estimated improper payment error rate increased to 10.0%. The underpayment rate the percentage of dollars paid made that was smaller than they should have been was 0.67%, a rate that has remained steady for several years.
Two factors appear to account for most of the increase in the overpayment rate from 9.3% a year earlier as the table below shows:
- Several major hurricanes in 2005 had a devastating impact on Louisiana and Mississippi, and less severe impacts on Alabama, Florida, and Texas. Overpayments in these states increased significantly during the year, largely because of confusion about reinstated eligibility requirements that had been temporarily suspended due to disruption of the economy. We estimate that the increases in the Gulf States raised the aggregate Annual Report rate by a third of a percentage point and the operational rate by 0.13 percentage points.
- In its aggressive emphasis on payment integrity over the past few years, the Department has developed a new core performance measure for overpayment detection and has begun to improve the Benefit Accuracy Measurement (BAM) program's ability to detect individuals who are working and claiming UI benefits concurrently, the single largest cause of overpayment errors. This increased attention has heightened states' overall awareness of the problem of UI benefit overpayments and led to improved and higher BAM estimates. For the year ending 06/30/06, eighteen states voluntarily crossmatched BAM cases with the State Directory of New Hires (SDNH) or National Directory of New Hires (NDNH). We estimate that this voluntary use of the new hire directories raised the measured overpayment rates by nearly a fifth of a point during FY 2006.
Total Rate
Operational Rate
Year Ending 6/30/2005 Rates
FY 2006 Targets
Unadjusted YE 6/30/2006 Estimates
New Hire Cross match
Hurricane - affected States
Adjusted Rates
The Department has obtained authority to require states to use the NDNH to improve their BAM estimates of overpayments due to workers who return to work but continue claiming benefits. When this NDNH crossmatch requirement becomes mandatory in January 2008, we estimate that it will raise the measured BAM annual report and operational rates by 0.5 to 0.75 percentage points.
Without the effects of these two elements, we estimate that the Annual Report rate would have been about 9.5% instead of 10.0%, and the operational rate 5.3% instead of 5.6%. Because both estimates are sample-based, they are subject to the usual sampling variation. The 95% confidence intervals are 10.0% +/- 0.54 percentage points for the Annual Report rate and 5.63% +/- 0.44 percentage points for the operational rate.
Furthermore, meeting improper payment reduction and recovery targets of programs such as UI and WIA are contingent upon the cooperation and support of State agencies and other outside stakeholders who are intricately involved in the day-to-day management of these programs' activities.
Accomplishments and Plans for the Future
Despite the increase in UI's estimated improper payment error rate, the Department did meet its reduction targets for FECA and WIA. Their estimated improper payment error rates were 0.03% and 0.17% respectively.
The Department's analytical studies indicate that earlier detection of recoverable overpayments is the most cost-effective way to address improper payments. Early detection allows agencies to stop payments before a claimant who has returned to work can exhaust benefits and to recover these overpayments more readily. The Department estimates that the forty-five states that crossmatch UI beneficiaries with the SNDH or the NDNH instead of UI wage records prevented approximately $75 million of overpayments in each of the past two fiscal years. Last year, three states participated in a pilot study initiated by the Office of the Chief Financial Officer and the UI program to determine whether a cross-match using the NDNH is more effective than the SDNH in identifying individuals no longer eligible to receive UI benefits. The results of this pilot showed that because the NDNH includes records for out-of-state employers, Federal agencies, and multi-state employers that report all of their new hires to a single state, it detects improper payments more effectively than the SDNH. The Department has provided states with funds to implement these NDNH cross-matches; as of 10/30/06, twenty-two states have implemented the NDNH crossmatch, twelve states have signed the computer-matching agreement with HHS that is the prelude to connecting with the NDNH, and seventeen are in the planning process. Seven States were awarded special FY 2006 supplemental funds to implement NDNH.
In FY 2005, the Department began providing States funds to conduct Reemployment and Eligibility Assessment (REAs) with UI beneficiaries. These assessments reduce improper payments both by speeding claimants' return to work and by detecting and preventing eligibility violations. Twenty states received funds to continue REAs during FY 2006; these REAs are estimated to return about $66 million to the UI trust fund. An impact evaluation of nine states' REA programs is scheduled for March 2007.
12Section 57 identified Unemployment Insurance (UI), Federal Employees' Compensation Act (FECA), and Workforce Investment Act (WIA) as programs required to report annual erroneous payments.
13MB Implementation Guidance, M-03-13, further defined programs to be susceptible to risk if the improper payment rate exceeded 2.5 percent and the amount of overpayment exceeded $10 million. This guidance is now superseded by Appendix C of Circular A-123, which continues to define susceptibility to risk in the same manner.
14The Single Audit Act of 1996 provides for consolidated financial and single audits of State, local, non-profit entities, and Indian tribes administering programs with Federal funds. The most recent year available for Single Audit Reports is 2004.
15In the case of the WIA program, the projection was based on the WIA-specific questioned costs. For the non-WIA grant programs, the projection was made for all programs as an aggregate. The improper payment rate was determined by dividing this aggregate projection of questioned costs by the total outlays for all non-WIA grant programs.


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Thomas Tanel Info
Tom has an international reputation as a Subject Matter Expert and Seminar Leader in Purchasing and Supply Chain Management. He offers a seasoned perspective, with over 38 years of line, staff, and consulting experience to include Federated Department Stores, United States Army, United Van Lines, Bradalano Corporation, Tracy-Hayden Associates, and Ray Nelson Associates.
Designated a Lifetime Certified Purchasing Manager; he is also Certified in Transportation and Logistics, a Certified Cost Analyst, and a Certified International Supply Chain Manager. He is a recipient of a number of prestigious honors, including the Transportation Management Field Award and the Physical Distribution Field Award, bestowed by the Society of Logistics Engineers (SOLE), as well as the Advanced Professional Designation in Logistics Management (APDLM), jointly conferred by the Air Force Institute of Technology and SOLE.
Tom is a BA graduate of St. John's University and holds an MBA with concentration in Logistics from the Florida Institute of Technology. He is currently the Chair of the Institute of Supply Management's (ISM) Logistics and Transportation Group, Education Chair of ISM's Southwest Forum, and serves on the Education Committee of Warehousing Education and Research Council (WERC). He also serves on the Board of Advisers for the Purchasing and Procurement Center.
Tom is a seasoned, global veteran with experience spanning the United States, Australia, Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean Basin, Europe, Middle East, South America, and Asia. He has conducted over 700 presentations and seminars for colleges and universities, professional associations and societies, and in-company clients, as well as being a sought out conference speaker.
A respected practitioner, his more than 80 articles and insights have appeared in numerous professional magazines and journals. Tom is on the Editorial Advisory Board of Distribution Center Management and is a monthly column contributor for Parcel Forum's e-Parcel Update.
Latest Articles
26/08/2012 Analyze Your Logistics Services Provider's Intent Before Negotiating
Avoid being surprised! That's the basic rule of negotiation. And as Dizzy Dean, the great Baseball Legend, once said: "If you can do it, it ain't braggin!" Successful negotiation depends on knowing what leverage you have as the outsourcer, and knowing how to use it.


text: I never had the honor of meeting Coach Landry. But I was at the MNF game where they unvailed the statue in his memory. At the end of his wife's "thank you" speech she said something I will never forget. this is paraphrased... while looking at the statue she said "funny, I remember him being taller." after reading all those stories, I have to agree with her. Its no wonder that there was such great debate on this board over who the next HC should be. Us as Dallas Cowboys fans expect the best, and that is beacuse Coach Landry set the bar so high. I would like to thank him for that. R.I.P.


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Broadmoor Trophy
|Award details
|Ice hockey
|Given for
|WCHA Tournament Champion
|First award
|Most recent
|Michigan Tech
The Broadmoor Trophy is a trophy that has been awarded to the Western Collegiate Hockey Association (WCHA) playoff champion since 1985. The trophy itself dates to 1981, when it was awarded to the WCHA regular season champion for three seasons, from 1981–82 to 1983–84. During that time, the Broadmoor Trophy served as the replacement for the MacNaughton Cup, traditionally awarded to the WCHA regular season champion. The trophy is named after The Broadmoor resort in Colorado Springs, Colorado, which has a long history of supporting college hockey.[1]
The Broadmoor Trophy was commissioned as a replacement for the MacNaughton Cup, held in trust by Michigan Tech. In 1981, Michigan Tech left the WCHA for the Central Collegiate Hockey Association, taking the Cup with them. To fill the void, The Broadmoor resort presented a new trophy to the WCHA to award to their regular season champion.
When Michigan Tech returned to the WCHA in 1984, the school returned the MacNaughton Cup to the league. The MacNaughton Cup returned to being awarded to the WCHA regular season champion, while the Broadmoor Trophy began being awarded to the playoff champion.
The trophy was redesigned in 2010. The new bronze cast trophy, created by Blue Ribbon Trophies & Awards of Colorado Springs, Colo., is a recreation of the famous The Broadmoor resort.[2]
The Broadmoor Trophy has been awarded every year since 1982. From 1982 to 1984, the trophy was awarded to the WCHA regular season champions. North Dakota's 8 Broadmoor trophies leads the WCHA. Minnesota is second with 7.


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Recipe At-A-Glance
This copycat recipe for Penne Rosa is a healthy, quick, and super tasty dinner to feed to your family. Add chicken or shrimp or keep it veggie!
Vegetarian, Quick and Healthy
Ready in 15 minutes
This post was updated in January 2016.
I've been holding out on you guys. For a few weeks now, I've been stockpiling recipes so I could have some fun yumminess to share while I was chillaxing on the beach this week.
I felt particularly guilty about holding onto this one because it had all the elements of my favorite kind of recipe: supremely easy, speedy, delicious and healthy. But think of it is my gift in exchange for disappearing for a week. I go hang out on the beach for a week and you get a delicious recipe. Fair trade, right?
Okay, maybe not. But this is still a good one!
The inspiration for this weeknight pasta dish actually comes from my eternal laziness. My office is directly above a Noodles and Company restaurant and more often than not, laziness wins out when I need lunch and I just make the quick trip down there to grab a real-food lunch.
A lot of times I get their Med Salad (so yum!) but sometimes, when I'm feeling a bit decadent, I'll go for their Penne Rosa. Unfortunately, the regular size of that dish clocks in at almost 900 calories! I usually get the small size, which is still over 400 calories and always leaves me hungry an hour or so later.
I knew I could do better than that, so I came home and whipped up my own version. Mine uses thick, creamy Greek yogurt in place of the heavy cream used by Noodles and Company. You can serve this dish up vegetarian, but I often will add some plumped sautéed shrimp or cooked chicken breast to help up the protein factor without adding a lot of calories.
More protein means this dish keeps me full for a lot longer than the Noodles and Company version. And it clocks in at a light and healthy 375 calories per serving (which is a similar size to the restaurant regular portion). Plus a whopping 20 grams of protein per plateful!
My husband said this was his favorite pasta dish I've ever made (and I've made quite a few). I take that as high praise!Oh, and the best part? Start to finish: ready in 15 minutes. Yeah. You need to make this.
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 pinch crushed red pepper flakes
- 8 ounces button mushrooms, sliced
- 2 medium tomatoes (about ½ lb.) chopped
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- 4 cups fresh spinach
- ½ cup marinara sauce
- 12 ounces whole wheat penne, cooked
- ⅓ cup plain Greek yogurt
- ¼ cup grated parmesan cheese
- In a large skillet with a lid, heat olive oil over medium-low heat. Add in garlic and red pepper flakes, cook for 2 minutes or until garlic begins to soften.
- Add in mushrooms, tomatoes, salt and pepper. Cook for 5 minutes, or until mushrooms begin to release their water.
- Add in spinach and cover skillet. Let spinach wilt for 2 minutes. Remove lid, and stir in the pasta sauce. Remove the skillet from the heat, and let rest for 5 minutes.
- Stir in the Greek yogurt, and then add the penne. Stir until sauce is mixed well and all pasta and veggies are coated. Heat until just warmed through. Divide into pasta bowls and serve topped with parmesan cheese.
You might be tempted to skip the resting step before adding the Greek yogurt—don't! At high temperatures Greek yogurt breaks down and curdles. Give the dish a few minutes off the heat before stirring in the yogurt to avoid chunk sauce.


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Final-game loss sinks Cowboys' playoff pursuit
By Ros Krasny
LANDOVER, Maryland (Reuters) - A heartbreaking loss ended another Dallas Cowboys' season on Sunday, the third year in a row the storied franchise has missed the playoffs.
"We have a big challenge ahead of us," Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said after Dallas lost to the Washington Redskins 28-18 and squandered their chance to win the NFC East.
"One of my jobs is to basically evaluate, analyze and make decisions in the off season, and help us be in better shape going into playoffs."
The Cowboys' 2012 campaign finished with two consecutive losses after a crucial interception thrown by quarterback Tony Romo after Dallas had rallied in the fourth quarter.
"It just hurts a lot right now to even think about and talk about," Romo said. For a second straight year the Cowboys lost a last-ditch, win-or-go-home final game of the regular season.
The Cowboys shook off two early interceptions and gained a 7-0 lead early in the second quarter, helped by a missed 37-yard field goal attempt by Washington's Kai Forbath.
But Dallas, a team that has been estimated as the most valuable sports franchise in the United States, was unable to win as the Redskins successfully kept Romo off-balance.
"We knew Romo doesn't like pressure in his face, so that was our big thing. We had to get pressure up the middle and not so much outside, to be able to keep him in the pocket," Redskins linebacker Ryan Kerrigan said of the plan to neutralize Romo. Continued...