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Grilled Chicken With Bourbon Peach Butter
Recipe by weekend cooker
Very flavorful meal for the whole family.
Top Review by KateL
Delicious sauce if you have 5 ripe peaches that need to be used right away, as we did! There was nothing special about the grilled chicken, so the posted combination was to better approximate the nutritional value of the meal. I didn't have a 9x13 glass baking dish, so I divided the sauce between two 11 3/4 x 7 1/2 dishes; that was a mistake, as the sauce ended up too thin, and I could not scoop up the sauce around the edges of the pan. The sauce was divine: we had very ripe fresh Georgia peaches and I used Jack Daniels #7 for the bourbon. With very ripe peaches, it was easy to pull back the skin with fingers and minimize the waste. I used a Vitamix to blend the ingredients. Next time, I would put all of the sauce in my 8x8 Corning casserole dish; then we could gobble up all of the sauce with no waste. Made for Please Review My Recipe tag game.
See Discussion:1 Review
Ingredients Nutrition
- 5 medium peaches, peeled, and coursely chopped
- 1⁄4 cup fresh lemon juice
- 3 tablespoons water
- 1⁄2 cup Bourbon
- 1⁄3 cup packed dark brown sugar
- 3⁄4 teaspoon salt, divided
- 1⁄2 teaspoon black pepper
- 6 (6 ounce) boneless skinless chicken breast halves
Directions See How It's Made
- Preheat oven to 250 degrees.
- Combine the first 3 ingredients in a saucepan, bring to a boil, and cover.
- Reduce heat, and simmer for 30 minutes.
- Combine peach mixture, bourbon, brown sugar, and 1/4 teaspoon salt in a food processor, or blenderand process for 1 minute or until smooth.
- Transfer peach mixture to a 13x9 inch glass baking dish, and bake for 2 hours 15 minutes or until thickened.
- Preheat grill to medium-high heat.
- Sprinkle remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt, and pepper evenly over chicken.
- Place chicken on a grill rack coated with cooking spray, and grill 6 minutes on each side or until done.
- Serve with sauce.


text: Hello.. Just an FYI, one of the components of the webserver module has been updated. Currently it is the only part that has been updated. *lighttpd <http://www.freshports.org/www/lighttpd/> 1.4.30_1* versus 1.4.29_2 which is included as of 9.0rc3. Thanks for your time.. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: <http://lists.pcbsd.org/pipermail/testing/attachments/20120110/f7798a98/attachment.html>

subset: commoncrawl


text:
This event is in the past.
September 11, 2013 | All Day
Category: Other
Location: Campus Wide
Cost: Free
Calendars: Warrior Wednesday, Office of Military and Veterans Academic Excellence, Main Events Calendar, DOSO Events, Dean of Students Office, Athletics
Audience: Alumni, Community, Current Graduate Students, Current Undergraduate Students, Faculty, Staff
Get your Green and Gold on!
It's Warrior Wednesday, and the Spirit Squad is on patrol. Get spotted wearing Warrior spirit wear and get rewarded.
Fire Up for our football home opener vs. Ashland
Student athletes will be distributing Warrior glow sticks for Saturday's night game.
9/11 Remembrance at McGregor
Listen to music, reflect and write a message for a floating luminaria from noon-1 p.m. or 8:30-9:30 p.m. at the McGregor Reflecting Pool. More details about the ceremony.
For more information about this event, please contact Office of Marketing and Communications at 313 577 8155.


text:
- Register + Plan
- Keynotes + Education
- Show Floor
- Events + Awards
- Sponsors + Partners
- Media + PR
- International
Contact a member of the sales team.
To see a list of hotel blocks, please go to our hotel and travel page.
Heather Lee Landers
AVP, Marketing
(202) 736-3674
MiChele Solomon
Director, Registration and Customer Service
Customer Service: (801) 676-7980
Jennifer Custer
Manager, Partnerships and Community
(202) 736-3881
For any media or press related inquiries, regarding CTIA or CTIA Super Mobility 2015 please contact: email@example.com.
To see a list of all pass types and their prices, please go to the registration information page. If you have any questions regarding registration, please contact ITN customer service at 801-676-7980 or at email@example.com.
Contact a member of the sales team.
Robert Mesirow
Vice President & Show Director
(202) 736-3221
Kim Boyer
Event Communications Manager
(202) 736-3221
(800) 421-6338 (Toll Free U.S. & Canada)
Join Chief Technology Officers from leading U.S. operators as they share their perspectives on the industry's advancement from 4G LTE to 5G at the 2015 CTO Roundtable. Learn more.


text:
Call for pick-up or shipping (734) 994-8010
Indigo Forest continues to be the learning center for authentic living! WHILE OUR STOREFRONT CLOSED APRIL 2016, OUR WEBSTORE WILL BE EXPANDING, AS WILL OUR EDUCATIONAL OFFERINGS ON-LINE. BOTH JULIANA & BETH CONTINUE TO BE AVAILABLE FOR CONSULTS OF ALL DESCRIPTIONS, AND YOU CAN STILL PICK UP PRODUCT AT BETH'S NEW OFFICE IN ANN ARBOR. MAKE SURE YOU HAVE SIGNED UP FOR OUR NEWSLETTER FOR ON-GOING INFORMATION!
After nine years of blending practical, inspiring classes with a specialized boutique, we are transitioning to a web store only with on-line podcasts, webinars and many sources of information. Our products will continue to be an extraordinary collection to grow happy, healthy lives. Whether you're new to the world of natural health or looking to enrich your way of life, come back & visit often, and live well.


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According To New AZ Law, Pregnancy Begins Two Weeks Before Conception
Wait. What? I must be reading this wrong. The "Women's Health and Safety Act," signed into law yesterday by Arizona Governor Jan Brewer, and referred to by some as "the egg drop bill," defines pregnancy as beginning two weeks before conception, as it calculates the gestational age starting with the first day of the last menstrual period. The goal of this extreme law, of course, is to reduce the legal window of when a woman may have an abortion.
"Current law allows abortions up until the point of viability, when a fetus could reasonably survive on its own outside the womb," writes the Tucson Citizen. "That's considered by many medical experts and abortion clinics to be from 22 to 24 weeks." But that is based on the gestational age starting with conception; generally, women ovulate/conceive two weeks after the start of their last period. By defining pregnancy as starting two weeks before conception, Arizona's new law bans abortion two weeks before the other seven states with similar laws.
In addition to completely screwing women who want to have abortions by further limiting the window in which they can legally have them, this law presents a huge problem for women who would continue their pregnancies to term — provided the fetus is healthy. According to the Tuscon Citizen, "During the hearings on the bill, doctors said many women don't discover their fetus has a severe or life-threatening problem until an ultrasound at about the 20th week. The doctors — and several women who had faced this issue — testified that this law would arbitrarily cut off the right for these women to have an abortion."
But the craziest thing about this new law? The fact that it defines women as pregnant before they have even conceived. In effect, if you menstruate, Arizona law considers your eggs fertilized before they even are. Under this law, the women of Arizona are essentially in a perpetual state of pregnancy. When did we wake up inside the pages of Margaret Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale?
And and and! This "Women's Health and Safety Act" was actually sponsored by a woman, Arizona State Rep. Kimberly Yee, whose hair I would really like to pull right about now. You can read more about the rest of the fuckery contained within what Planned Parenthood is calling the country's "most extreme piece of anti-abortion legislation," at the links.
[The Daily Beast]
[The New Civil Rights Movement]
[Politicus USA]
[Tucson Citizen]


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Photo gallery: L.A. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa delivers final State of the City address
In the last major speech of his mayoral career, Antonio Villaraigosa chastised the two politicians seeking to replace him for not laying out visionary education goals, urging the candidates to look to other big cities for inspiration.
Villaraigosa called on candidates City Councilman Eric Garcetti and Controller Wendy Greuel to make education reform "front and center" in the race during his State of the City speech Tuesday night at UCLA.
He singled out New York and Chicago - cities where the mayors have more control of the education system - and asked Greuel and Garcetti to "advocate tirelessly and relentlessly for educational opportunity for all."
"It is time that they presented us with their comprehensive visions to make our schools shine," Villaraigosa said. "We don't want to hear about one or two planks in a plan...About an audit of this or a piecemeal change in that; we want the whole plan."
An annual event notable for its agenda-setting tone, the State of the City address is delivered in front of a group of City Hall insiders. Greuel was in the audience, while Garcetti was attending a mayoral forum at Loyola Marymount University.
Termed out, Villaraigosa used the event to reflect on his eight years in office. Pointing to a drop in crime, and falling gang numbers, Villaraigosa both touted - and defended - his goal of making L.A. safer. He pointed to plunging violent crime statistics, which drew a wave of applause from the crowd.
Additionally, the Police Department reached 10,000 police officers earlier this year, though critics have pointed out Villaraigosa reached that number by merging two city departments, not by a burst of hiring.
"I know there are those who say that 10,000 was just a number," Villaraigosa said. "No, it wasn't. It was a promise. A promise to Angelenos that when it came to securing their basic safety and peace of mind, I wasn't going to be satisfied with half-steps and business as usual."
Continuing his commitment to transportation and green energy, Villaraigosa cited increased transit ridership numbers and environmental "firsts," like moving the city's power supply away from coal.
His remarks on education reform marked his boldest statements yet on the mayor's race, an election Villaraigosa has largely avoided commenting on. The education theme was also self-referential: Villaraigosa ran for mayor in 2005 on the promise of taking over the schools. The mayor has no authority over the Los Angeles Unified School District, but Villaraigosa sought to wrest control of the school system shortly after taking office. While that battle failed, he was able to create a nonprofit that now operates some charter schools around the city.
He also has aggressively promoted allies on the school board.
Signaling his disappointment with Greuel and Garcetti, Villaraigosa accused them of lacking a comprehensive education plan, suggesting they were being too cautious. He recounted his own tough childhood growing up in East Los Angeles, saying he knows the importance of education.
"It has been so disheartening to see our mayoral candidates devote so little time to a serious discussion of how to deliver a quality education for all our children," Villaraigosa said.
While the statement underscored a complaint about this year's mayor's race - that Greuel or Garcetti have offered few major initiatives along the campaign trail - it may have reminded voters that Villaraigosa himself was criticized for falling short of the bold promises he offered when he ran for mayor.
Jaime Regalado, professor emeritus of political science at Cal State L.A., said Villaraigosa sounded like an "irritated parent" chastising his junior colleagues.
"He is lamenting on the one hand that he wasn't given the ability to control the schools," Regalado said. "And telling future mayors that they are going to have to be equally concerned as he is. He thinks there is more to do."
Education may not be a major campaign platform for Greuel and Garcetti, but it has been a theme. During the primary, both candidates laid out some reform goals at an education debate event in February.
Asked Tuesday about Villaraigosa's remarks, Greuel said she plans to release more education reform proposals in the weeks ahead. "If you're going to move businesses to Los Angeles you need to have a good education system," Greuel said. "Education is my priority, and I have been talking about this throughout my campaign."
The Garcetti campaign went further and said it would schedule another education-themed debate before the May 21 campaign.
Garcetti spokesman Jeff Millman also pointed to the councilman's work on education along the campaign trail, noting Garcetti has repeatedly repeated pushed the STEM (Science Technology Engineering and Math) education model at L.A. schools.
"We agree that education has to be seriously debated in this campaign," Millman said.


text:
Regal chief investment director Phil King cited a falling share price, significant board turnover and poor disclosure as concerns. Over the past 24 months the share price has fallen 60 per cent to 43.5¢.
"Any stock that falls as much as TFS, you have to be disappointed," Mr King told The Australian Financial Review.
"There are lots of things that have been disappointing about the company, including corporate governance and lack of independence, and that's why some shareholders will be voting against the re-election of those directors.
"You have to be worried about any company that has had such high turnover of directors in recent years."
Regal has been a shareholder for more than five years and holds a 6.1 per cent stake. It is the biggest shareholder after Mr Wilson, who holds 16.2 per cent.
Regal is not the only investor questioning the recent internal workings of the Western Australian-based company, which oversees managed investment schemes' sandalwood plantations and makes high-value sandalwood oil and products.
Following the sudden departure of chairman Richard Alston in early October, Mr Wilson was appointed executive chairman. He remains CEO. Several other non-executive directors have also left, including Jim Craig, who departed after two months of service in December 2011.
Several shareholders expressed concern to the Financial Review that they were not informed about a takeover approach from New York-based private equity firm Lindsay Goldberg earlier this year.
Mr Wilson said the TFS board, of which he was not a member of at the time, took legal advice that disclosure of a conditional bid that was withdrawn was not required.
TFS, which has an enterprise value of about $200 million, has called in investment bank Moelis & Company to help with a strategic review to bridge the gap between TFS's languishing share price and what those close to the company think it is worth.
Mr Wilson is facing fire from several former TFS non-executive directors and other shareholders.
Mr Wilson, Mr Matthys and Mr Atkinson retire as directors at the AGM on Friday, while Mr Gilchrist does not.
Mr Myles hopes to install himself, former Redcape Property executive chairman
Mr Myles declined to comment when contacted by the Financial Review but sources close to him said the key concern had been the lack of information and sudden revelation of a $1.3 million defence fee payable to Macquarie Capital Advisors for a takeover that was never disclosed.
Retail shareholder Simon Kebble, who along with his brother Chris owns 2.7 million shares, said: "The level of disclosure has been dismal.
"They were informed of a takeover this past year and they didn't think it was important enough to tell shareholders anything. They didn't tell us the bidder or price."
Mr Kebble said the chairman should be independent and the chief executive and chairman should not be the same person. But according to the ASX corporate governance principles, these are only recommendations and are not mandatory. Companies may choose governance requirements that work best for the company but must explain why the arrangement differs from recommendations.
Mr Wilson said he was nominated executive chairman with full support of the board and the board is considering further independent appointments.
"The board determined that I was the best credentialled director to assume this role," he said. "Notwithstanding this, the board is currently considering the appointment of further independent directors, including the appointment of an independent chairman," he said.
Proxy advisory firm CGI Class Lewis told clients to vote in favour of all resolutions at the AGM, but expressed concern on governance. "Without an independent chairman, but with a majority of independent directors, the board structure does not meet either ACSI or FSC guidelines," it said.
The Australian Financial Review


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Hi, A friend of mine set up a wordpress website for me, I know very little about how it works but now Im trying to modify and tweak the template to better suit my needs, since my friend did this as a favor I don't like to bother him unless its really necessary, plus , I have enjoyed playing around and learning about wordpress.
Here's the issue:
I want to exclude a category from the Index.php I have tried many different methods, bot for index and functions.php and its not working.You can see the website here: http://tumbili.mx/p/marcas/ The second category, the one without image is the one I want to exclude. However I need it to be alive since it should be accessible from: http://tumbili.mx/p/categorias/
Here is the Index.php code, It does not look like other Index I have seen, maybe is not the right way to do it but it works :
<?php get_header(); ?>

<?php foreach (get_categories( $args ) as $cat): if ($cat->parent > 0) { continue; } ?>

<a href="<?php echo get_category_link($cat->term_id); ?>">
<img class="img-object" src="<?php echo z_taxonomy_image_url($cat->term_id); ?>" />

<?php endforeach; ?>

Hope you can help me, thanks
Refer this: http://codex.wordpress.org/Function_Reference/get_categories
there is a exclude parameter for get_categories.
Worked, now the solution seemed so simple


text:
Lee County Sheriff's Office
Working to Keep Paradise Safe
Phone: 239-477-1000
Emergency: 911
About Us
Crime Activity
Contact Us
About US
Corrections Divisions
Gun Range
Patrol Districts
Public Reports
Sheriff Mike Scott
Corrections Deputy Trainee (Sponsorship to Academy)
Starting Salary: $33,206.00
Hours per Week: 42 (Full-time)
Department: Training
Primary Responsibilities:
Involves Corrections work maintaining care, custody and control of an inmate population and serving in a variety of assignments in the Bureau of Corrections. As a Corrections Deputy you will need to interpret and enforce all applicable federal, state and local laws, general orders, directives, policies and procedures of the Sheriff's Office and the Florida Model Jail Standards.
Desired Job Experience:
None required.
Tasks Performed:
Correction Officer Trainees will be employed by the Lee County Sheriff's Office and sponsored to a Basic Recruit Training Program held at the Southwest Florida Public Service Academy in Fort Myers Florida.
Desired Education:
Must have a U.S. High School Diploma or equivalent.
Certifications Required:
After successfully completing the Academy the employee must pass the State Officer Certification Examination (SOCE). Once the employee passes the State Officer Certification Exam the salary will be increased to $37,500.00
Other Qualifications:
Must be 19 years of age to qualify as a Corrections Officer (if 18 you must turn 19 before completing the Academy) Equal Opportunity Employer with Veteran's Preference.
Minimum Physical Requirements:
Must be able to pass the Physical Abilities Test.
This posting will close 2017-07-21
About Us
Crime Activity
Contact Us
Under Florida law, e-mail addresses are public records. If you do not want your e-mail address released in response to a
public-records request, do not send electronic mail to us. Instead, contact our office by phone or in writing.
Copyright © 2017 by the Lee County Sheriff's Office. All Rights Reserved.


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MAQUOKETA, Iowa — Long-time Jackson County Supervisor Jack Willey was elected the 2013 chairman of the group this week.
Steve Flynn was elected vice chairman. Supervisor Larry 'Buck" Koos had been chairman for several years.
Willey said he had been chairman several times before in his 23 years on the board. He thanked Koos for the amount of time he has spent as chairman.
Also during the first meeting of the year, Treasurer Nancy Roling did the swearing in of re-elected county officials: Koos, Auditor M. Joelle Deppe and Sheriff Russ Kettmann.


text:
Help in going global
Page Tools
Australian country music crooners and fiddlers will find no better time to crack into the lucrative US market with the establishment of the Austrade Export Music Office, the federal government says.
Parliamentary secretary for trade, Senator Sandy Macdonald, said Austrade's new office would help Australian musicians of all genres with strategies for entering into the US market.
He said country music in the US alone made up 13 per cent of the $15.6 billion worth of albums sold in 2004.
"Now, country artists can fast track their US success by asking Austrade's music office to help them with their individual needs," he said in a statement.
Senator Macdonald said the Australia-US Free Trade Agreement (AUSFTA) would also help in its own way to advance the music industry's interests.
"This will be seen through the harmonisation of intellectual property protocols, which are becoming increasingly important in the digital age, the extension of copyright and through the removal of tariffs on some items such as musical instruments, CDs and other merchandise," he said.
"In addition, the AUSFTA is helping to generate attention across sectors of the US economy such as the entertainment arena, meaning those in the music industry in the US are much more likely to look Down Under for new talent."
Senator Macdonald said the music office could help Australians involved in the music industry seeking to penetrate the US market by accessing the network's expertise and contacts.
These cover issues as diverse as how to prepare marketing materials which suit the US market, how to approach record labels, look for publishing deals, find a US-based manager, approach booking agents, work key music festivals, and set up for alternative revenue streams through internet marketing strategies and on-line sales.
Get The Age home delivered for as little as $2.70 a week*


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DeFever is one of the most famous Trawlers in the U.S. Designed by the world famous designer Arthur Defever.
Whether Your Looking to Cruise the San Juan Islands, the Gulf Islands and/or Voyaging all the Way to Alaska this 44' DeFever is the Vessel!!!
This Motor Yacht Style of Vessel Makes the Perfect Live-Aboard Because of the Large Volume of Interior Space!!!
Check out the Full Specs and Photos Section for more Information on this DeFever.
Contact Russ Meixner at
360-951-3000 cell
360-299-2526 office
1983 DeFever 44 Offshore Cruiser
One of the most popular DeFever designs ever produced
A flush-deck design with single-level walkaround decks
Two-stateroom interior is arranged with galley aft in the salon where it's easily reached from the aft deck
Aft stateroom is huge with a lot of storage and cabinet space, plumbed for a washer/dryer
Walk-in engine room with workbench
West Yachts LLC
1019 Q. Ave. Suite D
Anacortes, WA 98221
United States


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Product Details
This two-layer combo features insulated 10K/10K fabric for the female powder hound. With a DWR coating and 100 g PrimaLoft insulation in the body, as well as 60 g in the hood, sleeves, and legs, this kit is warm and toasty even if the weather outside is frightful. Strategically taped seams in the pant and fully taped seams in the ski jacket help keep water out, and wrist gaiters keep the elements away from your hands. Stylish heather fabric and removable faux fur trim on the hood add a bit of flair to this technical kit.
Paired Product: Dakine Katerina Pant
Trending Gear Reviews
ATOMIC BACKLAND FR 109 REVIEW — 2017Price: $725.00 evo.com
Fischer Watea 114Price: $895
BLACK CROWS ATRIS REVIEW — 2017Price: $770.00 evo.com
ICELANTIC PIONEER 96 REVIEW — 2017Price: $599.00 evo.com


text:
Interviewer Skills
This activity will prepare you to assume the duties of a human resources specialist and prepare an interview guide used during typical selection interviews. You will prepare the interview guide based on the bona fide occupational qualifications listed in a job description as well as materials provided by the job applicant. This activity accompanies chapter 8 of your textbook. After completing this activity you should be able to:
This activity has five major elements:
If you have a question or a problem about a specific book or product, please fill out our Product Feedback Form.
For further information about this site contact firstname.lastname@example.com.


text:
LONDON-L ArchivesArchiver > LONDON > 2002-04 > 1017656584
From: <>
Subject: [Lon] Off Topic - MIME
Date: Mon, 1 Apr 2002 11:23:06 +0100
To archive postings, I forward emails to my computer which operates aol. Digests appear as MIME messages. After displaying the original message, I copy & paste it to a notepad file.
Problem is with some digests, a message appears to say that aol cannot open the saved MIME message - too large to open.
Does anyone know which other program I can use to open and thus save the file into notepad. I have Works, wordpad, and some other common basic programs.
Best Wishes
George Toth
Stockport, Cheshire (Greater Manchester), UK
Some names under research:
CASE anywhere in the world (I subscribe to
CASE-Family-D list)
TOTH - UK, north America & Europe
AREOFF (several spellings inc AIROV).
ALGER of West Ham and Lincolnshire.
TAYLOR, Barnsley area (pre 1895), Yorks & West Ham (Canning Town post 1895)
THORPE & NICHOLLS (Yorks, West Ham)
Please note - This digital cable Television system accepts text emails but rejects many other formats. It also adds the truncated original message as an attachment when replying. It does not have a cut & paste or address book. George
This thread:
|[Lon] Off Topic - MIME by <>


text:
|Close Window
Destrehan's Randy Roth makes the parish proud
Local shines in the minor league
Michael Luke - Jun 29, 2006
Former Destrehan High School star Randy Roth has been turning heads in the minors.
Roth, who is known for his power as a hitter, went into the sudden-death round in the derby, eventually out-hitting Jordan Benz of Cedar Rapids.
Read More Stories at HeraldGuide.com!
|heraldguide.com is a supplement to St. Charles Herald Guide.
Copyright © 2001 - 2017 St. Charles Herald Guide, Inc. All rights reserved.
Please contact our WebMaster if you experience problems with the website.


text:
margrave was puffing solemnly at his cigar, and changed the subject.
"The two are together," said the margrave, clutching his friend's shoulder.
I felt as if I had realized margrave's idle dreams,—as if youth could never fade, love could never grow cold.
"'Tis clear as the staff of a pike," said the poor margrave, mournfully.
Lots were drawn for the "gate of honor," and gained by the margrave, who accordingly defended it with his band.
The margrave of Rudesheimer was a slender man of elegant appearance.
"The meeting was held regular, at the hour and place advertised," said margrave with dignity.
She had gone to Bayreuth, where she had been the margrave's mistress.
The young light-hearted man, known in this place under the name of margrave?
His hand encountered the strange touch of the margrave's card.
military governor of a German border province, 1550s, from Middle Dutch markgrave (Dutch markgraaf), literally "count of the border," from Old High German marcgravo; second element from graf "count, earl" (Old High German gravo, gravjo), from West Germanic *grafa "a designation of rank, possibly borrowed from Greek grapheus "scribe." For first element see mark (n.1). Later a hereditary title under the Holy Roman Empire. His wife was a margravine.


text:
French Connection linen-blend jacket is a clean-line versatile piece. Channel sophisticated sports-inspired style by pairing this jacket with chinos or tailored shorts.
King Edward Linen Jacket has a button-down collar, zip fastening through front, button-down flap pockets and long sleeves with ribbed cuffs. This jacket is fully lined.
Style code
* Machine Washable
* 62% Cotton 38% Linen
* Length from Centre Back;73.5cm


text:
It will attack, and appropriate, young ducks, and one is said to have been caught near Bootle with two rats in its stomach.
Mr. Bootle said in his letter to you that he was coming for his answer, and I see what answer you have given him.
The following week there was an outbreak of burglaries in Bootle, and the whole crowd were back again in jail.
There are other instances of the same kind in Bootle Street.
Yes, I know Bootle slightly, and confess I don't think much of him!
"I shouldn't have said Bootle was the least like you," Eric said, with a deadly suavity.
The yield of the Bootle well in 1865 was 643,678 gallons a day.
Farther north was a large fort of some thirty guns, and halfway towards Bootle, a smaller one with nine.
A fox got in there one day last March, and Bootle always stops it since that.
I have seen wild roses growing upon the very ground that is now the centre of the borough of Bootle.


text:
Be sure to check back in with The Daily Beast throughout the week for reports every day on these various group sessions.
You can be sure that Barack Obama will make the most of it over his years in the White House.
"She is quirky, sure," Curt Knox once admitted over a Coca-Cola at a café in Perugia.
She sure knows how to separate the metaphorical men from the boys.
sure, sure, you say, but with Romney there really is a link between private conduct and public policy.
Now she felt so sure of it that it was beyond contempt of question.
She can't be after us, for I am sure no one of the enemy knows our mission.
Nobody was sure of him, and this cause augmented the difficulties of his position.
It was a slight hope, to be sure, but the only one that presented itself.
sure, there's no one can ride him barrin' the man I was talkin' of.'
c.1300, "safe, secure," later "mentally certain" (mid-15c.), from Old French sur, seur "safe, secure," from Latin securus "free from care, untroubled, heedless, safe" (see secure (adj.)). Pronunciation development followed that of sugar. As an affirmative meaning "yes, certainly" it dates from 1803, from Middle English meanings "firmly established; having no doubt," and phrases like to be sure (1650s), sure enough (1540s), and for sure (1580s). The use as a qualifier meaning "assuredly" goes back to early 15c. Sure-footed is from 1630s; sure thing dates from 1836. In 16c.-17c., Suresby was an appellation for a person to be depended upon.
Yes; certainly: Sure, I'll support you (1842+)
Related Terms


text:
Kirk Hammett Net Worth
Kirk Hammett net worth: Kirk Hammett is an American songwriter and rock star who has a net worth of $200 million. Kirk Hammett is most famous for being the lead guitarist in the internationally-known heavy metal band Metallica. Born in San Francisco on November 18, 1962, Kirk's love of music led him to form a band in 1980, which he named Exodus, (when he was only 18 years old) prior to his involvement with Metallica. Kirk stayed in Exodus for three years, from 1980 to 1983. Known for using many different guitars, Kirk Hammett excels on all of them. In 2003, Rolling Stone magazine ranked him Number 11 of the 100 greatest guitarists of all time. His work on song "Enter Sandman," has been ranked Number 399 on the Rolling Stone magazine list of The Greatest Songs of All Time. Kirk Hammett and Metallica remain busy and in demand today. Kirk continues to write songs, record and tour regularly.
Other Metallica net worths:
Lars Ulrich Net Worth
James Hetfield Net Worth
Jason Newsted Net Worth
Robert Trujillo Net Worth


text:
Governor Signs Mortgage Foreclosure Relief Bill
New York State Senator Frank Padavan (Queens) joined Governor Paterson and local elected officials for a bill signing ceremony at Queens Borough Hall in Kew Gardens for legislation that will provide vital relief and assistance to at-risk homeowners facing an impending foreclosure on their home. The new law also provides a set of initiatives that will help prevent a future increase in foreclosures throughout New York State.
"The enactment of this new law today once again reflects the strong commitment at all levels of state government to provide the legislative initiatives and tools to help halt the rise of home foreclosure in all reaches of our state," Padavan said. "I applaud Governor Paterson for working with the State Legislature in advancing this important new law that will help protect and strengthen the dream of homeownership in New York."
"We have still seen thousands of our families lose their homes, and no state has been hit harder by the broader effects of the lending crisis. Wall Street's woes have helped to drive New York into recession," said Governor Paterson. "We have the responsibility to protect New York's families who are facing foreclosure, and we need to reform banking regulations to ensure this does not happen again. This law does both, and spurred the federal government to do the same."
Under the new law, lenders must send out a pre-foreclosure notice to a mortgage borrower at least three months before any foreclosure proceedings begin. The lender also must send with the notice a list of state-approved housing counselors available in their area. This will allow at-risk homeowners to find help and take any action they need before any foreclosure proceedings have begun.
The new law also requires that there must be a mandatory settlement conference for foreclosure proceedings involving homeowners with certain subprime loans. Additionally, the law will include provisions and legal steps to clarify and eliminate questionable foreclosure actions and tactics that have arisen during the current subprime mortgage crisis.
In order to prevent another rise in home foreclosures in the future, the new law includes a number of provisions strengthening state law in order to protect mortgage borrowers and homeowners. These legislative initiatives include: a "duty of care" provision that will require mortgage lenders to act in a borrower and homeowner's best interest, increased criminal penalties for mortgage fraud and stronger state oversight and transparency of mortgage servicers throughout New York state.
"This new law gives lenders and homeowners a mechanism to avoid foreclosures while instituting new and stronger state oversight and standards governing subprime loans in New York state," Padavan said. "At the end of the day, this comprehensive law will make New York the leader in the fight to end the rise of foreclosures."
A recent report by Propertyshark.com indicated that foreclosures throughout New York City increased by 67 percent in July. Queens was the hardest hit borough with an increase of 81 percent when compared to a year ago. According to Propertyshark.com, during the first quarter of 2008, there was a 51.7 percent increase in foreclosures from the final three months of 2007.


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Clocking Out: Batcave Edition
How much more women have to pay for insurance, before and after the Affordable Care Act.
The Supreme Court's Affordable Care Act case in flowchart form.
The benefits of the Affordable Care Act in interactive-map form.
The Medicaid issue at stake in the Supreme Court.
A live blog from today's hearing.
The party behind the party: the Republican operatives who will spend tens of millions to buy elections this fall.
Speaking of which, no wonder there's buyers' remorse: states that went Republican in 2010 have lost thousands of jobs in schools, public safety and more.
The consequences of politicians' attacks on collective bargaining.
Walmart warehouse workers, Hyatt custodial staff "coincidentally" laid off while trying to form unions.
Related: How do you build power for freelance workers?
Washington D.C. still has some idealists, and you can find them at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.
But it also has some self-serving cynics.
Song for the day, in honor of Mitt Romney's garage:


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FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- Starting safety Devin McCourty and rookie wide receiver Josh Boyce (ankle) were the two New England Patriots not spotted at the team's walkthrough on Tuesday morning.
McCourty left Sunday's game after tackling Ravens tight end Ed Dickson in the third quarter and did not return. The team officially announced it as a head injury, although it is unclear if McCourty suffered a concussion. Rookie safety Duron Harmon filled in for McCourty.
Boyce, meanwhile, suffered a Week 15 ankle injury against the Dolphins that kept him off the practice field all of last week and out of Sunday's game. The timetable for his return is unclear.
Running back Shane Vereen, who left Sunday's game with a groin injury, was on the field and taking part in team stretching. Safety Steve Gregory, who left the game Sunday with an undisclosed injury but did return, was present for the walkthrough but spent the media-access portion of it on the sidelines.
Left tackle Nate Solder (concussion) and wide receiver Kenbrell Thompkins (hip) were also present for the indoor walkthrough.
One additional note: Running back LeGarrette Blount was still wearing his AFC East Champions hat. He obviously likes the fit.


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FDI vote: Mulayam, Maya stay away, save UPA's day
The Lok Sabha on Wednesday rejected the BJP-sponsored motion that sought withdrawal of the UPA decision to allow foreign direct investment in multi-brand retail. HT reports. Numbers gamedelhi Updated: Dec 06, 2012 02:15 IST
The Lok Sabha on Wednesday rejected the BJP-sponsored motion that sought withdrawal of the UPA decision to allow foreign direct investment in multi-brand retail.
The Congress-led UPA won the numbers as the motion, moved by the leader of Opposition Sushma Swaraj, got 218 votes in favour and 253 against it. The archrivals in Uttar Pradesh, the SP and BSP, walked out with a combined strength of 43.
"The FDI policy that we have put in place has the approval of this House," said Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.
Swaraj replied with a statement that of the 18 parties that participated in the debate, 14 — with 282 MPs — opposed the policy. "Unfortunately, it seems to have become an FDI versus CBI in the end."
Swaraj suggested that the government used the CBI to pressure BSP chief Mayawati and SP patriarch Mulayam Singh Yadav. Both opposed the policy, but abstained from voting — ultimately helping the government.While Yadav said his party had decided to abstain, BSP leader in the Lok Sabha Dara Singh Chauhan said they staged a walkout as the government ignored their concerns on FDI. Congress sources, however, claimed that UPA floor managers had been working behind the scene to win over the tacit support of both the parties.
While the vote demonstrated the government's ability to manoeuvre the two parties, it also exposed the ruling combination's vulnerability: Its score of 253 is 19 less than 272, the halfway mark in the Lok Sabha.
The first floor test after the Trinamool Congress' exit from the UPA over FDI and showed that the government would have to constantly negotiate with the SP and BSP for its survival.
The gap between the Opposition and the government was 35, as the 18 TMC MPs voted with the BJP.
TMC chief Mamata Banerjee said on Facebook: "The mandate today proves that UPA 2 is a minority government."
But the voting on FDI would have no bearing on the survival of the government or the FDI policy itself even if it had lost it, except causing embarrassment. The government initially wanted to avoid voting, arguing that its executive decision was not subject to parliamentary approval.
A bigger trouble, however, awaits the government in the Rajya Sabha. As the arithmetic in the Upper House is tilted in favour of the Opposition, the government will need the BSP to vote in its favour to save its face.
FDI vote in Lok Sabha, moral defeat for govt: oppn
Industry hails Lok Sabha approval to FDI in retail
Govt is in minority: Mamata
FDI policy has approval of the Lok Sabha: PM
UPA's victory arrogance of power: Sushma-VIDEO


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Fighting ignorance since 1973 Its taking longer than we thought
Have oceangoing cruise ships
ever departed from Chicago?
Dear Cecil:
I recently watched an episode from the old Bob Newhart Show ("Bum Voyage") in which Bob and Emily leave on a 63-day cruise to Europe. At the end of the show they're on the cruise ship and all their friends show up to see them off. Then I realized this ocean cruise was originating in Chicago. Is this even possible? Did oceangoing cruise ships leave from Chicago in the 70s? I know the show was fictional, but to me this would be as strange as a cruise ship departing from Kansas City.
gbarr42, via the Straight Dope Chicago Message Board
Cecil Adams replies:
What do you mean, is it possible? Of course it's possible. Chicago wouldn't be here, or at any rate wouldn't have risen to its present exalted state, if it weren't possible. Granted, we're not to the point that you could have the Queen Mary 2 tie up at Navy Pier, and I'm not seeing this happening any time soon. But vast sums have been spent over the years to make Chicago and other Great Lakes ports accessible to oceangoing vessels. Most of said vessels are freighters, their numbers are relatively few, and the principal passengers (as distinct from the crews) have been zebra mussels and other pests, leading many to think this oceangoing vessel thing wasn't such a hot idea. Nonetheless, reality has at last caught up with TV scriptwriters' imaginations while oceangoing cruise ships didn't depart from Chicago in the 1970s, they do now. What we're looking at here is one of the classic City-of-the-Big-Shoulders stories: by God we're going to be an ocean port, and we're not going to let the lack of an ocean in the vicinity stand in our way.
Chicago as gateway to nautical adventure isn't as nutty as you might think. If you've ever glanced east when walking on the beach, you've noticed there's a sizable body of water out there maybe not as big as your typical ocean, but big enough to accommodate oceangoing craft. In fact, during World War II, the U.S. Navy used Lake Michigan as a place to train aircraft carrier pilots away from prying Axis eyes. Lake Michigan connects to Lake Huron, Huron to Erie this is all coming back to you, I'm sure. The last link in the chain, Lake Ontario, connects to the impressively wide Saint Lawrence River, which empties into the Atlantic Ocean. So from a high-level point of view, Chicago has always been an ocean port, and getting the world to realize it was just a question of adroit PR.
To be sure, a few practical obstacles had to be dealt with as well, namely rapids, shallows, and above all a 570-foot difference in elevation between lake and sea levels a problem manifested most spectacularly at Niagara Falls, where the river connecting Lake Erie with Lake Ontario drops 173 feet. Detouring past such impediments required astonishing feats of construction, the best known of which was the 365-mile-long Erie Canal, which bypassed not just Niagara Falls but an entire Great Lake (Ontario), connecting the Hudson River at Albany with Lake Erie at Buffalo. When completed in 1825, the Erie Canal made it possible to travel from the Atlantic Ocean to the Great Lakes entirely by water an enormous boon in pre-railroad days. Standing at the front door to the U.S. interior, New York soon became the country's dominant seaport. Chicago got started later, and had to build another canal connecting it to the Gulf of Mexico to cement its place in the national firmament. That done, however, the city became the continent's chief interior transportation hub, and looking around now, you'd have to say things worked out.
The one problem, from the standpoint of Chicago's global ambitions, was this: while the Erie Canal meant you could get from here to the ocean by boat, it had to be a pretty small boat the canal as first built was 40 feet wide and four feet deep and accommodated horse-drawn barges. Though subsequently enlarged, the waterway remained a modest affair, and if you look at it now (it's still used, mostly for recreational traffic), you know what was painfully evident to Chicago boosters early on: we'll never get an ocean liner down that.
Thus the Saint Lawrence Seaway, which in 1959 opened the Great Lakes to honest-to-God ships, mainly as a result of digging channels through or around obstructions in the St. Lawrence River. (The Welland Canal, built earlier, provided a detour past Niagara Falls.) Midwestern interests, which had banged the gong for the seaway for decades in the face of eastern opposition, argued that it would turn the Great Lakes into a freshwater Mediterranean, a fourth coast, etc. The seaway debuted to great fanfare, the highlight from Chicago's perspective undoubtedly being a visit from Queen Elizabeth and Prince Phillip, who steamed into Monroe Harbor on the royal yacht. Buoyant local officials could tell themselves: We've hit the big time at last.
Not quite, or at least not because of the seaway. International shipping on the Great Lakes never rose to the projected levels "salties" today account for just 5 percent of lake freight. Seaway backers say that's because the locks and canals are too small for today's monster ships, and that the solution is making them bigger, at a cost of $10 billion. Environmentalists shudder, pointing to the scores of alien species now infesting the lakes, most of which, including the much-cursed zebra mussel, were carried here in the ballast water of foreign vessels. (A few radicals, in fact, have floated the notion of banning international shipping from the lakes altogether.) Normally one would expect economics to trump mere green concerns, but in this instance greed is undoubtedly tempered by thoughts along the following lines: The seaway-lakes system stretches for 2,300 circuitous miles, involves the patient negotiation of numerous locks and channels, lacks facilities for containerized freight, much of which comes from Asia anyway, and four months of the year is blocked by ice. Sure, some claim it's still cheaper than hauling everything by land to coasts #1, #2, and #3. But who are we trying to kid?
So that's why you're not seeing a lot of oceangoing cruise ships tying up at Navy Pier, which, after handling a peak of 250 ships in 1964, fell into disuse and was largely derelict till reborn as the present pleasure palace in the 1990s. But cruise ships haven't vanished altogether. Until 2007 the German shipping company Hapag-Lloyd offered Great Lakes cruises aboard the 423-passenger Columbus, which I can tell you from personal knowledge docked at Navy Pier (some friends sailed in on it). True, the cruises were confined to fresh water (Toronto was generally the easternmost destination), but the towering vessel and international manifest (many of the passengers in my recollection were German), combined in my case with a pleasant lunch on the busy pier on a sunny summer's day, produced as authentic a maritime experience as one could hope for without actually sailing anywhere.
The Columbus has been withdrawn from the lakes due to low water, but you can still board a cruise ship at Navy Pier and this one will take you all the way to the ocean. The 100-passenger Grand Mariner, operated by the Great Lakes Cruise Company of Ann Arbor, Michigan, departs Chicago June 13 on a 15-day tour that will take it to Warren, Rhode Island by way of lakes Michigan, Huron, Erie, and Ontario, the Oswego and Erie canals, and the Hudson River. True, the salt water portion of the journey mainly takes you up Long Island Sound, which may not be everyone's idea of the bounding main, but it's plainly identified on my Rand McNally road atlas as an arm of the Atlantic Ocean. Two other oceanbound cruises are scheduled for later in the summer. Tickets start at about $4K. So there you go.
Wait a minute, you say. Nothing against Warren, Rhode Island, but Bob and Emily were clearly headed to Europe on their 63-day cruise, and that's what I want too.
Well, I can't promise scheduled service. However, I heard from a pleasant Dutchman named Chris Rombouts, a ship aficionado who sailed from the Netherlands to Cleveland in a Polish freighter in 2005. Cost: $1,450. Length of trip: 14 days. He arranged the voyage through a Dutch company called Cargo Ship Cruises that specializes in such junkets. The accommodations were a bit spartan no shuffleboard or black-tie dinners, just movies in Polish. I haven't definitely established that you can depart for Europe from Chicago (or more likely, some pier in Milwaukee), although the steamship company promises they'll get back to me. But my feeling is, you want a cruise? You got a cruise. Just don't complain you expect 63 days.
Cecil Adams
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A Birds Eye View of Life
By Michael Levy submitted to Natural Matters
To quote an old saying; "we should live life as free as a bird" but do all birds live a free life? Another question we may ask is "do birds possess some form of ego?" If so, then perhaps their life is not as free as it seems.
A few years ago, I was watching an enthralling display by birds of prey in the glorious South of England. It was fascinating to see how owls and falcons are trained to fly around an open field, and then land on different stations and posts when called. How magnificent they are when they swoop in to seize food from a swinging rope. All was going well until they brought out the star of the show. This was a falcon with its own strong mind and would do things in its own time.
The falcon came out and flew way up high in the sky. It circled our area for a few minutes and just when it seemed to be sweeping down to take its prey swinging on the end of a rope, it decided it was enjoying its freedom too much and headed up even higher and more distant. The trainer told us the falcon was entering in a space that is protected by two Peregrine falcons. She stated that their falcon would be attacked and chased off for flying in the Peregrines space. The Peregrines had no young in their nest; hence they were protecting what they believed is "their hunting ground"
Well, I began to think, if a bird protects its air space then they must have an idea of their identity. If they have an identity, then maybe they possess some type of an ego, for only an ego thinks it holds possessions. The two Peregrines believe they own their patch of sky, therefore other birds were not free to fly in their territory. I do not know how many species of birds protect their patch of sky, but all birds protect their nest and that seems to be a rational instinct to protect life and cannot be deemed as egotistical.
Protecting a nest is a natural action to preserve life, but to extend that instinct to protect the sky seems to be one of selfishness. The question is, have some birds of prey evolved to act in an aggressive manner, so that they can possess their air space? Are they mistakenly thinking they need to protect their space in order to survive? Even though there was open countryside all around, filled will all types of small tasty creatures they eat, this small patch of sky was theirs! It seems as if it had become "normal" for these birds to act aggressively to protect their patch of sky.
The trainer's falcon did not stay in the Peregrines space for too long, as it must have a good memory of past attacks it had encountered. Within a few seconds, it flew away, far beyond our view and was out of sight for half an hour or more. This falcon was truly as free as a bird now and the whole of the surrounding countryside was his domain.
Quite suddenly it came back into our sight and within a few minutes came whizzing over our heads (within a few inches) and swooped on its pray which was a dead mouse on the end of the twirling rope. What a fascinating display, via a bird's eye view of life, we observed that day.
How many of us live as an egotistical birdbrain? To put it another way, how many people protect the space between their ears that stores man made belief systems? We all grow up to accept a belief system or political viewpoint. However, what happens when some newcomer comes into our life and invades our space of thought with a differing viewpoint? Many dogmatic, egotistical people will not tolerate anyone else's point of view from entering their thoughts, so they immediately attack. They find many ways of aggressively fending off any opinion that could threaten their own territory. On a more obstreperous scale, a war of words turns into a military war of destruction and mayhem. Are we no better than a bird, with a brain the size of a pea?
Do we really need to go through life with a limited view of our beliefs, or should we open up our skies (minds) and fly all around the universe to acquire new and exciting original thoughts? The trainers falcon was free to fly where he wished once let off the lead. He flew high and wide and enjoyed his freedom. But he came home to a loving master after his free flight.
Fifty-thousand years ago, humans began to transform from natural beings and evolved into sophisticated, complex, tangled beings. Humans evolved intellectually whist at the same time forfeiting much of their natural biological identity. Today our normality is creating havoc and mayhem all around the world, in our everyday lives. Can we return to a more natural life and still enjoy all the modern day trappings?
We live but a brief life on earth, whereby we have been let out to roam free and think at will. We only have a short period to fly freely because we are just passing though on our eternal journey. Let's not restrict our space to think. It has become "normal" for the
ego to protect its viewpoints. The spirit will fly freely... Naturally, (natures rally) with an open mind. Whom do you want to fly with today?
There are so many new creative ideas we can swoop on, to help society free itself from captivity of egotistical thoughts. We may not possess a bird's eyesight or hearing abilities, but surely we can think a little clearer than a contentious, out of tune birdbrain... or can we?
Digg It
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LISTEN: All Aboard Florida's President, C.O.O. Talks About WPB Station & Opposition
The complaints keep coming in to the folks behind the All Aboard Florida project.
Don Robinson is the President and Chief Operating Officer of the high speed rail line planned to run from Miami to Orlando, with stops in West Palm Beach and Fort Lauderdale.
He tells us some of the concerns from residents throughout the corridor.
"You know, 'we'll have 16 trains leaving from Miami and 16 trains leaving from Orlando. There's going to be traffic gridlock, etcetera.' So we have an animated video that essentially says by the time the gates go down, the train crosses and the gates go back up, it's approximately 46 seconds."
Some communities, many along the Treasure Coast, have come out in opposition to the project. We asked Robinson if he thinks some of that may be because there are no stops in the Martin through Indian River Counties area. He says he believes that may be somewhat at play, but also that people seem to have what he calls a "freight train" mentality. This, he says will be nothing like a freight train when it rolls through 32 times a day.
There has also been a misunderstanding about the All Aboard Florida project when it comes to the taxpayers. Robinson says that taxes are not being used to fund the rail line's construction or operation.
"We are a privately funded group." He does note, however, "We are applying for a federal RRIF (Railroad Rehabilitation and Improvement Financing) loan, which is a loan that the Federal Railroad Administration issues."
We asked Robinson flat out, "Is there any scenario in which you could see this project not coming to fruition?" Here was his reply.
"It's privately funded, privately operated on privately owned land. We can do this without the federal RRIF loan if needed."
Last week, All Aboard Florida unveiled the design for their West Palm Beach station, which will be located between CityPlace and City Hall. It's being described as a sleek, modern look with shops and restaurants on the second floor.


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Chinese and other Asian coal-fired electricity plants belching dangerous mercury-laced smoke are mostly to blame for mercury warnings now in every U.S. state and covering the total fish populations of 25 states, according to a startling new federal audit.
Just as alarming: Despite herculean efforts in many states to slash emissions of two acid rain producing pollutants, nitrogen oxides and sulfur dioxide, many lakes, bays and streams along the Appalachian and Pacific Coast ranges and Great Lakes can't meet federal guidelines because of pollution floating in from Canada, Mexico and nearby states.
An exhaustive new Government Accountability Office audit of Environmental Protection Agency water programs laid out the worrisome findings while presenting a vexing policy issue: They want the EPA to do more to stop pollution, but how can EPA stop foreign pollution from fouling American waters? (Read the complete report in the embedded viewer below this story.)
The easiest to handle and the area the Obama administration is focused most on is air pollution from U.S. power plants and cars. The GAO found success in some states like New York, which has cut in-state emissions 90 percent in the last two decades. The result: New York still can't meet regulations because 87 percent of the acid rain-producing pollutants are floating in "mostly from the Southeast, and Midwest United States and Canada."
The GAO said Chesapeake Bay suffers from a similar problem of pollutants flowing in from states that don't neighbor the watershed.
While acid rain pollutants spoil waters, mercury ingested by fish can harm humans, especially children, when eaten. But, said GAO, the U.S. effort is being thwarted by Asian industrial plants. GAO said that 67 percent of human-cause mercury emissions come from Asia, while only 8 percent are from North America.
A GAO map of the nation showing mercury warnings for fish shows a continuous red line from the Maine-Canada border to the Texas-Mexico line. Citing an EPA report, the GAO said that in 2010, "all 50 states reported mercury-related fish consumption advisories, and 25 states reported statewide freshwater advisories. Additionally, Alaska, Hawaii, all of the Gulf states, and most of the East Coast states, reported statewide coastal advisories."
The administration is currently negotiating mercury levels with international partners.


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Dr. Jayantilal Bhandari
With the heralding of the new millennium, and the challenges that have appeared globally, the problem of child labour stands among the most acute ones. Millions of children in the world have been forced into child labour owing either to non-schooling or to school dropouts at the initial stage. Child labour may be defined as one who has not yet attained the age of 14 years and whose physical, mental and social development has suffered due to his pre-mature employment .
In the densely-populated poor and developing countries, the problem of child labour is acute. India is no exception. A World Bank Report published in January, 2000 has revealed that there are six crore working children in India-the largest in terms of any country in the world. They include the one-and-a-half crore working children. Elimination of child labour is no doubt a big challenge for facing the country today. The Union Labour Minister Dr. Satya Narayan Jatiya says that the Government has adpted a progressive and integrated approach to eliminate child labour in the country.
In order to resolve this socio-economic problem, a multi-dimensional action plan involving awareness generation among all sections of the society is required. In creating a national awareness campaign for the elimination of child labour , the non-government organisations (NGOs) and the mass media have also to complement the governmental efforts.
The actual number of working children in the country is very large. People at large as well as the public representatives are greatly concerned with the magnitude of the child labour problem in the country at present. Its intensity was felt as early as five decades ago when the Constitution of India was framed . Various Articles prohibit the employment of children in factories.Under Article 24 it has been stated that no child below the age of 14 shall be employed in any factory or mine or other hazardous occupation or work. Similarly, Article 31 provides that the State shall ensure that adolescent children are not forced to accept an employment detrimental to their age and physical ability owing to economic compulsions. Children are provided opportunities to develop in a healthy manner and in a free and respectful situation where they are protected against exploitation of their childhood and youth and against their moral or physical abandonment. Article 45 provides for free and compulsory education for children under the schedule of the Child Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Act, 1986 and employment of children is prohibited in 12 occupations and 51 hazardous processes.
Child Labour Policy
The Government of India formulated the National Child Labour Policy in 1987 to tackle the problem. An action plan has been drawn up under this policy which includes a statutory action plan for benefiting the working children. Under this, focus has been laid on launching a project-based action plan in areas where children are engaged in paid or under-paid occupations. The National Agenda for Governance (1998) mentions the steps to be taken for eliminating child labour in the country.These include rehabilitation of child labour,implementation of the National Child Labour Projects, grants-in-aid to the voluntary agencies and promoting International Programme for the Elimination of Child Labour. For the rehabilitation of working children, special schools and rehabilitation centres have been established where there is a provision of informal education, vocational training and nutrition for the children relieved from work. Under this project, so far 2418 schools have been established in 85 districts across the country in which 139494 children have been enrolled so far. But a majority of such schools and their beneficiaries are in the districts of Andhra Pradesh and Orissa .
An international programme for the elimination of child labour has also been implemented in India by the International Labour Organisation. Under this programme, financial assistance, awareness-creation, rehabilitation and education are provided for the elimination of child labour. Even in the International Labour Conferences held during 1998-99 effective efforts were initiated by India focussing on child labour problem. Apart from these a number of child labour study groups and committees like the Harbans Singh Committee, Gurpadswami Committee, Sanad Mehta Committee, and Singhvi Committee have made their suggestions. Inspite of these efforts, the number of working children in India is shocking. As per the 1981 census, the country had 1.36 crore child labourers which came down to 1.13 crore in 1991.
These children work in agricultural farms and lands or are engaged in conventional industrial occupations. Andhra Pradesh has the largest number of 17 lakh children as per the 1991 census. The other States having more than 10 lakh working children are Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh. More than 90 per cent of these children are engaged in rural sectors, i.e., agriculture and its allied activities like harvesting, farming, animal husbandary, forestry and fishing. Presently, the child labourers are concentrated mainly in Sivakasi ,Tamil Nadu(matches and fireworks industries), in Uttar Pradesh, Firozabad, (glass industry), Khurja (pottery), Mirzapur-Bhadohi (carpet), Moradabad (brassware), Aligarh (lock making); in Rajasthan, Jaipur (gems and jewellery); in Madhya Pradesh, Sagar (biri), and Mandsaur (slate industry) . The latest report of the World Bank reveals that child labourers in India are forced to join work ranging from prostitution to hazardous occupations. For want of suitable conditions at their work places lakhs of child labourers have become permanently sick.
On reviewing the factors behind the prevalence of child labour, we find that casteism, poverty, family size of family and poor income, and education are some of the major factors that have intensified the problem of child labour in India. The Gurupadswami Committee report shows that problem of child labour is a direct result of poverty where elimination in itself is a great problem.
The child labour problem is an intense socio-economic issue in India that requires a long-term multi-pronged strategy to the carried out on a continuous basis. This strategy should include enforcement of Child Labour Acts, strengthening of primary education in the rural areas, rehabilitation of child labour, improvement of economic conditions of the childs parents through various poverty alleviation and employment generation programmes . It is also necessary that a strong evaluation and monitoring be done for the various child labour elimination programmes and projects. A strong enforcement of the Labour Acts may be done to ensure legal actions against those who employ children for work. The child labour problem is an evil that requires awareness and change of approach in all sections of the society. The Government, media and NGOs have to unite to play their proper role in this holistic task.Only then the child labour problem can be solved effectively.


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Sibling Rivalry Project by Deus Ex Machina
California division of Deus Ex Machina finished building two new motorcycles. The project is called "Sibling Rivalry" (Enmity brothers). These beautiful two cafe racer made on the basis of motorcycles Honda. The first motorcycle called "Boodaak", the second one is "Dakdaak". Motorcycles are based on off-road engines Honda.Continue reading →


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Featured Trees
Tree Location
Additional Feature Photos
Dawn Redwood
Kentucky Coffeetree
Ornamental Pear
Blue Beech
Northern Catalpa
American Yellowwood
River Birch
Red Pine
Japanese Tree Lilac
Quaking Aspen
Tulip Tree
Eastern Redbud
Eastern White Pine
Amur Maackia
Autumn Purple Ash
Crabapple 'Donald Wyman'
Princess Kay Canadian Plum
Ruby Red Horsechestnut
Black Locust 'Purple Robe'
Northern Pin Oak
Freeman Maple
Black Alder
Littleleaf Linden
Balsam Fir
Norway Spruce 'Acrocona'
Trees Company
(Picea abies 'Acrocona')
A very interesting Evergreen can be observed at Winona State University: the Acrocona Spruce, an upright weeping cultivar of the Norway Spruce (Picea abies 'Acrocona'). This tree was originally found in the forests of Sweden in the late 1890s.
The name "Acrocona" means "with terminals on the ends of the branches." This is a good description of the growth of the cones on this tree, since the branch tends to end with the cones. Due to this growth pattern, side branching occurs much more than on a normal evergreen and the tree's appearance can be quite unruly.
While the Norway Spruce can grow to more than 80 feet tall with a trunk diameter of three feet or more, the Acrocona Spruce is a much shorter and denser variety. The Acrocona Spruce grows slowly, reaching a height of 6 to 8 feet after ten years of growth.
Because of the density and irregularity of its branches, the Acrocona Spruce gives an attractive display of cones, from their original development as small purple flowers in spring to full-grown, seed-bearing cones about 2 to 3 inches long in the fall. The cones persist through winter and in early spring release the small winged seeds.
The Acrocona is definitely an unusual member of the Spruce family. At Winona State University, several Acrocona Spruce trees can be found on either side of the main entrance of Phelps Hall, on the west side of the building.
(see #90 on the maps)
Last Modified: Thursday, May 08, 2008 13:59 by


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The Strong considers its staff and volunteers its greatest resources. To help it carry out its mission, the museum seeks talented individuals with a passion for outstanding service.
The Strong provides equal opportunity to all qualified applicants without regard to gender, sexual preference, age, race, color, creed, national origin, disability, and military or marital status.
Application Process
The Strong blends the best features of both history museums and children's museums—extensive collections and high interactivity—to serve a diverse audience of children, families, adults, students, educators, scholars, and collectors. Paid and volunteer positions may be available to support the museum and its International Center for the History of Electronic Games, National Toy Hall of Fame, World Video Game Hall of Fame, Brian Sutton-Smith Library and Archives of Play, Woodbury School, and American Journal of Play.
After reviewing the available positions (below), candidates should enter The Strong's online career center, which is provided through InfinityHR to begin the application process: build a profile, enter education and work histories, upload a resume, and add any additional information. To check the status of a completed application, candidates should log into the online career center using their user name and password.
Applying for positions via the career center website allows The Strong's Human Resources Team to receive and review application materials in a more timely fashion than any other method of application. Candidates experiencing any difficulty with the online career center can send an email with resume attached to firstname.lastname@example.com.
The application review process normally takes between two to four weeks to complete, and all applicants receive a response at the completion of the process. Candidates selected for employment must consent to a criminal background check and drug screen.
Current Job Opportunities
Teacher- Woodbury School
Job Type:
Duties and Responsibilities:
- Teach pre-school classes for three, four, and five year old children using teaching methods that conform with established museum procedures.
- Provide support of individual students inside and outside the classroom to enable them to fully participate in activities.
- Document student work using methods consistent with the Reggio Emilia model.
- Plan and implement parent communication and parent classroom involvement process.
- Assist in related activities including, but not limited to; the creation of curriculum materials, students projects, and professional development.
- Attend all training and enrichment programs.
- Master's Degree in early childhood or elementary education; early childhood certification preferred
- Experience teaching in a play-based classroom setting
- Exceptional verbal communication skills
- Positive and enthusiastic attitude
- Willingness to work as part of a team
- Familiarity with Reggio Emilia Approach and other methods of emergent curriculum highly desirable
Successful candidates must consent to and pass a drug screen and criminal background check as conditions of employment. The Strong is a smoke-free campus and smoking is not allowed on museum property.
Environmental Specialist
Job Type:
Full-time and Part-time
Duties and Responsibilities:
The Strong is looking for two dedicated individuals to join our Environmental Services Team. Members of this team follow the museum's philosophy of outstanding guest service and perform assigned duties in a professional manner. Duties include, but are not limited to, general cleaning and maintenance, dusting, vacuuming, buffing, mopping and waxing floors, collecting and disposing of trash, cleaning and stocking public and office restrooms, special event setups, etc.
- Must be at least 21 years of age with a H.S. diploma or GED
- Ability to positively interact with museum guests
- Ability to walk three (3) flights of stairs, balance, stoop, kneel, crouch and crawl
- Ability to lift, move, carry, push or pull weight up to 50 pounds
- Ability to juggle many tasks at once, possess a strong work ethic, and willingness to learn
- Must be able to communicate both orally and in writing; able to understand and follow standard operating procedures and to exercise sound judgment in decision-making
Full-time: Day shift, weekends included
Part-time: Wednesday through Saturday 5:00 p.m. - midnight
Must consent to and pass a drug screen and criminal background check as conditions of employment. The Strong is a smoke-free campus, and smoking is not allowed on museum property.
Food Service Host
Job Type:
Duties and Responsibilities:
The Strong is looking for friendly and energetic individuals with a passion for guest service when preparing and serving great tasting meals in our food court. Successful candidates must display a professional attitude and be committed to serving guests at Subway, Pizza Hut Express, and Taco Bell Express. Duties include, but are not limited to, proactively approaching guests at the counter, preparing items as requested, answering questions about our menus, offering suggestions for complete meal solutions, and responding with a sense of urgency.
Food Service Hosts work both independently and as a team to clean and replenish food stations, handle cash register and credit card transactions, and provide continuous and courteous service in a fast-paced environment. Performing closing procedures in the food court include cleaning, storing prepared food to maintain freshness and quality in accordance with restaurant requirements, leaving the food court and restaurants ready for tasks to take place efficiently the next morning, properly handling products, using various food preparation equipment, and keeping accurate logs in accordance with food safety and safety guidelines.
Hosts must be punctual and have good attendance. Successful candidates must possess teamwork and diversity awareness by listening to others' points of view and recognizing and appreciating differences. The successful candidate will be required to spend the majority of time on his or her feet and stand or walk without a break for up to 4 hours. We are seeking applicants who possess a strong work ethic and an interest in making the museum a fun destination for all ages.
High school diploma or completed GED, will also consider current high school students 17 years of age and older.
Open availability preferred. All hosts must be available to work weekends.
Must consent to and pass a drug screen and criminal background check as conditions of employment. The Strong is a smoke-free campus, and smoking is not allowed on museum property.
Digital Games Curator
Job Type:
Duties and Responsibilities:
- Directs The Strong's efforts to preserve digital materials related to the collections of the museum's International Center for the History of Electronic Games, using and developing an evolving variety of technical approaches.
- Works collaboratively with, and support the efforts of, other teams at The Strong, especially the exhibits, collections, information technology, and institutional advancement teams. The Curator will work closely with the museum's Director of Conservation and Arcade Conservation Technician.
- Catalogs digital objects in the museum's database systems.
- Contributes to the development of onsite and online exhibits.
- Maintains an active presence among communities engaged in the areas of game preservation and game history, which will at times involve domestic and international travel.
- Locates, identifies, and recommends objects for acquisition through gift and purchase. Also recommends objects for possible deaccession.
- Catalogs new acquisitions as well as objects already in the collection
- Researches collections and keeps abreast of current developments in the museum field and specific subjects areas through conferences, courses, reading, travel, and participation in professional organizations.
- Participates, as required, on exhibit development teams.
- Responds to public and professional requests for information and assistance, as well as media requests as appropriate in conjunction with the public relations staff. Participates in interpreting the collection to the visiting public, to visiting scholars, and to professional museum personnel.
- Provides teaching services in cooperation with other teams and acts as advisor to students and interns. Facilitates training of interns and curatorial volunteers, and coordinates their tasks as required.
- Advanced degree in computer science, library and information sciences, history, or other related field.
- Strong technical knowledge and ability in methods of digital preservation in order to solve preservation challenges presented by media that range from cassette tapes and floppy disks to modern cloud-based, server-based games.
- Must be a problem solver, flexible thinker, and a goal-oriented, self-starter who is passionate about advancing The Strong's mission of preserving the history of play.
- Solid understanding of the history and importance of video games and the game industry.
- Proven ability and interest in working in both a collaborative, team environment as well as individually.
- Ability to multi-task and manage multiple projects of varying priorities simultaneously.
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
- Foreign language skills, especially Japanese or Chinese, are desirable but not required.
Successful candidates must consent to and pass a drug screen and criminal background check as conditions of employment. The Strong is a smoke-free campus and smoking is not allowed on museum property.
Major Gifts Officer
Job Type:
Duties and Responsibilities:
- Maintain an active schedule of moves management interactions (identification, cultivation, solicitation, stewardship) with 200 assigned major giving prospects ($50,000+) locally and on the east coast (individual and corporate).
- Implement a strategic plan to secure campaign contributions of $50,000+ in support of the goals necessary for the success of The Strong's capital campaign. This plan should reflect a keen understanding of prospect management.
- Develop strategy for qualifying and building relationships with top prospects and conduct active schedule of cultivation and stewardship visits to prospects with giving ability of ratings of $50,000+.
- Meet mutually agreed upon goals for visits and solicitations with prospects and donors.
- Work with advancement staff to implement a detailed campaign plan for assigned keeping staff and senior leadership informed of progress.
- Monitor and pursue all campaign timelines and goals.
- Support cultivation events and programs hosted by the museum or assigned prospects, as well as staff programs in designated geographical regions.
- Contribute to an ongoing system of prospect assignment, tracking, and activity that is reviewed regularly with all involved. Track prospect interactions and proposals in the Altru database.
- Collaborate with and support other areas of advancement and engagement at The Strong as needed.
- Bachelor's degree or equivalent; will consider a similar combination of education and experience
- Minimum of five years advancement and major gifts experience directly cultivating, soliciting,
- and stewarding donors
- Strong data analysis skills and attention to detail
- Results oriented with a drive to meet and exceed goals
- Exceptional organizational and interpersonal communication skills
- Ability to attend to details while multi-tasking in a fast-paced environment
- Experience working within a donor database (RaisersEdge, Altru, or similar systems)
Successful candidates must consent to and pass a drug screen and criminal background check as conditions of employment. The Strong is a smoke-free campus and smoking is not allowed on museum property.


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Brigada Eskwela
Brigada Eskwela, also known as the Bayanihan Para Sa Paaralan, is a nationwide voluntary effort of teachers, parents, students, community members, and other organizations to do minor repairs and clean-ups on their schools in preparation for the start of the school year.
This week-long event began in 2003 as part of the Oplan Balik Eskwela Program and National Maintenance Week of the Department of Education (DepEd). It encourages volunteers give out their time, effort, and even donate materials such as paint, cement, lumber and other materials, which could be used for minor repairs and building. Donations from local corporations and businesses are given in kind.
Minor repairs are usually done before the opening of classes. Maintenance work such as the repainting of the roof and exterior walls, repair of leaking water pipes, ceiling boards, broken furniture and windows, cleaning of toilets, and gardening are done by volunteers with the help of donations in kind from non-government organizations and corporations.
As early as February, school heads recruit volunteers who would participate in the brigade, by March, they would approach local businesses for donations, then organize work groups by April. It is usually held two weeks prior to every year's opening of classes.
Aside from promoting the spirit of volunteerism, since its launch, public schools have benefited in terms of their Community Maintenance and Operating Expenses (MOOE).
- 2003: 12,000 public schools (30% of all schools)
P392 million of community MOOE.
- 2004: 16,000 schools (38% of all schools)
P717.1 million community MOOE.
- 2005: 26,000 schools (62% of all schools)
Over P1 Billion community MOOE.
The brigade has saved the government the amount of P153.16 million in donations, services, and volunteer hours and in 2008, it saved the government about P2.9 billion.
- Office of the Press Secretary. (accessed on June 10, 2009).
- Eskwelahan. (accessed on June 10, 2009).
- Philippine Information Agency. (accessed on June 10, 2009).
Original content from WikiPilipinas. under GNU Free Documentation License. See full disclaimer.


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TAMPA — When Frank Megna heard 40 years ago that Metropolitan Life Insurance Co. was about to set up its regional headquarters in Jacksonville, his reaction was immediate.
"I thought: 'Jacksonville? We need to get that in Tampa,' " Mr. Megna recalled years later. He helped persuade his employers to change their minds about where to put their Southeastern office — putting Tampa on the nation's corporate map.
"In those days, there weren't many large companies down here," former Tampa Mayor Dick Greco said. "I would say that was the first large company to come to Tampa that got the attention of a lot of people."
If Mr. Megna felt someone had helped him, he repaid in kind — and then some. A counterintelligence tour in the Army turned into a long attachment with the Association of the U.S. Army and a mayor's liaison to military functions. In retirement, a trip to a clinic for sick or severely injured children in Peru became a place where he spent four to six months a year.
"If you could pick one word for Frank, that word would be 'loyal,' " said Tampa businessman George Levy, one of the mourners gathered Monday at St. Lawrence Catholic Church. Mr. Megna died July 12 while visiting an ill friend in Virginia after suffering a pulmonary embolism, his family said. He was 79.
In 1970, two years after Mr. Megna moved to Tampa to head up a small sales office for MetLife, he and Greco led a delegation to corporate headquarters in New York. The company was decentralizing and had selected a tentative site in Jacksonville.
They invited executives to Tampa, where they wined and dined them, and treated them to fresh-caught mullet.
"They didn't even know what a mullet was," Greco said. The pitch worked, and soon about 200 employees had moved with the insurance giant to Tampa.
"After that, other large corporations came," Greco said. "It makes it easier to say, 'Well, MetLife is here.' "
Mr. Megna retired in the early 1990s. Greco appointed Mr. Megna the city's liaison to MacDill Air Force Base and related military functions, an appointment renewed by Mayor Pam Iorio. He also served as president of the Association of the U.S. Army.
He attended the Army Ball in June at the A La Carte Pavilion.
"He was just as happy as he could be, working the room," said Col. Jim Previtera of the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office. "Gen. (David) Petraeus was there. Frank was the kind of guy who could talk to generals or a private walking into the room. He treated them all the same."
He expressed himself freely. "He was conservative, but that isn't to say he wasn't tolerant of other people's lifestyles," said his son, William Megna.
Mr. Megna devoted much of his retirement to running marathons and helping underprivileged children in Central and South America. Several years ago he visited a clinic outside Lima, Peru, Hogar San Francisco de Asis. Tampa pediatrician Anthony Lazzara is the medical director at the clinic, which treats children who have been injured or have birth defects such as cleft palate or missing limbs.
In typical fashion, Mr. Megna went all in. He began going to the clinic for three months at a time, twice a year, sleeping in a convent and driving children from their homes to medical appointments. They called him Tio Frank, or "Uncle Frank."
"Whenever he was due to come, I would tell the kids, and they would be overjoyed," Dr. Lazzara said. He could often be seen bearing flowers and cookies for the children, bread and milk for the nuns next door, food for the guinea pigs or bones for the dog.
Mr. Megna grew up in Boston, a descendant of Sicilian immigrants. He served four years in the Army in Germany and also worked in Frankfurt selling MetLife insurance plans to servicemen. His marriage to Renata Michen lasted 20 years. He later moved to New York and Tampa.
A resident of St. Pete Beach for the last several years, Mr. Megna was well known on both sides of Tampa Bay. On July 4, he dressed up in an Uncle Sam outfit, handed out flags and led two dozen children in a patriotic march down the beach. It was the 27th time Mr. Megna had led such an informal parade on July 4.
"He was always about other people, his country and his family," Previtera said. "When the news of his death reached me, it was just shocking. A month ago, he was the picture of health."
Andrew Meacham can be reached at (727) 892-2248 or firstname.lastname@example.com.


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In countries where duelling is still allowed, they have a solution—the duel.
After 1803 the practice of duelling fell gradually into disuse.
No use to think about duelling now, whoever might be challenger.
He had never seen him before—it was his first appearance in the duelling world.
The external lines should follow the Gastinne-Renette duelling pistol as nearly as possible.
According to the duelling laws of the country we are in the right—it isn't that.
I do not believe in duelling, and I believe only in killing a man when there is no other alternative.
In the same manner he had to explain away that duelling charge.
Prize fighting, however brutal and degrading, must not be put in the category of duelling.
duelling and drinking were the two great duties of a gentleman.
1590s (from late 13c. in Latin form), from Medieval Latin duellum "combat between two persons," by association with Latin duo "two," but originally from Latin duellum "war," an Old Latin form of bellum (see bellicose). Retained in poetic and archaic language and apparently given a special meaning in Medieval or Late Latin of "one-on-one combat" on fancied connection with duo "two."
1640s, see duel (n.). Related: Dueled; dueling; duelling.
1640s, see duel (n.). Related: Dueled; dueling; duelling.


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Here's a video in which a group of women talk eloquently about the problem they have with feminist anti-sex-work campaigns, and why they refuse to accept the victim status often accorded automatically to anyone (but especially women) working in the sex industry. It's rather good. (h/t Obo, who found it here; I'm told it's been doing the rounds for some time).
Towards the end, one of the featured women addresses feminist campaigners with these words:
"If the idea of sex for money seems morally repugnant to you, then you may need to come to terms with the fact that this is just your own personal bias, and in no way constitutes grounds for prohibiting consensual acts."
This perennially controversial topic is in the news again thanks to the recent release of a major new ACPO report (pdf) into the extent and nature of sex trafficking and sex-slavery in Britain. The report estimated (based on extrapolations from interviews with fewer than 250 sex workers) that there might be 2,600 "trafficked" women in Britain, a figure criticised by some campaigners for being too low and by others for including as victims of trafficking people who were fully aware that they were going to work in prostitution. In addition, the report creates a new category of those considered "vulnerable" to trafficking - migrant sex workers who, while not meeting all the criteria for being trafficked could nevertheless be accounted potential victims. This category was estimated to comprehend more than 9,000 sex workers (out of an estimated total of 17,000 migrants) , which enabled newspapers to speak of 12,000 trafficking victims, a much more satisfyingly alarmist figure.
The furtive, quasi-illegal nature of prostitution (which the report's authors consider to be exploitative by definition), the lack of a social safety-net and the dubious immigration status of many of these women are all treated as factors supporting a categorisation of "vulnerable". For most of the women concerned, there was no evidence that they were sex-slaves, abused by pimps or tricked into working unwillingly as prostitutes. Merely hailing from a country outside the EU was usually sufficient to attract the label. A much fuller assessment of the report can be read here. It is on a pro-sex work blog, it should be said, but the analysis is extremely thorough and the piece strikes me as well-balanced.
The ACPO report ("Setting the Record") certainly has its problems. It estimates, for example, that on off-street (that is, brothel-based) prostitutes in London, more than 96% are non-British. The representative sample happened to consist almost exclusively of foreign women, and I'm not personally aware of the national mix to be found in London brothels, but that figure is so out of step with the rest of the country, and with common sense, that it's worring that the report's authors were willing to accept it with very little question. Other unexpected findings were more convincingly established. The most significant was the preponderance of Chinese and other Far-Eastern (but especially Chinese) women among likely victims of sex-trafficking. The stereotype of Albanian or former Soviet sex-trafficking gangs, on the other hand, seems to have little empirical support. The problem may exist, but it is of relatively small scale - most East European sex workers are not trafficked into Britain, something that it is as well to remember in the run-up to the 2012 Olympics with its inevitable sex-trafficking scare stories.
Ultimately, a report like this has two quite separate audiences and impacts: the professionals for whom it is written, and the wider public debate. Professionals will (one hopes) read it carefully, note the caveats, and use it along with other evidence (such as the results of the Pentameter swoops, which led to surprisingly few trafficking victims being identified) to inform their actions. The public and media debate, by contrast, will take little note of the methodological bases and detailed conclusions of Setting the Record, focussing instead on the easily absorbable (if highly problematic) figure of 12,000 "trafficked" and "vulnerable" women. Despite its objective intentions, then, the report will doubtless fuel the alarmism that has always surrounded the subject. As an example, pre-publicity for a new Channel 4 documentary on the subject asserts that 4,000 women per year are being trafficked into Britain, a figure that would seem to be based on no research (though prior to ACPO's report, the figure of 4,000 trafficking victims in total has frequently been banded about).
In this heated atmosphere, it's worth noting that the report's authors are well aware of the nuances - how, for example, the same set of facts might be interpreted differently by an outside observer and by someone actually involved in the sex industry, or by two different observers, or even by the same person at different times. They write:
All individuals and organisations involved in the prostitution sector view it from their own perspective: women involved in prostitution, customers, law enforcement officials, charity and NGO staff, women previously involved in prostitution, legislators, judges, jurors and academics all have their own particular set of experiences, biases, expectations, cultural influences and worldviews. Everyone experiences the world through their own unique cultural filter, and because the sale of sex itself is an emotive and politicised subject, when discussing human trafficking it is critical to recognise the effects of these cultural filters. Legitimate arguments on how best to minimise harm from prostitution range from toleration to legalisation to unconditional abolition. It could legitimately be argued that anyone who sells sex is by definition unacceptably exploited; conversely it could also be argued that in certain circumstances prostitution is an entirely legitimate form of employment. There exist a variety of opinions on all sides of the debate, and there seems little chance of achieving a widespread consensus.
I'm not sure that it can be legitimately argued that sex-workers are by definition exploited, though of course it often is. The final point is sadly true, however - yet also unnecessary. To the extent that it exists (which is a matter of debate and considerable uncertainty, even after the report) sex trafficking - the coercive recruitment, movement and "employment" of unwilling sex-workers - is a real evil. That should go without saying. It does not have to be large-scale, or constitute a significant proportion of prostitution, to be worth prosecuting with the full might of the law. A single woman, or man, rescued from sexual slavery should be a cause of celebration. It seems, however, to be at the heart of many campaigners' assumptions that such abuses are inherent within prostitution and other parts of the sex industry as such.
It is this ideological bias, not the necessity of suppressing the sexual abuse of adults and children, that leads many self-declared feminists to inflate and exaggerate the number of victims - a strategy that might secure dramatic headlines, but which undermines the autonomy and denies the experiences (good, bad and most often indifferent) of many real women (and men), alienates the respectful and non-exploitative sex-worker clients (who are thus discouraged from reporting suspected trafficking victims to the police) and ultimately undermines the credibility of their whole cause. They should watch the video.
Sunday, 22 August 2010
Setting the Record straight on trafficking
Here's a video in which a group of women talk eloquently about the problem they have with feminist anti-sex-work campaigns, and why they refuse to accept the victim status often accorded automatically to anyone (but especially women) working in the sex industry. It's rather good. (h/t Obo, who found it here; I'm told it's been doing the rounds for some time).
Posted by Heresiarch at 12:20 pm


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Kathy from Louisville KY reviewed the Winter Sprite Wonderland.
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BOTTOM LINE: Yes, would recommend to a friend.
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Pros: Individually Wrapped,Memorable Gift,Freshness,Nice Presentation,Delicious,Gourmet Taste,Flavor Assortment
Best Uses: Holiday Gift,Business Gift,Personal Gift,Crowd Pleaser,Special Occasion,Treat Yourself