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Can we take decisions on matters of the nation's development? Nepal is very dependent so it cannot take any decisions in its interests without foreign counseling. The nation is making policies to achieve development targets independently whose implementation depends primarily on the expected aid inflows from the multilateral and bilateral sources.
By Kamal Raj Dhungel
We are fortunate in the sense that we are living in between two of the most emerging countries of the world -India and China. Both China and India are getting prosperous over the years with annual average economic growth rate of near the double digit. And we are fortunate because we have no option but to get with the flow and grow. The most pressing impact of their achievement, a combined economic growth rate over nine percent a year, limits the number of persons below poverty line at minimum. And because we are so very close to them in terms of physical proximity, the impact of the growth in all four sides of our nation will definitely touch the borders and thus creep in.
Beginning with Bihar, a poor northern state of India is our neighbor. A few years ago Bihar was plagued with rampant corruption, mass unemployment and poverty, criminal cases like murder, rapes, kidnappings and robbery. However lately it has been making amazing progress in social, political and economic fronts. The most notorious state of India for poor maintenance of law and order that had paralyzed the development activities is now under control. Surprisingly, it has been able to achieve double digit economic growth rate, above the national average within a period of less than a decade. Today it invests its resources in the construction of basic infrastructure such as road, railway, power, airports, schools, colleges and health. This obviously has increased employment opportunity to the poor. Now its status is rising touching the statuses of other well civilized and developed states of India. This is the story of our neighbor whose fate was not seen as bright as other Indian states a decade ago.
Similar is the case of China, the second largest economy of the world with double digit annual economic growth for the last three decades. Within this period China has reduced the large number of poor people of about 64 percent of the population in 1981 to 2.8 percent today. This is the outcome of the continuous investment in basic infrastructure such as railway, power, road, airports and other social services. As a part of it, China has proposed a plan to invest in the extension of railway line in Tibet. As a result it has a plan to extend railway lines from i) Lhasa to Nyingchi bordering Meghalaya of India ii) Shigatse to Nyalam, bordering Nepal and iii) Shigatse to Dromo bordering Bhutan and Sikkim.
Can we take decisions on matters of the nation's development? Nepal is very dependent so it cannot take any decisions in its interests without foreign counseling. The nation is making policies to achieve development targets independently whose implementation depends primarily on the expected aid inflows from the multilateral and bilateral sources. Approximately, for one and half decade, Nepal neither has a political stability nor has a leader with development vision to push the country to the economic standards of its neighbor. Thus Nepal lost its credibility for the same and is on the verge of being tagged as failed state.
When neighbors have started to invest in an economy to sustain and achieve high economic growth, Nepal has also started to trace its development programs. For instance, when Bihar started to repair, construct and extend railway line in the bordering areas, Nepal set a plan to build railway line from Raxual to Kathmandu. This proposal was put forward repeatedly when the railway line from Raxual to Amelekhganj was constructed. When India proposed to build a gas pipe line from Myanmar to Calcutta via Bangladesh, Nepal has made a policy agenda for constructing gas pipeline from Bangladesh to Nepal via India. Now, Nepal is dreaming to construct railway line from Nyalam to Kathmandu. These all are possible only when our neighbors get favorable space to invest in the development of infrastructure in Nepal. However we are chewing up our resources without doing concrete things. These projects need huge amount so that their implementation depends on the wish of our laborious neighbors. Now, China has enough money. It has a keen interest to invest in the global development projects. The construction of railway line from Nyalam to Kathmandu would promote trade between Nepal and China. Chinese goods will dominate the Nepalese market. Given such reality it is possible to construct this railway line only if China sees it profitable. If this project succeeds in the near future it will have the chain effect to construct another such project from Raxual to Kathmandu with the Indian investment because of the India's interest to keep Nepal under its influence. I think it will happen in course of time so long as India and China remain rivals with respect to the influence on trade with Nepal. However, it all depends on how Nepal maintains its relation with both the countries and how much Nepal can extract from this rivalry between them.
(Dhungel is Associate Professor Economics at Tribhuvan University. Email:[email protected]
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Phenomenal Woman
Phenomenal Woman Poems
- The Story Of Her Born into a wold of sin. Thinking about it, ...
- Love Love has a great value. Love. What is it? Is it a tool ...
- The Afterlife Birds flying high in the sky. No more sickness,...
- Trapped Wanting to change, sincerly for the best. Feels like ...
- Above And Beyond
- Secrets You want to know, but I keep it on the low. Not ...
Well, I'm a student, wife AND mother. Mother of one beautiful baby boy. I enjoy reading and writing poetry. To me, poetry is theraputic, relaxing and inspiring. My deepest thoughts, emotions, and feelings are incoprated into all of my poems. If you want to obtain a true sense of who I really am, read the words. Be inspired...*peace* more »
Click here to add this poet to your My Favorite Poets.
Comments about Phenomenal Womanmore comments »
Hodan Osman
hey i love it, the follow was really nice, great great great poem.
Juliet Greenway
Great poem. Shows that you don't have to look like you should be modeling to be attractive.
The Story Of Her
Born into a wold of sin. Thinking about it, not knowing where to begin. Darkness overshaodws the light, the belt in her hands held so tight. He makes her. He leaves her. He doesn't want to be with her. Why then would your waste yur time, lying together; all into the grind. She's not here no more, she's gone. So tell me daddy, what went wrong?
Was it me? Did I make you leave? Or was it the guilt you had that you just couldn't relieve? Precious tme wasted. What happened to your face? I maced it. Blood now runs out of my eyes. Tears no more, they've dried inside.
Promises broken, ...
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Evaluation of proxy-based millennial reconstruction methods
- First Online:
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A range of existing statistical approaches for reconstructing historical temperature variations from proxy data are compared using both climate model data and real-world paleoclimate proxy data. We also propose a new method for reconstruction that is based on a state-space time series model and Kalman filter algorithm. The state-space modelling approach and the recently developed RegEM method generally perform better than their competitors when reconstructing interannual variations in Northern Hemispheric mean surface air temperature. On the other hand, a variety of methods are seen to perform well when reconstructing surface air temperature variability on decadal time scales. An advantage of the new method is that it can incorporate additional, non-temperature, information into the reconstruction, such as the estimated response to external forcing, thereby permitting a simultaneous reconstruction and detection analysis as well as future projection. An application of these extensions is also demonstrated in the paper.


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Thursday April 18th, 2013 - 9:41AM
DUBAI—The 42-story Novotel Dubai Al Barsha is set to open this summer.
Overlooking the Arabian Gulf, the hotel will offer 465 guestrooms, five food and beverage outlets, nine meeting rooms and a business center.
Novotel Dubai Al Barsha is located near the Sharaf DG Metro Station and the Mall of the Emirates.
Guestrooms will include superior and executive rooms, more than 100 interconnecting family rooms and 89 fully furnished suites. The interiors have followed a modern approach with a pallet of primary colors. All rooms have large beds, contemporary bathrooms with eco-friendly products, an LED flat-screen television, high-speed wireless Internet access, work area, laptop-size safe and temperature-controlled air conditioning. Additional design features include backlighted headboards, dedicated vanity units and contemporary art.
Philippe Montaubin will serve as general manager of the hotel.
The Novotel Dubai Al Barsha is the fifth Novotel property from the Accor Group to open in the United Arab Emirates.


text: Business Income Freelancing 101: What You Need to Know End of Year to Maximize Write-Offs October 31, 2014 / Elle Martinez Many freelancers I talk to will tell me that taxes are one of their least favorite things to get ready for. It's definitely not my favorite part of being self-employed, but it's necessary. Through the years I've streamlined my system... Full Story


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Watch anime online, stream anime episodes online for free.Watch Naruto Uncut Episode 23 English version online and free episodes. Anime Episode guide, Chapter Naruto Uncut Episode 23 English dubbedGenin Takedown! All Nine Rookies Face Off! The remaining Genin receive their exams to become Chunin. Upon arriving at the location of the first part of the exams, Team 7 meets with Team 10 members Ino Yamanaka, Shikamaru Nara, and Choji Akimichi, as well as Team 8 members Shino Aburame, Hinata Hyuga, and Kiba Inuzuka. The group is befriended by exam veteran Kabuto Yakushi, who offers the nine information on their competitors. His remarks about the Land of Sound, however, touch a nerve with the Sound Genin present, and is attacked as such. Before the fight can progress, Ibiki Morino and several Chunin appear.


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What is Breast Augmentation?
Breast Augmentation by Tampa Surgeon Dr Perez
Thinking of breast augmentation? Wishing you could fill out your bikini top by the time swimming suit season rolls around again? You're not alone. You may be wondering, "Am I being silly? Am I the kind of person who gets breast augmentation?" If you're asking yourself these questions, you're in good company. Last year over 300,000 women underwent breast augmentation using implants in the United States, making it the most popular plastic surgery procedure performed.
Gone are the days when a plastic surgeon was known for his or her standardized way of performing breast augmentation with every patient "leaving the factory with the same make and model." To ensure the most natural, attractive, and long-lasting results, today's best plastic surgeons must be up-to-date and well versed in all approaches and techniques of breast augmentation. Dr. Jaime Perez continues to refine his surgical skills and remain current in the field of plastic surgery by regularly attending professional meetings in and out of the country, contributing to the scientific literature, and most importantly, listening to and learning from his patients. Dr. Perez's approach to breast augmentation is not limited to a single technique learned many years ago; he has the experience and skill to allow his surgical plan to be dictated by his patients' individuality, anatomy, and goals.
Ideal Candidate
Many women who get breast augmentation have always been unhappy with the size or shape of their breasts and wish to increase their self-esteem, appearance in clothes, or confidence. Other women who consider breast implants were once satisfied with their figure but after pregnancy, weight loss, or the aging process have experienced a loss of volume or fullness and wish to regain a full, firm bust. Whatever the reason for desiring breast surgery, do it for yourself!
Video: Breast Augmentation
Dr. Perez is versed in a variety of breast augmentation techniques to help patients achieve a larger, more symmetrical bust line. One of the most important aspects of the procedure includes how a doctor makes the incision, which should be customized or individualized for each patient. Our doctors are experienced in delivering exceptional results with gentle techniques to reduce scarring.
Surgical Technique
Since the modern era of breast augmentation began in 1962 with the introduction of first-generation silicone implants, many women have chosen to surgically enhance their bust in order to increase their self-confidence and improve their physical proportions. Breast implant technology as well as the surgery itself is a continually evolving field with advances made each year. Dr. Perez is comfortable with all methods of breast augmentation, incision placement, implant position, and implant type. He does not dictate to patients which technique they must use; rather, he and his staff listen to each patient's desires and after careful examination and consideration decide upon a treatment plan that his patients understand and are comfortable with.
Breast Augmentation Incisions
There are many inconspicuous areas of the body through which to gain access to the breast; each incision placement has advantages and disadvantages.
Inframammary Fold - The inframammary fold is the crease beneath the breast where the breast tissue meets the chest wall. Placing the incision in this location allows the surgeon good visualization and access to all areas of the breast during surgery. This incision placement is best for patients with a well-defined inframammary fold and/or those desiring placement of larger silicone implants. The inframammary fold scar generally heals well and is usually visible only if the patient is lying down.
Periareolar - The areola is the dark, pigmented skin surrounding the nipple of the breast. A periareolar incision is placed at the junction of the breast and areola, usually at the bottom portion of the areola. This incision also allows good visualization and access to the breast tissue and is best for patients undergoing simultaneous mastopexy (i.e. breast lift; learn more about breast lift surgery) or other procedures to alter breast shape. Use of this incision may be difficult in breast augmentation patients with small nipples (i.e. less than 3-cm in diameter) and may be more visible in patients with very light skin or an indistinct border between the breast skin and areola.
Axillary - The axillary, or armpit, incision has the obvious advantage of not placing scars directly on the breast itself. With this incision, an endoscope (i.e. a retracting device with attached camera) is used to aid in visualization during the surgery. This incision placement is best for patients with small breasts who have an indistinct inframammary fold. Placement of a silicone implant can be difficult through an axillary incision; Dr. Perez uses a surgical "funnel" to aid in silicone implant placement when using this approach.
Transumbilical - While it is possible to place saline (not silicone) implants through an umbilical (i.e. belly button) incision, this is usually a long and potentially bloody procedure. Dr. Perez does not utilize this technique as he feels he obtains better results with less trauma by using the other, more well-established incision types.
Implant Position
The implant position describes into which layer of the chest the implant is placed.
Subpectoral or Submuscular- The term subpectoral and submuscular are often used interchangeably and describe placement of the breast implant beneath the pectoralis major muscle, which lies under the breast tissue. This position is the most commonly used and allows the superior and medial portion of the breast implant to be covered by breast tissue and muscle. Subpectoral placement is best for thin patients with little (less than 2cm) superior breast or subcutaneous tissue. This position helps decrease the chances that the implant will be visible through the skin postoperatively and may decrease longer-term complications like capsular contraction. However, some breast augmentation patients may notice implant movement with contraction of the muscle.
Subglandular - A subglandular implant is placed below the breast tissue but above the pectoralis major muscle. This position is best for patients with thicker upper chest skin, those with minimal ptosis (i.e. drooping of the breasts), or women with previously placed subpectoral implants requiring certain revision operations.
Dual Plane- The term "dual plane" is used to describe a breast augmentation that places the implant beneath the pectoralis major muscle superiorly but lies directly under the breast tissue inferiorly. This technique requires dissection in both planes and is best for thin patients with moderate amounts of ptosis (i.e. drooping of the breasts) that would be difficult to correct with subpectoral or subglandular implant placement alone.
Subfascial - The fascia of the pectoralis major muscle is a strong, fibrous, connective tissue layer between the breast tissue and the muscle itself. Subfascial implants are placed beneath the breast tissue and fascia of the pectoralis major but above the actual muscle tissue. While this is a rather new technique, some surgeons feel that this position may allow extra coverage of the implant, decrease implant visibility, and decrease "bottoming out" (i.e. unwanted descent of the inframammary fold and implant over time) while decreasing movement of the breast implants seen with subpectoral implants.
Implant Type
Silicone - Since the introduction of first-generation silicone implants nearly fifty years ago, they have been the subject of much controversy and have undergone many changes. While no medical or scientific correlation was ever made between silicone implants and rheumatologic diseases, silicone implants were pulled from the market in 1992 mainly because of media pressure. Newer, fourth-generation implants were made available for aesthetic breast augmentation in 2008. Today's implants have a double-walled shell to help prevent leakage and are filled with thick, "gummy-like" filler (i.e. "gummy bear implants"). Silicone implants tend to have a more natural feel and show less visible rippling when placed in the subglandular plane. Because silicone implants have "silent leaks" and do not deflate like saline implants when ruptured, it is recommended that patients undergo MRI monitoring three years after placement then every two years thereafter.
Saline - Saline implants have the benefit of showing obvious deflation if ruptured and do not require routine monitoring. They are less expensive than silicone implants but tend to have a slightly less natural feel and may show more rippling if placed in a subglandular plane in patients with thin skin and little native breast tissue.
Implant Size
The size of implant chosen for breast augmentation is a very personal decision. While there is no exact formula to determine the ideal breast size for every patient, there are guidelines with the goal being to create harmony and balance between the lower and upper body while providing the patient with long-term satisfaction. During the initial consultation or preoperative evaluation, Dr. Perez will determine the patient's goals for breast augmentation, do a thorough physical exam, and take many measurements. Most importantly, Dr. Perez will determine the width of the breast, amount of skin laxity, amount of existing breast tissue, and nipple and inframammary fold location.
In general, patients with a larger breast width, looser skin, and little existing breast tissue require a larger implant to obtain an attractive result. Conversely, younger patients with a small chest, tight skin, and adequate amounts of breast tissue may not be able to safely accommodate a very large implant. Placement of implants that are larger than recommended may lead to long-term complications such as permanent loss of the existing breast tissue, stretching of the skin and early ptosis (i.e. sagging breasts), deformation of the chest wall, and possible implant extrusion (i.e. thinning of the breast tissues to such a degree that the implant becomes exposed). Dr. Perez's skill lies in being able to deliver a beautiful, sexy result consistent with the patient's desires while ensuring long-term satisfaction and patient safety.
Satisfaction rates among breast augmentation patients are among the highest of all plastic surgery procedures performed in the United States. Over 90% of patients report high satisfaction with their results and over 95% of patients feel their appearance was significantly improved. Despite such positive results, like all surgeries, there are risks associated with breast augmentation.
The most frequently encountered postoperative complications of breast augmentation are hematoma (i.e. bleeding into the implant pocket requiring surgical removal), which occur in 1-3% of patients nationwide, and infection of the implant occurring in less than 1% of patients nationwide. Most all patients will experience some temporary change in breast and/or nipple sensation immediately after surgery; 15% of patients may experience permanent increases or decreases in breast sensitivity and nipple sensation. Dr. Perez examines all of his patients on the day after surgery so that in the unlikely event there is a complication, it can be diagnosed and treated efficiently.
While not considered a complication of surgery, it is important to note that like a natural breast, augmented breasts will change over time, especially after weight loss and pregnancy. Additionally, the implants placed, whether saline or silicone, may also need to be replaced after a number of years. In general, the reoperation rate ten years after breast augmentation is approximately 25-40% for implant-related causes such as implant rupture or capsular contracture (i.e. excessive amounts of normal scar tissue formation around the implant that leads to distortion of the breast tissue).
Postoperative Care
Breast augmentation surgery typically takes one to two hours and is performed on an outpatient basis under general anesthesia. Recovery times vary but patients are generally able to return to work in a couple days, light exercise in two to three weeks, and full exercise in five to six weeks. Antibiotics and pain medicines are usually prescribed following the surgery.
Did you find what you where looking for? If not, please visit our breast augmentation FAQ page or contact Dr. Jaime Perez.


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Rob TuderoCanada
This post will be about how I imagine the game will be generally like. There is also a parallel collaborative effort in the BGG design forum as well right now. I find that team projects are good, but with such a large group of people, the project can lack proper direction and leadership. I considered working with someone, but I think I would be happier working it alone, and just having others critique it at certain points. There are too many people with a big group, and too many ideas. Indeed in the collaborative BGG design project, I find a great deal of ideas that I don't think will work for one reason or another. But at the same time, you don't want to be that asshole who keeps trying to shooting down everyone else's ideas. And I don't want to taint the collaborative project with my too many of the ideas I want to use, or the games will turn out too similar.
Story fluff:
The game takes place on a planet, with a big pangaea-style single continent, perhaps populated with meeples.
A group of scientists from the various countries are working on a joint research project together to create a time machine. One horrible accident (act of sabotage?) later, all the scientists find themselves thrown backwards in time. The scientists found themselves discussing what to do. Some argued that they had a duty to preserve the timeline Some were just worried that they may accidentally prevent their own births. Some argued that they had a rare opportunity to right wrongs, and remake the world into a paradise. The scientists grew heated and split into several factions and went their seperate ways.
Time travel fluff:
After the accident, the scientists became unstuck in time, and gained the ability to time travel on their own. They are immune to any changes made in the timeline. In fact, due to their meddling, all their births have probably been prevented in one way or another. Everyone they have ever have been irrevocably lost to alterations, and all they have left is to remake the world the best way they can.
As it stands, I'm imagining the board/card game to be a game for 2-5 players. Each player is dealt one major secret mission and one minor secret mission card facedown, known only to the player they are dealt to. The first way to win the game will be to accomplish one's major and minor secret missions. The second way to win the game will be to erase all other players from time.
Each player is given 3 workers. Each worker will be able to make one action every turn
There will be two resources that can be collected by players. The first is intelligence. Intelligence can be used to peek at Event cards, allowing players to privately view them without sharing the knowledge. Intelligence can also be spent in large amounts to peek at an opponent's secret missions.
The second resource is influence, which serves as a general form of currency. Thematically, it reflects money, contacts, clout etc. in a particular era.
Workers can 'mine' influence and intelligence at any visible Event, but can also get them through the various special effects of Event cards.
Event cards always come into play facedown. Players will be able to spend their turns having their workers flip Events. As stated before, Intelligence can also be spent to privately look at the Event.
The back of Event cards list their starting eras from 0 to 6. These numbers dictate a card's starting era, but does nothing to prevent an Event from being shifted to another era. A viable strategy in the gameplay will be to push Events later in the time line, or to pull them earlier to get larger/smaller effects. One example might be the idea of Banking, which might have the special effect where Influence you use on the card gains interest until Age 4. If it had a starting Era of 2, a player might try to push it back to Era 1 so that another one of his workers could collect extra influence by Era 4.
All events have two orientations. The orientations are determined by its a combination of requirements of Culture, War, Technology, and Happiness in the previous Era. Manipulating the levels of those requirements in the preceding Era will cause the event to flip to its other orientation (represented in a gameplay mechanic of the card being flipped upside down). Event cards will usually have a requirement, and will usually produce an ongoing amount of Culture, War, Technology, or Happiness for its immediate future Era. Events may also have a special effect where players can spend influence to use. If a worker is on an event card when it is flipped, that worker is erased from time. There is no way to gain new workers, so losing a worker will hobble your productivity. Losing all 3 workers will cause you to lose.
The game will probably start with an X amount of Event cards, already flipped over, representing the starting timeline. I initially considered that a single new Event card was placed (facedown) every round, but that seemed like it would give an unfair advantage to whoever went first. I'll sleep on how that might be addressed.
As stated previously, every player has 3 workers. Each worker can only make one action, unless otherwise stated by a card's special effect. These actions will be:
Moving Horizontally (backward/forward eras along the timeline)
Moving Vertically (from Event to Event in a single era)
Gathering Intelligence
Spending Intelligence to peek at an Event in their era
Spending Intelligence to look at another player's secret mission
Gathering Influence
Spending influence to activate an Event card's special effect
That's a general overview, and I will go back to the drawing board to think of more events.


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The 26-year-old has a clause in his contract allowing him to speak to other clubs if an acceptable bid is received.
Director of football Lennie Lawrence told BBC Radio Bristol: "Nobody is anywhere near (our valuation) yet. And I'd much rather he stayed here.
"He's attracting quite a bit of interest and I'd be surprised if other clubs don't involve themselves."


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Since we moved to California, our cat Merton has taken to lying on thresholds. His favorite one is the doorway between our media room and our screened-in porch. Whether we are watching a movie or having supper enjoying a view of trees, Merton will be right there with half his long body inside and the other half outside.This behavior has got us thinking about thresholds.We could give Merton a nickname, we realized. He could be "Sufi cat," since Sufis are those who stand on the threshold … [Read more...]
Crossing Thresholds
Discovering Resilience or How I Learned to Fall Down Seven Times and Get Up Eight
We have a guest blog this week from our friend James Kullander. He's leading a one-month e-course on "Mastering the Art of Resilience" starting next Monday, November 4, from our website SpiritualityandPractice.com. We're sure you'll understand why we invited to do this once you read about what he's learned about resilience through his own personal experience.In the late autumn of 2001 as I watched my former wife, Wanda, die of cancer, I felt so heartbroken that I was going to lose her and so … [Read more...]
The Hokey Pokey Is What It's All About . . . and Other Signs in Daily Life
It happens all the time. A song comes on the radio, and we hear a lyric in a new way. We notice an interesting sign while walking in the city – like "Look" at a crosswalk. We're paging through a book or browsing the Internet and a picture catches our eye. We pass a playground and remember a childhood game.What if these are signs? What if they are messages from the Divine?We talk a lot about spiritual literacy in this blog, and here's how we define it: "Spiritual literacy is the ability t … [Read more...]
Transition Times and Spaces
One day it snows. The next day it's 50 degrees and people are filling the park down the street. Of course, we say, it's March, one of those transition times of the year when it's not quite winter and not quite spring. March always gets us thinking about other transition times and spaces. Our days are punctuated by transitions. For example, we go through three entrances and use three sets of keys to get into our home. First, we open the entrance to our building from the street and walk into a … [Read more...]
Making Shopping Spiritual
We are not big shoppers. If, as has been estimated, most Americans spend one hour a day shopping, then we fall well below the average. But there is something different about holiday shopping.We're shopping for gifts, not necessities, for one thing; we are encouraged to stretch and be creative. And being out and about with so many people is a wonderful reminder of our connections with others; it feels more like a communal experience. Finally, there is the beauty of the season and the … [Read more...]


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DISCORD: NRL becoming its own code
NRL head of football Todd Greenberg has signed off on a series of significant rule changes - including structured times when a captain can talk to the referee during a game - in the hope of cutting time-wasting.
Greenberg said the changes were made after consultations with the clubs, coaches, the competition committee and 11,000 NRL members and fans who responded to an online review.
The NRL has also enforced the rules aimed at deterring the crusher and canon ball tackles, with the match review committee directed to charge crusher tackles at the ''higher end'', while referees are advised to call ''held'' earlier when a player is trapped in an upright position to prevent the third, and late, defender from coming in.
Greenberg conceded the changes to ''captain communication'' could raise some debate.
Under that rule, a skipper can only talk to a referee during a stoppage in play and as players leave the field for the half-time break. Penalties and scrums, however, are deemed not to be considered as breaks in play.
''There was a level of frustration from players, fans and members when they watched games that when a player gets penalised, the attacking team should have the right to take a quick tap or kick for the line when they're ready and the referee has given them the mark,'' Greenberg said.
''It'll no longer be permitted [at the penalty] for a captain to rush up to talk to the referee. There'll be ample opportunity for them to do that in a structured manner. One of those times will be at half-time as they walk off the field.
''People want to see football, they want to see the ball in play, and the decisions we've made complement that view. It's not taking away the opportunity for the captains to talk, but it certainly allows for the game to move on.''
The changes include:
Zero tackle from 20-metre restart: The first tackle after a 20-metre optional kick will be called a zero tackle. The rule change provides an extra tackle to discourage tactical kicks and negative play when the ball is kicked dead to slow down the game and deny wingers and fullbacks the chance to return kicks.
40/20 restarts: The team that performs a 40/20 kick will restart play with a tap kick 20 metres in from the touch at the point it crossed the line instead of at a scrum.
Restarts from kicks out on the full: A handover will be awarded when the ball is kicked out on the full.
Stop the clock: During the last five minutes of a match, the clock will stop following a conversion or penalty kick at goal until play restarts at halfway.
Quick taps: A quick penalty restart will be permitted on any infringement except 10-metre penalties, where the referee issues a caution or within 10 metres of the opposition goal line. The change encourages more continuous play.
Goal-kicking time limit: The referee will call time-off at about one minute, 20 seconds following a try. Fines will still apply to clubs when a player takes longer than 1:40 to take a conversion.
''This has been the end of five months of heavy consultation with clubs,'' Greenberg said. ''We've been able to get around and get opinions, which is important, but the point I've made to coaches is 'We'll always listen to you and we'll take your opinions on board but our charter is to make decisions that are in the best interest of the game'.''


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Poem: "Anatomy" by Jennifer Gresham, from Diary of a Cell. © Steel Toe Books, Bowling Green. Reprinted with permission.
We did not expect a young woman.
her skin still tight, but cold.
We were afraid to touch, her features
not the kind to beckon young men:
her nose a mountain on the plain
of her face, her neck and arms
thin as dried reeds. But here,
hands sheathed in latex,
our scalpel blades disappeared
into her skin, until we pushed back
the clean lines of dermis like curtains,
her small muscles and organs revealed.
Awestruck, the Latin rose to our lips
like a sigh: the graceful length
of her gracilis, her shapely gluteus medius,
the sweep of the orbicularis oris
beneath her stiff, unsmiling lips.
We were never satisfied again
to kiss the surface of a pretty face.
At last we'd learned the secrets
of the deep, become enamored
with what lay beneath.
Literary and Historical Notes:
It's the birthday of playwright Moss Hart, born in New York City (1904). In his lifetime he was known as the prince of Broadway. He co-wrote plays such as You Can't Take It With You, The Man Who Came to Dinner, and he directed the musicals My Fair Lady and Camelot. Over the course of his career he collaborated with George S. Kaufman, George Gershwin, Kurt Weill, Irving Berlin, Richard Rodgers, Lorenz Hart, Judy Garland, and Julie Andrews.
His father was a cigar maker who lost his business when the mechanical cigar roller was invented, but his eccentric Aunt Kate began taking him to the theater when he was seven years old. It later turned out that she suffered from mental illness and had a habit of setting fires in the theaters she visited. But all Hart knew was that his aunt was taking him to Broadway on a regular basis, even when he should have been in school. He always credited her for getting him hooked on the theater.
By the time he was a teenager, Broadway was at its height. There were 90 major theaters in New York City, putting on an average of 225 new plays or musicals every year. Plays and musicals were still more popular forms of entertainment than movies. Broadway was the most glamorous place in America, and Moss Hart wanted nothing more than to be a part of it. Unfortunately, he had to drop out of high school and take a job as a clothing folder at a garment factory to support his family. But he was so enterprising that he got his boss to let him write and produce a musical review to show off the factory's latest clothing line.
A few years later, Hart got a job as the entertainment director for a series of summer resorts along the Borscht Belt in the Catskills. He later said that keeping city folks sufficiently entertained when they are confronted with a few weeks of nature was the toughest job he ever had, but he learned a lot about drama from the experience.
He wanted more than anything to write a big important play, like his idol Eugene O'Neill, but producers kept turning him down, telling him that they wanted comedies. So Hart decided to give them what they wanted, and the result was his play Once in a Lifetime. The legendary playwright George S. Kaufman agreed to help rewrite the script. The two of them worked on it for months, showing rough versions to audiences and noting what made people laugh and what didn't. When it came out in 1930, the play was a big hit and Moss Hart became rich and famous almost overnight. He was just 25 years old.
Hart is best known for co-writing You Can't Take It With You (1936) with Kaufman. It's a play about the strange Sycamore familywhose home is full of snakes, playwriting, ballet dancing, Russian Royalty, candy and fireworks. It is still one of the most popular plays for amateur productions. In 2004 alone, it was produced by more than 500 amateur theaters.
It's the birthday of the man who created Batman: Bob Kane, born in the Bronx (1916). He's one of the few boys in American history ever encouraged by his father to become a cartoonist. His father worked as an engraver for a newspaper, and he learned that cartoonists were being paid quite well. He knew his son had a talent for drawing, so he told young Bob to work on cartoons. By the time he was 16, Bob Kane was selling his work for $5 a page.
Batman is the alter-ego of multimillionaire Bruce Wayne and one of the few superheroes in the history of comic books who doesn't have any special powers.
It's the birthday of Antony van Leeuwenhoek, born in Delft, the Netherlands (1632). He studied to be a draper's assistant in Amsterdam. He became a draper and haberdasher, and eventually took an administrative job in the government. But in his work as a draper, he got the chance to use a magnifying lens to count the number of threads in a piece of cloth, and the experience got him interested in lenses. He began to spend all his spare time learning how to grind out lenses and use them in combination with each other to look at smaller and smaller things. Over his lifetime, he ground over 400 lenses and built many microscopes, using techniques that he kept secret.
Eventually, he developed the first microscope that could show him things too small for the human eye, and he became the first person to observe bacteria. He called the animals he saw in his microscope animalcules. He was also the first to see red blood cells.
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Poem: "A Small Psalm" by Catherine Wing, from Enter Invisible. © Sarabande Books, Louisville, Kentucky. Reprinted with permission.
A Small Psalm
Sorrow be gone, be a goner, be forsooth un-sooth, make like a
suit and beat it, vamoose from the heavy heavy, be out from
under the night's crawlspace, call not for another stone, more
weight more weight, be extinguished, extinguish, the dark,
that which is deep and hollow, that which presses from all
sides, that which squeezes your heart into an artichoke-heart
jar and forbids it breathe, that which is measured by an
unbalanced scale, banish the broken, the unfixable, the
shattered, the cried-over, the cursed, the cursers, the curses
curse them, the stone from the stone fruit, let it be fruit, the
pit from the pitted, the pock from the pocked, the rot from the
rotten, tarry not at the door, jam not the door's jamb, don't
look back, throw nothing over your shoulder, not a word, not
a word's edge, vowel, consonant, but run out, run out like the
end of a cold wind, end of season, and in me be replaced
with a breath of light, a jack-o'-lantern, a flood lamp or fuse
box, a simple match or I would even take a turn signal, traffic
light, if it would beat beat and flash flood like the moon at
high tide, let it, let it, let it flare like the firefly, let it spark and
flash, kindle and smoke, let it twilight and sunlight, and
sunlight and moonlight, and when it is done with its lighting
let it fly, will'-o-the-wisp, to heaven.
Literary and Historical Notes:
It's the birthday of the poet John Berryman, born John Smith in Oklahoma (1914). He had published a few unnoticed collections of poetry when, one summer, he began an affair with a graduate student and fell helplessly in love with her. The first night they kissed, he wrote a sonnet about her, and he began writing sonnets obsessively, one after another, and he wrote more freely than he ever had before, expressing his thoughts and emotions in a kind of stream-of-consciousness style, full of jokes and slang and plays on words.
He didn't publish the sonnets until twenty years later, as Berryman's Sonnets (1967), but they were a breakthrough for him, and the first major poem he wrote after those sonnets was Homage to Mistress Bradstreet (1948), his first big success.
Berryman's masterpiece was The Dream Songs, which he began writing after he started keeping a dream journal. He considered the book a kind of surreal autobiography or diary, and he referred to himself as Henry. He published The Dream Songs in two volumes: 77 Dream Songs (1964) and His Toy, His Dream, His Rest (1968). He wrote, "These Songs are not meant to be understood, you understand. They are only meant to terrify and comfort."
Berryman said, "The artist is extremely lucky who is presented with the worst possible ordeal which will not actually kill him. At that point, he's in business."
It's the birthday of the artist Pablo Picasso, born in Malaga, Spain (1881). He was a kind of artistic chameleon. Whenever he admired another artist's work, he would imitate it, master it, and turn it into something new. Some critics called him a mere imitator, with no real style of his own. But Picasso said, "I am always doing that which I cannot do, in order that I may learn how to do it." He also said, "When there's anything to steal, I steal."
He had trouble getting out of bed in the morning, and usually spent the afternoon conversing with friends. It was at night that he did most of his work, usually in the dark, except for two spotlights shining directly on his canvas. He didn't use a palatehe just had the cans of paint sitting on the floor, and he would dip the brushes right in and then wipe the excess off on newspapers. He stood up while he painted, often for three or four hours at a time. Then once in awhile he'd take an hour off to go sit on the other end of the room in a wicker armchair and stare at his painting, analyzing his work.
Picasso became the most famous artist in the world. No artist before him had such a large mass audience in his own lifetime. And no other artist has ever dominated so many different fields. Picasso painted, drew, sculpted, worked with pottery, sheet metal printmaking, and collage. Though he's considered the father of modern art, he never once painted an abstract picture. All his works are representations of things that existed in the world.
It's the birthday of the novelist Anne Tyler, born in Minneapolis, Minnesota (1941). She's the author of many novels, including Searching for Caleb (1974), The Accidental Tourist (1985), and Breathing Lessons (1988), which won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction.
Her parents were interested in living the simple life, so she grew up in a series of utopian Quaker communes, where she was home schooled and isolated from the modern world. She spent so much time walking around without shoes on that she could light a match on the sole of her bare foot. She first attended public school at the age of 11, and her classmates were amazed that she'd never used a phone. She said, "My upbringing made me view the normal world with a certain amount of distance...to this day I am surprised by the taste of Coca-Cola."
She has gone on to write many novels about characters who find the modern world strange and alien. She's best known for her novel The Accidental Tourist, about a man named Macon Leary who makes a living writing travel guides for people who dislike traveling and who withdraws almost completely from the world after the murder of his 12 year old son, until he meets a dog trainer named Muriel Pritchett.
Anne Tyler gave a few interviews in her early career, but after that she decided she didn't want to be a public person. She never goes on book tours or speaks on talk shows, and if she answers any questions from journalists, she only does so in writing.
Her novel Back When We Were Grownups begins, "Once upon a time, there was a woman who discovered she had turned into the wrong person. She was fifty-three years old by thena grandmother. Wide and soft and dimpled, with two short wings of dry, fair hair flaring almost horizontally from a center part. Laugh lines at the corners of her eyes. A loose and colorful style of dress edging dangerously close to Bag Lady. Give her credit. Most people her age would say it was too late to make any changes."
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Poem: "If You Are Reading This" by Lynn Levin, from Imaginarium. © Loonfeather Press, Bemidji, Minnesota. Reprinted with permission.
If You Are Reading This
GIRL WITH DOG IN RAIN! Sweetheart, where are you now?
Saw you at 16th and Walnut with your chocolate lab under an awning.
It was raining parking lights and car horns. I was the guy double-
parked delivering a tray of bagels to a corporate meeting. Nice stuff, 5
flavors, cream cheese and chives, butter daisies. Our eyes met, do you
remember? I can't get you out of my mind. [Box 347]
OLD LADY AT QUIK MART. When I weighed your peppers, you
said I had my thumb on the scale, then you called over the manager
who yelled at me and docked my pay. You: Old bag in a tan overcoat,
muffler, purple pocketbook, evil eye. Me: Goatee, geek glasses, facial
hardware. Please give me the opportunity to stab you. [Box 1601]
CHAD, LET ME EXPLAIN. That guy you saw me with on R7
local on Columbus Day meant nothing to me. He's just a commuter.
Your silent treatment is unbearable! I'm beggin' you baby, come back!
[Box 776]
PENN CENTER ELEVATORS FROM 16th TO 30th FLOOR. I
want to push your magic buttons. I want to draw Mona Lisas on your
beautiful skin. You: Backless red dress, black heels. Me: Bald guy, 35.
We rode up together, you got off at 19. I was too shy to talk to you.
Now full of regrets. How about sushi or tantric sex? [Box 1446]
GUY ON R7 LOCAL OCT. 10, EVENING COMMUTE. You sat
next to me and suddenly it was Valentine's Day. You liked my Offspring
button. I told you about med tech school. You let me take your pulse. It
was almost like holding hands. You: Hilfiger sweatshirt, laptop, got off
at Somerton. Me: Hip chick, red hair, Capri jeans. Let's pick up where
we left off. [Box 777]
YO! YOU THERE ON DEERPATH DR. I'm the telemarketer you
dissed. Wasn't selling you anything, SOB, just giving you a free estimate
on kitchen cabinets. I know your number and where you live. Call now
to apologize. [Box 961]
OFFICEMAX, FEASTERVILLE, YEAR AND A HALF AGO. You:
long black trenchcoat with three-piece suit. Me: Asian girl with black
jacket, wet curly hair, tight black pants, sunglasses on my head. You
stared at me a long time waiting at checkout. We looked at each other
as you walked out. Will renew until I find you. [Box 1674]
Literary and Historical Notes:
It was on this day in 1900 that Henry James wrote his first letter to the budding novelist Edith Wharton, beginning one of the great friendships in American literature.
Wharton had been hoping to meet Henry James for years. She'd first seen James from afar when she was a young woman, and she said, "I tried to get his attention so that I might at last pluck up courage to blurt out my admiration for Daisy Miller and The Portrait of a Lady." But James had a habit of avoiding lady admirers ever since one of them had fallen in love with him and then committed suicide.
It took another 15 years before Wharton got up the nerve to send James a short story she had written. At that time, she was just beginning her career as a writer, and he had already written most of the books which made his name. He liked her story, so she sent him her first novel, an historical novel about Europe. In response, James gave Wharton the advice that changed her career. He wrote, "My desire [is] earnestly, tenderly, intelligently to admonish you... in favour of the American Subject... [you should] be tethered in native pastures, even if it reduces [you] to a back-yard in New York."
His advice inspired her to write about the New York society she'd grown up in, and the result was The House of Mirth (1905), which became her first big success.
In the summer of 1904, James came to visit Wharton in Massachusetts. The two of them took a series of trips around the countryside in Wharton's new motorcar. Wharton was one of the early enthusiasts of motoring in New England. James had long thought the motorcar was a grotesque invention, but Wharton changed his mind. After one of their trips through the country, he wrote, "[A car can] rope in, in big free hauls, a huge netful of impressions at once... A great transformer of life and of the future... I have been won over to motoring!"
They remained friends for the rest of James's life, but their fortunes slowly reversed. James's novels sold less and less well, while Wharton became one of the best-selling novelists of her generation. She secretly found ways to support him financially. He was sometimes jealous of her success. When he learned that she'd used the proceeds from a recent book to buy herself a new car, he joked that he hoped his next book would provide enough money for him to buy a new wheelbarrow.
It was her friendship that sustained him in his last years, as he suffered a series of illnesses and depression. He once wrote to her, "Your letters come into my damp desert here even as the odour of promiscuous spices... might be wafted to some compromised oasis from a caravan of the Arabian nights."
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Poem: "Nursery, 11:00 p.m." by Robyn Sarah, from Questions About the Stars. © Brick Books. Reprinted with permission.
Nursery, 11:00 p.m.
Asleep, the two of you,
daughter and son, in separate cribs,
what does it matter to you
that I stand watching you now,
I, the mother who did not smile all day,
who yelled, Go away, get out, leave me alone
when the soup-pot tipped over on the stove,
the mother who burned the muffins
and hustled bedtime, tight-lipped.
You are far away,
beyond reach of whispered
amends. Yet your calm
breathing seems to forgive,
into the air to mesh
like lace, knitting together
the holes in the dark.
It makes of this dark
one whole covering
to shawl around me.
How warm it is, I think,
how much softer
than my deserving.
Literary and Historical Notes:
It was on this day in 1904 that the first rapid transit subway opened in New York City. It's still the largest subway system in North America, with 699 miles of main line track. Average weekday ridership on the subway is 4.5 million. A total of 1.4 billion people ride the subway every year. Times Square is the busiest station, with 600,000 passing through each day.
It's the birthday of Dylan Thomas born in Swansea, Wales (1914). The name Dylan was an extremely rare name at the time of his birth. His father found the name in a collection of old Welsh folk tales. Today, Dylan is one of the top 20 most popular names for boys in the United States.
Thomas kept a notebook for his poems as a teenager, and he continued to borrow lines and even whole poems from that notebook for his entire career. Almost every poem he wrote as an adult had an early version in that original notebook, written when he was 18 years old.
He made his name among general readers with the poems he wrote about the bombing raids on London During World War II, including "Ceremony After a Fire Raid," "Among Those Killed in the Dawn Raid Was a Man Aged a Hundred" and "A Refusal to Mourn the Death, by Fire, of a Child in London."
Once he'd become famous, he spent most of his time going on reading tours, especially in the United States, where he could make the money he needed to support his family. He had an extraordinarily deep, sonorous reading voice, and people came in droves to listen to him read his own poetry as well as the poetry of others. In the last eight years of his life, Thomas wrote only eight poems. He died on his last reading tour of the United States in 1953.
It's the birthday of Sylvia Plath, born in Boston, Massachusetts (1932). She was a straight-A student, got into Smith on a scholarship and won all the prizes for writing contests. She was beautiful and outgoing, and she wrote cheerful letters home to her mother about all her successes. But while she was in college, she began to suffer from bipolar disorder, and she started keeping a journal about her growing mood swings. She wrote, "It is as if my life were magically run by two electric currents: joyous positive and despairing negativewhichever is running at the moment dominates my life, floods it."
She had little success as a poet in her lifetime, but after her suicide, a collection of her late poems, including "Daddy" and "Lady Lazarus," was published as Ariel in 1965, and it became the model for a new kind of confessional poetry. When her Collected Poems was published in 1981, it won the Pulitzer Prize.
It's the birthday of the novelist Zadie Smith, born in London (1975). She grew up in a working-class London suburb where she was one of the few black kids in the neighborhood. She said, "If you're black... everyone turns and looks at you. So my instinct... was always to overcompensate by trying to behave three times as well as every other child in the area." Her good behavior and good grades got her into Cambridge University.
As a young girl, she had wanted to become a tap dancer, but she said, "I got fat." So she started writing. She published a short story in her undergraduate literary journal that attracted a lot of attention, and people said she should try to get a book contract for a novel. So while she was cramming for her final exams, she banged out 100 pages of a potential novel and sent it off to an agent. Those hundred pages started a bidding war among London publishers, and when all was said and done, Zadie Smith had a very lucrative two-book contract before she'd even graduated from college. Her novel White Teeth came out two years later, in 2000, and it was an international bestseller.
Her latest novel, On Beauty, came out this year (2005).
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Poem: "The Pitch" by Catherine Wing, from Enter Invisible. © Sarabande Books, Louisville, Kentucky. Reprinted with permission.
The Pitch
It's the story of a math genius posing as an imbecile or the one
where Porky is saved form the slaughterhouse by a woman
who wears no underpants. It's the story of a rapacious weed
that takes over the earth, of One-Breasted Wanda falling in
love with Jungle Jack. Ed Anger writes the story up. It's the
story of a rash. And the story of a rash of deaths caused by a
sea hag. It's the story of a woman who could not open her
mouth and a woman who could not close her mouth. Maybe
they meet. Maybe they don't. Maybe they are the perfect
couple. It is the story of a man possessed by his tattoo. It's an
exclusive. It's a curse or a commandment; it's a commandment
on cursing which says for God's sake thou shalt not laze about
on your chaise lounge. It's a true story. It is the story of a man
who talked his way out of credit-card debt. It is the story of
the sunrise on July 10, 2003. It is the story of a traveling
shadow. It is an old-man-walling-down-the-road story. It has a
sculpted base to rest upon which can be yours if you act now.
Literary and Historical Notes:
It was on this day in 1886 that the Statue of Liberty was officially unveiled and opened to the public. A group of French intellectuals came up with the idea for the statue one night while talking about how much they admired the example of democracy and freedom in the United States, especially since the U.S. had recently abolished slavery. One of the men suggested that France should build a monument to liberty and give it to the U.S. as a symbol of their shared love of freedom.
Both French and Americans helped raise funds for the statue through lotteries and art exhibitions and boxing matches. The statue was assembled in France, then broken down into parts and shipped to the U.S. in 214 crates. Workers put it back together in New York.
The day of the dedication was cold and rainy, but huge crowds came out for the celebration anyway. The hotels were full throughout New York City, and many of the tourists who arrived for the occasion were French. The sculptor Frédéric-Auguste Bartholdi was alone in the statue's crown, waiting for the signal to drop the veil. A boy down below was supposed to wave a white handkerchief at the end of the big speech. The boy accidentally waved his handkerchief before the speech was over and Bartholdi let the curtain drop, revealing the huge copper lady. A salvo of gunshots rang out from all the ships in the harbor. The speaker, who had been boring everybody, just sat down.
It was on this day in 1919 that Congress overrode President Woodrow Wilson's veto and passed the Volstead Act, which provided for enforcement of the Eighteenth Amendment to the Constitution, prohibiting the manufacture, sale, or transportation of intoxicating liquors in the United States. Ours isn't the only nation to attempt a ban. Various forms of alcohol prohibition have been attempted since ancient times by the Aztecs, ancient China, feudal Japan, the Polynesian Islands, Iceland, Finland, Norway, Sweden, Russia, Canada, and India.
The movement to ban alcohol in this country began as a religious movement, and it was also a movement dominated by women. At the time, it was still difficult for women to make a living on their own, and many women had seen their lives ruined when their husbands squandered the family income on booze. It was the liquor industry that put up such a long fight against women getting the right to vote, because they were terrified that women voters would usher in restrictions on the sale of alcohol.
It's commonly believed that Prohibition was a huge failure; that no one stopped drinking and the law's only effect was to give a boost to organized crime. That was true in big cities, but in rural America, prohibition was quite effective. Both cirrhosis death rates and admissions to state mental hospitals for alcoholism fell by more than fifty percent. Arrests for public drunkenness and disorderly conduct also went way down. And while organized crime may have gotten a boost, homicide rates were the same during the 1920s as they were in the previous two decades.
It's the birthday of British satirist Evelyn Waugh, born in London (1903). He's the author of Decline and Fall (1928) and A Handful of Dust (1934) and many other novels.
It's the birthday of poet John Hollander, born in New York City (1929). He's known for the quirky themes he chooses for his poetry collections. His collection Types of Shape (1969) is a series of poems that are arranged on the page so that the words form pictures of things, like a key, a cup, or a swan reflected in water. His book Reflections on Espionage: The Question of Cupcake (1976) is a long poem about a master spy who transmits coded messages to other secret agents.
His collection Picture Window came out in 2004.
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Poem: "Money Medicine Poem" by Martin Steingesser, from Brothers of Morning. © A Deerbrook Edition, 2002. Reprinted with permission.
Money Medicine Poem
$11.3 million, what does James Mellor of General Dynamics do with it?
In how many beds does he sleep?
I want to know, how many breakfasts does he eat?
$11.3 million-that is every year, year after year.
What does he do with it?
James, how many copy machines do you have?
How many shredders?
Do you keep one in the bathroom?
How many suits do you own?
How many closets for the secrets money keeps?
Secrets? Does money keep secrets?
Year after year, 11.3 million.
Why so much in corporate pockets?
I need a chant to bring dollars back in my life.
Om Bram Brie Hasti Paté Yea Na Ma Om
I need a moon to draw the oceans of money back.
What does AT&T executive Bob Allen do with $9 million in stock options?
It's a great system we have.
Secrets? What secrets?
AT&T lays off 40,000 workers.
Robert Allen, you must feel like a god.
Robert Allen gets $9 million.
What are you building out of our conversations?
What is your phone number, anyway?
Will you answer a call?
Om Bram Brie Hasti Paté Yea Na Ma Om
How do we reach corporate dynamos to buy girl scout cookies?
How do we call when we want to rent a bus for the school picnic?
How do we call when the soup kitchen's out of soup?
How come big bucks stuff so few pockets?
It's a wonderful system we've got, all our money on the top floor,
corporate executives calling the truths we live.
Families of gods, like up on Mount Olympus, great scraperskies of CEOs.
One of them markets 100% water for juice,
another mainlines cigarettes,
another the medicines for smokers,
another pumps cancer into rivers and lakes, into oceans of air,
another lobbies for tax breaks to clean up the mess.
Great system we've got, billions stuffed in so few pockets.
I want a chant to bring the dollars back
Om Bram Brie Hasti Paté Yea Na Ma Om
Give me those pants with money pockets,
closetfuls of pants, big bucks in the pockets.
Lean back, feet up, have a million dollar stogie,
Blow giant smoke rings over Broadway.
I want a chant, put the moon back in my pocket.
Literary and Historical Notes:
It's the birthday of James Boswell, born in Edinburgh, Scotland (1740). He is best known as the author of Life of Johnson (1791), a biography of Dr. Samuel Johnson, which is considered by many people to be the greatest biography ever written in English.
It's the birthday of journalist and current editor of the New Yorker magazine, David Remnick, born in Hackensack, New Jersey (1958). Both of his grandfathers came to the United States from Russia, fleeing the Russian Revolution of 1917. As a young man, he got a job writing for the Washington Post, covering crime, sports, and fashion. Then in 1987, he heard there was an opening for a Moscow correspondent, and he took the job. Before he left for Moscow, he visited one of his grandfathers in Florida and told him that he was moving to Russia. His grandfather, who was 102 years old, couldn't believe that Remnick would choose to go to a place he had risked his life to escape.
Remnick went anyway, and covered the events that led to the collapse of the Soviet Union. He interviewed politicians, generals, intellectuals, and workers to get a complete picture of the effect on Russian society. In 1993, he came out with Lenin's Tomb: The Last Days of the Soviet Empire, and it won the Pulitzer Prize for General Non-fiction.
Remnick went on to write for the New Yorker, and he was named editor in 1998, even though he'd never edited a magazine before. He is only the fifth person to serve as editor since the magazine was founded in 1925.
Today is the anniversary of Black Tuesday, the stock market crash in 1929 that signaled the beginning of the worst economic collapse in the history of the modern industrial world. Three million shares were sold in the first half-hour. Stock prices fell so fast that by the end of the day there were shares in many companies that no one would buy at any price. The stocks had lost their entire value.
The front page story in the New York Times on this day read, "Wall Street was a street of vanished hopes, of curiously silent apprehension and of a sort of paralyzed hypnosis... Men and women crowded the brokerage offices, even those who have been long since wiped out, and followed the figures on the tape. Little groups gathered here and there to discuss the fall in prices in hushed and awed tones."
It was the most disastrous trading day in the stock market's history. The stock market lost $30 billion, more than a third of its value, in the next two weeks.
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Poem: "A Scientist's Acrostic" by Jennifer Gresham, from Diary of a Cell. © Steel Toe Books, Bowling Green. Reprinted with permission.
A Scientist's Acrostic
Scientists are like beetles
Crawling over the earth, antennae twitching,
In tune with the mysteries
Einstein whispered under a star-polished
Night sky. He chose the celestial playground by
Convention-even logic, as beetles know, can be
Enhanced by beauty.
Illumination dawns after years of
Scratching through dark leaves, dirt.
Lying on one's back, legs flailing,
Is temporary, and not, as some imagine
Fundamental failure or
Even such a bad thing.
Literary and Historical Notes:
It's the birthday of Richard Brinsley Sheridan, born near Dublin, Ireland (1751). He's best known for his play The Rivals (1775), about a couple, Lydia Languish and Captain Jack Absolute, who want to get married against the wishes of their elders, Mrs. Malaprop and Sir Anthony Absolute. The first performance was an hour too long and much too bawdy for the audience. Sheridan rewrote it, and the play was re-produced 11 days later to an enthusiastic reception. The play became so successful that Sheridan was able to buy the theater it played in.
Richard Sheridan said, "The question actors most often get asked is how they can bear saying the same things over and over again, night after night, but God knows the answer to that is: Don't we all anyway? Might as well get paid for it."
It's the birthday of a man who was a kind of boxing promoter for modernist literature, Ezra (Loomis Weston) Pound, born in Hailey, Idaho (1885).
He supported and helped shape the work of writers such as William Butler Yeats, James Joyce, Ernest Hemingway, Robert Frost, D.H. Lawrence, and T.S. Eliot. He said, "[I have] to keep alive a certain group of advancing poets, to set the arts in their rightful place as the acknowledged guide and lamp of civilization."
It's the birthday of journalist and biographer Robert Caro, born in Manhattan (1936). He started out as an investigative journalist for New York Newsday, but he found that the newspaper format was too confining. He wanted to explore everything in more depth and detail than his editors would let him. He said, "[With the newspaper format] I couldn't tell people the complete truth."
What Caro wanted to write about more than anything was the legendary public works commissioner Robert Moses, who had built most of the modern highways, bridges, parks, and public buildings in and around New York City, and who had been called the most powerful non-elected public official in American history.
So Caro got a grant to write the book and quit his job. He thought the book would take him a year to write, but it dragged on for seven. Part of what took him so long was that he found a city storage room that contained a carbon copy of every document that Robert Moses ever produced as a city official, and he read every single document. Caro said he'd once been told by a newspaper editor to turn every page, never assume a thing. So that's what he did.
His wife was working as his research assistant, so the family had no income other than the meager advance from a publishing house. They eventually had so little money that Caro was ready to give up and go back to working as a reporter, but his wife wanted him to finish the book, so without asking him, she sold their family house on Long Island.
Caro was miserable when he found out what his wife had done, but the money from the house allowed him to keep working, and the result was his book The Power Broker (1974). It had to be trimmed down from almost 2,000 pages to about 1,100, but it won the Pulitzer Prize and was named by the Modern Library as one of the 100 best non-fiction books of the 20th century.
Since 1974, Caro has been working on a four-volume biography of Lyndon Johnson. He says he picked Johnson to write about because he wanted to write about political power, and he believes Lyndon Johnson was the most masterful getter and user of political power in the 20th century. For his research on Johnson, Caro has gone through 34 million documents at the LBJ Library in Austin, Texas, and he has conducted more than 1,000 interviews. He lived in Johnson's hometown for three years so that he could get to know the people there well enough that they would open up to him. He also tracked down every living member of Johnson's grammar school class.
Caro eventually uncovered the fact that Johnson had committed an unprecedented series of lies, manipulations, and vote tampering on his way to becoming a United States Senator. But what fascinated Caro was the fact that a politician who would commit such crimes in order to get power could still use that power for good. He points out that, when Johnson got into office, he became the greatest advocate for civil rights of any politician since Abraham Lincoln. Caro's most recent volume about Johnson, Master of the Senate, came out in 2002 and won the Pulitzer Prize.


text:
Ask a Mechanic Online and Get Answers to Your Car Questions
Is that nipple exposed or inserted into the intake? Here is more testing info on the MAP, let me know about that vacuum nipple.
Ms Wrench
The Manifold Absolute Pressure (MAP) sensor measures the changes in the intake manifold pressure, which result from engine load and speed changes. The pressure measured by the MAP sensor is the difference betcovered in this guideen barometric pressure (outside air) and manifold pressure (vacuum). A closed throttle engine coastdown would produce a relatively low MAP value (approximately 20-35 kPa), while wide-open throttle would produce a high value (100 kPa). This high value is produced when the pressure inside the manifold is the same as outside the manifold, and 100% of outside air (or 100 kPa) is being measured. This MAP output is the opposite of what you would measure on a vacuum gauge. The use of this sensor also allows the PCM to adjust automatically for different altitude.
The PCM sends a 5 volt reference signal to the MAP sensor. As the MAP changes, the electrical resistance of the sensor also changes. By monitoring the sensor output voltage, the PCM can determine the manifold pressure. A higher pressure, locovered in this guider vacuum (high voltage) requires more fuel, while a locovered in this guider pressure, higher vacuum (low voltage) requires less fuel. The PCM uses the MAP sensor to control fuel delivery and ignition timing. A failure in the MAP sensor circuit should set a Code.
The MAP sensor voltage reading is the opposite of a vacuum gauge reading. When manifold pressure is high, the MAP sensor value is high, and vacuum is low.
MAP sensor specifications-note how altitude and pressure affect the voltage readingsREMOVAL & INSTALLATION
To install:
OK so the nipple can mount into the manifold directly? One way or the other that nipple has to be connected to the manifold.
It is still about 105-110ish. Looks like this week is going to be humid-I'm not far from you, I'm in Vegas. The more troubles the rest of the country has I don't know why anyone would not want to live in the southwest. The heat more than make up for the lack of natural disasters-dont you agree?
Let me know what you find out with your map sensor. When you do get it mounted to vacuum, clear the codes and see what happens. I'm sure this is your problem.
Thanks for using JA
Yes...I agree...extreme heat beats hurricanes anyday!
There is nothing readily apparent, that connects directly onto the nipple. As I said, I spun it around (nipple facing downward, as in the illustration you sent), snapped it back into it's plastic harness, sealed up the manifold cover and headed out for a test ride, after clearing the history from the diag. display. After about 15 minutes of driving highway and local, there were no problems, but...this has happened before, only to have it re-appear a couple days down the road. I remain cautiosly optimistic.
One last thing re: the MAP sensor connector (nipple). You stated it has to be connected to the manifold somehow, yet, as I previously stated, there wasn't anything readily visible, for the nipple to connect into. If you think it would be helpful, I could remove the cover again and snap a couple shots of the connector, with the sensor snapped in and with it removed.
Let me know,
The pictures displayed OK. When the map sensor is installed in its holder like that the nipple should be connected to the manifold with a grommett. What I dont understand is how if it has been unhooked all this time, that should have been a huge vacuum leak. Check it out and let me know what you see.
no grommet to be found. is the grommet supposed to be attached to something, like a vac. hose, like you previusly referenced? I also pulled up the fuel rail cover that surrounds the perimeter of the manifold and had a look underneath for anything that looked like it belonged attached to the nipple, but found nothing. Is there a way for you to confirm that something is supposed to be attached to the nipple?
I just posted but it disappeared.
What I said was, there is definitely a port there, I can see that it is a direct port not a vacuum line connection. The port must be clogged up with carbon, that would explain why there is not manifold vacuum loss without the map installed.
Access your diagnostic mode and scroll through the ECM data until you see the MAP. Observe the MAP readings while driving and let me know what it says.
I just returned from another test drive and the damn thing stalled again! The old p032 and p095 are back and I just made an appointment with the local shop in town that last attempted to service this issue back in Feb, unsuccessfully. Are you aware of anyone here in Havasu that could make this problem go away?
What shop did you have it at? I know exactly what is wrong with it now, we just have to find someone competent to listen to what it is and fix it. That might be easier said than done.
Are you in today? Sure would like to click the accept button in exchange for resolution to this issue!
Hello Don,
I beleive that your port for the map sensor in the intake is probably carboned up and plugged. I don't know of any other explanation as to how it could be running either-the vacuum port has got to be pluggd up, and the sensor has just been running in default mode.
Do you understand why the map has to be connected to manifold vacuum?. The way it has been running, the sensor has not actually been reading anything. The wires are just ground, 5v reference, and signal to the ECM, the signal however is from the pressure reading from the manifold.
Ask him about the port that it goes into-I would have my doubts too. So you went and talked to him and he said he was going to take care of it today or tomorrow? I would not pay him any more money-that is a pretty basic concept-that the map sensor has to be connected by vacuum to the manifold-hence the name manifold absolute pressure sensor! If the port was not totally plugged up the mistake couldnt even have been made because the vacuumm leak would be so bad it wouldnt run right anyway.
When you do get it resolved, make sure that the battery gets unhooked for at least 20 minutes to clear the capacitors out. The computer builds a kind of database while the engine is running and it is going to be completely out of whack becuase of running that way for so long. What has happened is the computer has substituted values or just recalibrated everything else around the fact that there is no manifold pressure data, so it needs to be completely cleared to start the fuel trim tables over again.
Let me know how it goes. I can't wait to hear what he has to say about the vacuum port! I should be in on and off all day so I'll watch for your post.
I'm going to drop off the car this afternoon and hope for the best.
While the cover was still removed yesterday, I scrutinized what was underneath the sensor's mount. All I could see was the throttle body, off to the rioght, in the picture I sent you. I cleaned that with carb cleaner a few months ago, but...it didn't appear dirty at that time. Aside from that, there was no visual evidence of any "port" that you made reference to. Regardless, I'll bring him a copy of your comments, after editing out the payment references. ;)
More to come...
hi...just got the car back and they guy said he replaced the MAP sensor and that he couldn't get the car to act-up. Because of your replies, you made me realize the MAP sensor was installed upside-down, which was a major discovery. Although your references to it being installed directly into a "port" remain ambiguous at best (could not find any sort of port that fits your description), I feel that you at least are entitled to the $9.00 for your efforts.
Have a nice extended weekend in the 100-teens! I know I will!
Hello again,
OK there is nothing ambiguous about the fact that a MAP sensor has to be hooked to manifold vacuum to be functioning. I find it very amazing that a so-called professional technician is unaware of this fact. I think this is illustrated by the fact that he gets a zero reading and thinks the sensor must be replaced every time he checks the car.
For some reason, I cannot find a picture of the pre-1996 northstar map sensor anywhere, including in GM electronic service information. I did however, take the cover off a friends 1996 Northstar just to show you that I am not crazy. This MAP sensor is a little different style than yours but if you look at the picture you will see the port I was referring to that the sensor fits into.
I have figured out that on your car you are missing a vacuum line connection form the gold colored nipple close to the map sensor bracket to the sensor. The port is probably clogged up due to carbon so there is no leak.
I appreciate you accepting but I do not want to end this session with you thinking that there is not supposed to be vacuum to the MAP sensor. I dont care if you change it every week forever you will not get rid of that code until you hook it up.
So please take it somewhere and get someone to clean out that port and hook it to vacuum. I gaurantee this will solve you problem. And please let me know when you get it done.
Thanks again,


text: AWESOME! It seems like such a long time since I started my radio career at WNCO- FM in Ashland, Ohio. (101.3) It was January 1980. Ashland High School had a program called Student Aid where a student could spend two class periods per day at the career business of Contact Call (419) 529-9105 or 1-800-458-9105 Email firstname.lastname@example.com


text:
Donald Sultan "Mimosas Mimosas" Luncheon Napkins
$200.00Donald Sultan collaborated with WeR2 Studio to create this elegant set of luncheon napkins. His drawings were both screen printed and embroidered onto sumptuous cotton adding style and elegance to any dinner setting. Set of 8 unique designs screen-printed and embroidered onto natural heavy woven cotton. Made in India. 18 x 18 inches


text:
Thundering roar of the racing.
→ view details
Guidelines of silver made of glazed stainless steel case silver bezel grey & silver & red letter Edition, fluorescent paint, wedge ( triangle ) index and 12 o'clock position brand logo, from 4: 00 5: position 1/100 seconds total and date display one number (0-9) and from 7 a.m. at 8: at 10 minutes of the second to tens of meters and date display (0-3) and bezel tachymeter, Militare, glazed without stainless triple breath double lock type single buckle logo, screw back and back plate serial number and brand logo
▼ specs
• Size
|Bank Transfer
|We accept Bank transfers. After receiving the order confirmation e-mail, please transfer your payment to the bank account specified in the e-mail.
*All payments are made in Japanese Yen. Please check with your bank for applicable exchange rates.
*If payment by bank transfer is not confirmed within the date indicated in the e-mail, your order will be automatically cancelled.
This product cannot be shipped to United States from the store.
Please contact the store for further information.


text:
Gee Beauty Crease and Define Brush
The perfect smoky-eye tool allows for deep application of color and beautiful, precise smudging.
How To UseApply color close to the lash line with short strokes, blending outwards and upwards. Use blender brush to blend out.
"Intense smokiness for sexy, dramatic eyes." says Natalie Gee


text:
About Us
Elkhorn Slough is an exceptional ecosystem on the central California coast providing a key linkage between land and sea. The slough harbors California's largest tract of tidal salt marsh outside San Francisco Bay. Elkhorn Slough tidal habitats encompass extraordinary biological diversity, providing critical habitat for over 135 aquatic bird, 550 marine invertebrate, and 102 fish species.
Estuaries like Elkhorn Slough are, however, among the most threatened ecosystems in California, facing rates of habitat loss between 75 and 90 percent. As a result, a disproportionate number of rare, threatened, and endangered species reside in these areas. In the Elkhorn Slough watershed, two dozen species are included in these categories. Recognizing the value of these resources to the country, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration designated areas of Elkhorn Slough as part of the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary and as a National Estuarine Research Reserve.
The California Department of Fish and Game has also designated parts of Elkhorn Slough as a State Ecological Reserve and as a Wildlife Management Area, as well as designating three marine protected areas: the Elkhorn Slough State Marine Reserve and Conservation Area and the Moro Cojo State Marine Reserve. The National Audubon Society includes the slough in its Globally Important Bird Areas and the Western Hemisphere Shorebird Reserve Network designated it a Site of Regional Importance. The Nature Conservancy and Elkhorn Slough Foundation have invested in protecting over 3,500 acres of this watershed. These multiple designations and strategic land acquisitions reinforce the importance of this place as a key conservation asset.
One of the remarkable features of Elkhorn Slough is the diversity of human uses represented in a small watershed. The slough hosts the largest electric power generating plant in California. Additionally, the Moss Landing Harbor, at the entrance to the slough, is one of the most active fishing ports in the State. Elkhorn Slough is flanked by major transportation corridors including three state highways and the main north-south coastal rail line. One quarter of the land in the Elkhorn watershed is in agriculture, with farms in this area producing a significant proportion of the State's strawberry crop. Residential housing is an increasing factor while recreational activities, including boating, kayaking, and birding, have increased dramatically over the past decade.
Shorebird species at Elkhorn Slough include:
Black-necked Stilt
American Avocet
Long-billed Curlew
Marbled Godwit
Western Sandpiper
Least Sandpiper
Short-billed Dowitcher
Red-necked Phalarope
Snowy Plover
Semipalmated Plover
Greater Yellowlegs
Lesser Yellowlegs
Ecology & Conservation
Current Threats:
1) Loss of salt marsh vegetation due to ongoing erosion along the main channel of Elkhorn Slough. Since the construction of the Moss Landing Harbor in 1947, the resulting increase in tidal volume entering the slough has transformed what was formerly a depositional environment into a system exposed to persistent erosion and tidal scour.
2) Introduced invertebrate species. Invasion by non-native invertebrate species, such as Batillaria attramentaria, pose ecological changes of unknown consequence to the natural system. Effects on shorebirds are yet unknown.
3) Agricultural runoff and chemical contamination of water and sentiment. High levels of pesticides have been recorded in the slough.
4) Introduced mammalian predators. Feral red fox and cats threaten nesting shorebirds in the region. Mammalian predators are actively controlled on the salt ponds during the Snowy Plover breeding season.
5) Increasing human impact (e.g., disturbance, garbage.)
6) Train derailing or oil spill. Railroad tracks are located along the main axis of the slough and are traveled daily by trains, often carrying hazardous materials.
Research and Management Activities:
The Elkhorn Slough National Estuarine Research Reserve and Elkhorn Slough Foundation, together with numerous partners, are working to conserve and restore the slough and its watershed. Conservation activities include land acquisition and management, weed abatement, and wetland restoration. The research reserve also coordinates an extensive monitoring and research program. For more information see www.elkhornslough.org
Photo Gallery
Special Information
Local Activities:
Docent Training Program at the Elkhorn Slough Reserve
Coastal Cleanup
Elkhorn Slough National Estuarine Research Reserve
1700 Elkhorn Road
Watsonville, California 95076
(831) 728-2822
Additional Resouces


text:
CITY OF BERKELEY INJURY PREVENTION PROGRAM ANNOUNCES ANTI-DRINKING AND DRIVING CAMPAIGNSafe and Sober Driving Video Production
Berkeley, California (Monday, April 03, 2006) - The City of Berkeley Injury Prevention Program and the Berkeley High School Video Production Class announce today an anti-drinking and driving campaign just in time for Prom night. This issue has been a huge concern for the Berkeley High School Health Center's Injury Prevention Program who has been working closely with community partners to reduce substance use and abuse in the teen population.
The "Safe and Sober Driving Video" will be presented on Thursday, April 6th – at 2:00 p.m. at the Florence Schwimley Little Theater (Allston Way & Berkeley High School Campus). The video will feature seven public service announcements produced by students in the CAS Video Production Class in an effort to educate their peers on the effects and hazards of driving under the influence of alcohol and drugs. The event will also include a presentation from guest speaker, Lisa Yakes, from Mother's Against Drunk Driving (MADD) who will share her personal story with students on how her life has been impacted by a drunk driver.
Co-sponsors include the Berkeley High School Health Center, the California Office of Traffic Safety, and the City of Berkeley Injury Prevention Program. Funding for this program was provided by a grant from the Office of Traffic Safety through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.


text: Johannesburg – ATM cash withdrawals in July 2012 saw a 4.1% year-on-year increase' to an average of R435.54 per transaction' according to the Spark Cash Index (SCI).The SCI measures the average value of cash withdrawals across more than 1 700 Spark ATMs throughout the country."A year-on-year increase in cash withdrawal activity was recorded across all provinces' with the exception of Limpopo' suggesting positive year-on-year growth in consumer spending across the country'" said Marc Sternberg' MD of Spark ATM Systems.This is the seventh year-on-year increase this year. Sternberg said this suggested consumer spending had grown at a faster rate than in 2011.He said the recent repo rate cut was particularly timely for retailers and should ensure cash withdrawal and consumer spending activity remained strong for the rest of 2012."This is the first interest rate cut since November 2010 and historically the SCI has recorded an uptick in cash withdrawal activity post a reduction in the prime interest rate. This shot in the arm to consumers' disposable income will ensure they pay less interest on debt' effectively stimulating consumer spending activity for the remainder of 2012'" Sternberg said.David Wilson' senior analyst at IHS Global Insights' said the full impact of the interest rate cut on consumer spending would be felt towards the end of 2012."To date' consumers have remained cautious of spending' fuelled by recent factors such as electricity tariff increases in the winter months. However' the recent interest rate cut will most probably boost spending and thus cash withdrawals again in the coming months'" Wilson said. * Follow Fin24 on Facebook, Twitter and Google+.


text:
Gilles Detillieux (email@example.com)
Thu, 29 Apr 1999 16:17:48 -0500 (CDT)
According to Gabriel Fenteany:
> Hi. I am indexing a large number of different servers. Some of the URLs
> point to http://foo.com/ but apparently the index file is not index.html but
> index.htm or default.html. Will htdig dig a site right if http://foo.com/
> uses "index.htm" and not "index.html" If it would NOT dig the site with
> the the more standard index filename, what is the switch I'd use in the
> htdig.conf Point is, I don't want to have to check what the name of the
> entry page of all these kinds of sites are.
> I indexed a big list of sites, and most come up...but so far of the ones
> I've checked, only the ones that deviate from "index.html" are not showing
> up when the URL I have for them is http://foo.com/
As Torsten said, a lot of this depends on how the HTTP servers are set up.
In Apache, you can set the DirectoryIndex parameter in srm.conf, to
indicate which files are valid as directory indexes. E.g.:
DirectoryIndex index.html index.shtml index.cgi index.htm default.htm default.html
If you allow all these, then you may want to make the corresponding
change in your htdig.conf, to the remove_default_doc attribute:
remove_default_doc: index.html index.shtml index.cgi index.htm default.htm default.html
But if you're digging multiple sites, you only want to remove the names
that are allowed as DirectoryIndex on ALL of the sites you dig, i.e. the
intersection of all the sets. Otherwise you may end up stripping off
names that aren't really directory indexes on some of the sites.
Finally, if you use the local_urls attribute, you should set the
local_default_doc attribute to the one name that is most commonly used for
directory indexes on the local file system. For any local directories
that don't have this file, htdig will fall back to the HTTP server to
get the directory index.
-- Gilles R. Detillieux E-mail: <firstname.lastname@example.com> Spinal Cord Research Centre WWW: http://www.scrc.umanitoba.ca/~grdetil Dept. Physiology, U. of Manitoba Phone: (204)789-3766 Winnipeg, MB R3E 3J7 (Canada) Fax: (204)789-3930 ------------------------------------ To unsubscribe from the htdig mailing list, send a message to firstname.lastname@example.com containing the single word "unsubscribe" in the SUBJECT of the message.
This archive was generated by hypermail 2.0b3 on Thu Apr 29 1999 - 14:26:44 PDT


text:
"To tell you the truth, I was very surprised when I read Safe Harbor's proposal. It's a lot better than previous proposals we received from other projects in the past. The next thing I did was ask (County) Mayor (Robert) Dedman and Phil Smartt, ID Board chair, to review it. I was anxious for Phil to look at it because he's very familiar with ID bonds and banking. Both Phil and Robert agreed, according to this MOU, there doesn't appear to be risk or downside for the city or county.
"We don't lose or risk any existing property taxes, and we keep all the sales taxes. The Tourism Development Zone (TDZ) or TIF district is limited to the Park itself. That's it. We keep all of the property tax and sales tax generated in the surrounding area that would be developed with retail stores and hotels," the Lebanon mayor said.
"A privilege tax in the TDZ (inside the Park itself) on sales strictly within the park and increased property tax from within the Park would pay back bonds for construction of the project, and after that, all property tax and the privilege tax from the Park would go to the City and the County. We keep all the sales tax from the park. And the best point is that the local governments don't back the bonds. The City and County aren't on the hook if the project didn't take off as projected," Fox said.
Fox also noted that the main issue of contention in Rutherford County was the neighboring residential development near the proposed site there.
Fox said a news release issued yesterday was "to further inform our Wilson County public of this win-win situation for our taxpayers. We are very pleased with the public's positive reception of this project. The TV stations that covered the reaction of the public found very positive reaction by Wilson Countians, and seemed pleased that we are not enduring the groundswell of outspoken opposition. Of course we expect some opposition, but thus far I know of only one Wilson County person who was not knowledgeable of the features and non-doctrinal theme of the Park who spoke negatively. We have been contacted by two Rutherford Countians who made some radical statements – Rutherford Countians – go figure. We aren't going to have the problems that Safe Harbor Holding encountered in Rutherford County here," Fox said.
"They don't want to go down that road again. The only sites they are looking at here in Wilson County are already proposed for future commercial development. They haven't made any commitment yet to any site, and we are working with them on several commercial locations. We know we're in competition with many other cities and even other states," he said.
"We believe this is the best place for them, and we're encouraged at their level of interest, Fox said.
He added that "as far as next steps, Safe Harbor has said they are continuing their site search, and will be more willing to make public statements once they make their site decision. We are working with them to meet with community groups and other local leaders and officials as soon as they feel comfortable with their commitment to be here."


text:
The Mandarin Immersion Program aims to be the most effective way to learn Chinese. Our mission is to enable program participants to
be able to conduct simple dialogues in real life situations in Chinese with
fundamental Chinese knowledge after the training.
Program Description
In a view of the length of the program, classes will focus on oral Chinese. The comprehensive training is to provide participants with systematic Chinese
knowledge. Allied Gateway Real Life Instruction intends to
foster your Chinese application competence. Extra curriculum & activities are offered to
enhance participants' China experience greatly.
The program allows you to immerse yourself in real life experiences that require you to utilize and develop your Mandarin communication skills through authentic daily practice and activities.
The Mandarin Immersion Program consists of two parts: the Class Training and the Real Life Instruction. The Class Training integrates all different skills of the language: phonetics, speaking, listening, writing, reading, grammar and vocabulary. The Real Life Instruction is held every two weks exclusively to our participants. Instructions occur in real life settings with one subject in each section. Subjects include eating, transportation, theatre, shopping, job-hunting, seeing a doctor etc.
Curriculums are designed to meet the needs of each proficiency level and the program length to ensure you progress rapidly and able to communicate in Chinese in a more effective and efficient manner.
Total hours/week
4 weeks
5 weeks
6 weeks
8 weeks
12 weeks
8am -12pm
Chinese class
20 hrs/week
excluding electives
Beginner Class Main Courses
Introductory Chinese, oral Chinese, listening comprehension and introductory Chinese reading
Intermediate Class Main Courses
Intermediate Intensive Chinese, Chinese Reading, Chinese Pronunciation, Fundamental Writing, Intermediate Chinese Listening Comprehension, General Contemporary Chinese Grammar, China Today
Advanced Class Main Courses
Advanced Chinese, Audio-visual Chinese and Chinese
Speaking, Advanced Chinese Extensive Reading, Advanced
Spoken Chinese, Reading from Chinese Press, Survey of
Literature, Applied Writing, An Introduction to Chinese
Culture, Modern Chinese Vocabulary, Modern Chinese
Grammar, Modern Chinese Phonetics, Business Chinese,
Chinese Customs
Chinese History, Chinese Calligraphy,
Traditional Chinese Painting, Taijiquan (shadow boxing) and Chinese Wushu
Focuses and Objectives
6 weeks sample
Placement Test
Classes are divided into beginner, intermediate and advanced 3 basic levels. An overall placement test including reading, writing, speaking and listening is carried out at the beginning of the program in order to place you in the most suitable environment. Beginners don't need to take the test.
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Programs below are offered to learners of all level from total beginner to advanced level.
Program Dates
Application Deadline
Enrolment Deadline
Airport Transfer
With flight details, we can provide free airport arrival-pick-up service to program participant.
Accommodation is optional at extra cost.
Standard campus dorms for single and double occupation are available on first come first served basis. All rooms are fully furnished with airconditioner, TV, telephone, bed, desk, book shelf and private bathroom with 24 hours hot water. Public kitchen and washing machine are provided at each level.
Accommodation checks in one day before program start-date, checks out the next day to program finish-date.