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DjVu to ePub Converter
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Letter Box
Back Row L-R: Douglas McConnell, Marion Petit, Mary Oliver, William Exton LloydFront Row L-R: Howard McConnell, David Hossie, President Walter Murray, John Moore, John Strain.
Class of 1912 Provokes Questions and Thought
I am writing to express my astonishment and dismay after having read through Bev Fast's article on the class of 1912 (Fall 2007).
The article is well written, interesting and detailed but might have been authored by someone living in the 1950's or 1960's. If that were so, I would find it easier to understand.
When describing the lives and accomplishments of the 8 graduates in the photograph of the 1912 class, I learned that both women married and who they married. I notice there is no mention of whom the men married.
Come on! It's 2007! We should all be past this gender bias thing by now.
Karen Kowalenko-Evjen
Editor's Note: Other members of the first graduating class who were found to be married included David Neil Hossie who married Mary Gordon Stuart on November 23, 1926, and Howard McConnell who married Valerie Marr McConnell BA'1925.
Your information on first graduate John James Moore who died in the First World War, most likely at Vimy Ridge, got me wondering. The Veterans Affairs website doesn't list any John Moore close to the information in the article you have but there is some indication on a web site that the 196th battalion was folded into the 19th Reserve battalion, in Manitoba, in January 1917.
Harold Murray
Editor's Note: More information about John James Moore can be found in the University's Archives at http://www.usask.ca/archives/history/wwi.php
The University's records show that William Exton Lloyd entered the Law Faculty in 1913 and enlisted in October 1914, which may explain why he never received his degree. The University archives also indicate that he was wounded.
William Exton Lloyd was the son of the first Principal of Emmanuel College, George Exton Lloyd, who brought the original University of Saskatchewan (now the University of Emmanuel College) founded by federal charter in the 1880's, into the newly created provincial university, and moved the College of Emmanuel and St. Chad into affiliation with the university and onto the current campus from Prince Albert. George Lloyd later became Bishop of Saskatchewan.
Thank you for a most interesting article.
Yours faithfully,
Dr. Walter Deller
Principal and Vice-Chancellor, The College of Emmanuel and St. Chad and The University of Emmanuel College
William Exton Lloyd must surely be linked to George Exton Lloyd, the 4th Anglican Bishop of the Diocese of Saskatchewan, for whom the border city of Lloydminster was named.
Wasn't Bishop Lloyd's daughter the first student of the U of S to receive a degree graduate diploma?
Edward Ceonacher, BA, B'Ed
Editor's Note: Neither of Bishop Lloyd's daughters received a degree from the University of Saskatchewan. It was Bishop Lloyd's daughter-in-law, Mary Isabella Lloyd (Oliver) who received her Bachelor of Arts degree in the first graduating class of 1912. She married William Lloyd's brother Frank Percival Lloyd.
Please send any comments to the Green & White, c/o University Advancement or email email@example.com. Letters may be edited for length.

subset: commoncrawl


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BELTON — A Fort Hood soldier was sentenced to probation this morning in connection with an arson at a local night club.
Spc. Jacob H. Lugmayer, 20, of Fort Hood was sentenced by Judge Martha Trudo to six years deferred probation, according to court records.
Lugmayer and another man, 34-year-old William R. Twist, were arrested and charged with arson in connection with multiple fires set in December at Starlite Station nightclub on South Fort Hood Street.
The fires caused minor to moderate damage to the manager's office and other areas in the facility, according to a statement from the Killeen Police Department. Lugmayer told police the fires were set to cover up a burglary of the club.
Lugmayer pleaded guilty to the charges April 29.
Twist pleaded guilty, and was sentenced to five years of deferred probation April 1.
Read more in Wednesday's Killeen Daily Herald


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6. Using the keypad
COBRA uses the keypad for the quick input of commands.
The keypad is divided into different levels. Like VIRGO, use the 0 key in conjunction with another key to switch levels.
Each level has the numbers 1 to 9, the decimal point, the Enter key, and the plus-, minus-, multiply- and divide keys. The 0 key is not available within a level as it is used to switch levels.
To switch to Level 0 , simply press and release the 0 key on the keypad.
In this handbook we write the commands as they are input on the keypad.
For example, 0+2, 8 means Command 8 on Level 2 – this particular command switches to 8-dot Braille.
To execute the command, you must first switch to Level 2 and then press the 8 key.
Proceed as follows:
- on the keypad press and hold the 0 key (bottom left)
- now press 2 for Level 2 (Braille commands)
- "Level 2, Help function 2" will now appear in Braille and be spoken over the speech output
- now release both keys
- you have now switched to Level 2.
- you can now press the 8 key on the keypad to call up the command.
- Level 2 will remain active until you switch to another level.
To call up another command on Level 2, simply press the relevant key – you do not have to reactivate the level.
COBRA has the following levels:
- Level 0, Basic functions:
- Level 1,
Help functions 1
- Level 2, Help functions 2:
- Level 3,
Display commands
- Level 4, COBRA dialogs:
- Level 5, Mouse commands:
- Level 6, Program specific:
- Level 8,
Speech commands
- Level 9,
COBRA clipboard
- Level Enter,
Key simulations
- Level Plus, Unassigned:
- Level Minus, Magnification:
- Level Star, Service:
- Level Divide, Script:
- Level Decimal point, Windows commands:
In the Key Assignment dialog of the COBRA Menu you will find the following shortcuts for the keypad commands:
Command 02, 5 for function 5 on Level 2 will be written "L2N5".The first two figures denote the Level (L=Level) and the number after the N denotes the number of the command.
Alongside the keys 0 to 9, E stands for Enter, + for the plus sign, - for the minus sign, * for multiply, / for divide and a D for decimal point.
For example, "LEN6" means Level Enter, Function 6; L6NE means Level 6, Enter key; and LDNE Level Decimal point, Enter.
0+1, + , (i.e. with the plus sign on Level 1), or COBRA-Key+Shift+H switches on the Help for the COBRA command keys.
When you now press a key combination the command will not be executed but you will hear which command has been assigned to that combination.
Pressing 0+1, Plus or COBRA-Key+Shift+H on your PC's keyboard once again, will turn Help off.
If you want to use the keypad to input numbers, use CTRL+Num Lock.
Use the same command to switch the keypad back to the input of COBRA commands.


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Managing director Bruce McFadzean recently said he was confident of increasing ore reserves to one million ounces in the near term. The company remains on track to commence production from its core Edna May project in June 2010.
Following the execution of Catalpa's merger with Lion Selection, which last week received Supreme Court approval, the combined entity will have a 30 per cent stake in the Newcrest-managed 100,000 ounces per annum Cracow gold project in Queensland. This will result in Catalpa's annual production increasing to 130,000 ounces.
As a cash flow positive gold producer with a range of exploration projects, there is the potential for Catalpa to increase its production profile. Potential share price catalysts are the commencement of production, further exploration successes and increases in reserves.
The Australian Financial Review


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Hello list,
I cannot get DHCP to hand out addresses over the wireless link. (hostap mode) I'm using a WRAP
board and senao card. It works great with statics, but no DHCP at all. I had seen a few questions
about this before in the archives, but no answer. Has this been fixed in a newer release, or am I
just doing something wrong.
Thank you,
Jim Berry


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Explore the final frontier! Space Capsule contains: THE COMET BLADE – Steer comets through the heavens and create cosmic collisions. THE STAR CHART BACKGROUND – Never leave home without it. THE STELLAR SHADOW – There's a universe within you. All are immediately available in Sensei's Swag.
Click to create and send a link using your email application


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Tom Daley Comes Out, Reveals He is in a Relationship with Another Man
British Olympic diving star Tom Daley said he "couldn't be happier" after revealing he is gay.
The Olympic medallist posted a video on YouTube in which he spoke for the first time about a relationship he has started with another man. Watch the video below.
"I've never really had a serious relationship to talk about," he said.
"Now I kind of feel ready to talk about my relationships.
"Come spring this year, my life changed massively when I met someone and it made me feel so happy, so safe and everything just feels great. And that someone is a guy."
Daley, who was recently named the world's sexiest man by two separate magazines, said he was initially surprised he was attracted to another man.
"It was always in the back of my head that something like that could happen, but it wasn't until spring this year that something just clicked," he said.
"It felt right. My whole world just changed, right there and then.
"Of course I still fancy girls. But I mean, right now I'm dating a guy and I couldn't be happier. It makes me feel safe and just really does feel right.
"Is it a big deal? I don't think so.


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The purpose of these regulations is to provide for orderly parking by college faculty, students, and staff; to protect pedestrians and to ensure access to all buildings by service and emergency personnel.
A. These regulations are formulated by Fairmont State College and are enforced by campus police officers by authority of WV Code 18-B-4-5, 18B-4-6 and Chapter 17c.
B. All motor vehicles are subject to these regulations, to state laws, and local ordinances, where applicable, while on campus. The person in whose name the parking permit is issued or in whose name the vehicle is registered will be held responsible for any violation involving that vehicle.
C. Although the campus police officers will monitor parking lots, the college assumes no responsibility for damage to or theft of any vehicle or its contents at any time while the vehicle is on campus.
D. The responsibility for finding a legal parking space rests with the vehicle's operator. A permit merely authorizes the individual to park on campus; it does not guarantee a place to park. Lack of space is not considered a valid excuse for violation of these regulations.
E. Because of limited parking, students residing within one-half mile of the campus are prohibited from parking vehicles on campus during daytime hours. Faculty and staff living within one-half mile of the campus are encouraged not to bring vehicles on campus.
F. A parking area has been established car-pool parking only. Students with a decal and at least one eligible passenger may use the carpool parking lot. An eligible passenger is a student living outside the one-half mile limit area.
G. Pedestrians shall at all times be given the right-of-way at intersections and crosswalks.
H. The speed limit on campus is 15 miles per hour during normal conditions. When pedestrian traffic is heavy, vehicles should be driven more slowly.
I. Visitor parking permits may be obtained from the Campus Safety and Police Office or from the campus police officer on duty. These permits are available to visitors only and authorize the holder to park his/her vehicle in the areas designed as visitors' parking.
A. Parking space on the college campus is very limited. Therefore, all spaces are decal or special permit parking only.
B. Decals for reserved parking areas may be purchased in the Campus Safety and Police Office, 123 Colebank Hall, Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Student decals are $2 each and faculty/staff decals are $5 each.
C. Certain parking areas are designated as parking for faculty and staff only. Students are not allowed to park in those areas.
D. All students authorized to park on campus must purchase a parking decal. Students who reside within one-half mile of the campus will not be authorized to buy a decal or park on campus. Students living in the college residence halls will be authorized to purchase a parking decal.
E. Decals must be purchased and mounted by the end of the second week after the beginning of a semester. Should a parking decal be lost or stolen, it shall be the individual's responsibility to purchase a new parking decal. Parking decals expire on August 15 of each year.
F. Stickers are to be placed in lower left rear window (driver's side) of the automobile.
G. Faculty and staff decals will be hung on the rear view mirror.
H. Parking is permitted in reserved areas after 4:30 p.m., except for designated spaces in Lot 2 adjacent to Hardway Hall. These spaces are designated as reserved for extended hours.
1. Loading zones which are marked in red.
2. Spaces having a yellow or red curb line.
3. Areas with painted diagonal stripes.
4. Areas where parking blocks the free flow of traffic.
5. Areas designated for the disabled.
6. Areas reserved for college vehicles or other designated vehicles.
7. Areas reserved for faculty and staff with a valid parking permit.
8. Along roadways that do not have parallel parking lines, unless specifically authorized by a campus police officer.
9. Along all two-way traffic roads, unless specifically authorized by a campus police officer.
By state law, college officials have the authority to issue parking and traffic citations, to tow, and to collect a civil penalty for any violation of these regulations. Citations will be issued and vehicles may be towed for the following violations:
1. Speeding or otherwise driving in a reckless manner.
2. Failure to stop, yield, or obey other traffic signals.
3. Failure to yield to pedestrians.
4. Failure to display a decal or permit.
5. Failure to park within the marked space.
6. Parking in an area other than a designated parking area.
7. Parking or driving on sidewalks or grass.
8. Unauthorized parking in spaces reserved for visitors.
9. Unauthorized parking in spaces reserved for the disabled.
10. *Blocking fire lanes, other vehicles, roadways, fire hydrants, and entrances to buildings.
11. *Failure to move a vehicle when requested to do so for snow removal or for other emergencies.
12. *Driving a vehicle into any area that has been closed off by barricades.
13. *Parking or riding motorized vehicles in campus buildings.
14. *Parking overnight in lots designated as "no overnight parking."
*Special Note: In addition to being issued a citation, individuals who violate any of the above regulations that are preceded by an asterisk are subject to having their vehicle towed. Towed vehicles will be towed off campus and stored by the towing agency. The towing agency must be reimbursed for the towing before the vehicle will be released. Once the tow truck has been summoned, the owner of the vehicle is responsible for the towing charge. The college is not responsible for any damage to a vehicle towed or immobilized for violations of vehicle regulations.
Persons receiving a citation must report to the Campus Safety and Police Office, 123 Colebank Hall, and pay a civil penalty of ten ($10) dollars within ten (10) working days. Office hours are Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., excluding college-declared holidays.
Under provision of state law, should the individual fail to pay the penalty within the ten (10) working-day period or decide to plead not guilty, the citation is to be turned over to the magistrate, who will have jurisdiction over the case henceforth. Any person cited, and subsequently found guilty by the magistrate, shall be subject to a fine of not less than ten ($10) dollars plus court costs for each offense. Effective June 1995, state law requires a minimum $100 fine for unauthorized use of a space reserved for the disabled.
In addition to the above, those who fail or refuse to pay the prescribed penalty shall have their parking privileges revoked. Students who fail or refuse to pay the prescribed penalty shall also have their student records closed until such a time that all penalties have been removed from the records.
Any questions concerning traffic or parking regulations should be directed to the Director of Public Safety at 367-4157 or to the campus police officer on duty.


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An interview with the Venerable DhammaVijaya, one of two Buddhist nuns who have independently set up DhammaMoli, a Theravadan community in Nepal for girls at risk of being trafficked. It's a unique story — and one that could change the debate about American anti-trafficking efforts. [Read more…]
How Buddhist Nuns Fight Human Trafficking in Nepal
February 22, 2013 by Leave a Comment


text: Jeff Flowers on April 18, 2014 2 Comments When first beginning your homebrewing journey it may be very tempting to rush your rise to brewing glory by jumping right into some impressive-sounding double IPA, Russian imperial stout or perhaps a barleywine. Well, not to discourage you, but brewing complex beers such as these can leave tons of opportunity for mistakes, which would ultimately ruin your investment. Even worse, a lack of initial success could rub you the wrong way and even turn you off to homebrewing altogether, which would be the worst part of it all. Really, unless you have an experienced brewer providing close guidance, your best bet is to start out brewing a less complex and more forgiving recipe so you can lock the process in while learning the ins and outs of homebrewing to apply towards more involved styles in the future. It's advisable to stick to using ingredient kits of some kind whether extract or mini-mash so long as they incorporate malt extract. This way you can be sure that you're getting the necessary sugars and base for the beer. Here are five well-known styles that can be just as much fun to make and if don't right are sure to please the palates of all your friends. Plus, these styles are very versatile and great for any time of year. 1. American Wheat Ale The American wheat is, well, the American take, on a popular style of beer that finds its roots in Germany—the German Hefeweizen also referred to as the Bavarian Hefeweizen. The style is characterized by a light to medium body, a cloudy appearance and notes of citrus, banana and clove. The grain bill should consist of anywhere between 50% and 70% wheat allowing the beer to have a certain fluffy characteristic, which can also be seen in the head when poured. The main difference between the American and German styles is the hop and yeast usage. The German style uses subtler hops with German yeast while the American version can have a more noticeable hop profile while utilizing American ale yeast. The style is perfect for the spring and summer months but really does make a great year-round beer. It has flavors, aromas and a lighter body that are even sure to impress the picky beer drinkers. A typical extract ingredient kit can consist of wheat malt extract, 1-2 oz. of hops for bittering and aroma, and ale yeast. The BSG Select American Wheat ingredient kit and True Brew American Wheat ingredient kit are both great choices when it comes to brewing your first American wheat.You may also be interested in the BSG Select Bavarian Hefeweizen and True Brew Bavarian Hefeweizen ingredient kits, as they are very similar and serve as other great options for beginner homebrewers. 2. Amber Ale The Amber ale is a well-balanced beer that has become a favorite among many beer drinkers. It is not overly hopped and does not have a single characteristic that overpowers another. While the grain used for amber ales can be similar to pale ales, the amber ale is made with lower alpha acid hops leading to a far less resinous and pronounced hop profile. This allows the malt to have a bigger part in the show. Also, amber ales are made with darker roasted malts in addition to light malt, which is where the reddish amber color is derived from as well as the subtle caramel and toffee notes that can often be found. While amber ales can take on the characteristics of any ingredient you bring into the mix, they tend to be relatively simple recipes ultimately making for a more straightforward beer that leaves less room for mess-ups. A typical amber ale ingredient kit can consist of light malt, dark malt, 1-2 oz. of hops and ale yeast. The BSG Select Amber ingredient kit and True Brew Amber ingredient kit are great all-inclusive packages for brewing your first amber ale. The True Brew Red Ale ingredient kit is another similar option that can serve as a nice midway point between amber ale and pale ale. 3. Brown Ale The brown ale is a very simple style that can be a great first choice recipe for a beginning homebrewer. It can be classified as being American or English style with the former having a greater hop presence while the American brown ale uses American hops and yeast and the English uses those from England. Like the amber ale, both are well balanced but slightly darker in color due to the use of a greater amount of dark malt. They have a light to medium body and are great for enjoying any time of year. While the brown ale can be a very forgiving style, in the case that you find you still don't want to drink it, the style makes a great ingredient for cooking and the beer doesn't necessarily have to be perfect. The ingredients used in brown ales make them a great complement to lots of foods. The BSG Select Brown ale and True Brew Brown ale ingredient kits will both help you make a quality brown ale while the BSG Select Nut Brown and True Brew Nut Brown ale ingredient kits will provide a slightly different take with additional ingredients and flavors. 4. Pale Ale Somewhat similar to the amber ale, the pale ale differs in that it employs the use of hops in a much more aggressive manner. The grain bill, or malt extract used could be very close to one another but the introduction of higher quantities of more pronounced hops can completely change the overall flavor profile of the beer making the two very different. The good thing is that hops can be very prominent in any style of beer when used in a more aggressive manner, and when done so with a pale ale, the hops can sort of mask mistakes that may have been made. While you shouldn't go using hops as a bandage for a bad beer, it can certainly help take a less-than-perfect beer up a notch or two. With pale ales, hops can be added at multiple intervals during the boil for bittering, flavoring and aroma. Pale ales are bitterer than amber ales and use a higher alpha acid hop for bittering at the start of the boil. A typical pale ale ingredient kit can consist of light malt, crystal malt, 3-4 oz. of hops, and ale yeast. In extract kits, if the malt extract is hopped then it may not require or include as many hops for use during the boil. The BSG Select Pale Ale ingredient kit and True Brew Pale Ale ingredient kit are two great choices and come with everything you need. 5. Porter The porter is somewhat similar to the brown ale and is perhaps one of the most forgiving styles of beer to make. The incorporation of dark malts like chocolate malt allows this beer to be rather resilient when it comes to dealing with mistakes. While it isn't a guarantee that you'll create an award-winning batch on your first attempt, its flavor profile has the ability to "cover up" inconsistencies that you may create during the beermaking process. Off flavors don't tend to be as pronounced within the depths of the porter's dark and roasted flavors. A typical porter ingredient kit can consist of dark malt extract, chocolate malt and other specialty grain, and 1-2 oz. of mild hops. The BSG Select Porter ingredient kit and True Brew Porter ingredient kit each include everything you'll need to make a solid porter. Homebrew Articles: How to Use an Immersion Wort Chiller What You Need to Bottle Your Own Beer The Homebrewer's Guide to Secondary Fermentation 6 Mistakes Beginner Homebrewers Make (and how to avoid them)


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Press Room
Smithsonian American Art Museum Announces Lucelia Artist Award Nominees for 2005
Media only: Laura Baptiste (202) 275-1595
The Smithsonian American Art Museum announced today (Jan. 28) the nominees for the museum's 2005 Lucelia Artist Award. Nominated artists show a sustained commitment to distinctive work that challenges conventional thinking and expectations about the nature of art. This award is part of the museum's continued commitment to contemporary art and artists through awards and acquisitions.
The 15 artists nominated for the award this year are Doug Aitken, Matthew Barney, Andrea Fraser, Tom Friedman, Ellen Gallagher, Roni Horn, Byron Kim, Maya Lin, Jennifer Pastor, William Pope.L, Fabian Marcaccio, James Siena, Catherine Sullivan, Lisa Yuskavage and Andrea Zittel. Nominated artists work in a diverse range of media including architecture, film, installation, mixed media, painting, photography, sculpture and video.
"The Smithsonian American Art Museum is pleased to acknowledge the significant contributions by these selected artists to the vibrant conversation taking place in the contemporary art world today," said Elizabeth Broun, the museum's Margaret and Terry Stent Director.
The Lucelia Artist Award, established in 2001, annually recognizes an American artist under the age of 50 who has produced a significant body of work and consistently demonstrates exceptional creativity. Jurors nominate artists who will be recognized as one of the most important and influential artists of his or her time. The $25,000 award is intended to encourage the artist's future development and experimentation. Previous winners were Kara Walker (2004), Rirkrit Tiravanija (2003), Liz Larner (2002) and Jorge Pardo (2001).
The award winner is determined each year by a panel of five distinguished jurors selected from across the United States, each with a wide knowledge of contemporary American art. Jurors determine the award winner in a day of discussion and review and remain anonymous until the winner is announced. Past jurors have included John Baldessari, Dan Cameron, Lynne Cooke, Richard Flood, Gary Garrels, Elizabeth Murray, Jerry Saltz and Robert Storr.
Sidra Stich, executive director for the Lucelia Artist Award, invites jurors to participate and coordinates the nomination and jurying process. Since the 1970s, she has specialized in contemporary and modern art as a curator, teacher and writer. Stich is also the director of "artSITES," a series of contemporary art, architecture and design handbooks published in San Francisco.
Applications are not accepted for this award. The 2005 winner will be announced in April.
The New York-based Lucelia Foundation, which funds the award, supports the visual arts, specifically 19th-century American and contemporary art.
The Smithsonian American Art Museum collection began with gifts of art donated to the federal government in 1829 and has evolved into the world's most important American art holdings, with approximately 40,000 artworks in all media, spanning more than three centuries. The museum's historic main building, located at 8th and F Streets NW, is currently under renovation. The museum will reopen on July 4, 2006.


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Best Of :: Arts & Entertainment
This small but lively Tejano club on the north side was named Oscar's Place for a very long time, but a young man named Rick has converted it into a very nice Tejano dancing venue. A strict dress code is enforced, so take your time getting ready. Inside, the dark room is highlighted with just the right amount of color, not too loud or too blinding, but comfortable. DJ Steve-Audio and DJ Lalo play a mix of Tejano, cumbia and even some tropical. Rick's also hosts live Tejano acts on a regular basis, so you might get lucky and catch Tejano legends Ram Herrera or David Lee Garza on any given night.
It's hard to imagine that we're less than three years removed from Robert Ellis's stint playing Whiskey Wednesdays at Mango's and then Fitzgerald's. From that small but loyal fan base — and even earlier in previous band Eyes Like Lions — Ellis has seen his star deservedly rise on the shoulders of his 2011 New West Records debut, Photographs. Along with his 2012 move to Wimberley and eventually Nashville, that year also saw Ellis nominated for an Americana Music Award for Best Emerging Artist alongside eventual winners Alabama Shakes. While all the praise being poured on Ellis is enough to make Houston proud, it's a damn shame you can't find Ellis at Fitz on a weekly basis anymore.
This past summer, the Blaffer Art Museum, nestled on the University of Houston campus, paid the hefty sum of $2.3 million for total reconstruction surgery, and the money was incredibly well spent. The facade evolved into a stunning windowed parallelogram, which both sticks out and enhances the lackluster brick buildings of UH. The interior space is now sprawling and bright, an open and airy dedication to the visual arts. Thin tubes of light cover the ceilings, making for a modern yet classy feel. On the second floor, a balcony overlooks the main gallery, which the museum is now dedicating to emerging artists. If you haven't been since the renovation, do yourself a favor and go.
Poets, novelists and essayists get rock-star receptions at Inprint's two popular reading series, the Margarett Root Brown Reading Series for adults and Cool Brains! for young readers. Authors scheduled for 2013-2014 season readings/onstage interviews and signing sessions include James McBride, George Saunders, Anne Carson and Khaled Hosseini. Past authors have ranged from internationally known Salman Rushdie to Daniel Handler, a.k.a. Lemony Snicket. Local writers aren't overlooked, with Houston talent including the city's first poet laureate, Gwendolyn Zepeda, appearing at Inprint readings.
Dedicated in 2006, this ceramic tile mosaic celebrates the rich history of Houston's Fifth Ward by featuring the faces of some truly amazing people who came from the neighborhood — Barbara Jordan, Mickey Leland and George Foreman. In a city known for bulldozing the past to make room for strip malls or townhomes, murals like this one — which reflect upon and teach about the area's cultural heritage — are all the more valuable. It's a remarkable piece of art and a reminder of a remarkable legacy.
Any dancer will tell you that there's a special connection that forms during the run of a performance; the intimacy and trust are necessary for a dance ensemble to be successful. Now put a group of dancers in the Gerald D. Hines Waterwall Park and make them perform in the streaming fountain, and imagine the level of confidence they must have in each other. In "Natural Acts in Artificial Water," renowned choreographer Stephan Koplowitz and his initiative TaskForce created a masterful ensemble production based on the architecture, history, culture and ecology of the park, and the result was one of the most stunning collaborative dance performance pieces this year.


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- "Decay and corruption of the flesh are their secret joys, and they are abominations in the eyes of men..."
- — Anonymous Inquisitor, Ordo Xenos
Plague Marines are those Chaos Space Marines who have wholly dedicated their lives and souls to the service of the Chaos God Nurgle. Within their corpulent and disgusting Power Armour their bodies are bloated with disease, swollen with corruption and rank with decay even as they no longer are capable of feeling pain, the greatest mutational "gift" given to them by the Plague Lord.
The origins of the Plague Marines can be traced back to the early 31st Millennium. During the opening days of the Horus Heresy, Ignatius Grulgor was the Commander (Captain) of the Death Guard Legion's 2nd Grand Company. During the massacre of the Traitor Legions' Loyalists on Istvaan III that initiated the Heresy, Grulgor was posted on the Imperial frigate Eisenstein to kill the Loyalist Captain Nathaniel Garro and his hundred-strong company of Death Guard Astartes. Grulgor was initially killed in a firefight on the gun decks of the Eisenstein, after a stray Bolt Pistol shot released the Life-Eater virus that had been intended to be used against the Loyalist Astartes on Istvaan III. After the successful escape of the Eisenstein and the following trip through the Warp, the body of Grulgor was reanimated by the machinations of Nurgle as the first of the Plague Marines. After a desperate battle, Grulgor's body was destroyed after the Eisenstein made an emergency transition into realspace. His soul banished into the Warp, the Plague Lord eventually raised Grulgor as one of his Daemon Princes. In 999.M41 Grulgor would return to haunt the Imperium during the Forces of Chaos' assault upon Medusa V.
The Plague Marines later appeared en masse at the start of the Horus Heresy. The Death Guard Legion had become becalmed and trapped within the Warp where the virulent Destroyer Plague, later known to the Imperium as Nurgle's Rot, attacked their bodies. For the Death Guard, there was nothing more terrifying than the plague that rendered their legendary resilience meaningless. These were warriors who were immune to the diseases, contagions, toxins and pollutions that bedevilled normal men. What the Death Guard endured was unimaginable, yet none suffered more than Mortarion himself. Unable to endure the suffering any longer, the Primarch and his Legion offered themselves up to the service of the Lord of Decay in return for their lives. Their bodies became bloated and swollen with the corruption, festering within them, but they no longer felt the agony of the Warp-pox and did not die from the horrific symptoms. When the Death Guard Legion fleet emerged from the Warp, they bore little resemblance to the proud Astartes who had entered. Their once-gleaming grey armour and the proud heraldry of the once-Imperial champions was no more; in their stead was a sickly pall of greenish hue. Each Astartes was now a bloated grotesque, covered in pock-marks and boils, scabs and putrescent sores. They bore the stink of corruption as the very air about them was clouded with swarming flies. Even their weapons and war machines had been mutated and were now powered by the sickly sorcery of Chaos, glowing with lambent green energy and oozing gangrenous pus. The Death Guard had become walking pestilence carriers; they had become Plague Marines.
Since that bygone era, many Chaos Space Marines have dedicated themselves to Nurgle, though few achieve the vaunted ranks of the Death Guard. Those who truly wish to join these most foetid of followers must first prove their loyalty to the Daemon Primarch Mortarion. Only then will Nurgle bestow upon them the corrupting plague that created the Plague Marines. Outside of the Death Guard, a favoured few Chaos Sorcerers of Nurgle know the secrets of the Plague Marines, and Abaddon of the Black Legion has won many of these spellcasters to his cause. In return for loyalty and long service, these so-called blight mages will bestow their pestilent gifts in the cause of Chaos Undivided.
Plague Marine bodies are bloated and swollen with the foul corruption of Nurgle festering within them. They no longer feel the agony of the blighted Warp-pox of the Plague Lord and cannot die from its horrific symptoms. Though their armour may appear corroded and rusted, and their bodies continuously ooze slime and the stink of decay, the Plague Marines are still fearsome, skilled warriors. Since the days of the Horus Heresy, many other Space Marines have dedicated themselves to the Lord of Decay, but few have ever manged to join the ranks of the Plague Marines. Those who truly wish to enter this most elite of foetid cadres must swear loyalty to the Death Guard Traitor Legion and their Primarch Mortarion, though they need not join the Death Guard itself. Only then will Nurgle bestow upon them the corrupting "gift" of Nurgle's Rot that created the original Plague Marines.
The weaponry and wargear of the Plague Marines may be pitted with erosion and corroding away, but they are still terrifying opponents. Plague Marines have an inhuman tolerance for pain, enduring injuries that would cripple even other Space Marines, their nerves dulled by disease or even mostly rotted away, which is the Plague Lord's greatest enhancement of those who embrace him. Plague Marines are normally armed with some manner of Bolter with which they unleash a steady rain of firepower, but they may also carry other weapons. They sometimes arm themselves with a close-combat Power Sword that can communicate Nurgle's Rot to the victim. The ability to spread Nurgle's Rot is a special psychic power granted to a Plague Marine through his connection to the Plague Lord that allows him to summon the horrific plagues of Nurgle from the Warp and unleash them upon the enemy. Those not tightly armoured against biological infection are instantly affected and quickly killed by the infection. Plague Marines also make use of Blight Grenades, which are sometimes made from the shrunken heads of those who have been killed by the Plague Marines that have been filled with a noxious, poisonous gas. Upon impact, they release this cloud of deadly, decaying vapours.
Plague Marines make up the majority of the Death Guard Traitor Legion of Chaos Space Marines, but not all Plague Marines are members of the Death Guard; any Chaos Space Marine or Renegade Space Marine who dedicates himself to the Plague Lord Nurgle may become a Plague Marine.
Combat Doctrine
Plague Marines prefer short-ranged firefights, where they can see the festering wounds inflicted upon their enemies whilst they shrug off the bolts and las-blasts directed back at them. Their decaying brains are inured to the agony of the bodily corruption that runs rampant in their diseased carcasses, making them all but immune to the pain or discomfort caused by battle wounds. When their enemies close within assault range, the Plague Marines make use of their Blight Grenades and release the virulent toxins that they contain, which proceed to eat away at armour and fill the air with thick noxious clouds of blinding, pathogenic spores. The most virulent and flamboyant of these Blight Grenades are made from the severed, decaying heads of their fallen enemies.
The Plague Fleets of Nurgle are often led by the Plague Marines of the Lord of Decay, spreading their filth the width and breadth of the galaxy. These Plague Fleets carry Nurgle's followers to inhabited worlds where the Plague Marines' destructive raids are inevitably followed by massive outbreaks of no less destructive contagions. Once these Plague Ships are abandoned or their crews finally destroyed, their hulks float back into the Warp and eventually find their way back to the Plague Planet where they may be re-crewed for new incursions into the material universe.
Many Plague Marines, particularly those who were originally members of the Death Guard Legion, still prefer to wear the Mark III Iron Pattern suits of Power Armour first used during the Great Crusade. Even though more modern marks of Power Armour had become available to them before the Horus Heresy, the Death Guard retained a large stockpile of the heavier Mark III Pattern, preferring it both for its durability and the ease with which they could customise it to better handle the rigours of the often-toxic battle zones in which the Legion excelled. The armour of Plague Marines, regardless of its type, usually suffers from severe corrosion and structural breaches over its millennia of service with a corrupted Astartes. Plague Marine Power Armour is often further modified with the inclusion of a heretical pattern "open vent" reactor backpack and blasphemous inconography as well as swelling or even cracking like a broken egg shell to contain the grotesquely mutated physique of its wearer.
The flesh of the Plague Marines is always bloated, distended and corpulent, seething with corruption and decay and it is a terrible sight to behold. The stench alone given off by Plague Marines is enough to incapacitate many enemy troops. Yet this seemingly necrotic and decaying flesh makes the Plague Marine almost impossible to kill with small arms fire and they are able to shrug off injury and damage that would destroy even the superhuman physiology of the standard Astartes. When Imperial forces enter combat against these horrific servants of Chaos, the mass concentrated firepower of weapons more commonly employed to deal with armoured vehicles is recommended as the key to bringing down these monsters of corruption.
A Plague Marine's decaying flesh also attracts maggots and flies. These insects commonly accompany all of Nurgle's forces, and some of his faithful even cultivate them, considering them sacred animals. It is not uncommon for a Plague Marine to maintain a hive of maggots on his body which constantly produce a new cloud of large black flies through the structural cracks in his Power Armour.
Plague Marines often make use of Horus Heresy-era or more updated versions of standard Imperial ranged weaponry intended for the Adeptus Astartes, including Bolters, Bolt Pistols, Plasma Pistols, Missile Launchers and other standard weapons. These weapons often develop the same signs of corruption and ill-repair as a Plague Marine's armour and the tortured Machine Spirits of these weapons make them prone to catastrophic failures that would likely kill even a Space Marine. Yet given the Plague Marine's unhallowed tolerance for injury and pain, these dangers often prove inconsequential for one of Nurgle's chosen.
Of unknown origin and design, Plague Marines sometimes carry a "cleaver" type of close combat weapon not inaccurately called a "Plague Knife" by Imperial observers. Wielded with the superhuman strength and speed of a Chaos Space Marine, these unpowered blades can pierce most forms of body armour, and can breach the protection offered even by the hardened ceramite casing of Power Armour if a vulnerable location is struck. If the skin of a victim is penetrated, the contaminated and necrotic slime that coats the blade will almost invariably infect the wound and poison the bloodstream, leading to a slow and agonising death in over 90% of cases. Even the genetically-augmented immune systems of the Astartes are not entirely protected from this effect. As yet the Magi Biologis of the Adeptus Mechanicus have no known antidotes or pharmaceuticals to combat this toxin. Rumours persist that some of these weapons are further empowered by the dark sorceries and taint of the Warp, against which no flesh can be spared, much like the Kinebrach Anathame that mortally wounded Horus before the start of the Heresy. Only the Ordo Malleus knows the truth.
Plague Marines also carry weapons known as Blight Grenades or Death-Heads of Nurgle. These grenades are made from the heads of conquered foes of Nurgle. Constructed by Nurgleite Chaos Sorcerers, the severed head is covered with a waxy mix of organic slime and contaminated blood until it is watertight. The brain cavity is then filled with pus and left to fester, becoming a poisonous gas. The result is a missile that bursts on impact, releasing a deadly acidic vapour laced with various pathogens that is capable of eating through most forms of personal armour.
The Plague Marines have dedicated their loathsome existences to spreading corruption and decay across the universe. The Plague Fleets of Nurgle that periodically spew forth from the Eye of Terror are captained by the Plague Marines, spreading Father Nurgle's Warp-spawned contagions and pestilences across the myriad star systems of the galaxy, forever spreading the death and decay that are the hallmarks of Nurgle's kingdom.
- Black Crusade - The Tome of Decay (RPG), pp. 16, 20-21, 23-25, 30-31, 42, 72, 77, 142
- Codex: Chaos Space Marines (6th Edition), pg. 46
- Codex: Chaos Space Marines (4th Edition), pg. 38
- Codex: Chaos Space Marines (3rd Edition Revised), pg. 29
- Codex: Chaos Space Marines (3rd Edition, 1st Codex), pg. 11
- Codex: Chaos (2nd Edition), pp. 31, 75
- Imperial Armour Volume Seven - The Siege of Vraks - Part Three, pg. 182
- Index Chaotica: Plague Marines
- White Dwarf 264 (US), "Index Astartes (First Founding): The Lost and the Damned - The Death Guard Space Marine Legion," pp. 68-75
- White Dwarf 204 (US), "Plague Marines: Chaos Plague Marines of Nurgle," pp. 33-35
- White Dwarf 170 (US), "Chaos Space Marines," pp. 36-37
- Flight of the Eisenstein (Novel) by James Swallow


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|Home > National News > Article
|Monday March 11, 2002
A tiny native pea, believed extinct for almost 70 years, has been rediscovered among grasses in the proposed Chiltern-Pilot National Park, Victoria.
The Mountain Swainson Pea, which grows to just over 20 centimetres and has brilliant magenta flowers, had not been seen since 1935. But a chance discovery of four plants by locals John Hawker and Eileen Collins has buoyed plans to reintroduce it to its former range.
Before European settlement, the pea was widespread throughout north-eastern Victoria and the south and central western slopes and tablelands of New South Wales. However, when this land was used for grazing, the plant's range was drastically reduced and it appeared to disappear from Victoria.
When Mrs Collins saw the plants she thought they were probably Southern Swainson Peas. But some weeks later, while collecting seed pods in her garden, she realised her mistake. "I got the book out and got very suspicious so I went with a friend to see if I could find any dried up bits of it," Mrs Collins said. "I found one little stem which had two seed pods on it."
The dried-up bit of stem and its seed pods were sent to Melbourne's Royal Botanic Gardens where the plant's identity was confirmed. Neville Walsh, a senior conservation botanist, was surprised to see the plant turn up. In 1995, a single Mountain Swainson Pea had been discovered near Glenrowan but no viable plants could be struck from its seed, and it was again believed extinct.
Eight seeds have been collected from the Chiltern seed pods and in mid-April the gardens' botanists will try to make them germinate. If they are successful the resulting plants will be used to reinforce the population at Chiltern.
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Upstate NY Braces For Storm
BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) _ The National Weather Service has issued winter storm warnings for much of upstate New York, where forecasters are predicting more than 20 inches of snow could fall in some areas by late tomorrow.
In the immediate Syracuse area, 6 to 10 inches of snow could fall by Wednesday afternoon, making for a tricky commute to work tomorrow morning. More snow will fall south and east of Syracuse Wednesday.
Most of the warnings start late tonight and last into Wednesday night. The weather service says snowfall totals are likely to range from about 10 inches in the Buffalo area to 20 inches or more in parts of the Southern Tier and Hudson Valley.
Forecasters say temperatures will plunge to the teens or single digits in most upstate areas by the time the storm moves out of the region late Wednesday night.


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"A Hog in Dog Heaven" attracts approximately 200 muralists
For 20 years, the "Walldogs", an international group of signpainters and traditional sign artisans (or those who honor such techniques when outside their automated-production signshops), have descended on small towns throughout the Midwest and transformed them from sleepy burgs into vibrant manifestations of public art.
In mid-July, Kewanee, a town with approximately 13,000 residents in north-central Illinois, was the next in line to receive the Walldog "royal treatment". The idea for the Walldog meet germinated at a January 2011 meeting where townspeople discussed ways to improve local commerce and tourism. Dianne Packee, a Kewanee resident who'd previously lived in Pontiac, described how the Walldogs' 2008 visit to the city helped redefine downtown Pontiac. She even presented local officials with contact information for several Walldogs.
Approximately 200 signmakers, muralists and artists arrived to adorn Kewanee's downtown with 14 murals that reflect a variety of businesses, events and individuals that have helped forge the town's identity.
One example, painted on the Kewanee Historical Society's building, depicts the Kewanee fire of 1942, which nearly destroyed its downtown. Another, which tips its cap to the former Kewanee Brewing Co., with a promotion for a fictitious brew, Prairie Chicken Ale, which refers to the town name (in the Winnebago tribal language, Kewanee means "prairie chicken).
Because, in this case, a picture is truly worth a thousand words, I think this suffices for exposition. Enjoy the gallery!
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Last November, Americans sent a clear message that unethical and illegal behavior would no longer be tolerated in the halls of Congress. Democrats answered the charge to clean-up Washington by making ethics reform their first priority in the 110th Congress. In January, Senate Democrats honored that commitment by passing S.1, the Legislative Transparency and Accountability Act of 2007. In doing so, with the help of the House of Representatives, we are poised to accomplish what the last Congress would not: Pass the toughest, most sweeping ethics reform in a generation — a real victory for the American people.
Corruption and abuse in Washington has rocked the American people's faith in government. Faced with the Abramoff scandal, criminal indictments, resignations, and the K Street project, 42 percent of voters listed corruption in Washington as the most important factor in determining who they voted for in the last election. Making ethics reform the first bill of the new Congress was a significant step on the road to restoring their faith. (CNN, "Corruption named as key issue by voters in exit polls," 11/8/06)
Senate Democrats worked in a bipartisan manner to pass comprehensive ethics and lobbying reform. S.1, the Legislative Transparency and Accountability Act of 2007, passed overwhelmingly in the Senate on January 18, 2007 on a 96-2 vote. If agreed to by the House and signed by the President, S.1 would strengthen internal Senate rules regarding gifts and travel, slow the "revolving door" for former Senators and staff, expand lobbying disclosure requirements, establish a study commission on ethics and lobbying, prohibit pensions for Members of Congress convicted of certain crimes, and implement reform procedures relating to earmarks and conference reports.
Washington watch-dog groups praised the passage of ethics reform. Fred Wertheimer, President of Democracy 21, applauded "Senate Democrats for standing firm for this critical ethics and lobbying reform legislation" and expressed his belief that the reforms would "change the way business is done in the Senate." Melanie Sloan, Executive Director of Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW), called S.1 "a promising move towards a cleaner Congress" and noted that "Majority Leader Harry Reid and the full Senate deserve credit for passing legislation that tackles many of the ethics issues that plagued the last Congress." Mary Wilson, President of the League of Women Voters (LWV), recognized that "voters . . . expressed a clear dissatisfaction with the unbridled level of corruption in Congress, and . . . passage of ethics and lobbying reform indicates their voices are at last being heard." (Democracy 21, press release, 01/18/07; CREW, press release, 01/19/07; LWV, press release, 01/19/07)
Senators voted to toughen rules governing gifts and travel. S.1 would:
· Ban gifts, including de minimis gifts, from registered lobbyists, agents of a foreign principal, or a private entity that retains or employs a lobbyist or foreign agent;
· Require that the market value of a sporting or entertainment event ticket be the ticket's face value or, in the alternative, the value of a similar ticket sold to the public (taking into consideration all of the ticket's features and benefits). If there are no comparable tickets, the ticket would be valued at the cost of the most expensive ticket;
· Prohibit a Senator from participating in an event to honor him/her at a national party convention that is paid for by a lobbyist, someone who is required to be a registered lobbyist, or a lobbyist's client.
· Extend the ban on travel paid for by lobbyists or agents of foreign principals to include restrictions on travel paid for by private entities that retain or employ lobbyists or foreign agents (an exception would be made for one day trips or trips paid for by pre-approved 501(c)(3) (charitable) organizations);
· Require that Senators and staff receive approval from the Ethics Committee before accepting expenses for any trip and that, within 30 days, trips paid for by private sources be disclosed;
· Require full disclosure of any travel on non-commercial airplanes, and establish that non-commercial air travel be valued at fair market value for the purpose of reimbursement; and
· Require that all certifications and disclosures filed by Senators and staff be made available to the public for inspection, and require the Senate and House to create a publicly available, searchable website with information on all privately-funded congressional travel.
Senators voted to slow "the revolving door" for former Senators and staff. The legislation would:
· Amend the Senate rules and federal conflict of interest law to ban former senior staff (persons making 75 percent of a Senator's salary) from lobbying anyone in the Senate for one year, not just his/her former Senator or committee;
· Amend conflict of interest law to increase the "cooling off" period, in which former Members of Congress are barred from lobbying Congress, from one year to two;
· Expand the scope of prohibited actions taken by former Senators during their two year "cooling off" period, including prohibiting indirect lobbying through surrogates; and
· Amend conflict of interest law to increase the "cooling off" period for former "very senior" executive branch officials, including cabinet members, from one year to two.
The Senate voted to require disclosure of private employment negotiations. S.1 would:
· Amend the Senate rules to require a sitting Senator to publicly disclose private employment negotiations, until his/her successor has been elected. Irrespective of disclosure, a Senator would be prohibited from engaging in negotiations for lobbying related jobs until after his/her successor has been elected; and
· Require a senior staff member to disclose to the Ethics Committee employment negotiations and to recuse him/herself from official matters that would create or appear to create a conflict of interest given those negotiations.
Senators voted to prohibit staff contact with lobbyists who are family members of their Senator. S.1 wouldamend the Senate rules to prohibit staff from being lobbied by any member of their Senator's immediate family, or the spouse of any Senator, who is a registered lobbyist or is retained by a registered lobbyist to influence legislation.
The Senate voted to significantly expand lobbying disclosure requirements. S.1 would amend the Lobbying and Disclosure Act of 1995 (LDA) to:
· Require quarterly, rather than semiannually, filing of disclosure reports;
· Require lobbyist registrants to disclose contributions to federal candidates, party committees, and leadership PACs for whom they sponsored fundraisers, or made, collected, or arranged contributions, as well as contributions to congressional gifts or presidential libraries;
· Require registrants to disclose in their registration statements all past executive and congressional employment;
· Increase the civil penalty up to $200,000 for failing to comply with disclosure requirements;
· Increase the criminal penalties, up to 10 years imprisonment, for knowing, willful and corrupt violations of LDA provisions; and
· Prohibit registered lobbyists from providing gifts or travel to members of Congress or congressional staff that the lobbyist knows would violate congressional rules.
The legislation would also require the creation of a searchable, sortable database that contains information included on LDA disclosure reports and registrations and links to the Federal Election Commission database.
Senators voted to prohibit partisan efforts like the K Street project. The legislation would amend the Senate rules to prohibit a Senator from threatening to take or withhold official action in order to influence the employment decisions or practices of a private entity on the basis of partisan political affiliation.
The Senate voted to deny pensions to former Members convicted of certain crimes. The legislation would require that Members of Congress convicted of bribery or illegal gratuities, or associated crimes, based on acts committed after the effective date, forfeit their federal pension.
Senators voted to protect the integrity of conference reports. S.1 would permit a point of order against individual items contained in conference reports that have not been committed to the conferees by either legislative body. This legislation would also prohibit consideration of conference reports unless the report had been provided to all Senators and made available on the Internet for at least 48 hours. The bill would also prohibit consideration of a conference report unless the official Congressional Budget Office estimate or table is available at the time of consideration.
The Senate voted to provide greater transparency to the earmark process. S.1 would create a point of order against a motion to proceed to consideration of a bill, joint resolution, or conference report if the names of congressional sponsors of certain earmarks are not disclosed on the internet 48 hours in advance. Disclosure of classified earmark sponsors would also be required in the unclassified language of the measure. In addition to their name, sponsors would have to submit to the committee of jurisdiction: the purpose of the earmark; the name and address of the recipient (or location of the activity) for spending earmarks or the beneficiary for tax or tarrif benefit earmarks; and a certification that the Member or Member's spouse has no financial stake in the earmark. This legislation would require this information to be published on the appropriate committee's website within 48 hours.
The bill would also amend the Senate rules to prohibit a Senator from using his/her official position to obtain a congressional earmark that would financially benefit the Senator, his/her immediate family member, the Senator's employee, or the employee's immediate family member.
The Senate also voted to establish the Study Commission on Congressional Ethics and require the Select Committee on Ethics to issue annual reports. S.1 would create a ten person bipartisan, bicameral commission to study and recommend improvements to congressional ethics requirements and enforcement. The measure would also require the Ethics Committee to report on the numbers of ethics violations reported, inquiries dropped, investigations conducted, letters of admonition issued, and matters resulting in disciplinary sanctions.


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Baby Bunny Set: Blanket by Bernat Design Studio
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© Bernat Design Studio
Baby Bunny Set: Blanket
No longer available.
One Motif = 4" (10 cm) square
Yarn Requirements:
Bernat® Cottontots (3.5 oz/100 g)
- Main Color (MC): #90005 (Wonder White) 3 balls
- Contrast A: #90128 (Little Boy Blue) 3 balls
- Contrast B: #90615 (Sun Shine) 4 balls
Skill level: Easy
Featured on April 8 - 11, 2009 calendar pages.
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Baby Bunny Set: Jacket and Hat


text:
Fri Jan 18, 2013, 02:14 AM
Liberty Belle (7,248 posts)
Exclusive: White House provides details on executive actions & leg. proposals to reduce gun violence
Source: East County Magazine
January 17, 2013 (San Diegos East County) As ECM reported earlier, President Obama has announced a package of reforms aimed at stemming gun violence in the wake of numerous mass shootings. Initial media reports were unclear on which actions were done as executive orders by the President for immediate implementation, and which actions require Congressional approval. So ECM contacted the White House.
I am providing you with two things that might help your readers understand the Presidents announcement yesterday," Brian Lepow with the White House press office responded. THIS LINK will take you to the Presidents transcript from yesterday. I have also attached a fact sheet and executive summary on the package of proposals to reduce gun violence and a list of gun violence reduction executive actions.
Congressional approval of new legislation are needed to require background checks for all gun sales, reinstate a ban on high-capacity ammunition magazines, renewing and strengthening a ban on assault weapons, outlaw armor-piercing bullet sales, beef up penalties for gun traffickers, fund a $4 billion proposal to keep 15,000 police officers on the streets, and more.
But many other steps aimed at reducing gun violence were taken with the signing of 23 Executive Actions taken unilaterally by the President. The actions are far-ranging, from encouraging mental health professionals to report threats of violence to loosing medical privacy constraints, improving school safety, and improving database access for background checks of gun purchasers.
Below are the 23 executive actions taken to reduce gun violence:
Read more: http://www.eastcountymagazine.org/node/12241
It was cool to have the White House Press Office actually take my call and get us this info - and there's a lot more to these executive orders than most folks realize. Strongly recommend reading all 23!
5 replies, 1616 views
Always highlight: 10 newest replies | Replies posted after I mark a forum
Replies to this discussion thread
|5 replies
Exclusive: White House provides details on executive actions & leg. proposals to reduce gun violence (Original post)
|Liberty Belle
|Jan 2013
|Jan 2013
|Jan 2013
|Jan 2013
|Jan 2013
|Jan 2013
Response to Liberty Belle (Original post)
Fri Jan 18, 2013, 02:28 AM
PoliticAverse (17,239 posts)
1. BTW, they're not 'executive orders' (which are different)...
The White House has a website:
"The President's Plan to Reduce Gun Violence"
And here's a complete .pdf version of the plan/proposals with explanations:
Response to PoliticAverse (Reply #1)
Fri Jan 18, 2013, 03:30 AM
FleetwoodMac (351 posts)
4. +1 ... No executive orders as far as I know
Response to Liberty Belle (Original post)
Fri Jan 18, 2013, 03:01 AM
Cha (199,813 posts)
2. Thanks Liberty Belle.. glad your call was taken!
Response to Liberty Belle (Original post)
Fri Jan 18, 2013, 03:20 AM
bossy22 (3,547 posts)
3. there already is legislation banning armor piercing ammunition
Response to bossy22 (Reply #3)
Fri Jan 18, 2013, 03:08 PM
bobclark86 (1,415 posts)
5. Not possession...
steel-core (or depleted uranium core, if you jacked some from the Army or Air Force) can legally be possessed, just not made or brought in the country.


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Friday, March 27, 2009
AllThingsD's Peter Kafka has had it with Vocus-generated "spam"
There's nothing more embarrassing than when a journalist airs the PR profession's dirty laundry to the web-o-sphere. Here, it's more than publicists but the ones who are using Vocus' "on-demand" software, although Kafka adds his biting "spam" descriptor.
After I saw this tweet, Kafka told me that "his in box is just about broken" and that he will "have to resort to blacklisting" the individual PR pros who spam him. He termed the whole thing "counterproductive" and "a waste of time" for all involved.
So now a whole lot of PR professionals, who really should know better than to do this, are going to get deservedly punished and shut out. Where are the managers and supervisors who are letting this happen? There never seems to be enough hand-wringing over PR spam from widely-read and respected people like Peter Himler, Brian Solis and others through their blogs and panel appearances, so what does it take to stop the spam?
Think about the perilous state of the media right now -- newspapers are closing, magazines are shutting down and the financial faucet for start-ups is tighter than ever. The windows of opportunity for PR professionals are sadly shrinking due to the very sad scenario. Why are companies allowing publicists to shoot themselves in the foot by not establishing relationships and understanding what people write about?
I personally know what Peter is talking about. I've had my share of spam because of this blog, although probably nowhere near his quantity. My reply when I get an e-mail like that is: "Why are you sending this to me?" I've heard everything from "You're on the media audit list of someone who has been covering the Madoff story" (huh?) to "You are listed as a PR industry writer who has a blog" (sent by one of the Florida visitors and convention bureaus!).
If you go to the Vocus web site, they promote their service as one that "engages": Vocus' PRWeb, the original online news service, enables you to effectively engage with social media outlets by distributing your news through the broadest online distribution network and automatically post your news directly on sites like Twitter.
Let me save you a lot of money and aggrevation: if you want to "engage," first get an RSS reader like FeedDemon and actually read the journalists and bloggers you are contemplating. Go into Google News, type their names in and read their work. Don't rely solely on some stupid list that Vocus or Cision has given you.
If these people are actually writing about things that are relevant to you, your CEO and/or your client -- not a stretch, but truly right on the nose relevant -- then drop them a note. Post a comment. Get to know these people before you bat them over the head with something out of left field. You know the drill.
It's public relations, not public bombardment.
8 comments:
Too many young PR people are being taught to "create a list" and follow it up - and the media database services make it easy to do.
What's worse is that many of the listed contacts are concentrated at group or department levels while many reporters are often "undocumented" freelancers.
We used to call that Direct Marketing, now they refer to it as Media Relations.
It is SPAM.
- March 27, 2009 at 1:37 PM
- Jay Krall said...
Hi, my name is Jay Krall and I'm the manager for Internet media research for Cision. We work closely with journalists to ensure that they receive pitches only on topics directly related to their coverage. Our service helps them tailor the pitches they receive to their real areas of interest. We talk to journalists and bloggers every day to put our database to work for them, and many I talk to feel they receive plenty of worthy materials due to being listed with us. Thanks for discussing this important topic, we take it very seriously.
- March 27, 2009 at 3:13 PM
Hi Jay - I'd love to know what "beat code" you have for Peter Krall listed in the Cision database. I've used Cision in the past too - but data is data. PR is all about relationships.
This issue is more about PR staffers sending out information using the "carpet-bombing" technique. Companies like Cision, Vocus, and others give you a starting point. If they tell you that they can give you a perfect list everytime by entering a few search terms, and you buy it for that purpose, you're a fool, and you deserve to be blacklisted.
The only way a tool can, as you say, "ensure that they receive pitches only on topics directly related to their coverage", is to have Cision review the press release and determine who it should go to. So while it sounds great, it just rings hollow unless you are using it to research who you should PITCH - not who you should EMAIL.
Cision (and Vocus, PR Newswire, Burrelle's, etc.) gives you a database - it's up to you to know if the pitch is right for an intended recipient. It doesn't matter how much research Cision does, or any other database service, if you send a release to people based on a beat code, you're going to fail miserably.
- March 30, 2009 at 3:37 PM
- Kye Strance said...
Hi, I am Vocus' Product Director Kye Strance. Vocus is designed to help PR professionals find the information they need to create a targeted list of reporters to approach with relevant news. We recognize that there is a current and growing issue with spam. Through our monthly webinar and whitepaper series and our Users Conference, we continually work to educate both our customers and the industry on best practices for targeting and pitching the media. We are always looking for new ways to help educate the industry on how to fix the problem.
- March 30, 2009 at 3:37 PM
Jay & Kye,
Selling a person an automatic shotgun, bundled with a hunter safety class, doesn't guarantee the safety of deer, dogs, other hunters, or children.
All you have to do is read the constant complaints of reporters and bloggers receiving hundreds of e-mails and voice mails to realize that it's an empowered User issue. It's nice that you kind-of accept an enabling role, but it doesn't change the dilemma. The more you sell, the more who can pitch.
Generally, the pressure is on Volume and Spread, not relationships.
- March 30, 2009 at 8:58 PM
I think it can be safely said that most Users of media database systems aren't chasing original reporters, they're going for press release pick-ups and ink. Better known as Editorial Spam.
- March 30, 2009 at 10:24 PM
- Suw Charman-Anderson said...
I started a new blog last year about designing (not yet building!) my own cat-friendly and environmentally responsible house. Little did I know that I was hitting two PR spam hot topics: pets and green. Pretty soon, I ended up on PR databases all over the place. I have been deluged with PR spam ever since.
I have a page on my blog which outlines what I'm interested in - http://kitsandmortar.com/for-pr-people/ - but it is routinely ignored.
One particular company have been repeat offenders, with one of their PRs actually having the nerve to argue back when I told him I wasn't interested in anything he had to send me. I just had another email from one of them this week, but at least the woman who sent it was responsive when I asked to be taken off their mailing list.
Anyway, she mentioned that I'm on this Cision list, which is odd because last November I had exactly the same conversation with a PR from another company who said she'd contacted Cision and asked them to re-evaluate my listing on their database. I'm still getting the spam, though, and am unsurprised to discover I'm on their list. Either they never took me off, or I've been re-added.
Cision are *not* keeping a clean list. Jay, I'm sorry, your comment is nothing but whitewash. Back it up with some action.
But Cision aren't the only ones to blame. The PR companies buying these lists are also behaving very poorly by not actually checking that the lists they buy are clean.
I'm not someone who believes that the entire PR industry is, de facto, morally bankrupt, but you guys are really not helping by maintaining such appallingly low standards. You're a disgrace.
- March 31, 2009 at 12:04 PM
Another "blogger" on a database who shouldn't be:
- April 1, 2009 at 1:36 PM


text:
AN 11-year-old boy from Thornbury has shown that entrepreneurial spark and is raising £350 to be able to buy his own laptop.
Jacob Hales will be joining The Castle School in September and wanted to have a laptop to help with his homework at secondary school.
He has been washing cars throughout the neighbourhood at people's homes since the beginning of the summer holidays and is now very close to hitting his target.
Jacob, who went to Manorbrook Primary School, said: "I wanted to buy a laptop because at secondary school there's a lot of work and homework that you need to do on the computer.
"I started washing cars with five of my friends helping me but there's only me and one of my friends still doing it now."
Jacob has raised well over £200 so far and expects to hit his target of £350 after a few more days of washing cars.
He added: "We charge £5 per car but we were given £15 for one, but it was a really dirty car!"
Jacob's dad, Stephen, who is 36 and lives on Rosslyn Way in Thornbury, praised his son's efforts and attitude: "Myself and Helen (Stephen's wife) are very proud of Jake. He's gone out day after day to wash cars when most kids his age would just play Xbox all day."
"He's got a great attitude he's kept on going when some of his friends have stopped. Of course he still plays on the Xbox but he does car washing at the same time.
Stephen, who is an internet marketer, added: "When he originally said that he wanted to earn money to buy his own laptop we went through various ideas for what they could do to earn money. Car washing is a good option because they can do it on their own."
To book an appointment for Jacob to wash your car visit his website www.calljacob.ml


text:
Kalachakra Body The Emerging Force
de Clarity
Acerca del libro
"Inside the awareness that is now emerging is a whole new relationship between body,mind,and spirit, and this is in motion.
There is no room for the unsighted or the unbearable, because the full capacity to advance is now registered." from "Kalachakra Body--The Emerging Force".
Características y detalles
- Categoría Fe y religión
Cuadrado pequeño, 18×18 cm
100 Páginas
- Fecha de publicación mar. 17, 2013
- Idioma English
- Etiquetas spiritual, mystical, sacred, clarity, maine, spirituality, kalachakra, body, spirit, origamic, light, Divine, art, multi-media, photography, painting, angel, angelic
Acerca del creador
We, Robert & Su.Sane Hake (Clarity), are multi-media artists and writers. We collaborate on the same piece at the same time, it is the hallmark of our style. Our work is intuitive. We've been called Contemporary Visionaries, Outsider Artists, Folk Primitives, Patternists, and our work falls within the Healing Arts, but most of all each body of work we do is unique to itself, and lies within the path of the Sacred. We are interested in Mysticism, the Sacred, divinational beliefs of indigenous people, sacred patterns, and alchemy within the creative process.
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text:
This event is in the past.
August 30, 2013 | 7:00 p.m. - 10:00 p.m.
Category: Concert
Location: Community Arts Auditorium | Map
450 Reuther Mall
Detroit, MI 48202
Detroit, MI 48202
Cost: Free
Calendars: Main Events Calendar, Dean of Students Office
Audience: Alumni, Community, Current Graduate Students, Current Undergraduate Students, Faculty, Prospective Students, Staff
The sisters of Delta Phi Omega Sorority, Inc. will be bringing in well known artists Lomaticc, Baba Kahn and Sunny Brown to Wayne State for their Culture Shock Tour. This is a free concert for all Wayne State Students!
For more information about this event, please contact Bincy Thomas at 313-577-1010 or firstname.lastname@example.com.


text:
What are the chances of meeting someone you haven't seen in years, you haven't talked to in ages, when you don't even know where he lives and what he's doing and you are on the other side of the world? Well, according to my experience, they are actually quite high. A lifetime ago, I had
Browsing tag: Coba
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Hello, nice to meet you!
Hi, my name is Claudia. One day I packed my life and started travelling... except I packed too much. Follow me as I fill my life with dreams, drop the weight and inspire you to live your dreams. Learn more about me here...