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Winter battery storage: Four-step Guide
Kalyan Jana, development support manager (specialty markets) for EnerSys, sent us his four-step guide to winter battery storage.
1. Testing
Use a reliable digital voltmeter to measure the open circuit voltage (OCV) of the battery and determine its state of charge (SOC). Measure the OCV no sooner than 6 to 8 hours after charging the battery so that the chemical reactions inside the battery can reach a state of equilibrium. The battery manufacturers specifications will indicate the OCV that corresponds to 100 percent SOC. Batteries must be stored fully charged.
Marine batteries can be tested using the half-CCA method. A fully charged battery at room temperature (75 F to 80 F) is load tested at half its CCA rating. If the battery is good, its terminal voltage at the end of 15 seconds will be at least 9.6 volts (for a 12-volt battery).
2. Storage
Ill say it again: batteries must be charged fully before storage. The electrolyte in a lead-acid battery can freeze if the temperature gets too low. The manufacturers specifications will indicate the lowest temperature at which the battery should be stored. At 77 F or cooler, absorption glass mat, pure lead valve-regulated lead-acid (AGM-VRLA) batteries can be stored for two years, or until the OCV drops to 12 volts. The lower the temperature, the longer the storage time, as long it does not drop below the manufacturers specifications, which, for example, is minus 40F for Odyssey batteries. Approximately every 18F increase in temperature reduces storage time by half. If the temperature rises to 95 F, the battery may be stored for only one year. Regardless of the storage temperature, batteries must be recharged before the OCV drops to the manufacturers recommended minimum value.
If the boat is left idle for extended periods, you should connect the batteries to a trickle charger. Parasitic loads on the battery created by on-board electronics, such as communications and instrumentation systems, will drain the battery to discharge if left idle long enough. If the battery discharges to less than 70 percent of its capacity, it is unlikely that it will be able to turn the engine .
Verify that the charger output voltage conforms to the battery manufacturers specifications before storing with a trickle charger. The alternative to using a trickle charger is to disconnect the negative battery cable.
3. Removal
If the battery needs to be recharged, consult the manufacturer for specific recommended procedures. If the battery wont recharge and needs to be replaced, observe these guidelines:
4. Maintenance
Proper maintenance of the battery, when both in use and in storage, will not only extend its service life, but also will ensure that the warranty is enforceable.
When refilling a conventional flooded battery, use only distilled water to avoid contaminating the battery. AGM-VRLA batteries, however, are sealed, and will not need water or electrolyte added, which also prevents corrosion of the positive terminal and its surrounding area.
Again, maintaining the battery near full charge (12.8 volts or whatever the battery manufacturer specifies) ensures that it will last for its entire intended life.


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Simon VI de Montfort
Simon de Montfort "the younger" or Simon VII de Montfort (April 1240 – 1271) was the second son of Simon de Montfort, 6th Earl of Leicester and Eleanor of England.
His father and his elder brother Henry were killed at the Battle of Evesham in August 1265. The younger Simon had been slow to bring his forces from London, and had seen them and their banners captured by Prince Edward, who then used the banners to trick Simon's father. The younger Simon came to Evesham just in time to see his father's head atop a pike. The younger Simon tried to raise a rebellion in Lincolnshire, but this had petered out by Christmas.
He and his younger brother Guy escaped to France and Italy: in 1271 they discovered and murdered their cousin Henry of Almain (whom they blamed for the death of their father) at the church in Viterbo, for which they were excommunicated. Simon died later that year from Tuscan fever at Siena, "cursed by God, a wanderer and a fugitive".
|This section does not cite any sources. (March 2014) (Learn how and when to remove this template message)
|Ancestors of Simon VI de Montfort
- "Montfort, Simon of (1240-1271)". Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co. 1885–1900.

subset: commoncrawl


text: The 2000 Nicolás Catena Zapata has a deep, dark reddish purple color. The nose is complete with intense aromas of ripe cassis, plum and black currant fruit seamlessly interlaced with notes of toast and tobacco. The mouthfeel is soft and full with concentrated flavors of ripe red fruits in excellent harmony with hints of cedar and toast from aging in small oak barrels. The wine has a long, persistent finish with ripe, sweet tannins.


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Parents Night Out & Princess Pajama Party
Olivia's Dollhouse Tea Room
Friday, March 21, 2014 from 5:00 PM to 9:00 PM (EDT)
Who's Going
San Francisco, California
London, United Kingdom
Florence, Italy
Event Details
While the parents are away, our princesses will play!
At Olivia's Dollhouse Tea Room's Princess Pajama Party, your princes and princesses will enjoy an evening of fun, safe activities while giving their parents a night of freedom!
Children (ages 5 and up) will enjoy dressing up, watching the Disney movie 'Frozen', playing games and much more! The night will also include pizza and a drink. We welcome both princes and princesses to come and join in on the fun.
Space is limited. Pre-registration is required.
The pre-registration cut-off time is 8:00 p.m. on the day prior to the event.
Olivia's Dollhouse Tea Room reserves the right to cancel due to non-participation.
When & Where
Olivia's Dollhouse Tearoom
5075 Abbotts Bridge Rd
Suite 500
Johns Creek,
Friday, March 21, 2014 from 5:00 PM to 9:00 PM (EDT)
Add to my calendar
Olivia's Dollhouse Tea Room
Olivia's Dollhouse Tea Room Atlanta specializes in private dress-up tea parties for little girls. All of our facilities are beautifully decorated and ooze with class, style and elegance. All of our Dollhouses are adorned with plush Victorian carpets, lacy drapes, collectible dolls and museum quality pieces on display for the guests to enjoy. The whole dollhouse comes alive in a fairytale like setting with interactive birds that talk to each other, teddy bears that sing or tell stories at a touch of a button , and curio's that are full of collectable tea sets and memorabilia . It might take 2 hours just to stroll through the doll house and absorb all the detail that goes into decorating one of our facilities.
Join us on the Olivia's Dollhouse Tea Room Atlanta Facebook page.


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I think the online mapmakeing tool WorldMap is out of beta, but the article does not make that 100% clear. It's open source and developed by Harvard's Center for Geographic Analysis,
The GeoTech Center has published its 2012 newsletter (pdf).
A team of students from the University at Buffalo Law School has been named a winner of the 2012 New York Redistricting Project, a national competition that challenged student teams to draw new congressional, state senate and state assembly district maps.


text:
Article Preview
Garcia Sugars Corporation Trustees Sue To Recover $402,788 From Chase Bank
Trustees of the Garcia Sugars Corporation, of which Carlos G. Garcia formerly was the head, began suit in Federal Court yesterday to recover $402,788 allegedly paid to the Chase National Bank at a time when the corporation was insolvent. The complaint charged that the payments were made in violation of the Stock Corporation Law of New York State and the National Bankruptcy Act.
February 01, 1940
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I am a fun loving guy. Who just enjoys life as much as possible. I do enjoy the real theater and going to the movies though. Another semester to go and i will finally be done school.
Once school is finally done i will be looking to get a house i think -- I'm just not sure where. i hope to travel more - Portugal was fun and so was Italy, not sure where to go next though.
I am John, and I am Different.
Clive Barkers " The Imajica " , " Weaveworld " , " Books of Blood "
Dean Koontz " Watchers " , " Lightning " , "Night Chills " , " Phantoms "
L. Ron Hubbard " Battlefield Earth " only the book not the movie.
Terry Goodkind " The Sword of Truth series"
There are many more but that is enough for now.
The Usual Suspects, The 5th Element, Boondock Saints, Poolhall Junkies,
Man on Fire, Murder by Death there are many more but that is enough for now.
I like a wide range of stuff : some of the more common stuff is Metallic, Megadeth, Modest Mouse, Pink Floyd, Led Zepplin, The Temptations, The Four Tops, Same Cooke, When it comes to music i like almost everything. Exceptions Not a big fan of country or Rap -- but i do listen to alittle of both
My favorite is Italian food , but I like Mexican and polish and pretty much everything. I like sushi and even some Indian food. So when it comes down to it i will eat most things as long as they sound good and hopefully are good.
2. My Friends
3. Books
4. My imagination
5. My Computer
6. Video Games


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By Richard Clarke
Arsène Wenger will make a late decision over the fitness of Tomas Rosicky ahead of the London derby with Chelsea on Sunday.
The Arsenal manager said Czech midfielder was "50:50" with a hamstring injury when he spoke to Arsenal TV Online on Thursday. At his usual Friday press conference Wenger indicated nothing has changed. He will leave it until Saturday to make a decision
"We will decide on Tomas Rosicky tomorrow," said the Frenchman. "At the moment he is 50:50.
"Freddie Ljungberg is not back. So we will have the same player as last Sunday except maybe Rosicky.
"Jeremie Aliadiere and Mathieu Flamini are both out with foot injuries."
28/1 - Arsenal v Chelsea: Gallas to score the first goal - FREE £10 BET
Copyright 2017 The Arsenal Football Club plc. Permission to use quotations from this article is granted subject to appropriate credit being given to www.arsenal.com as the source


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try to eat as much dietary protein as you can in a day. After such prolonged stress on your body, you probably are severely protein deficient in all your cells not just your hair.
When your body is getting enough protein, it will shuttle some to hair growth and strength, but if you don't have enough to maintain muscle and critical organs like heart etc, hair is last on the list for divvying out protein to the body--hair is not essential for life but heart muscle and skeletal muscle surely is. Give yourself a good long time (6 months) with 80-100 grams of protein macronutrient in your diet and reassess the health of your skin and hair at that point. It should be stronger and shinier by then, but it will take a long time.
I'm glad you are healthier now so keep strengthening yourself with great protein nutrition.


text:
GATE 2017 Exam Notification Dates | Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering (GATE) 2017
See this page in HINDI >>
Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering (GATE) 2017 Exam Dates Released
What is GATE ?
Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering (GATE) is an all-India examination
Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering (GATE): Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering (GATE) is an all India examination that primarily tests a comprehensive understanding of various undergraduate subjects in engineering and technology is an all India examination that primarily tests the comprehensive understanding of various undergraduate subjects in Engineering and Technology. GATE is conducted jointly by the Indian Institute of Science and seven IITs (IIT Bombay, IIT Delhi, IIT Guwahati, IIT Kanpur, IIT Kharagpur, IIT Madras and IIT Roorkee) on behalf of the National Coordination Board-GATE, Department of Higher Education, Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD), Government of India
Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee - IIT Roorkee is the organizsing Institute for Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering 2017 (GATE 2017).
The GATE score of a candidate reflects a relative performance level in a particular paper in the exam across several years
The score is used for admissions to post-graduate engineering programmes (i.e. M.E., M.Tech, direct Ph.D) in Indian higher education institutes with financial assistance provided by MHRD and other Govt agencies
Admission to post graduate programmes with MHRD and some other government scholarship/assistantship at engineering colleges/institutes in the country are open to those who qualify through GATE. GATE qualified candidates with Bachelor degree in Engineering / Technology/ Architecture / Pharmacy or Master degree in any branch of Science / Mathematics / Statistics / Computer Applications are eligible for Master / Doctoral programmes in Engineering/ Technology / Architecture / Pharmacy as well as for Doctoral programmes in relevant branches of Science. To avail the financial assistance (scholarship), the candidate must additionally secure admission to such a postgraduate programme, as per the prevailing procedure of the admitting institution. GATE qualification, however, is not required for candidates with Master degree in Engineering / Technology / Architecture / Pharmacy who may be seeking scholarship/assistantship for relevant doctoral programmes.
The GATE score is also used by some PSUs for their recruitment. The validity of GATE 2017 score shall be for three years.
Important Dates for GATE 2017 Exam
Date of Notification: 25th June 2016
GATE Online Application Processing System (GOAPS) Website Opens for Enrollment, Application Filling, and Application Submission: 01st September 2016 (Thursday)
Last Date for Submission of Online Application through Website:
04th October 2016 (Tuesday) Extended up to 11.00 AM of 10th October 2016 (Monday)
Last Date for Request for Change in the Choice of Exam City via GOAPS Login: 16th November 2016 (Wednesday)
Availability of Admit Card on the Online Application Interface for Printing: 05th January 2017 (Thursday)
Announcement of GATE 2017 Results on the Online Application Website: 27th March 2017 (Monday)
GATE 2017 Online Exam Dates: 04th - 05th February 2017 & 11th - 12th February 2017 (Saturdays & Sundays only)
The Final Schedule shall be displayed on the GATE 2017 website
GATE 2017 Eligibility Criteria
Candidates with any of the following qualifications are eligible to appear in GATE.
i. Candidates must have Bachelor's degree in Engineering/Technology (4 years after 10+2 or 3 years after Diploma in Engineering/Technology) and those who are in the final year of such programmes.
ii. Candidates must have Bachelor's degree in Architecture (Five year course) and those who are in the final year of such programmes.
iii. Candidates must have Bachelor's degree of Four-year programme in Science (B.S.) and those who are in the final year of such programmes.
iv. Candidates must have Master's degree in any branch of Science / Mathematics / Statistics / Computer Applications or equivalent and those who are in the final year of such programme.
v. Four-year Integrated Master's degree (Post-B.Sc.) in Engineering/ Technology and those in the second or higher year of such programmes.
vi. Five-year Integrated Master's degree or Dual Degree in Engineering/ Technology and those in the fourth or higher year of such programmes.
vii. Five-year Integrated M.Sc. or Five year Integrated B.Sc./ M.Sc. degree and those in the final year of such programmes.
viii. Candidates with qualifications obtained through examinations conducted by professional societies recognizsed by UPSC/ AICTE as equivalent to B.E./ B.Tech. Those who have completed Section-A of AMIE or equivalent of such professional courses are also eligible
GATE 2017 Pattern
It is obligatory to have a look on the exam pattern before the actual examination. The GATE 2017 Paper Pattern helps the applicant to know the duration of exam, mode and marking scheme for the same.
i. The exam will be held in the online mode.
ii. The questions in the examination will be MCQs and Numerical questions.
iii. The answers to the Numerical questions are to be calculated by using the online virtual calculator.
iv. There is a penalty of 0.33 marks for 1 mark questions and 0.66 marks for 2 marks questions.
v. No negative marking for numerical questions.
Note: Examination for all the papers shall be conducted in online mode only (Computer Based Test)
GATE 2017 Registration
Interested candidates can go through the eligibility criteria of GATE and then fill the online application form. Scanned copy of photograph and signature has to be uploaded, and application fee can be paid online or by Challan (if applicable). A period of around one month is given to complete the process
GATE 2017 registration process involves the following steps:
i. Read the application form of GATE 2017 at the official website www.gate.iitr.ernet.in
ii. Enter details asked in the GATE 2017 registration form such as name, date of birth, email ID and Mobile Number
iii. Next step for filling the GATE 2017 application form is to upload photograph, signature and other documents
iv. Pay the Application Fee as suitable to the category to the category, which complete form submission.
Application Fee
GATE 2017 Application Fee and Payment Options:
i. Women Candidates - Rs.750/-
ii. SC/ST/PwD Category Candidates - Rs.750/-
iii. All other candidates Rs.1500/-
For GATE 2017 Payments would have to be made through online by using net banking or debit card or e-Challan facilities
Additional charges will be applicable as per the rule of the bank from where the money is being transferred. This charge will be specified on the payment portal.
Important Websites
All candidates must apply Online. Further details and Online Application Form can be obtained by accessing any of the GATE zonal website (or by scanning the image below using QR reader facility that is available on may mobile phones).
(1) IISc Bangalore (gate.iisc.ernet.in)
(2) IIT Bombay (www.gate.iitb.ac.in)
(3) IIT Delhi (gate.ittd.ac.in)
(4) IIT Guwahati (www.iitg.enent.in/gate)
(5) IIT Kanpur (www.iitk.ac.in)
(6) IIT Kharagpur (www.gate.iitkgp.ac.in)
(7) IIT Madras (gate.iitm.ac.in)
(8) IIT Roorkee (www.gate.iitr.enert.in)
Aerospace Engg (AE) Geology and Geophysics (GG)
Agricultural Engg (AG) Instrumentation Engineering (IN)
Architecture & Planning (AR) Mathematics (MA)
Biotechnology (BT) Mechanical Engineering (ME)
Civil Engineering (CE) Mining Engineering (MN)
Chemical Engineering (CH) Metallurgical Engineering (MT)
Com. Sci & Information Tech (CS) Physics (PH)
Chemistry (CY) Production and Industrial Engineering (PI)
Electronics & Communication Engg (EC) Textile Engineering and Fibre Science (TF)
Electrical Engineering (EE) Engineering Sciences (XE)*
Ecology and Evolution (EY) Life Sciences (XL)
*XE Paper Sections Code **XL Paper Sections Code
Engg Mathematics (Compulsory) A Chemistry (Compulsory) H
Fluid Mechanics B Biochemistry I
Materials Science C Botany J
Solid Mechanics D Microbiology K
Thermodynamics E Zoology L
Polymer Science and Engineering F Food Technology M
Food Technology G
Question Answers on GATE EXAM
Question: What are the benefits for gate exam passed students?
Answer: The benefits of writing GATE Exam are -
- Primarily helpful of entrance to the higher studies like M.tech, ME etc
- Some PSU's also take GATE score and on its basis select candidates for the interview for various good grade jobs. Companies like NTPC, BHEL and IOCL have said so for the year 2012
- Adds on to your resume about the exams taken up in the past
- For researchers opens up the avenues like JRF's and SRF's in various prestigious organizations like DRDO, ISRO etc
Question: What is the eligibility and age limit to appear for GATE exam?
Answer: GATE is conducted jointly by the IIT and IIS, one must hold a bachelor's degree in Engineering or Technology or in Architecture.
As far age limit is concerned, there is no age limit to apply for the Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering.
Question: How can I get the study material for GATE instrumentation Engg exam?
Answer: The GATE Instrumentation Exam Study Material is available on this link – GATE Instrumentation Engg. Solved Papers & Practice Papers
Question: When is the best time to start the preparation of gate exam? Please provide some tips to prepare.
Answer: You can start your preparation from 2nd year of B.E /B. tech. A few tips are:
- Prepare notes after finishing every chapter. This will help you during your last days of revision.
- Maintain formulas, short-cuts and tips/tricks in notes.
- Solve previous years' GATE papers: Solving previous years' papers gives you a fair idea of about the actual paper.
- Solve as many test papers as possible.
Question: How many times GATE exam will be held in a year?
Answer: GATE exam is conducted once in a year.
Question: What is the process for applying GATE 2016?
Answer: Candidates need to register and fill the application online only by accessing the zonal GATE websites of IISc and seven IITs.
The application process is complete only when a print out of the filled online application with the candidate's signature. More details here
Question: What is the information available on GATE Score Card?
Answer: The Score card the informations such as GATE Score, Percentile Score and Rank
Though GATE exam is out of 100 marks, GATE score is calculated out of 1000, by extrapolating the GATE exam score using factors like mean, standard deviation of all applicant scores.
GATE 2016 exam results declared
GATE Computer Based Tests - Things you should know
Top M.Tech Colleges in India | Best Engineering Institutes for MTech
Architecture Career Scope, Eligibility and Job Prospects
Top 10 Colleges for Architecture in India
October 14 the new deadline for GATE online registration
GATE Automobile Engineering Syllabus and Exam Scheme
Dates for applying to GATE announced
Public Sector Recruitment Notifications (Shortlisting through GATE Scores)
GATE related Jobs, PSUs recruiting through GATE exam scores
Tips for getting Good Scores in Gate Exams
HPCL to recruit 250 Graduate Engineers through GATE
Power Grid (PGCIL) to recruit EXECUTIVE TRAINEES through GATE
Bharat Petroleum BPCL Management Trainee Recruitment through GATE
GAIL India Ltd Executive Trainee Recruitment through GATE
MECL Recruitment of Engineers through GATE
Neyveli Lignite Corporation Ltd Recruitment of 78 Graduate Executive Trainees through GATE
National Fertilizers Ltd Recruitment of 45 Management Trainees through GATE
Post your comments here


text:
DIARY-Top Economic Events to Nov 25
Nov 13 (Reuters) -
For other diaries, please see:
U.S. Federal Reserve
Polling unit diary
Today in Washington
Political and general news
Index of all diaries
Major central bank events ** This Diary is filed daily ** ----------------------------------------------------------- FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 13
CLEVELAND - Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland President Loretta Mester will give a speech about the economy and monetary policy - 1730 GMT. TORONTO - Bank of Canada Senior Deputy Governor Carolyn Wilkins will give a speech at the University of Toronto on "Innovation, Central-Bank Style" - 1300 GMT. FRANKFURT - European Central Bank Vice-President Vitor Constancio to speak at high-level conference - 0900 GMT. BRUSSELS - Meeting of Economic and Financial Affairs Council. ANTALYA, Turkey - L20 Summit (to Nov. 14) VIENNA - Austrian National Bank hosts seminar on IMF's regional economic issues report - 0900 GMT. VIENNA - Austrian National Bank Governor Ewald Novotny to speak on Central, Eastern and Southeastern Europe (CESEE) Outlook - 1000 GMT. MUNICH, Germany - German Bundesbank Board member Andreas Dombret to speak about German banking - 1200 GMT. WINDSOR, England - ECB Executive Board member Yves Mersch to take part in Financial Services Summit - 1215 GMT. Continued...


text:
Look Inside
Instructor Resources
Environmental Governance Reconsidered
This survey of current issues and controversies in environmental policy and management is unique in its thematic mix, broad coverage of key debates and approaches, and in-depth analysis of concepts treated less thoroughly in other texts. The contributing authors, all distinguished scholars or practitioners, offer a comprehensive examination of key topics in environmental governance today, including perspectives from environmental economics, democratic theory, public policy, law, political science, and public administration. Environmental Governance Reconsidered is the first book to integrate these wide-ranging topics and perspectives thematically in one volume.
Many are calling for a change in the bureaucratic, adversarial, technology-based regulatory approach that is the basis for much environmental policy—a move from "rule-based" to "results-based" regulation. Each of the thirteen chapters in Environmental Governance Reconsidered critically examines one aspect of this "second generation" of environmental reform, assesses its promise-versus-performance to date, and points out future challenges and opportunities. The first section of the book, "Reconceptualizing Purpose," discusses the concepts of sustainability, global interdependence, the precautionary principle, and common pool resource theory. The second section, "Reconnecting with Stakeholders," examines deliberative democracy, civic environmentalism, environmental justice, property rights and regulatory takings, and environmental conflict resolution. The final section, "Redefining Administrative Rationality," analyzes devolution, regulatory flexibility, pollution prevention, and third-party environmental management systems auditing. This book will benefit students, scholars, managers, natural resource specialists, policymakers, and reformers and is ideal for class adoption.
About the Editors
Robert F. Durant is Professor Emeritus in the School of Public Affairs, American University.
Daniel J. Fiorino is Director of the Center for Environmental Policy in the School of Public Affairs at American University.
Rosemary O'Leary is Edwin O. Stene Distinguished Professor in the School of Public Affairs at the University of Kansas.
—Elinor Ostrom, Arthur F. Bentley Professor of Government, Indiana University, and Co-Director of the Workshop in Political Theory and Policy Analysis and the Center for the Study of Population, Institutions, and Environmental Change
—Daniel Press, Professor, Environmental Studies Department, University of California, Santa Cruz
—Terry Davies, Senior Fellow, Resources for the Future, and former Assistant Administrator for Policy, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
—Kent Portney, Professor, Department of Political Science, Tufts University
—Steven Cohen, School of International and Public Affairs and Earth Institute, Columbia University


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Feature Article
The current featured article is "BREAKING THE PATTERN: ALAN GARNER'S THE OWL SERVICE AND THE MABINOGION"
This paper was presented at Mythcon 24 in 1993. It was an opportunity for me to write about a lovely little book I had always enjoyed. Years later, it had the advantage of being a rare piece of scholarship on the works of Alan Garner, which led to it being selected for inclusion in THE CHILDREN'S LITERATURE REVIEW, vol. 130.
I hope you will enjoy it!
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Tag Archives: Trinity
The Mysteries of Pi
I'd actually meant to write this post in order to upload it on March 14. But I got distracted yesterday, and so missed that boat. But I figured I would go ahead and post it anyway. After all, it's not … Continue reading
Posted in Personal Tagged Christianity, Dorothy L. Sayers, Pi, Trinity Leave a comment


text:
Before you start accepting facts from any arm of the Catholic Church as truth do the math Tinkerbelle.<quoted text>
You rely upon an anonymous commenter, counsel?
What's your true profession?
And what color is the sky in your world?
...Consider the statistics: In accordance with a requirement of President Bush's No Child Left Behind Act, in 2002 the Department of Education carried out a study of sexual abuse in the school system.
Hofstra University researcher Charol Shakeshaft looked into the problem, and the first thing that came to her mind when Education Week reported on the study were the daily headlines about the Catholic Church.
"[T]hink the Catholic Church has a problem?" she said. "The physical sexual abuse of students in schools is likely more than 100 times the abuse by priests."
So, in order to better protect children, did media outlets start hounding the worse menace of the school systems, with headlines about a "Nationwide Teacher Molestation Cover-up" and by asking "Are Ed Schools Producing Pedophiles?"
No, they didn't. That treatment was reserved for the Catholic Church, while the greater problem in the schools was ignored altogether.
As the National Catholic Register's reporter Wayne Laugesen points out, the federal report said 422,000 California public-school students would be victims before graduation a number that dwarfs the state's entire Catholic-school enrollment of 143,000.
Yet, during the first half of 2002, the 61 largest newspapers in California ran nearly 2,000 stories about sexual abuse in Catholic institutions, mostly concerning past allegations. During the same period, those newspapers ran four stories about the federal government's discovery of the much larger and ongoing abuse scandal in public schools....
And before you do that, figure out why the decades of Catholic Church silence on the matter, the coverup, is the greater issue.
If you need help with analyzing what the numbers mean, let me know.


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Bumper stickers.
Printable View
Bumper stickers.
Low rider guys are much like old hot rod guys deep down they just love an old clean Chevy, ford etc....
What about those stupid car eyelashes?
^^^ Glad you clued me in on the car eye lashes. Now if I can just find a pair of bushy ones and an appropriate mustache my Seville can have a new life as a Groucho Marx-mobile! Next the Grey Wolf will be asking for a cigar.
There's a white Siena van around here with lashes..... Special kind of stupid.
Eyelashes are fine on Beetles. Just keep proclaiming you're a chick car...
Not sure if this counts as a "fad", but this is good a place as any to post these.
People that stick too much after market crap on their cars
A few years ago, I saw this ridiculous Geo Metro outside a gas station. Mismatched hubcaps from different makes, badging from random cars, ....and fender skirts. The driver was an older man, maybe in his 60's, apparently a former marine from what he was wearing, and some of the stickers on the cars..
A year or so later, same gas station, same spot, same driver. He's "upgraded". Still a metro, the even sadder convertible. Needless to say, he's stepped it up a few notches...
See how many different "accessories" you can count.
Damn those Geo Metros are neat! The guy must be very proud of his creation. And to think he's got two of them! Bet he also designed some of those "Mac Mansions" that have brought pseudo Victorian kitsch back into vogue.
I saw it on a little Ford Focus with Washington plats, after the owner tried to berate me for my parking.
Google Image Search leads me to believe that the #1 Brand of Moustaches for Cars is called "Carstache".
Are you a Prius-Driving Hipster from San Francisco? A Sebring owner from Washington? Do you have "Ironic" fashion or an Apple logo tattoo? Do you enjoy taking a typewriter to Starbucks, but totally not for attention or anything? Then have we ever got the perfect product for you!
In hindsight, I have a friend with a large steel grille on his Brougham designed to resemble some fangs. However, his Brougham suffers from the same problem mine does in that it is nearly impossible to find a photograph of it without a naked woman, so I won't post it. In fact, I know two other Hearses with mouths.
LED lights.
It's a great technology that has many good uses. That doesn't mean they are the best choice for any type of lighting.
I'm not only talking to the aftermarket. Many new cars are coming out with LEDs in the taillights and other places that are obviously only there because they are trendy, not because they are the best design.
You can also add bad HID conversions to this...
Why do people put those fake plastic Buick fender port holes on their cars? I don't think they know what they are. I am sure they are a cheap Autozone product.


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Bagged another one for the lanyard....
Moderator: JustinNH
mojo wrote:got the results back today....it's a resident sky rat. Banded at the Isle of Shoals last spring.
I've gotten a band each of the past two seasons....hopefully this doesn't count as my band for this upcoming season.
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FinovateSpring Fling 2013: Another Year Of Dazzling Financial Services Delight!
Posted by Tiffani Montez on May 20, 2013
- 325 Recommendations
- 4 comments
I attended FinovateSpring 2013 last week to get a preview of new products from digital technology vendors for financial services. For those of you that have not been to Finovate, it's a little like innovation speed dating — where 72 vendors have 7 minutes to win the hearts of the audience to secure the "Best of Show" Award. At last year's conference, a few new topics emerged: Personal Financial Management (PFM), payments, rewards, coupons, and mobile banking services for Prepaid Visa customers. This year the focus was still on PFM and payments, but one new topic hit the stage full force: authentication, which is this year's new black. Sexy, I know!
While there were plenty of interesting and innovative demonstrations, Forrester attended the conference to identify trends and solutions relevant for our retail digital financial services clients. My "Best of Show" picks included innovative solutions that helped our clients either deliver on a customer need or solve a core customer problem in the retail banking realm. At this year's conference, I noticed that:
- Big data and PFM got married . . . And had a little MoneyDesktop. MoneyDesktop, the best in show winner, debuted their Insight and Target platforms — providing financial institutions the ability to create and send targeted marketing content and product offerings based on customer relevancy.
- Search no longer sucks. IntelliResponse has stepped up to deliver a solution that eliminates the tedious and, often times, ineffective internal search. IntelliReponse's Virtual Agent allows customers to ask a simple question in natural conversational language and provides one answer to the question.
- The love affair with the smartphone camera is in full force. Kofax showed the camera some love by demonstrating how it can be used in capturing content and data from documents to support the account open and onboarding process, primarily by eliminating data entry steps.
- Direct mail clutter is a way of the past. Wallaby delivers real-time credit card recommendations to help customers determine the right collection of credit cards that will earn them the most rewards with the lowest interest rates.
- Live mobile help does exist. NICE Systems' Mobile Reach platform injects much needed live help into the mobile channel converging mobile self-service and live assisted service to engage, connect, and collaborate with customers who need live assistance.
Although MoneyDesktop is the only best in show Finovate winner on my list, I want to take a moment to congratulate all the best in show winners: FamZoo, LendUp, MoneyDesktop, PayNearMe, and TipRanks. There were some spectacular demonstrations this year! Thanks to Finovate for another great show!
Yes, innovator speed dating
Comment from Lisa LaMagna (not verified) on Tue, 05/21/2013 - 11:12
I really enjoyed reading your innovation picks. What a whirlwind, good roundup.
Yes, Kofax's onboarding demo should be viewed by everyone in financial consumer marketing -- they have taken most of the pain out of signing up new customers.
There were so many good companies, it's hard to call out just a few.
TipRanks sell-side intelligence and FlexScore's financial advice "for the rest of us" were two of my favorites. I could go on (BetterATM and GoNowCard), but I'll just see you at Finovate NY ;)
Hi Lisa, Thanks for your
Comment from Tiffani Montez on Tue, 05/21/2013 - 11:44
Hi Lisa,
Thanks for your feedback. Agreed! There were so many good companies! Since my focus was on retail banking, my picks were exclusive to solutions relevant for banks. I do admit though some of my favorites were outside the retail banking space! See you at Finovate NY! Hope to meet you in person!
That was really interesting.
Comment from Alex Mark (not verified) on Wed, 07/17/2013 - 04:36
That was really interesting. I must say you are doing a great job..
Thank you Alex! I am glad you
Comment from Tiffani Montez on Thu, 09/19/2013 - 16:27
Thank you Alex! I am glad you enjoyed it!
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Hello everyone,
I will be visiting the US for a holiday in the spring of 2013. I have a relation in California who insists that as I will be travelling around and sightseeing and hill walking I should arm myself. I live in the UK and as you probably know no handguns are allowed over here. For anyone. Ever. At all!
I own a good old fashioned English side-by-side 12 bore that I use for game shooting, and was on my school .22 rifle team in the 1970's.
I have no intention of shooting anyone, it's just that if people think I should be armed......perhaps I should.
I will be flying into Boston, MA and travelling through Vermont, Maine & Massachusetts for three weeks, mostly in a hire car.
Would it be possible for me to buy a handgun? Do I really need one? How much practice and tuition would I need? What calibre? Could I sell it back to a gun store before I return home.........
Lots of question folks as you can see.
Any help, information and advice gratefully received!
Thanks for reading.
Mycroft the Brit.


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If you are currently running, or looking to run, an e-commerce website, then you will most likely have heard of the PCI DSS standards. If you're running a website already then hopefully you're following them! Working out what you, as a website owner, need to do to meet these requirements is at first glance a little daunting.
Find out everything you need to know about meeting PCI DSS compliance below.
The Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS) is a set of requirements developed by the Payment Card Industry Security Standards Council (PCI SSC) to provide clear guidance on the minimal acceptable standards of security that merchants handling credit card information have to meet. These standards help to ensure that online transactions are safe and secure, and that visitors' card data is protected from hackers.
The PCI warns that failure to comply with the security standards outlined can have serious long term negative consequences, including lawsuits, insurance claims, cancelled accounts, payment card issuer fines, and government fines. This is on top of any damage to your reputation resulting from a security breach and the loss of trust this can cause to customers.
The requirements themselves are quite straight forward, although they can appear to represent a lot of work, particularly for a small business, and are quite daunting to a non-technical person. The current guidelines (at the time of writing) can be found at https://www.pcisecuritystandards.org/documents/PCI_DSS_v3.pdf. The requirements are subject to periodic review and change.
The requirements are broken down into six categories and can be summarised as follows:
Each requirement is explained in much more detail in the full documentation that the PCI offers.
Setting up and configuring a firewall is a responsibility of your hosting provider's network administrator. To meet this requirement, as a website owner, you need to check with your webhost that your server is protected by a firewall. Your host should be able to help you certify this requirement.
This responsibility of adhering to this requirement is split between hosting and the website itself. Your hosting provider should not be using any default passwords for its hardware (routers, firewalls, servers, etc.) or the operating system and database that your website is running on. If you've used an off-the-shelf package for your e-commerce platform, then make sure that you have changed the administration passwords.
Depending on the setup of your shop you may or may not be storing card holder data. Card holder data refers specifically to your customers' card details, i.e. primary account number, cardholder name, service code, and expiration date. You might choose to retain these details so that repeat customers can easily place repeat orders through your site, without needing to re-enter their card details each time.
If you are storing card holder data, it is important to ensure that you do not record the primary account number in plain text. Under no circumstances should you store the card holders PIN, CVV/CVV2 (the three or four digit number on the back of the card) or the full track data (held in the card's magnetic strip).
If you're using hosted payment pages provided by your payment processor, then the responsibility for encrypting the card holder data lies with them. However, if you've decided to self-host the payment pages on your website and then send the card holder data across to the payment gateway, the data needs to be encrypted. All self-hosted pages need to be served over HTTPS using a valid SSL certificate for your domain, and the information sent to the gateway must also be encrypted.
Your web server needs to be protected by anti-virus software. Depending on the hosting agreement you have, this may be something that is taken care of and managed by your hosting provider, or it may be something that you are responsible for.
It is your responsibility to handle any access details for any part of the system sensibly (for example, don't publish your admin password to the server on your blog!). Your hosting company is responsible for keeping its network infrastructure secure but, if you are managing your own server, you will have responsibility to keep the operating system patched and up-to-date.
If a vulnerability is detected in your e-commerce platform, you need to work to get that vulnerability patched within a reasonable timeframe. These vulnerabilities are usually faults that will be picked up in regular security scans.
If there's no reason for your content writer to have access to customer order information, then lock those parts of your system down. Your e-commerce platform needs to be capable of restricting access to sensitive data to only the users who really need that access. Never grant more permissions to a user than they need to have to be able to get their job done.
If you're used to sharing a login between several users who administer your website, that's something you'll have to change. Each user who logs into the administration area of your website needs to be uniquely identifiable.
A record should also be kept of anyone making changes to the source code of the website. So, if FTP is being used to transfer files to the server, each person who has access to FTP needs to have their own FTP account. The same is true of a hosting control panel or remote desktop access. Your hosting company will be able to help you restrict access to the server to individual user accounts.
As the data exists logically rather than physically in real terms, this requirement means physical access to the server that's holding the data. Access to the server is normally controlled by the hosting company. (Often when a web host says that they are PCI compliant, they're referring to meeting this condition of the PCI DSS requirements.)
Your e-commerce platform needs to keep a log of users interacting with card holder data (if you're storing it). Those log files need to be reviewed, and any anomalies in the data need to be investigated within a timely period.
All access to the webserver needs to be logged, and any changes to files on the server should be carefully monitored to be certain that the website has not been compromised.
It is the responsibility of the website owner to perform regular security scans of their website. Depending on the scale of your website, you may need to employ a Qualified Security Assessor to manually review the site, but most website owners can use an Approved Vendor Scanner to automate the testing of their site, for example Security Metrics or McAfee SafeScan.
Maintaining a policy that addresses information security is your responsibility as the website owner. A security policy doesn't have to be draconic, but in the event of a breach you do need to be able to demonstrate that you've done your best to stay secure.
The PCI DSS requirements are complex if you're unfamiliar with IT infrastructure, security, hosting requirements, etc. Inevitably, there are some misinterpretations that have sprung up. A couple of common beliefs we see from clients are around compliant websites, and hosted payment pages:
"If you use PCI a compliant shopping cart everything is taken care of for you."
Many off-the-shelf e-commerce platforms claim to be fully PCI compliant but the truth of the matter is slightly less clear cut. Website software can go so far towards meeting PCI DSS requirements but cannot fully satisfy all of the standards outlined. If a retailer puts their trust in the marketing message of the software providers, it leaves itself in the position where it is unwittingly non-compliant.
"If you use payment processing pages hosted by your PSP then you don't have to worry about making your site compliant."
Another common belief is that if the payment service provider (PSP) is hosting the pages for payment collection, then the responsibility for PCI compliance stops with them and that the website owner does not need to worry about security standards. While the payment processor does have to satisfy a large proportion the of requirements for the PCI, this is in addition to those that still fall on you as the site owner.
Although understanding the requirements can take a little effort, even if it weren't a requirement from the PCI, it is worth website owners implementing the best practices outlined by the PCI DSS. The majority require very little effort to put into place but they give a website owner a little reassurance that their site is safe. In the same way that you would fit an alarm to a bricks and mortar establishment, digital monitoring can help prevent data theft, vandalism and website defacement and a number of other cyber-crimes. Also like a physical shop, no website is ever completely safe from being broken into, but practical defensive measures can help deter cyber crooks from trying.
Want help making sure your website is safe? Contact us to speak to one of the Fresh Egg team today.
Is e-commerce your thing? Find out more by reading one of the other posts in our e-commerce blog series:


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Caribou to switch up their coffee shops
Caribou, the Minneapolis-based coffee company, is closing several dozen underperforming stores nationwide and converting others to Peet's Coffee & Tea shops. Its two Downtown locations at 601 13th Street and 1156 15th Street will remain open. The conversions are expected to occur over the next year or so.


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Order #: RHPA217
4, 5, 6
Reading Level: 4-6
Price: $15.99
Total Page: 73
Author: Brenda Croft
**THIS IS AN INSTANT DOWNLOAD**Our unit will help students develop an understanding of the Inuit people. This will be accomplished through stories, vocabulary, phonics, spelling, comprehension quotes, brainstorming, research, art activities as well as student writing and independent activities. Teachers should make sure to have a display of Inuit books, videos, filmstrips, posters and Inuit artwork set up in the classroom. If at all possible, try to arrange for a guest speaker to come to talk to your children on the Inuit after this unit has been completed. Many interesting facts and questions will arise from the children, which will in turn expand their knowledge. This Canada lesson provides a teacher and student section with a variety of reading passages, activities, crossword, word search, glossary of terms, and answer key to create a well-rounded lesson plan.
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Poplar (GNIS FID: 1315754) is a populated place located within the Commissioner District 5, a minor civil division (MCD) of Anderson County.
The elevation of Poplar is 823 feet. Poplar appears on the Windrock U.S. Geological Survey Map. Anderson County is in the Eastern Time Zone (UTC -5 hours).
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CONSOLIDATED APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2008--Continued -- (Senate - December 18, 2007)
Mr. McCAIN. Mr. President, I rise to oppose the pending amendment by the Senator from Wisconsin, my friend. I strongly support the amendment that will be offered by the Republican leader that would deliver vital funding for our troops in Iraq.
The underlying House-passed bill is not only irresponsive to the facts on the ground in Iraq, it is simply irresponsible. It fails to provide any funding for our troops fighting in Iraq and actually contains an explicit prohibition against the use of funds for Operation Iraqi Freedom. The authors have compiled a bill of some 1,400 pages and an even larger joint explanatory statement chock-full of unnecessary spending, but they include not a dime for our troops in Iraq. They include not a dime for our troops in Iraq.
I would like our friends and colleagues and others to consider that the bill on the floor today contains $1.6 million for animal vaccines in Greenport, NY, but not a penny for our soldiers in Iraq; $477,000 for Barley Health Food Benefits but nothing for the troops in Iraq; $846,000 for the Father's Day Rally Committee of Philadelphia but not a dime for our sons and daughters who are fighting.
We are willing to spend $244,000 for bee research in Weslaco, TX, but not a dollar for our fighting men and women in Baghdad, Kirkuk, and Anbar. It is a sad day--it is a sad day, indeed--when in the middle of a war this country must win, the Congress provides more funds for bee research than for the brave Americans risking their lives on our behalf.
For Congress to fail to provide the funds needed by our soldiers in the field is inexcusable under any circumstances, but it is especially disappointing right now at the very moment when General David Petraeus and his troops are achieving the kind of progress in Iraq that many dismissed as impossible a few months ago, including suspending disbelief in order to believe the surge was working. One has to suspend disbelief to believe it is not.
The bill's proponents seek, I suppose, a precipitous withdrawal of U.S. combat forces from Iraq regardless of conditions on the ground or the views of our commanders in the field. If that sounds familiar, it should. It should sound familiar, my friends. The majority has thus far engaged in no less than 40 legislative attempts to achieve this misguided outcome.
The choice today is simple: Do we build upon the clear successes of our current strategy and give General Petraeus and the troops under his command the support they require to complete their mission or do we ignore the realities and legislate a premature end to our efforts in Iraq, accepting thereby all the terrible consequences that will ensue?
In case my colleagues missed it, a couple nights ago, there was a piece on the evening news of one of the major networks that pointed out that for the first time in a long time there was 24 hours in Baghdad without a single incident of violence. How you can ignore these facts on the ground is something I do not--will not--comprehend.
I had the privilege, along with my colleagues, Senator Lieberman of Connecticut and Senator Graham of South Carolina, of spending Thanksgiving with our troops in Iraq. On that trip, I saw and heard firsthand about the remarkable transformation these brave men and women in uniform have brought about this year. After nearly 4 years of mismanaged war, our military, in cooperation with the Iraqi security forces, has made significant gains under the new American counterinsurgency strategy, the so-called surge. Overall violence in Iraq has fallen to its lowest level since the first year of the invasion. LTG Ray Odierno, the second in command in Iraq, said this week this improvement is due to the increase in American troops and better trained Iraqi forces--due to the increase in American troops and better trained Iraqi forces.
Now, you can believe LTG Ray Odierno or you can believe those on the other side of the aisle who want to bring to a halt the success we have achieved.
Improvised explosive device blasts, the foremost source of U.S. combat deaths, now occur at a rate lower than at any point since September 2004. This week, MG Joseph Fil, the commander for Baghdad, stated that attacks in Baghdad have fallen nearly 80 percent since November 2006, murders in Baghdad Province are down by some 90 percent over the same period, and vehicle- borne bombs have dropped by 70 percent.
So as Ronald Reagan used to say: Facts are stubborn things. Facts are stubborn things. These are the facts--not rhetoric but facts.
Major General Fil added that, today, there is no longer any part of Baghdad under al-Qaida control, though the terrorist group is ``still lurking in the shadows.'' I agree. They are on the run, but they are not defeated. They are on the run, but they are not defeated.
Last week, the violence in Anbar Province was the lowest ever recorded. The British handed control of southern Basra to the Iraqi Government. And in Diyala, one of most dangerous regions in Iraq, al-Qaida militants tried to retake several villages around the town of Khalis, only to see U.S.-backed local volunteers drive the terrorists away. That is the success of a classic counterinsurgency strategy. Tens of thousands of volunteers have joined ``awakening councils'' that aim to combat al-Qaida, and al-Qaida's No. 2, Ayman al-Zawahiri, has begun warning of ``traitors'' among the insurgents in Iraq.
As a result of the hard-won gains our troops have secured, General Petraeus has been able to initiate a drawdown of U.S. forces, a drawdown tied not to an artificial timetable but based on security gains in-country. This drawdown, beginning with the removal without replacement of some 5,000 American troops, has commenced following a dramatic drop in American casualty rates and enhanced security throughout the country.
Al-Qaida's leadership knows which side is winning in Iraq. It may not be known in some parts of America and in this body, but al-Qaida knows. Al-Qaida knows who is winning in Iraq. Our soldiers know they have seized the momentum in this fight. Does the majority party understand we are succeeding under the new strategy? The proponents of this bill cannot continue forever to deny or disparage the reality of progress in Iraq or reject its connection to our new counterinsurgency strategy.
As General Odierno explained, with the new counterinsurgency operations, ``we have been able to eliminate key safe havens, liberate portions of the population and hamper the enemy's ability to conduct coordinated attacks.'' General Odierno went on to add: ``We have experienced a consistent and steady trend of increased security. ......and I believe continued aggressive operations by both Iraqi and coalition forces are the most effective way to extend our gains and continue to protect the citizens of Iraq.''
Given these realities, some proponents of precipitous withdrawal from Iraq have shifted their focus. While conceding, finally, that there have been dramatic security gains, they have begun seizing on the lackluster performance of the Iraqi Government to insist that we should abandon the successful strategy and withdraw U.S. forces. This would be a terrible mistake. Of course, there is no question that Iraq's national leaders must do more to promote reconciliation and improve governance and that the reduction in violence has created a window for political and economic progress that Iraqi leaders must seize, but let's not close that window. The likelihood that they make this progress would be vastly decreased--not increased--by a precipitous U.S. withdrawal. Whatever the failings of the imperfect democracy in Baghdad, they do not justify--either in terms of national interests or simple morality--abandoning it to the al-Qaida terrorists and Iranian-backed militias trying to destroy it.
None of this is to argue that Iraq has become completely safe or that violence has come down to an acceptable level or that victory lies just around the corner. On the contrary, the road ahead remains as it always has been: long and hard. Violence is still at an unacceptable level in some parts of the country. Unemployment remains high in many areas. The Maliki government remains unwilling to function as it must. No one can guarantee success or be certain about its progress or its prospects. We can, however, be certain about the prospects for defeat if we fail to fund our troops.
Make no mistake; despite the progress I have outlined, there is no cause for complacency. Just as we have managed to turn failure into success in 2007, we can likewise turn success back into failure in 2008, if we are not careful. As Major General Fil recently put it, progress toward securing the city remains fragile and there is ``absolutely a risk of going too quickly'' in drawing down troops. ``An immediate pullout too quickly would be a real serious threat to the stability here in Baghdad,'' he said. Al-Qaida is off balance, but they will come back swinging at us if we give them the chance.
Imagine for a moment if 1 of those 40 attempts to force a withdrawal from Iraq had been successful earlier this year. Rather than hearing from our commanders and troops in the field about the enormous progress, the decline in violence, the Iraqis seeking to return home, the decrease in al-Qaida influence, we would hear instead a very different story--a darker one--with terrible implications for the people of Iraq, the wider Middle East, and the security of the United States of America.
Some of my colleagues would like to believe that should the bill we are currently considering become law, without funding our troops in Iraq, it would mark the end of this long effort. They are wrong. Should the Congress force a precipitous withdrawal from Iraq, it would mark a new beginning, the start of a new, more dangerous effort to contain the forces unleashed by our disengagement. If we leave, we will be back. If we leave, we will be back in Iraq and elsewhere in many more desperate fights to protect our security and at an even greater cost in American lives and treasure. Now is not the time for us to lose our resolve.
That is why the Senate must adopt the McConnell amendment. The funding contained in this amendment is not as some have characterized it: ``The President's money.'' It is money for the troops. It is money for the brave Americans who are in harm's way as we speak. This funding is to provide them with the equipment and proper training they require to fulfill their mission; funding to protect our men and women from roadside bombs and other attacks; funding to enable them to bring this war to a successful and honorable end. If the funding is not included, the President will very rightly veto this omnibus measure.
I say to my friends on the other side of the aisle that I understand the frustration many feel after nearly 4 years of mismanaged war. I share their frustration and sorrow. But we must remember to whom we owe our allegiance--not to short-term political gain but to the security of America, to those brave men and women who risk all to ensure it, and to the ideals upon which our Nation was founded. That responsibility is our dearest privilege, and to be judged by history to have discharged it honorably will in the end matter so much more to all of us than any fleeting glory of popular acclaim, electoral advantage, or office. Let us not sacrifice the remarkable gains our service men and women have made by engaging in a game of political brinkmanship. There is far, far too much at stake.
I urge my colleagues to support the McConnell amendment and to reject this amendment. I urge my colleagues to fund our troops and to support them so that when they do return to us, they return with the honor and success their valiant efforts have earned. They and the American people whom they are entrusted to protect deserve nothing less.
Mr. President, I yield the floor.
Mr. McCAIN. Mr. President, fiscal year 2008 began 79 days ago. And yet here we are at the end of the calendar year--with Christmas one week away--and everyone scrambling to finally get our work done and get out of town. This process, and the monstrosity it has produced, is the height of irresponsibility. We owe the taxpayer more than this.
In the past, I have stood here on the Senate floor to speak about how our economic situation and our vital national security concerns require us to take greater effort in prioritizing our Federal spending and that we could no longer afford, literally, ``business as usual.'' Actually, Mr. President, what we have before us is even worse than business as usual because the bill we received from the House provides not a single penny to fund our ongoing mission in Iraq. We are at war and our men and women serving in Iraq today continue to face a fierce and determined enemy--and this bill does not fund their mission. The omission of Iraq funding is no more than a political stunt--and we all know it. What kind of message does this send to those brave men and women in the field?
Unfortunately, little has changed over the years. Here we are again, nearly 3 full months into fiscal year 2008, and we have before us another appropriations monster. Let me remind my colleagues that, because of our inability to get much done around here under the regular order, we have been forced to consider huge omnibus appropriations bills and one long-term continuing resolution in 5 of the last 6 fiscal years.
The bill before us today is more than 1,400 pages long and is accompanied by a joint explanatory statement that was so big they couldn't even number the pages. This bill consolidates 11 of the 12 annual appropriations bills with a price tag of nearly $475 billion. Amazingly, this bill contains 9,170 earmarks. Add those to the 2,161 earmarks that were contained in the Defense appropriations bill and the grand total for fiscal year 2008 earmarks stands at 11,331 unnecessary, wasteful, run-of-the-mill pork barrel projects. And that is just for the House and Senate-passed bill. I can only imagine what this will look like when it comes out of conference.
A New York Times/CBS News poll that was released today shows that the approval rating of Congress stands at 21 percent. Can we blame the American people for holding us in such low esteem? Let's look at how we are spending their hard earned tax dollars.
Here is just a sampling of some of the earmarks contained in this bill: $150,000 for the STEEED, Soaring Toward Educational Enrichment via Equine Discovery, Youth Program in Washington, DC. Basically this is an earmark of $150,000 so that disadvantaged kids can ride horses; $50,000 for the construction of a National Mule and Packers Museum in Bishop, CA; $100,000 for Cooters Pond Park in Prattville, AL; $625,000 for the Historic Congressional Cemetery right here on Capitol Hill; $1.95 million for the City College of NY for the Charles B. Rangel Center for Public Service; $975,000 for the Clinton School of Public Service at the University of Arkansas, Little Rock, AR; $1.628 million for animal vaccines in Greenport, NY; $477,000 for Barley Health Food Benefits in Beltsville, MD; $244,000 for Bee Research in Weslaco, TX; $10 million to Nevada for the design and construction of the Derby Dam fish screen to allow passage of fish; $1.6 million for sensitivity training for law enforcement in Los Angeles; $1.786 million to develop an exhibit for the Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary in Michigan; $846,000 to the Father's Day Rally Committee in Philadelphia, PA; $125,000 for International Mother's Day Shrine in Grafton, WV; $470,000 for an Oyster Hatchery Economic Pilot Program, Morgan State University, MD; $446,500 for Horseshoe Crab Research, Virginia Tech, VA; $125,000 for the Polish American Cultural Center in Philadelphia, PA; $400,000 for the National Iron Worker's Training Program; $350,000 for leafy spurge control in North Dakota; $1.725 million for the Hudson Valley Welcome Center in Hyde Park, NY.
This omnibus was made available just yesterday, yet approved by the House last night. Imagine that--a 1,445 page bill, with a joint explanatory statement that is nine inches tall and costs $475 billion was made available and voted on by both chambers in less than 48 hours. Simply remarkable. It is impossible for us to know exactly what is in this thing, and we are expected to simply take the appropriators word that it is all okay. Well, I have been around here long enough to know that a bill of this size, put together behind closed doors and rammed through at the last minute, cannot be all good. And I know it will be a long time before all of the hidden provisions in this legislation are exposed.
I fully recognize that it isn't necessarily the fault of the appropriators that we are forced into this new pattern of adopting omnibus appropriations measures. Overly partisan politics has largely prevented us from following the regular legislative order, and that fact must change. But while it may not be the appropriators fault that we are forced to consider omnibus appropriations measures, it is their decision to continue to load them up with unauthorized earmarks and at a rate that seems only increases year after year.
When we ram through a gigantic bill, spending hundreds of billions of taxpayer's dollars with little or no debate because we want to go home for Christmas, we send the message to the American people that we are not serious enough about our jobs. We essentially accomplish little almost all year long because everything requires 60 votes, and then, at the very last minute, we scramble around and throw together a mammoth bill like the one before us today. We are sending the signal that it is more important for us to be able to issue press releases, and I am sure hundreds of them will be going out today, about how much pork we have been able to get for our States and districts, than we are about good government and fiscal responsibility. How can we, in good conscience, defend this behavior to the American people?
Among the most egregious aspects of this bill are the so-called ``economic development initiatives'' funded under the Department of Housing and Urban Development. This account is nothing more than a slush fund for the appropriators--plain and simple. Contained within this section of the joint explanatory statement are 741 locality-specific earmarks costing nearly $180 million. These pork barrel projects are spread out over 42 pages and fund everything from construction of coastal trails, nature education centers, public parks and renovations for museums and theaters.
On defense matters, the omnibus appropriations bill proposes funding $1.18 billion in military construction projects that were not requested by the President. Of that amount, $584 million was vetted by both the Senate Armed Services and Appropriations Committees to ensure that the services' critical unfunded priorities requirements were met. On the Senate floor, those projects were further reviewed, and approved in the Senate versions of the authorization and appropriations bills.
However, this bloated omnibus appropriations bill also includes another $580 million--for 108 military ``airdropped'' construction projects, that is, funding for projects that were not included in any previous appropriations bill passed by the House or Senate. The House appropriators have once again waited until the last minute to present these new spending items to skirt responsibility for their pork spending. Mr. President, in the ethics reform law we passed with much fanfare earlier this year, we amended Senate rule 44 specifically to discourage such ``airdropping'' of projects in the dead of night. In an unprecedented and unfortunate act, the majority accepted $328 million of airdropped military construction authorizations into the recently passed national defense authorization bill. It was in part for this reason that I reluctantly decided not to sign the defense authorization conference report. I could not then, and cannot now, support the parachuting of new spending items into final reports that have not been transparently vetted on the floor of Congress. I am very disappointed that we in the Senate continue to condone this irresponsible practice in light of our efforts to prevent it with ethics reform.
The omnibus appropriations bill also earmarks over $41 million for the planning and design of pork military construction projects requested by Members of Congress. Congress normally authorizes funding annually for each military service to plan and design their critical future military construction priorities. This bill disregards the military's priorities and earmarks funds towards specific projects--without the Department being given the opportunity to determine whether or not those projects reflect actual military requirements.
Even more egregious is that we are proposing to pay for this airdropped pork by cutting over $900 million from the amount of $8.1 billion requested by the President to carry out the critical military construction activities related to the 2005 defense base closure and realignment round. The Department of Defense and the local communities affected by BRAC need enough funding to meet the statutory deadline of September 2011. To underfund BRAC in order to pay for earmarks is a sad reflection on the priorities of this Congress, which has again unabashedly put parochial interests above the needs of the Defense Department, our local communities and the American taxpayer.
We simply must start making some very tough decisions around here if we are serious about improving our fiscal future. We need to be thinking about the future of America and the future generations who are going to be paying the tab for our continued spending. It is simply not fiscally responsible for us to continue to load up appropriations bills with wasteful and unnecessary spending, and good deals for special interests and their lobbyists. We have had ample opportunities to tighten our belts in this town in recent years, and we have taken a pass each and every time. We can't put off the inevitable any longer.
In a report on our long-term budget outlook issued this month, the Congressional Budget Office states this: ``Significant uncertainty surrounds long-term fiscal projections, but under any plausible scenario, the federal budget is on an unsustainable path--that is, federal debt will grow much faster than the economy over the long run. In the absence of significant changes in policy, rising costs for health care and the aging of the U.S. population will cause federal spending to grow rapidly.''
The report goes on to say that: ``If outlays increased as projected and revenues did not grow at a corresponding rate, deficits would climb and federal debt would grow significantly. Substantial budget deficits would reduce national saving, which would lead to an increase in borrowing from abroad and lower levels of domestic investment that in turn would constrain income growth in the United States. In the extreme, deficits could seriously harm the economy. Such economic damage could be averted by putting the nation on a sustainable fiscal course, which would require some combination of less spending and more revenues than the amounts now projected. Making such changes sooner rather than later would lessen the risk that an unsustainable fiscal path poses to the economy.'' Again--this is not my dire prediction, it comes from our own CBO.
To underscore the urgency of the problem, in a speech at The National Press Club just yesterday, David Walker, the Comptroller General of the United States announced that--for the eleventh straight year--the Federal Government failed its financial audit. Mr. Walker said that ``the federal government's total liabilities and unfunded commitments for future benefits payments promised under the current Social Security and Medicare programs are now estimated at $53 trillion, in current dollar terms, up from about $20 trillion in 2000. This translates into a defacto mortgage of about $455,000 for every American household and there's no house to back this mortgage. In other words, our government has made a whole lot of promises that, in the long run, it cannot possibly keep without huge tax increases.''
The Comptroller General also highlighted a specific program that serves as an example of the serious problems we face. He said: ``The prescription drug benefit alone represents about $8 trillion of Medicare's $34 trillion gap. Incredibly, this number was not disclosed or discussed until after the Congress had voted on the bill and the President had signed it into law. Generations of Americans will be paying the price--with compound interest--for this new entitlement benefit.'' He went on to note that: ``Unfortunately, once federal programs or agencies are created, the tendency is to fund them in perpetuity. Washington rarely seems to question the wisdom of its existing commitments. Instead, it simply adds new programs and initiatives on top of the old ones. This continual layering is a key reason our government has grown so large, so expensive, so inefficient, and in some cases, so ineffective.''
Mr. Walker ended his speech by saying ``If all of us do our part, and if we start making tough choices sooner rather than later, we can keep America great, ensure that our future is better than the past, and ensure that our great nation is the first republic to stand the test of time. To me, that is a cause worth fighting for.'' I agree wholeheartedly. And I say to my colleagues: Let's start making those tough choices today. We have to face the facts, and one fact is that we can't continue to spend taxpayer's dollars on wasteful, unnecessary pork barrel projects or cater to wealthy corporate special interests any longer. The American people won't stand for it, and they shouldn't. They deserve better treatment from us.
Source: http://thomas.loc.gov


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After continuing his dominance in the postseason, senior netminder Tony Capobianco of the Canisius College hockey team collected Atlantic Hockey Goaltender of the Week honors on Tuesday.
Capobianco led the Griffs to a two-game sweep of Sacred Heart in the Atlantic Hockey First Round, stopping all 58 shots he saw in 3-0 and 5-0 victories. In Friday's win in the opener, Capobianco recorded 27 saves and established new program standards in saves and shutouts before quickly adding to his records on Saturday with 31 stops.
Collecting the weekly honor for the sixth time in his career, Capobianco is now the program's all-time leader with 2,870 career saves and eight career shutouts. He also currently holds the top marks in the school's history with a .922 save percentage and 2.66 goals against average to go along with four single-season records set last season.
Capobianco has also saved his best for the postseason during his Golden Griffin tenure. In eight career Atlantic Hockey Tournament games, Capobianco owns a perfect 8-0-0 record to go along with a 1.50 goals against average and .961 save percentage. The senior, who has posted three of his school-record eight career shutouts during the playoffs, was named to the Atlantic Hockey All-Tournament Team last season after leading the Griffs to their first conference title, recording a tournament-record 235 saves.
In 25 games during his senior campaign, Capobianco owns a 2.73 goals against average, .916 save percentage and three shutouts.
Capobianco and the Griffs look to continue their success in the postseason in a best 2-of-3 series at second-seeded Bentley. The Atlantic Hockey Quarterfinal series is set to begin on Friday at 7:05 p.m.


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a place for zinesters - writers and readers
July 21, 2012 at 10am to July 22, 2012 at 10am – IPRC Calling all ambitious zinesters! You're invited to the 4th Annual 24hr Zine Challenge presented by the Portland Zine Symposium and the Independent Publishing Resource Center... Zines are awesome and… Organized by Alex Wrekk | Type: 24, hour, zine, challenge
June 23, 2012 from 1pm to 6pm – IPRC Join us for a new small press and mini zine fest in the IPRC's expanded space! Celebrate zines and community with the Portland Zine Symposium organizers at this farmer's market-like event. Amazine… Organized by Alex Wrekk | Type: zine, fest
October 8, 2011 all day – Gay Community Center of Richmond The 2011 Richmond Zine Fest is coming!! More info to follow! Save the date: October 8, 2011! Organized by Nicole Introvert | Type: zine, fest
July 16, 2011 at 10am to July 17, 2011 at 10pm – the IPRC Zines are awesome and July is International Zine Month! Get yourself one more zine finished for your PZS table, make some new friends over the dizzying madness of staying up too many hours, and help… Organized by Alex Wrekk | Type: zine, challege!
October 16, 2010 from 11am to 6pm – The Gay Community Center of Richmond Richmond Zine Fest - October 16, 2010 at the Gay Community Center of Richmond! Registration is now available at http://www.richmondzinefest.org We are also looking for people to host workshops at t… Organized by NicoleIntrovert | Type: zine, fest
September 3, 2010 from 5pm to 9pm – Brisbane, Australia Time September 3 · 5:00pm - 9:00pm Location Bleeding Heart 166 Ann Street Brisbane, Australia Created By Bleeding Heart Cafe & Art Gallery, Jeremy Staples, Bianca Rosemarie de Valentino More Info… Organized by Filka | Type: zine, fair, brisbane
August 26, 2010 at 6pm to September 30, 2010 at 7pm – All across the USA Zines on Toast Tour! Follow us on our blog! ZinesOnToast.org An evening of entertainment and information with zinesters from the UK (Rumlad, Last Hours, Hey Monkey Riot and Morgenmuffel) on tour with… Organized by Alex Wrekk | Type: zine, tour
January 18, 2010 from 8pm to 9pm – listen online or through your phone ZINECORE RADIO#18: Alison Piepmeier & Andi Zeisler ZINECORE RADIO returns with guest Alison Piepmeier author of the new book Girl Zines: Making Media, Doing Feminism http://www.amazon.com/Girl-… Organized by Hannah Neurotica | Type: zine, radio!
December 3, 2009 from 7pm to 9pm – Independent Publishing Resource Center A launch party for Brainscan #24 and #25! At the IPRC on December 3 at 7PM in Portland, Oregon. You should come and read too! For more information about the new Brainscan Zine go here! Organized by Alex Wrekk | Type: zine, launch, party
July 30, 2009 at 7pm to August 1, 2009 at 7pm – Chicago, Milwaukee, and Madison At the very end of July 7 queers are going to be reading from their zines in Chicago, Milwaukee, and Madison. *CHICAGO* Thursday, July 30th - 7pm Uncle Fun Gallery 1337 W. Belmont *MILWAUKEE* Frida… Organized by Queer Zinesters | Type: zine, readings


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Breaking: The Trump administration wants to revoke protection for large swaths of Bears Ears. This unprecedented move would establish a dangerous new precedent that could put tens of millions of acres of public land, YOUR land, at risk.
Please support our urgent work with an emergency gift now.
On the eve of the 40th anniversary of the trans-Alaska oil pipeline, The Wilderness Society today released a report that debunks one of the primary arguments allies of the oil industry have put forward to promote drilling in one of America's last pristine, untouched landsc
Today, Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke announced a secretarial order that would potentially disrupt and roll back protections for greater sage grouse populations in the west. The plans were the result of years of hard work by governors and western stakeholders.
An order issued today by the United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit clears the way for BLM-Utah to begin implementing a comprehensive settlement agreement that will result in the completion of 13 new off-highway vehicle travel management plans over the next 8 years across eastern a
As U.S. Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke tours Alaska, a newly released TWS report says the Administration's proposal to drill the Arctic is a mistake.
Nada Culver, senior director of the TWS BLM Action Center issued the following statement today in response to a non-partisan government report on leasing of public lands:
The groups, League of Conservation Voters, Natural Resources Defense Council, Sierra Club, Alaska Wilderness League, Defenders of Wildlife, Northern Alaska Environmental Center, REDOIL (Resisting Environmental Destruction on Indigenous Lands), Center for Biological Diversity, Greenpeace and The
President Trump on Friday signed an executive order directing the Interior Department to lift restrictions that President Barack Obama imposed in the Arctic and Atlantic oceans,
TO: Energy and public lands reporters
FROM: Tim Woody, Alaska Communications Manager, The Wilderness Society, firstname.lastname@example.com, 907-223-2443
Leaders from 16 prominent national conservation and environmental organizations sent a letter to Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke urging him to preserve commonsense energy reforms and ensure th
TO: Reporters
RE: The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge