text: If you cannot listen to the teleconference at its scheduled time, there will be a replay available through Tuesday, April 16, 2013 which can be accessed by dialing 877-344-7529 (U.S.) or 412-317-0088 (Int'l), passcode: 10026323There will also be a live webcast of the teleconference, located on the investor portion of our corporate Web site, at www.spanishbroadcasting.com/webcasts.shtml . A seven day archived replay of the webcast will also be available at that link. About Spanish Broadcasting System, Inc. Spanish Broadcasting System, Inc. is the largest publicly traded Hispanic-controlled media and entertainment company in the United States. SBS owns and/or operates 21 radio stations located in the top U.S. Hispanic markets of New York, Los Angeles, Miami, Chicago, San Francisco and Puerto Rico, airing the Tropical, Mexican Regional, Spanish Adult Contemporary and Hurban format genres. The Company also owns and operates MegaTV, a television operation with over-the-air, cable and satellite distribution and affiliates throughout the U.S. and Puerto Rico. SBS also produces live concerts and events and operates www.LaMusica.com , a bilingual Spanish-English online site providing content related to Latin music, entertainment, news and culture. The Company's corporate Web site can be accessed at www.spanishbroadcasting.com . This press release contains certain forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements, which are included in accordance with the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, may involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the Company's actual results and performance in future periods to be materially different from any future results or performance suggested by the forward-looking statements in this press release. Although the Company believes the expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements are based upon reasonable assumptions, it can give no assurance that actual results will not differ materially from these expectations. Forward-looking statements, which are based upon certain assumptions and describe future plans, strategies and expectations of the Company, are generally identifiable by use of the words "may," "will," "expect," "believe," "anticipate," "intend," "could," "estimate," "might," or "continue" or the negative or other variations thereof or comparable terminology. Factors that could cause actual results, events and developments to differ are included from time to time in the Company's public reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. All forward-looking statements made herein are qualified by these cautionary statements and there can be no assurance that the actual results, events or developments referenced herein will occur or be realized. The Company undertakes no obligation to update or revise forward-looking statements to reflect changed assumptions, the occurrence of unanticipated events or changes to future operation results.


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TEACHERS in East Lancashire are leaving the profession to become bus drivers, cleaners and builders.
Union leaders said many teachers were finding other types of work or leaving with no job to go to at all.
Lancashire's and Blackburn with Darwen's representatives Simon Jones, from the NUT, and Claire Ward, from NASUWT, said the phenomenon had become common.
The news comes as schools are set to be hit by a teachers' strike on Wednesday March 26 in a dispute over pay, pensions and conditions.
NUT leader Simon Jones said: "I must speak to three or four people a week who have decided to quit. One of the most common things now searched for on our website is how to leave the profession.
"I have represented people who were leaving to become cleaners. I know former members are working as builders and at least one is working as a bus driver.
"There is nothing wrong with these jobs but it isn't what they studied long and hard to do for a living. These people were very dedicated to the profession but the pressure came to be too much.
"The most common thing being said in staff rooms at the moment is 'I would rather stack shelves'."
NASUWT's Claire Ward said: "I have spoken to many people who have just had to leave and have taken any job they can.
"They will take very basic office jobs or leave with no job at all. I know some of my members who have gone on to work in supermarkets.
"A lot of teachers continue to do private tuition in the evenings, but for a day job they will do anything else.
"One new teacher, who had been judged as Outstanding in her lessons, left in her second year because she was going in seven days a week. She was going into school on a Sunday just to keep up with the demand. The pressure is ridiculous."
National figures show two-fifths of newly qualified teachers leave the profession within five years, described as a 'national scandal' by Ofsted chief Sir Michael Wilshaw.
A teachers survey by NASUWT last year found that teachers' top four concerns about their jobs were workload, government changes to pensions, pay and school inspections. It found over half of teachers were considering leaving teaching altogether.
However the Department for Education says more top graduates and professionals than ever before are coming into teaching.

subset: commoncrawl


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- Lake Wright Patman
- Other Lakes
Lake Wright Patman 2004 Survey Report (PDF 584.7 KB)
If you have difficulty accessing the information in this document, contact the TPWD Inland Fisheries Division for assistance.
Lake Wright Patman - 2004 Survey Report
Prepared by Michael W. Brice
Inland Fisheries Division
District 3-A, Marshall, Texas
This is the authors' summary from a 29-page report. For a copy of the complete report, use the download link in the sidebar.
Lake Wright Patman was surveyed during the period June 2004 to May 2005 using electrofishing, gill netting, trap netting, a littoral zone habitat survey, an aquatic vegetation survey, and an angler access survey. This report summarizes the results of the surveys and contains a management plan for the reservoir based on those findings.
Reservoir Description
Lake Wright Patman is located on the Sulphur River. It was constructed by the U. S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) in 1956 for flood control, municipal and industrial water supply, and public recreation. It has a drainage area of approximately 3,443 square miles. Shoreline length is 170 miles. Average annual water level fluctuation is 5-10 feet; however, water level fluctuation may be much higher during periods of high rainfall. Littoral area (water depth less than 15 feet) accounts for 58% of the reservoir. Bank fishing and boating access is available at numerous USACE parks and private marinas. Structural habitat is comprised of inundated timber, brush, and riprap. Aquatic macrophytes are present with highest densities in the upper end of the reservoir. Hydrilla coverage was estimated to be 5 acres during the 2004 vegetation survey.
Fish Community
- Prey species: Gizzard shad, threadfin shad, sunfishes and several species of minnows were present indicating good prey fish diversity. Moderate densities of clupeids were available as prey; electrofishing catch rates for gizzard shad and threadfin shad were 491.5 fish/hour and 45.0 fish/hour, respectively. Total clupeid (gizzard and threadfin shad) density (537.5 fish/hour) of 2004 electrofishing was very similar to that of 2000 (531.5 fish/hour). Index of vulnerability (IOV) for gizzard shad in 2004 indicated 77% of the population was available to existing predators. Catch rates for combined sunfish species (bluegill, longear sunfish, and redear sunfish) increased from 90.5 fish/hour in 2000 to 150.0 fish/hour in 2004. Size distributions of sunfishes indicated many small fish were available as prey for piscivores. Prey availability was adequate for adult largemouth bass as evidenced by mean relative weights in excess of 90 for all inch groups.
- Catfishes: Historical gill net data indicated there were higher catch rates of blue catfish during fall sampling when compared to spring. Therefore, fall gill netting was used in conjunction with a special project until 2001 to assess the blue catfish population. The blue catfish catch rate during fall gill netting was 4.7 fish/net night in 2001. This survey occurred after the most recent report was published. However, 2005 spring gill netting catch rate of blue catfish was only 0.07 fish/net night. These data indicate that the species still exists in the reservoir but population assessment is difficult. Ryan and Brice (2001) reported that blue catfish attain legal size (> 12 inches) during their second or third growing season. The 2005 gill netting catch rate of channel catfish (14.5 fish/net night) was more than double the catch in 2002 (5.5 fish/net night). Most of the fish collected in 2005 were legal-size (>12 inches), indicating an increase in the numbers of fish that were available for angler harvest. Channel catfish growth was slower compared to other district water bodies as they reach legal size during their fourth growing season (Ryan and Brice 2001).
- White and palmetto bass: The catch rate of white bass in gill nets has increased from 2.7 fish/net night in 2001 and 1.1 fish/net night in 2002 to 11.5 fish/net night in 2005. Competition with palmetto bass, which were stocked from 1994-1999, and 2002 at a stocking rate that ranged from 5 to 25 fingerlings/acre, is a possible reason for the lower catch rates of white bass over the past several years. Ryan and Brice (2001) reported that white bass reach legal size (>10 inches) by age 1. Annual stockings of palmetto bass were discontinued in 2003 due to low angler utilization. The palmetto bass catch rate has steadily declined from 2.8 fish/net night in 2000 to 0.1 fish/net night in 2005.
- Sunfishes: Electrofishing catch rates increased from 2000 to 2004 for both bluegill (76.0 fish/hour to 118.5 fish/hour) and redear sunfish (4.0 fish/hour to 11.0 fish/hour); however, current catch rates were lower than those in 1997 for both species (bluegill; 341.3 fish/hour, redear sunfish; 64.7 fish/hour). Bluegill and redear sunfish attain 6.0 inches during their third growing season (Ryan and Brice 2001).
- Black bass: The catch rate of largemouth bass increased from 26.5 fish/hour in 2000 to 48.5 fish/hour in 2004. This increase was due to higher numbers of sub stock-size fish (<8 inches) being collected in 2004 (20.0 fish/hour) as compared with 2000 (6.0 fish/hour). Largemouth bass reach legal size during their third growing season. Florida largemouth bass were stocked in 2002 and 2003 to enhance the genetics of the largemouth bass population. However, electrophoretic analysis of young-of-year largemouth bass indicated only 5.9% Florida alleles in 2004, which was below the target level of 20%.
- Crappie: Catch rates of white and black crappie in 2004 were 31.9 fish/net night and 1.2 fish/net night, respectively. Of the white crappie collected >5 inches (stock-size), 52.1% were legally harvestable (>10 inches). Crappies up to 15 inches were collected. Growth rates of both species were similar to previous years. White and black crappies reach legal size during their second and third growing season, respectively.
Management Strategies
Based on fish community data, the reservoir should be managed under current harvest regulations. Lake Wright Patman supports excellent catfish, white bass, and crappie fishing opportunities. Special efforts should be made to promote these fisheries. Because Florida largemouth bass alleles were <20% in the latest sample, additional stocking should be requested for 2007 and 2008 at a rate of 25 fish/acre. Electrophoretic sampling should be conducted when necessary to monitor the success of Florida largemouth bass stockings and their genetic influence on the population.
Performance Report as required by Federal Aid in Sport Fish Restoration Act Texas Federal Aid Project F-30-R-30 Statewide Freshwater Fisheries Monitoring and Management Program


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Pre booked tours were fabulous: Legend of the Seas Cruise Review by louirish
Overall Member Rating
Pre booked tours were fabulous
Destination: Mediterranean
Embarkation: Other
The legend of the seas has been newly remodeled and for an older ship I thought it was it looked great.
The food in the wind jammer was nothing special but everything was very fresh. Chops grill was well worth the 30 pp, it was basically a $100 meal, and a nice change from the dining room. Izumis was also great, excellent sushi. These restaurants are located in the Viking lounge so you have great views while dining.
The entertainment on the ship was horrible with the exception of the first night. I think they feel like people are site seeing all day and will be too tired to see the entertainment so these ships get the bottom of the barrel in the talent department. The cruise director was horrible, which is so unusual for RCCL.
We started in Rome one day prior to departure so we basically had 1 and 1/2 days in Rome before getting our transfer to the ship. We More used Civitivechia shuttle, they picked us up at our hotel after site seeing in the morning. They were excellent, prompt and cost a lot less than the ships shuttle, they were also our transportation back to the airport after our cruise. In Rome we booked a tour with Happy Travel, our guide was Simone, he was perfect and the tour of the Vatican and basilica were great. We didn't pre book a tour of the colosseum but were approached when we were walking by a tour company. We ended up booking the tour which included the underground, a must see ,for 46 euro per person. I had been in Rome several times but this was my first time with tours. They were both amazing.
In Genoa we didn't see much interesting so we booked our one and only tour through the ship. We did the Nice and Monaco on our own. Basically we needed a ride to these other places so found this to be the best option. We were here on. Monday and all the shops were closed in Nice. Monaco was fabulous and well worth the drive. In Marseille we booked a wine tasting tour with Provence Wines. Our guide as Frank who was great. We went to Cassis ,Aix Provence and Marseille. The winery in Cassis was breathtaking, the whole tour was amazing. In Barcelona we rented vespas for 6 hours. They had GPS systems with 5 preset tours you could choose from. This city is huge and there are a lot of scooters, just make sure you have experience riding one. We did have a couple minor scratches to the scooters because of inexperience so only do this if you have rode before we loved it. In Majorca we booked a tour with majorca-tours.com. They were awesome, our guide was Louisa who was well informed and loved her job. We went to Valldemossa which was a quaint little town, we didn't want to leave. In Valencia we rented bikes with Valencia bikes and had a tour. Great excursion, our guide was Eileen and spoke perfect English. This is the only flat city so it was perfect for bike riding.
We all had a great time and the time I spent on trip advisor paid off and gave us an unforgettable vacation. Less
Published 05/21/13
Cabin review: D16588 Superior Ocean View Stateroom with Balcony
The room was great, newly remodeled. Our room steward Filipano was awesome. Loved the balcony.Read All Superior Ocean View Stateroom with Balcony (D1) Reviews >>
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text:
H7N9 is an avian Influenza. Avian Influenza is a disease of wild birds and domestic poultry caused by many different subtypes of Type A influenza virus. The natural reservoir for Type A influenza viruses is wild water birds such as ducks and geese. New influenza A subtypes are continually emerging in the waterfowl population due to the constant mutation of the virus.
While avian influenza is caused by Type A viruses, seasonal influenza outbreaks in people, which occur almost every winter, are caused by either Type A and Type B influenza viruses. Influenza Type C viruses cause a mild respiratory illness in humans, but are not usually responsible for outbreaks of the flu. Type A viruses are found in both people and animals, whereas Type B viruses are normally only found in humans.
Avian influenza viruses are classified in two ways, one is by the host's immune response and the other severity of infection. Influenza subtypes are named for two antigens present on the surface of the virus. These are:
There are 16 possible H antigens and 9 possible N antigens. Virus subtypes are named H9N2, H5N1, etc., depending on their combination of antigens.
The other classification of avian influenzas is by the severity of the disease they cause in domestic poultry, and the designations are:
This influenza A (H7N9) virus is one subtype among the large group of H7 viruses. Although some H7 viruses (H7N2, H7N3 and H7N7) have occasionally been found to infect humans, this is the first time H7N9 infections have been reported in humans. As such, H7N9 has the potential to spark a pandemic due to the lack of immunity to this virus in the human population.
Wednesday May 1, 2013 Chinese researchers reported H7N9 appears to have evolved as wild birds mingled with each other and then with domestic flocks. (Lancet). The H gene might have originated from avian influenza viruses of duck origin, and the N gene might have transferred from migratory birds infected with avian influenza viruses as they traveled the East Asian flyway. The research indicated the six internal genes of this virus likely originated from two different groups of H9N2 avian influenza viruses. These viruses have been isolated from chickens. Further analyses suggest ducks and chickens were the likely the intermediate hosts for the virus leading to the new H7N9, however experts caution other intermediate hosts may exist.
For the most recent confirmed human cases of H7N9 and deaths attributed to the virus please see the World Health Organization (WHO) Disease Outbreak News.
As of May 3, 2013 Chinese officials reported four family "cluster" cases where two or three members of the family were infected. Officials have offered a number of possibilities for the infections and have not ruled out human-human transmission. However, the data are not clear as family members appear to have been infected at different times, short and long lag times which means they may have been infected by the same source rather than each other.
Thus far the majority of infections have occurred in areas with comparatively high number of poultry carrying the virus, per Chinese officials in the area.
May 23, 2013 Chinese, US, and Canadian researchers reported limited aerosol transmission of the virus in ferrets. Ferrets are used for this research as they mimic humans with respect to contracting the virus. This is good news with respect to human-to-human transmission of the virus at this time. The researchers also found H7N9 virus shedding occurred before most clinical signs developed, a pattern seen with pandemic and seasonal flu."
The also cautioned should H7N9 becomes endemic in China's poultry, the likely source of the of the virus, the risk of the virus evolving to become more transmissible among humans or spreading to pigs would increase.
Though at this time it is not known for certain the source or mode of transmission, as with any influenza virus, following basic hygiene practices and food safety measures are recommended to reduce the risk of infection.
Hand hygiene:
Respiratory hygiene:
Traveling to China:
At this time, WHO does not advise the application of any travel measures with respect to visitors to China nor to persons leaving China. See CDC travel recommendations for visiting China.
Influenza viruses are not transmitted through consuming well-cooked food. Because influenza viruses are inactivated by normal temperatures used for cooking ( reaches 165 degrees F in all parts and no pink parts), it is safe to eat properly prepared and cooked meat form poultry and game birds.
Diseased animals and animals that have died of diseases should not be eaten. In areas experiencing outbreaks, meat products can be safely consumed provided that these items are properly cooked and properly handled during food preparation. The consumption of raw meat and uncooked blood-based dishes is a high-risk practice and should be discouraged.
Contributors: Nathaniel Tablante and Virginia Morgan


text:
About the Book
.... a celebration in images of 80 years
of teaching, learning and more at
sandringham east primary school
from 1931 to 2011.
compiled by photographer and
artist, julian cowley, a parent with
four children currently at the school.
Features & Details
- Category Arts & Photography
Large Format Landscape, 13×11 in, 33×28 cm
80 Pages
- Publish Date Jul 19, 2011
- Tags the first 80 years, sandringham east, 80, seps, SEPS, history, memorablia, photography, photograph, 2011, 1931, school, primary, pupil, student, teacher, teaching, sandringham, melbourne, victoria, australia
See More
About the Creator
melbourne, australia
photography - art - design #.family portraits, babies and children, landscapes, limited edition fine art prints, product shots for small businesses... #.image editing, restoring old photos, editing images for the web, brochures... #.web design for individuals, small businesses and professionals... #.graphic design, brochures, business cards, logos, adverts... #.paintings, original art in watercolour, acrylic and mixed media on canvas or paper...
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text:
Queen Anne meat market aims to reel in customers with salmon counter
Published 10:00 pm, Tuesday, June 1, 2004
When McCarthy & Schiering Wine Merchants moved into a space next to A&J Meats & Seafood four years ago, the pairing of merlot and meat improved business at both stores.
Now the Queen Anne family-owned meat market is bringing in another complementary business to generate sales.
Tomorrow, Wild Salmon Seafood Market will take over a section of the counter at A&J -- its second Seattle location -- creating an alternative market to the chain grocery stores and big-box retailers.
"I think you lose quality when you start to get into these big multidepartment stores," said Paula Cassidy, who operates Wild Salmon Seafood Market at Fishermen's Terminal with her husband, Jon Speltz. "We're just trying to maintain the quality and the integrity and just share space."
Wild Salmon will offer a full line of fresh and frozen seafood, including live lobsters and shellfish in tanks. Meanwhile, A&J will continue to feature its sausages and smoked meats, which it makes onsite.
Jerry Friar (the J of A& J) started the meat market with a business partner in 1951 at West McGraw Street and Sixth Avenue West. He moved the shop to its current location on Queen Anne Avenue North and McGraw Street in 1972; at the time, the building included a print shop and a pet store. A few years later, those businesses left, and part of the building was torn down to make room for a parking lot.
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Rick Friar, who started working for his father at the age of 11, took over the meat market 15 years ago with his wife, Julia Friar. And he brought other businesses back. Dan McCarthy moved his shop, McCarthy & Schiering Wine Merchants, into the A&J building from its previous space on Queen Anne in 2000.
"Our sales immediately jumped," McCarthy said, noting an increase of 30 percent at the time.
McCarthy, who buys his fish from Wild Salmon at Fishermen's Terminal, suggested recently that owners Cassidy and Speltz open a seafood shop inside the meat market. They and the Friars liked the idea and decided to try it.
A&J sold some seafood previously, but the business specializes in meats; Rick Friar estimates that seafood made up no more than 20 percent of total sales. With the addition of Wild Salmon, A&J will stop selling its own seafood.
Although the business is giving up about 24 feet of counter space to seafood, Rick Friar said it is not cutting its meat selection. He closed the shop yesterday and today to work on a new deli area and other upgrades. Wild Salmon will remain a separate business and pay rent to A&J.
Despite the recent closures of other local meat markets, including The Butcher Shoppe in Ballard and Crystal Meats in Pike Place Market, both Rick and Julia Friar said that business is good, citing growth on Queen Anne Hill and wider adoption of the low-carb diet.
They declined to disclosed sales, but they expect the addition of Wild Salmon to bring new customers to their store.
"Anything you can do to make it easier for people to shop, I think, is a good thing to do," Julia Friar said.


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TweetRoach, the Cyborg cockroach controlled by Twitter tags
- Written by Jed E. Robinson
- Published in Innovation
Brittany Ransom, the creator of the Cyborg cockroach, is an assistant professor of Hybrid/Digital Video and Media Art at the SMU Meadows School of the Arts.
Interactive art is becoming more popular nowadays. The artist presented it at the 'Life, In Some Form' exhibition now running in Chicago.
Ransom built the TweetRoach by attaching an Arduino backpack worth $100 to a cockroach in order to stimulate its antennae. Through specially made software Brittany Ransom was able to hook the Cyborg cockroach to respond to Twitter commands.
In order to control the TweetRoach's movement one could use the hash tags #TweetRoachRight or #TweetRoachLeft. Since the artist expected many people will at least try to move the cockroach to the left or right she took extra precautions to make sure the insect is not overloaded with commands. The software only processed one instruction every 30 seconds.
This simulation was also meant to study how soon the cockroach would become desensitized or overloaded by the information. Brittany Ransom explained the remote controlled cockroach won't be hurt during the experiment and that for a cockroach every command would just seem as if it bumps into something.


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July 2002
Patrick J. Bannon and Robert S. Mantell will co-chair "Litigating Employment Discrimination Cases: State v. Federal Court; State v. Federal Claims" on Tuesday, June 25 from 4-7 p.m. at the MBA, 20 West St., Boston. This seminar will discuss the sometimes-critical differences between Massachusetts and federal anti- discrimination law in a number of areas, including disability discrimination, sexual harassment, damages, the standards for summary judgment and other issues. The seminar also will include panel members John F. Adkins, Denise Chicoine, Harold Lichten and Arthur G. Telegen.
Bannon, a partner with the law firm Hill & Barlow, has handled cases involving a wide variety of employment claims, including wrongful termination; discrimination on the basis of disability, race, age, and sex; sexual harassment; retaliation; failure to pay wages; and breach of employment contract and has particular expertise regarding the enforceability of non- competition and non-solicitation agreements. A member of the MBA Labor and Employment Section Council, he graduated magna cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa from Harvard College and received his J.D., with distinction, from Stanford Law School.
Mantell, an associate with Rodgers Powers & Schwartz, Boston, has handled numerous cases involving discrimination and retaliation that have been litigated before Massachusetts and federal courts and the Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination. He also has considerable experience in cases involving non-competition agreements. A member of the MBA Labor & Employment Section Council, Mantell received his law degree from Duke University School of Law and his undergraduate degree from Tufts University.


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The Chiefland Rotary Club celebrated Flag Day, June 14, a little early with a presentation on the meaning of and how to properly fold a flag by the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 5625 Honor Guard on June 12.
If you currently subscribe or have subscribed in the past to the Chiefland Citizen, then simply find your account number on your mailing label and enter it below.
Click the question mark below to see where your account ID appears on your mailing label.
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Work in the shop has been crazy for the last four weeks. A little bit before it started, a few of us had a chance to get out for a day to Timothy Lake. A little bit before that, I got a delivery from Sanborn Canoe Co. As a part of the Sanborn Scout program, we get to try some of their wares, and I was the recipient of some amazing new paddles. We had a Sams' Special and a Little Sag in our boat.
First, I was amazed at how light they are. Mostly cedar construction, so I knew they wouldn't be heavy... I just wasn't prepared for how easy they were to handle and made paddling nearly effortless. Such a believer in these paddles now. The bent shaft of the Little Sag helped with an extra push, perfect for stern position.
Greg has been paddling with some Borealis for a while now and we traded off for a bit. We both agreed each other's paddles handled differently, but to similar effect. Weight was comparable, paddling was easy, though the Borealis seemed to move you a little easier presumably due to the extra degrees of bend.
After leaving Timothy, we stopped by Little Crater Lake. Which is seriously little. But nice.


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In a few brief weeks, Australia's energy sector has suddenly come alive on the M&A front, and it is providing the opportunity for some shareholders to toss their weight around.
Hong Kong's Cheung Kong Infrastructure (CKI), never a fan of
Whether it would win over rival APA is another matter, given the gas pipeline owner's 33 per cent stake and clear motivation for a takeover.
But CKI's still conditional bid would be conditional on just 51 per cent acceptance, enhancing its chance of success and leaving the way open for APA to remain on board.
CKI's two representatives on the Envestra board had been clear about their dissatisfaction over the offer.
They thought APA was being mean in the premium offered for securing control, and didn't much like the increased risk profile of the merged company. CKI, despite having been courted by banks and hedge funds for its stake in Envestra, had held on to its shares, so Thursday's move isn't entirely out of the blue.
With the Hong Kong player owning enough of Envestra to vote down the scheme of arrangement housing APA's scrip offer, it was an unusual situation.
The deal was left hanging in the air with the market in the dark whether CKI would act on its beliefs and vote against the scheme – to the embarrassment of the Envestra board – or opt for abstaining, having made its point.
Roc vote anger
Over in the oil and gas space,
Allan Gray, with about 20 per cent of Roc, is incensed that Roc shareholders, despite contributing most of the assets and cash, don't get a vote on the merger, in contrast to Horizon investors.
Harding stands behind the Australian Securities Exchange's listing rules, which mean Roc has indeed no obligation to offer that opportunity to investors. The
It is of no comfort to Allan Gray's outspoken portfolio manager, Simon Marais, who reckons if Roc was so confident about the deal, it would at least do shareholders the courtesy of offering that. Marais is sceptical about the figures being presented by Roc and Horizon of the scale-up benefits of the merger, in terms of market valuation.
For his part, Harding claims Allan Gray is on its own among institutional shareholders opposing the tie-up, which he is portraying as a once in a lifetime opportunity to pick up assets such as Horizon's undervalued Papua New Guinea acreage that it could never afford to buy. Whether Marais forces the issue and calls an extraordinary general meeting to try to force a vote remains to be seen.
But Roc boss Alan Linn was adamant on Thursday that even if a vote were held, it wouldn't be binding under the merger implementation deed agreed with Horizon.
He cites figures that 31 companies in Australia have pursued this structure for a takeover in the past 15 years.
In this instance, if looks as if Allan Gray will be left frustrated at its lack of influence, despite its dominant shareholding.
Further down the food chain,
It's a sad story for shareholders that once dreamed of rich returns from Nexus's attractive Timor Sea interests.
The Australian Financial Review


text:
Here's what three hypothetical artists of different sizes might be pulling down for each album they make, based on musician interviews and industry gossip.
How Architecture Gets Off Track: Focusing On Trivial Details
Pricing For Tickets To Live Events Has Gotten Crazy. So…
Dreams Delivered to Your Door Daily
Eve Ensler Shakes You Up
The playwright-impresario-activist who created The Vagina Monologues starts out an interview talking about her One Billion Rising movement to combat violence against women – and ends up, by discussing her near-deadly bout with cancer, affecting her interviewer's relationship with her own body. (includes video)
How The Internet Has Impacted Our Lives
Turning Brainwaves Into Music (Literally)
The British Love Fussy Architecture, Says Guy Who Headed Up The Stonehenge Visitors Center Debacle
A Life Utterly Devoted To Ballet
Our Audio And Video History Is Disappearing. Can We Save It?
Sure, She Won A Pulitzer, But What Was Maxine Kumin Like In The Classroom?
"The thing that's depressing is teaching graduate students today and discovering that they don't know simple elemental facts of grammar. They really do not know how to scan a line; they've never been taught to scan a line. Many of them don't know the difference between lie and lay, let alone its and it's."
How Can Jazz And Classical Get Some Attention On Streaming Services?
Maxine Kumin, Pulitzer Prize-Winning Poet Who Loved The Sound Of Poetry, Dead At 88
Magicians Buy Into The Mirror Theory Of Vermeer's Paintings
When Is The Right Time To Make Movies About A War?
UK Regional Theatre Bosses Warn Of A Tough Year Ahead
Why Charles Dickens' Dying Wishes Are Being Ignored
Visual Art – Prices Up, Value Down?
Trafalgar Square Gets A Thumbs Up For Its Fourth Plinth
Pops Conductor Richard Hayman, 93
"Mr. Hayman was the St. Louis Symphony's pops conductor from 1976 until the pops concerts were discontinued in 2002. He was also the chief arranger for the Boston Pops Orchestra for more than 50 years, under both Arthur Fiedler and John Williams, and conducted pops concerts in Detroit, Hartford and other cities in the United States and Canada."
The Thieves Who Stole The Strad (What Were They Thinking?)
Removal Of A Picasso From A Historic Building Is A Tragedy
"In view of its exceptional attributes, its importance in Picasso's development, and its close association with the Seagram Building almost from the moment of the tower's completion, it seems astonishing that the painting is unprotected by the landmark status accorded the Four Seasons interior in 1990."
CBC President Predicts Hard Times For Canadian Network
"We are projecting significant financial challenges: a weak advertising market across the industry, lower-than-expected schedule performance in the key 25-54 year-old demographic on CBC Television, lower than expected ad revenues from Espace Musique and CBC Radio 2, and the loss of the NHL contract."
Six Canadian Museums Start Project To ID Nazi-Looted Art
"It's unclear how many so-called "spoliated" cultural objects – paintings, sculptures, drawings, graphics, prints and decorative works obtained illegally or by force from European institutions and private collectors by Nazi German authorities between 1932 and 1945 – may be housed in Canadian art museums."
The Real Fraud In The Japanese Ghost Composer Case
"It's one thing to paint or write or compose something and pass it off as the work of an established, famous artist, like the fake Jackson Pollocks the Knoedler gallery sold to well-heeled buyers. That's fraud. It's another thing to create a work of art that is destined to enter the world under false premises, like the Mozart Requiem."


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PRIME MINISTER Julia Gillard has leapt to the defence of two NBN Co executives, accusing Opposition Leader Tony Abbott of playing smear politics.
NBN Co chief executive Mike Quigley, who is in charge of implementing the national broadband network, and chief financial officer Jean-Pascal Beaufret are former senior executives at French telco Alcatel-Lucent, which has been exposed as having paid bribes to win lucrative contracts in Latin America and Asia.
Neither Mr Quigley nor Mr Beaufret was involved in the bribe investigation, which resulted in the telco being fined $US137 million. The Coalition has seized on the executives' previous employment, saying there were ''serious questions'' for the government to answer.
''The regulatory authorities found that Alcatel was bedevilled with lax management and practices,'' Mr Abbott said yesterday.
''That's how these bribes were paid. Can we be confident that the national broadband network is being administered better than Alcatel was?''
Ms Gillard responded: ''This is a personal smear against a highly regarded businessman [Mr Quigley], actually an Australian recognised for his telecommunications expertise around the world. So I'd say to Tony Abbott, and I'd say to the Opposition in general: get out of the politics of smear.''


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The Inner Circle
The Inner Circle
By Brad Meltzer
Grand Central Publishing, Hardcover, 9780446577892, 464pp.
Publication Date: January 11, 2011
There are stories no one knows. Hidden stories. I love those stories. And since I work in the National Archives, I find those stories for a living.
Beecher White, a young archivist, spends his days working with the most important documents of the U.S. government. He has always been the keeper of other people's stories, never a part of the story himself...
Until now.
When Clementine Kaye, Beecher's first childhood crush, shows up at the National Archives asking for his help tracking down her long-lost father, Beecher tries to impress her by showing her the secret vault where the President of the United States privately reviews classified documents. After they accidentally happen upon a priceless artifact - a 200 hundred-year-old dictionary that once belonged to George Washington, hidden underneath a desk chair, Beecher and Clementine find themselves suddenly entangled in a web of deception, conspiracy, and murder.
Soon a man is dead, and Beecher is on the run as he races to learn the truth behind this mysterious national treasure. His search will lead him to discover a coded and ingenious puzzle that conceals a disturbing secret from the founding of our nation. It is a secret, Beecher soon discovers, that some believe is worth killing for.
Gripping, fast-paced, and filled with the fascinating historical detail for which he is famous, THE INNER CIRCLE is a thrilling novel that once again proves Brad Meltzer as a brilliant author writing at the height of his craft.
"Meltzer has earned the right to belly up to the bar with John Grisham, Scott Turow, and David Baldacci."
"Meltzer is so good."
"Meet the next John Grisham."
The latest thriller from author Brad Meltzer supposes that the president of the United States has a private ring of spies. The Inner Circle imagines that the spy ring is passed on from one president to the next. Meltzer tells Steve Inskeep that the idea for his novel came from a real-life experience. More at NPR.org
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Elizabeth W
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I began Sculptra treatment last November (08)and was told by the practioner that I would need between 2 and 3 treatments. When I went for my second treatment in January I pointed out to the practioner a small lump below my right eye. ... READ COMMENT


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Sunday, October 7, 2012
Tim Burton's "Dark Shadows" on Blu-Ray Giveaway!
In honor of Tim Burton's new film, Frankenweenie, we're giving away his last film, Dark Shadows, on Blu-Ray.
One lucky winner will receive a Dark Shadows Blu-Ray Combo pack. Just sign up to join this site and leave a comment below with a way to reach you (email preferred). Already follow the site? Great—just leave a comment by Friday, October 12 at 5pm EST. And good luck!
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We're so very excited about Frankenweenie! I remember the short well, am looking forward to seeing how it holds up as a longer story.ReplyDelete
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Fiennes is brilliant as Dickens in 'The Invisible Woman'
It should surprise no one that it isn't young actress Felicity Jones who is remarkable as "The Invisible Woman" in the life of Charles Dickens, it is star Ralph Fiennes directing himself as Dickens in his second film as director (the first was the much-praised "Coriolanus").
Given the evidence here, Fiennes may have been born to play Dickens.
Jones plays Ellen Lawless ("Nelly") Ternan, the young actress of the title who met Dickens in 1857 when she was 18 and he was 45 and had a relationship with him until his death in 1870.
That's a long relationship. But relatively little detail is known of it, which is why Claire Tomalin's book "The Invisible Woman" was a brisk seller and why this movie made of it has as much freedom as it does to imagine their lives together.
All their correspondence seems to have been destroyed. Despite those years and the importance of the relationship, you find precious few references to it at all in "The Selected Letters of Charles Dickens." One, from early on, instructs a friend to go after Scotland Yard for spying on Ternan and her sister Maria. It's supposedly a mystery to Dickens in Victorian times why Scotland Yard would want to spy on her and her sister, who are "in all things most irreproachable in themselves and most respectfully connected in all ways."
All of which, by Victorian standards, was palpably untrue.
"What the devil" was going on with the Yard, he wants to know. And well he would. A lot of apparent "irreproachability" would go up in London smoke if the city at large learned about his mistress.
It did, but not disastrously for either of them. Dickens was a man of seemingly infinite energy and inner resources for whatever he wanted to do, and he saw to that.
It isn't Ternan, who is the magnetic north of Fiennes' movie, it is Dickens himself who is shown to us, at first, in raw form as a literal "good time Charlie" – dancing and carousing all night with attractive young actresses after performing in a play written by his friend Wilkie Collins.
To us now, his energy in life seems almost superhuman. He wrote – a lot. He acted in plays. And his public readings from his books were smash hits – quasi-rock star events in their time.
His marriage produced 10 children.
And a wife Fiennes presents here as a prig (Joanne Scanlan) until what should have been a devastating moment in the film when she finds out about Dickens' affair after receiving, by mistake, a piece of jewelry meant for Nelly.
Dickens – almost inhumanly – demands that his wife personally return it to the mistress it was actually meant for.
It is at that moment when we are allowed to see that the long-suffering middle-aged wife who didn't entirely understand the genius of her husband's work ("a fiction designed to entertain" is how she dismisses "Little Dorrit" to which Nelly replies "surely it is more than that") has been subtly attentive all along to his lifelong indiscretions. "He is nothing if not youthful" is how she understates his libido at that moment of thoroughly unnecessary revelation for her – a moment so despicably callous and designed to annihilate her pride.
"I do not love her," says Dickens, in explaining his life with his wife. "She sees nothing, she understands nothing." While the movie indicates something else entirely.
But only indicates.
If ever there were a movie moment that needed to escape completely uninfected by British reserve, it was that one. And yet it doesn't – which, at the wrong time, seems to let Dickens off the hook with 21st century audiences.
And that fundamental evasiveness is true even of Jones as Nelly. She's lovely – an actress whose plump lips and sharp acute eyes seem in conflict with each other on her beautiful face. There's no stray glamour to that face, that's for sure. She looks like a woman who might well capture the attention of one of the great writers in world literature. She looks too quite a bit like surviving pictures of Nelly Ternan.
The trouble is that after giving us, courtesy of Fiennes' rich performance, a convincing historical Dickens, the rock star and tireless extroverted charmer, we never really know anything about Ternan other than her penchant for solitude and self-possession.
In the last third of the movie when their relationship is at its apex, you get almost no sense of it at all other than depression and foredoom. All is moroseness and tragedy.
Dickens jauntily referred to her in letters to a friend as "the patient," an ironic and affectionate drollery referring to the immediate aftermath of a railway accident that both had been in together.
No sense of that affectionate vitality and wit inhabits the final third of the film.
It's Dickens – and his struggles – that we see afresh in Fiennes' film.
At the end of the film, beautiful and wisely appreciative Nelly Ternan is still invisible.
3 stars
Starring: Ralph Fiennes, Kristin Scott-Thomas, Felicity Jones, Tom Hollander
Director: Ralph Fiennes
Running time: 111 minutes
Rating: R for sex.
The Lowdown: Charles Dickens' end-of-life 13-year affair with a young actress and his efforts to fend off all-out Victorian scandal.
email: firstname.lastname@example.com


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Scotty McCreery Leans on God to Get Him Through the Day
Scotty McCreery shoulders a lot of responsibility for a 20-year-old. After winning Season 10 of 'American Idol,' he's gone from a small town Southern boy to country music superstar with over 1.6 million albums sold. His secret to staying sane? Leaning on God to get him through the day.


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CAMP BUEHRING, Kuwait — The USO and the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, hosted Kuwait's only Valentine's Day Chocolate Run 5k on Feb. 15.
The event took runners across Camp Buehring, where participants from the Fort Carson, Colo.-based brigade, along with the 42nd Combat Aviation Brigade, New York National Guard and the 4th Battalion, 227th Aviation Regiment, 1st Air Cavalry Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division, chased Oompa Loompas for golden tickets.
The race rewarded them with sweets and calls to their sweethearts as they crossed the finish line at the Oasis MWR stage.
"We wanted to recreate Willie Wonka and The Chocolate Factory," said Tiffany Banks, the USO director on Camp Buehring.
"So we have Willie Wonka who starts the race, and Oompa Loompas along the route who are going to pop up out of nowhere for the runners to catch," Banks said.
"Oompa Loompas have golden tickets and will try to pass the golden ticket to the top 10 runners. Those runners will then compete for an awesome prize."
And nowhere else in Kuwait could you find a golden ticket.
"We only do it out here," said Bruce Burda, USO Regional vice president for Southwest Asia. "The soldiers are most isolated in this region, so Camp Buehring is the only place that we are putting the race on in conjunction with the same 5k run back in United States."
The race connected deployed soldiers to their families all around the world. Family members submitted video shoutouts and photos of their deployed soldiers, which the USO projected onto the Oasis MWR stage as runners crossed the finish line.
The first 500 runners received Chocolate Run T-shirts while every participant was rewarded with fountains of chocolate fondue, candy, shortcakes, cookies, hot chocolate and cheesecake.
Burda hoped the chocolate run provided an opportunity for soldiers to take a break from the working day grind and reconnect, if just for a day, with their valentines.
"The USO loves to support the troops with these kind of events; it is a lot of fun for us and we enjoy all the participations and hope we brightened the day a bit for people missing their loved one back home," Burda said.


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Type of Document Dissertation Author Bryant, Cynthia Downing Author's Email Address firstname.lastname@example.com URN etd-08272004-080427 Title Storytelling from the Margins: The Healing Narratives of J. California Cooper Degree Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) Department English Advisory Committee
Advisor Name Title John W. Lowe Committee Chair JoAnn Marx Committee Member John R. May Committee Member Nghana Lewis Committee Member Mary J. Brody Dean's Representative Keywords
- african american intimacy
- african american mothers
- african american fathers
- passing
Date of Defense 2004-08-03 Availability unrestricted AbstractThis study examines the therapeutic qualities of selected short stories and novels by contemporary African American woman writer, J. California Cooper. Specifically, I examine the manner in which Cooper's texts can be appreciated as "healing narratives." Healing narratives, as defined in this study, are those texts in which the author consciously creates fictitious representations of reality, while employing the concept of hope as a central and guiding factor. Those aspects of the narrative that have the ability to heal or "lay hands on" a reader vary because the effectiveness of the story depends upon how well the reader can identify with the protagonist's journey toward self-actualization. In addition to illuminating the therapeutic aspects of Cooper's fiction, I also examine her use of black oral performance and storytelling. Files
Filename Size Approximate Download Time (Hours:Minutes:Seconds)
28.8 Modem 56K Modem ISDN (64 Kb) ISDN (128 Kb) Higher-speed Access Bryant_dis.pdf 521.36 Kb 00:02:24 00:01:14 00:01:05 00:00:32 00:00:02
If you have questions or technical problems, please Contact LSU-ETD Support.


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How awesome it is?
Easily to style, change fonts, colors, sizes in few clicks. Non experienced users will find Myway very easy to customize. Myway is the place to stay when you want it your way. Move sections up and down, arrange elements by your needs and change layout. We have included responsive video embeds and used just Google fonts, you can change to any other in a minute. We also have working contact form.
Web FitYour is a very user friendly product especially designed for customers who like to purchase products online. All you need is a Webcam for this application. FitYour is very useful for all the E-Commerce websites. It becomes easy for the customers to virtually have a look of the attire they wish to purchase. They can even click the picture and can share it through Facebook, Twitter, etc.View project
Retail FitYour is especially designed to save customers time from the long queue outside the Trial room. They can try maximum product of their choice in less time. It requires a Kinect camera, which reads the human gesture and the customer can try their favourite attire without entering the trial room.View project
Mobile FitYour is especially designed for products like – wrist watch, jewellery and cosmetic. With the help of Mobile based FitYour customer can try these accessories and see how it looks on them. Customer will have to download an app called "FitYour" from their App Store.View project
Alternative Works Version
For Demo and further queries ::
AdStuck Consulting pvt. ltd. Email: [email protected] +91-120-4224256, 9654677057


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New Zealand: Books and Maps
A trip to New Zealand involves so much planning and choices that chances are you'll need to buy a book and/or map to aid in your trip planning and navigation throughout the country.
Below are books and maps that we've used. Story Nature Press has also published a book on the topic of New Zealand Waterfalls. We've also included other books in the literature that may help you find what you need. The list is by no means complete, but hopefully it is enough to get you going on your quest to inform yourself on your travels.
Have A Great Story Or Comment You'd Like To Share?
Here's your chance to share them (as well as post a picture)!


text: By Jason DearenSAN FRANCISCO -- Homeowners on the hunt for sparkling solar panels are lured by ads filled with images of pristine landscapes and bright sunshine, and words about the technology's benefits for the environment and the wallet. What customers may not know is that there's a dirtier side. While solar is a far less polluting energy source than coal or natural gas, many panel makers are nevertheless grappling with a hazardous waste problem. Fueled partly by billions in government incentives, the industry is creating millions of solar panels each year and, in the process, millions of pounds of polluted sludge and contaminated water. To dispose of the material, the companies must transport it by truck or rail far from their own plants to waste facilities hundreds and, in some cases, thousands of miles away. The fossil fuels used to transport that waste, experts say, is not typically considered in calculating solar's carbon footprint, giving scientists and consumers who use the measurement to gauge a product's impact on global warming the impression that solar is cleaner than it is. After installing a solar panel, "it would take one to three months of generating electricity to pay off the energy invested in driving those hazardous waste emissions out of state," said Dustin Mulvaney, a San Jose State University environmental studies professor who conducts carbon footprint analyses of solar, biofuel and natural gas production. The waste from manufacturing has raised concerns within the industry, which fears that the problem, if left unchecked, could undermine solar's green image at a time when companies are facing stiff competition from each other and from low-cost panel manufacturers from China and elsewhere. "We want to take the lessons learned from electronics and semiconductor industries (about pollution) and get ahead of some of these problems," said John Smirnow, vice president for trade and competitiveness at the nearly 500-member Solar Energy Industries Association.


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What Your Picture Hanging Service Includes
Whether you want just a single painting or you want to cover the entire wall with a personalised photo grid, the London picture hangers will make sure it is all levelled and easy to perceive by visitors. Count on us for the installation of:
- small, medium, and large pictures;
- wall canvases;
- whiteboards and noticeboards;
- photographs and prints;
- maps and posters.
We're also specialised in TV mounting and mirror fitting, so if there's anything you want to have put up on your wall, rest assured we can help out.
Choose Our Picture Hanging Service because
- It saves you time – with our flexible booking schedule, you don't have to make time for us! We'll come to your address whenever you need us.
- It's budget-friendly – the service is charged by the hour so you stay in control of your spending.
- It comes with a guarantee – if there's something not up to your standard, the team of professional picture hangers will do it again until you think it's right!
- It is professionally carried out by smartly uniformed experienced handymen whom you'll know by their ID cards and polite attitude.
- It can be performed no matter where you are within the M25 zone.


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Madrid, ES
My name is Ignacio Blasco, from Spain. I studied Technical Architecture and I am Master in Interior Design by the Polytechnic University of Madrid and Master in Advanced 3D Infographics for Architecture. I have very good skills in modeling, texturing lighting and postproduction with numerous 3D software such as 3D Studio Max with VRAY 2.0, Mudbox, ZBRUSH, Combustion, NUKE, Premiere or Photoshop. Apart from that, I have background in Stereoscopic renders and images (S3D) and videos.
Right now I am finishing my Master studies in Interior Design and I am really willing to open my career internationally.
I already have work experience in construction (as project manager) and interior design for almost 4 years, in my country, Spain, and abroad, like India.
24 Studio, CG Artist
3D Computer Graphics still image and video rendering for Architecture.
Baltyc Obras y Servicios, S.L., Project Manager
Project Manager in construction of luxury villas in Palma de Mallorca, Balearic Islands (Spain).
Interior Design in punctual projects.
Dragados S.A., Production Manager
Production Manager and Assistant of Project Manager in construction of a 4 subfloors public parking.
Dragados S.A., Internship in Technical Office in Hospital construction
Assist and help in office and worksites for the technical develpment of the Hospital worksite.
Vicente Ferrer Foundation (NGO), Technical Assistant in Construction Department
Volunteer work for 2 months assisting and helping in worksites for the technical develpment of the works of the NGO.
Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, Masters, Master in Interior Design and Architecture.
CICE New Technologies School, Masters, Master in Advanced Architectural 3D Graphic Rendering
University of Balearic Islands, BArch, Technical Architecture


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When the girls walk into the bar, hints of their alter-egos slip out subtly. ¶ A green feather boa peeks out of a purse. White elbow-length gloves are balled up on the table. Red lipstick pops against pale skin. ¶ Then the pants come off, and the ruffled underpants and fishnets come on. ¶ "It's all about the butt," said Sheila Vallecillo, 38, of Seffner, giving hers a practice waggle.
She leaves her day job as a logistics analyst at the door. Wearing a red corset, she becomes "Rosie Wilder," a burlesque dancer who portrays the all-American girl.
In the year since this amateur dance troupe formed, eight women have embraced burlesque — a satirical, theatrical performance — as a form of female empowerment and a source of confidence.
Kat Skratch Burlesque will hold its first show Saturday night at Whiskey Dicks bar in Riverview. The debut will be a test run for a bigger spring show next year.
Unafraid to show their bodies, the women bring sexy back without being all about sex and stripping.
"Sex is a fraction of what burlesque is," said group founder Sara Covelli, 31, of Riverview. "It's an empowering thing for a woman. She's doing it because she wants to."
Burlesque mixes aspects of cabaret, circus and comedy to create a humorous strip-teasing dance. Unlike what happens in nude bars, the dancers said, the end result of burlesque isn't nudity, but a performance.
The women, who were first friends through a Brandon-area social club, each embody a different character with a playful stage name. Like Covelli's "Lady Luna Love," a seductress; Vallecillo's "Rosie Wilder," a patriot; and Plant City mom Theresa Rodriguez's "Lotta Sparxxx," a hothead.
"I took feminism back," said Rodriguez, 24, who used to hate her postpregnancy shape. "I learned to respect my body. You feel free."
Corsets, thigh-highs and tulle skirts don't hide jiggly bits, tummies or cellulite. There are skinny dancers and there are full-figured forms, but the few men watching at a recent rehearsal at Whiskey Dicks never looked away.
As each woman gets on stage, she shakes her hips and shimmies her shoulders. Feathers and beads fall to the ground. Gloves, stockings and tops follow.
It may be scandalous, Rodriguez said, but it's not shameful. Her mother, two younger sisters, fiance and boss will all watch her fiery dance on Saturday. She would even let her 3-year-old daughter do burlesque when she grows up.
"I don't think I'd mind; I'd be right there in the front row," Rodriguez said.
Like Rodriguez, the other women have made peace with body-image worries and don't seem nervous about showing skin. Vallecillo, the woman who plays Rosie Wilder, no longer sees size restrictions on sexy.
"My whole life I was the fat, funny one in the corner watching all my friends be beautiful," Vallecillo said. "Here, I'm not the plus-sized girl. I'm one of the girls."
She climbs up on the bar, pulls beads out of her cleavage, takes her top off.
And when the show is over, she'll pack Rosie Wilder away in her bag until the next dance. Put away the pasties, put away the costumes.
But a little bit of Rosie's boldness stays with her all the time.
Stephanie Wang can be reached at firstname.lastname@example.com or (813) 661-2443.


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About Monogram Maternity at St. Vincent Carmel Hospital
Monogram Maternity means special touches: a birthday party to celebrate your baby's arrival and fresh-baked cookies for the family. Our setting at St. Vincent Carmel Hospital is small and intimate, so delivering your baby here has a family feel. Our brand-new maternity suites are spacious, bright, and comfortable, with luxury linens, contemporary furnishings (including plenty of room for your partner to stretch out), and private baths with rain showers. Should extra care ever become necessary, an obstetrician/gynecologist, anesthesiologist, and neonatologist is available around the clock, everyday.
The Monogram Maternity program includes:
- Beautiful Beginnings – Enjoy mock-tails, appetizers and information at our fun monthly event
- Meeting with your Nurse Navigator – to help plan your pregnancy and birth
- A weekly Monogram Maternity e-newsletter
- Education programming and classes that include:
- Breastfeeding Basics
- Childbirth Preparation (including online programming)
- Labor Support (offered in an actual Labor Room)
- Newborn Care
- Family support: Sibling, GRANDparenting and CPR classes, as well as a Boot Camp for New Dads class
- Breast pump rental
- Ongoing Breastfeeding support
- St. Vincent Breastfeeding Support Group: Please call the St. Vincent Carmel Hospital lactation office at 317-582-7461 for details..
- 24/7 Free Nurse Advice line from Peyton Manning Children's Hospital at St. Vincent at 317-338-KIDS
Your big day and beyond
When your baby is ready to enter the world, Monogram Maternity will be ready for you. You and your physician will have discussed which form of birth is right for you, and you'll have a full choice of pain management options. At Monogram Maternity, we think of everything, so you can focus on the most important thing — your new baby.
For more information please email firstname.lastname@example.com or call (317) 338-2229.


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Not Only Am I Perfect, I Am Swiss Sweatshirt
Product Color:
Product information
Sweatshirt Not Only Am I Perfect, I Am Swiss is the all-time ultimate in comfort with its classic, relaxed fit. On the surface rich cotton with Not Only Am I Perfect, I Am Swiss, inside flannel for the softest sensation. Medium to heavy weight ensuring warmth and makes it great, weather as a throw-over in rainy and windy weather or to protect against the snow and ice in the winter.
Crew-neck for those that don't like the common hood. Stretched cuffs and hem assure a lasting shape. Switzerland Sweatshirt comes in 12 basic colors. Heather Grey: 80% Cotton/20% Polyester. Remaining Colors: 100% Cotton.
Sku: SR1BR0000022980101010156YG0000000


text: Slipping into this glorious black cabaret eyelash lace and blush ivory silk piece is the absolute quickest way to get ready for your closeup. The palate is totally old Hollywood glamour, retro fabulous, while the silhouette- a classic thong shape with a luscious-wide silk bow tie is what we like to call modern pin-up. Lights, Camera, Action.


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California workers' comp pays big to pro athletes, most who played for out-of-state teams
SACRAMENTO — In his seven-year career with the Denver Broncos, running back Terrell Davis, a former Super Bowl Most Valuable Player, dazzled fans with his speed and elusiveness.
At the end of his rookie year in 1995, he signed a $6.8 million, five-year contract. Off the field he endorsed Campbell's soup. And when he hung up his cleats, he reported for the National Football League Network and appeared in movies and TV shows.
So it may surprise fans to find out that in 2011, Davis got a $199,000 injury settlement from a California workers' compensation court for injuries related to football — despite the fact Davis was employed by a Colorado team and played just nine times in California during an 88-game career, according to the NFL.
Davis was compensated for the lifelong effects of multiple injuries to the head, arms, trunk, legs and general body, according to California workers' compensation records.
He is not alone.
Over the last three decades, California's workers' compensation system has awarded millions of dollars in benefits for job-related injuries to thousands of professional athletes. The vast majority worked for out-of-state teams; some played as little as one game in the Golden State.
All states allow professional athletes to claim workers' compensation payments for specific job-related injuries — such as a busted knee, torn tendon or ruptured spinal disc — that happened within their borders. But California is one of the few that provides additional payments for the cumulative effect of injuries that occur over years of playing.
A growing roster of athletes are using this provision in California law to claim benefits. Since the early 1980s, an estimated $747 million has been paid out to about 4,500 players, according to an August study commissioned by major professional sports leagues. California taxpayers are not on the hook for these payments. Workers' compensation is an employer-funded program.
A major battle is brewing in Sacramento to make out-of-state players ineligible for these benefits, which are paid by the leagues and their insurers. They have hired consultants and lobbyists and expect to introduce legislation next week that would halt the practice.
"The system is completely out of whack right now," said Jeff Gewirtz, vice president of the Brooklyn Nets — formerly the New Jersey Nets — of the National Basketball Association.
Major retired stars who scored six-figure California workers' compensation benefits include Moses Malone, a three-time NBA most valuable player with the Houston Rockets, Philadelphia 76ers and other teams. He was awarded $155,000. Pro Football Hall of Fame wide receiver Michael Irvin, formerly with the Dallas Cowboys, received $249,000.


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If Oracle's acquisition of Sun Microsystems goes as planned, Sun CEO Jonathan Schwartz will receive a severance package of about $12 million, and co-founder and chairman Scott McNealy will get around $9.5 million, according to a proxy statement filed last week.
The severance packages are large, though not on the scale of the $21 million-plus paid to former Hewlett-Packard CEO Carly Fiorina, or the whopping $210 million severance paid to former Home Depot CEO Robert Nardelli.
[ For full coverage of the Oracle-Sun deal, see InfoWorld's special report. | Keep up on the day's tech news headlines with InfoWorld's Today's Headlines: First Look newsletter and InfoWorld Daily podcast. ]
The agreements don't necessarily mean that the Sun executives will leave the combined firm once the deal is done. Indeed, the proxy statement noted that Oracle CEO Larry Ellison "spoke generally" to McNealy "about a role" in the combined company but added that no agreement had yet been reached.
Independent analyst Rob Enderle said that at first glance, the severance packages for the Sun executives don't appear to be excessive.
"Schwartz's severance package appears to be in line with his salary and within range of other packages in [Silicon] Valley, so I think it will be hard to sustain an argument that it is uniquely excessive," Enderle said.
Sun shareholders are scheduled to vote July 16 on whether to accept Oracle's $7.4 billion bid for the company.
This version of the story originally appeared in Computerworld's print edition.
This story, "Golden parachutes for top Sun execs revealed" was originally published by Computerworld.


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Developing-intimacy is my second book for survivors of sexual abuse and their partners to learn how to build intimacy in their relationships.
Archive for the 'Abuse' Category
March 2nd, 2012 Yousri Rifai
Accept Help And Become Sexually Healthy Again
March 2nd, 2012 Yousri Rifai
Accepting help is the first step in overcoming your sexual addictions. Start your new life today.
Drop The Addiction – Substance Abuse
March 2nd, 2012 Yousri Rifai
Find Out More"Celebrity Hypnotist Shocks The World Yet Again With The Long Awaited Release Of A Life Changing Resource That Is Being Coined The Substance Shattering Secret! "Join The Numbers Of Others Who Once Lived Their Lives Enslaved By The Spell Of Substance Abuse Who Now Enjoy Life Clean, Sober, Focused, Energized And Victorious Rather […]
Healing The Critical Parent
March 1st, 2012 Yousri Rifai
Improve your life with these many resources.
Working With Your Inner Child
March 1st, 2012 Yousri Rifai
Improve your life with these many resources.


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Competed in all 14 games for the Lions... highlight game for Hutchinson against was Pfeiffer (3/10/12) - scored one goal and one assist with three ground balls... totaled four goals and added five assists for nine points on the season... added 18 ground balls and caused one turnover... earned a career high three ground balls twice.
Four year varsity member of the East Islip Redmen...Earned All-Division honors as a sophomore, and named All-County junior and senior year...Tallied a career total of 151 points, including 47 points his senior campaign...Led the team in ground balls his senior season, and earned team MVP for his efforts...Also a three year letterwinner on the footballl team where he was named All-Long Island in 2010, and Division 2 MVP.
Born September 15...Sport Business major...Hobbies include hanging out with friends and playing sports...His career goal is to become a coach and athletic director...Believes his ground ball skills, hard work ethic, and ability to break down the defense are some of his best assets to the team...Names Drew Brees, Wayne Gretzky, and Barry Sanders as his favorite athletes...Names the New York Rangers, the New Orleans Saints, and the New York Knicks as his favorite teams...Chose Saint Leo because of the coaching staff, lacrosse program, and academics...Son of Bob and Ginger Hutchinson...Has two brothers, Robert and Dylan...Has one sister, Shauna...Father, Bob, played lacrosse for Siena College...Sister, Shauna, currently plays lacrosse for SUNY Cortland...Brother, Robert, currently plays lacrosse at Saint Leo.


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Discovering and monitoring wildlife in your backyard
- Fri, 04/01/2011 - 11:14am
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Have you ever wondered what animals are visiting your yard or property? Unbeknownst to many, there are a variety of creatures that visit and even live on your property that you may never see. Mike Rentz of the Society for Conservation Biology will be giving a presentation on "Discovering and Monitoring Wildlife on your North Shore Property" at Sugarloaf Cove on Saturday, April 9 starting at 10 AM. He spoke with WTIP's Cathy Quinn on Friday's AM Community Calendar about tracking and finding wildlife in our backyards.
For more information on the presentation or to register, contact Sugarloaf Cove at 218-525-0001.
Photo courtesy of SystemF92 via Flickr.
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Motorola DROID, HTC Imagio and DROID ERIS: side by side
HTC Imagio and DROID ERIS come with a 528MHz processor and with 512MB ROM / 288MB RAM, while the Motorola DROID is equipped with a slightly beefier 550MHz processor, though the RAM is less at 256MB. Despite these differences, the Motorola DROID not only has the fastest boot time, but is also the quickest when opening programs, switching between them, and performing different tasks.
Call quality is about equal on all three smartphones, though voices did sound somewhat better on our end with the Motorola DROID, as it lacks the distinct background "hissss" that could be heard through the earpiece speaker on the HTC Imagio and DROID ERIS. Also, people that we called, who were using a landline, said our voice was clearer and less "hollow sounding" when we were talking to them using the Motorola DROID. The signal reception was the same across the board, with 3-4 bars of 3G EVDO and 2-3 bars of 1x showing in high-coverage areas, and no dropped calls while in use in south Florida. The Imagio stands along as the only one to support GSM Roaming while in other countries and has a preinstalled SIM card.
The HTC Imagio comes with the largest battery of the bunch, rated at 1500mAh, which was able to provide us up to 5.5 hours of continuous talk time on a full charge. The Motorola DROID comes with a slightly smaller 1400mAh battery, but we were able to get almost 7 hours of talk time on it, though the 1300mAh battery on the HTC DROID ERIS got a measly 3.5 hours of talk time. Regardless of the device, while it is operating with mixed usage (talk, web, email, programs); you will only get about a full day before needing to recharge it.
All three smartphones are the newest for Verizon and have a wide variety of features, such as large touchscreens, updated user interfaces, connectivity, and multimedia capabilities. Because of this, there is no true winner here, as different types of consumers will gravitate to the device that closely matches their needs. The HTC Imagio is geared more to the business professional that is familiar with the Windows Mobile environment and needs a powerful smartphone for use with their job. The Motorola DROID is for the more advanced consumer, who has used smartphones before, but wants a device for more personal use. Finally, the HTC DROID ERIS is closely matched for the novice smartphone user, or someone who wants ease-of-use and extra customization.
Currently, Verizon has the HTC Imagio and Motorola DROID priced equally at $199.99 after a $100 rebate with a 2-year contract, while the HTC DROID ERIS comes in at $99.99.
Motorola DROID, HTC Imagio and DROID ERIS: side by side video comparison
16 Comments
1. vzwman (Posts: 385; Member since: 26 Oct 2009)
im glad to have a droid
15. swm4motoQ (unregistered)
im glad you're glad to have the droid... having a moto droid is not a right, its a priviledge. it is not something to be taken lightly. I remember when I first held ... nevermind this thread is too old. gomoto
2. InstinctDemon (Posts: 74; Member since: 09 Nov 2009)
Impressive! Personally I would go with the Imagio, only because of the Windows Mobile, I can open and edit in Word and Excel. :)
3. Fan_of_Fanboys (Posts: 101; Member since: 13 Nov 2008)
Documents to Go. Not quite as smooth but more than adequate. I use it on Word docs a lot.
4. LBCbbmobile (Posts: 1; Member since: 24 Nov 2009)
well i actually have the Imagio. Its a nice phone but kinda slow. The placement of the arrow keys when text messaging in portrait or landscape mode is horrible. For example when im typing and i try to hit the space button i accidentally hit the left arrow button (which is rite underneath the spacebar) and then all of the sudden im typing in the middile of a word. Also the butttons on the keyboard in landscape mode are very small and hard to type on, pretty much useless. i enjoy the phone but im pretty sure im gonna switch to the droid. but the screen on the imagio is amazing when watching videos even from youtube. Probably the best ive ever seen. And the camera is amazing, especially when you can take panoramic shots. very cool feature. hope that helped anyone out.
5. bagsofcole (Posts: 30; Member since: 19 May 2009)
I've had my droyd for about a week and it has reallygrown on me. I was sure I was going to trade it in for the passion/dragon, but I'm begining to see the advantages of a real keyboard(nesoid) even though its not the best designed keyboard out there. Android has so much out there to customize the phone and waste time with silly games. Sure the market isn't as vast as the app store, but with time it'll get there. What I need to know is how do iget the flippy-clock-weather widget that is on the droid in this coparo? Thanks...®y
6. PhoneArena Team (Posts: 258; Member since: 27 Jun 2006)
There is an app in the Android Market called BeautifulWidgets, but it cost about $1.50 to purchase. It has the Widget with the clock/date/weather.
9. vzwman (Posts: 385; Member since: 26 Oct 2009)
also try out before you buy the following are free---- Weather Widget / Retro Clock / Retro Date
7. MarcMaiden (Posts: 25; Member since: 24 Nov 2009)
I think the 3 phones are cool for their own reasons...which is good. I like it when you have options! seems like the Doid is the power house of the bunch, but hopefully, there will be an APP or update that allows droid users to have 7 home screen pages like the HTC Eris. That is the only thing that the Eris has that the Droid doesnt.
8. bagsofcole (Posts: 30; Member since: 19 May 2009)
There is an app for that. Its about 90% stable but its so customizable it's worth it for now. It is gde home and its
10. bagsofcole (Posts: 30; Member since: 19 May 2009)
OK, i couldnt take it any more, had to shut off gde, kept force closing itself...
11. Kiltlifter (Posts: 742; Member since: 11 Dec 2008)
IMAGIO/WINDOWS PHONES For easy use, and if you don't have an EAS (exchange active sync) service. You can use the free google exchange to do contacts and calendar wirelessly. You can also use microsoft MyPhone to edit your contacts and calendar online from myphone.microsoft.com so I think it is unfair to say that the Imagio lacks syncing capabilities. You can never have too much back-up. I use cable syncing with outlook, myphone back-up, and google EAS and they are all free (well if you already have outlook).
12. JDubbs115 (Posts: 1; Member since: 02 Dec 2009)
Those are good points they forgot to mention. Adding on to that, the Imagio (and all Windows Phones for that matter) support contact syncing with Windows Live, so if you already have a Live/Hotmail account, all your contacts can be synced there. And the Imagio also supports facebook contact syncing as well, though I think it's just for caller ID pictures and status updates. Besides that minor omission, it think it's cool that Verizon can finally shed its reputation of not having any cool smartphones. And now the variety increases by 1, since the Omnia II came out today.
13. briankeith513 (Posts: 8; Member since: 12 Apr 2009)
Just wanted to mention, the guy who was talking in the video said that the Motorola Droid uses Moto Blur. This is false, and I'm surprised at this false info, given all of the web attention and advertisement of the Motorola Droid.
14. drdave25 (Posts: 1; Member since: 10 Jun 2007)
The Android and Eris are very sleek (albeit with modest learning curves, not as friendly as the iPhone) - but they won't sync with MAC computers either. Verizon is still the network to have. If I could sync contacts, calendars, photos (and iTunes) with our MACs I would definitely try the Eris or the Android.


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Attendees indulge in some divine wine
April 18, 2012
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The fifth annual Bakersfield College Red and White Wine and Food Festival was another great success despite the weather and changes in location. The event took place on April 12-13.
This year's festival brought new changes for those who were interested. Instead of one night of wine tasting, the event was spread out over two days, featuring three events.
The events included Wine for the Body, Wine for the Mind, and Wine for the Soul.
Mike Stepanovich, executive director of the BC Foundation, talked about what the event means to the foundation.
"It serves two purposes," he said. "It's first of all a fundraiser, but it is also a friend raiser, because you can't raise funds without raising friends."
He said the money raised goes to the foundation, the Culinary Arts scholarship fund and the Renegade fund. The Renegade fund is in place to provide support where it is most needed on campus.
The Wine for the Body event took place on the evening of April 12 and was a sold-out event, hosting 76 people.
It was made possible with the help of chefs Patrick Coyle and Suzanne Davis of the BC Culinary Arts Department, along with Andy Amador from MadoroM Vineyards from Napa Valley.
Food was prepared by the Culinary Arts students and paired with wine from MadoroM Vineyards. There were several courses to the dinner along with several types of wine served.
When it came down to who to choose for the dinner, the choice was clear, according to Stepanovich. He said that Amador is generous, and has a great love for Bakersfield, so the choice was easy.
Amador had a very simple philosophy on wine.
"If you like it, drink it," he said.
MadoroM Vineyards has three vineyards all in the Napa Valley. They have their MadoroM label along with their Camouflage label. Both labels are available in restaurants throughout town and in retail stores.
Amador surprised the foundation with two live auction items, one being a magnum of MadoroM paired with a dinner for eight at the vineyard along with unlimited wine flowing at the dinner. It immediately sold for $5,000. The second item was four seats to Amador's pre-release party that sold for $2,200.
The $7,200 that was raised was used to start the scholarship endowment in Andy and Marissa Amador's name.
The second day of the festival kicked off with another new event, Wine for the Mind, on the morning of April 13.
This event was a panel discussion with California winemakers on "The Evolution of Pinot Noir on California's Central Coast."
There were three winemakers present: Chuck Ortman, Eric Johnson, and Kathy Joseph. The panel moderator was Stepanovich.
On the evening of April 13 was the original event, Wine for the Soul. It featured over 50 wineries from all over California and several international wineries, the culinary creations of BC Culinary Arts program, and The Bakersfield College Jazz Combo.


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March 15, 2012
Prizes to be won with Momenta & Purple Cows
7 comments:
Gorgeous. Love the dimension/depth on this one and of course who can go wrong with purple.ReplyDelete
Is this why we have a purple card?!?!?! Purple cows lolReplyDelete
love the colours love the card.
the card you make are just breathtaking. I have written many times to the company trying to find out what the die is that you used in the winter catalog for just rite page 12 where it is stamped happy birthday. i love that die and world love to own one.I have been very sick now for over a year and card making and designing helps relax me it is a very expensive hobby on a tight fixed income. but i buy what I can when I can I just entered the challenge JustRite Friday Challenge is...#068 Color! am hoping to win I put my heart into this one.if you can please help me I would so appreciate it.I love the dies and the clings that go with them I have a couple of set but like I said they are expensive and I must be careful. thank you for all of your help.ReplyDelete
God Bless
Dottie Seubert
Kazan, absolutely love your cards! From a beautiful day in Cape Town!ReplyDelete
Kazan, I first saw this I said to myself HOKEY DOODLE! Seriously intricate and delicate and fabulous. I enjoy your blog immensely. Thanks so much.ReplyDeleteReplies
Thanks Christa :) actually the layers are a little deceiving *lol*. The die template cut from foil, coupled with the pretty Momenta paper makes it look a lot more detailed. I will take Hokey Doodle any day though!!! Love it :)Delete
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Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Mathematics are the focus of the second annual Woodburn STEAM Festival, to be held on March 14 at Lincoln Elementary School starting at 5 p.m.
Similar to a hands-on science fair and talent show, the STEAM festival offers students the opportunity to learn about these important educational concepts in interactive and engaging ways.
Woodburn School District is partnering with Pacific University, Woodburn Together and the Woodburn After-school Club to present the STEAM Festival, which will feature live student presentations, interactive displays and activities, connections to real-world occupations, fun snacks, a 30-foot egg drop contest and a STEAM Showcase. The showcase, like a talent show, will allow students to demonstrate what theyve learned about STEAM with guests.
Students are asked to register to present a display, presentation or to participate in the showcase, and teachers are encouraged to promote STEAM in their classrooms. Community presenters are also invited to register to provide an interactive activity for families Volunteers are also needed.
For registration forms or more information, visit http://woodburnstemfestival.weebly.com.


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We carry a selection of plain steel butt hinges with a pin spun on one end for easy removal. These butt hinges are supplied from stock without holes for welding and can also be supplied with a hole pattern of your choice as a custom run.
For our selection of other plain steel butt hinge sizes with a non-removable pin spun on both ends, see square versions, rectangular versions, and also see our selection of light duty hinges with staked pins here.
Other custom operations such as countersunk holes, cut outs, PEMs, slots, bends, offsets and many other special features can also be supplied. Please see the Guden Custom Hinge site for assistance and guidance in getting the custom hinge that's a perfect fit for your requirements. Easily choose your options, build your custom hinge and submit the information to us for a quick quotation.
Our Guden customer service team is also available for assistance and can help you choose the most cost effective solution for your requirements, or see Choosing a Butt Hinge.


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Interview With Christiane Amanpour on CNNI's Amanpour
Interview With Christiane Amanpour on CNNI's Amanpour
Victoria Nuland
Assistant Secretary, Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs
Via Satellite
Washington, DC
April 21, 2014
QUESTION: Secretary Nuland, welcome to the program.
ASSISTANT SECRETARY NULAND: Thank you, Christiane, it's terrific to be here with you today.
QUESTION: Let me first ask you about the importance of the evidence that Ukraine says, and has shown CNN, that Russia is fully and directly involved on the ground with special forces in eastern Ukraine.
ASSISTANT SECRETARY NULAND: Well, I think we've made absolutely clear that we are very concerned about the Russian hand behind the destabilizing things that we're seeing in eastern Ukraine. The President's made that clear, as has Secretary Kerry, and you've shown some of the photographic evidence, including the bearded man, who was clearly a GRU agent in Georgia and who appears again in eastern Ukraine.
QUESTION: That's Russian special forces, we understand. Also intelligence operatives, we're told—
ASSISTANT SECRETARY NULAND: Correct.
QUESTION: —are active in eastern Ukraine. So tell me now, then, what is the status of this deal that was signed in Geneva on Thursday, and does not appear to be being implemented?
ASSISTANT SECRETARY NULAND: Well, as you know, Christiane, on Thursday, the foreign ministers of Ukraine, Russia, the United States, and the EU agreed that it was absolutely essential and urgent that these separatists who are occupying buildings and are setting up checkpoints need to stand down now, need to participate in negotiations, and that the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe would be assigned to work with the Ukrainians to try to negotiate them out of these buildings. So OSCE teams, very senior-level teams, have been in some of the hottest towns in Donetsk and in Slovyansk, trying to work on this kind of de-escalation. There have been a couple of small towns where buildings have been evacuated successfully by the Ukrainians in the last couple of days, but we have not seen the kind of major de-escalation that we're looking for, nor have we seen serious Russian efforts to help the OSCE, or to speak out against the separatists since Geneva.
QUESTION: So the Russian foreign minister, as you heard me say, blames the United States, saying that you have to control your clients, as they call it—the Kyiv government—and they're saying that there are buildings still occupied by forces in Kyiv as well. What can you tell me about that?
ASSISTANT SECRETARY NULAND: Well, first of all, since the Geneva agreement was inked on Thursday, the Ukrainian government has stepped out very smartly to try to implement the provisions that are within its power. For example, the agreement calls for amnesty to be granted to anyone who voluntarily left buildings or abandoned checkpoints. The Ukrainian government immediately—the next day—put into the parliament, a very, very broad amnesty bill that would meet that requirement. It has also sent senior-level representatives out to the east to work with the OSCE—something that the OSCE also wants Russia to do, which it has so far not agreed to do. And in Kyiv itself, some of the barricades around the Maidan have come down, but you can't compare the situation in Kyiv, where now everything that is still being held by protestors is being held with licenses and with the agreement of the government of Ukraine, with the agreement of the Rada, or with regular leases from the owners of the buildings. You can't compare that to what's happening in eastern Ukraine, where you have armed separatists wearing balaclavas, carrying very heavy munitions, holding government buildings, refusing to allow monitors in, refusing to allow journalists in—kidnapping journalists, in fact—I think you saw, Christiane, that there were four or five journalists kidnapped in Slovyansk, and one is still being held today—this is not a comparable situation.
QUESTION: If that's the case, then, give me an idea of who's actually calling the shots on the Russian side. Obviously President Putin is the president, but it was Sergey Lavrov, the foreign minister, who inked the deal, and at the same time, just about, you heard President Putin talking about "New Russia," alluding to an ancient and old word Novorossiya, claimed a lot of those eastern Ukrainian towns, talking about the authority to invade if he had to, and basically, as we've just seen, not implementing the provisions of the deal on the ground. Is there a gap between Sergey Lavrov and President Putin? Are you talking actually with the person who's calling the shots?
ASSISTANT SECRETARY NULAND: Well, as you know, Christiane, President Obama has spoken to President Putin a number of times over the last three weeks, on basically a weekly basis, to try to encourage de-escalation, to try to say to him that there is a better way, that Russia has a choice; but also to make clear that if it continues to destabilize Ukraine and deny Ukrainians the choice to make decisions about their own future, that there will be more costs for Russia: more isolation, and more sanctions. But more broadly, we continue to be concerned that you cannot dress yourself like a firefighter and behave like an arsonist.
QUESTION: So when you talk to Sergey Lavrov, do you think you're getting an agreement? This one was practically unraveled before it even was signed…?
ASSISTANT SECRETARY NULAND: Well, as the Secretary said to Foreign Minister Lavrov on the phone today, it is still within Russia's power to demonstrate that it meant what it said last Thursday. It can assign a senior Russian to go out with the OSCE teams, to make clear to the separatists that they do not have Moscow's support, to help negotiate them out of these buildings—and if Moscow will do that, then the Ukrainian side will be in a better position to meet its obligations under the agreement, which also include a broad national dialogue about constitutional reforms, other steps to address some of these grievances politically, rather than through arms. But we've yet to see Russia put that kind of commitment into stabilizing the east, and that's what we're looking for.
QUESTION: You know,
the Russians have blamed the United States fully, laying it
all at your door. And they particularly point to you, and
they recall when you were handing out food in the Maidan
when all of this started—when the unrest started, and the
protests started—and then, I spoke to a member of
parliament—also a member of President Putin's
party—and this is what he said about you and the United
[Video played]
QUESTION: So I don't know whether you heard that, Victoria, but Nikonov, the member of Parliament, saying that you had spoken for about five billion dollars for democracy, and they see that as a code word for "regime change."
ASSISTANT SECRETARY NULAND: I didn't hear Mister Nikonov speaking. The United States has invested some five billion dollars in Ukraine since 1991 when it became an independent state again after the collapse of the Soviet Union. And that money has been spent on supporting the aspirations of the Ukrainian people to have a strong, democratic government that represents their interests. But we certainly didn't spend any money supporting the Maidan; that was a spontaneous movement, which is a far cry from what we are concerned Russia is up to now in eastern Ukraine. And with regard to the day on the Maidan when I was present, that visit happened the night after the Ukrainian special forces under then-President Yanukovych moved against peaceful demonstrators, and began pushing and shoving them off the Maidan, and it was a very scary and dangerous night. They ultimately had to pull back when more peaceful protestors came and surrounded them, and the next day, when I went to visit Maidan, I didn't think I could go down empty-handed, given what everybody had been through. So as a sign, a gesture of peace, I brought sandwiches to both the Maidan protestors, and to the Berkut soldiers.
QUESTION: Let's get past the sandwiches, because I want to ask because you were also, famously, caught on tape basically berating the Europeans with some well-chosen words. Do you think there is a gap still between Europe and the United States, especially on efforts to deter President Putin. Where will sanctions go, and will they be targeted enough to make a difference?
ASSISTANT SECRETARY NULAND: Christiane, we have been working in lockstep with our European partners. We have now done two rounds of sanctions, they have now done two rounds of sanctions. The President had very good consultations when he was in Europe about three weeks ago with key leaders. He has been on the phone with key leaders in Europe on a weekly basis to ensure we're all seeing the situation the same way. And we are all committed to trying to de-escalate this diplomatically, that's why you saw EU High Representative Cathy Ashton there with us in Geneva trying to de-escalate the situation. But we are also together in having to impose costs on Russia if it doesn't participate in allowing Ukraine to move forward and make its own choices about its own future.
QUESTION: Vice President Joe Biden is there. Previously, the CIA Director, Brennan, was there. What is it that you can do to help the Kyiv government just survive? It has been widely-considered that in so-called anti-terrorist efforts, or its attempt to impose its authority in the east [inaudible], and everybody has said that if there was any major confrontation, the Ukrainians would not be able to hold their own militarily against Russia. What is it that the United States has to do, and can Kyiv—this interim government—survive until their election?
ASSISTANT SECRETARY NULAND: Christiane, this interim government was brought in to do two things, primarily, for the Ukrainian people. And on both fronts, they are doing very well. The first was to try to negotiate a deal with the IMF, where they would institute real reform and try to turn the page on the age of corruption that had been rampant in Ukraine. And they have now successfully inked a deal with the IMF, they've also passed a vast amount of reform legislation, including to tackle corruption. They were also brought in to take Ukraine to free and fair elections, and those elections—presidential elections—are scheduled for May 25. There are some 20 candidates registered in those elections, representing all parts of the spectrum. But now, obviously, with this destabilization in the east, they also have to ensure that the country is peaceful enough for those elections to go forward. And that is why we went to Geneva, and that is why we are pressing so hard on the Russians to help, and that is why we are encouraging the government in Kyiv. And they've done a good job with this as well—to reach out to the east, to make clear that grievances can be addressed politically, that the rights of ethnic Russians, Russian-speakers, will be protected, that the Kyiv government is ready to de-centralize far more power out to the east, allow them to budget on their own, allow them to elect their own leaders—so they are doing a good job. But there is a small group of separatists who are supported from the outside who are trying to steal the choice of the Ukrainian people about their own future, and that is what we are trying to help them prevent. And that's why Vice President Biden's trip is important, to give them the moral, political, the economic, the diplomatic support that they need.
QUESTION: And on that note, Victoria Nuland, Assistant Secretary of State, thank you very much for joining us.
ASSISTANT SECRETARY NULAND: Thank you, Christiane.


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Cookies Recipes and Ideas
Chocolate chip, snickerdoodle and peanut butter cookies, oh my! Whatever you fancy, we've got plenty of sweet cookie recipes for you to bake a batch of.
Basic butter cookies are a staple recipe for any hostess' arsenal. This favorite version... READ MORE
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