text:
INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. – Arielle Kabangu continues to add to the trophy case after a successful 2013 season as the freshman was named to the Daktronics All-America Women's Soccer Team as a member of the organization's Second Team.
Kabangu led the Sunshine State Conference in scoring with 22 goals and 49 points. Her 22 goals are the most among Division II, while her 49 points ranked her second in the nation and first in points-per-game average.
The native of Ottawa, Canada averaged a conference-best 3.06 points per game and 1.38 goals per game during the regular season. She was also third in the SSC with five game-winning goals.
All the accolades, including both the Daktronics and NSCAA All-Region honors, the Sunshine State Conference's Player of the Year, Offensive Player of the Year and Freshman of the Year, have come during her first season of collegiate soccer.
Kabangu joins Rollins freshman Paxton Sickler, who earned First Team honors, and Tampa's Shannon Walisch, who was named Honorable Mention, as the SSC representatives.
Sports information directors from NCAA Division II schools and conferences selected the three Daktronics All-America teams. The process begins at the regional level with all first-team all-region picks advancing to the national ballot. This is the seventh year Daktronics has sponsored the NCAA Division II Women's Soccer All-America and all-region teams. A total of 66 student-athletes representing 34 different institutions filled out the three teams and the honorable mention squad.
The team is sponsored by Daktronics, Inc., an acknowledged world leader in scoring, timing and programmable display systems for virtually every sport at every level of competition. The team is voted on by the NCAA Division II members of the College Sports Information Directors of America.
Click here to view the entire Daktronics All-America release courtesy of CoSIDA.


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May 23, 2008
Biggerstaff Named Southern States Boating Officer of the Year
AUSTIN, Texas — Game Warden Alan Biggerstaff of Conroe has been named the 2008 Southern States Boating Officer of the Year for Texas.
Biggerstaff graduated from the Texas Game Warden Academy in 1988. His current patrol area includes Lake Conroe and the San Jacinto River, where his efforts have made area waters safer. One of his responsibilities is to organize and coordinate boating safety saturation patrols. His proactive efforts to detect alcohol use led the way in taking 22 intoxicated boat operators off area lakes. He has also worked with teachers to bring boating safety programs to five area schools.
His search and rescue efforts recently led to the recovery of two fishermen whose boat was found unoccupied and running in circles.
Biggerstaff received the award from the Southern States Boating Law Administrators' Association. The group was created to promote boating safety and is comprised of 17 states, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands.
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Plain Text — Plain text versions of TPWD news releases are provided for copying and pasting into editing software.
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- Select all.
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(5.4.16 i)

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Fairfax County Offers Digital Transition Assistance for Older Adults and Adults with Disabilities
Department of Family Services/ Fairfax Area Agency on Aging
12011 Government Center Parkway, Suite 708
Fairfax, Virginia 22035-1104
Contact for News Media: Grace Lynch, Communications Manager
Division of Adult and Aging Services
Fairfax County Department of Family Services
December 9, 2008
Fairfax County Offers Digital Transition Assistance
to Older Adults and Adults with Disabilities
Older adults and adults with disabilities who are having difficulty preparing their analog television for the nationwide digital transition can receive assistance from Fairfax County. Telephone assistance is available from the county's Department of Cable Communications and Consumer Protection. Some residents may also be eligible for free assistance to install the converter box from the county's Volunteer Solutions program.
All major TV stations will begin broadcasting exclusively in digital after February 17, 2009. People with analog TVs that use antennas to pick up broadcast channels must install a converter box, subscribe to cable/satellite or purchase a new digital set to continue watching TV.
Some older adults and adults with disabilities may have difficulty with this, particularly with installing a converter box.
Telephone assistance covers questions about the transition process and
assistance on how to install a TV converter box. For information or
assistance, contact the Department of Cable Communications and Consumer
Protection at 703-324-5900, TTY 711,
firstname.lastname@example.com or visit www.fairfaxcounty.gov/cable.
Fairfax County's Volunteer Solutions program will provide volunteers to county residents who meet the following criteria:
- Fairfax County residency;
- Age 60 years or older or have a disability and age 18 or older;
- Unable to install the converter box and can not find help;
- No television in the home that has a digital tuner or is connected to cable/satellite.
To request a volunteer, call 703-324-7118; TTY 703-449-1186 or e-mail email@example.com. Volunteer Solutions is a program of the Department of Family Services' Division of Adult and Aging Services and Fairfax Area Agency on Aging. For reasonable accommodations call 703-324-5406; TTY 703-449-1186.
Fairfax County is committed to nondiscrimination on the basis of disability in all county programs, services and activities. To request this information in an alternate format, call Department of Family Services' Fairfax Area Agency on Aging at 703-324-5411, TTY 703-449-1186.


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For more than 20 years, Moses Eliezer has been practicing Reiki and healing people from a variety of illnesses and ailments. He sought to develop a technique in healing that was not yet available in Southern California and then excelled. By combining massage therapy with elements of Reiki, he has attracted patients willing to travel long distances to seek treatment.
When Shirley arrived to see Moses, she had been suffering from sharp pains in her ankle. "The treatment with Moses was an indescribable experience. His unique massage technique not only relieved the pain in my ankle but he reached other problematic areas that I didn't even think of mentioning to him," she explained. "In about two days, the pain in my ankle, my back, and my wrist disappeared completely. I don't know how Moses knows exactly where to treat but I was impressed that I didn't need to come back for additional treatments. I have already recommended him to my friends."
Moses says that people often come to him when conventional medicine doesn't help. Doctors usually give patients various pills but the pills only treat the symptoms, not the problem itself.
Jenny had suffered from migraines for many years before seeing Moses. "Moses has a very powerful gift that should be preferred over any conventional medicine or treatment. I recommend him with my whole heart to anyone. Thank you for treating my excruciatingly painful migraines."
Moses explains: "I work as a filter on a person's energy. I remove the energy from the painful area, and replace it with clean energy. Once the person's energy is clean, the body starts to heal itself."
Moses is excited to announce his new clinic in Woodland Hills. For appointments, contact him at (818) 943-7474 or go to healingbymoses.com.


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DISABLED football fans were able to rub shoulders with their heroes during an annual awards night at Blackburn Rovers.
More than 300 people attended the sold-out Disabled Supporters Club Awards at Ewood Park on Monday.
Children and adults got the chance to meet with and talk to stars such as Craig Conway and Jordan Rhodes during the event.
And it was Rhodes, who has already scored 24 goals this season, who scooped the Player of the Year award for the second successive year.
Youth team goalkeeper David Raya won the Young Player of the Year award and David Dunn was handed Club Man of the Year.
Rovers' accessibility and safeguarding adults officer Christine Peacock said: "Staff at the club rallied round to ensure our disabled supporters had an evening to remember and it has been great to hear such positive feedback.
"It was a sell-out and party goers, players and staff were overwhelmed by the turnout.
"Thanks to all who volunteered their time to help out at the event, including the AllTogether Social Trust and Sliding Doors.
"I must also say a big thank you to manager Gary Bowyer and the entire first-team squad for attending the event, which remains a real highlight in the club's social calendar."


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COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) -- The state fire marshal is urging Ohioans to take fire safety precautions when decorating for the holidays.
Fire Marshal Larry Flowers says decorative lighting, live Christmas trees and unattended candles can pose fire threats.
The National Fire Protection Association reports that electrical failures cause one-third of holiday fires. Lights with damaged sockets or wires and worn or frayed extension cords should never be used. Cords should not be run under rugs or over sharp objects.
Flowers says one in five holiday fires occur because a heat source is too close to a Christmas tree. Lighted candles should never be placed on trees, and live Christmas trees should be discarded when they become dry.
The fire marshal also recommends keeping escape routes free of trees, decorations and presents.


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Cost of the TripMath brain teasers require computations to solve.
Michelle rents a car to take her to the airport in the morning and return her home that evening. Halfway to the airport, she picks up a friend who accompanies her to the airport. That night, she and her friend return back to Michelle`s place. The total cost is $20.00. If the amount is to be split fairly, how much money should Michelle pay?
What Next?
See another brain teaser just like this one...
Or, just get a random brain teaser
If you become a registered user you can vote on this brain teaser, keep track of
which ones you have seen, and even make your own.
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text:
- 100% Cotton
- Plaid print
- Metallic threads
- Long Sleeves
- Snap front
- Snap cuffs
- Front and back western yokes
- Double front pockets with flaps and snaps
- Embroidered and screen print paisley
Stand out in this Wrangler plaid and metallic western shirt. This multicolored plaid shirt with metallic accents makes a bold and stylish statement, the embroidered and screen print paisley put the finishes touches on this shirt. Whether you are in the arena or out for day to day activities this shirt is sure to be a hit. The 100% cotton fabric is light weight, durable, and easy to care for. The metallic fleur de lis puts the finishing touches on this fun and flirty western shirt. Pair this shirt with your favorite boots and jeans and you will be ready to take the day on in style.
Style(s): LW2121M
Wrangler Western Wear remains true to the brand's Western roots thriving on the cowboy aesthetic and the preservation of the American legacy while still offering new, style-savvy categories. The brand's latest lines include the Premium Performance Cowboy Cut® jean, an update to the original 13MWZ with added comfort and durability but the same classic style; Rock 47™ by Wrangler®, a contemporary and funky line of Western wear for women; Wrangler® Retro, a line of fresh, cutting-edge Western jeans endorsed by alternative country artist Jason Aldean; Wrangler® National Patriot™, a line of red, white and blue shirts and accessories raising money for wounded or fallen military veterans and their families; and Wrangler® -The Ultimate Riding Jean® offering women fit and function, in and out of the saddle.


text:
ED COWAN, one half of Test cricket's most prolific opening pair this year, admits his eagerness to make a statement against Sri Lanka in the series opener led to his downfall, but he will not make the same mistake again in Melbourne.
Cowan remains committed to putting the pressure on the visitors' quicks, but has acknowledged he erred with the pull shot in the first innings of the first Test, leading to an ugly dismissal.
Former Test spinner Kerry O'Keeffe said on the ABC that he felt Cowan had been trying too hard to dominate Sri Lanka's inexperienced pace attack, and the adopted Tasmanian agreed
''Kerry's a fantastic observer of the game and he was probably on the money,'' Cowan said on Sunday as he prepares for a return to the MCG - the scene of his Test debut a year ago.
''It was more first innings of a new series, having never played against the team, trying to impose myself on the game. If it goes for four everyone says 'great shot' and away we go. I've learnt my lesson.
''Having never played against the Sri Lankans, I was maybe over-anxious to impose myself.''
But Cowan said he would not shelve the pull shot, as it was part of his game. ''I made a mistake in Hobart, but I don't think that's going to be the first mistake I make. I think the pull shot is a shot that for me puts pressure back on the bowler,'' he said.
''There's no thought of putting it away, it's just a matter of knowing when to play it.''
Cowan greatly enhanced his reputation in Australia's series loss to world No.1 South Africa, but does not consider himself a certainty to make the cut for next year's Ashes.
Strike-rates remain a touchy subject with Cowan, who bristled when asked how he felt on the occasions he played second fiddle to his opening partner, David Warner.
''You guys have got it all wrong. Cricket isn't about how many runs I get or how many he gets,'' he said. ''I know if I don't get runs you want to fire a few bullets, or if he doesn't get runs you fire bullets, it's about partnerships.
''If he's 60 and I'm five, we've had a 65-run partnership [and] we're doing a fantastic job. It's not relative as to how many's Ed, how many's Dave, it doesn't really matter. That question annoys me a little bit.''
Cowan wrote in his book, released last year, that he was told by a former selector he scored too slowly to push for Test selection. There were long periods in his 56 in the second innings in Hobart where he matched the free-wheeling David Warner.
''I think I play my best when I'm batting with intent,'' he said. ''I think it's important to try and put pressure on the bowlers regardless of whether you're a super attacking player or a guy who needs to get in before he plays his shots.''
Cowan and Warner need to add just 11 runs in Melbourne to pass legendary pair Bill Ponsford and Bill Woodfull on the table of Australia's most successful opening combinations.
Their average of 46.52 across 17 innings and 10 matches comfortably exceeds that of South Africa's Graeme Smith and Alviro Petersen. Ominously, England's new duo of Alastair Cook and Nick Compton, with 70.42, boast the highest average for pairs with a minimum of eight innings.
While some, such as former Australian Test captain Ian Chappell, believe Shane Watson or Phillip Hughes would make a better opening partner for Warner, Cowan said the incumbent duo had plenty of improvement to come.
''I think we're getting the hang of it,'' he said. ''It takes a while to get to know each other's cues - that general relationship that is needed to open the batting.
''The coach said the other day we've been the most successful opening partnership in the world over the last 12 months. If you ask us how we think we're going, we probably say we're doing OK.
''It feels as though there's lots of upside there. If we both keep on improving the way we are, hopefully it can be a long-term thing.''


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Cops: Cooperstown suspect back in NY, held in jail
COOPERSTOWN — Authorities say a 62-year-old man is being held in an upstate New York jail on charges stemming from a shooting inside a Cooperstown sports memorabilia store where he used to work.
Officials tell The Daily Star of Oneonta that 62-year-old Barry Renert is being held in Otsego County Jail on $500,000 cash bail after being charged with burglary.
Renert was returned last weekend from Richmond, Va., where police arrested him Dec. 23. Cooperstown police say a day earlier, he entered the he Seventh Inning Stretch store on Main Street wearing a ski mask and pulled a handgun on his former employer. The ex-boss produced his own handgun and fired a shot that missed.
Renert fled and was tracked down at the Richmond bus station later that night.
Renert's lawyer says he can't comment on the case yet.


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In 'How To Grill' Steven says it should take 3 to 3 1/2 hours for spit roasting an entire 25 lb lamb. That's about 8 minutes per lb. Any suggestions on how long a 42lb lamb should take? At 8 minutes per lb that's abou 5 1/2 to 6 hours.
Karl Kacerek


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Dog friendly cottages
For pets & their people
Use our directories to find dog friendly holidays, dog friendly B&Bs, dog friendly hotels, dog friendly self catering cottages and lodges, pet friendly holiday parks, pubs that allow dogs in an eating area and places to visit where responsible owners can take their dogs.
As well as our directories, our dog friendly walks and beaches section, and links and information pages, will help you make the most of your holidays and days out with your canine companions - and will help you find things to improve the quality of your lives together.
Don't leave your canine best friend behind when you go on a holiday or day out, use this site to discover dog friendly accommodation, dog friendly guest houses and bed and breakfast rooms, lodges, cabins and caravans where your dog can stay too as well as places to visit or eat where your dogs will be welcome too.
We hope you will find the site useful and will share it using social media links in individual entries. Please send us feedback if you think there's something we should know.
The school holidays provide a wonderful opportunity to spend time with the family. Alan has loved the company of his […]
We've introduced Good Dogs and Top Dogs to help raise awareness of things responsible dog owners value whilst on holiday or days out (and to encourage dog friendly businesses to provide them) and also to help responsible dog owning people better find out what our advertisers offer. Read more


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Dooley Noted Podcast: September 17, 2013
Published: Tuesday, September 17, 2013 at 10:00 a.m.
Last Modified: Monday, September 16, 2013 at 5:18 p.m.
Subscribe with iTunes | Stitcher Radio | Download
Pat looks back at week three of the 2013 college football season.
Reader comments posted to this article may be published in our print edition. All rights reserved. This copyrighted material may not be re-published without permission. Links are encouraged.


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Society of Lacquer Brings Nail Polish Tips to Your iPhone
Ladies on the go can keep their nails trendy with this cool new app!
-Diana Denza
Calling all nail polish enthusiasts! If you love to paint your fingers red (or any color, for that matter), Society of Lacquer has an app for you.
Arriving by summer 2012, this brand new iPhone app will connect you to influencers, editors, celebrity nail artists, and more. Plus, you can bond and share inspirations with fellow nail lovers.
Read 6 Easy Tips on How to Get Your Feet Sandal Ready
So, if you've been caught stalking beauty blogs for polish tips, you'll love having colorful images and helpful content at your fingertips.
For additional app details, check SocietyofLacquer.com regularly or sign up for their e-mail updates. We can't wait to make our nails sparkle this summer!
Diana Denza is a regular contributor to BettyConfidential.


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Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 25/6/2013 (1518 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.
From CEO to GM to head coach to starting quarterback, it's difficult to imagine more at stake for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers when they take to the field Thursday night.
Now or never seems to be a constant theme throughout this organization.
There is a bubble of pressure surrounding the Bombers with Garth Buchko, Joe Mack, Tim Burke and Buck Pierce doing a hot-feet dance within it.
The bubble can burst and be set aside with a few early wins but a loss or losses to start the season will only tighten the tourniquet wrapped snugly around their collective throats.
The Bombers leadership group is treating this game far more like a playoff game than a season opener. They know what is at stake far more than anyone on the outside.
Buchko is faced with getting the stadium operating smoothly to play its crucial role in the club's future. Mack must turn back the tide of losing during his reign and field a winner. Burke is entering his first full season as a head coach and must prove his worth. Finally, the much beleaguered Pierce is once again challenged with staying upright on the field and shucking his self-imposed "a hurt player is a bad player" tag.
The franchise is stepping into a new era and there is all kinds of promise attached to the opening of our new stadium but that hay is far from in the barn.
The purpose of this stadium was to give the football team financial independence and the ability to compete on a level playing field with even the richest of CFL franchises.
After too many years of near hand-to-mouth existence, this new ballpark was being built to make the Bombers a power both on the field and at the bank.
New revenues would be turned into more resources for football operations, money in the bank and finally to repay the province for the $100 million or so in stadium loans.
The football team would benefit from having the top stadium in the country as well as the best in training, recruiting and development materials.
So here we are, ready to open the place with a real live football game and while the potential is still real and attainable there are also questions.
The stadium is fantastic and despite the traffic woes experienced during the first pre-season game, I'm told the concessions take was more than double what it ever was at the old stadium.
Think of it, just 22,000 tickets were sold and thousands of folks missed the entire first half of the game trying to get into the stadium and still the cash registers could barely keep up.
It only underscores what a missed opportunity will be on our hands if the Bombers can't figure out a way to efficiently get people in and out of the stadium.
The club appears to have learned its lesson from the pre-season game where it decidedly went on the cheap in terms of hiring police to handle traffic and contracting enough buses to get people to the stadium.
The extra police and bus costs could add as much as $1 million to the club's yearly expenses but it will be money well spent if 33,000 are regularly in the building emptying their pockets.
Buchko, to his credit, has gone mostly without sleep for the last month trying to get the building open on time and then solve the myriad of issues that cropped up once construction workers vacated the stadium for customers.
Buchko has had his stumbles since taking over the club but if he can get the stadium operating as it is meant, he will have scored his greatest and most important victory. If he can't, well, there's no need to go there just yet.
Most new stadiums give a team a year or two of a honeymoon but the Bombers have burned all that goodwill in the interminable mess leading up to Thursday. From missing their opening date by a full year to the traffic kerfuffle of two weeks ago, there is no appetite for a losing team on the field.
The Bombers have been mostly terrible during Mack's tenure as GM and own a 20-34 mark while missing the playoffs in two of his three years in charge. Mack and former head coach Paul LaPolice did have a winning season and a Grey Cup appearance in 2011 but it was mostly a mirage as the team quickly sunk back to the bottom of the league in 2012.
No GM can continue losing and point to his plan and suggest it's a work in progress. Sooner or later, and in the CFL it's most often sooner, a GM is required to win. That time is now for Mack and, no doubt, he understands this.
Burke recently suggested folks wait four games before judging his team. Not an unreasonable request and certainly any determination of this team's worthiness shouldn't be made until after Labour Day. But Burke watched his friend and colleague LaPolice ushered out of his office last season prior to September so he understands the urgency to win and win now.
Bomber fans support their team through thick and thin and getting a sellout of 29,000 became the expectation at the old stadium. But the new stadium was built to house 33,000 fans and those extra 4,000 fans need to be convinced to come. Losing isn't much of an enticement.
Pierce is once again the most important player in Blue and Gold. Mack elected to release almost every bit of experience he had at backup quarterback over the winter, leaving Pierce to stand alone.
If Buck stays healthy and gets this offence moving and the Bombers win games, all the above troubles disappear. If he struggles or gets banged up, unless there's a miracle hiding in the arm of Justin Goltz or Max Hall, the troubles only get magnified.
New stadium but same problems. Let's hope this era is all about solutions rather than excuses.
email@example.com Twitter: @garylawless


text:
This is an archival or historical document and may not reflect current policies or procedures
Script (Full Version)
Hi! I'm Luis Alicea from the Social Security Administration.
And I'm Zomarie Santiago, also from the Social Security Administration.
Like many of you, I grew up in a Spanish-speaking household, and while I speak English, I often think in Spanish.
And I'm happy to tell you that Social Security has made some real strides in communicating with the Spanish-speaking public.
Did you know that Social Security has a Spanish language version of its website?
Take a look at this. You can switch from the English version of our website to our Spanish version by selecting the Espanol link, located at the top of our homepage. It's pretty simple!
Or, you can also get there by typing segurosocial.gov, right into your browser.
I'm here to let you know that not only can you do a lot of business online with Social Security –you can do it in Spanish.
Please note that whether you are sending information in Spanish or English, your privacy is very important to Social Security. We have taken every precaution to make sure your information is protected.
Now, here are a few things I bet you'll find useful.
Want to know how much Social Security you can expect to get when you retire? You can use the Retirement Estimator.
Are you ready to retire? You can apply for your benefits online.
Still working but are ready to apply for Medicare? You can do that online too.
Maybe you need to apply for extra help with the cost of your prescriptions? You can do that too!
All in Spanish!
You can find links to all the applications we'll be talking about at segurosocial.gov
We're going to take a closer look at the retirement estimator, and the Retirement and Medicare applications that you can find in Spanish on segurosocial.gov.
As we move along, if you have any questions about anything -- the Spanish language website, the Retirement Estimator, the application for retirement or Medicare only, or getting extra help with the cost of prescription drugs – don't wait to ask!
If you have questions, you can send them to us now, or at any point during this broadcast.
Just submit your questions by simply clicking on the bubble above my head.
We'll also be taking your questions from Facebook, Twitter, and email.
Now, we won't be able to answer personal questions about your earnings, or any claims you may have filed with Social Security.
But we will try to answer your questions about the applications we'll be introducing to you at the end of this broadcast.
I also encourage you to fill out our brief survey.
It'll help us serve you better in future presentations.
You'll find the survey link located next to the bubble over my head. Just click on that link to access the survey.
By now, some of you have already used or at least heard about the Spanish retirement estimator.
The retirement estimator is a great way to get a good idea about how much money you could get from Social Security when you retire.
That estimate is based on your actual work record. You can use the retirement estimator if you have enough Social Security credits at this time to qualify for benefits.
The Retirement Estimator will produce an immediate, personalized retirement estimate and also let you look at different scenarios.
Not everyone can use the retirement estimator. Generally, you CANNOT use it if you are
To begin, you will be asked to enter identifying information such as your name, social security number, birth date and your earnings last year.
If you worked last year, we assume that you will continue to work and make about the same amount that you entered for last year's earnings. This will give you a good idea of what to expect in retirement.
You will also be able to change the age you expect to stop work or adjust your anticipated future earnings to see how those changes affect your benefit.
One nice thing about the retirement estimator is you put in the information and it gives you an answer right away!
Let's hear from a couple of Social Security employees about the Spanish Retirement Estimator
Janie, I think that people who use the Retirement Estimator will find that it's easy to use.
Yes, you're right. If someone wishes to get a quick estimate for his retirement, all he has to do is to enter his Social Security number and certain basic information.
Right. Once the person enters the information, he'll be able to immediately see an estimate of the Social Security retirement benefits.
Look, he can see how much he'll get at 62 years of age, at full retirement age, and even at age 70.
This is great, especially being able to plan for retirement trying different ages and different amounts of income to be able to decide when he should apply for the payments from Social Security.
Exactly, you see the person can use the Retirement Estimator to see how much he can receive at age 63, 64, 65, and so on.
Just a reminder…if you haven't submitted your questions yet, now's the time to do it.
So, when you are ready to apply for retirement benefits, you don't need to visit a Social Security office--you can do it quickly and easily on your home or office computer.
Or, if you are age 65, but not yet ready to retire, you can apply for Medicare only – and again, you can do that online!
If you aren't sure about getting started on the computer, ask your children or grandchildren to help you.
My grandmother we always helped her to fill out the forms in English, and also find information in English. Explain what questions she needs to answer about whether she wrote the right thing on the forms.
But now, having the new website in our language, in Spanish, not only can I help my grandmother, I can help a lot of people that I know in the Latino community. Visit us at segurosocial.gov to see what I'm talking about.
We've heard why people like being able to do business with Social Security online and in their own language.
But when it comes to something as important as applying for retirement or Medicare, I bet you're wondering how it works.
When you get on the application, you'll go through a series of screens that will ask you questions about yourself, your family, and your work. We also provide informational videos if you have questions while completing the application.
And you don't have to complete it all in one sitting.
If you need to take a break, you can stop and return to the application later without losing the information you already entered.
Once you've answered all of the questions, select "Sign Now".
Your application will be sent electronically to Social Security.
If it turns out we need more information from you, we'll contact you by phone.
When I was part of the team that designed the Internet application for Social Security benefits, I never imagined that I'd have the opportunity to translate it to Spanish. I was very enthusiastic about this project.
One of the things that attracted me was knowing that I'd be helping to make the Social Security Internet services more accessible for Spanish-speaking people, the easiest way to apply through the Internet and now can be done in Spanish.
Social Security wants to reach people who need extra help with their Medicare prescription drug plan costs.
To qualify for the Extra Help, a person must be receiving Medicare, have limited resources and income, and reside in one of the 50 states or the District of Columbia.
If you know someone having difficulty paying for their Medicare prescription drugs, - a relative, friend or neighbor – tell them they can go online and apply for Extra Help.
Just tell them to go to our website: segurosocial.gov!
There they can find everything in Spanish, and find out if they are eligible for help with their prescription drugs.
And if they don't know how to get started, a loved one may be able to help.
We've been talking about all these online applications, but while going online is easy and convenient, you have other options.
You can call 1-800-772-1213, and we will assist you in Spanish.
Or, you can come into a Social Security office.
Ok Luis, it's almost time to take the public's questions.
But before we do that, what do you think about doing a recap of what we discussed?
Good idea! We showed you how everyone can get their information from SeguroSocial in Spanish.
We shared with you how you can get your retirement estimate from the Spanish Retirement Estimator.
We gave you a brief overview of the Spanish retirement and Medicare application and the Spanish Extra Help with the Medicare Prescription drug plan application.
Ok, now it's time to take your questions.
Again, to submit a question, click on the bubble icon above this screen and follow the directions.
And if you haven't submitted your questions yet, you still have time to do it!
Luis (start of live Q+A):
Ok, Zomarie, what is our first question?
Do I have to send my documents through the mail before completing the
Internet application?
No, you don't have to send any type of document through the mail, nor do you have to do anything else. You simply complete the application and once you complete the application, if we need anything else then we'll contact you.
I worked in the United States but I moved to another country, can I apply for Social Security benefits through the Internet, even though it says outside the United States?
Yes, you can. All you have to do is to go to segurosocial.gov and click on the tab that says "Retirement" and complete the application.
I'm a veteran. Can I apply for Social Security Benefits through the Internet?
Definitely. You can apply for Social Security benefits through the Internet, even if you're a veteran.
I'm going to be 62 years old. Can I get an estimate of the amount of what my benefits will be when I turn 62?
This is a good question. And it is important that people get an estimate before they complete the application so that they have an idea of how much they will receive, more or less. So when you want to get an estimate, all you have to do is to go to segurosocial.gov and then click where it says "Retirement Estimator" do a click there and you can see the program that will give you an estimate.
I answered all of the questions in the Internet application, but I don't understand how to finish them. What am I missing?
You're asking, after you've answered all of the questions?
OK. If you've answered all the questions, all you have to do is a click where it says "Sign Now."
OK. Once you've signed, click on that button and you're done; you don't have to do anything else.
OK. Well, Luis, that's easy.
When can I sign up for Medicare coverage?
Well, for Medicare coverage, we have to remember that the age to sign up for it is at 65.
Now, you can sign up at 64 and 9 months.
OK. We recommend that you sign up at least three months before you turn 65 years old.
I submitted an online application, but I changed my mind. Can I retract the application?
This is something that may happen to some people. After completing the application, you may suddenly realize that you'd rather wait a little more or that it wasn't the right time to apply for benefits. Unfortunately, you cannot cancel the application. It cannot be done through the Internet. You'll have to go the local Social Security Office. The office that is processing your application can be found on the last page that we suggested that you print. There you'll find the name, address, and telephone number of the office. If for some reason you don't have this page, You can go to segurosocial.gov and at the bottom of the page on the left hand it says "Office Locator."
You click on that button, enter your zip code and immediately you get the address and telephone number of the office.
OK, thank you Luis.
I've been told about the Extra Help with the Medicare prescription drug plans. How can I apply for this Extra Help?
You can apply for the Extra Help by visiting segurosocial.gov and then clicking where it says "Medicare" and then doing a click where it says "Get Extra Help with Medicare prescription drugs costs" that is on the right hand of the screen.
OK, thank you Luis.
About how long does it take to complete the online benefits application?
It doesn't take long at all. Basically, what we have proved is that is takes perhaps about 15 minutes. It's so easy!
Oh, wow!
I'm turning 62 in march, how soon should I apply online for the Social Security benefits?
Once again, if you wish to start receiving benefits at 62, our recommendation is that you apply for the benefits at 61 and nine months. In other words, three months before you turn 62 years old.
Luis while we wait for more questions, why don't you talk about our survey?
Yes, we have a survey that is important that you fill out. By doing so, we'll know what content we should have for another webinar, in the future. This way we'll be able to help you to better understand how to apply for the benefits that the Social Security Administration administers.
Well said, Luis, thank for reminding us about the survey.
Is it possible to print a copy of my online application before I submit it electronically?
The actual and complete application cannot be printed before you answer the questions. Let's be clear about that. However, the important thing is that if you want to print the application you'll have to do it one page at the time. As you move through the pages and answer the questions, you can print the screen. But the whole application, in its entirety cannot be printed prior to answering the questions.
What will happen if the system fails to load the confirmation page? What should I do?
If that happens, you should call us immediately or as soon as you have a chance. You should call 1-800-772-1213 and talk to us to let us know what happened.
OK, thank you Luis.
What are the hours during which I can complete my online application for benefits?
The hours vary but basically you have the system available from Monday through Friday from 5 AM to 11PM, until 1 AM During the weekends, you have from 5 AM until about 10 on Sundays, 11 on Saturdays. Holidays, from 5 AM until 11 PM. So please keep in mind that during certain hours the online application will not be available for the simple reason that we have to maintain the system and collect or retrieve the applications that people have submitted, and, for this reason we need time. So, during certain hours the system will not be available.
Here we have a very interesting question. My mother is thinking about retiring but only speaks Spanish. Is there any information in Spanish about the Social Security retirement benefits and Medicare?
Let me tell you that you came to the right place, because that's exactly what we're talking about. We're talking about you being able to obtain information in your own language: Spanish. Just as we're speaking right now, Castilian, right? And it's just because of that that we're letting you know that you can now visit segurosocial.gov and there you can go to the tab that says "Retirement" and you'll find a wealth of publications and information that will provide the exact information about what you should do.
You can use the Retirement Estimator to have an idea of how much, more or less, you can expect to receive and so forth; there's lots of stuff there! It even has information about Medicare. If you need information about Medicare benefits, you can find them there as well.
This has been great today! Please, remember that you can still send us your questions. I'm going to continue reading some questions, but you can send us your questions, at any moment using Facebook, Twitter or email.
Will I lose the information that I've entered if I stop at any moment while I'm completing the online application?
The answer is yes and no.
OK. At first, I'm going to say "no." The basic reason is that to avoid this problem, losing the information you've already entered, you should go to the button at the bottom of the page where it says, "Save and exit" and you should click on that button to save the information. This will allow you to return to the application later and finish it. Now, if you forget to do this, unfortunately, the answer is "yes," you're going to lose the information and you'll have to start over again.
It's very important that you press the "Save" button.
And, "Exit."
If someone that I know is eligible to get the Extra Help with the cost of the Medicare prescription medicine, May I help that person apply online for the Extra Help?
Definitely. Please, if you know someone whom you think is eligible to receive the Extra Help benefit with the cost of the Medicare prescription medicine, please help the person. We invite family members, attorneys, all of the community workers, even friends that if you know someone who could benefit from this benefit, then please help the person. But only if the person asks you for help.
Are there any limitations to using the online application when the person lives in Puerto Rico?
The truth is that I don't know the answer to that question. So I'd recommend that you call us at 1-800-772-1213 to get a possible answer to this question, and some more information.
Well, while we're waiting for more questions, if you want to tell us about the online services available in Spanish, this would be a good time to do it.
Perfect. We have an excellent source of information for every person. We have information about retirement benefits, disability benefits, survivors benefits, Medicare; information about people who get divorce, which is a question that I often get when I make presentations: what about people who get divorced, are we eligible for any benefits? Yes, there are some established rules, but you can find the information at segurosocial.gov and there you'll find all of the information that you need to answer your questions.
You said that the person can save the online application and finish it later, is there a time limit to finish the application?
The truth is that I don't know the exact time limit. I know that you can login and out a couple of times. But to find the right answer is better that you call us at 1-800-772-1213 and our representative will be able to inform you of the exact time limit, if there is a time limit.
How secure is my personal information?
Super safe! Zomarie, as you said a little while ago, at the beginning of this webinar, we used the most advanced technology available to us to keep Your personal information safe. This is important to us and, of course, we know that it's important to you too.
I helped my grandmother to complete the online application, who should click the "Submit" button?
A very good question. Be careful, please, the person who should be "signing" the application should be the person applying for the benefits; not the person that is helping to complete the application. This is important because if you apply for benefits but the person for whom you're applying doesn't want to be receive the benefits, I don't think it's a good idea to do this, right?
Besides, it may not be a valid application.
This voids the application and everything else.
I started to complete my online application and was issued an application number, what should I do with this number?
That application number is a unique number assigned to you so that you can login to your online application if you save and exit the application and want to come back to it.
OK, thank you.
Can I apply for Medicare only without applying for retirement benefits?
Definitely. If you're 65 years old, which is the age at which you can apply for the Medicare benefits, and you only want to apply for Medicare because you're working, you don't need the retirement benefits right now, then you can apply for Medicare benefits only.
All you have to do is to go to segurosocial.gov click on the tab that
says "Medicare," right in the center of the page it says, "apply for Medicare Benefits," you click that button and you'll immediately be taken to the application. It's so easy!
That's good, Luis.
What's segurosocial.gov website policy to safeguard our information against identity theft, and complete or submit an explanation?
OK, as we previously stated, and you stated at the beginning of the webinar, we have taken all of the necessary steps and used the most advanced technology available to us to protect your personal information. Because as I said earlier: it's important to you and it's important to us. Therefore, one of the things we do is, for example, you go online to apply for benefits and we told you we'd ask you some questions that only you should be able to answer. For example, we ask you your name, your Social Security number, and date of birth. We will also ask you for your mother's maiden name. For starters, these are things that help protect you information from being accessed by anyone else.
Can a person who is under 62 years old use the Retirement Benefits Calculator?
The Retirement Benefits Calculator is available to anyone as long as the person is eligible to receive retirement benefits. This is to say that the person has enough Social Security credits. Here we're referring to a person who has worked for at least ten years; that person has access to the Retirement Benefits Calculator.
Thank you, Luis.
Can I apply online for Social Security disability benefits?
You can apply online for the Social Security disability benefits. However, applying for the Social Security disability benefits is a two-part application, and it is important to understand that. The first part is the online application. The second part is the medical history questionnaire.
Currently, the online application is available in Spanish. But the medical history questionnaire is in English. So, if you wish to apply online for the disability benefits, you may do so. Only keep in mind that part of the application process and it's an important part, the medical history questionnaire, is in English. This questionnaire is an extremely important part of the application because in it you let us know what are your medical challenges and other information.
If you feel uncomfortable filling it out, just don't do it. Simply call us at 1-800-772-1213 and we'll make you an appointment o we'll take your application right away today.
OK. We have interpreters for people who speak Spanish.
What's the difference between the application number and the confirmation number?
There's a small difference. The small difference is that the application number is the number that allows you to login again to your application. When you've finished answering the questions and you say to yourself, "well, I'm going to send the application," and you click on the "Sign Now" button, the computer will issue a confirmation number. With this number you can call the local Social Security office and it will confirm that we have received the application.
But the confirmation number, I mean, the application number is to login back into the application.
Can I get a new password if I lose or forget the one I had?
This happens to all of us. Especially when we have email accounts and other things, we tend to forget passwords. Because you have to have a password for everything and everything has a password. To keep all of those passwords in mind so that no one can steal it. Sometimes you write it somewhere and then you forget where you wrote it! But that's not a problem for us. If you forget your password, just go online at segurosocial.gov and click on the tab that reads, "Retirement."
There, go to the bottom of the screen where it says, "Get or change a password," you click on it and you'll see instruction on how to get one.
OK. That's sounds easy to do!
Everything that we have online is easy!
Let's go to another question. If someone is using the system and all of a sudden it won't accept the information, what should the person do? Is there someone who can help?
It all depends on the hour. If for some reason the online application rejects the information or something else happens, you should call us at 1-800-772-1213. That way you can explain to us what you did and we can tell what you need to do to fix it.
OK, Luis.
Many times I have persons who, even though the system is available in Spanish, they cannot complete it. Am I allowed to do it on their behalf?
When you tell me that someone has not been able to complete the online application, who is completing the application? That is the first question. If someone for some reason or another cannot complete the online application, then you can help the person.
But remember that you must have consent from the person, this is important. Because, it's possible that the person doesn't want you to know her personal information, for example. The best thing to do is that if the person allows you to complete the online application on her behalf, you should do it with the person sitting next to you. If the person prefers not to do it, then she can call us at 1-800-772-1213 and we'll help.
My mother will get benefits under my father's record, next year. Is her online application secured?
Definitely. You can be receiving benefits under someone else's record. And when you decide to receive your own benefits under your own Social Security record, all you have to do is go to segurosocial.gov, click on the tab that says "Retirement," and complete the application. It's that easy!
I have another question for you.
OK. Go ahead.
What happens if I complete the online application and then I move?
That's a good question, and this is important.
If you move after you completed the application, it's important that you contact the local Social Security office to let them know that you moved and give the new address. That way, we can always find you.
Now Luis, before we go to the last question, let's remind them of our survey, I think the survey is very important to us.
Yes, is very important. The whole idea of the survey is so that you can let us know how well you rate the webinar, how useful was the information, and what kind of information you'll like us to discuss in future webinars. We use all of this information so that we can better help you, if you help us, we can help you.
That's right Luis. I'm going to ask you one last question.
What if I complete the application…I'm sorry Luis, I went back to a previous question.
Now, the last question, for real, what happens next, after I have submitted the online application for benefits?
Very well. Once we receive the online application we'll review it. If anything is missing or we need to see your documents, we'll contact you directly.
Before we wrap things up, let's hear from one of our celebrity spokespeople, Don Francisco.
Ok, Luis, I love Don Francisco!
(Don Francisco commercial):
Well, thank you for listening. We're happy you were able to be here.
We will post a recording of this webinar online shortly, please share this information with your friends and family.
And let them know we have Spanish Facebook and Twitter, too!
So please stay in touch!
Zomarie, one last reminder. We don't want to harp on it, but we need to emphasize that it's important, please, that you take a moment and complete our short survey.
I'm Zomarie Santiago,
And I'm Luis Alicea, reporting on behalf of the Social Security Administration.
Zomarie and Luis:
Until the next time!


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A road-worthy solar-powered car
Announced Jan. 2, Ford's C-Max Solar Energi concept car achieves an EPA-estimated 108 MPGe in the city and 92 MPGe on the highway. Given that it's a solar-powered car, its great mileage is not all that surprising. What is surprising: the vehicle's overall capability.
With a range of 620 miles, it equals its predecessor, the plug-in hybrid C-Max Energi. Ford claims the Solar Energi could reduce the average car owner's annual greenhouse gas emissions by four metric tons, and that the vehicle, which retains an electrical charge port, absorbs enough sunlight daily to equal a four-hour electrical charge. The Solar Energi is just a concept for now, but Ford plans to test the car in conjunction with Georgia Tech to determine if it is viable for mass production.


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Locarno adds Europa Cinemas award
The award is already handed out at Cannes, Venice, Berlin and Karlovy Vary.
The Europa Cinemas Label will be awarded for the first time at this year's Locarno Film Festival.
Created in 2003, the Europa Cinemas Label is awarded by a jury made up of Europa Cinemas member exhibitors to the best European film in the "discovery" sections at Cannes (Directors Fortnight), Venice (Giornate Degli Autori), Berlin (Panorama) and Karlovy Vary (East of the West and Competition).
The winning films receive support from the Europa Cinemas Network, with additional promotion and incentives for exhibitors to extend the film's run on screen.
This year will be the tenth year that the Europa Cinemas Label has been awarded in Cannes, where past winners have included Breathing, 12:08 East of Bucharest, La Pivellina, The Repentant and Le Quattro Volte.
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I have bought two seperate smoking devices for my Weber Silver. One has two compartments for dry chips and the other for water. When I put it on the flavour bars, they won't smoke.
I then bought a circular tube with holes, placing it along the flavour bar, under the grills. It won't smoke. The chips go in this tube wet.
With both devices, I left the bbq on high to help them catch, for about 15 minutes, but no go.
Any suggestions to get them to smoke?


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|Asian Carp Management
Invasive Species Coordination Web Site
Silver and Largescale Silver Carp Now Listed as Injurious
|Asian Carp Rapid Response
Featured Video: Nuisance Fish by Bill Dance & the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency
Bighead Carp
Black Carp
Grass Carp
Asian Carp are an impending ecological disaster for the Great Lakes. The Great Lakes are the largest freshwater resource in the world, and it is the responsibility of federal and state agencies to protect this important ecosystem. An Asian carp working group made up of multiple Federal and state conservation partners has concluded that immediate action is needed to stop the carp from reaching Lake Michigan.
Current Situation
The Rapid Response Plan
A task force of federal, regional state and local agencies has developed a Rapid Response Plan to address this impending threat to the Great Lakes.
In response to the increasing threat of the Asian carp expansion toward the Great Lakes and these fish placing greater pressure on barriers already in place to restrict their movement, the Asian Carp Rapid Response Workgroup was created. The purpose of the Workgroup was to assess the current situation and recommend courses of action should a rapid response be necessary to deal with Asian carp in areas of the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal, Des Plaines River, and the Illinois and Michigan Canal. In preparation for such a response, the Asian Carp Rapid Response Plan was created. At the request of partner agencies, the Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) has agreed to coordinate response actions and to serve as lead agency during response Operations.
The purpose of this plan is to establish, coordinate, and document actions by IDNR and its partner agencies to reduce the vulnerability of the Great Lakes to an Asian carp invasion via the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal (CSSC) and nearby bodies of water including the Des Plaines River and the Illinois & Michigan Canal (I&M). In the short term the purpose of rapid response measures, i.e. piscicide treatment, will accompany barrier maintenance, relieve pressure on Electric Barrier I (within the Lockport Pool), confirm presence of Asian carp previously detected through eDNA sampling and analysis, evaluate the feasibility and utility of applying piscicide in the CSSC to reduce or eliminate Asian carp populations, and validate the effectiveness of utilizing NIMS ICS concepts and principles of response for this type of effort via a multijurisdictional approach. In the long term permanent tools, such as piscicide treatment, would need to be implemented to mitigate the risk of Asian carp accessing Lake Michigan and the other Great Lakes.
This plan outlines the responsibilities and support of federal, state, and local agencies, as well as partner entities. The plan also describes the response procedures necessary for protecting and maintaining the integrity and safety of the Great Lakes ecosystem, and ensuring the health and safety of responders. These aims will be accomplished by implementation of the following actions:
Subsequent to the initiation of any actions in conjunction with a rapid response an Incident Action Plan (IAP) will be developed. The IAP will include the following:
This rapid response plan focuses on three locations along the Des Plaines River, Illinois & Michigan (I & M) Canal, or the CSSC (Appendix A, Figures 1 through 5), including the divergence into the CSSC and beyond. These locations are:
- Scenario of Electric Barrier shutdown or maintenance
Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal to Close for Fish Barrier Maintenance
Home Info Database Outreach Control Plan State Regulations Best Management ID Keys Private Aquaculture
News Releases Multimedia Image Library Risk Assessment Links Contact Us
|Development of this web site is supported by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service through a partnership with the University of Texas - Arlington and contains information and resources derived from a variety of other partners and sources. Materials on this web site are free for public use and are not intended to be used for profit.


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Three GunmenLogic puzzles require you to think. You will have to be logical in your reasoning.
There are three gunmen on horses. Ab has a 100% chance of hitting his target when he shoots, but has a weak gun. He never misses. Bob also has a 100% chance of hitting, but he has a tremendous strong gun. However, Cam only has a 50% chance of hitting with his musket. Simultaneously, they all take a shot. One man is left alive. Who?
HintIf you know you and another person shoot their target perfectly, who would you go for first?
AnswerCam is. The two other men, knowing they each shoot perfectly, would shoot each other knowing they still have a chance of surviving if Cam shoots at them. Nobody was shooting at Cam, therefore, he stays alive.
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In the shadeRiddles are little poems or phrases that pose a question that needs answering. Riddles frequently rhyme, but this is not a requirement.
My first is in door but not in floor,
My second's in apple but not in core.
My third and fourth can be found at the end of bark,
My fifth is in prank, but never in park
My very last three are all in less,
I am cold, sunless, and nothingness.
What am I?
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This audio podcast is an interview with Renee Yokum, the Sexual Assault Services Coordinator at Women Aid in Crisis in Randolph County West Virginia. She discusses the history of a collaborative effort with the local Child Advocacy Center that has spanned nearly a decade.
© 2016 National Sexual Violence Resource Center – Founded by the Pennsylvania Coalition Against Rape
This site is supported by Grant/ Cooperative Agreement No. 1UF2CE002359-04 from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Its contents are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official views of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.


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HOUSTON - A first-of-its-kind photography exhibition opens on Veteran's Day at the Museum of Fine Arts Houston.
The title of the show is simple -- "War Photography: Images of Armed Conflict and its Aftermath." It is a reflection of six continents and 165 years of war and conflict.
"This show is history, the show is human," said exhibition co-curator Anne Wilkes Tucker.
She said this exhibition is so unique because it takes a critical look at the relationship between war and photography and the photographers who many times risk their lives to take those special pictures.
One example is a picture taken in Iraq that was obviously taken right after a battle.
"It's the moment after the battle and they're attending first to the wounded as they will," Wilkes Tucker said. "There are bodies in the foreground, which they will get to, but they have to deal with the wounded first, so there's a whole story about that moment."
The exhibit showcases the work of 280 photographers from 28 countries, bringing to life vivid images of before, during and after wars through several generations.
Photographer Suzanne Opton has a picture in the exhibition from her series called "Soldiers Faces." She said that one picture is special because the Iraq and Afghanistan war veteran pictured, survived two wars only to die after coming home.
"He came home from war unhurt," Opton said. "He became a police officer and was killed when he was answering a domestic abuse call. Killed, as it turns out, by another Iraq war veteran who then killed himself."
"You, as a human being, can relate to people in the pictures because you get it," said Wilkes Tucker. "You see the human moment in that picture."
Opening day is Sunday, Veterans Day, at the Museum of Fine Arts Houston. Admission on Veteran's Day is free for everyone. Thereafter, admission is $15 to $18 with active military and veterans free at all times.
The exhibition runs through Feb. before it moves to Los Angeles, the second of its four-city tour.
Copyright 2012 by Click2Houston.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.


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Straw men bank on bison
Desire for natural food prompts foray into farming
Wednesday, Jan 29, 2014 06:00 am
Where to get it
With the wave of a hand, Bob Holm gestures at the miles and miles of fence he set up to mark the sloped hills and lush terrain of Straw Man Farm. Behind the wires and wooden poles, a herd of young bison graze on yellow grass and branches, their breath forming ghostly figures in the cold, January air.
It was two years ago that Holm, his three sons and business partners Paul Falkowski and Garet Bonn bought 500 acres of farmland about 50 kilometres north of St. Albert, and decided to raise bison.
They restored two old farm houses � now home to Holm�s sons � brought in 50 bison cows, and slowly built up their operation. In their first year, a few of the bison escaped and it took the boys almost a week to capture and return them to the farm, said Holm. But otherwise things have been going smoothly.
�We raise them with a gentle hand. Our calves, now that the boys have been with them since day one, they come right up to you and they are so calm,� he said.
Today Straw Man Farm is home to 180 bison, 120 chickens, 55 alpacas, six pigs and four goats. One day, they may invest in more land, said Holm, but they need to get their business going first.
To Holm, bison is the ultimate sustainable, natural and healthy food. The animals can survive extreme cold and stay outside in the winter. They live on grass, and their meat is low in fat and calories � almost better than salmon, he said.
That�s part of the reason why Straw Man Farm decided to raise bison. The proprietors want to educate consumers on buying food that caters to organic and healthy eating habits.
�There is nothing on our farm that is not natural,� said Holm. �We don�t give hormones, we don�t give steroids, we don�t give vaccines, we don�t give antibiotics. We don�t feed grain because it�s hard on the animals.�
Holm and Falkowski became business partners in the early 2000s while jointly running a building company called New Dimension Investments in St. Albert. They started selling all of their properties in 2007 � anticipating the market crash a year later, said Holm � and got out of the business by 2009.
Two years later they came up with the idea for Straw Man Farm and brought in long-term partner Bonn. Holm said they woke up to the health problems associated with genetically-modified and antibiotics-fed animals when one of his family members fell ill, and thus decided to make their own food.
Despite their backgrounds being in banking and sales (Holm worked for John Deere for 15 years), he said most of the experience they need comes from learning by doing.
�It�s not rocket science,� he said, adding that both his wife and Bonn have previous experience with farming.
�We are crazy city people trying to do farming,� added Falkowski. �By no means do we know everything. We just keep trying and we find the older, knowledgeable guys who�ve been doing bison farming for years and ask them for advice.�
For now the bison are still processed and butchered off-site but Holm said the partners are already working on an in-house butcher shop. The 2,000-square-foot room is now under construction beside one of their large storage barns (where they also plan to build a commercial kitchen and a year-round vegetable garden), and will be ready in a few weeks, he said.
�We have a butcher lined up,� he said. �It still gets processed in town because it has to be government inspected but then it can come to any butcher shop or our butcher shop.�
They also produce their own feed, a long, sprout-like grass that can grow indoors and is more sustainable and affordable than grain, he said.
In the long run, they hope to bring other, younger farmers on board to buy a parcel of their land, look after the chickens and pigs, and grow the operation. Not like a commune, laughed Holm, but with separate titles and shared costs.
�There are so many young people that want to get involved and that don�t have the money to get involved,� he said. �But this works for everybody and we need a team. There is no way we can do it all alone. It�s already too much.�


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Zuma® Xbox LIVE Game
Unearth the ancient secrets on Xbox LIVE Arcade!
Fire magical balls from your stone frog idol as you explore over 20 temples in Adventure mode. Rack up huge combos, special bonuses and power-ups. Then, test your skills in Gauntlet. Can you survive the ancient temples of Zuma?
You will leave PopCap.com to complete your transaction on the Xbox LIVE Marketplace


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K-State To Dedicate Basketball Training Facility Friday
K-State To Dedicate Basketball Training Facility Friday
Oct. 2, 2012
MANHATTAN, Kan. - After receiving generous support from K-Staters world-wide, Kansas State will dedicate its new $18 million Basketball Training Facility on Friday, October 5.
The invitation-only event for donors and project contributors will feature University President Kirk Schultz, Athletics Director John Currie, lead contributors Rand and Patti Berney and Jim and Laura Johnson as well as head coaches Deb Patterson and Bruce Weber. Guests will be able to tour the facility prior to the dedication ceremony, which will be held at approximately 5:45 p.m. in the men's practice gym. The ceremony will include remarks from special guests as well as a ribbon cutting and ceremonial first free throws by members of the men's and women's teams.
The presentation will be broadcast live on K-StateHD.TV.
Located on the east side of Bramlage Coliseum, the 50,000-square foot facility will be the central headquarters for the Kansas State men's and women's basketball teams with close proximity to game day activities and other facilities such as the Academic Learning Center. The building is equipped with two practice courts, coaches' offices, locker rooms for both teams and coaches, player lounges, a theatre-style team film room, a 2,500-square foot weight room, a sports medicine center with a state-of-the-art hydrotherapy facility and an atrium lobby with viewing deck. The facility was designed by Populous and constructed by MW Builders, and blends a modern glass and steel structure with the tradition of K-State limestone on the exterior.
Plans for a public viewing of the building are being developed and will be announced at later date.
MEDIA ADVISORY: Media are asked to arrive by 5 p.m. and check-in with athletics communications representatives. Media are welcome to film/tour the facility up until the dedication begins at 5:45 p.m. It is asked that the media refrain from interviews with head coaches and players until the conclusion of the dedication at 6:15 p.m.


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Rising tensions with Japan are evidently not enough to keep China busy. The People's Liberation Army has now also pitched tents in a bit of disputed territory, controlled by India, creating an embarrassing security dilemma for the Delhi government. Official India's initial reaction has been to play the incident down. I encountered an Indian diplomat in Beijing last week, who speculated that the whole thing was probably an initiative by an over-zealous local Chinese commander – and assured me that it would all be smoothed over. But that was five days ago, now – and the Chinese are still there.
As a result, the Indian government is increasingly open to charges of weakness – or even appeasement. Brahma Chellaney, one of India's most hawkish commentators, fumes that "China is encroaching little by little on Indian land" and accuses the government of Manmohan Singh of "bending over backward at a time of aggression". Read more


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Too early to tell, but at this point it's living up to the hype for me. Will probably purchase it, though not on ****ing iTunes.
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Too early to tell, but at this point it's living up to the hype for me. Will probably purchase it, though not on ****ing iTunes.
You Got The Tony!!!!!!
Listening to the album now, enjoying it. Still on the first listen though and am listening to it passively so I can't judge it too much.
* Most Humorous Poster Nominee (2004, 2005, 2010)
* Off Topic Post of the Year Winner (2009)
* Off Topic Thread of the Year Nominee (2010)
Formerly a naturallystoned, badinfluence...
Stone Sour- Say You'll Haunt Me
Mudvayne- Dig
Last edited by cdash; 08-15-2011 at 02:19 PM.
The Lonely Island- Motherlover
Showing my age-Hey Jude
The Lonely Island- Turtleneck And Chain (Ft. Snoop Dogg)
Bombay Bicycle Club - Shuffle
Emmure- When Keeping It Real Goes Wrong
Follow me at @Bluejbgold
Hells Bells
I need to listen to their entire album, I love "creep" and The Jack Sparrow song.
You and I - Lady Gaga..
Follow me at @Bluejbgold
Listening to the new Red Hot Chili Peppers album, I'm With You. You can stream it for free via iTunes right now.
Angry Chair- Alice in Chains
Sick Puppies- Street Fighter (War)
Because of the Shame - Against Me!
Killing in the Name of- Rage
The R&B equivalent of Section 80 right now, dude is out of this world. Free download here. I could see a Prince-Michael like rivalry between The Weeknd and Frank Ocean. We can only hope.


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Valve Publically Releases "ToGL" Direct3D-to-OpenGL Shimby Ryan Smith on 3/11/2014 4:00 PM EST
33 Comments
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DanNeely - Tuesday, March 11, 2014 - linkIs DOTA2 still using a DX9 based engine, is valve doing something else to port its DX10/11 code that they haven't released yet, or are the OGL ports lagging in capability due to only having the DX9 fallback version of the graphics engine available? Reply
shivoa - Tuesday, March 11, 2014 - linkYou can hear Valve talk about their current engine work and OpenGL here: http://youtu.be/45O7WTc6k2Y (no, I don't think I can condense it down into a couple of lines of explanation without taking away from the details as presented)
Check the about for link to the slides. Reply
Mondozai - Wednesday, March 12, 2014 - linkThanks for the link! Awesome contribution. Reply
Ryan Smith - Tuesday, March 11, 2014 - linkYes, DOTA2 is still DX9 based. Reply
Vash63 - Thursday, March 13, 2014 - linkUh... what DX10/11 code? All indications are that they're going straight from DX9.0c to OGL. I believe they said specifically in their Steam Dev Days conferences that they were targeting OGL on all platforms, including Windows. Reply
ydeer - Tuesday, March 11, 2014 - linkI briefly installed DOTA2 on my Mac and it appears to be one of the shoddiest ports I've seen in quite a while, particularly on HiDPI screens. Running DOTA2 in a Windows 8.1 VM (Fusion) gave me similar if not better framerates as the OS X port.
Of course this is more geared towards the Steam OS where they have full control of all layers, but still. Reply
althaz - Tuesday, March 11, 2014 - linkThe DOTA 2 port is shockingly inconsistent on Mac and Linux. Valve claim that it has better performance in Linux than in Windows - however whilst performance is often excellent, single-digit framerates (in Steam OS!) on PCs that in Windows give you well over 100fps is all too common. Reply
nevertell - Wednesday, March 12, 2014 - linkWhat are you on about ?
I am running Archlinux with Nvidia's binary drivers and I get consistent performance all through out.
And no existing MacOS device could run Dota2 at the native HiDPI resolution without seriously sacrificing image quality at sufficient framerates. And, in the case of Dota2, because the limited field of view is actually a part of the gameplay, it actually would be hard to render everything properly at non-standard resolutions. Reply
althaz - Wednesday, March 12, 2014 - linkMyself and plenty of others on the forums get occasionally horrifying performance in DOTA2 on Linux. As mentioned, I've stopped even trying to play it as 6fps instead of 120fps is NOT acceptable to me. Reply
skiboysteve - Tuesday, March 11, 2014 - linkValve has stated before on the forums that they do not plan to support HiDPI on steam and considering they released a new game without HiDPI support and using DirectX 9 (which is 12 years old!!) they seem to be all about resisting change and legacy technology... Reply
edzieba - Tuesday, March 11, 2014 - link"they seem to be all about resisting change and legacy technology"
Apart from all that, you know, VR research and the like. Reply
skiboysteve - Tuesday, March 11, 2014 - linkGood point. Maybe I should say their PC technology is stuck in 2000s, and they seem to like it that way. They are definitely looking outside of PC technology though Reply
inighthawki - Tuesday, March 11, 2014 - linkSurprise, it's what I've been telling people for months. This is a port of DX9, meaning their old "OpenGL is faster than DX" statement is at best wildly inaccurate. They use a 10 year old API for their comparison which has more overhead than DX11. Congrats to Valve on providing misleading perf statistics.
Now Valve, how about comparing a native OpenGL port to DX11 so we can actually see the difference? It's not hard to rewrite an API on top of modern techniques and hardware to be faster than some old legacy pipeline. Reply
blzd - Tuesday, March 11, 2014 - linkLast I checked 99% of games still ran DirectX 9. DX11 support usually consists of 1 or 2 extra options, some type of bonus depth of field and tessellation. Reply
Friendly0Fire - Tuesday, March 11, 2014 - linkIt's changing very rapidly now that the new consoles are around. Prior to that, every multiplatform game basically required DirectX 9 anyway, since that's what the Xbox 360 supported (it's not exactly DX9, but close enough).
Already, the new versions of CryEngine and Unreal are DX11 and DX9 versions are at best legacy, at worst entirely unavailable. Reply
npz - Wednesday, March 12, 2014 - linkBy "new consoles" you mean only XBox One. The PS4 uses FreeBSD and its own API, which supports the feature set found in DirectX 11.2 and OpenGL 4.4, but it does not actually use DX11. Reply
nevertell - Wednesday, March 12, 2014 - linkPS4 uses Mono (open source implementation of C#) and OpenGL. Usually, if you want to get the most out of the hardware, engine devs write a different rendering backend for each console anyway, because even if PS4 used D3D or Xbone used OpenGL, just changing the compile target would be inefficient. OpenGL makes most sense in this day and age on the PC, because it is platform independent. Reply
Th-z - Wednesday, March 12, 2014 - linkIn terms of graphic APIs, PS4 uses GNMX (high level) and GNM (low level). GNMX is probably much like OpenGL and DirectX for familiarity and ease of development. For GNM I will take a wild guess that it's like Mantle. Reply
clementl - Thursday, March 13, 2014 - linkWhile it is possible to make use of mono on the PS4, the default SDK works with Clang/LLVM. Reply
nevertell - Thursday, March 13, 2014 - linkClang is not LLVM, they use a Mono "interpretor" with LLVM. Reply
clementl - Thursday, March 20, 2014 - linkNo, Clang is the de-facto C++ front-end for LLVM. And yes, this is the official compiler for the PS4 SDK.
Also, you can't interpret mono. Mono is an open-source implementation of the C# programming language. You can make a C# compiler for LLVM (yes, a compiler, as of now LLVM has no interpreting functionality), but you can't use Mono and LLVM at the same time. Reply
inighthawki - Wednesday, March 12, 2014 - linkAnother person clueless about this stuff. DX11 isn't just a couple features, it's a new API. DX11 rewrote the entire API to be more efficient, and has a feature know as hardware downleveling. The DX11 runs 100% fine on DX9 and above hardware, and provides much better CPU performance than the same game or application written in DX9. Reply
Despoiler - Wednesday, March 12, 2014 - linkIt's funny that you call people clueless. DX11 is a superset of DX10. DX10 was the rewrite of the API. DX9 is its own API. DX9 hardware cannot not run DX10/11 games. If it could there would be such a thing as forward compatibility in GPUs. Reply
inighthawki - Wednesday, March 12, 2014 - linkYes, DX10 was the rewrite, but nobody uses it so I simplified the argument to not bother with it.
But you are incorrect. DX9 hardware DOES run DX9 games. DX 10.1 introduced feature levels (hardware downleveling) allowing 9_1 (DX 9.0a, shader model 2.0) hardware to target the 10.1+ API. A game can be written in 100% DX11 code and still run on DX9 hardware while taking advantage of API and performance improvements. DX11 has less overhead in a number of calls over DX9, so there is a huge advantage to using the DX11 API over the 9 API.
You should probably learn about the thing you're referring to before trying to make a counter argument:
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/windows/de... Reply
inighthawki - Wednesday, March 12, 2014 - linkSorry, that should read: "But you are incorrect. DX9 hardware DOES run DX11 games." Reply
Despoiler - Wednesday, March 12, 2014 - linkThat's not what you said. You said "DX11 runs 100% fine on DX9 and above hardware." That's if the programmers support the feature level 9_1 thru 9_3. So no it's not 100% and you are not running DX11 because that would imply DX11 functionality because you didn't specify the feature level. Reading comprehension is not your friend today. Also, if game devs support DX9, which means they support XP, which Microsoft doesn't even support, they just use their DX9 renderer. I'd love to hear examples of DX11 games that implemented DX9 feature levels. They could be out there, I'm just not aware of them. Reply
inighthawki - Wednesday, March 12, 2014 - linkI think you're the one with reading comprehension problems.
"DX11 runs 100% fine on DX9 and above hardware."
Yes. This IS 100% true. For the 3rd time now, DX11 is an API. It is a software interface, and one that explicitly supports DX9 hardware. Therefore, DX9 cards are compatible with DX11. You are confusing the concept of the API itself and what the app developer decides to target.
To put it in more simple terms:
--DX9 hardware is 100% compatible with DX11.
--DX9 hardware MAY NOT be compatible with a game written in DX11.
See the difference?
Also, this wasn't even my original point, you are just bringing up random things now. My point was that it is an unfair comparison to compare DX9 with an up to date version of OpenGL. Microsoft doesn't go around comparing DX11.2 to OpenGL 2.0. Would that really be shocking that a modern graphics API was faster than a legacy pipeline that drivers haven't even optimized for in a decade?
When Valve rewrites "ToGL" on the DX11 API, then ports all their games to DX11 with the same aggressiveness in optimizations, then they will have fair numbers. Until then, their "OpenGL is faster than DirectX" claim is completely flawed and baseless. Reply
RubberJohnny - Tuesday, March 18, 2014 - linkYou're an idiot!
"--DX9 hardware is 100% compatible with DX11.
--DX9 hardware MAY NOT be compatible with a game written in DX11.
See the difference?"
Well its not 100% then is it! it's a subset! Reply
inighthawki - Saturday, March 22, 2014 - linkWhere exactly is the problem here? Game != API. Reply
Latzara - Wednesday, March 12, 2014 - linkYou are looking at the wrong product if you want DX11 no matter what the year is -- the main aspect fo Dota 2 is the community which means that it must run on what now is almost 'ancient' hardware for people who (still!) play the original DotA to be able to transition to the new without significant hardware bumps. The graphics in a game like DotA are secondary at best, it's all about gameplay mechanics and running it on as many systems as possible for the largest (and growing) player base -- and it's working... That's why DX11 is not even necessary, but making better ports to API's used in the OSes other than Windows (and not the latest ones - the same 'rule' as with DX9 applies) should be done better -- there's no excuse for that. Reply
curiousbystander - Wednesday, March 12, 2014 - linkTitle should read Publicly - not Publically... Reply
Haravikk - Wednesday, March 12, 2014 - linkIt's great to hear they've done this, but it feels to me like this should have been done before now, as they're not leaving a lot of time for developers to figure out what code they need to provide themselves, and add support for extra features they're using so they can port their own games to OpenGL. Plus, as already mentioned, it's only DirectX 9.0c (and not even all of it), but I suppose it could at least be used by companies with older titles to make them more easily available without the use of WINE wrappers and such.
The reason I wish it had been done sooner though is that in that time the folks that work on Wine D3D might have had a chance to make some progress. In fact, I'm really hoping Wine D3D and ToGL can be combined in future, as it could give Wine D3D's far greater compatibility, but with ToGL's ability to do the translation before (during?) compilation, rather than at run-time, and ultimately working the two together but with separate compile-time and run-time products should make it easier for both projects to gain newer features in future. Reply
liamdawe - Thursday, March 13, 2014 - linkHey Liam from Gaming On Linux, thanks for noting we were the source of your info, but how about actually linking to us, be a good sport ;)
http://www.gamingonlinux.com FYI Reply