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The Federal Reserve Bank of New York today released the names of 32 more money market funds that have been approved to buy securities from the New York Fed, if and when the Federal Open Market Committee decides to start … Continue reading
From the editorTo understand the financial crisis of 2007-2008, and to prevent the next one, you must understand the repurchase market.
Consider ThisThe financial crisis was not caused by homeowners borrowing too much money. It was caused by giant financial institutions borrowing too much money, much of it from each other on the repurchase (repo) market. This matters, because we can't prevent the next crisis by fixing mortgages. We have to fix repos.
Quotes in the News
"Excessive use of repos can indeed weaken the financial system by facilitating the use of short-term funding and the build-up of leveraged positions backed by collateralized borrowing. It can also increase the interconnectedness within the financial system." -- The Bank of International Settlements, April 12, 2017.
"The U.S. repo market provides more than $3 trillion in funding every day to securities dealers and many others. But its vulnerability to runs and fire sales poses potential threats to financial stability." -- Richard Berner, director, Office of Financial Research, January 25, 2017.
"Today, it is not the heavily regulated traditional commercial banks that are the main source of concern. Rather, it is the lightly regulated nonbank financial institutions that are deeply reliant on uninsured short-term debt that pose significant risk." -- Paul Volcker and the Volcker Alliance, "Unfinished Business, Banking In The Shadows," December 5, 2016.
"At the heart of the crisis were contagion effects ... and the withdrawal of much of the short-term wholesale funding on which many large financial firms and the shadow banking system had come to rely. ... The period was defined by runs, not on bank deposits (at least not insured bank deposits), but on short-term wholesale funding ... investors refused to roll over existing repurchase agreements (or repos) and similar extensions of credit, much less to offer new lending." -- Federal Reserve Governor Daniel Tarullo, December 2, 2016.
"Securities lending was partly responsible for the collapse of the large insurance company AIG when the market seized in September 2008." -- Economists Stephen G. Cecchetti and Kermit L. Schoenholtz, November 7, 2016.
"Data describing bilateral repurchase agreements and securities lending were scant in the run up to the financial crisis, and they still are." -- Richard Berner, director, Office of Financial Research. October 27, 2016.
"The crisis brought to light unique risks from the excessive use of short-term wholesale funding and repo agreements in particular .... Looking back, it is easy to see how certain behaviours and market practices necessitated government intervention with wholesale funding and collateral management reforms becoming a cornerstone of global regulators' post-crisis efforts to reduce risk in the financial system." -- James Slater, global head of
securities finance at BNY Mellon Markets, Securities Lending Times. September 29, 2016.
"I continue to believe that the post-crisis work to create a solid regime to protect financial stability cannot be deemed complete without a well-considered approach to regulating runnable funding." -- Federal Reserve Governor Daniel Tarullo. July 12, 2016.
"After four years of efforts, regulators and the financial firms with the most at stake have failed to extinguish systemic risk in a crucial short-term lending market (the repurchase market} that greases the wheels of trading in U.S. Treasuries." -- Liz McCormick, Bloomberg. May 25, 2016.
"If a bank goes bankrupt, derivatives and repo counterparties can just demand their money back as though the Bankruptcy Code doesn't exist." -- Matt Levine, BloombergView. May 4, 2016.
"The Great Financial Crisis of 2007-2009 exposed the ineffectiveness of the relevant regulations in place at the time. Yet even now and despite the crisis, the rules remain inadequate and flawed." -- Anat R. Admati, professor Graduate School of Business, Stanford University, May 2016.
"Data gaps persist in securities financing transactions, including repo and securities lending. The markets for these critical short-term funding instruments remain vulnerable to runs and asset fire sales. Yet comprehensive data on so-called bilateral repo and securities lending transactions are scant." -- Richard Berner, Director, Office of Financial Research. April 12, 2016.
"As we look to the future of U.S. wholesale funding, we expect repo to serve as the circulatory system for broader financial markets who have become increasingly reliant on the smooth transfer of collateral." -- BNY Mellon and PwC Financial Services, "The Future of Wholesale Funding Markets," December 10, 2015.
"Market interest rates are effectively determined in the collateral market, such as the repo, or repurchase market, where banks and other financial institutions exchange collateral (such as US Treasuries, mortgage securities, corporate debt, equities) for money." --Manmohan Singh, Financial Times, November 23, 2015.
"In many ways, repos are the building blocks of financial markets. To mess with repo is to mess with the DNA of the markets." -- Andy Hill, International Capital Market Association. September 2015.
"The market for repurchase agreements is an elemental building block of modern financial markets. Whether used as a money market instrument, a source of funding, a means of mobilising collateral, or the transmission mechanism for monetary policy, it is difficult to think of any financial instrument or derivative that is not impacted in one way or another by repo rates." -- Andy Hill, International Capital Market Association. September 2015.
"Nearly half of the liabilities of broker-dealers consist of short-term wholesale funding (repo and securities lending), an amount that is nearly the same as it was during the crisis." -- Federal Reserve Governor Daniel Tarullo, Brookings Institution, November 17, 2015.
"I also believe that the greatest risks to financial stability are the funding runs and asset fire sales associated with reliance on short-term wholesale funding ... If there is one lesson to be drawn from the financial crisis, it is that the rapid withdrawal of funding by short-term credit providers can lead to systemic problems as consequential as those associated with classic runs on traditional banks." -- Federal Reserve Governor Daniel Tarullo, Brookings Institution, November 17, 2015.
"Given its vast scale and position at the center of the wholesale finance markets, repo is without doubt a critical activity. " -- Federal Reserve Governor Jerome Powell, Clearing House Annual Conference, November 17, 2015.
"For the most part, the main problems during that (financial) crisis didn't involve banks that offered both commercial and investment services. Instead, the problems were primarily at traditional investment banks. Had Glass-Steagall remained in place, the financial crisis would almost surely have happened anyway." -- Mark Thoma, MoneyWatch, November 16, 2015.
"Despite of its systemic importance, the repo market remains opaque to most market participants, including even the regulators. Because no official data on repos exists, questions as basic as the overall size of the market are difficult to answer." -- Grace Xing Hu, Jun Pan, Jiang Wang, Tri-Party Repo Pricing, August 2015.
Financial panics are increasing in frequency. While they used to be driven by depositors lining up to get their money, nowadays, "the problem is that institutional creditors do the same thing in the repo market." -- John Maxfield, The Motley Fool, March 19, 2015.
"The repo market, the largest short-term funding market ... still remains susceptible to asset fire sales and runs." -- Office of Financial Research, December 2014.
Repo "is the most important plumbing of the financial system. If the industry cannot come up with a solution, there is some implicit suggestion the Fed would have to step in in a more direct way." -- Darrell Duffie, professor of finance at Stanford University, October 9, 2014.
"Without repo, there is no leveraged positioning in financial markets; without leverage and the constant hypothecation there is nothing to maintain the stock market's exuberance." Repo markets provide "the glue that holds stock markets together." -- Tyler Durden, Zero Hedge, June 27, 2014.
"The Repo market includes both the banking system and the shadow banking system, all in one place. It's the overnight borrowing and lending market of the entire financial system." -- Scott E.D. Skyrm, May 21, 2014.
"The potential for repo markets to act as a channel for financial instability in the event of (or perception of) financial distress at a large dealer remains .." -- Standard and Poor's, May 13, 2014.
"Regulators and policymakers currently have no reliable, ongoing information on bilateral repo market activity." -- Financial Stability Oversight Council, May 7, 2014.
"These runs were the primary engine of a financial crisis from which the United States and the global economy have yet to fully recover." -- Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen, April 15, 2014.
"The banks remain dangerously interconnected and vulnerable to sudden runs because of their dependence on short-term, often overnight borrowing through the multitrillion-dollar repurchase agreement, or repo, market. -- Jennifer Taub, associate professor, Vermont Law School, April 4, 2014.
"The 2007–2008 financial crisis was driven more by disruptions in the Securities Financing Transactions markets than by disruptions in the over-the-counter derivative markets." -- Federal Reserve Governor Daniel K. Tarullo, November 22, 2013.
"The money market fund industry and the repo market is really the major fault line that goes right under Wall Street." -- Dennis Kelleher, CEO of Better Markets, Bankrate.com, July 24, 2013.
Repo: "The silently beating heart of the market." -- Treasury Borrowing Advisory Committee, July 2013.
Under Basel capital rules, "repos among financial institutions are treated as extremely low risk, even though excessive reliance on repo funding almost brought our system down. How dumb is that?" -- Sheila Bair, chair of the Systemic Risk Council and 2006-2011 Chair of the FDIC, June 9, 2013.
"The trigger for the acute phase of the financial crisis was the rapid unwinding of large amounts of short-term wholesale funding that had been made available to highly leveraged and/or maturity-transforming financial firms." --Janet Yellen, Vice Chair Federal Reserve, June 2, 2013.
"The repo market wasn't just a part of the meltdown. It was the meltdown." --David Weidner, Wall Street Journal, May 29, 2013.
"While regulated banks have faced far tighter oversight following the financial crisis, the shadow-banking market remains a source of potential instability. It is worth remembering that runs here, rather than traditional bank runs, were a cause of the crisis and led to seizures of credit markets." -- David Reilly, Wall Street Journal, February 19, 2013.
"It is worth recalling that the trigger for the acute phase of the financial crisis was the rapid unwinding of large amounts of short-term funding that had been made available to firms not subject to consolidated prudential supervision." -- Daniel K. Tarullo, Federal Reserve Governor, February 14, 2013.
"I don't think we should be comfortable with a situation in which extensive maturity transformation continues to take place without the appropriate safeguards against runs and fire sales." -- William C. Dudley, President, Federal Reserve Bank of New York, February 1, 2013.
"The global financial crisis that began in the United States in the summer of 2007 was triggered by a bank run, just like those of 1837, 1857, 1873, 1893, 1907, and 1933 ... and it has had devastating effects that continue today." -- Gary B Gorton, Yale University, "Misunderstanding Financial Crises," November 2012.
"Currently, the drivers of systemic risk remain largely intact, and shadow banking appears poised to grow considerably, and dangerously, if it does not acquire the necessary market discipline to shape risk-taking activities." -- From "Understanding the Risks Inherent in Shadow Banking" by David Luttrell, Harvey Rosenblum, and Jackson Thies, Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas, November 2012.
"The essence of shadow banking is to make loans, securitize them, sell the securities and insure them, and actively trade all the financial assets involved. In effect, traditional relationship banking is replaced by a collateralized market system with the repo market at its heart." --William R. White, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, August 2012.
"What was different about this crisis was that the institutional structure was different. It wasn't banks and depositors. It was broker-dealers and repo markets. It was money market funds and commercial paper ...," --Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke, March 27, 2012.
"The Federal Reserve was forced to take extraordinary policy actions beginning in 2008 to counteract the effect of (tri-party repo) flaws and avert a collapse of confidence in this critical financing market. These structural weaknesses are unacceptable and must be eliminated." --Federal Reserve Bank of New York, February 15, 2012.
"Despite the Dodd-Frank financial reform bill and its directive to address this issue, the problem of bank runs in the shadow system -- a key factor in the financial sector collapse -- has not yet been solved." --Mark Thoma, Professor of Economics, University of Oregon, February 13, 2012.
"Repurchase agreements (repo) are the largest part of the 'shadow' banking system: a network of demand deposits that, despite its size, maturity, and general stability, remains vulnerable to investor panic." --Jeff Penney, senior advisor, McKinsey & Company, June 2011.
"What happened in September 2008 was a kind of bank run. Creditors lost confidence in the ability of investment banks to redeem short-term loans, leading to a precipitous decline in lending in the repurchase agreements (repo) market." --Robert E. Lucas, Jr., Nancy L. Stokey, visiting scholars, Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis, May 2011.
"The really interesting thing that happened in September 2008 was the worldwide panic in the banking system – financial institutions running on each other behind the scenes." –-David Warsh, economic journalist, Feb. 6, 2011.
"As a scholar of the Great Depression, I honestly believe that September and October of 2008 was the worst financial crisis in global history, including the Great Depression …Out of maybe the 13 of the most important financial institutions in the United States, 12 were at risk of failure within a period of a week or two." --Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke, Financial Crisis Inquiry Report, January 2011.
"Since repo financing was the basis of most of the leveraged positions of the shadow banks, a large part of the run occurred in the repo market." --Viral V. Acharya and T. Sabri Öncü, professors, Stern School of Business, New York University, 2011.
"Housing policies alone, however, would not have led to the near insolvency of many banks and to the credit-market freeze. The key to these effects was the excessive leverage that pervaded, and continues to pervade, the financial industry." --Anat R. Admati, Professor of Finance and Economics, Graduate School of Business, Stanford University. January 30, 2011.
"Without some repo reform, we are at risk for another panic." --Gary B. Gorton, Professor of Management and Finance, Yale School of Management, November 16, 2010.
"While it may be well and good for the Dodd-Frank Act to demand more oversight of mortgages and derivatives, that won't stop the next run on repo if lenders panic over a different kind of collateral or hear a false rumor and panic for no reason at all." --About Repo, RepoWatch.
The repurchase market is "the deepest, darkest least noticed part of the market's plumbing." --Bethany McLean and Joe Nocera, "All the Devils are Here," November 2010.
"So far, all of this has gone largely unnoticed by the public, and that gives shadow banks the opportunity to make their case unopposed." --Mark Thoma, Professor of Economics, University of Oregon, September 28, 2010.
"... the structure of the tri-party market is so closely entwined that it creates a contagion risk as bad as anything seen in the derivatives world." --Gillian Tett, U.S. managing editor, Financial Times, September 23, 2010.
"The collapse in CDO valuations and the resulting inability to use CDOs as collateral for repo was a major, if not the major, cause of dealer illiquidity and insolvency which resulted in massive bailouts and backdoor subsidies." --Yves Smith, Naked Capitalism blog, August 20, 2010.
"Repo has a flaw: It is vulnerable to panic, that is, 'depositors' may 'withdraw' their money at any time, forcing the system into massive deleveraging. We saw this over and over again with demand deposits in all of U.S. history prior to deposit insurance. This problem has not been addressed by the Dodd-Frank legislation. So, it could happen again. The next shock could be a sovereign default, a crash of some important market -- who knows what it might be?" --Gary B. Gorton, Professor of Management and Finance, Yale School of Management, August 14, 2010.
"Leaving the repo market as it currently functions is not an alternative; if this market is not reformed and their participants not made to internatlize the liquidity risk, runs on the repo will occur in the future, potentially leading to systemic crises." --T. Sabri Öncü and Viral V. Acharya, professors, Stern School of Business, New York University, July 16, 2010.
"It is disconcerting that that the Act is completely silent about how to reform one of the systemically most important corners of Wall Street: the repo market, whose size based on daily amount outstanding now surpasses the total GDP of China and Germany combined." --Viral V. Acharya and T. Sabri Öncü, professors, Stern School of Business, New York University, July 16, 2010.
"... it is imperative for policymakers to assess whether shadow banks should have access to official backstops permanently, or be regulated out of existence." --Zoltan Pozsar, Tobias Adrian, Adam Ashcraft, Hayley Boesky, Federal Reserve Bank of New York, July 2010.
"The potential for the tri-party repo market to cease functioning, with impacts to securities firms, money market mutual funds, major banks involved in payment and settlements globally, and even to the liquidity of the U.S. Treasury and Agency securities, has been cited by policy makers as a key concern behind aggressive interventions to contain the financial crisis." --Task Force on Tri-Party Repo Infrastructure, May 17, 2010.
"Banks should have learned by now it's dangerous to rely on overnight lending." --Allan Meltzer, Professor of Political Economy, Carnegie Mellon University, March 28, 2010.
"This banking system ‐‐ repo based on securitization ‐‐ is a genuine banking system, as large as the traditional, regulated banking system. It is of critical importance to the economy." --Gary B. Gorton, Professor of Management and Finance, Yale School of Management, February 20, 2010.
"I think we were primarily focused on the potential collapse of the short-term funding markets, particularly the overnight repo markets and tri-party repo markets, which would have created a contagion to many other firms."--Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke, November 17, 2009.
"The best thing to do with the shattered Humpty-Dumpty of mortgage securitization would be to toss the broken pieces into the garbage." --Arnold Kling, Mercatus Center, George Mason University, September 28, 2009.
"Given its size and importance, it is surprising that repo has such a low profile; for example, there is little discussion of it in the financial press." -- Moorad Choudhry, Head of Treasury, Europe Arab Bank plc, London, "The REPO Handbook," September 2009.
"Our regulators allowed the proprietary trading departments at investment banks to become hedge funds in disguise, using the 'repo' system - one of the most extreme credit-granting systems ever devised. The amount of leverage was utterly awesome." --Charles T. Munger, chairman Berkshire Hathaway Inc., Spring 2009.
"Repo borrowing is now by far and away the most important form of short-term finance in modern financial markets.." -- Alistair Milne, Reader in Banking and Finance, City University, London, "The Fall of the House of Credit," March 2009.
"This helps explain how a relatively small quantity of risky assets was able to undermine the confidence of investors and other market participants across a much broader range of assets and markets." --Timothy Geithner, president, Federal Reserve Bank of New York, June 9, 2008.
"Until recently, short-term repos had always been regarded as virtually risk-free instruments." Federal Reserve Board Chairman Ben Bernanke, May 13, 2008.
"The repo market is as complex as it is crucial. It is built upon transactions that are highly interrelated. A collapse of one institution involved in repo transactions could start a chain reaction, putting at risk hundreds of billions of dollars and threatening the solvency of many additional institutions." --U.S. Senate report, 1983.
"Because of this widespread use in very large amounts, it is important that the repo market be protected from unnecessary disruption." --Paul A. Volcker, Chairman, Federal Reserve Board, September 29, 1982,
"With a repo loan, financial institutions could make or buy more home loans, to pool and produce more securities, to use as collateral for more repo loans. It was a neat, self-sustaining cycle of profitability and a serious growth machine." --About Repo, RepoWatch.
"Surprisingly, financial institutions that said they used securitization to offload risk had actually done just the opposite. Instead, it was the repo lenders who had no skin in the game." --About Repo, RepoWatch.
"Repo, then, was the main way that defaults in the housing market became a full blown credit panic. It was the key transmitter that carried the shock wave from the defaulting homeowner through the canyons of Wall Street to the American taxpayer." --About Repo, RepoWatch.
"In the savings and loan days, we called it Cash for Trash. In those days, thrifts lent borrowers more money than they needed and required the borrower to use it to buy a troubled property on the thrift's books. Today, banks make repo loans to borrowers who use the money to buy troubled mortgage securities on the banks' books, and then they use the troubled securities to collateralize the original repo loan from the bank." --Inside Jobs, RepoWatch.


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WWE: The New Pecking Order.
by, 02-13-2013 at 06:40 PM (4131 Views)
So after a lot of reading and contemplating what has been said by the IWC I decided to go forward with a thought I had seen and then taken further.
One of the major problems at WWE currently is how the titles and roster are being used in relation to each other. With that in mind I present the pecking order. This pecking order will be used to show who should be fighting for what title and why . I will use short examples when necessary to explain my overall thought process.
John Cena (Face)
CM Punk (Heel/Antihero)
Ziggler (Heel)
Randy Orton (Face/Heel)
Sheamus (Face)
Christian (Face/Heel)
Overall: You need a small stable that can be switched between storyline fueds and title shots that can be two of your top three matches at a ppv.
Christian tends to be injury prone but can really make it in the top class as one of the last attituders out there and a solid sized frame for this title.
Alberto Del Rio (Face)
Wade Barret (Heel)
Kane (Face)
Mark Henry (Heel)
Ryback (Face)
Big Show (Face/Heel)
Jack Swagger (Heel)
Overall: This title should be more for the guys that are close to over but can never really seal the deal 100% and the training ground with which to do that. This title is about building your character on the mic. Kane and Big Show and Mark Henry are all here because they aren't WWE title material. That said Kane should really be more of a feud character that pops in and out of this grouping and go back to his Dark Violent Persona. Ryback just doesn't deserve a push past this (if at all) and needs major mic work past a tacky catchphrase.
Kofi Kingston (Face)
Daniel Bryan (Face)
Ted Dibiase (Heel)
Cody Rhodes (Face)
Dean Ambrose (Heel)
Tyson Kidd (Heel)
R Truth (Face)
Overall:This is the belt that has always signified pure legend potential. This belts purpose is to let the hungry shine and give us the matches that have pops that leave us in shock. You put your ring masters and high flyers here that maybe able to work the mic but really there in ring ability speaks for them. Mix them with some character people like Ambrose and Rhodes and have this be the proving ground title. Kofi is here literally because he would help make it for a year then move up. He deserves more.
Antonio Cesaro (Heel)
Brodus Clay (Face)
Damien Sandow (Heel)
Zack Ryder (Face)
Miz (Face/Heel)
Evan Bourne (Face)
Big E Langston (Heel)
Overall: This is the belt that gets you out of the tag circuit and into the game. This belt should be for title changes and quick gimmicks at the bottom two WWE shows. Cesaro is the Kofi of this category and Sandow the king of it. Keeping Sandow low like this gives him time to gain momentum and seperate him and Cody long enough for them to eventually fued. Zack Ryder is the person this title was made for and Miz just works better low in the title picture less pressure more room for fun. Brodus honestly I feel like needs to get a hand in somewhere so he can really start to look at the ladder he can climb.
Chris Jericho
The Rock
Brock Lesnar
Triple H
Overall: They are all made men, kinda. I could debate Brock but it's obvious that these men aren't subjected to a pecking order. They come and go as they please put over who they need to and feud when it's necessary for ratings or hype. This goes for anyone former and not active roster that was wrestling during the attitude era.
plus new ones!!
Overall: The tag circuit helps talent get air time. The tag circuit should only cycle in main eventers when it needs to regain attention. Past that it's for people who are looking for a chance to wrestle not even shine just wrestle. From that great tag teams can be born. From great tag teams Superstars emerge (Shawn Michaels). The tag circuit can be a fun way to throw a curve ball into the other sections of the roster sure but it should have some die hard teams that can do solid work in that division for long periods of time.
Look I know most of you may disagree with my layout or choices, but we can all agree that currently things are a mish mash of people losing and winning with no real purpose. People are confused on there screen time and the shows are patterned to focusing on titles instead of characters. Also feuding between pecking orders can be encouraged to help switch people around and find new opponents with good chemistry but not the title just character feuds. If someone is a champion they are the cornerstone of that division and at that time that should be there main focus.
Ex: Wade Barrett is IC champ. He should only be wrestling and fueding surrounding that title because people are hungry for it. If Wade Barrett loses that title to say Kofi Kingston, then Wade Barrett can start an incident with Kane. The feud will go on for a month or so then lead to a big match (not necessarily on PPV) that has some weird style or stipulation. So Barrett and Kane feud Barrett and Kane end up having an inferno match. Kane loses and Barrett elevates himself to the WHC picture. It's not rocket science and it's still leaves room for creativity and change but gives a guideline as a base to work with that way Barrett isn't losing 5 matches in a row and still the IC champ.
That's about it I'm done ranting I'm starting to get agitated.

subset: commoncrawl


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The Three Musketeers
Channeling his childhood hero, Douglas Fairbanks, Gene Kelly's choice to play the athletic and charming D'Artagnan in MGM's non-musical version of Alexander Dumas' The Three Musketeers comes as no surprise. As the young man who comes to Paris to join forces with the famous Athos, Porthos, and Aramis to protect King Louis XIII, Kelly presents the same grace and dexterity as he does in his various musical films. As he brandishes his sword in numerous duels, Kelly's flexibility is evident in every leap, jump, and twist of his body. With costumes by the talented Walter Plunkett, The Three Musketeers presents a lavish vision of 17th century fashion (as the seductive Lady de Winter, Lana Turner's hats deserve their own screen credit). Also starring Frank Morgan, Vincent Price, and June Allyson, this Technicolor film is a fun and stylish romantic adventure involving the recovery of lost jewels, infidelity, mystery, scandal, and friendship.
Photos: MGM / The Kobal Collection


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Remember Me
Madagascar is one of the four largest islands of the world with a wealth of exceptional ecological qualified. Madagascar National Parks is responsible for the management of National Parks. 2007 was a good year since 6 Parks were admitted to Unesco World Heritage under the umbrella of "Rainforests of the Atsinanana." It is Marojejy, Masoala, Zahamena, Ranomafana, Andringitra and Andohahela. They join in this distinction the Tsingy de Bemaraha already sacred in 1990.
(60 km from Fort Dauphin)
Andohahela, in the region of Fort Dauphin, is a National Park of the utmost importance, which led to his being honored with the Silver Otter Award at World Travel Market London 99. Its uniqueness lies in its extraordinary variety of ecosystems due to its proximity to the mountains of Anosy. Rainforest and wet eastern transforms into a dry forest to the west and south with, in between, an intermediate zone little rainy, but benefiting from numerous rivers from the mountains. Over 90% of plants are used in Andohahela traditional medicine, such as Jabihy serving both the rapid restoration of young mothers at the embalming of corpses! Palm triangle "Dypsis decaryi" is not anywhere else. Types of iguanas that we encounter here in America and attest to the drift of continents, while lemurs there exist 13 different species including "sifaka" well known for his jumps. The geology of the southern tip of Anosy is very special, including metamorphic rocks, and the magic of shapes and colors designed by erosion.
(20 km east of Lake Alaotra)
In the eastern part of the region of Alaotra Zahamena forest covers a total area of 24,398 ha. This is an evergreen rainforest pluristratified rich in orchids, whose emergent species can exceed 30 m in height. The majority of tracks within the site and follow the ridge connecting peak to another. Zahamena has more than 700 plant species endemic to the rate of 90%. The rich fauna is equally remarkable 62 species of amphibians, 48 reptiles, 6 and 4 diurnal lemurs lemurs, 109 species of birds, 67 are endemic to Madagascar. With the support of Madagascar National Parks people are working hard to improve access roads.
(60 km Sambava)
Located in northeastern Madagascar, Marojejy was discovered in 1948 by Professor Humbert the Museum of Natural History in Paris who described him as "the most prestigious mass of the island." Covering an area of over 60,000 ha, the mountain is covered with a Marojejy plant formation from low forest
altitude with many epiphytic plants (120 species of orchids) to mountain rainforests, with a large palm peculiarity which made him famous. 5 types of forests are superimposed in an intact ecosystem for millennia. Its highest point, at 2,132 m, is a superb viewpoint over all the "Green Triangle" of the Sava. Side wildlife Marojejy has 107 species of birds that he has chosen as its emblem, the Euriciferos Prevost beautiful with its long beak and blue plumage red and black, 60 species of amphibians whose tiny Mantella , 9 species of lemurs including the Silky Sifaka to Tiara found elsewhere.
The excitement and wonder are guaranteed to climb this mountain between Sambava Andapa, whose peak is often lost in the clouds.
• Circuit Mantella (2 days): 4 hours walk to Camp. Amphibians reptiles, lemurs and bamboo lemurs fulvus, bird. Lower primary forest mountain.
• Circuit Simpona (3 days): A continuation of the first, along a ridge in a forest at medium altitude. First night at Camp Mantella, and walk to Camp 1 hour 30 Marojejia. Ridge to habitat Simpona.
• Circuit Marojejy Summit (3-5 days): A beautiful adventure sports sometimes through the clouds! Sifaka camp at 1:30 the previous run. Ascent punctuated by numerous lookouts. Impression of solitude in the wilderness.
(On the North East coast between Tamatave and SAVA)
About thirty kilometers in Maroantsetra Antongil Bay, the Masoala National Park extends from the ocean to 1311 m altitude on 230,000 ha of primary forest. Of the 10 species of lemurs that were identified stands out especially the Vari flamboyant red peel. The rich fauna of Masoala account of rare or unique species like the green lizard, owl red tomato frog or the serpent eagle. Its three marine parks (Tampolo west, Ambodilaitry the south and east Ifaho) are favored sites for kayaking or snorkeling. A simple mask there is enough to enjoy a marine flora and fauna rich colors. From July to September, Antongil Bay is a privileged place friendly humpback whales in Antarctica. A replica greenhouse with plant and animal elements rigorously authentic Masoala is today one of the main attractions of the zoo of Zurich.
(A Ambalavao 46 km, south of Fianarantsoa)
The park is hung Andringitra Massif at an altitude ranging from 650 to 2658 m. Andringitra is a Mecca biological Madagascar, one of these natural laboratories where old relics and species-species coexist latest giving fauna or flora originality. It is in the Andringitra lies the largest concentration of known species of lemurs with no less than 9 on the east side and 5 on the west side. Carnivores are represented by 5 species whose Fosa its paces with Puma miniature birds and 99 without the list is closed. On the west side of the Park, Tsaranoro cliff climbing spot is recognized worldwide. Finally geography does not exclude humor: Boby peak, second peak of Madagascar (2658 m) was named after the dog of the expedition that made the first exploration ... The park is formed rocky mountains of granite and gneiss, with numerous peaks culminating at more than 2500 m which extend between mountain meadows.
• Circuit Asaramanitra: Loop 6 km, 4 hours of walking, access means. Cascade sacred cave.
• Circuit Diavolana: Loop 13 km, 10 hours running, abrupt climate changes. Leads to a lunar landscape.
• Circuit Imaitso: Loop 14 km, 8 hours walking, wet and cool weather. Lemurs and rare birds.
• Circuits Isahavato: 15 km, 12 hours walking, warm climate. Rare palm trees, natural swimming pool.
• Circuits Imarivolanitra: 28 km, leads to the summit of Pic Boby by very steep slopes.
(70 km to the east of Fianarantsoa)
Ranomafana name has long been associated with hydrotherapy which is the second site of the island. Today it evokes more the treasures of the eastern forest and Ecotourism. Since June 2007, Ranomafana and five other parks of the east coast were collectively recognized as World Heritage by UNESCO. Accessible from Ambohimahasoa on the N7 and an area of 41,600 ha, the Ranomafana National Park is one of the best equipped to explore the biodiversity of the rainforest in the east. Nestled in a mountainous area very wet which earned him the nickname "Land of Mists" second site spa on the island, he alternates verdant cliffs and rivers dotted with waterfalls. It is home to 12 species of lemurs which we know perfectly territories (Sifaka black tiara Hapalemur Aureus, Simus bamboo lemur, Microcebus Rufus or the smallest lemurs which occurs at the site of the evening ... Talatakely). Ranomafana is a mecca for birdwatching, has 114 species of birds of Madagascar, watch and listen especially in September-October. Chameleons are here the most colorful and attractive. Tree species have many valuable species or medicinal use. In the undergrowth, pandanus, ferns, orchids, lianas and strangler figs accentuate the tropical forest. The routes are based on the observation of flora and fauna especially rich with opportunities nocturnal visits, as well as the discovery of cultural and historical sites.
• Circuit Varibolo:
- Edena complex, 2 to 4 hours on foot to all visitors.
- Complex Varibolomena, 3-5 hours walking, youth and sports.
• Circuit Varijatsy:
- Complex Vatoharanana, 6:00 walk for a roundtrip a day or more if camp (June to November)
- Complex Vohibato, adventure 2 hours for youth sports (June to November).
• Circuit Sahamalaotra:
- 2 hour walk for everyone.
• Circuit Vohiparara:
- Complex Kidonavo, 3-5 hours on foot.
- Complex Andranofady, 4-8 hours on foot.
- Complex Andranonaito 2 to 3 hours on foot from Vohiparara
• Circuit Soarano:
- Ranomena Complex, Golf 1 to 2 days off for young athletes.
- Complex Vohimeva, circuit discovery for two hours at night.
Note: Soarano and Varijatsy circuits are particularly suited to Trekking and
Hiking. They are modular adventure tours according to the needs of the hiker.
(130 km east of Antananarivo, Toamasina on the road)
At about 138 km east of Antananarivo RN2, the Andasibe National Park is the most popular of Protected Areas. It is actually composed of two parts: the Mantadia Park and Reserve of Indri Analamazaotra on an area of 16,000 ha. Treasure fauna, Andasibe houses 11 species of lemurs, the largest Indri Indri, recognizable by his cries impressive. It is only visible in its natural environment as not supporting captivity. We also find many species of birds, reptiles, insects and amphibians.
Flora on the other hand is characterized by lush rainforest, and many species of ferns, epiphytes, lianas sacred orchids and dwarf palms. The park has an Interpretation Centre, as well as landscaped areas with picnic sites or campsites. The top most visited place of ecotourism includes Analamazaotra Special Reserve (810 ha) and the Mantadia National Park (15,000 ha).
• Circuits Indri: Indri I 2 km (less than 2 hours) - Indri II 3.5 kilometers (less than 4 hours)
• Scenic drive: Goes to the Park orchids. Tree species labeled for identification. Orchids in bloom in October-November.
• Circuits and Sacred Falls Rianasoa: Directions marked and secured in a lush forest
• Circuit Tsakoka: At the end of the public area of the park.
(100 km from Diego Suarez)
Born under the sea millions of years ago, which Ankarana 18,000 ha were converted into park extends its network of caves, underground rivers and canyons in the middle of dry and green forests. Surface erosion has engraved "Tsingy" sharp ridges of limestone, while in deep water network winds longest in Africa (110 km). The spéologues have listed here some 11 main caves are sacred as containing royal tombs. In the galleries have developed stalactites, stalagmites, draperies and other hélectites calcite whose folds fall like those of a fabric. Someone in Ankarana 11 species of lemurs, 92 species of birds including the rare Various Messire, 60 species of reptiles and amphibians, and more than half of bats on the island. Tourists are willingly accepted the ceremonies held there regularly. It combines the massive wealth of a mineral limestone world to the variety of its ecosystems, and the role of cultural forefront.
• Small Circuits:
• Loss Circuit River. In the rainy season, a river is swallowed up in an adventure.
• Caves Milaintety, a haven of freshness.
• Perspective Ambohimalaza at the top of a volcano.
• Large Circuits:
• Bat Cave and Petit Tsingy. Caves leads to the top of the mountain.
• Green Lake and Grand Tsingy. Inevitable attraction leading to the top of the limestone formations blades. Andrafiabe caves cathedrals in the heart of the geological and cultural history of Ankarana.
(114 km to the east of Mahajanga)
"Kingdom of birds, land of lakes sacred source of life," Ankarafantsika is located in northwestern Madagascar 450 km from Antananarivo and 114 km from the N4 Majunga. The story goes that there highwayman once sowed terror. He bequeathed his name to a lake Ravelobe Park famous for its crocodiles ... The vegetation is characterized by including a mixture of dry deciduous forests, rain forests, swamps and savannas raffia, and many aquatic habitats. 92.3% of tree species and 84.4% of herbaceous species are endemic. Birds counted 126 species, some of which, like the Vaga Van dam or Mesite white move ornithologists worldwide. In the adjoining forest station amounted to Ampijoroa three endemic species of turtles: the ploughshare tortoise Angonoka, the flat-tailed tortoise Kapidolo, and the vast freshwater turtle Rere. The park constantly research institutions. This is the team from the University of Hanover that we owe the discovery in 1997 of Microcebus ravelobensis.
(150 km south-west of Majunga)
150 km southwest of Majunga, Baly Bay is still little known to tourists but will not stay long! Few rich sites such diversity with dense forest, dry thicket vegetation of shaggy, green carpet of mangroves in the sea ... Then there are beaches around the world, beautiful lakes and especially coral reefs offering their funds to diving enthusiasts. Here live turtle spur is the rarest species of Madagascar and endemic birds such as the osprey, the sacred ibis, heron or Hubert. The bay is a little "heart" of the park is also very popular with flamingos and dolphins. Ancestor worship is very much alive in the region with the ceremonies as "Fanompoana" (annual) during which offerings are placed on the royal tombs, or "Fitampoha" (every 5 or 7 years) characterized by immersing relics in large rivers.
(180 km north-west of Morondava)
Classified World Heritage by UNESCO in 1990, Bemaraha which occupies part of the limestone plateau of the same name became a National Park in August 1997. Tsingy offer one of its most spectacular landscapes of Madagascar with their network of faults, cracks, limestone blocks carved blades or sharp needles. There are millions of years these areas were buried under the sea corals and shells were stacked and welded to form a huge plate of up to 200 m thick. The waters were gradually withdrawn, leaving the open limestone which is cracked to form joints and canyons. The rain then began his long work of erosion both surface and depth. On the "roof" of Tsingy temperature can reach 50 ° so that the bottom of the canyons we feel the stress of vegetation tend to get light for photosynthesis vital.
Some speak of forests, other cathedrals of limestone. The park offers tours of different levels of difficulty and requiring the presence of a guide.
• Tantely Circuit: Circuit-test (dizziness, ease ...) before tackling the more demanding routes.
• Circuits Andadoany Ankeligoa and: Respectively 2 and 6 km, made in 4 and 5 h. Mazes, cathedrals, for sets of Tsingy.
• Circuit Manambolo: Usually in 4 h, 1 h and 3 canoe walking. Steep gorges more
100 m in height.
• Circuit Anjohimahitsy: From level difficult, takes place either in 1 or 2 days. Includes previous circuits.
• Circuit Andamozavaky: 5 km in 6 h, rated difficult. 360 ° panoramic view, emptiness on a suspension bridge, down the bottom of a canyon.
• Circuit Berano: 3 km to the north entrance, dominated Speleological. In addition, there Circuits Sites of Biological and Ecological Interest (SIBE) outside the Park. Village tourism, hospitality and tradition.
(In the extreme south of Madagascar between Tulear and Fort Dauphin)
Beautiful beaches, high sandstone cliffs and caves offer a dream landscape in the southern tip of Madagascar. Between the waters of the Mozambique Channel and those of the Indian Ocean, Cap Sainte Marie is windswept and offers the look of "end of the world." From July to November it is possible to observe the migration of humpback whales and their calves. There are also the remains of Aepyornis eggs, the largest known bird that some associate with the bird-rock legends of Sinbad the Sailor. Their collection is prohibited in order to preserve these priceless relics. Accessible all year, but best visited during the cooler months.
(300 km and 240 km from Fianarantsoa to Tulear)
Created in 1962 and principal natural curiosity of the southern route, the Isalo National Park is chronologically the second of Madagascar and covers an area of 81,000 ha.
Erosion has carved in sandstone by fantastic shapes ranging from steep hands reaching towards the sky with boulders seemingly balanced precariously on their base. The imagination of man recognizes a lion watching over territory, a boot, a crocodile about to snatch its prey, or especially
an authentic queen who lack neither crown nor the mantle. Its seeming drought Isalo has an important hydrographic network consists of streams feeding the tributaries of Mangoky. Sacred ground, it also houses the graves of ancestors Bara dug the cliffs to deter looters. One of the best introductions to the Park through the House of Isalo, an Interpretation Centre 9 km from the village of Ranohira.
Isalo provides sequences of canyons, sandstone peaks ranging from red to pink, masses of granite carved ... Elsewhere, trays dug craters in the realm of silence ...
• La Piscine Naturelle Circuit popular with walkers easy. An oasis fed by a waterfall of fresh water.
• Namaza: deep gorges Pool Blue or Black Pool, cascading sides to climb with their colonies of rare birds ...
• Canyons Rats: Circuit sporting very last stronghold of King Barabe Ramieba.
• Cave and Portuguese Sahanafa: Crossing rivers, steep slopes, addresses not hurry good hikers and
have a good physical condition.
• Malaso: Circuit with easy slopes and trails. Runs the entire southern part of the park, the Botanical Garden, the unusual shapes sculpted by the wind. An operator proposes a formula equestrian route.
(50 km south of Morondava)
In the region of Belo sur Mer in the south of Morondava, Kirindy Mitea National Park is located in a transition zone between the dry tropical climate and the sub-arid south. Its fauna is characterized by an abundance of wild boar, guinea fowl, lemurs and birds. Flora side we note especially two species of baobab, tamarind, palm trees and various species adapting to drought.
If the track from Morondava is only passable June to December, access by sea is possible throughout the year. Visitors can camp in the village of Manahy, or return to Belo sur Mer
(6 miles east of Hellville on the island of Nosy Be)
The reserve is nestled at the edge of the Indian Ocean, in the southern part of Nosy Be. It calls for an enchanting walk by the beach that starts and goes into the last natural forest of the island. Species such as Potameia up to 40 m in height there alongside the famous Ravinala or traveler's tree. The reserve is home to lemurs as Eulemur macaco and Lepilemur dorsalis, chameleons, lizards, and a rich variety of birds. A best visited between May and November.
Where ... the forest meets the sea, a hymn to nature!
Nosy Mangabe, 5 km south of Maroantsetra, is the largest island in the Bay Antongil. It houses five species of lemurs including the Aye-Aye lemur fawn, Vari lemur, lemur and red. There are also 15 species of birds and herpetofauna abundance. With its 520 hectares of forest, Nosy Mangabe is an ideal place for nature hikes. She was one of the first places of settlement of Madagascar.
Period of several paths:
• Maroantsetra - Ambanizana: 1 hour by boat
• Maroantsetra - Masoala: 3 hours by boat
• Maroantsetra - Antalaviana: 2 hours by boat
• Maroantsetra - Antalaha: 3-5 days on foot
• Maroantsetra - Eastern Cape: 4-7 days on foot
• Antalaha - Eastern Cape: 3 hours by car.
(40 km southwest of Diego Suarez)
Amber Mountain rises to 1475 m and has a significant rainfall. Its microclimate encouraged the development of exceptional biodiversity everywhere in this lush vegetation extending over 18,000 ha. She alternates fascinating sites with its waterfalls and crater lakes. With 75 species of birds, 49 species of reptiles, mammals its unique wildlife of the National Park of the Montagne d'Ambre is typical of humid forests of Madagascar. With curiosity and attention you will discover the smallest primates, and the smallest chameleon in the world! Here also intersect the world of the living and the ancestors. The route to the Sacred Waterfall is dotted indices ceremonies: horns, coins, seeds of white rice and bottles of honey.
The offer ecotourism Amber Mountain ranges from simple observation sites to the most demanding hiking. The choice is vast and the assistance of a guide indispensable.
• Short circuit (2 h): Station Dogfish - Sacred Waterfall - Path of a Thousand Trees - Cascade Antakarana.
• circuit means (3h 30): Station Dogfish - Sacred Waterfall - Path of a Thousand Trees - Cascade Antomboka or Small Lake.
• Circuit long (5 h): Station Dogfish - Sacred Waterfall - Waterfall Antakarana - Track Thousand Trees - Cascade Antomboka.
• Trekking long course (14 h): Cursed Lake - Grand Lake - Summit Amber.
• For hikers, the multi-day tours to the most distant peaks.
(40 km south of Anakao)
A 275 km from Tulear and extending over more than 43,000 ha National Park was Tsimanampesotse Ramsar site in 1998. The lake water turning from green to turquoise blue topaz appears like an oasis in this area known driest Madagascar. Vegetation with strange shapes reflects this ongoing fight against drought, and transports the visitor into an unreal world. Birds are the main attraction of the park including the largest gatherings of flamingos, flamingos and grebes in the dry season. Several species of lemurs are easy to find, Lemur Catta with. The observer night will also explore the Galidietis Grandidieri, a small carnivore specific to this park. But the name is especially Tsimanampesotse inseparable Typhleotis blind fish that live in caves. This National Park was opened to tourism in June 2001. 4 circuits were designed by Madagascar National Parks to showcase the wealth of an exceptional site, whose name means "the lake without dolphins."
• Circuit Andaka:
Particularly devoted to ornithology.
• Circuit Tsimaso:
Based caves and sinkholes housing the blind fish Typhleotis Madagascariensis.
• Circuit Andalamaike:
Showing the different forms of adaptation of plants to the harsh climate and soil.
• Circuit equest:
Special lemurs and lake scenery.
(15 km from Sakaraha between Tulear and Ranohira)
Since 1997, the National Park encompasses three disjoint forest plots, representing a significant portion of the remains of the dry forest of the west. Side fauna, which include lemurs Verreaux's Sifaka, and birds whose Bulbul Appert. The region is mainly inhabited by pastoralists Bara who consider the forest as an interface between the human world and the spirit.
• Circuit Tavira and Tavira Ritikala Velomihanto birds, orchids, forests.
• Circuit Besakoa - Bekily - Maromiandry - Ranotsara: an average of 6 days on foot or by bike. Immersion in the daily activities of the villagers, observing lemurs, panoramic views of the canyons and stands of palm trees.
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By Varietal
When brainstorming ideas for developing a recipe for BBB, I kept coming back to the delicious combination of fragrant wine, strong sharp cheese, and sweet crisp apples.
This burger is a twist on the French classic Coq Au Vin. The blend of flavors from the chicken, wine, mushrooms and bacon is tres bien! Bon Appetit!
I love candied pecan bacon pieces for football tailgate parties so it made sense to turn those flavors into a delicious slider - also perfect for a tailgate!
Jenn's French Infused Stuffed Brie Chicken Burgers. I love Chicken Burgers, and always try to add new twists. My name is Jennifer. I am 34. I do not live in NY, but it is the closest state to me.


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UB that article you linked was from after the 61 win season.This quote is hidden because you are ignoring this member. Show Quote
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UB that article you linked was from after the 61 win season.
I have to give a shout out to Vnzla81 for what has to be heroic self restraint. If ever there was a thread that screamed for some dark sider reply this is certainly one of them.
That being said this is going to be one of the more interesting seasons in recent Pacer history. I could see this team going either way, very good or very dissapointing.
A lot of things hinge on health (as they do for all teams) & how important chemistry is to a normal regular season.
I'm inclined to think that it was the Bull's starting lineup that made them so formidable. Yes, bench is important, but I don't think that was what brought them over the top. That being said, it could just be me, but I feel like I'd rather have the "In" group rather than the "Out" group. I like Hinrich a lot.
That's where I place the Ps as well. It's just that this tier of teams are still contenders. They are not the favourites but they are in the mix.
In regard to our championship hopes, let me say this: There are known knowns. These are things that we know. There are known unknowns. That is to say, there are things that we know we don't know. But there are also unknown unknowns. There are things we don't known we don't know. Depending on how the known unknowns and the unknown unknowns play out, we'll be in good shape to compete for an NBA championship.
I don't know that Hinrich is a better player at this point in his career than C.J. Watson, but I'll concede the point (both the argument and the floor position). In the games that I've watched Chicago (admittedly very few), Watson didn't blow me away, but he was definitely solid as a backup and capable as a starter. I'm more concerned about the defensive drop-off from Ronnie Brewer to Bellinelli/Robinson and Omer Asik to Nazr/VladRad. Chicago gave up the fewest points per game last season, but was just a middling offensive squad, and this exchange of players will probably help offensively but hurt defensively - to what extent (because they're backups) is debatable. I would posit that Asik/Brewer defensive contributions outweigh any new players' offensive contributions, and it will bring an elite defense down to just a good defense. As the cliche goes, "defense wins championships" -and the Bulls' defense - and title hopes - just got worse in my estimation.
Last edited by LG33; 09-24-2012 at 01:43 PM.
Apart from the Mavs the Heat in 2006 was such an example. The Magic in 2009 was a similar case as well even though they just reached the Finals.
I'm not saying that the Pacers are going to win the championship this season. But being in that second tier is an important step. You have to be in the second tier and take the next step in order to be a first tier contender. You don't leapfrog from bottom to the top. It takes time. And we're on the right track.
That's all I'm saying.
Yes it's going to be interesting seeing how they pan out. It seems like they gave up PG offense and SG defense for PG defense and SG offense :P
Whose to say we won't be elite this year though? It rests on Paul George finding his next level, don't get me wrong. We need that star, that when the game is on the line can manufacture points one way or another.
But if George can find that part of his game that we saw flashes of last year. And if Hibbert and Hill both continue their progress that they have shown. Whose to say we can't be Elite?
You don't get the 5th best record in the league without there being something. And with so much youth both in coaching, and in our starting line up. You have to expect this team to get better.
The Heat and Thunder(for another year) are definitively better. But with the Rose injury the Bulls are almost certainly going to slip. I am 90% certain KG is mortal which means age is going to catch up to him at some point, why not this year. Lakers look to have surpassed us, but thats a backcourt with lots of issues, and Dwight Howard is as mature as an infant who knows what chaos he could bring.
So at the moment, there are two teams that are Elite, Thunder and Heat. They are both known quantities, we have seen them before. And then there are several teams, the Pacers included, who hope to join the ranks of the elite. All these teams hoping to be Elite, have issues and concerns. And whichever teams best weather those issues and concerns will join that Elite class.
In 03-04, we were 8th ranked going into the season. But we addressed our loss at Center with Foster, who was damn good in that slow pace offensive system. We made Jamaal Tinsley the starter, and that worked quite well for a season or 2. And then JO and Ron both developed their defensive game making it so we didn't need to score alot of points.
That team on paper at the beginning of the year, wasn't elite. But things came together over the course of the year and left us come playoff time, the team to beat.
There's 29 other teams who would like to have the backcourt issues the Lakers have.
The article you posted is for the 2004-2005 season -- the season after our 61-win team. After coming off 61 wins and a Conference Finals appearance, many "experts" had us back in the final four; not exactly surprising.
From my recollection, the 03-04 61-win season was a surprise. We were a decent 48-win team the season before, sure, but we were also a first-round exit. Just as importantly, we lost Brad Miller -- who was coming off of an All-Star appearance -- in the offseason.
I can find only one 2003-2004 season preview article from a major source via Google search: SI's 2003-04 NBA Preview - Thursday October 23, 2003
I'm not sure who wrote the article, but they have us as third in the East (behind New Jersey and Detroit), and 10th overall. Solid, sure, but the exact same seeding as the previous season, and not exactly a member of the NBA elite.
Indiana- too many "ifs" have to happen. "If" Paul George takes his game to the next level. "If" Roy Hibbert can become more aggressive and dominate smaller players. "If" George Hill learns how to be a better distributor. "If" our bench is truly improved.
Miami- one certainty, Lebron James will be in MVP form again
Being unable to close out a game in which you have a comfortable lead in the 4th Q = Pulling a Frank Vogel
The Pacers have an outside shot. I'd say they've got just as good of a chance as any non preseason favorite. (Not Miami, OKC, or Lakers) I'd say they were the next tier down with the Spurs.
In the East, they should be better than everyone not named Miami. And Miami is a vulnerable dominant team.
Whether they could beat OKC (who now has the experience of being there) the Lakers, or the Spurs (outside shot of them making the finals) is another question.
I say they lose to Miami in the ECF in 7 games
Smothered Chicken!
I say we beat the Heat in 4 games cause Danny is gonna slip his foot under Lebron in game 1 in our house for a nice payback.
Garbage players get 1st round picks, (WTF)! All of the NBA must hate the Pacers! LOL
Not sure he pulls a Jalen Rose. Or Jeff Foster makes a comeback to take out Lebron
Smothered Chicken!
For the fail.
Pre all-star records:
Dallas 38-10
Indy 34-15
Det 32-15
Sac 34-17
They had fallen to 34-15 with a 3pt loss to the Lakers in which they played without Ron Artest and Kobe still went 11-31. After this they went on to win their next 3 games coming out of the AS game for a games above .500 high of 37-15.
NBA records as of that date (Feb 14th games completed)
Dallas 39-12
Indy 37-15
Sac 36-17
Det 34-16
So with only 30 games left the Pacers had the 2nd best record in the NBA. They had swept the TWolves who ended up with the 4th best record in the NBA and were 29-20 before the AS break. They had split with Dallas, the #1 team in the NBA. They had lost 1 time to both SAS and LAL.
They then went 1-11 in their next 12. Artest had returned from suspension for the first 3 games after the AS break which the team won, but in which Ron shot 3-9, 4-16 and 5-17. He was in the midst of his distracted play, full of horrible shooting and technical fouls. Pre-AS he had shot 45% and 37.8% from 3, Post-AS he went 39.7% and 29% from 3. During this time his FGA/game went from 12.0 to 12.6, minor but a factor of some of his high volume shooting games.
During early 2003 he had the 3 game suspension for the MSG camera smash (Jan 4) and then 4 games for his altercation with Pat Riley (Jan 30). Then he smashed his own photo on a Conseco wall leading to a team suspension of 1 game (Feb 26). He then lost games due to Flagrant Foul points on Mar 9 (1 gm), Mar 13 (1 gm) and Mar 20 (2 gm). The Flagrant that cost him 2 games was just a few seconds into the start of a game vs Boston. The dude had gone completely nuts since JAN and clearly impacted what was obviously otherwise a title contending team.
Everyone viewed the team this way and many felt that some of the issues fell on Isiah's "player friendly" approach.
And the point of my response on the 02-03 team and expectations was that they had been kicking NBA rear until Ronnie became a major distraction. They had TWO ALL-STARS on the team, one of which was on the verge of being an MVP candidate. They had another guy that was about to be an all-star and were it not for his antics he might have been in 02-03.
That's not this team. This team was a lot more like the 00-01 or 01-02 team. Stuff is getting there but they are still looking for something to click. This could be the 02-03 team maybe where they have a strong run that leads people to believe that next year they really are title contenders.
But the 02-03 team had a MAJOR change going into 03-04, a huge improvement at coach that wasn't really in dispute given Rick's W-L his first 2 years and his rep as an ast. with the 98-00 team. What is the change coming into this year on par with that? What did they do last year that suggests that this big change was just the thing to put them over the top?
You add DWill or Nash at PG then I'm buying, but otherwise this is not the same as coming out of 02-03 where people most certainly thought the team SHOULD be great if only Rick could keep all the pieces working together.
No one is saying they are going to be one of the favorites, only that they are good enough to have an outside chance to win it.
You use the fact that they had 2 all stars as evidence people were expecting them to be good the next year. Even though they lost one of those all stars for Scot Pollard? You don't see the problem with that logic.
The 2003-2004 Pacers. Had to work in a new coach. Had to address question marks at PG. Had to try out a new player at C and their starting SG was what 37. And they still had to keep control of the knucklehead at SF.
So no, I am sorry. Nobody expected them to be the best team in the league that year. They had too many questions to address and it was amazingly fortuitous that they managed to work out all those issues so well. And thats exactly what I am saying. This team has far fewer issues to address to contend than that team did. All this team really has to have is players to improve along their expected learning curve, and nobody have any major setbacks or hit any plateaus.
Lurking in the pack. Nobody doubts Indiana's talent, not after they blew out of the gate 30-12 last year. Losing Brad Miller will hurt, but several of the young players are in a position to contribute much more than they did a year ago. If Tinsley can put the pieces together, and Artest's head stays screwed on, the Pacers can still rule the East. It's up to Carlisle to put in place the pieces that Thomas couldn't.
I think the bigger question will be how far the Pacers have moved back in the pack. I have them between 5-8 in the East. Those reserves are no enormous upgrades and the Pacers still have the same starters. Only George has a chance to make a big move forward.
It also has far less talent.
And while it is difficult to overcome the issues which that Pacers team had, it is far more difficult to overcome a lack of talent.
"I had to take her down like Chris Brown."
-Lance Stephenson
Barring injuries, 5th in the East is very low, and 8th makes no sense at all.
A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.
Or throw in a first-round pick and flip it for a max-level point guard...


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Cut corners on your veterinary practice payroll tax—at your peril
In the 1980s, right after I graduated from veterinary school, I borrowed a pile of dough at 11 percent and bought a big practice. The previous owner was a great old guy. He shared two pieces of advice with me about what I had to do to keep labor costs under control.
First, he said, anybody who wasn't a veterinarian was really a bookkeeper. Second, any veterinarian who wasn't full time was almost certainly an independent contractor.
If I hadn't already been a lawyer at the time, I might have been confused by those suggestions. However, I understood exactly what he meant. What doc was suggesting were guaranteed money-savers.Payroll tax in the good ol' days
Regarding the bookkeeper recommendation, he was implying that I could cultivate huge savings if I listed all nondoctors as office workers for unemployment insurance purposes. Back then, the scheme probably would have worked out fine. Insurance carriers almost never conducted on-site audits. And if you did happen to get caught, all they were likely to do was to throw you into the state insurance fund pool for a couple of years.
The small increase in premiums from a trip to the pool would be minimal. Especially compared with the giant premium savings accrued after years of categorizing technicians and assistants as workers whose biggest workplace hazard might be a paper cut.
And the independent contractor ruse? Another big money-saver. If you called part-time veterinarians (we had plenty in those years) "independent contractors," your practice could avoid paying Social Security payroll tax on them. You could probably skip unemployment insurance premiums and workers' compensation payments on their behalf as well. What a deal! All you had to do was print out a 1099 form for part-time doctors and you could save an instant 10 percent to 30 percent.
But woe is me. After years of knowing I've never been able to get away with anything my whole life, and of course, being an inherently honest guy in general, I elected to call a technician a technician and pay the freight on all part-time doctors.
It's expensive being honest.
Uncle Sam is watching
Fast-forward to 2011. Today you don't have to be a goody two-shoes to justify full compliance with payroll-tax laws—you just need a desire to stay out of prison. Payroll-tax enforcement has gone from spotty and sporadic to software-based and space age. Today, if you're inclined to cheat, you barely stand a chance. Let me give you an example of just how Big Brother has grown in tax enforcement with an example from healthcare:
My son recently moved from New York to Massachusetts after graduating from college. He hadn't been with his company long enough at the time of the move to qualify for its health insurance program, so we kept him on our policy for a few months under COBRA (until his probationary period ended and he had his own). When he went to file his 2010 Massachusetts income tax return, the state would not accept it without a stiff penalty unless he included information about where his health insurance had come from during tax year 2010. The state wanted the name of the company, his policy number and the Federal tax ID number of the company providing the coverage. The moral of this story is: As inquisitive as 21st century government is, don't even think about trying to cheat on employee payroll taxes or workers' compensation insurance.


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GIRLS RECAP: Hannah and the Trashman
In its one-and-a-half seasons on HBO thus far, GIRLS, and Dunham, has become known for its self-indulgence. Tonight, it wasn't a bad thing. Before we get too deep into "One Man's Trash," let's be clear: this is a Hannah-centric episode. No Marnie, no Jessa, no Sho. Just Hannah and the Trashman.
There's no mention of Shoshanna and Ray admitting they were in love, or Jessa and Thomas-John's admission that they were absolutely insane for trying to make their marriage work.
In an episode that begins with Ray and Hannah arguing about whether or not she invented the word "sexit" (a combination of 'sex' and 'exit'; also, she didn't), guest star Patrick Wilson shows up all perturbed about someone (Hannah) at Grumpy's dumping their grounds and pastry bags into his garbage cans. Grumpy's is the coffee shop that Hannah apparently still works at, and Ray manages. Ray, who is "rude" to Wilson the Trashman, causes Hannah to quit. Okay. Really, I had no idea she still worked there.
So Hannah follows the Trashman home, who offers her lemonade and a tour of his brownstone. A brownstone. He is not a modern day Ted Bundy, but rather, a 42-year-old doctor in the midst of a separation named Joshua. He points this out. 'Josh's' are sporty-douches. He may also be the first real "adult" on the show since its inception.
They connect, kiss, play topless ping-ping and suddenly Girls reaches a level it had rarely ever hit before: authentic, honest, exploratory. Naturally, they also have sex because they don't know each other and also it's Hannah. And we come to find out why Hannah does the things she does.
"I want to be happy," she tells Joshua after fainting in his ridiculous steam shower. "I want what everyone wants. I want all of the things."
She wants it all, she wants every bit of the world she can possibly get her hands on; she wants every experience any given human is capable of feeling. Because she wants to feel, and maybe never really has before? She wants to get out of her head, out of the 20-something world in which she's living. But she has no one, really. She has no friends coming to find her after two days of being with this guy - no Marnie, no Elijah, no Sho or Jessa. This episode provided the most thorough exploration of not only who Hannah is, but where she's come from, and where she might (eventually) be going.
"Do you think I'm a crazy girl?" She asks.
He says "no," but it's a resounding yes. He tells her nothing of his life, though granted, she can't remember if his estranged wife lives in San Diego or San Francisco in between her Fiona Apple references.
The next day, Joshua leaves for work. She makes his bed, eats toast over his newspaper, and takes out his trash. Hannah's improbable, dream-like vacation is over, though who knows for how long.
Photos Courtesy of HBO


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Phase IIb Study of PRO045 in Subjects With Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy
This study has been terminated.
BioMarin Pharmaceutical
Information provided by (Responsible Party):
BioMarin Pharmaceutical
ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier:
First received: March 20, 2013
Last updated: October 27, 2016
Last verified: June 2015
- Full Text View
- Tabular View
- No Study Results Posted
- Disclaimer
- How to Read a Study Record
Detailed Description:
The purpose of the study is to see whether PRO045 is safe and effective to use as medication for Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD) patients with a mutation around location 45 in the DNA for the dystrophin protein.
|Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy
|Drug: PRO045, 0.15 mg/kg/week Drug: PRO045, 1.0 mg/kg/week Drug: PRO045, 3.0 mg/kg/week Drug: PRO045, 6.0 mg/kg/week Drug: PRO045, 9.0 mg/kg/week Drug: PRO045, selected dose
|Phase 1 Phase 2
|Study Type:
|Study Design:
|Allocation: Non-Randomized
Intervention Model: Single Group Assignment
Masking: None (Open Label)
Primary Purpose: Treatment
|Official Title:
|A Phase IIb, Open-label Study to Assess the Efficacy, Safety, Pharmacodynamics and Pharmacokinetics of Multiple Subcutaneous Doses of PRO045 in Subjects With Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy
Resource links provided by NLM:
Genetics Home Reference related topics: Duchenne and Becker muscular dystrophy
MedlinePlus related topics: Muscular Dystrophy
Genetic and Rare Diseases Information Center resources: Muscular Dystrophy Becker Muscular Dystrophy Duchenne Muscular DystrophyU.S. FDA Resources
Further study details as provided by BioMarin Pharmaceutical:
Primary Outcome Measures:
- Change from baseline in 6 minute walk test [ Time Frame: after 48 weeks of treatment phase ]
Secondary Outcome Measures:
- Muscle function [ Time Frame: after 48 weeks of treatment phase ]
- Muscle strength [ Time Frame: after 48 weeks treatment phase ]
- Performance of upper limb [ Time Frame: after 48 weeks of treatment phase ]
- Functional outcomes questionnaire [ Time Frame: after 48 weeks of treatment ]
- Safety [ Time Frame: after 48 weeks of treatment phase ]
|Study Start Date:
|January 2013
|Estimated Study Completion Date:
|July 2017
|Estimated Primary Completion Date:
|July 2017 (Final data collection date for primary outcome measure)
|Assigned Interventions
Experimental: PRO045, cohort 1
0.15 mg/kg until dose-titration
Drug: PRO045, 0.15 mg/kg/week
Subcutaneous injection
Experimental: PRO045, cohort 2
1.0 mg/kg until dose-titration
Drug: PRO045, 1.0 mg/kg/week
Subcutaneous injection
Experimental: PRO045, cohort 3
3.0 mg/kg until dose-titration
Drug: PRO045, 3.0 mg/kg/week
Subcutaneous injection
Experimental: PRO045, cohort 4
6.0 mg/kg until dose-titration
Drug: PRO045, 6.0 mg/kg/week
Subcutaneous injection
Experimental: PRO045, cohort 5
9.0 mg/kg until move to 48 week treatment phase
Drug: PRO045, 9.0 mg/kg/week
Subcutaneous injection
Experimental: PRO045, cohort 6
48 week treatment phase
Drug: PRO045, selected dose
Subcutaneous injection
Detailed Description:
A phase IIb, open-label, multiple-dose study. The study consists of two phases; a dose escalation phase (with subsequent dose-titration) and a 48-week treatment phase.
|Ages Eligible for Study:
|5 Years to 18 Years (Child, Adult)
|Sexes Eligible for Study:
|Accepts Healthy Volunteers:
Inclusion Criteria:
- Duchenne muscular dystrophy resulting from a mutation correctable by treatment with PRO045 confirmed by a state-of-the-art DNA diagnostic technique covering all DMD gene exons, including but not limited to MLPA (Multiplex Ligation-dependent Probe Amplification), CGH (Comparative Genomic Hybridisation), SCAIP (Single Condition Amplification/Internal Primer) or HRMCA (High-Resolution Melting Curve Analysis), and correctable by PRO045-induced DMD exon 45 skipping in cultured skin-derived myo-converted fibroblasts.
- Ambulant boys aged at least 5 years on the day of first dosing able to walk for at least 230 meters in the 6 minute walking distance (6MWD) test at first screening visit and also at the baseline visit. In addition, 2 of the 3 pre-treatment 6MWD tests (screen 1, screen 2, baseline) must be within +/-30 metres of each other prior to first PRO045 administration.
- Adequate quality for biopsy (confirmed with MRI) of the lateral head of the gastrocnemius muscle. An alternative muscle may be considered for biopsy but only following discussion between the Principal Investigator and the Prosensa Medical Monitor.
- Life expectancy of at least 3 years after inclusion in the study.
- Glucocorticosteroid use which is stable for at least 3 months prior to first PRO045 administration. Subjects must have been receiving glucocorticosteroids for at least 6 months prior to the first PRO045 administration.
- Willing and able to adhere to the study visit schedule and other protocol requirements.
- Written informed consent signed (by parent(s)/legal guardian and/or the subject, according to the local regulations).
- In France, a subject will be eligible for inclusion in this study only if either affiliated to, or a beneficiary of, a social security category.
Exclusion Criteria:
- Known presence of dystrophin in ≥5% of fibres in a pre-study diagnostic muscle biopsy (i.e. historic muscle biopsy taken prior to written informed consent for this study).
- Current or history of liver disease or impairment.
- Current or history of renal disease or impairment.
- At least two aPTT above ULN within the last month.
- Screening platelet count below the lower limit of normal (LLN).
- Acute illness within 4 weeks prior to first dose of PRO045 which may interfere with the study assessments.
- Severe mental retardation or behavioural problems which in the opinion of the investigator prohibits participation in this study.
- Severe cardiomyopathy which in the opinion of the investigator prohibits participation in this study. If a subject has a left ventricular ejection fraction <45% at screening, the investigator should discuss inclusion of the subject with the Medical Monitor.
- Expected need for daytime mechanical ventilation within the next year.
- Use of anticoagulants, antithrombotics or antiplatelet agents.
- Use of idebenone or other forms of coenzyme Q10 within 1 month prior to the start of the screening for the study.
- Use of nutritional or herbal supplements which, in the opinion of the investigator, may influence muscle performance, within 1 month of the study.
- Use of any other investigational product or participation in another trial with an investigational product, within 6 months prior to the start of the screening for the study.
Contacts and Locations
Choosing to participate in a study is an important personal decision. Talk with your doctor and family members or friends about deciding to join a study. To learn more about this study, you or your doctor may contact the study research staff using the Contacts provided below. For general information, see Learn About Clinical Studies.
Please refer to this study by its ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT01826474
Please refer to this study by its ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT01826474
|UZ Leuven
|Leuven, Belgium
|Institut de Myologie
|Paris, France
|Policlinico Universitario Agostino Gemelli
|Roma, Italy
|Leids Universitair Medisch Centrum
|Leiden, Netherlands
|United Kingdom
|Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children
|London, United Kingdom
|Institute of Genetic Medicine International Centre for Life
|Newcastle, United Kingdom
Sponsors and Collaborators
BioMarin Pharmaceutical
|Principal Investigator:
|T. Voit, MD PhD
|Institut de Myologie
More Information
Additional Information:
Keywords provided by BioMarin Pharmaceutical:
Additional relevant MeSH terms:
ClinicalTrials.gov processed this record on September 21, 2017
Additional Information:
|Responsible Party:
|BioMarin Pharmaceutical
|ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier:
|NCT01826474 History of Changes
|Other Study ID Numbers:
|Study First Received:
|March 20, 2013
|Last Updated:
|October 27, 2016
Keywords provided by BioMarin Pharmaceutical:
Duchenne muscular dystrophy
Additional relevant MeSH terms:
Muscular Dystrophies
Muscular Dystrophy, Duchenne
Muscular Disorders, Atrophic
Muscular Diseases
Musculoskeletal Diseases
Neuromuscular Diseases
Nervous System Diseases
Genetic Diseases, Inborn
Genetic Diseases, X-Linked
ClinicalTrials.gov processed this record on September 21, 2017


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Karl Lagerfeld Tokidoki Collaboration | Pictures
What a Doll: Karl Lagerfeld (and Choupette!) Stars in Tokidoki Collaboration
Was there life before Karl Lagerfeld and his cat, Choupette, became an adorable plastic figurine? Just such a product will become available on July 5 when Net-A-Porter launches a capsule collection Lagerfeld created with Italian-based lifestyle brand Tokidoki, which often builds product lines on the cult characters it creates.
Lagerfeld, a character in his own right with a legion of adoring fans across the globe, is sure to inspire just as many smiles and sales as the rest of Tokidoki's offering.
In addition to three doll versions of the designer that stand just over 10 inches tall, the limited-edition collection also includes a scarf, jeans, and t-shirts all decorated with a Lagerfeld-inspired cartoon print. A look at some of the products, here in the gallery.


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The Multi-Purpose Community Action Agency (MPCAA) board of directors meeting is scheduled Monday, Jan. 28, 1:30 p.m., at the Spencer County Fiscal Court Room in Taylorsville.
The public is invited to attend the meeting.
MPCAA provides services to Bullitt, Spencer and Shelby Counties. For more information cal 543-4077.


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I've mentioned this here before: often that which is cheaper is also greener. The same principle applies to fun. Spring is on its way and whether the day is sunny or dreary, there's something fun for you and your family to do that's both easy on the wallet and easy on the planet.
Movie Night (Recession Style):
Start with a $1 movie rental. Many grocery stores now have kiosks where you can rent newly released dvds for $1/night. If this is not an option where you live, check out the local library for an even better price — free.
Make your own (much healthier) popcorn. If you've read about the dangers of microwave popcorn, you know those are chemicals you don't want to ingest. All you need is a brown paper lunch sack, 1 cup of organic popcorn kernels, and a little olive oil. Combine the popcorn and olive oil in the bag (yes, the bag will get a little greasy), fold the bag over and clamp shut with one or two staples (the metal will NOT cause a crisis in your microwave) and microwave for approximately 2-3 minutes or until there are 3-5 seconds between pops. Be sure to listen for the popping to slow down. You can play around with flavorings by adding salt, Parmesan, or anything else to the bag you like.
Make fruit flavored water to go with the popcorn. Get creative. Add lemons, limes, oranges, or anything that strikes your fancy.
Load the floor with blankets and pillows and pile on for a fun (and cheap) family movie night.
Have a Field Day in Your Very Own Yard
Set up an obstacle course where you (and the kids) have to dodge trees (or sticks, or rocks, or cones — whatever you have). Jump from one spot to another or in and out of rings, if you have them.
Egg run. Make two lines at opposite ends of the yard and try to run from one to the other while balancing an egg on a spoon.
Set up a 3-legged race.
Have a water balloon toss.
See who can jump rope the longest without tripping.
Get creative — make prizes if you like, or reward everyone with popsicles or ice cream when you're finished.
Family Art Day
Start with paints and paper. Make it a game by having each family member paint (or draw) something that starts with the letter "b." Keep going with different letters of the alphabet.
Have each family member draw their version of a broad category. For example, draw a dog, or a tree, or a flower.
Ask little kids to paint or draw something and then describe to you what it is. Write their description, along with the date, on their artwork.
Choose one sample of each person's work to hang in a place of prominence for the next week.
Create a Book.
Cut an 8 1/2 x 11 piece of paper in half, horizonally. Stack as many sheets together as you want and fold in half vertically. Either staple in the center, or punch two holes along the center line and run string or yarn through the holes to hold the pages together.
Have each person write and illustrate their stories on the pages. Younger children can draw pictures and dictate their stories for you to write in the books.
Create a Gratitude Journal.
Make a book as above, but have each family member write things they are thankful for on the pages. Each person can keep their books and continue to add to them.
Have an Indoor Picnic & Camp-out.
Turn your living room floor into a campground.
Begin by spreading out a tablecloth on the floor and eating dinner picnic-style. Focus on sandwiches and foods that can easily be eaten without utensils.
After dinner, clear away the picnic and set up a tent in the middle of the floor. Load it with sleeping bags and flashlights. Tell camp stories until it's time to go to sleep.
Start an Indoor Garden.
Paint terracotta pots in various sizes with low-VOC paint in pretty colors, or consider using chalkboard paint so kids can update their designs.
Once the pots are dry, fill with organic potting soil and seeds you've pre-selected.
Water and put them in a sunny spot to watch them grow over the coming weeks.
Having fun doesn't have to require a lot of money or a lot of wasted resources. What does your family do for green, cheap fun? I'd love to read about your ideas in the comments.


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Namdrol wrote:The method of Dzogchen to protect practitioners from the three lower realms has not one single thing to do with tantric methods, Buddhist or Bon.
Are you referring to the purification of the six lokas? If so, how can what you said be so, when the practice includes visualization & generation of deity?


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The Federalist Society takes no position on particular legal or public policy issues. The people listed as Experts have spoken or otherwise participated in Federalist Society events, publications, or multimedia presentations. A person's appearance on this list does not imply any other endorsement or relationship between the person and the Federalist Society. All expressions of opinion by an expert are those of the expert.
Publications and Multimedia


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One of my favorite new features of SQL Server Code Name "Denali" is known as Semantic Search which makes it possible to automatically build tag clouds over a set of content then do powerful searches, such as "find documents that are similar to this one" or "compare these two documents and tell me which tags are most similar".
When combined with improved support for database blob storage (FILESTREAM) and easy SMB access to your content in SQL Server (FileTable), this turns into a killer feature for content management systems.
In Episode 2 of DataBound I'll walk through these improvements with RUDS ninja Michael Rys (Rich Unstructured Data), and we'll show a sample content management app that uses Semantic Search to visualize the tags in a body of documents and do powerful searches.
You can find the episode here:


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Hands-On HTC's Elegant Touch Diamond
Hands-On HTC's Elegant Touch Diamond
I know, we're all wrapped up in the iPhone 3G mania, but here's a phone that deserves just as much love as the iPhone — HTC's Touch Diamond. Last month I got to witness the official launch and unveiling of this sleek handset and was very impressed with it's overall design, user interface and performance.
Weeks before it is set to go on sale in Europe (and months before the US), I got my hands on the Diamond to see how well it's features actually function. The most noteworthy (and my favorite) feature about this phone is it's TouchFLO 3D interface which makes basic tasks like emailing, viewing photos or contacts and checking out the weather fully animated. Web browsing is made easy with Windows Mobile 6.1 Professional, as the Diamond will automatically adjust web pages to perfectly fit the display screen (you can also turn the phone sideways).
To get an idea on size, have a peek at the pics below. No word on US pricing just yet.


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Women now make up half the U.S. workforce, but they still haven't managed to achieve pay equity. Women must work more than 16 months to earn what men make in 12 months — for the same job. They earn 77 cents for every dollar earned by their male counterparts.
That doesn't mean there has been no progress. The pay gap actually has narrowed by 12 cents.
It took 40 years.
At that snail's pace, several more generations of women could be underpaid before pay equity is achieved. But some in Washington are working toward speeding up the pace, and the issue is receiving fresh attention because Tuesday was Equal Pay Day.
In January 2009 President Barack Obama signed the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act. Ledbetter was a 19-year employee of Goodyear Tire and Rubber Co. in Alabama when she learned from an anonymous note that she had been paid less than her male counterparts for the same work for years.
Ledbetter sued, but in 2007 the U.S. Supreme Court ruled against her because she did not challenge the inequity within 180 days of the company's original decision to underpay her. Of course, Ledbetter didn't know she was underpaid then, or for many years after, because Goodyear employees were not allowed to talk about their pay.
That injustice was corrected this year after Congress approved the Fair Pay Act, which originally was co-sponsored by then-Sen. Barack Obama. The act essentially allows the 180-day clock to start over with each inequitable paycheck.
The new law makes it easier to challenge inequitable pay, but workers still are handicapped because they often don't know what their co-workers earn or how to fight against unequal pay.
The Paycheck Fairness Act, already passed in the U.S. House but languishing in the Senate, would update the 1963 Equal Pay Act. That's right, equal pay for equal work was mandated in 1963 in legislation signed by President John F. Kennedy. It just hasn't succeeded in stopping gender wage discrimination.
The Paycheck Fairness Act would create incentives for employers to follow the law, would strengthen federal enforcement of the equal pay law and penalties for violators, and would prohibit retaliation against workers who ask their employer about wage practices or disclose their own wages. Employers who wanted to pay a woman less than a man for the same job would have to prove there was a reasonable business justification for it.
Critics of such legislation contend that women earn less because they choose careers that pay less, or because they take time off to have children, or because they are unwilling to work as many hours as men.
However, the American Association of University Women did a research report, Behind the Pay Gap, and found that women already are paid less than their male counterparts within their first year of entering the workplace. When the researchers controlled for occupation, hours and parenthood, there was still a gap in pay that seemed attributable only to sex discrimination.
There is much more at stake here than just fairness. Margaret Hyde of Clearwater, a senior woman who represents AAUW causes locally, emphasized the impact on women when they retire. Social Security and pension benefits are linked to an employee's salary. A woman who has been underpaid during her career receives lower pension and Social Security benefits, increasing the possibility that she will live in poverty in the last years of her life.
According to AAUW, over a working lifetime the disparity between men's and women's wages costs the average woman and her family $700,000 to $2 million in lost pay. Consider that it takes women more than 16 months to earn the same pay that their male counterparts make in 12 months, and it is easy to see how quickly the losses can grow.
With so many women now supporting their families, unequal pay leads to unequal wealth in ways that affect the entire family. There is less money to pay bills, less income to qualify for a mortgage, less money available to send children to college. The affects ripple through our culture.
Hyde is excited about a provision in the Paycheck Fairness Act that would create a grant program to fund salary negotiation training for women and girls.
"Lord knows we need that," Hyde said. When it comes to negotiating, "We can do it for others, but we have trouble doing it for ourselves."
Equal pay for equal work ought to be a given. That it isn't is, literally, a crime. Obama said early in his administration that advancing pay equity would be one of his goals. He has been a little busy with other matters, but this month would be an excellent time for him and the Senate to move passage of the Paycheck Fairness Act to the front burner.
Diane Steinle is editor of editorials for the North Pinellas editions of the Times.


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IBM Certified Solution Designer - Case Manager V5.1
Job Role Description / Target Audience
This certification test certifies that the successful candidate has the knowledge to create the theoretical and/or detailed technical design of an application, solution, and infrastructure using IBM Case Manager v5.1 (ICM). Provide expertise to evaluate and choose between alternatives; assist with balancing costs with capabilities and priorities. Identify products / technologies / processes to be included, and determine points of required integration and customization. Identify sizing and capacity issues, as well as conflicts with existing processes or environments.
Recommended Prerequisite Skills
Before preparing for this certification, the following knowledge and skills are recommended and assumed:
- Knowledge of IBM Case Manager
- Knowledge of P8 Administration
- Knowledge of P8 Business Process Management
- Knowledge of P8 Content Manager
- Knowledge of Business Space
- Knowledge of WebSphere Application Server
- Knowledge of Web 2.0 development
This certification requires 1 test(s).
Test(s) required:
Click on the link(s) below to see test details, test objectives, suggested training and sample tests.
Member Site
Not sure what the Member site is? Find out the benefits of being a certified professional.
Premium Certification
Show off your Certification!


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Our sustainability culture, our core values, have been gaining
momentum for the last 30 years.
As a public research institution, our model of sustainability
focuses on finding solutions to global challenges through research,
educating individuals about these challenges, setting the bar high
for sustainability in our own operations, and sharing our
experiences and partnering with the external community.
UB is a leader in sustainability in higher education. Our commitment spans 30 years—from the origins of the environmental movement at Love Canal to the innovative operational measures we take that continue to save the university millions of dollars a year and reduce UB's environmental footprint on the future.
As an early signatory of the American College and University Presidents' Climate Commitment, we have committed ourselves to becoming climate neutral by 2030.
To achieve this goal, we brought together leaders from across the university to form the Environmental Stewardship Committee, a group of administrators, faculty and students charged with charting the university's path toward climate neutrality and sustainability.
Our sustainability efforts include the opening of five new LEED designed buildings over the course of a year, the artistically infused, publicly accessible Solar Strand, a dynamic new composting system, the implementation of a campus-wide single stream recycling initiative, and other innovative programs that are moving UB toward being a more sustainable campus.
Our focus on teaching sustainability brings together our faculty and students to learn about local and global sustainability challenges.
Our faculty and researchers work from the northern reaches of the Arctic and the coral reefs of the Caribbean to the shores of Cattaraugus Creek and Lake Erie, bringing our dynamic and changing world into the classroom.
Visit our Research page to learn more about the groundbreaking, collaborative work UB faculty and students are engaged in throughout the year.
We set an excellent example for our students, faculty, staff and our community by pioneering changes on campus that reduce UB's environmental footprint on the future.
These include:
This site is a resource for students, faculty, staff and the
community to become empowered with news, information, policies and
best practices for sustainability at UB and in the community.