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The Albanian Ponzi Scheme
President/Editor, StocksandNews.com
Recently I was in Albania and an issue I brought up with a few folks I came across was the pyramid scheme of 1996-97 that roiled the nation. Alas, no one really wanted to discuss it. As you'll see, it's probably because it was a tremendous national embarrassment.
Back in March 2000, Christopher Jarvis produced a study of the crisis for the International Monetary Fund's magazine, "Finance & Development."
The scope of Albania's pyramid scheme was unprecedented; at its height, the nominal liability "amounted to almost half of the country's GDP. Many Albanians – about two-thirds of the population – invested in them. When the schemes collapsed, there was uncontained rioting, the government fell, and the country descended into anarchy and a near civil war in which some 2,000 people were killed."
A big cause of the peoples' naivety when it came to the schemes was the fact Albania had been under a communist dictatorship for 40 years; the 40-year rule of Enver Hoxha, who had cut off virtually all forms of private enterprise and property, as well as cutting the country off from outside influences and information. When the transition to a more market-based system finally began around 1991, the people were ill-prepared. There had been no experience in their past with market institutions and practices.
"Although Albania's transition to a market economy was rapid and quite successful, financial sector reform was very limited. Albania's formal financial system was rudimentary. There were few private banks. The three state banks, which held 90% of deposits [Ed. this is similar to Iceland's situation before their recent collapse], offered positive real interest rates but had growing portfolios of bad loans, prompting the Bank of Albania to impose tight credit ceilings on them. With the banks unable to satisfy private sector demand for credit, an informal credit market based on family ties and financed by remittances grew. The informal lending companies were initially regarded as benign and even as making an important economic contribution. Operating alongside them, however, were deposit-taking companies that invested on their own account instead of making loans. These companies were the ones that turned into pyramid schemes."
What quickly became clear was that no one had responsibility for the markets. The Bank of Albania had been given the power to close illegal deposit-taking institutions with a February 1996 banking act, but it couldn't get the government's support, because the government was supportive of the new financial companies springing up.
"(In) November 1996, even as the pyramid schemes began to crumble, the prime minister and the speaker of the parliament accepted medals in honor of the anniversary of one of the companies….There were allegations that many government officials benefited personally from the companies."
While the following definition of a pyramid scheme is undoubtedly known by you, I'll let Christopher Jarvis explain the process anyway.
"In a typical pyramid scheme, a fund company attracts investors by offering them very high returns; these returns are paid to the first investors out of the funds received from those who invest later. The scheme is insolvent – liabilities exceed assets – from the day it opens for business."
But word spreads about the high returns and more investors are drawn in, helped in no small part sometimes by the ostentatious spending by the operators themselves. 'I want to be like that,' people think. Eventually, though, to attract new investors as the interest and principal due to early investors exceeds that coming in from new, "a scheme may raise interest rates, but the larger interest payments soon force it to raise rates again. Eventually, the high rates begin to arouse suspicion or the scheme finds itself unable to make interest payments. When investors try to get their money out, they discover the truth about the scheme, whose demise is swift – and usually accompanied by acts of outright theft by the operators, if they are not caught first."
Some of the Albanian companies met the pure definition of a pyramid scheme. Others, though, had actual real investments, but were believed to be involved in criminal activity, Albania having quite a reputation in this regard.
Two events set the whole pyramid-scheme mania in motion in late 1996.
"First, at the end of 1995, United Nations sanctions against the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia were suspended, eliminating an important source of income (smuggling) for the companies. In January 1996, the leading companies increased their interest rates from 4-5 percent a month to 6 percent a month, or almost 100 percent annually in real terms. (Annual inflation in Albania was 5 percent in 1995 and 17 percent in 1996). Second, the uncertainty created by approaching parliamentary elections, which were to be held in May, prompted the companies to raise their rates again, this time to 8 percent a month, or a real annual rate of well over 100 percent. During the same period, new schemes entered the market, offering even higher rates. In early 1996, two new pyramid schemes – Shafferi and Populli – were created, and an already existing scheme that had no real investments – Sude – stepped up its activities, offering interest rates of 12-19 percent a month."
Xhafferi and Populli between them attracted 2 million depositors – in a country with a population of 3.5 million!!! All within a few months. The investment funds "felt pressured to compete and began to offer higher interest rates on deposits. In July, Kamberi raised its monthly interest rate to 10 percent. In September, Populli began offering more than 30 percent a month. In November, Xhafferi offered to treble depositors' money in three months; Sude responded with an offer to double principal in two months. By November, the face value of the schemes' liabilities totaled $1.2 billion. Albanians sold their houses to invest in the schemes; farmers sold their livestock. The mood is vividly captured by a resident who said that, in the fall of 1996, Tirana [Ed. the capital where I spent my week] smelled and sounded like a slaughterhouse, as farmers drove their animals to market to invest the proceeds in the pyramid schemes."
Throughout this time, the government sat back and did nothing, despite repeated warnings from the IMF and the World Bank. It took until October before the government began warning the public. Then, when it did offer cautionary notes, it tried to draw a distinction between "real" companies and the pyramid schemes, though by now there was very little difference between the two. Then-President Sali Berisha (currently prime minister) came to the defense of investment companies even when there were reports they were involved in money laundering.
Then in November, the government set up a commission to investigate the schemes but it never met. On November 19, Sude defaulted and the collapse was under way.
"Sude's collapse shook the public confidence in all of the companies and new deposits dried up. (An attempt by four of them) to convince depositors of their soundness by lowering monthly interest rates to 5 percent failed. In January 1997, Sude and Gjallica declared bankruptcy, triggering riots. The other schemes soon also ceased to make payments. The government belatedly took some useful steps. First, it refused to compensate depositors for their losses, which made achieving economic stabilization after the crisis much easier than it would otherwise have been. Second, it began to move against some of the companies. In January 1997, it froze the bank accounts of Xhafferi and Populli, which amounted to $250 million (10 percent of GDP). The Bank of Albania, on its own initiative, began to limit daily withdrawals from bank accounts to prevent other schemes from emptying their accounts. In February, parliament passed a law banning pyramid schemes (but not defining them). However, the government continued to differentiate between companies with real investments and pure pyramid schemes and did not move against the largest companies.
"By March 1997, Albania was in chaos. The government had lost control of the south. Many in the army and police force had deserted, and 1 million weapons had been looted from the armories. Evacuation of foreign nationals and mass emigration of Albanians began. The government was forced to resign. President Berisha agreed to hold new parliamentary elections before the end of June, and an interim coalition government was appointed.
"The interim government inherited a desperate situation. Some 2,000 people had been killed in the violence that followed the pyramid schemes' collapse. Large parts of the country were no longer within the government's control. Government revenues collapsed as customs post and tax offices were burned….prices increased by 28 percent in the first half of 1997. Many industries temporarily ceased production, and trade was interrupted."
But with all these obstacles, the interim government began to make progress, though they met stiff resistance in trying to roll up the pyramid schemes, including from parliamentarians that had themselves invested in the companies. Finally, in July, foreign administrators from international accounting firms were appointed by the newly elected parliament, with the help of the IMF and World Bank.
It took several more months to clear up the situation. The schemes' owners were none too pleased and threaten violence. Finally, the owners were dislodged, though the administrators did not get full control of all the companies until March 1998. Most of the assets were gone.
In the end, the overall economy collapsed about 7 percent in 1997, with most of the decline due to interruptions in production as a result of the civil disorder. Inflation rose to 40 percent as the currency dropped and deficits soared as a result of revenues drying up.
But the long-term effects proved to be negligible, "reflecting not only the resilience of the Albanian economy but also – and, perhaps, most important – the government's adjustment efforts and its refusal to bail out depositors."
Isn't that last bit interesting? The Albanian government also tackled the deficit and undertook long-overdue structural reforms.
"However," as Christopher Jarvis adds, "the social effects were profound. In addition to the loss of life, thousands of people were impoverished either by their unwise investments in the pyramid schemes or by the destruction of their property in the ensuing violence."
Interestingly, as noted above, Sali Berisha is back in charge, this time as prime minister, the real position of power today. Berisha's Democratic Party won an incredibly tight election last June and the opposition Socialists have refused to participate in parliament. Just this past weekend, an estimated 200,000 protested in Tirana, demanding a recount. It's almost been a full year of this.
In my trip to Tirana, I saw firsthand what one of the flashpoints is. A square in the middle of the capital named after their national hero, Skanderbeg. The issue is who gets the contracts to renovate it and whose development plan prevails…the Democrats' or the Socialists'. Truthfully, I'm kind of glad I got out of there when I did.
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Privacy & Security


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JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KMOX/Capitol Bureau) – Restrictions would be imposed on tanning facilities for the first time ever in Missouri under a measure passed by the Senate.
It would require parental consent for any person under the age of 17 to use a tanning bed.
Under the bill, salons that allow teenagers to tan without consent would face a $500 fine. State health officials would be charged with developing a standardized consent form for parents to use.
Sen. Kiki Curls, D-Jackson County, supported the bill.
"I'm glad that it's being brought before us today, and I'm glad that we're going to be able to finally vote on this so our children are healthy," she said.
Sen. David Pearce, R-Warrensburg, opposed the measure.
"We are putting restrictions on small business, and we are creating a penalty provision on that," he said.
The bill allows local police to enforce the law.
Senators voted 22-10 on Wednesday to send the bill back to the House, where a similar version passed earlier. Lawmakers must pass an identical measure by May 16.
(TM and © Copyright 2014 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2014 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
- Depp's 'Assassin' Comments the Latest in Celebrity Anger
- Stenger Understands Ellisville's Concerns About Merger
- Mo. Attorney General May Run for Senate
- Local Nonprofits Oppose Tax Plan for St. Louis Police
- City Struggles With Trash Pick-Up, Garbage Truck Shortage
- Greitens Backs Ramped-Up Missouri Abortion Bill

subset: commoncrawl


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Basement leak
I have noted some water seepage coming through the rear of my basement after storms. I have noted water under flooring of rear basement workshop. Tiny holes in concrete reveal water underneath that I can suck up with a vet vac. Older home no weeping tile, sump in same room. Also somewhat of a foul odor coming from sump pit. I am new at this and wish to do my own work for experience and practicality any ideas please?!:(
if leak from rod hole... this is really minor... just patch it with those concret paste stuff
if leak from crack... you need to call in professional to fix... it is not big deal either... but need to do it ASAP before it getting bigger
Do you have downspouts that dump water near this area?
Try and get all the downspouts as far away from the building as possible.
Does the landscape slope towards the home?
Thanks for the insight, I do have some slope in the direction of the house. Yes some downspouts are in the vicinity of the house as well. I was wondering if water was collecting under floor and if their is a quick way to resolve this issue.:thumbsup:
Is there a sump pump in the basement?
In answer yes I do have a sump pump with drains under floor from laundry and rear of house. House is mid fifties with apparently no weeping tile..:(
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Absorbing Clorox?By
Is Clorox (CLX) up for grabs? Value investor Mark Boyar thinks so. He has been buying shares--as Clorox tumbled from 47 in November to 33 on Jan. 31. The stock is way off its 1999 high of 66. "This great consumer franchise would make a good acquisition for one of the larger consumer-product companies," he argues.
A producer of washday and household-cleaning products such as Clorox bleach and Liquid Plumr, the company has a name that's almost a generic term. Clorox has 70% of the U.S. bleach market.
"But Clorox faces an uphill battle in the next couple of years," says analyst William Ferguson of Value Line. He notes that Clorox warned in December that earnings for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2001, would fall short of analysts' expectations. The stock's crash has depressed Clorox' price-earnings ratio to 17, down from 25 last year. Now analysts see the company earning $1.73 a share in 2001 and $1.88 in 2002.
Although a recent rumor claims that Colgate-Palmolive or Procter & Gamble may be eyeing Clorox, HC Investments, which already owns 27% of Clorox, is said to be preparing to increase its stake--perhaps all the way to 100%, according to one New York money manager. HC is a U.S. unit of Henkel, a Dusseldorf maker of chemicals and household products. In past years, HC has bought Clorox on the open market. But its last known purchase was in December, 1999, when it bought a batch of 1.1 million shares at 49 to 52 apiece. That has fueled speculation that HC may have stopped buying because it is considering a buyout of Clorox. Henkel declined comment.
Boyar isn't ruling out Colgate or P&G as potential purchasers. "In a buyout, Clorox is worth 45 to 50 a share," says Boyar. Colgate and P&G wouldn't comment as a matter of policy.


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In a recent announcement, Labour Shadow Health Secretary Andy Burnham has called on Liberal Democrat MPs to help fight Conservative Health Secretary, Andrew Lansley's bill that could see NHS hospitals earning 49% of their income from the treatment of private patients. Seen as the first steps in a process to increase privatisation of the National Health Service, it is a proposed change that could move the UK closer to the American system of health care.
In an opposition debate, Andy Burnham called upon the bill's potential to produce longer waiting lists for non-private patients and the creation of a two-tiered National Health Service. The plans that make up the bill could also see hospitals being pitted against each other based on financial factors as opposed to patient care delivery, putting the emphasis away from the core reasoning for the development of the NHS when it was first established.
With stories of patients sewing up their own wounds and ignoring ailments and bigger medical issues because of costs in the USA's privatised system of health care, the potential negatives of increasing privatisation in the UK become apparent. The reality is that a patient that has paid their taxes and national insurance for many years could end up getting a second tier service compared to a private patient in NHS hospitals if the plans for privatisation ever really come to bear.
While the Conservatives will counter this with talk of the need to maximise funding for the NHS and Labour's recent history of cuts to NHS budgets, many argue that these are not reasons enough to take on the implications of privatisation in the NHS. These include the possibility of providers focusing too heavily on income, costs increasing, health statistics tracking downwards, increased incidence of fraud, and limitations on care coverage, so the question is whether or not competition will result in improvements or more reasons to fail.
It's also true that with an increasingly aging population and the growth of lifestyle choice illnesses the modern day health care service is facing a very different situation than it has ever previously in its history, but that just means it needs a long term plan, not necessarily that it needs privatisation. That might be easier said than done, but that's got to be the challenge.
With Andrew Lansley scrambling around for peer support in the House of Lords before Christmas and, according to the Labour website, leaked emails from Lib Dem activists revealing huge grassroots concern about the issue, the bill is looking as though it might be on the ropes, but only time will tell on an issue that would fundamentally change the NHS.


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Nevada's Burning Man festival celebrates 25th year
By Zelie Pollon
SANTA FE, New Mexico (Reuters) - Starting on Monday tens of thousands of people will descend on a great expanse of Nevada desert to celebrate the 25th anniversary of Burning Man, a gathering of free spirits, artists, entrepreneurs -- and anyone else who managed to get a ticket.
Several thousand more would-be participants will have to wait until next year, as 2011 marks another historic milestone: the first time the event has ever sold out, said Burning Man communications manager Andie Grace.
According to an agreement with the Bureau of Land Management, the event is permitted an average of only 50,000 people per day, Grace said.
The theme of this year's festival, "Rites of Passage," is an appropriate one as it also previews a change in the structure of the California-based Black Rock City, L.L.C., which runs the event, from a for-profit organization to a not-for-profit that will continue to promote the festival's ideology throughout the year.
"It's a logical extension of what happens here, and of taking our principles into our own communities," said Grace, referring to 10 principles including civic responsibility, communal effort, and being noncommercial and based on giving.
Through the group's not-for-profit outreach, Burning Man will become "a state of being that exists all the time," Grace said.
That state of being has beckoned its devotees, mostly through word of mouth (organizers do no self-promotion or advertising), into the Black Rock Desert in increasing numbers for more than two decades.
They travel like pilgrims from faraway lands ready to confront the possibility of dust storms, extreme temperatures, and drenching rainstorms in order to live for one week in a self-made and participatory community that bases itself on acceptance, self-reliance, self-expression and creativity. Continued...


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Redefining luxury at the heart of Goa, soul vacation is a showcase for relaxation which offers our guests an experience that is distinctively inspiring. The beautiful ambience will just let you immerse in the bliss. Here you will experience warmth and hospitality of traditional Goa, that stays with you for a lifetime.
From traditional Indian favorites to contemporary international cuisine, the sunrise cafe offers you a multi-cuisine menu and excellence in service.
The soul spa offers an exhilarating experience with luxurious facilities which allows you to relax and rejuvenate your body mind and soul.
The sunset bar and restaurant not only offers delectable food but exotic mocktails,malts, fine wines and several non spirited delights as well.
14 Rooms of approx. 350 square ft. All deluxe rooms comes with Double Bed and a separate lounge seatingDetails


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The cuts will be in Roanoke which currently employs about 1000 people, per Jared Adams, director of communications for ITT Exelis' Geospatial Systems division. More details are expected next week.
Due to anticipated U.S. defense government procurement reductions, we have experienced an impact on the size and frequency of night vision contracts, This impact has resulted in a need for the Exelis Roanoke facility to adjust production capacity and employee headcounts.
The geospatial division includes the sensors, software and night vision products areas.
ITT Exelis Geospatial Systems, headquartered in Rochester, N.Y., is a global supplier of innovative night vision, remote sensing and navigation solutions that provide sight and situational awareness at the space, airborne, ground and soldier levels.


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Since I am so clever and orignal, I have been giving all of my friends the same gift for the past month. I blame it on moving.
However, I actually think I might need to get one for myself. Would that be too weird to have the same purse as your best friend and your sister-in-law? Hmm....
Anyway, The Gap has a really cute collection of affordable bags right now in canvas.
Bachelorette Recap: Hang Loose
11 hours ago


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I could'nt come up with existing similar thread so I am opening a new one.
I am VH author for a year and a half now and I see how good is to create here and work with you guys. This is realy a magical place. I started off at Audiojungle and found VH later.
Buyers are transforming to authors
My concern is: I know that there is alot of clients working in tv stations and freelancers who customizes VH items and sells them. But you can see how fast this marketplace is growing in terms of authors. We can see how many new items gets into the spin. And how many ex-buyers is becoming authors and stars working not as a buyer-customizer-seller but as item-maker-uploader.
we have 1568 authors with items and we have 8280 After Effects files. The queues are going faster and faster which means we get more and more items in the same amount of time. Less and less exposure in the front of VH.
What I mean by this thread is that many of buyers who comes here can customize templates and has knowledge of AE, they can learn and then instead of buying they will start making and uploading. they are becoming authors.
I have seen already maybe 40 authors who has 2 or 3 years badge and has uploaded first nice item here. My hope is that they are trying to make some internal money to spend here for other templates so they dont need to deposit.
Useless items
And what do you think about item oversaturation ? We all honestly know that there are like MANY items which are useless. (myself currently thinking about cleaning my own portfolio when I reach 30 SERIOUS items).
Envato once said that there will be some item wiping action and maybe a system where items which are not bought for a certain amount time is deleted. I think this HAS to be implemented. When I try to find some items to buy sometimes I find items which makes me laugh and think to myself how did THIS got approved??
So far, marketplace saturation has always been balanced out by new customers, prices have stayed low and quality has continued to rise.
Who knows to what extent this will continue to be the case? The number of files on Videohive must be growing pretty exponentially. Prices have become lower in real-terms. Authors have to fight for attention and buyers have an inpenetrable mountain of stuff to search through with rather limited search tools.
Maybe this will lead to a tipping point in author / buyer behaviour. Maybe not.
For the time-being, the equilibrium is maintained.
felt_tips said
The number of files on Videohive must be growing pretty exponentially. Prices have become lower in real-terms. Authors have to fight for attention and buyers have an inpenetrable mountain of stuff to search through with rather limited search tools.
this is frightening to read… but yes it is 100 percent truth. Search tools are just… ummm wait.. what search tools? ..
Search is just NOT THERE when I need to find something
I have literally spend days of search for just a couple of good track on Audiojungle, recently I have come to the conclusion that is best to post something on their forum and wait for them to contact you…


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Film shows Germans not immune to return of Nazis
By Erik Kirschbaum
BERLIN (Reuters) - The director of a new film that explores the hypothetical question of whether another dictatorship could ever emerge in Germany has come to the chilling conclusion that it could happen again.
Dennis Gansel, whose film "Die Welle" (The Wave) opens on Thursday, said the horrors of Adolf Hitler's Third Reich haven't made modern-day Germans more immune to the lure of charismatic leaders or persuasive group dynamics than any other nationality.
"It's wrong to say, 'No way -- a Nazi dictatorship could never happen here'," Gansel said in an interview with Reuters ahead of the release of his film, adapted from a U.S. novel by Morton Rhue based on a California high school experiment in 1967.
"I think it would be possible even today for something like that to arise in Germany again," a claim that is unsettling for a country which studies its Nazi past intensively in schools and where the burden of guilt still weighs heavy six decades later.
Gansel's film has already electrified the German media even before its release. "It's already the most-talked about film of the year," wrote Bild newspaper. Bunte magazine said: "It shows how vulnerable people can be in authoritarian situations."
"Die Welle," a 4.6-million euro ($7 million) film, has attracted film buyers abroad. The foreign rights were quickly acquired by distributors in 20 countries after it won critical acclaim at the Sundance Film Festival in January.
The film set in a Berlin suburb is about bored, ill-mannered teenagers jolted out of their apathy by a dynamic teacher.
Just as in the 1967 experiment by California high school teacher Ron Jones, the students accept a new regime of discipline and obedience -- and ostracize any dissenters. Continued...


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Brave? Or Normal?
As you have probably seen in other blog posts, we were in a catechesis session when Ellen got up to ask a question about LGBT people in the church. People clapped and cheered before the bishop even answered her question. Afterwards, so many people approached Ellen to thank her for her courage in speaking up.
Later on, during the mass, one pilgrim from Georgia approached me to say that seeing our group really made his day. Then he thanked me for being brave. As he told me this, it occurred to me that as a straight, cisgender person, I was not really being brave by being here with Equally Blessed.
Why am I not being brave? Because I am simply doing what so many allies I know would do if they felt empowered to do so—standing publicly with my whole Catholic family. Imagine if we all did this in our churches, schools, and families whenever possible. Think about it, allies—I am here representing you. It's not brave, and it's not hard, to leverage our privilege to support and affirm. It's what we should be doing whenever we can, however we can.
Later, out on the street, I spoke with a woman who expressed her disagreement with marriage equality. After a respectful discussion that did not result in either one of us changing our minds, I gave her my bracelet from the Rainbow Bracelet Project and explained that it was a gift to commemorate our conversation. "I don't know if I can wear this," she told me, "Where I come from, wearing this means you're gay." There was true power in telling her, "I've been wearing it all week, and I'm straight." Sometimes, the response is just that simple.
(photos: 1) waiting for the train; 2) Corcovado)
Thank you!
Jennifer, thank you for participating in WYD activities this past week. I loved your story! Safe journeys!
love this. so what did the
love this. so what did the bishop say?
The video is up!
Take a look at "Video Entries." It has a video of Ellen's question and the bishop's response. You can hear the cheering!
Awesome. The heavens are
Awesome. The heavens are smiling down on you and the others. I'm so proud of you. Traveling mercies.
Thanks so much for what your
Thanks so much for what your doing! I'm so encouraged. How can I follow this blog? Is there a way to have it sent to my email?
representing the allies
Thanks for representing all the allies. We are legion and it is good you are there for us.
Woah! I'm really digging the template/theme of this blog. It's simple, yet effective. A lot of times it's difficult to get that "perfect balance" between user friendliness and visual appearance. I must say that you've done a excellent job with this. Also, the blog loads super quick for me on Firefox. Excellent Blog!
Thank you!
Thank you, everyone, for your supportive comments! They mean a lot to us!
[email protected]
A very sensible read that you have posted on your blog. Our LGBT brothers also have rights like any other human beings. Understanding them for what they are and appreciate for what they are takes a lot of courage and self respect. I believe there is a high need for them to be accepted to the society and each and every one of us.


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MISA Namibia condemns assault on journalist by SWAPO leader
27 AUGUST 2014, WINDHOEK NAMIBIA – The Namibia Chapter of the Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA Namibia) condemns, in the strongest terms, the physical and verbal assault by ruling party SWAPO councilor Ambrosius Kandjii on a Senior Producer for Radio at the Namibian Broadcasting Corporation (NBC) on 13 August 2014.
We further call upon President of the SWAPO Party and President of the Republic of Namibia, His Excellency Hifikepunye Pohamba, to hold Kandjii accountable, and publicly condemn his deplorable actions. The assaulted journalist refrained from laying a criminal charge against Kandjii because she fears for her life. "He may not be happy to go to court and get thugs to hurt me," she told MISA Namibia. It is important to note that her fear is well-founded because Kandjii has a history of violence. She further noted that she prefers to remain anonymous to protect her children from victimization. She received medical attention for an injury she sustained when he threw a chair at her.
The assault took place in the NBC"s radio studio, after he entered the studio, without her authorization or knowledge, while she was live on air just before 8am. He questioned her about coverage for a public meeting to be addressed by Prime Minister Hage Geingob on the controversial Third Constitutional Amendment Bill later that day. She informed him that she had no knowledge of the meeting as she has not received any notification in that regard. He called her a liar and accused her of promoting official opposition party Rally for Democracy and Progress (RDP). He also told her that it was a "SWAPO"s studio", and not the public"s. An argument ensued and she had to call security to have him removed from the studio.
She now lives in fear for her life when at work because she does not know how Kandjii gained access to the studio. "Only two access cards can open that studio, mine and my colleague"s. So, I"m worried about my safety at my workplace too because someone gave him an access card to get in, and I don"t know who."
MISA Namibia calls upon NBC Director General Albertus Aochamub to investigate how Kandjii gained access to the studio, and to hold the person responsible accountable. We also call upon you to ban Kandjii from entering the premises of the NBC in future since, by allowing him back in, you would be sending the message that assaulting journalists is acceptable. You would also be telling the country that the life and safety of a journalist is less important than the opinion of a politician. We also call upon you to publicly condemn the attack.
The attack was the culmination of a month-long unprecedented attack on Namibia"s democracy and media by political leaders, most notably Prime Minister Geingob. The attack on democracy came in the form of the Third Constitutional Amendment Bill, which, in essence, undermines the principle of the separation of powers, as explicitly and inherently called for in the Constitution of the Republic of Namibia. MISA Namibia, as a member of the "My Constitution My Decision Coalition", has called for the withdrawal of the bill and for extensive public consultations on the proposed amendments in 2015. The bill is not a democratically drafted document, but rather the product of processes that were shrouded in secrecy, right up to the tabling of the Bill in the National Assembly on 31 July 2014.
The lack of access to information that preceded the tabling of the bill go against the grain of democratic practice, because the proposed amendments have not been put to the public for their input, thus denying citizens their democratic right to express themselves on potentially far-reaching changes to the foundational framework of the Namibian State. A dangerous precedent is being set.
The launch of the My Constitution My Decision Campaign, by a coalition of civil society organisations, including MISA Namibia, almost immediately resulted in virulent attacks by members of the executive, most notably, by the main proponent of the Bill, Prime Minister Hage Geingob on various platforms. On his Facebook page he challenged civil society, asking from where it derives its mandate, labeling civil society "failed politicians". He accused newspapers of transforming from "watchdogs to lapdogs", concluding that the "masses are not fools and will never be whitemailed."
MISA Namibia is gravely concerned by the reaction of the Prime Minister to citizens democratically voicing their concerns and calling for consultation on the proposed amendments. It can only be construed as an attempt to intimidate the public, the media, and civil society into silence and acceptance. August 2014 undoubtedly is the darkest month of Namibia"s 24-year democracy and lauded media freedom. Citizens should however remain steadfast in freely expressing themselves on the bill and demand that their right to access to information and democratic participation is upheld.
Civil society should continue fulfilling its mandate and ensure that Namibia"s democracy is strengthened by a critically thinking and politically active citizenry.
The media should not be cowed into silence and assent. Namibia is standing at a significant crossroad; the nation now needs a vigilant informer, educator, watchdog and agenda setter, more than ever.
Information for editors
MISA Namibia is a member of a southern-Africa based regional network of media freedom and free expression organisations. MISA is a non-governmental organisation with members in 11 of the Southern Africa Development Community (SADC) countries. Officially launched in September 1992, MISA focuses primarily on the need to promote free, independent and pluralistic media, as envisaged in the 1991 Windhoek Declaration. MISA seeks ways in which to promote the free flow of information and co-operation between media workers, as a principal means of nurturing democracy and human rights in Africa.
Natasha Tibinyane, National Director MISA Namibia
Private Bag 13386, Windhoek, Namibia
Tel: + 264 61 232975
Fax: +264 61 248016
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text:
Definition of dismount
transitive verb
1 : to throw down or remove from a mount or an elevated position; especially : unhorse
2 : disassemble
intransitive verb
1 obsolete : descend
2 : to alight from an elevated position (as on a horse); also : to get out of an enclosed craft or vehicle
Examples of dismount in a Sentence
The cyclist dismounted and walked her bike across the street.
The gymnast dismounted from the parallel bars.
Origin and Etymology of dismount
probably modification of Middle French desmonter, from des- dis- + monter to mount
First Known Use: 1566See Words from the same year
Definition of dismount
: the act of dismounting
First Known Use of dismount
DISMOUNT Defined for English Language Learners
Definition of dismount for English Language Learners
: to get down from something (such as a horse or bicycle)
DISMOUNT Defined for Kids
Definition of dismount for Students
: to get down from something (as a horse or bicycle)
Learn More about dismount
See words that rhyme with dismount Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for dismount Spanish Central: Translation of dismount Nglish: Translation of dismount for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of dismount for Arabic speakers
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What made you want to look up dismount? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).


text:
If I'd stayed calm just a little longer, I would have realized how much pressure Betty was under. Her bonus, and quite possibly her career with the company, rested on her doing well with this project. It was a high profile, quick turnaround project and had been handed to her because of her previous track record for releasing well-received products within tight timeframes. Betty had a reputation to protect and difficult expectations to meet.
Unfortunately for Betty, she was building on a none-too-stable base. Her code worked on top of an existing system, a system rife with stability problems. Her code manifested the intermittent blue screen, but the underlying fault had been there all along. Sick of still having a six-week project on her plate after twelve weeks, she was anxious to declare victory. From her perspective, the project had been done some time ago. She figured it was someone else's responsibility to fix the other code on which her product depended.
Of course from my perspective her attitude was indeed hostile to the end users. I'm sure I called her an "idiot programmer" and worse during that project. But she didn't deserve it. She was simply reacting to a difficult situation. Ultimately, she agreed that we shouldn't ship until we could resolve the blue screen issue. She realized that no matter who was at fault, she was responsible for fixing the intermittent crash.
The next time you're tempted to think of your programmers as idiots, incompetents, or quality hostile, remember that no matter what else they may be, they're people first. It is far more likely that they are having a very human reaction to a particularly bad situation than that they are incapable. Perhaps, like Betty, they're feeling trapped in a no-win situation. Before you condemn them, ask what's going on from their point of view.
Similarly, the next time you're tempted to hang a programmer up by his toenails, remember the last time you made a mistake. I've made some real whopper mistakes in my time. We all have, whether or not we choose to admit them or even remember them. It may be that some programmers don't care about users, but it's more likely that bugs are honest mistakes made under difficult circumstances.
I don't expect you to put a bumper sticker proclaiming "Have You Hugged a Programmer Today?" outside your work area. But the next time you're tempted to vent your anger at a programmer, see if you can imagine the factors contributing to his or her behavior. After all, we're all human, with all the brilliance and fallibility that implies.


text:
Submit News
Stanford Univ. Overcomes Big Hurdles, Makes Efficient Nanotube Circuits
Jason Mick
June 15, 2012 8:47 PM
Recipient E-mail
Sender E-mail
Twisted and misaligned nanotubes long proved the bane of those looking to design CNT circuits, but Stanford researchers have surmounted these obstacles.
(Source: Subhasish Mitra, Stanford University School of Engineering)
Researchers demonstrate CNT circuits built on common manufacturing processes
Carbon nanotubes
(CNTs) an unusual tubular allotrope (molecular form) of pure carbon, composed of hexagonal units of SP2 bonded carbon atoms, were first observed in 1991 when studying scorched carbon soot from researchers trying to use high current discharge to form fullerenes. Since then, interest in the tiny carbon "straws" has exploded and the allotrope has become an almost wince-worthy buzzword in the U.S. university research community, suggested for use in everything from
body armor
curing cancer
I. Overcoming Crippling CNT Flaws
But you get a feeling that the
Stanford University
's nanofabrication lab efforts are the kind of novel research that are not merely looking to ride the buzz, but truly might be on to something great. Led by Professors
Subhasish Mitra
H.-S. Philip Wong
, the lab has spearheaded the challenge of producing electronic circuits out of nanotubes.
The lab recent celebrated two key publications -- an invited paper at the
International Electron Devices Meeting
(IEDM) as well as a
"keynote paper"
in the
IEEE Transactions on Computer-Aided Design of Integrated Circuits and Systems
The honors came thanks to the lab's ability to demonstrate "wafer-scale" digital logic structures built from carbon nanotubes, including "arithmetic circuits and sequential storage, as well as the first monolithic three-dimensional integrated circuits with extreme levels of integration."
Stanford researchers have demonstrated the most robust and efficient CNT circuits to date via developing processes to eliminate or ignore defects. [Image Source: Stanford Engineering]
Carbon nanotubes have many desirable traits that could make for better computer chips someday. They are super-strong and highly efficient when acting as conductors. Yet they can be made to act as semiconductors, allowing them to be used in advanced transistor designs.
However, making such carbon nanotube circuits is a tall task. That's why the new Stanford breakthroughs are so impressive claims
Carnegie Mellon University
research professor
Larry Pileggi
, who comments, "The first CNTs wowed the research community with their exceptional electrical, thermal and mechanical properties over a decade ago, but this recent work at Stanford has provided the first glimpse of their viability to complement silicon CMOS transistors."
Using specialized production tricks the Stanford team developed ways to "ignore" two common kinds of flaws in nanotube designs -- misaligned and mis-positioned CNTs. They also developed processes to screen out yet another kind of undesirable CNTs that sabotaged past designs' efficiency -- metallic CNTs (only the semiconducting CNTs are desired for circuit elements).
II. Nearly Ready for Action in VLSI Circuits
Despite all the complexity in terms of eliminating or negating the effects of "bad" kinds of CNTs, the researchers were still able to adhere to standard semiconductor fabrication techniques, making the process applicable to very large scale integration (VLSI) -- the fundamental process used to design monolithic modern computer circuits such as central processing units (CPUs) and graphics processing units (GPUs).
Betsy Weitzman of the
Focus Center Research Program
at the
Semiconductor Research Corporation
, a North Carolina semiconductor development nonprofit, comments, "This transformative research is made all the more promising by the fact that it can co-exist with today's mainstream silicon technologies, and leverage today's manufacturing and system design infrastructure, providing the critical feature of economic viability."
The Stanford CNT research team poses in their "bunny suits". [Image Source: Subhasish Mitra]
Sachin S. Sapatnekar, Editor-in-Chief, IEEE Transactions on CAD praises the Stanford team's hard work and persistence in overcoming performance hurdles. He remarks, "Many researchers assumed that the way to live with imperfections in CNT manufacturing was through expensive fault-tolerance techniques. Through clever insights, Mitra and Wong have shown otherwise. Their inexpensive and practical methods can significantly improve CNT circuit robustness, and go a long way toward making CNT circuits viable."
CNTs are currently competing with alternative materials
like graphene
for a place in low-power super-fast circuits of the future. In future desktops and servers, such circuits will likely be complemented by other novel designs such as
quantum computers
(particularly useful in solving certain kinds of problems), memristor storage, or even
Stanford University
IEEE Transactions on CAD
"So, I think the same thing of the music industry. They can't say that they're losing money, you know what I'm saying. They just probably don't have the same surplus that they had." -- Wu-Tang Clan founder RZA
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text:
Holiday Inn Hotel & Suites Tulsa South
Select your stay dates to check availability at Holiday Inn Hotel & Suites Tulsa South
Holiday Inn Hotel & Suites Tulsa South
About the Hotel
Property Location
With a stay at Holiday Inn Hotel & Suites Tulsa South in Tulsa (South Tulsa), you'll be minutes from The Cancer Treatment Center of America and close to Hillcrest Hospital South. This hotel is within close proximity of Union Multipurpose Activity Center and International Missions Memorial Museum and Gardens.
Make yourself at home in one of the 123 air-conditioned rooms featuring kitchenettes with refrigerators and microwaves. Wired and wireless Internet access is complimentary, while 42-inch LCD televisions with cable programming provide entertainment. Conveniences include desks and complimentary newspapers, as well as phones with free local calls.
Don't miss out on recreational opportunities including an indoor pool and a 24-hour fitness center. Additional amenities at this hotel include complimentary wireless Internet access and concierge services.
Satisfy your appetite at the hotel's restaurant, which serves breakfast and dinner, or stay in and take advantage of room service (during limited hours). Quench your thirst with your favorite drink at a bar/lounge.
Business, Other Amenities
Featured amenities include complimentary wired Internet access, a 24-hour business center, and complimentary newspapers in the lobby. Planning an event in Tulsa? This hotel has facilities measuring 1260 square feet (113 square meters), including a meeting room. Free self parking is available onsite.
Hotel Facilities
- Smoke-free property
- Luggage storage
- Safe-deposit box at front desk
- 24-hour business center
- Computer station
- Grocery/convenience store
- 24-hour front desk
- Total number of rooms - 123
- 24-hour fitness facilities
- Dry cleaning/laundry service
- One meeting room
- Laundry facilities
- Conference space size (meters) - 113
- Elevator/lift
- Roll-in shower
- Conference space size (feet) - 1260
- In-room accessibility
- Free WiFi
- Bar/lounge
- Free wired high-speed Internet
- Breakfast available (surcharge)
- Concierge services
- Number of buildings/towers - 1
- Multilingual staff
- Number of floors - 6
- Restaurant
- Accessible bathroom
- Indoor pool
- Free self parking
- Free newspapers in lobby
Room Facilities
- Bathtub only
- Refrigerator
- Free WiFi
- In-room climate control (air conditioning)
- Cable TV service
- Hair dryer
- Free wired high-speed Internet
- Coffee/tea maker
- Free local calls
- Microwave
- Room service (limited hours)
- Kitchenette
- Connecting/adjoining rooms available
- Private bathroom
- Phone
- Iron/ironing board
- Premium TV channels
- Daily housekeeping
- Desk
- Rollaway/extra beds (free)
- Pillow menu
- Free cribs/infant beds
- Free newspaper
Hotel Policy
Know Before You Go
- The property has connecting/adjoining rooms, which are subject to availability and can be requested by contacting the property using the number on the booking confirmation.
The following fees and deposits are charged by the property at time of service, check-in, or check-out.
- Breakfast fee: between USD 9.95 and USD 12.95 per person (approximately)
- Pet deposit: USD 35 per stay
- Pet fee: USD 35 per pet, per night
The above list may not be comprehensive. Fees and deposits may not include tax and are subject to change.Show all hotel policy Show less hotel policy


text:
This Splatter Screen has an innovated design that not only protects your stove and counter tops from messy splatters but also helps eliminate unwanted cooking odor. Plus it also allows steam to escape during cooking let fried foods like chicken stay nice and crisp.
All you have to do is place this splatter screen on top of the pan you are cooking and thats it. There is no step 2. Mesh design of the screen keeps splatter oil fat and grease contained. While also venting steam and absorbing odors.
The secret to controlling odors is the carbon filter sandwiched between two mesh screens. It will attract odors like a magnet. Absorbing them and trapping them inside. Its great for close quarter living and condos and even when having friends and family over!
This Splatter Screen keeps the flavor on the food and the odor out of the air and the mess out of yourself.


text:
Now it's time to turn the lights on and - ta da - amazingly Xscreen's claims prove to be true, as our Munich HD broadcast still looks eminently watchable.
Seriously, the amount of light the Monaco 80's screen just seems to soak up and hide away has to be seen to be believed. And the brightness of the picture still comfortably overwhelms the brightness in the room.
Naturally there's a limit to how far you can take this; while pretty much any daytime shots or decently lit interiors are constantly easy on the eye even when viewed in ambient light, some of Munich's darker scenes do start to look rather faded and flat. But of course, the chances are that the stuff you'll predominantly want to watch in ambient light will actually be daytime TV, most of which is ludicrously bright and so will hold up just fine on the Monaco 80's remarkable surface.
There are a couple of areas where you have to accept small compromises in return for the Monaco 80's daylight talents, mind you. As I hinted earlier, the screen's black level response isn't as profound as that of a high quality fabric screen. Plus although I enjoyed it, I can imagine that some people might not warm to the picture's almost luminous quality, preferring instead something a little more flat and neutral.
While the compromises I mentioned at the end of the review might be enough for a real movie purist to dismiss the Xscreen Monaco 80, that doesn't alter the fact that it is, in my opinion, a work of genuine genius. It delivers on its revolutionary ambient-light-use claims spectacularly well, and looks divine into the bargain.
I guess another potential stumbling block could be the Monaco 80's price; at £1,400 (or £2,300 with a scaler and TV tuner) it's hardly cheap by 80in projection screen standards.
But even here, if you consider how its 'daytime' design opens up the possibility of the screen in conjunction with a projector becoming a genuine replacement for your TV, the price suddenly doesn't look so bad. After all, couple an 80in Monaco with, say, the superb InFocus IN78 projector, and you're looking at a total spend of £2,900 (or £3.8k with the optional media box) - a price which actually compares very favourably indeed with what you'd currently have to pay for an 80in plasma or LCD TV.
More information -
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text:
Today's Devotional
You Have EnoughHow can you offer God your best today?
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text:
The Reluctant Prince of India's Political Dynasty and His AnticampaignBy
Whither the House of Gandhi?
The Nehru-Gandhi family has dominated Indian politics since the nation's independence in 1947, but it now faces a walloping at the polls, possibly its worst ever. While voting in national elections won't be finished until next month, every indication is the Congress Party—for which a Gandhi presides as president and vice president—will lose the prime minister's seat and watch its share of parliament thin considerably.
The face of that probable political calamity is Rahul Gandhi, a 43-year-old, good-looking Cambridge man who speaks of the need for a more inclusive political process. And as I've heard more than one liberal, middle-class Indian acknowledge with regret in their voices, he's not much of a public politician.
"My grandmother and father were assassinated, and tomorrow I may also get killed. But I just don't care" —Rahul Gandhi
Gandhi's lineage contains a near-Shakespearean narrative of blood and politics: Great-grandfather Jawaharlal Nehru was independent India's first prime minister (the family is not related to Mahatma Gandhi); grandmother Indira Gandhi was twice prime minister, oversaw a crackdown on civil liberties after her government declared an "emergency" in 1975, and was shot to death in 1984; father Rajiv served as prime minister and was later assassinated by a suicide bomber in 1991.
In January 2013, the ruling Congress Party named Gandhi its vice president. His mother Sonia, the Italian-born widow of Rajiv, is the party's president. Rahul Gandhi stood at a podium before party leadership and gave his inaugural speech:
"Everybody congratulated me, but last night my mother came to my room, and she sat with me, and she cried. Why did she cry? She cried because she understands that the power so many people seek is actually a poison. … The only antidote to this poison is for all of us to see it for what it really is and not become attached to it. We should not chase power for the attributes of power; we should only use it to empower the voiceless."
"I saw the people I loved be destroyed by this system," Gandhi noted in a televised interview earlier this year.
The soul searching is compelling and powerful. It is at times accompanied by an almost stream-of-conscious telling of details—such as coming home as a teenager to find his grandmother's blood—that create an atmosphere but do not exactly scream for votes.
Which would be OK, except that Rahul Gandhi is presumed to be Congress's candidate for prime minister. That wiggle word, "presumed," is necessary because while he is leading the party's national campaign, Gandhi has stopped short of naming himself a candidate for prime minister, citing the procedural formalities of the position being appointed by parliament.
His reluctance is contrasted with the front runner, Narendra Modi, a charismatic man from a nationalist Hindu party. Modi, the thickly built son of a tea seller, has made his desire to be prime minister quite clear. He has taken to referring to Gandhi as shahzada, or prince.
In that television interview above, Gandhi several times referred to himself in the third person and argued that the political debate has missed the larger problem of the need to change the way governance works in India. The interviewer pressed Gandhi on whether he is, in his heart of hearts, a politician. Perhaps the situation has been thrust on him by the family into which he was born? Had he not been a Gandhi, would he have been a politician at all?
Rahul Gandhi paused, looked down, pursed his lips, and said, "Maybe, um, maybe you find me strange."
He continued: "Maybe you find me—I look like an anomaly in the environment I'm in, maybe that's what you're saying, and frankly, in a lot of ways, I am an anomaly in the environment I'm in."
For him, Gandhi said once more, power is a tool for helping people, not something to seek to own. As for the question about family, politics, and destiny, Gandhi did not give a complete answer.
Whatever comes of the election—Gandhi has struck a more defiant tone in recent comments, saying not to count Congress out despite the opinion polls—some observers of the clan are already looking ahead. Rahul has a sister, Priyanka, and she looks a good deal like her grandmother.


text:
I enjoyed the Jon Stewart show about the great fight which has torn asunder we people in Missouri. Some damn Commie Socialist Liberal animal lovers are all upset because puppies in dog shelters do not get enough exercise. From what I could see by looking at the obese SOCIALISTS handing out leaflets wherever I went the past few months, lovers of dogs who want them to get more exercise ought to look in the mirror and get their fat butt off the chair. Frankly, I hate dogs. I hate cats. I hate all animals–and most human ones, too. One day I was leaving a mall when this obese damn liberal halted me and went into a song and dance about the poor little puppies. From where I stand, the only good puppies are dead ones. Please don't get me wrong, I am an equal opportunity bigot when it comes to dogs. I was raised on the streets of the Bronx where wild packs of dogs roamed the streets and on more than one occasion I had to run for my life.
Anyway, I thought Jon Stewart sounded a lot like them damn COMMUNISTS AND SOCIALISTS who are trying to provide us good medical care. I mean, where does he get off saying dog owners who starve puppies must give them good treatment. Just remember, first they gave puppies free food, then they gave the homeless free food and homes, and finally they made billionaires pay at a SOCIALIST 39% tax rate instead of the free enterprise 35% rate. I just can't stand the thought of millionaires leading a dog's life trapped in their penthouse apartment.


text:
Concrete Repair Help / Contractor Problems
i would like to get some opinions on my situation and hopefully a concensus can be reached as to what the best thing to do would be.
Here is my situation. I live in a small colonial house built in the early 40s. I am having problems with water getting into my basement. It is not a cracked foundation. Let me explain.
When it rains really heavily here and I'm talking about what they refer to as flash floods, the gutters on my house are unable to hold and drain the water quick enough so the rain overflows the gutters and pours down the side of the house. I have a poured foundation and on top of that they laid the bricks. At the point where the foundation meets the bricks there is a patch of concrete to cover the seam all the way around the house. It is kind of like a skirt. This skirt is cracked at many spots and when the water pours down the outside wall from the overflowing gutters it finds its way into the cracks and then in between the bricks and foundation and finally down the inside of my basement wall.
How do I know for a fact that this is the problem and not a cracked foundation? It took me a long time to figure out. Every single person that I talked to said that the foundation was cracked but the odd thing was none of them could prove it. One guy came and cut a whole in the drywall (the basement is finished) to show me and he couldn't find the evidence he was looking for.
In the utility room, the only room not finished in the basement, I can actually see the water pouring over the top of the wall:
Also I stuffed a towel up in the wall above grade where the guy cut the hole and it filled up with water during a flash flood. You can see in the pictures that I patched the cracks with tape and since I did that, no water inside.
Anyway, I hired somebody to blow baking soda and remove all the paint from the concrete skirt outside so I could get it reconcreted. This is where I am having trouble. I'm trying to hire a concrete person to repatch and fix the problem. I'm getting a few different solutions and I don't know which is the best one.
First of all no matter how clearly I explain my problem the majority of the contractors refuse to believe me. They all say it is a cracked foundation. If I do manage to convince them what the problem is most of them don't want to do the job (I don't know why) and never call me back. I have talked to 6 contractors so far. I only have one guy that says he will do the job but he is not licensed and probably has no insurance. So I don't know what to do.
The unlicensed guy said to me what he wants to do is break off all the concrete around the seam and fill it with a concrete epoxy. He says that it will fill it all in well and find its way around. He then said he would reparge the concrete on top of the epoxy all the way around almost making a lip from the top of the skirt over the first layer of brick then use some kind of sealant ontop of that to make it all waterproof. I like the idea of the epoxy, it seems like something that could really help but I still didn't really get a good feeling from the guy and I would rather not hire somebody that is unlicensed. But now after having 5 more people come over nobody else wants to do the job. I had somebody else come and they said that they would run a wire mesh around the whole house then reparge. I asked them about the epoxy and they didin't know what to say... They also want to install a french drain in my basement and break the foundation because they are convinced that the foundation still is cracked... definitely unnecessary
So, what do you guys think the right way to fix this job would be? Is it to use the epoxy and then reparge? I really don't want to use some kind of sealant ontop of the concrete because in the event that this happens again I don't want to have to spend another $1000 for paint removal. But if you guys think that is necessary then I will.
I do want this to be done correctly and to look nice. Not just a patch job.
btw - if you look at everybody's house on the block you can see that most of the lips are patched up with concrete, so this is a common problem and obviously a design flaw of these houses.
Here are some pictures:
So this is the worst side. Obviously the whole side needs to be reparged and this is the only side that looks like this. But the cracking along the top lip is what is consistant all around the house:
this is the lip closer up, you can see the crack and again this is what is exposed at various parts around the house:
I guess the different color brown below is the mortar and obviously not water tight. The bricks are just sitting on top of the foundation and this is the gap where the rain is getting in. I think this is what should be broken off all the way around the house to reveal this:
these are some cracked corners but no water is penetrating them:
I Look forward to hearing your thoughts
I'll talk to my cousin whos been a mason for 30 years +, i work with him now and he does alot of these kinds of jobs..
Ill have an answer for you tommorow.
My question is what size gutter do you have on your house?
What pitch is the roof?
The thing you said about the water rushing over the gutter concerns me because if you have 5" gutter, 6 " would be better if its over running the gutters.
increasing the gutters may not be the total answer but not bad, either,,, 1st, get ALL that JUNK off the wall,,, aurand makes the right tool but 1 can always use a 4" grinder & small chipping gun,,, you need to get some FLASHING installed - NEVER use conc OR anything cementitious for this repair UNLESS its mortar 'tween the bricks - no flexibility - see the crack ? ? ? because someone used the wrong materials is no reason to think all the houses on the st did it right, either,,, look at ' SANITRED ' but remember PREP IS THE KEY ! ! !
you're calling the wrong trades - masons & brickies don't normally do restoratation work,,, look for a waterproofer,,, epoxy's also the wrong material & not to be used outside.
If the gutters won't hold the rain then I'd get bigger gutters
All depends upon how often it happens & if you have to hire someone or can DIY
Go with the concrete fix 1st
If it's just cracks & can be fixed then no need for bigger gutters
I have a 4"+ skirt along the front of my house
I'm building a 1/2 wall along the bottom to get rid of it
We use this product on similar joints in industrial structures.
I've never had an issue with it, but call Sika's 800 number to run your scenario by them. If you get a big crack, use back rod to fill it.
In your case, I could see the repair being a bit more extensive than just filling a crack. Itsreallyconcrete is correct, that mortared joint shouldn't have been mortared. And you have parging issues, too.
You should get an experienced outfit to do the work so it comes out neat, otherwise you risk it being messy looking due to lack of experience with the technique, and you'll be at it again soon.
I agree that you're probably correct in your assessment of the problem. Cracked foundations aren't good but that's probably not what's causing the water infiltration. The brick veneer should slightly overhang the face of the foundation, not be recessed behind it. I have no idea what they were thinking when they built it that way!!! :no:
Aggie's recommendation of SikaFlex is a good one. It may not solve all your problems but in my opinion the only way to do that is a total re-do of the brick.
Larger gutters that can handle the roof's surface area would be at the top of my list as well. It will make a considerable difference.
KC, we see this exact joint mess up a lot. The jobs we see them on are concrete panel curtain wall structures, where the panels came from a factory, the steel comes off a beam line somewhere, the foundation went to a sub, and the unlucky sap was the guy that had to install the panels. Foundation or steel is off an inch or two, and you get the wacky underhang or overhang. Sometimes the builder would try a field fix, like pouring a curb along the wall inside the structure. But inevitably someone has to repair and seal the joint. Worst one was a misaligned joint at the foundation that failed and allowed water to come in, which then subjected the stack of panels to freeze thaw, which then snapped all of the weld tabs up and down the columns, which then resulted in the panels starting to slow motion accordion down. Nasty repair job.
forgot we did this over in jersey city or wherever that fasteeth place's located,,, sawcut a reglet & install flashing :thumbsup:
I was going to mention this also as an option. The reglet could be put in with a grinder & diamond blade, about 3/4" + deep & have a slight upward angle to the cut. The aesthetic factor involved may not be ideal, though.
I also agree with KC, that ideally, the brick should overhang the foundation below.
Thanks everybody for your ideas, they sound much better than the ones that I've received! It is obvious why nobody will call me back. This is a bigger deal to do right than they are capable of. It's taken me a lot of time to digest and understand your suggestions, I must admit that I am not much of a diy guy. I do a lot of research to make sure that the process is correct but as far as doing the work I'd like to hire somebody.
So I guess it is between flashing or sani-tred stuff. Flashing obviously isn't pretty but if it gets the job done it's worth it.
Out of curiosity is the sani-tred thick? I was looking at this:
How would it be poured/ molded on the vertical surface to fit/ dry in place?
Also, should the darker brown stuff (mortar?) below the bricks/ tape in my 4th picture be broken out too or strictly the cracked concrete and pour ontop of the mortar?
It comes down to money and I'm guessing that to go around the entire perimeter of my house with flashing, 120+ feet, that would be a lot of money!
How can I go about finding the right people for this job? Should I start calling waterproof people? Or is there some other term that I should be looking for - restoration? I didn't see more than 2 in the phonebook.
Or - Does anybody happen to know a competent company in Baltimore, MD area that can do this?
Concrete Repair in Baltimore
Hi, I read all your posts..sounds like quite the headache. I had a similar problem. I used LINK REMOVED, a company I heard about from a buddy of mine that specializes in concrete repair and restoration. They're located in the Baltimore area so they should be able to help!
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text:
Spanish authorities have charged the train driver suspected of causing the country's worst train disaster for decades with reckless homicide.
Investigators are looking into possible failings by 52-year-old Francisco Jose Garzón Amo after the train derailed on Wednesday night as it approached the city of Santiago de Compostela.
He has now left hospital after receiving treatment for chest trauma and been taken to a police station, but has so far refused to answer questions and is expected to be interrogated by a judge.
Interior Minister Jorge Fernandez Diaz said there were "reasonable grounds to think he (Garzón Amo) may have a potential liability".
The president of Galicia, Alberto Nunez Feijoo, said a public funeral for the 78 dead in the crash would be held at Santiago cathedral on Monday.
One Briton was among the 168 injured passengers, while 30 people are still believed to be in a critical condition.
In addition to people from all over Spain, nationals from the United States, Mexico and Algeria are believed to be among the dead.
A blood-soaked Garzón was photographed on Wednesday being escorted away from the wreckage.
Authorities have located the train's so-called "black box" which is expected to shed further light on the cause of the crash.
Adif, Spain's railway agency, confirmed that a high-tech automatic braking programme was installed on the track for most of the journey but stops just three miles south of where the crash occurred.
From that point on the driver has sole control of the brakes.
"Regardless of the system in place, the drivers know the speed limits. If these are respected, an accident should not take place," a spokeswoman said.
"Whatever speed the train was travelling at, the driver knows beforehand what lies ahead. ... There's no sudden change in which a driver finds out by surprise that he has to change speed."
Police said the number of dead, thought to be 80, has been reduced to 78. Some 72 of those killed in the catastrophe have now been formally identified, while DNA results for the remaining six are expected in the coming days.
Early indications suggested the train was travelling at around 118mph - more than twice the 50mph speed limit - when it crashed while heading into a curve.
Gonzalo Ferre, president of the rail infrastructure company Adif, said the driver should have started slowing the train 2.5 miles before reaching a dangerous bend that train drivers had been told to respect.
"Four kilometres before the accident happened he already had warnings that he had to begin slowing his speed, because as soon as he exits the tunnel he needs to be travelling at 80 kilometres per hour," Mr Ferre said.
Nationals from the United States, Mexico and Algeria are believed to be among the dead. One US woman killed in the wreck has been named as Ana Maria Cordoba, an employee of a diocese near Washington DC.
According to reports in the Spanish media, after realising the magnitude of the disaster Mr Amo said: "I f***** up, I want to die."
In March 2012, the 30-year employee of Spanish train operator Renfe allegedly posted boasts on Facebook about how fast he was driving a train and joked about racing past police.
He is believed to have taken control of the train from a second driver about 65 miles south of Santiago de Compostela.
Spanish prime minister Mariano Rajoy, who was born in the city, visited the crash scene on Thursday and declared three days of national mourning.
The full horror of the disaster was revealed in harrowing video footage of the moment the train derailed.
The derailment left a "Dante-esque" scene of devastation, with toppled and smashed carriages lying alongside the track, bodies being laid out beside the line, and bloodied survivors being carried to safety.
American Stephen Ward, an 18-year-old Mormon missionary who was on the train, told the Associated Press: "Everyone was covered in blood. There was smoke coming up off the train.
"There was a lot of crying, a lot of screaming. There were plenty of dead bodies. It was quite gruesome."
Wednesday's train crash is the worst Spain has experienced since a three-train accident in a tunnel in the northern Leon province in 1944.
Due to heavy censorship at the time, the exact death toll for the Torre del Bierzo disaster has never been established.
The official figure was given as 78 dead, but it is thought that as many as 250 could have been killed.
There was another serious accident in Spain in 1972 when a Madrid to Cadiz express collided head-on with a local train on the outskirts of Seville. A total of 77 people died, with more than 100 injured.
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text:
Message from the President
It's never been a better time to be a Michigan Wolverine Letterwinner. As this academic year comes to a close, we are in 1st place in the Director's Cup-a trophy celebrating the highest-achieving athletic program annually - which Stanford has won for nearly a decade. Our top-ranked has been driven by the outstanding performances of many teams including the National Championship-winning Men's Swim and Gymnastics Teams as well as our Basketball team's trip to the NCAA Finals for the first time in over 20 years. On top of that, there has been great progress by so many of our programs now on the upswing, including Baseball and Womens Basketball. I can't remember the last time both Baseball and Softball were in first place in the Big Ten, but as I sit here today in late April, that is exactly the case.
Like our varsity athletic teams, your Letterwinners M Club is also celebrating another terrific year of progress. So, what did we accomplish this past year with your support?
On the heels of this outstanding year, we have a lot more good planned for 2013-14. Here are some key things to expect in 2012-13:
Go Blue,
Mary Petrovich


text:
Cover Photo:
Proud champion kite fighting teams of Thailand pose in formal style. Standing, left to right, with chula kite are Boontam Himskul, Vinai Poomaitong and Siriwat Poomaitong. In front, left to right, with pakpao kite, are Kitipong Chanwimol and Suvit Chanwimol. (see story on page 60.) Photograph courtesy of the Thai Kite Heritage Group.


text:
Philippine cuisine has been influenced by Chinese, Malay, Spanish, Mexican, American, and Indian cooking. The staple of Filipino food is rice, usually served with pig, seafood, chicken, and/or native fruits, and the ever-present dipping sauces.
Though the Philippines has an abundance of fresh seafood and a wide array of succulent tropical fruit, the daily food of the common people tends to be uninspiring. With a few exceptions, such as Bicol and the Muslim areas of the south, the seasoning isn't spicy. Native cooks have, however, devised some tasty recipes using ingredients such as coconut milk, jackfruit, garlic, and ginger. An unusual feature of Filipino cooking is the combination of major ingredients, e.g., chicken and shrimps, and pork and fish. Soups like sinigang and tinola are delicious, as is well-prepared lechon (roast suckling pig). An array of sweet morsels is made from glutinous rice, while halo-halo is a common dessert based on layers of preserved or sweetened fruit, gelatin, custard, and crushed ice. The special halo-halo is topped by a scoop of ice cream. So while Filipino dishes rarely reach sublime heights, it's possible to enjoy satisfying meals, accompanied by the excellent local beer, rum, or coffee.
Rice is the basis and bulk of a Filipino meal, at breakfast, lunch, and dinner. It's usually boiled to fluffiness, though the previous night's rice may be fried with garlic for breakfast. A normal meal in a poor family may consist of a mountain of rice soaked in meat sauce or salty fish or shrimp paste (bagoong), together with a tomato and piece of salt fish. Filipinos can accept the simplicity of such fare as long as the rice is good. Glutinous rice is the main ingredient of many kinds of cakes, puddings, and festive foods, prepared by mixing the rice with coconut milk, sugar, and flavoring. Rice preparation varies by region.
Back to the main Philippines page
Philippines on Wikipedia
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This page modified January 2007
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text:
The major European indexes closed in the red Friday as fresh record highs in the price of oil and a soaring euro versus the dollar gave rise to economic concerns. Banking stocks were among the worst performers, with the Dow Jones STOXX banking index down 1 percent.
The dollar rose to a fresh 4-1/2-year high against the yen for a second straight day ahead of a Bank of Japan policy meeting and a report on U.S. consumer inflation that could determine whether U.S. Treasury yields extend a six-week climb.
The dollar climbed to a 4-1/2-year high against the yen, helped by data indicating U.S. retail sales growth in May was the highest since January 2006 which many investors took as a sign of a pickup in U.S. economic growth.
China's yuan jumped against the dollar in early trade on Wednesday to its highest since its 2005 revaluation after the central bank set a much higher reference rate for the Chinese currency.
The dollar climbed against the euro Tuesday to two-month highs as rising U.S. Treasury yields lured investors.
The dollar rose to 3-1/2-month highs against the Swiss franc on climbing U.S. Treasury yields, while investors for the moment brushed aside implications of the Reserve Bank of New Zealand's first market intervention in 22 years.
The dollar rose broadly to a two-month high on Friday as surging U.S. Treasury yields widened their advantage over other major government bonds and amid sharply reduced expectations for interest rate cuts by the Federal Reserve.
The dollar strengthened broadly as a rise in U.S. Treasury yields above 5% boosted demand for the U.S. currency, while news that North Korea fired short-range missiles off its coast hurt the yen.
The Australian dollar rose to a fresh 17-year high on Thursday after the second straight month of stronger-than-expected domestic jobs data fuelled concerns the central bank might increase interest rates in the near term.
Fading prospects of a rate cut by the Fed and no signs from the European Central Bank that it would continue to tighten monetary policy beyond 2007 lifted the dollar against the euro.
The dollar fell against the euro and yen on Tuesday, dipping below key technical levels after Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke said the ailing U.S. housing sector may remain a drag on economic growth.
The dollar declined broadly as the U.S. currency failed to extend gains after last week's robust jobs data, while demand for currencies linked to rising interest rates strengthened.
The dollar rose to a seven-week high against the euro, on track for a fifth consecutive week of gains, as strong U.S. jobs and manufacturing data damped expectations of a Federal Reserve interest rate cut this year.
The dollar touched a three-month peak against the yen after a strong report on business activity in the U.S. Midwest, but it failed to sustain gains before key payrolls data due on Friday.
The dollar rose to a seven-week high against the euro as minutes from the Federal Reserve's last meeting reiterated policy-makers' view that inflation remains a top concern.
The dollar edged lower against the yen after China said it would raise a stamp duty on stocks in an attempt to cool its equity markets, prompting concerns about risky trades financed by borrowing in the Japanese currency.
The U.S. dollar hovered near a six-week high against the euro and its strongest versus the yen in three months on Monday as traders determined that weak U.S. housing data late last week was not enough to warrant a cut in U.S. interest rates later in the year.
The dollar eased against the euro after a surprisingly weak report on existing home sales rekindled worries that a downturn in the U.S. housing sector may have further room to run.
The dollar rose after a report showed that U.S. new home sales rose more than expected in April, reinforcing a view that the Federal Reserve may not have to cut interest rates this year.
The dollar fell after minutes from a Bank of England policy meeting and strong data on euro-zone industrial orders suggested interest rates in Europe could rise more than previously thought.


text:
Meet Our Staff
Shane's – The Pawn Shop, Inc. has been in the collateral lending business since 1955. The store employs 13 full time and part time employees. Our friendly and courteous employees are well trained and knowledgeable in evaluating and selling jewelry.
David Schoeneman
David is the youngest son of Joseph and Marian Schoeneman. He began learning the art of pawnbroking when he was 7 years old. He started in helping out his parents by cleaning the showcases and sweeping the floor. After high school, David went to Los Angeles, California to study diamonds and colored stones at the Gemological Institute of America. After becoming a Graduate Gemologist in residence, he worked part time at Shane's to help his parents and also as a diamond sorter for Frederick M. Gottlieb and Co., a diamond dealer in downtown Chicago. He also worked in Australia for 3 years as a diamond sorter, with one of Melbourne's leading diamond importers. In 1985, David married Carmencita Ordona and came back to Chicago. He was rehired by Frederick M. Gottlieb and Co. as a traveling diamond salesman. When Joseph and Marian reopened Shane's in June 1989, David assumed the leadership and management of the day to day operations of the store. With David's background and vast knowledge in diamonds, he has made Shane's a Mecca in the pawning and jewelry business. He is concurrently the President of the Illinois Pawnbrokers Association and is an active lobbyist for the pawn industry. He works tirelessly to promote the image of the pawnshop that is often misrepresented in the media and misunderstood by the public.
Carmencita Schoeneman
Carmencita Ordona married David in 1985. Together, they run the new Shane's – The Pawn Shop, Inc. She was a CPA and worked as an internal auditor for one of the largest business conglomerates in the Philippines. She also passed the CPA exam in Illinois in 1988. She is concurrently the treasurer of the Illinois Pawnbrokers Association and is also active in promoting and changing the image of the pawnbroking industry. She has learned the pawning business from her husband, David and has taken the GIA diamond grading class to better serve you in evaluating your jewelry.
Severino San Juan
Severino or Nilo as he is fondly called, joined Shane's in 1996. He trained in the jewelry business in the Philippines and took the GIA diamond grading class to further his knowledge. He has a remarkable memory for names and birthdays which endear him to customers. He speaks Tagalog (Filipino language) and a little Spanish and is well versed in our computer software program. He is an avid fisherman at heart and he will be happy to serve you and swap fishing stories with you.
Mark Page
Mark has been in the retail sales business for most of his life. He has been a proud member of Shane's pawnshop team since 1992. During the past years, he has the opportunity to help countless folks through tough financial times. He also had the pleasure of helping his customers pick out jewelry for various memorable occasions. Mark is also a graduate of the GIA diamond grading class. He looks forward to continuing to provide the conscientious service that our customers deserve.
Gary E. Rovak
Gary is a graduate gemologist from the Gemological Institute of America with over 30 years of fine jewelry management experience. He also has an extensive background in insurance appraisals, wholesale buying and jewelry design. With his vast background in fine jewelry design he will be able to assist customers in custom designing that special piece of jewelry as well as assuring them of the value they are getting. As the newest member of Shane's, we are pleased to add Gary's expertise to our team.
Zenaida San Juan
Zenaida or Zeny for short (wife of Nilo and mother of Oliver and Brian) joined us in 1996. She is responsible for keeping our inventory organized and inventory pricing. She is also involved in sales and the pawning part of the business when called in to help on the sales floor. She is also a graduate of the GIA diamond grading class.
Lita C. Gardiner
Lita joined Shane's in 2005. She is a people's person who understands the needs of our customers. She has that unique skill of helping you find just the right gift to treat yourself or that special someone in your life. She also has taken the GIA diamond grading class to further her knowledge.
Patrick J. Murray
Patrick, or PJ, as we fondly call him, started as a part time employee when he was just a high school student. After graduating from college, PJ became a permanent fixture at Shane's, learning the trade quickly. He is our newest GIA diamond grading class graduate.
Oliver San Juan
Oliver is Shane's resident jeweler. He studied jewelry repair and has over 10 years experience in this field. He is also a DeVry graduate and very knowledgeable in computer technology.
Connie Juco
Connie joined Shane's in January 2010. She speaks Spanish, English and Tagalog (Filipino language). She learned pawnbroking quickly and is a great salesperson. She is very personable and always the first one to greet customers with a smile. When the time is right, Shane's will also offer her the GIA diamond grading class to further her training and knowledge to better serve you.
Brian San Juan
Brian is a part-time employee. He learned pawnbroking from his father Nilo San Juan. He is a natural salesman.
Jacob Schoeneman
Jacob is a part-time employee at Shane's, working only during school breaks. Like PJ Murray, Jacob started his training when he was still in high school. He, like the rest of the staff, has taken the GIA diamond grading class and the added bonus of colored stone classes.
Aaron Schoeneman
Aaron is the youngest member of our team. He is a full time college student, pursuing a degree in political science. When he is in town, Aaron run errands for Shane's, delivering and picking up repair jobs for customers and works part time in the store. He has proven to be a valuable addition to our staff.


text: ATLANTA, Jan. 18, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- LCG Associates, Inc., a national investment consulting firm headquartered in Atlanta, elected Britt L. Bentley, CFA, CAIA to Senior Vice President. Bentley is now a Principal of the Firm. Additionally, LCG has promoted Eric T. Huff, CFA, CAIA to Vice President, Manager Research. Peggy D. Madden and Patricia E. Utke were promoted to Vice President, Client Performance and Reporting as well. All four employees are based out of the Atlanta office. Bentley has lead consultant responsibilities. Additionally, he conducts capital market and asset class research, investment manager due diligence, and special topical studies. He also serves on LCG's Risk Management Committee. Bentley is a CFA charterholder. He is an active member of the CFA Institute and CFA Society of Atlanta. Bentley is also a Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst ("CAIA") Charter Holder. He graduated from Baylor University with a B.B.A. in Finance. Huff directs the effort on sourcing investment strategies and conducting qualitative as well as quantitative manager due diligence. He covers traditional and alternative asset classes. Huff also assists with asset allocation modeling and capital market research. In addition, he works with several clients. Huff is a CFA charterholder, and an active member of the CFA Institute and CFA Society of Atlanta. He is also a CAIA Charter Holder. Huff graduated from the University of Georgia with a B.B.A. in Finance. Madden co-manages a staff of Performance and Database Analysts. Madden's responsibilities also include the management of the client portfolio accounting system and two proprietary databases. Since joining LCG in 1986, she has served in several capacities. Madden earned a B.S. in Finance from the Robinson School of Business at Georgia State University.