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Results 16 to 30 of 30
Thread: What do you use to wash the car?
- Rep Power
- 31
Most of the time, just rain. We live in Oregon. It rains a lot most of the year.
A few times a year (during the summer), DH gets out a bucket and a long handled scrubby thing and washes the cars. He uses Dawn.
- Rep Power
- 11
Rain here too. I look at road tar as a preservativeLee04-18-2012, 07:19 PM #18
I don't wash it in the winter gets to cold here & I'm afraid my locks will freeze. In nice weather I use car solution if DH has some and if not dish soap in a buck w/water and large sponge. Then use the hose.Sponsored Links Remove Advertisements04-18-2012, 07:45 PM #19
i get it done...full inside outside for $32 i believe...they do a great job. they even take out your mats and your water hog mats and clorox them!!! love it! clean car is good...i dont keep a clean neat car and dh HATES it...so, every 4 - 5 wks, i go and get it done....
in the summer, dd who is 9 likes to "help"...dh has some type of car was stuff...puts in bucket w/ water and dd scrubs away...it is all streaked when she is done, but, she has fun and is proud of herself...
i like the inside vacuumed and cleaned and wiped down.04-18-2012, 09:03 PM #20
- Rep Power
- 12
Mostly rain.
When I do wash it, I use a bucket of water with a little bit of dish soap in it. No garden hose, because our well doesn't flow enough to justify using running water on it. I rinse with another bucket of water.04-18-2012, 09:34 PM #21
I have a pickup, so I let God wash it.
Occasionally, I'll just use a bucket and some car wash soap. I don't bother drying, and only wax once a year before winter.04-18-2012, 11:02 PM #22
- Rep Power
- 0
It depends how dirty and whats stuck on it.
If its real bad My husband will take it to the car wash with a pressure hose on it and we all get out and try to use the brushes with in the time limit. If were really fast the car will even get a wax.
Any other day it normally does not get washed unless I want to get rid of my kids then I give them a bucket of dish soap.
I vacuum the car out with shop vac and then use the shark steamer and shop vac to clean the seats and the hoover shampooer on the floors.
I use vinegar or windex on the windows and dash depending on whatever I am using on that day.04-19-2012, 03:59 PM #23
- Rep Power
- 0
A hose, bucket of hot water and Simple Green. Works great.Too Blessed to be Stressed.04-19-2012, 07:31 PM #24
rain, soft cloth, mop, carwash-label is off no name brand. take it to the local carwash to vaccum out. usually ds helps to get to play in the rain.04-19-2012, 08:39 PM #25
I second the rain. I drive a Jeep Wranger and live on a dirt road. Its supposed to be dirty I always say. Car washes are def a luxury.04-20-2012, 11:58 PM #26
Majority of the time, I let nature take care of it. I do a combo of the following 'as needed' - touchless drive through car wash ($10), DIY on super hot days ($4) or at home in the driveway ($?) using the hose, bucket, soft wash mit and car wash concentrate - a lil def goes a long way here.
What I'm more of a stickler about are the windows. I like to drive with them open so dust collects and shows a lot quicker. I wipe them down every 2-3 weeks. I find nighttime driving/driving into the sun tells me when they need to be cleaned While I'm at it, I do a quick wipe down of the interior and vacuum the interior as needed.
Anyone able to recommend an eco/biodegradable car wash concentrate? Do they exist?04-23-2012, 09:44 PM #27
My teen son, a long-handled soft brush, a bucket of warm water with a car wash/wax in it. I have been using Kit brand carnauba wash & wax for I know several years and it is still 24% full. It only takes a capful in a mop bucket of warm water. Then I clean the inside and vac.04-24-2012, 08:05 AM #28
I was hoping to wash it at home to save the $5 a week at the car wash. I really think it makes a difference as the car we saved for ds ( I drove from 2001-2010 when I bought the 2010) still looks fab! Dh's car which is a year newer than the one we saved for ds and covered in rust because he never washed it.04-24-2012, 12:05 PM #29
Nodmicks, I have had my bottle so long I checked to see if it is still available and it is. The bottle now is shaped differently than mine but it is still sold for between 6-9 dollars for a gallon.04-24-2012, 10:25 PM #30
Thanks so much Katie!!! I will be in town tomorrow and pick some up
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Kenan Aktulun founded the iPhone Photography Awards (IPPA) the same year the smartphone launched, when the idea that taking great pics with a camera phone was still pretty optimistic.
Seven years later, iPhone photography has developed to the point of documenting New York Times war coverage and tops four out of five of the most-used cameras on Flickr.
This year's IPPA winners cover a suitably broad range of the world (54 photographers from 17 countries) and topics ranging from kids and architecture to landscapes and food.

subset: commoncrawl


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Attention Beginner Guitar Players:
You Will Have Fun Learning To Play The Guitar In Your First 30 Minutes – Guaranteed
Does this describe you and your situation? Do you think:
- You want to play your favourite songs but don't know where to start?
- You might not know how to hold the guitar properly?
- You don't have the time to practice or play the guitar?
- Your fingers are too short or long?
- Your fingers are too big or too small?
- You don't know how to hold the pick?
- You can't change chords fast enough to play your favourite songs?… Yet
I know exactly how you feel. The feeling of putting off your dreams for too long at the back of your mind. You know you can be, do, and have so much more from your life but something is stopping you from making that one step forward. I know because I used to feel the same way. I used to feel like I had no time to practice or play the guitar.
Other students have felt the way that you feel RIGHT NOW. Other beginner guitar students in the Elk Valley have told me how frustrating it is to feel like they have no time to practice or play the guitar.
They have also said that they felt incredibly overwhelmed and even scared (yes, scared) with all of the options they have when learning to play the guitar.
Other students have said they were down right angry at themselves for having fingers that were too short/stubby/thick/thin to think they could play guitar.
Up to this point you may have tried a few different ways to learn guitar such as online courses, YouTube, forums like Ultimate Guitar, other local teachers, DVD's (like the one that probably came with your guitar), books, and listening to other guitar playing friends' advice. Many (if not, all) of these ways fail to get you the results you truly want. It is true that some of these ways will get you "some" results in your guitar playing, but they won't deliver the massive results that you REALLY want in your guitar playing. Quick question: Do You Want To Struggle To Learn Your Favourite Songs, OR Do You Want To Learn Your Favourite Songs As Easily As Possible?
Quick question:
Do You Want To Struggle To Learn Your Favourite Songs, OR
Do You Want To Learn Your Favourite Songs As Easily As Possible?
If your answer is the first then stop reading now and leave this page. I do NOT work with students that want to struggle every step of the way when there are proven methods that work like crazy to deliver incredible results.
If you want to learn your favourite songs, achieve your goals, and get massive results in your guitar playing then continue reading.
Let's look at these different ways to learn to play guitar up close and I will show you why most guitar players in the Elk Valley never truly learn to play the songs that they want.
Different Approaches To Learning Guitar That Don't Really Work:
Online courses/books/programs: This approach will leave you (like it left me) with more questions than answers. Yes, you will learn a lot about music and guitar playing, however, most online guitar programs will never even touch on how to actually use that knowledge in your playing. Even more dangerous is the fact that online courses cannot help you spot problems in your own guitar playing and give you specific, actionable steps to get over those problems and challenges. With online courses you will be given a lot of "content" with no real way to use, practice, and master that content. If you want to learn to play songs, yes the internet is great. When you get stuck on how to stop a certain chord from buzzing and play the song the way it is supposed to be played, the internet is not so great.
Online forums: Online forums are filled with musicians that are not qualified to give you solid advice in your own guitar playing. They are just as frustrated as you are! You never know who is on the other side of the screen. It "could" be a qualified, trained, experienced teacher but it is most likely a 14-year-old who just got his guitar last Christmas. DON'T fall for any bad advice (and most of it is) that you read on public online forums.
Other local teachers: Most local teachers in any area are simply not qualified to teach. Many have been teaching for a number of years and have gained their experience by "experimenting" on their students. You don't want to be a guinea pig for a number of obvious reasons. Search for the teacher in your area with training from the industry's leading professional. You want a teacher that is patient, understanding of your challenges, knows how to get you over those challenges, and continuously invests in his/her own education as a teacher and musician.
DVD's/books: Like online courses, DVD's and books cannot help you when you get stuck on a specific problem such as changing from a G to a D chord. Many DVD's and books are written in a very linear way, similar to learning math. The major flaw in this way of teaching music is that music is an art requiring a Geometric Guitar Teaching Method instead of a step-by-step logical approach. While a linear learning process seems like common sense for learning something as deep as playing guitar, the truth is that a linear approach to learning music will leave you with more questions than answers. This results in becoming stuck, frustrated, little to no measurable progress is made, and ultimately most students end up quitting.
Listening to other guitar playing friends for advice: See "other local teachers" above for a similar discussion. Just because something worked for your friend does NOT mean it will work for you. This is why having a trained teacher who can help you with YOUR specific problems is critical to your success.
What About Something Different?
The solution to the frustrations, challenges, and questions in your mind does not have to be (and WILL not be) complicated. Elk Valley Guitar Lessons are the easiest, fastest, and most fun way to learn to play your most favourite songs and enjoy the process.
By having a customized process built specifically for you, you can (and will) reach the goals you set out to reach. I don't teach guitar, I teach YOU! That means at Elk Valley Guitar Lessons I listen to you, your frustrations, your challenges, your goals, your wants, your needs, and I put all of that information into a system. Then I boil it down, look at the information you have given me, and build you guitar lessons that will take you from where you are now to being the one-of-a-kind guitar player that you want to be.
Listen, I'll tell it to you straight. If you do exactly what I tell you to do, when I tell you to do it, how I tell you to do it, the same way every time you practice, you WILL become a great guitar player. The best part about all of this? I'm going to install that knowledge into your brain through teaching and coaching, then I will burn it into your hands and fingers through training and mentoring so you never forget anything I ever teach you!
You can (and will) learn to play your favourite songs and more when you take Elk Valley Guitar Lessons. There is no other option, that is my ultimate goal for every single student. I will not settle for less than giving you exactly what you want in your own guitar playing. You can expect me to give it my best to help you get over your challenges and frustrations. I also expect you to give me your best as well.
With Elk Valley Guitar Lessons we won't just be learning songs, I will be holding your hand through the entire process of becoming a one-of-a-kind guitar player that can play any song you want.
Whether you feel like your hands are too big or too small, there are specific strategies to help you overcome those difficulties and challenges in your playing. We will go deep into the causes and effects big/small hands have on your playing and DESTROY those handicaps from the very first lesson onward.
The same concepts apply to you if you think your fingers are too stubby or too long. I have specific strategies to show you (and train you) how to get over those challenges.
Chords are a major source of frustration for beginner guitar players and the D chord has ended many music careers before they began.
This is why I created the proven Mastering Chords And Chord Changes lesson plan. Together we will DESTROY your chord playing challenges and frustrations forever! You will learn the 3 simple yet highly effective strategies for mastering ANY chord and/or chord change.
Hi, I'm Bryce Gorman. I help other beginner guitar players in the Elk Valley like you learn to play their favourite songs and more. Every day I take ordinary people like you by the hand and transform them into one-of-a-kind guitar players. I take students by the hand through the process of learning and mastering their favourite songs and I don't stop until you are completely satisfied.
I have been exactly where you are right now. Stuck in the mud, sinking, thinking of quitting, and having no way to pull myself out. I tried looking online, on YouTube, on Ultimate Guitar, and was constantly frustrated at the lack of direction those resources gave me. I wanted to play my favourite songs, write my own songs, jam with my friends, and master the guitar.
I searched and searched until I found a mentor that cared deeply about my success as a guitar player and a person. Now I want to transform the lives of my students like my mentor did for me.
I have studied and analyzed lots of ways to approach learning guitar. Some ways are better than others, some are completely backwards, and only a few key ways actually deliver the best results. It is my goal to share those few keys ways with you so that YOU become a one-of-a-kind guitar player that can play any song that you want.
The main thing I have found is consistently following one particular teacher's advice, even if that advice is just "okay", produces far superior results compared to learning music from as many sources as possible. This is the danger with learning from places like YouTube and Ultimate Guitar.
Here Is What You Get From Taking Elk Valley Guitar Lessons:
- A customized lesson plan built to deliver maximum results in the shortest amount of time possible. You will learn your favourite songs first while getting a complete musical education.
- In Between Lesson Support so you can have your most burning questions answered NOW without having to wait for your next lesson saving you time and money PLUS you get faster results from having your questions answered NOW, not later.
- A teacher trained and specialized in taking beginners just like you through the process of learning guitar and turning them into one-of-a-kind players.
- Not only teaching (which is most teachers ONLY do) but training, coaching, mentoring, and step-by-step hand-holding so you actually have fun going through the process of learning and playing guitar.
- The Geometric Guitar Teaching Method ensures you develop the skills YOU want in your guitar playing.
- You will improve massively and consistently every single time you pick up your guitar and practice. You will be able to see with your own eyes these changes in your playing every single time you are finished practicing.
- With your own Personal Online Student Account all of your lesson material will be documented so you never forget anything that you learn in your Elk Valley Guitar Lessons. You get to keep your student account forever, even if you decide to stop taking lessons with me.
- You will learn to play the guitar the way YOU want!
- You will learn to read musical notation and NOT tablature, putting you way ahead of most (92%) guitar players. This brings you closer to playing your favourite songs immensely faster than learning by tablature.
- A fun, relaxing learning environment ensures you enjoy every moment you invest in lessons.
- Learn to play your favourite songs and not only listen to them. There is nothing better than being able to play the songs you love.
Can I actually become a one-of-a-kind guitar player?
Of course you can. When students do what I tell them to do, when I tell them to do it, how I tell them to do it, and follow through on those instructions consistently, there is a MASSIVE success rate.
How long will it take me to learn to play the guitar?
This answer varies for everyone and depends on a lot of factors (such as practice habits, amount of practice time, desire to learn, age, the type of guitar you have). Students that consistently do what I say notice results from their very first lesson onward. Undeniable results occur after the first 9 months to a year of consistent lessons.
Should I buy an electric or acoustic guitar first?
Read my article on How To Choose Your First Guitar: Electric vs. Acoustic
How do you teach the lessons?
I base every lesson on your wants, needs, goals, challenges, and frustrations. Until I know more about you and what you want to achieve I cannot give you a definite answer. After we discuss what it is you want to achieve on the guitar I can give you a clear picture.
As a member of the Elite Guitar Teacher's Inner Circle I have learned the best (and worst) ways to get my students the results that they want and desire. Only passionately committed teachers are allowed to join and stay in the Elite Guitar Teacher's Inner Circle so you know by default that I want to make you the best guitar player that you can be!
In August of 2015 I successfully completed the Guitar Teaching Super Summit International presented by Tom Hess Music Corporation. 6 days of 8 hour days surrounded by the world's best guitar teachers has motivated me to deliver the most value that I can for my students.
After we completed the 6 days we were presented with 5 guitar teaching certificates signifying the massive transformation we all went through. One particular certificate I am extremely proud of is the Rapid Results Guitar Training certificate. If you want to know what the other 4 are about, I would be happy to show you.
"Bryce pretty much figured out where I wanted to be and gave me everything I needed. He even taught me the beginning to a song that I thought I wouldn't even be able to play at all and by the next day I had the strumming pattern and the first 30 seconds of the song down pat. Instead of having to learn a certain Mexican song or this one metal song and only knowing how to play that one metal song Bryce showed me that I could do whatever I want and I didn't need to be afraid." – Melyssa Monfee
You Can Learn To Play Like This:
You Want Massive Results, Right? Here's A Bonus All Students Get:
Student Binder with the Getting Started Package (value $47)
- Triple your practicing effectiveness (i.e. RESULTS) by having a complete binder with your materials laid out in an easy to find, easy to practice way.
- The Getting Started Package will boost the results you get from practicing 3 times faster than if you simply have a binder stuffed with materials in a random hectic manner.
- All of your lesson material can (and should) go right into this binder for ease of access, allowing you to keep the material forever, and keep your practice time focused and effective.
- The Practice Log keeps you accountable to your goals so you reach your goals on time, allowing you to become the guitar player you want to be as fast as possible. Being focused on exactly what to practice, every time you practice has massive benefits to your playing.
Still Not Sure If Elk Valley Guitar Lessons Are Right For You?
To take away some of the hesitation you might be feeling I am going to offer you not 1, but 2 guarantees:
1) You will be playing guitar and having fun in your first lesson with me, guaranteed. I know for certain that you can and will become a one-of-a-kind guitar player. I have done it with many beginners before and I will make sure that you have fun learning to play the guitar too.
2) You will notice progress in your playing in the first 90 days or I will refund your tuition, guaranteed.*
*You must show up to 95% of your scheduled classes to qualify for this guarantee.
So here's what you need to do right now:
1) Scroll down,
2) Click the button that says, "Tell Me About Yourself",
3) Fill in the evaluation form on the next page so I can have a clear picture of what I can do to help you become the guitar player of your dreams.
P.S. You wouldn't be here if you did not want to learn to play the guitar and have fun doing it. I CAN help you have massive amounts of fun practicing and playing but I have to know how I can help YOU. Think of what it is that you want to achieve in your guitar playing and Tell Me About Yourself.


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ED Magedson – Founder
Ripoff Report
Burstnet TechnologiesScranton, Pennsylvania USA
Burstnet Technologies www.burst.net.com VPS service paid for and not received - NO response From Tech Dept. Scranton Pennsylvania
Does your business have a bad reputation?
Fix it the right way.
Corporate Advocacy Program™
I ordered a VPS for the Los Angeles area and requested 13 additional IP's which when provided were not working. I identified the problem and immediately submitted a ticket and called in for help. The additional IPs were showing up in the VPS control panel but they are not showing up when I use ifconfig in shell. Thus they were unusable.
I submitted multiple updates to the ticket and daily calls without ANY response from technical support or any attempt to resolve my issue. Each time I called I was assured that my ticket would be given top priority and I would receive a call that never came.
After a week of this I requested a refund only to receive the same lack of attention and follow through. I have submitted a complaint with the BBB and will be following up this with complaints on all web hosting forums I frequent.
Avoid ANY service with Burstnet Technologies aka burst.net . Had I looked into them prior to my order I would have run in the opposite direction. Being it was only a $12.95 order I was less concerned at the time but if you are considering these guys for any service you should do all your reserach on them first. They have th absolute worst customer service I have ever experienced and their failure to provide what I paid for borders on fraud.
This report was posted on Ripoff Report on 03/27/2014 02:03 PM and is a permanent record located here: http://www.ripoffreport.com/reports/burstnet-technologies/scranton-pennsylvania-18501/burstnet-technologies-wwwburstnetcom-vps-service-paid-for-and-not-received-no-respon-1134229. The posting time indicated is Arizona local time. Arizona does not observe daylight savings so the post time may be Mountain or Pacific depending on the time of year.
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"I empower youth through outdoor education."
Meet Jared
C.V. Starr Social Entrepreneurship Fellow
Hometown: Parkland, FL
Concentration: History and Environmental Studies
Before my junior year of high school, I spent a summer in the American Southwest sleeping under the stars, hiking, rock climbing, and learning environmental science with ten peers on an outdoor education program. Prior to this trip, I had few intimate, sustained, and meaningful interactions with nature. Living outside for an extended period of time pushed me beyond my comfort zone, and allowed me to reevaluate how I saw the world, reassess what was important to me, and reconsider how friendships and communities could be created and sustained. Overcoming the challenges that these outdoor activities presented, I gained a newfound self-confidence and sense of accomplishment. The outdoors became somewhere that I felt important and empowered.
From this experience, I began to appreciate how fortunate I was to have access to the outdoors and that not everyone had this same opportunity. Recognizing the power and significance of outdoor experiences in shaping myself and my peers, I became excited with the possibilities of outdoor education for youth development in urban areas. At Brown, my passion for community building and leadership development through outdoor experiences has been fully realized through organizations such as the Swearer Center's own Outdoor Leadership and Environmental Education Program (OLEEP). I've watched relationships solidify and students grow, in the classroom and in the woods. Kids in the Canyon engages Central Falls High School students with alternative methods of learning so that they too can reach their full potential and develop a deeper appreciation for the environment.
Kids in the Canyon
Central Falls, RI
Kids in the Canyon is a program at Central Falls High School that mentors, trains, and outfits 12-15 students each year to hike up to 50 miles in Grand Canyon National Park. Through a curriculum of bi-weekly meetings involving team-building activities, personal reflections, skill-development workshops, guest speakers, and community engagement projects, participants build a network of support, leadership skills, and wilderness preparedness. Kids in the Canyon transforms under-performing students into engaged leaders and stewards of the land capable of reaching their full potential.
Teammate: Ivy Sokol '15.5


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Sorry can't help with the identification......
It is too bad you relinquished them to the police........
My father-in-law passed away last year, but prior to his death was a keen handgun enthusiast. He had a number of handguns which we have since relinquished to the police. Before we did so, we had them photographed, and are now seeking to identify them (in as much detail!) as possible.
We want to ensure that we can keep these details and pass them on through the family, because this sport was so important to him. I hope someone here can help - and I'm confident that we should be successful, I have no reason to think they're rare or hard to ID - it's just that we don't have any idea!
Any help or pointers appreciated - even a couple hints should let me do more research online to narrow it down!!
Gun 1:
Gun 2:
Gun 3:
(I think the gun just out of frame there is a CZ75 SP-01 Shadow. But that's because I'm clever and I read it off the barrel. Pure genius...)
Gun 4:
Gun 5:
Any questions, I'd be happy to help but these photos are all that's left...so I can't check the other side or anything...
Sorry can't help with the identification......
It is too bad you relinquished them to the police........
1 is a custom built Smith & Wesson for target shooting.
4 is another Smith, it looks like a model 29, the old Dirty Harry gun.
The other 3 are pure target pistols but I can't tell you the make of them, but those pistols are generally quite expensive to buy. The sad part is you just gave the police quite a few thousand dollars worth of guns you could have sold to collectors, and if there are any gun guys on the force I wouldn't be surprised if a few disappear. What would be even more disgusting is if they are anti-gun and destroy them. Bad move Dude.
What in the world possessed You to "relinquish" thousands of $$$ worth of "heirloom guns" to the Police?
Let me guess...
(1) You live in a state where guns must be registered.
(2) Biased on the fact that You are a "new" member of this group and that this is Your one and only (and probably last) posting, You aren't a fan of guns.
He didn't leave any old classic cars like a Duisenberg or a Cord, that you are sure aren't worth very much, that you want to relinquish by any chance did he?
...I'll take the Cord!
Your father-in-law was left-handed, I believe. Am I correct?
I agree that "relinquishing" those valuable guns to the police was a serious mistake, both in terms of family history and in financial terms.
I hope that you were not the culpable executor of your father-in-law's will. If you were, and if I were a family member, I'd probably sue you for malfeasance and misappropriation.
Gun #4 looks like a Taurus copy of the S&W Model 29. #2 looks like a Hammerli .22 target pistol same for #5. God only knows about #3 the grips look like there made of silly putty. #1 definitely a Custom S&W.
Gun #3 has grips made of wood puttymaybe Plastic Wood. It's a refined target-shooter's .22 rimfire.
It's very familiar looking, but my failing memory just won't place it. Its action is a single-shot, Martini-style dropping block, operated by a lever at the bottom of its grip.
Since the guns are now forever out of your hands, it seems pointless for me to look through my references to identify it.
Elementary, my dear denner: It was merely a process of elimination.
But now I fear that those guns are forever in the hands of that fiend Moriarty!
#1 appears to be a heavily-modified Smith & Wesson model 66, which would have originally been a stainless-steel, .357 Magnum caliber, 6-shot revolver. This one looks like it was modified with the addition of a heavy slab-sided target-style barrel, and the top of the barrel was machined to accept a grooved telescope mount, which was used to mount the red-dot sight (illuminated aiming device). It also has an external trigger stop installed, to limit the travel of the trigger after the hammer was released to fire the shot.
#2 is an older model semi-automatic/autoloading Walther GSP target pistol, in caliber .22 LR, with a 5-shot detachable magazine.
Click link >>> Walther GSP calibre22LR
#3 Is a heavily-modified Russian TOZ-35M single-shot ISSF Free Pistol, in caliber .22 LR.
Click link >>> http://www.pilkguns.com/toz35detail.shtml
#4 is a Taurus model 66, an all-steel 6-shot revolver, in caliber .357 Magnum, with a 6-inch barrel and a blued finish.
Click link >>> Item:9466837 Taurus TAURUS,357,MODEL 66, REVOLVER,6 INCH,BLUE,w/ammo For Sale at GunAuction.com
#5 is an older model semi-automatic/autoloading Pardini target pistol. These were made in several calibers, but I think the one in your photo is a model MP 32, in caliber .32 S&W Long Wadcutter, with a 5-shot detachable magazine. This low-powered target-shooting cartridge had a flat-nosed, cylindrical bullet which would cut a nice clean hole in the paper target, without a lot of recoil. The pistol in your photo has some kind of modification on the right side; it looks like a cardboard ammo box was cut/folded, then taped into place on the side of the frame, and for what reason, I do not know. Only thing I can think of, is that it is a spacer to keep the gun fitting tightly in the rack of a bullseye-type pistol carrying box.
Click link >>> Item:11849248 Pardini Pardini Fiocchi MP Pistol .32 Wadcutter For Sale at GunAuction.com
I've owned a revolver very similar to #1, and have fired versions of #2, #4, and #5 that were owned by other shooters. The Walther and Pardini are scary-accurate pistols; if you miss, it's your fault, not the pistol. I've not fired #3, but I've shot other Olympic-style Free Pistols, and they are highly specialized tools. They are designed to be "slipped on" like a glove, not really gripped like a conventional handgun (thus the grip modifications with epoxy/putty), and then fired with a light touch on the trigger when the sights are precisely aligned on target. Some of the trigger mechanisms can be adjusted so light that if you raise the muzzle past 45 degrees of elevation, the mass/weight of the trigger itself can cause the pistol to fire.
Very well done DJ, learned a bit from your post. Gee, talk about hair triggers.
Ooh, my bad on the Taurus, I didn't even notice the grip medallion. The pic on my screen makes it look large like an N frame.
Nice info on the target pistols DJ, I enjoyed it.
Wow, people say Glocks are ugly. Sorry to hear you gave them up. I must say I am extremely impressed with the knowledge base of the contributors of this forum .
If you take the original poster's name and break it into two parts (after the "c"), then it might indicate that s/he lives in New Zealand.
Firearms laws there are very different from most of the laws we live under here in the states, and based on some research, it appears as though semi-automatic target pistols can not be legally possessed without a special permit. Lacking that permit, the family probably had no choice but to turn-in the pistols to the authorities after the licensed owner's death. Quite sad, and a reminder that we should all work to prevent similar laws from being enacted wherever we live.
DJ Niner, Very well said.
Puzzles solved, except the real reason why the pistols and revolvers were " relinquished"
I'm glad my wife knows the values of firearms.....she would not let $$ cash disappear, from an inheritance.
On further review, I looks like I misunderstood the Wiki page on the subject.
In New Zealand, ALL firearms require a license to possess (including airguns; call it "registering the owner"), and ALL handguns require a "B" endorsement on the basic license (for target shooting) or a "C" endorsement (for bona fide collectors). Storage requirements are more stringent for handguns (will be inspected by the Police), you must apply for and receive a special permit to buy handguns, and they can only be fired at police-approved ranges (this was the "target pistol" clause that I misunderstood; ALL handguns are considered "target pistols", because that is the only reason you are allowed to own a handgun in NZ).
Pages 31-32 and 38 of the Arms Act / Arms Code:
...but I recommend reading the whole thing. This is a wish list for gun-controllers everywhere.
A caution about the slippery slope of so-called "gun safety" laws now applies even more firmly.


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one themostat for a/c and evap cooler?
I have both and am looking to get a programmable thermostat. I was hoping it was possible to get one that could control both the regular a/c and my mastercool evaporative cooler. Is this possible? Any recommendations?
Thanks for the help!
Assuming you want to first turn on the evap cooler, then if the temp continues to rise, bring on the A/C, you'd need a t-stat that has 2 cooling stages, and also two 24 volt relays.
One relay would control the evap cooler, the other would lock out the evap cooler when the A/C kicks in.
If you'd like a different control scheme, please describe it, and we'll help you through it.
Micromind, thanks for the reply.
I guess it would be nice to have it automatically switch-over from the evap to the a/c once the temp hits a certain point, but that isn't necessarily a feature that I absolutely need.
I would be happy with a setup that would allow me to get rid of the ugly mastercool thermostat and get one programmable thermostat that allows me to choose if I want to cool with the evap or a/c. Switching it manually would be ok with me.
Can you suggest a specific model that is capable of doing this?
I have been looking at these thermostats:
Would any of those 3 work?
Sorry, I'm an idiot when it comes to electrical things, so I'm trying to avoid buying something that isn't going to work for me.
Thanks a bunch for the help!!!
Any of these t-stats will work. If you want to choose which system turns on, you'll need to install a switch to toggle between the two systems. I don't think any t-stats have that capability.
Assuming your A/C unit is single stage (most of them are), you'd need 1 relay with a 24 volt AC coil, and contacts that are rated to handle the evap cooler motor. You'd also need 1 single pole double throw switch, it'll only need to handle 24 volts AC, and very small current.
Make sure you have enough control wires from the A/C unit to the t-stat. If it's A/C only, you'll need 4, if it's A/C + 1 stage of heat, you'll need 5, and with 2 stages of heat, you'll need 6. If you're replacing a mechanical t-stat, there might be enough wires, one or more will be spare.
If you want it to start with the evap cooler, then bring on the A/C on further temperature rise, you'll need 2 relays, no switch, and it'd help alot if the t-stats deadband were adjustable.
Would this make it too humid?
BTW, this is the a/c + gas heat unit I have: http://www.colemanac.com/homeowners/...tems/index.asp
Sounds like I might be hiring a pro to do this installation...
I don't think it would be a good idea to have both units on at the same time, the reason I suggested 2 relays is one to start the evap cooler when the t-stat calls for 1st stage cooling, and the other one to stop the evap cooler and start the A/C when the t-stat calls for 2nd stage cooling.
If both units ran at the same time, I'd bet the evaporator coil on the A/C would ice up pretty quickly.
I re-read your first reply and that is exactly what I want to do.
I must have missed the part about "locking out the evap cooler when the A/C kicks in" when I read it the first time. :wallbash:
But I am a little confused by something you said.
"If you want to choose which system turns on, you'll need to install a switch to toggle between the two systems. I don't think any t-stats have that capability."
Do I need to worry about this, or will a thermostat with 2 cooling stages and 2 24V relays do the trick?
Just trying to understand what flexibility installing the toggle switch buys me.
I really appreciate you taking the time to explain all of this! This forum is great!
If you'd like the system to be completely automatic, a t-stat with 2 cooling stages and two 24 volt relays will do it (no toggle switch). If you can find a t-stat with adjustable deadbands, (that's the number of degrees of temperature change from cooling start to cooling stop), it'd be better. You'll likely need to play around with the deadbands a bit.
The toggle switch would be needed only if you want to manually choose which system came on when the t-stat called for cooling. A single stage t-stat would be ok here.
Ok, looks like I'll be getting a thermostat with two cooling stages, two 24 volt relays, and adjustable deadbands.
You have been so helpful! Thank you very much!
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The Hawaii Restaurant Association is seeking nominations for the state's best chefs, cooks, servers, bartenders, and more, for employee excellence awards.
The second annual event honors both front-of-the-house and back-of-the-house staff, including bus staff, hostesses, reservationists or administrative assistants, cooks, prep cooks, kitchen staffers and dishwashers.
Participation in the program is open to all restaurants, and nominations can be made free of charge.
Nominations may be submitted online though Feb. 14.


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hey everybody
im from vermont and i have a 2002 wrx. the previous owner put in jdm headlight assembly's with low beam projectors. the low beam he had in there is an hid setup. long story short one of the bulbs. the right side. has blown. so heres my issue the hid bulb has no part number and im trying to just put a regular halogen bulb or something easy to convert it to. i just dont know what bulb or harness and how to wire it. any ideas?


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GM Chickens That Don't Transmit Bird Flu
Breakthrough could prevent future bird flu epidemics
Chickens genetically modified to prevent them spreading bird flu have been produced by researchers at the universities of Cambridge and Edinburgh.
The scientists have successfully developed genetically modified (transgenic) chickens that do not transmit avian influenza virus to other chickens with which they are in contact. This genetic modification has the potential to stop bird flu outbreaks spreading within poultry flocks. This would not only protect the health of domestic poultry but could also reduce the risk of bird flu epidemics leading to new flu virus epidemics in the human population. Read more »
GM Chickens: Question & Answers
- What is genetic modification (GM)?
- Genetic modification (GM), genetic manipulation (GM) and genetic engineering (GE) all refer to the same thing - the use of modern biotechnology techniques to change the genes of an organism, such as a plant or animal. A genetically modified organism is a plant, animal or other organism that has been changed using genetic modification.
GM breeding is used because it can change the genes of an organism in ways not possible through traditional techniques providing opportunities for new plant varieties and animal breeds.
- Are the Roslin/Cambridge GM chickens resistant to bird flu?
- No. They can be infected with bird flu (avian influenza) and succumb to clinical disease but they do not transmit the infection to other birds. This is important because it would help to stop flu outbreaks spreading within and between poultry flocks.
- What is the genetic modification in the chickens that stop them transmitting bid flu?
- It is a small molecule that is specifically designed to stop the flu virus reproducing after it has infected a chicken. This RNA molecule mimics the region of the flu virus genome that controls virus replication. It is referred to as a "decoy" because production of these mini RNA molecules binds and diverts the flu virus enzyme (the polymerase) from its crucial functions that are required for virus replication.
- Are the birds affected in anyway?
- There is no observable difference in the development, health or growth between the GM birds and their non-GM brothers and sisters. They are, however, prevented from transmitting influenza infection on to other chickens.
- Is this genetic modification going to be used in the chickens we eat?
- Ultimately the adoption of such animals for consumption in the UK is an issue that the relevant authorities would need to consider in consultation with the public. We stress that these particular chickens are for research purposes only and are not intended for consumption. They have enabled us to confirm that the transgene is effective and so it is likely to be useful in future development of influenza resistant chickens.
- Can genetic modification be used to control other chicken diseases?
- Using genetic modification (also known as transgenic) technologies to introduce disease resistance into poultry has the potential to control a wide range of diseases. Here we have identified one effective strategy (a molecular decoy) and demonstrated its potential against influenza virus. We anticipate that this transgene would be part of a more comprehensive package targeting influenza and other pathogens to produce transgenic chickens that are resistance to a number of diseases.
- Is bird flu really something to worry about?
- Currently, bird flu is not the most significant problem in UK chicken flocks. However, if H5N1 were to establish itself in the wild bird population in Europe, then it could pose a significant problem, particularly for free-range birds.
In S.E Asia, China and parts of Africa, bird flu is a significant problem from both an economic and food security perspective and also because of the possibility of being transmitted to humans. In this context, introducing these transgenic birds widely into the domesticated poultry population could reduce the economic and public health impact of bird flu.
- Would these chickens be safe to eat?
- Yes. There is no reason to suggest that these chickens would be unsafe in any way. The nature of the genetic modification is such that it is extremely unlikely that it could have any negative effects on people consuming the chickens or their eggs. Nevertheless, any use of chickens with this genetic modification would have to be fully assessed by the appropriate authorities e.g. Food and Drug Administration in the US, European Food Safety Authority in Europe.
- Do you think the British public will be prepared to eat genetically-modified chickens?
- We believe the attitude of the UK public to GM food depends on the nature and purpose of the genetic modification. Disease resistance is clearly a beneficial characteristic for animal welfare and public health. The public's awareness of the global threat of influenza virus is high. We hope that examples that demonstrate clear consumer benefits with no inherent risk will encourage constructive debate about the potential of GM food in the future. Ultimately the British public will need to see how they benefit from eating genetically modified food, before they are likely to make the decision to do so.
- What are your next steps?
- On the research front, we are aiming to make birds fully resistant to avian influenza infection rather than just blocking bird-to-bird transmission that we have managed so far. We are developing new approaches to use combinations of different inhibitors to produce robustly resistant birds. We will continue to investigate how the decoys work and how they can be improved. We are also interested in studying whether the virus is able to mutate and escape the inhibitory effect of the decoy.
- What precautions have been taken to prevent the DNA from the GM chickens getting into the food chain (before appropriate approval has been granted)?
- There is no possibility of DNA from these GM chickens getting into the food chain, unless by some illegal or malicious intent. The chickens carry a marker that would be very easily detected if such an event occurred.
- Can other animal species be genetically modified to improve disease resistance?
- It is possible to genetically modify several farm animal species, including chickens, pigs, sheep and cows. The technologies are currently being developed that will enable different genetic modifications to be made depending on the genetic change required. It is important to develop public debate and policies to ensure appropriate regulation and use of such technological advances as they are developed.


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Melbourne Airport - Melbourne City
Route Timetables
View timetable online
Download PDF timetable
Route Description
To Melbourne Airport
Bus departs from Southern Cross Coach Terminal (Spencer Street) and travels directly to the Melbourne Airport Domestic & International Terminals.
To City
Bus departs from Melbourne Airport Domestic & International Terminals and travels directly to Southern Cross Coach Terminal (Spencer Street).
Operator Details
Contact SkyBus: 9335 2811
Website: SkyBus
Wheelchair Access
The Victorian public transport network is progressively becoming accessible for people with special needs. For further information, follow the link below or call 1800 800 007.


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Sex, Lies & Videotape
LGBT Foundation
Tuesday, 19 August 2014 from 18:00 to 20:00 (BST)
Who's Going
San Francisco, California
London, United Kingdom
Florence, Italy
Event Details
French film 'Blue is the warmest colour' caused a stir last year with its explicit sex scenes, but how realistic were they? In a world where a surprising number of people seem unable to imagine what two women do in bed together, how accurately can films reflect our sex-lives? And what makes good sex anyway?
Join our expert panel for this film and discussion event for lesbian and bisexual women. Panel members include DIVA magazine editor Jane Czyzselska, film director Campbell X and stand-up comedian Kerry Leigh. We'll be watching some intimate scenes from films through the ages and discussing what makes good sex, both on and off screen. With free food and refreshments, of course!
This event is free and is supported by the Manchester Pride Fringe Fund and the Big Lottery.
For more information and access requirements please email firstname.lastname@example.com or call 0845 3 30 30 30.
When & Where
The Lesbian & Gay Foundation
5 Richmond St
M1 3HF Manchester
United Kingdom
Tuesday, 19 August 2014 from 18:00 to 20:00 (BST)
Add to my calendar
LGBT Foundation
LGBT Foundation is a charity based in Manchester. Visit our website to find out more: www.lgbt.foundation


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SportsNation Blog Archives Baylor Lady Bears
Will UConn win women's NCAA tourney?
Who will win women's tourney?
Bracketmania didn't end Sunday. On Monday, the women's NCAA tournament field was released, with -- as expected -- UConn (34-0) earning the No. 1 overall seed for its quest to win a record ninth title. Fellow No. 1s are Notre Dame (also undefeated), Tennessee and surprising South Carolina, with Duke, Stanford, Baylor and West Virginia receiving No. 2s. Which team will take the whole thing? Are you rooting for the Huskies to make history?
Rank 'Em: Preseason women's Top 15November 2, 2013Nov2
Will No. 1 Baylor beat No. 2 Connecticut?December 16, 2011Dec16
A battle of the point guards?
Brittney Griner is literally and figuratively the biggest star when No. 1 Baylor hosts No. 2 Connecticut, but does Odyssey Sims (above) give Baylor a big edge at point guard?
Who leads No. 2 Connecticut?
The unbeaten Huskies have a talented center of their own in sophomore Stefanie Dolson (above), but is she the best player on a team long defined by Maya Moore?
Just how good is Brittney Griner?
Speaking of Moore, she had a pretty good run with two titles and a record winning streak. But is Griner already a more dominant player?
Who is the Big 12's best coach?
Baylor's Kim Mulkey already has one national championship, but is she the best coach in a conference with no shortage of big names?


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While Leah Libresco finds something for feminists to admire in his remarks, Obama supporters have been trying desperately to find some way to take umbrage at Mitt Romney's "binders" blurble and make it scandalous.Now, it can finally be revealed: Mitt Romney was speaking in code -- the Mormon candidate was trying to reach out to the Catholic vote in a most intimate (but terribly sexist and misogynistic) way; yes...it's all about the underwear! … [Read more...]
"Take off her binders! Take off her binders!"
October 18, 2012 by


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This is a discussion on coolant leaking just right behind the oil pan within the General Maintenance, Troubleshooting & Accidents. forums, part of the Tech & Modifying & General Repairs category; Hello, my 02 wrx has been leaking very light for some time but recently i noticed that its been leaking ...
Did you check the area around your turbo? These cars use coolant to cool down the turbo so it may be leaking from a cracked hose or something. It may also help to try and clean it all up as best as possible and then check a day later to see where it may be coming from.
<-------- Taylor Swift.
2006 WRX 330whp. 300wtq. Slow.
Hawk-Eye Alliance #137
First Mods...what to do.
Subaru Guide
Ive been having the exact same problem with my 02 bugeye. Started to leave palm sized puddles . This started when it got really cold outside ( below freezing) and it only happens during the first start up of the day. I probably park and restarts the car atleast 5-8 times a day, maaaaabey more. And it only would leak on the first start of the day. This has been going on for about 2 weeks now. Well just yesterday morning, not only did it start dripping again , but it was sizzzling coolant creating smoke. I noticed it smoke coming from my front grill and hood scoop. It dripping onto a pipe right by my front passenger wheel, just on the inside of it. Im not very knowledgable of the wrx yet, only had my baby for aboyt 5 months now and still learnin. I knoww....newbie over here....lol. Did you ever figure out what ur problem was? Im going to go out right now and snap some pics now that its not raining out ( portland,or) .


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Yorkdale Shooting, 2nd In Less Than 2 Months, Leaves Man Wounded
TORONTO - Police are investigating the second shooting at Toronto's Yorkdale Mall in less than two months.
Shots were fired through a window of the JOEY Restaurant early Saturday morning and a man was wounded.
The man's wound is not considered life-threatening and he was the only person injured.
Police are looking for two suspects and a silver, newer model Honda CRV seen fleeing the scene shortly after the shooting.
A shooting in the mall's parking lot at the end of March left one man dead and another wounded.
The mall was open Saturday, except for the restaurant.
"Like all Torontonians, we are concerned about gun violence and saddened when such incidents occur in our city," the mall said in a statement.
"We are cooperating with police and want to thank Toronto Police Service and emergency services for their rapid response."
(680News, Newstalk1010, The Canadian Press)


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Guest reviews
Overall rating
7.4 Good
based on 23 reviews
rooms were clean."
rooms were clean."
Good to know
"Clean rooms"
data provided by TrustYou
Recent reviews
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Find reviews that mention:
Offering classic-style rooms, Avventure Romane B&B is located in Rome, 985 feet from Lucio Sestio Metro stop. A typical Italian breakfast is offered daily and includes hot drinks, croissants and pastries. All the rooms come with basic furnishings including a TV and a wardrobe. The private bathroom is complete with a shower. Avventure Romane B&B is a 15-minute walk from Cinecitta', the famous film studio. Togliatti Train Station is 1.9 miles away.


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Dec 23 2008
Surprise! We hunt at sea
The headline was Snowy Owl — A Marine Species?
Snowy owls are famous for eating lemmings but scientists are discovering that their food choices in winter are much more diverse than that.
As part of the International Polar Year, a vast study of the arctic ecosystems that are facing global warming, Canadian scientists radio-tagged snowy owls on Bylot Island and followed their winter dispersal via satellite.
Everyone expected to see the owls move south when the lemming population dropped in the fall. Snowy owls nest with great success and produce many young in summers with high lemming populations. In very low lemming years, they don't nest at all and any time there's a short food supply, the owls leave.
The satellite maps told an interesting tale. Not only did the snowies fly south, they also moved north, east and west, and they flew long distances: 500 miles north to Ellesmere Island, 2,000 miles southwest to North Dakota and 2,000 miles southeast to Newfoundland. But the most surprising of all were six adult females who dispersed far out over the frozen sea. They spent the winter on the ice in the dark(*).
Are snowy owls a marine species? What did they eat?
Back in the 1950s a report in The Auk described a snowy owl who perched nearly a mile off shore and captured injured eiders at openings in the ice when lemmings were few on the ground. For now the working theory is that those six owls ate eiders. But scientists need more information to prove it. Were the owls stationed near leads in the ice? Do Inuit hunters see snowy owls out at sea when they go hunting in winter? It'll be another winter or two before IPY knows for sure.
Meanwhile, this summer was a banner year for lemmings, a great year for raising baby snowy owls, and the best winter in a long time for observing snowies in the U.S. and southern Canada.
Kim Steininger visited Amherst Island, Ontario a couple of weeks ago and brought back some spectacular photos, including this one. Click here to see her photo blog about the snowy owls on Amherst Island.
(photo by Kim Steininger)
(*) By the way, "on ice in the dark" is a fairly good description of Dante's 9th circle of hell.
5 Responses to "Surprise! We hunt at sea"
# BBon 23 Dec 2008 at 8:14 pm
Great post on the Snowies. Thank you for passing along the link to the wonderful photos of Kim Steininger, a real treat.
# Libby Strizzion 30 Dec 2008 at 8:17 am
A friend from Massachusetts writes, "Snowy owls have been fairly regular winter visitors on Duxbury Beach (Massachusetts) for
decades. Eiders are extremely common in Duxbury Bay which may explain why they go
there (for the takeout?)."
# David Stasenkoon 01 Jan 2009 at 10:16 am
Hi Kate. The "barn owl" that Barbara had seen here, in Albany, back in November was most likely to have been a snowy owl. The local paper (Albany Times Union) had a piece yesterday (31Dec08) about area sitings since November. They spoke of an irruption of snowy owls this year, but I don't know if that is a consensus phenomenon. I hope that get a look while it is (they are?) still around.
# Robin Anthonyon 18 Dec 2015 at 12:16 pm
Does that mean that Dante's 9th circle of hell is populated by snowy owls?
# Kate St. Johnon 18 Dec 2015 at 12:22 pm
Robin, your question made me laugh out loud! My guess is there are no snowy owls in the 9th circle. That would make it heaven. 😉


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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 use this everytime I grill, I keep this right next to my grilling tools for whenever I fire up the grill.5


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This is where you can find the latest news from the University of Gothenburg in English. In our calander you will find the latest events open for english speaking audience.
[23 May 2017] The Minoan civilisation on the island of Crete during the Bronze Age is the theme for the Felix Neubergh Lecture in Archaeology at the University of Gothenburg. On May 30, Professor Nanno Marinatos will hold the lecture "The Solar Goddess of Minoan Crete".
[18 May 2017] Earlier discovery of cancer and greater precision in the treatment process are the objectives of a new method developed by researchers at Sahlgrenska Academy and Boston University. Investments are now being made to roll out this innovation across healthcare and broaden the scope of the research in this field.
[17 May 2017] A workshop on the importance of places and spaces for health and well-being was held on Tuesday at the Network for Medical Humanities. Architects, physicians, psychologists, artists and researchers gathered to discuss different places and their functions. "Studies show that how our built environment is designed affects our healing capacities," said architect Hanna Morichetto.


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Greenville infant dies despite father's CPR efforts
GREENVILLE – A 1-month-old baby died Thursday morning in Greenville.
Officers from the Greenville Department of Public Safety responded at 10:45 a.m. to a home on W. Grove Street after a report was made of an infant not breathing.
Upon arrival, officers found the baby's father doing CPR on the infant with Montcalm County Central Dispatch coaching him over the phone.
Officers took over CPR and continued resuscitation efforts until the arrival of Montcalm County Emergency Medical Services, who then took over the efforts.
The baby was later pronounced dead.
The investigation remains open pending the results of the autopsy and review by the Montcalm County Prosecutor's Office, according to the Greenville Department of Public Safety.


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For the Birds
Trip Start Mar 11, 2011
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We had a good old chat with a friendly Kiwi couple and their cute doggie. They seemed amused by this devoted wife bringing a cuppa to her dear fisher-husband. :)


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103 Long Road, Canvey Island, Essex
Supported Housing
About the house
In the area
Contact the house
We provide a peaceful, friendly atmosphere where residents can remain as independent as possible. We offer a range of activities from coffee mornings to the more energetic exercise classes. It's a home from home with support when you need it from our professional and caring house staff and volunteers.
Abbeyfield House was built in 1978 and consists of 11 single and one double flat with ensuite facilities, plus two separate shower rooms.
Rooms are nicely decorated, and all our residents are given their own key. Residents' rooms are cleaned every week, and there is a laundry room for you to use.
Two tasty and nutritious home-cooked meals a day are provided, seven days a week, and breakfast is also supplied.
There is a welcoming communal lounge and dining room and a well-kept garden.
This house is managed by Abbeyfield Canvey Island
Alarm system
Communal lounge
Dining room
Laundry facilities
Our residents are treated like guests, always with care, dignity and respect. You will have a key to your own room so can come and go as you please and are free to take yourself - and your visitors - for a breath of fresh air down by the seafront whenever you like.
We arrange a number of social activities and events, so there's always something to keep you occupied or to look forward to.
• Bingo • Shopping outings • Daily coffee mornings and afternoon teas • Movement to music once a week • DVD afternoons • A visiting singer
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Welcome to the Website of
The Bulletin of the Iranian Mathematical Society
The Bulletin of the Iranian Mathematical Society (BIMS) is a publication of the Iranian Mathematical Society in English. It is published in six issues per year. It publishes original research papers with significant contributions or of broad interest, and, invited survey articles. High quality is critically pursued by the edditorial body of the bulletin in the reviewing procedure of all submissions.
Impact Factor: 0.283
5-Year Impact Factor: 0.321
BIMS is an international open access journal. It is indexed in:
Science Citation Index Expanded (ISI)
Journal Citation Reports/Science Edition
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A former Kaitaia College student was named as the outstanding player overall at the annual NZDF Inter-Services Touch tournament in Auckland last month.
Private Krystal Murray played for the NZ Army women's team in the tournament three weeks ago at Whenuapai in Auckland which saw teams representing the army, navy and air force contesting men's, women's and over-30 men's divisions.
She stood out in the side's unbeaten run, including a 3-1 rout of the navy in the final to seal the title. She was given two awards, as the tournament's most promising player overall and most valuable women's player.
The three army teams cleaned up in all three divisions for the first time in the tournament's history, winning all their games en route to the respective titles and securing the Service Trophy for the seventh consecutive year.
Krystal said she was enjoying life in the army, where she's based in Palmerston North.
She qualified after completing an ATC course in Kaitaia which father Chris believed was a good option for many local youth in order to get ahead.
During her spare time, Krystal also played women's rugby for her local rugby club in Linton shortly after her arrival in Palmerston North last winter and drew the attention of the Manawatu selectors.
The former Kaitaia College girls 1st XV player has played for Mangonui women in Northland-wide rugby, and the Northland women's and Northland secondary schoolgirls' rugby sides, as well as representing Mangonui in netball.
Back home for the summer holiday break, she also took part in the Christmas Touch tournament late last month.


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For years, as online marketers have watched Facebook explode in popularity, we've been forced to advise a "soft sell" approach to working on the site. In other words, it was hard to promote your company or products outright, but what you could do was make important connections, describe enough about yourself or your business that people might want to work with you, and let prospective clients see behind the curtain a bit and build your brand in that way.
Now, with Facebook opening its virtual doors to advertisers earlier this year, the path to promotion and profits is being well-beaten... or is it?
Advertising on Facebook is far from a sure thing, if only because it's new. There isn't much of a track record of companies, big or small, making any money on the site through paid ads. What's more, as the most "social" of the social networking sites, it's a place that people go to in order to have fun and mix with friends and relatives – not necessarily find marketing messages.
So what does it all mean? Is Facebook advertising actually worth spending on? Here are a few questions to help you sort out the right answer for your company:
Do you sell directly to consumers? If so, you might be in luck. While Facebook is likely to remain a poor business-to-business advertising venue, it does seem to offer some hope for those who sell directly to consumers.
How specific do you need your audience to be? While new options are being added quickly, Facebook still lacks many of the customization tools you'd find on a more popular platforms, like Google Adwords. What that basically means is that you might have to settle for marketing to broad groups – like women or students, for example – as opposed to more targeted demographics, at least for now.
Do you have room in your budget to take the chance? Like other forms of pay per click advertising, it doesn't take much to get started on Facebook. But, as a new platform, it makes sense to test the system out and see whether the results will pan out in the bottom line. And as with any test, be prepared in case you get back less than expected... or even nothing at all.
As Facebook advertising grows, marketers will undoubtedly figure out which strategies, prices, and types of products can reliably succeed. For the time being, however, the concept is like a lot of things that have to do with social networking – fun, interesting, and a little unproven.
When I read about the rise of social network marketing, I'm always reminded of those old kung fu movies, where a masked warrior moves silently through the shadows to defeat dozens of enemy samurai. Why? Because today's marketers, like the old-time ninjas of the silver screen, need to rely on stealth to reach their goal and turn contacts into customers.
The problem isn't a new one... either to life or this blog. Social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter are filled to the brim with buyers; at the same time, they don't come to any of these virtual destinations to be sold. That can create what seems like an unwinnable dilemma – come on too strong, and people will ignore you; fail to market it all and you'll be making lots of friends who will never buy anything. As much fun as it might be, that's not anyone's idea of a good business plan.
And so, your social networking marketing plan has to hide under the cloak of darkness. Here are three quick tips to help you forge a decisive attack:
Show, don't tell. It's bad form to tweet that people can save money by working with you, for instance, but perfectly all right to congratulate a client for improving their bottom line as a result of your services.
Hide everything behind humor and entertainment. There's always room online for something that makes people laugh, or at least gives them a momentary break from their day-to-day lives. Try to think of ways to embed your marketing message into a format that accomplishes one of those things.
Strike decisively. In the rare event that you do advertise or broadcast an offer via social networking, make it so strong and compelling that people can't help but have a look. You aren't going to get many opportunities to ask for business outright, so make every one count.
This is an important question for any business owner or online marketer, and one that isn't easy to answer. While some businesses will devote all, or nearly all, of their advertising and promotional dollars into a web strategy, most companies face a dilemma when it comes to finding the right mix: put in too little, and they might see sales drop off; throw too much money at finding customers on the web, and their expenses end being counterproductive.
A lot of advertising "experts" advise putting anywhere from 10 to 75% of your marketing budget into Internet ads and promotions, but they aren't running your company... you are. For most businesses, the answer is going to fall somewhere in the middle. Here are three questions you should ask yourself to help find out where that middle is:
Where are your current leads and sales coming from? It's never a good idea to stop doing something that's working, especially when we are talking about finding the money that's helping you make payroll, run your business, and earn a profit. Regardless of what your future plans are, take into account where you are leads and sales coming from at the moment and make sure that revenue stream will continue.
Where will future sales be coming from? Are you likely to gather lots of new buyers from the Internet? If so, then try to start moving more of your marketing expenditures in that direction, until you can either find a flood of new business, or figure out that the money would be better spent elsewhere.
How profitable is your online marketing effort? Every form of marketing or advertising faces diminishing returns at a certain point – people stop responding to more of it, or you just end up chasing customers that aren't worth the money. Monitor your online marketing expenses closely so that you can identify the point without going past it.
Besides being a handy marketing tool to reach hundreds or thousands of your customers at once, Twitter is just, well... a lot of fun. The equivalent of an online party with all kinds of little conversations going on at once, it can sometimes cause even seasoned marketers to let down their guard. After all, if everyone else is having a good time and posting whatever they want, shouldn't you be, too?
As in all other situations, there's a fine line. One of Twitter's best qualities – and indeed one of the greatest things about social networking in general – is that it lets us drop some of our professional façade and let people in. This can be a great thing for relationships, business or otherwise, so long as you know how to keep yourself out of trouble.
Here are four tweets you should never, ever send:
Anything with obscenities, slurs, ethnic remarks, and so on. It should go without saying that these are the kinds of thoughts you should keep to yourself – if you insist on having them at all – but recognize that just one of them is likely to leave a permanent impression on your business and career.
News that isn't public yet. From new client contracts to earnings reports and future product releases, it's best to keep sensitive information in-house until it's been reported elsewhere.
Complaints about customers or coworkers. The quick, fluid nature of Twitter can make people feel anonymous. You aren't, so keep that in mind as you decide what to post, because it will get back to whomever you're writing about.
What you had for lunch. Also included would be your pet's favorite food, what you thought about a certain celebrity's choice of clothing, and anything else that's likely to bore readers. Twitter, even more than other social networking sites, runs on attention. Make sure you give people a reason to tune in, or they'll go elsewhere.
As we noted a few weeks ago, YouTube is currently gathering more than 1 billion hits a day, effectively making it the world's second largest search engine (behind Google), and a hot destination for online marketers looking to spread their message virally.
Like a lot of things in life, however, marketing on YouTube is a lot easier to talk about than it is to actually accomplish. That's because viewers go there looking to learn or be entertained... but rarely to be sold to.
For that reason, the marketing message has to be wrapped up in something more interesting – like medicine that tastes like candy, it needs to be fun before it can be effective. You can only take this idea so far, though; videos of your employees falling down the stairs might get lots of hits, but they aren't going to bring many sales.
With that in mind, here are the five items on your YouTube marketing checklist. Don't upload a video without them:
A crisp, relevant, and interesting topic. The most impactful videos are short and to the point. They should show off your expertise while teaching the viewer something special they can use in their work or home lives.
A script. A lot of marketers are tempted to "wing it" and produce their videos without any script or rehearsal, but it's not something we would recommend. While you don't want your clip to be so practiced that it seems unnatural, it's a good idea to at least run through your thoughts a few times before you shoot the final version.
A catchy opening. If the first 5 or 10 seconds of your video are boring, no one is going to bother watching the rest. Aim to capture attention quickly.
Good production. Shooting quick videos with a handheld cam is a great way to save money… except that it usually costs you future customers. If you don't have the equipment to produce and edit sharp-looking video, find a creative partner who does.
Contact information and a call to action. Invite viewers to visit your website, download a free report, or take some other action. Otherwise, they may click away to the next video and never return.
In many ways, the explosion of social network marketing has mirrored the growth of search engine optimization just a few years ago. Both are focused around content, both change the ways that businesses can attract new customers (not to mention the philosophy behind those methods), and both are largely considered necessary for any company with an Internet presence.
In fact, given that they are coming so closely related, you might be wondering: are search engine optimization and social media marketing still different topics?
The short answer is that they are... but only just so.
At the moment, SEO is a lot like commercial real estate. You might start out at a remote location, but through the careful investment of time and effort, you can steadily move your business into a high traffic, high profit neighborhood in a relatively short amount of time. It's still one of the most cost-effective ways of finding new customers, and the process that often takes on a life of its own once you've got it moving.
Social network marketing, on the other hand, closely resembles networking events in the off-line world. Approach them the wrong way, and you'll quickly find yourself stuck in a mixer with low-level marketers talking endlessly about products nobody wants. But open the door with the right kinds of content and profiles, and you can slip behind the velvet rope and talk deals with the movers and shakers. In other words, social networking is a great way to meet individual decision-makers – rather than a horde of "generic" customers – as well as deepen relationships with your existing buyers.
Search engine optimization and social network marketing definitely overlap, and the two are inching closer to one another all the time. For now, however, they are still separate disciplines that yield separate results. But even though you might have to spend a little time on each one, both are great ways to bring new business into your company
Recently, we posted an article pointing out that YouTube – with more than a billion daily hits – had effectively become the world's second-largest search engine. But as much as we'd love to take sole credit for the idea, it seems that we aren't the only ones who noticed.
It's difficult to find solid numbers, but estimates suggest that users are adding more than 200,000 new videos every single day, or about 13 hours worth each minute. While lots of those undoubtedly involve house pets dancing to modern hits, many of the new additions are coming from savvy online marketers just like you... and the trend is only gaining strength.
Here at Blue Beetle, it reminds us of something.
It wasn't that long ago that regular old search engine optimization was the hot new thing. Companies had just started figuring out that fresh content was the key to working your way to the top of Google, Yahoo, and MSN (now Bing), and so they got into a mad rush to add articles to their websites. In many cases, this was a great thing, because it brought valuable information to the Internet. But just as often that meant marketers who were trying to make a quick buck posted poorly-written collections of key words they called articles, making it difficult for searchers to actually find the useful pages they were looking for.
The same thing is beginning to happen on YouTube. For all of the wonderful advice and entertainment that has already been uploaded, we are starting to see badly-produced videos coming from marketers looking to take shortcuts. A few of them might find a way to make money from this strategy, but it's bound to fail in the long term because people don't go online looking for junk—they're searching for quality advice and insight.
With that in mind, we are going to tell you something you probably already know: the goal of your video marketing campaign shouldn't be to have the most YouTube videos, but the most effective. Post material that educates and entertains, not clips that take up a few minutes while parroting your sales message again and again.
One good video on YouTube can bring you millions of views and thousands of new customers, but a badly done piece only costs everyone time and aggravation.
If you've worked with Blue Beetle recently, there's a good chance the topic of "usability" has come up more than once. That's because, like many of our counterparts, we believe it's a trait that no serious online marketer can afford to ignore – in the same league as search engine optimization or compatibility across different browsers.
Most clients understand this intuitively: the easier it is for people to move around your website and find what they're looking for, the more likely they are to decide to do business with you. The difficulty isn't in seeing the value of usability, but putting it in practice.
What's needed is a way to add features to an existing online platform, without having to sacrifice speed and performance for your visitors.
As it turns out, there is a tool that does exactly that. It's called AJAX, which stands for asynchronous JavaScript and XML. While I'm sure that clears up the issue for those of you who spend your leisure hours looking through web design articles, maybe I should point out that in the real world, that basically means that AJAX allows your website to run more like a desktop application would – cleanly and seamlessly by displaying portions data dynamically, instead of refreshing the entire page when loading new data from the server.
The result isn't just an improvement in usability... it's a whole new chapter. By changing content and adding resources as your visitors input information, AJAX lets them read, shop, and navigate with a level of data and responsiveness that wouldn't have been possible a few years ago.
For your website to be helpful to your visitors – not to mention profitable for you – it needs to have a high level of usability, and there's no better way to achieve that in this day and age than using AJAX.
New website for Coastal Mountain Excavations (CME), a Whistler based heavy construction company is live. The inspiration for the design was drawn from the companies awesome location and with some funky Google Maps integration we delivered a website that showcases their projects and expertise quite effectively, even if we do say so ourselves.
If television and movies have taught us anything about history, it's that the old American West was a place "without law." Drinking, gambling, and gun fights in the street were the symptoms of towns that seemed to have sprung up from nothing – the result of a mad gold rush that attracted entrepreneurial types from all over the world.
While the idea of saloons full of marshals, cowboys, and horse thieves might be overplayed for entertainment value, the concept of places being built from nothing actually gives us an interesting parallel to the development of the online business community. In the first days, there were sparse settlers setting up shops in camps at any URL they could find. Over time, though, areas have become crowded, complex communities have formed, and yes, laws are coming.
In this case, we aren't talking about political laws, but accepted standards of the way sites should be designed and arranged. The World Wide Web Consortium (WC3), an international group of designers and consultants, is moving towards a set of universal guidelines that would serve as a kind of guide to best practices in layout and coding.
This might seem like a bit of a reach, given that the online community can be ferociously independent, but it actually represents change in a good way.
Just as laws and standards eventually came as a relief to the American West – few people enjoyed the prospect of being shot in Cheyenne or Abilene – uniform standards on the web will make pages safer and more accessible for everyone. By creating a handful of common tools, they mean that pages from all parts of the world will become easier to find and use by anyone, regardless of their hardware, operating system, or local provider.
Why should you care? Because usability is a close cousin of profitability; the more people who can view and navigate your site, the more potential buyers you can reach effectively. As more and more communities go online, and next-generation mobile devices spread like wildfire, WC3 standards are going to help smart marketers expand their reach.
The "law" might not be coming to the web, but standards are. Making your site work within them might not be mandatory, but it is going to be a good business decision.


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Breaking: NSA exec charged with leaking classified info in 2006, 2007
posted at 12:08 pm on April 15, 2010 by Ed Morrissey
When the New York Times published a series of articles on top-secret counterterrorism efforts at the National Security Agency in 2006 and 2007, supporters of the Bush administration reacted with outrage. Oddly, though, the same people who expressed outrage over the exposure of Valerie Plame as a CIA analyst never got terribly exercised over these breaches of national security (and to be fair, the same holds true in reverse). The Bush administration complained loudly about the Times' decision to expose these programs but never made a public show of a probe to discover the source of the leaks.
Ironically, that effort apparently succeeded in uncovering at least one leaker — and the Obama administration gets the credit for it:
A former senior executive with the National Security Agency has been indicted on 10 felony charges related to the leaking of classified information to a national newspaper in 2006 and 2007, the Justice Department announced Thursday morning.
Thomas A. Drake, 52, headed an office in the NSA's Signals Intelligence Directorate at Fort Meade between 2001 and 2005, and continued to work with the agency as a high-ranking contractor through 2008, U.S. officials said. The indictment alleges that Drake allegedly exchanged hundreds of e-mails with an unidentified reporter for a national newspaper and served as a source for its articles about Bush administration intelligence policies between February 2006 and November 2007, U.S. officials said.
Drake was indicted by a federal grand jury in Maryland, the Justice Department said.
The indictment doesn't name the paper or identify the subject matter, but it also doesn't appear too difficult to connect dots in this case. The Times produced most of the original reporting on these secret programs, including the Terrorist Surveillance Program (TSP) that eventually got retroactive cover in a rewriting of FISA laws. They also exposed the secret bank-tracking program Swift that turned out to be both completely legal and extraordinarily effective — before the Times blew its cover.
Kudos to the DoJ for pursuing the leaker. Having the Obama administration press this case makes it even stronger, I believe. It eliminates any hint of retribution and puts it firmly in the frame of violating our national security. If Drake is guilty, he had other options than leaking to the Times if he disagreed with the operations at the NSA. He could have gone to the White House, or failing that, to the leadership of the intelligence committees in Congress, which certainly would have provided him with an audience. Instead, the leaker (whoever he is) kneecapped our ability to track terrorists and politicized national security unnecessarily.
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"Do you have any last words?…"
Akzed on April 16, 2010 at 9:16 AM


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'Time boxing" may be an additional consideration for you on agile projects and you can use it in different situations. You can use time boxing when the requirements for the sprints, or the sprints themselves, are not initially well defined. In this case, you can break the project up into time segments, each of which you can estimate. If historical data is available, such as the function point counts of previous projects, the organization will be able to determine the number of FP that can be delivered in a certain period of time so that you can plan time boxes. Alternatively, when the requirements are well-defined and a good function point count exists, you can use time boxing to determine how much functionality will be delivered within each sprint.
Change of Scope
According to A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK Guide) , the project scope is defined as "The work that needs to be accomplished to deliver a product, service, or result with the specified features and functions." Any changes to project scope can result in changes to the work that had originally been defined, and these changes may result in changes to the project cost or quality. The amount of change can be expressed as a function point difference, or an effort to make the change or changes.
You can measure the change of scope at the time the changes occur, at specific points within the project development, or at the completion of the project. Since scope changes may occur more frequently during agile projects, it may be better for you to consider scope changes at a higher level for the entire set of software delivered rather than at project intervals, because it is best to define upfront what constitutes a scope change. Doing so will allow you to distinguish any changes to functions that are inherent in agile projects.
As in the second example, if a function is added in one sprint and changed in a later one, you can consider this a change in scope and you can measure this change if each sprint is counted. Once again, because the data may be available at various stages, agile development provides the opportunity to gather this additional information in an accurate and timely manner.
Although the function point counting process itself is the same for the various development methodologies, there are some additional considerations you must account for when counting projects developed using an agile methodology. For example, the sprint artifacts may be different than the documents you use when counting projects using other development methodologies. In order to be properly utilized for the counting process, these artifacts must describe in detail the functionality added, changed, or deleted by the project. You also need to consider that in the case when multiple sprints are considered part of the same project, it's possible that some application functions may be affected more than one time.
As noted, you can perform the function point analysis at various stages during the agile development effort. These cases would be different than the function point counts performed at various stages of development using waterfall methodologies, because the stages themselves are self-contained. In the case of waterfall development, there is a defined point in the project to perform the count, such as after the analysis or functional design phases. Any counts performed during the course of agile development would measure an intermediate work product at the completion of one or more stories or sprints. This may be for the purpose of assisting the customer or project manager in monitoring or controlling the project, or measuring the functionality of a sprint as part of the overall project.
By analyzing the data to determine the impact of quality, productivity, schedule, and cost, software development organizations may be better able to choose the most appropriate development methodology for their projects. The development methods you utilize for projects should not impede you from measuring the project. As demonstrated in the examples presented above, you can use the function point analysis measure an agile projects, however, several considerations need to be addressed depending on how the project is defined. These considerations include the goals and objectives of the organization as well as the supporting measures. Using FPA and the other software metrics I discussed will provide you new opportunities to apply metrics to your projects.
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Carbon Tax's Costs on Economy Seen Exceeding Revenue GainMark Drajem
A tax on carbon emissions would curtail U.S. consumption, investment and wages, limiting the ability of the levy to add revenue for the federal government, according to the National Association of Manufacturers.
The group in a report assumed a $20 a ton charge on carbon dioxide starting this year and then calculated costs with a rate of almost $1,000 a ton by 2053, and another with the rate relatively stable. The higher tax rate is needed to achieve U.S. goals of cutting greenhouse-gas emissions by 80 percent.
"Any revenue raised by a carbon tax -- under both carbon tax cases -- would be far outweighed by the negative impacts to the overall economy," the Washington-based organization said today in its report.
Carbon-dioxide emissions since the Industrial Revolution have led to a warming of the Earth's temperature, which threatens to cause extreme weather, drought and coastal flooding, according to the U.S. Global Change Research Program. Taxing a ton of carbon dioxide at $20 would raise more than $100 billion in the first year, according to research by the American Enterprise Institute, which says it backs policies to strengthen free enterprise.
Companies such as Exxon Mobil Corp. say they support a carbon tax instead of federal regulations to try to combat the effects of climate change.
Jack Lew, nominee to be U.S. Treasury secretary, in written answers to questions posed during his confirmation by Senator Orrin Hatch, a Utah Republican, said, "the administration has not proposed a carbon tax, nor is it planning to do so."