text:
Hundreds of Dallas-area residents are expected to attend Be Covered Texas, an insurance information forum Saturday on the new health care law.
The event, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., takes place at the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center Arena.
Free flu shots and screenings for blood pressure, cholesterol and glucose also will be offered. A free bag of "healthy groceries" from the Dallas Farmers Market will be given to the first 1,000 families.
Blue Cross Blue Shield Texas is sponsoring the event. Trainers will explain the insurance law to those interested in obtaining coverage.
Blue Cross Blue Shield is marketing 18 of the insurance plans available in Dallas-Fort Worth.
Four insurance companies began marketing 38 plans in North Texas on Oct. 1. Coverage takes effect Jan. 1 for those who sign up by Dec. 15.
Those without insurance who earn between 100 percent and 400 percent of the federal poverty level may qualify for tax credits. That will lower their premium and co-payment costs.
More than 30 health-related and community groups will participate. Among them: the American Diabetes Association, American Heart Association and Dallas Area Agency on Aging, Los Barrios Unidos Community Clinic and The Family Place.
The arena entrance is at 650 S. Griffin St., across from Dallas City Hall. Parking is free to those who bring an event flier from the website BeCoveredTexas.org.


text:
Feeling a bit pasty after all these months of winter? Well there's an app for that … sort of. The TanningBooth app will let you tan yourself using a handy bronz-o-meter, so you can impress your friends on Facebook and Twitter with a fresh, sunned face.
Yours for 99 cents, the app works on all mobile devices. You can also use it on your dating profile photo, commentators helpfully suggest, pointing out how real life tanning is not as safe as it was in these ozone-scarce times.
The app comes with a warning by the developers though: "TanningBooth effects that may leave you with an abnormally 'hot' picture, don't be alarmed if you get extra 'likes' on Facebook or 'followers' on Twitter than normal."
We'll be sure to keep that in mind.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Hock's Take: Top Five Stories Thus Far in the Vikings' Off-SeasonMarch 13, 2010
1. LaDainian Tomlinson Doesn't Sign
Tomlinson left Minnesota without a deal, and is off to visit the Jets. I still think that he'll sign with the Vikings after testing the market.
I don't have to explain why this would a big deal for both parties, but it's a great fit for the Vikings. A Hall of Fame-caliber running back capable of mentoring Adrian Peterson through a difficult stretch in his career, plus a fantastic screen and draw option on third downs.
The Vikings' big free agent signings have been hit or miss the past few seasons, and honestly they're pretty happy they missed on a few last year (I don't think T.J. Houshmandzadeh would have helped as much as Percy Harvin), but call me cautiously optimistic about the possibility of singing LT.
The question now, of course, is how his ego would take to being the second banana. Tomlinson has said all the right things, but the cure for that is winning, and with Tomlinson as an option the Vikings would have all the tools to put together another Super Bowl run.
2. The Williamses' Trial Marches On
Both Pat and Kevin Williams have given their testimony over the StarCaps case, and things look to be proceeding much more quickly in the next few months.
Now, I'm not a lawyer, but the feel I've gotten over the past few days is that the Williamses have a strong case, and they may end up getting their suspensions repealed after all.
This would, of course, be a significant boon to the Vikings who look to face a much tougher schedule next year and will need both of their tackles to keep themselves from dropping too far behind after the first four games.
3. The Bears Stock Up
They Chicago Bears have, by far, made the splashiest acquisitions this off-season. They've added both Julius Peppers and the Viking's own Chester Taylor in an attempt to leapfrog Green Bay and challenge the Vikings for the NFC Central.
Peppers is an interesting acquisition: He's the best defensive lineman for six games a year, and then he enjoys a good snooze for the remainder of the season.
The Bears are hoping that Peppers plays like he did against the Vikings last season, when he put Bryant McKinney on the bench and Brett Favre on the ground. But history shows that Peppers doesn't really keep that up. We'll see if the change in location changes him.
Chester Taylor, on the other hand, is a more confusing situation. He's a great player and the Vikings are going to miss him, but of all the teams he could go to the Bears make the least sense for him.
In terms of the Bears, Taylor is very similar in terms of skill set to Matt Forte. Yeah, he's probably a better blocker, but you can't say that one guy or the other is really a change of pace over the other.
And Taylor is going to cost them a lot of money to do essentially the same things that Forte is already doing for them, which doesn't really help the bottom line, which doesn't help when they have so many other holes to fill.
On Taylor's end, it's a weird choice. Yes, he gets a chance to get revenge on the Vikings for…whatever it is he thinks he needs to get revenge for, but it's not really helping him any.
The Bears are still probably a few years away from really competing for a playoff spot, and Taylor's backing up Matt Forte now instead of Adrian Peterson. It's unlikely that he's going to hit a lot of incentives that would make this contract worthwhile.
Either way, I don't think the Vikings are too particularly terrified of the Bears' big free agents.
4. Kampman Moves On
A few years ago, this would've been a huge blow to the Packers and a huge boon for the Vikings. Then again, a few years ago it would have been the Vikings that Kampman signed with.
For all his talent as a pass rusher, and as many days as he made NFC North opponents miserable, Kampman was never going to adjust to playing as a linebacker in the 3-4 scheme
Because of that, I doubt the Packers will miss him much. They'll miss his presence in the locker room and such, of course, but there won't be much impact on the field.
It's still the end of another era for the Vikings-Packers rivalry, though. And may be further incentive for a certain quarterback to come back to Minnesota next season. No, not Tarvaris Jackson.
5. The Brett Favre Saga Continues (Remix)
If you haven't heard, Brett Favre appeared on the Tonight Show last week, and was very non-committal about his future, just as we've come to expect from him.
But, to me, his body language says he's coming back. I don't think he's going to particularly miss any of the free agents the Vikings have lost this season, and he'd be jazzed about the opportunity of playing with someone like Tomlinson.
The answer won't be delivered until the Vikings break camp in August, but Favre looked and sounded like he was planning for next fall in his head.


text:
Edit Article
wikiHow to Get Easy Cash in Godfather Blackhand Edition
As you know it is hard to get cash in Godfather, but there are many ways to get cash.
1Rob a bank. See article "How to rob a bank in Godfather Blackhand Edition"
2Don't regularly go on rampages. This will waste ammo and time.
3Only pull out your weapon if you have to kill someone.
4Rather than buying ammo, use cheat codes.(search on Google)
5If you see a mob courier, shoot him ASAP.
6Take over stores, rackets, warehouses, and hubs.
7If "Buy Out" is an option, do that. This will maximize your income.
8When using skill points, use a few on the tab "Negotiator" and weakness points for store owners will be revealed, more income and other edges.
9When you see a cash register, punch it and get all the cash.
10When taking over a warehouse, try to get a hit squad. This will cost a lot of money, but it is very helpful.
11After you take over a warehouse, there will be trucks. If you deliver the trucks to certain destinations you will get 10 grand a piece.
12Take over racket trucks on the road. Stand in front of them, shoot the truck with your Tommy Gun and shoot everyone but the truck driver. These trucks will only be worth 3 grand-9 grand a piece.
13Try not to die. Doctor visits don't come cheap you know!
14Try to blackmail city chiefs. For instance, there is a chief in Brooklyn that does drugs. Go make moves on certain girls and they will give you valuable info.
- Blackmail is free, so it saves you 1,000s of dollars!
15Don't try to save your money! If you have over 200,000 it would be a nice time to start buying safehouses!
16Don't be a sucker for 2nd Level Gun upgrades! If you just save cash for 3rd Level upgrades you will save hundreds of thousands of dollars!
17Don't do anything for cash! If there is some cash on the ground and you are at low health, get a car and run!
18Hit Squads should be rarely used, and so should right hand men.
Community Q&A
Ask a Question
200 characters leftSubmit
- It's a game not life!
- Cops shooting at you. Try bribing them first if it is necessary.
- Getting obsessed with this game is very easy! Don't let that happen whatever you do!
Things You'll Need
- Wii, PC, Xbox(360), PS2, PS3, or anything compatible with Godfather
- Godfather Blackhand Edition
- Controller
Article Info
Categories: Multi Platform Games
Thanks to all authors for creating a page that has been read 4,423 times.
Is this article up to date?


text:
I don't want to break up
A reminder: Please give the letter writer some real advice and empathy in the comments section. I don't mind off-topic conversation (especially in the discussion boards where it belongs) but I don't want the letter writer to get lost in the comments shuffle. - M
After two years together, my boyfriend and I recently broke up. (I'm in my early-to-mid 20s.) I am having a hard time coping with the loss of a person I envisioned spending the rest of my life with. Our relationship began with love at first sight but took us two years to get up the nerve to ask each other out. We lived together for a year but because of a program for his job, he had to move back home with his parents (about 45 minutes away). He and I tried very hard to make time for each other but were both frustrated because so many other things kept coming up that limited our visits. This is the most serious relationship either of us has ever had.
The fight that led to our breakup happened a week before we graduated from our academic programs. He said that we are headed in different directions because he knows I want marriage and kids but he doesn't want those things right now (I am not ready to be a parent for at least another 3-4 years and am fine putting off marriage as long as I know he wants to be with me), but he doesn't seem to hear what I am saying. He said that he would rather break up now than later and brought up other what-ifs for the future, like where I will get a job next year. I did not want to fight about what-ifs and still don't, but once he made his decision he said that if we gave it a second chance until May that we would be "living a lie." He still says that he's in love with me but his continually telling me that this is for my own good is frustrating. I know that we obviously need space right now but I would like us to revisit these issues once the job situation is settled here in a few months.
I don't know how to get around this. We still hang out, but because I am so deeply hurt by this, our conversations eventually end up with me asking for reiteration of his reasons (because I don't understand how the what-ifs years down the road can lead to the breakup of a fantastic, loving two-year relationship), and me telling him how hurt and confused I am. I have also been dealing with feelings of being worthless because I feel as though he feels our relationship is not worth working on and I am deeply hurt by what I perceive as his refusal to fight for me or our relationship.
I don't know what to do, so any advice would be helpful.
– Lost and Confused, CO.
You're not worthless. You're just single. And that's OK. He doesn't want what you want, but that doesn't mean that you're suddenly flawed. It just means that you're sad about the end of a relationship. Be sad. But don't let this breakup define you.
My first piece of advice is to stop hanging out with him. Cut him off. He broke up with you, which means he's no longer entitled to your time. You need to be moving on and these visits are painful. You both need to process this on your own.
My second piece of advice is to listen to what he's telling you. He's saying that if you don't break up now, you will break up later. You want to get married in four years, and he wants ... well, he isn't saying anything definitive about what he wants four years from now, probably because he doesn't know.
You can't negotiate yourself out of a breakup. (Trust me, I've tried.) We've talked about the stages of grief in Love Letters, and you're stuck on bargaining. Bargaining is exhausting.
Give yourself time to mourn and to fantasize about what else is out there. Imagine how it will feel when someone is smitten with you for the first time, because that will happen. Tell the ex that you're miserable to lose him and then then walk away. If he changes his mind, he knows where to find you.
Readers? Can you help her feel less worthless? Can you explain the stages of grief in breakups? Is he telling her everything she needs to know Help.
– Meredith


text:
You are here
Nissan GT-R Spec V news - Geneva show: Nissan GT-R Spec V - 2009
that Qazana-thing. Hiding in a top secret back room - OK, slightly secret side
room - off Nissan's main stand is the car we really wanted to see: the GT-R
Spec V.
This is
it, the lighter, track-focussed GT-R, the Nurburgring-obliterating weapon
bedecked in carbon fibre. Forget the dubious paint-job - it's the Spec V's
signature colour, but we can't say we're sold - and focus instead on the
mechanical goodness on show here.
The Spec
V is 60kg lighter than the standard GT-R, mainly by ripping out the rear seats
- there are just a pair of, well, holes there now - and adding lots of lovely
carbon fibre: there's a beautiful carbon fibre spoiler, thinner carbon fibre
seats and a carbon fibre front splitter.
Potenza cut-slick tyres - which look like they'd be hellish through standing
water - along with stiffer springs and bigger brakes complete the mechanical
The Spec
V doesn't get any extra power - but 470bhp was hardly shoddy in the first place
- but there's now an 'overboost' function, which increases peak torque for up
to 80 seconds, and a freer-breathing titanium exhaust.
All of
which is good, but here's the bad news: Nissan still hasn't confirmed whether
the Spec V will make it to Europe. If it does, it'll be in very limited numbers
- a couple of dozen only, perhaps - with a six-figure price tag. That's pounds,
not yen, sadly.
What do you think?
This service is provided by Disqus and is subject to their privacy policy and terms of use. Please read Top Gear's code of conduct (link below) before posting.


text:
New York Downed 9-5 By Boston - Philip Hughes Takes Loss
New York dropped a 9-5 decision at Fenway Park on Saturday as Boston legged out a win behind winning pitcher Felix Doubront.
Boston won as a -108 favorite, while Over-Under bettors who played OVER the total of 10.5 were rewarded at the payout window.
Boston got 6 1/3 innings from Felix Doubront, who gave up 3 earned runs on 4 hits, while striking out 6. He earned the victory, while the Red Sox got 3 RBIs from Pedro Ciriaco in the win.
New York's starting pitcher Philip Hughes worked 5 1/3 innings, giving up 10 hits and 3 earned runs while striking out 3 in the loss. They got 1 hit from Curtis Granderson in a losing cause.
Boston outhit their counterparts 16-6 in the game.


text:
KROQ presents...
Andy Clockwise
Scavenger Hunt
Bootleg Bar
2220 Beverly Blvd
Los Angeles, CA, 90057
Doors 9:00 PM / Show 9:30 PM
This event is 18 and over
Hailing from Sydney, Australia, but now based in the US, Andy Clockwise has become one of the most compelling artists in music today. His most recent release, 2011's The Socialite, propelled him to a new level of success in the United States and Australia. After touring both US coasts and playing music festivals nationwide, Clockwise now has his sights set on his follow-up LP, entitled War Stories. What you find in Andy Clockwise is a new kind of artist: unrelenting, prolific, exciting and independent. Andy's first taste of success came in Australia with his debut double-album Classic FM, released through Universal in 2006. Critics called the album "thrilling", "ambitious," and "unpredictable." Its success eventually landed him sold out headlining tours across Australia, as well as support slots with INXS, The Black Keys, Wolfmother, The Wailers, and Hugh Cornwell of The Stranglers. After a short stint in London, Clockwise settled into his new Los Angeles home. He became immersed in the eclectic music scene that is Los Angeles. His success Down Under translated in the United States almost immediately, as he released a string of successful EPs prior to the release of his second LP The Socialite. His Are You Well? EP and The Socialite peaked at number 6 on the FMQB specialty charts and was a favorite among college and AAA radio stations across the country. All of this exposure led Andy to an opening slot for Strokes front man Julian Casablancas on his first solo tour. After critical acclaim upon its release in Australia, The Socialite dropped in the U.S. in April 2011. As he does on all his releases, Andy performed, recorded, produced, and mixed the record by himself. "It's about me trying to find some sort of state of grace in the cult of celebrity," says Clockwise. In support of The Socialite, Clockwise toured the US extensively for the first time, hitting both coasts and several festivals throughout the country, including his third SXSW. Los Angeles' famed rock radio station KROQ-FM was very supportive of the album with steady airplay and sponsored live shows, all garnering overwhelmingly positive reviews. He sold out several iconic Los Angeles venues including The Satellite (Spaceland), Hotel Cafe, and The Troubadour. Leading up to the release of War Stories, Andy released its first single entitled "Steam Dream" in June of 2012. The song is in rotation on 98.7FM, KROQ, and KCRW in Los Angeles. In November of 2012, KROQ.com teamed up with Andy for an exclusive premiere of his new music video for "Steam Dream", which was directed by the acclaimed Ben Fee (The Lumineers, "Ho Hey"). The Andy Clockwise brand of "schizo pop" is assuredly on display on his forthcoming album War Stories. The album, darker and more refined, digs deeper than any of his releases to date; Clockwise describes it as an album about "the wars we put each other through…a electro-folk-pop musical ode to dysfunctionality. It's about us all being honest and full of s#*t at the same time". War Stories is slated for release in mid-2013. The first single "Steam Dream" is available now.
Los Angeles is a city brimming with opportunity. When Philadelphia native and established music composer Dan Mufson moved to LA in 2011 he quickly realized that in this city creative minds often meet at opportune moments. Every name and every phone number increases the odds of achieving a goal, or helping someone with theirs. Dan likened the process to a scavenger hunt. When he first heard the enchanting voice of Jill Lamoureux -- herself a Wichita, Kansas transplant -- he knew he needed to work with her. So he called Jill the very next day and invited her to his studio to lend her voice to project he was producing. The multi-instrumentalist producer and the jazz/folk singer enjoyed the writing process so much they decided to collaborate on a recording project. For Dan and Jill, the Scavenger Hunt led them to one another. Now the duo are forging an exciting, dreamy electro-pop sound that is attracting listeners on both coasts. Less than 48 hours after releasing their debut single "Lost" it was played on University Of Pennsylvania's WXPN. Since then, the track has received blog acceptance by Pigeons and Planes, Indie Shuffle and The Burning Ear. Scavenger Hunt's first EP is slated for a 2014 release.
The duo make their debut with the single "Lost". Stay tuned for their EP in early 2014.
Off Sale
Upcoming Events
Bootleg Bar
- Sorry, there are currently no upcoming events.


text:
Thursday, July 17, 2008
this made me pee my pants at my desk this morning.
8 comments:
- Precie said...
OMG! Unbelievable.
What a way to retell the "I think I can, I think I can" story. ;)
- Thursday, July 17, 2008 12:18:00 PM
- JES said...
What precie said.
On the evidence of your last two posts, MR, you have impeccable taste in Things To Make Us Feel Goofy.
- Thursday, July 17, 2008 12:24:00 PM
- Charles Gramlich said...
Damn! that is amazing. I can only wonder what the crew were feeling. How terrifying, and then exhilirating to come out the other side.
- Thursday, July 17, 2008 12:33:00 PM
- ChrisEldin said...
OMG!!! This is unbelievable! (Wait, Precie just said that.)
Thanks for sharing with us! I love these stories!!
- Thursday, July 17, 2008 7:26:00 PM
- Jennifer L. Griffith said...
Amazing picture story!!!
- Friday, July 18, 2008 12:35:00 AM
- writtenwyrdd said...
I'd heard that tugboats are pretty sturdy and all, but I didn't realize they could be almost fully swamped and recover instead of sink!
- Friday, July 18, 2008 10:18:00 AM
- PMJG said...
That's pretty impressive. I would have worried that the bridge wasn't wide enough to clear the boat (going through sideways!), but it looks like they didn't have a choice as to whether they wanted to try it or not.
- Friday, July 18, 2008 3:22:00 PM
- Jade Park said...
that was so cool--i just forwarded it to three of my friends so that we can pee our pants too!
- Thursday, September 04, 2008 9:28:00 PM


text:
Although she constantly looks like she's got it all together, [lastfm link_type="artist_info"]Jennifer Lopez[/lastfm] is just like the rest of us (Minus the added 0's at the end of #'s in the bank.) She said she really didn't know if she had the energy to come back to Idol.
[photogallerylink id=88036 align=right]
I know, you're probably like me & thinkin "She just sits there & says she likes or doesn't like someone's performance!?" but I believe that she wasn't sure what she'd do.
I'm betting the reportedly HEFTY pay raise helped in her decision to return to the show though. But by the Idol finale, she was dealing with the end of her marriage and said: "I got a little bit tired at the end with everything going on in my life at the time."
Once she had time to step back & reflect, she admitted that Idol was one of the best things she'd ever been involved with and re-signed for another season.


text:
Artist description:
His name is Jesus. And he's been my idol forever. I should be able to draw him by heart, but I guess I have to have more faith on him.
Java Draw Created Jun 16, 2011 338 x 470px Unless noted Copyright 2011 DarkMint.
We encourage you to submit a comment and let the artist know what you think of this drawing. Please log in or join to post a comment.
Post a comment
He is mine also....awesome draw darkmint....5h fav coll ( I can hear the choir singing the song "HE REIGNS" one of my favorite songs)
Powerful imagery. It reminds me that no matter how alone we may feel or how much we seem to be wandering, he's watching over us. Wonderful drawing :) 5 ♥s
Very lovely!
Beautiful Drawing.
5/5 wow thats amazing:)
Beautiful drawing!!! 5/5 fav/collection!


text:
Oil fell to near $97 a barrel Tuesday in Asia, extending nearly a week of losses as signs of sluggish economic growth in the U.S. and Europe foreshadowed tepid demand for crude.
Benchmark oil for June delivery was down 90 cents to $97.04 a barrel at late afternoon Singapore time in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange.
The contract settled down 55 cents at $97.94 in New York on Monday after trading as low as $95.34 per barrel - its cheapest level this year. Brent crude for June delivery was down 78 cents at $112.38 per barrel in London.
Crude has dropped from $106 last week as indicators from major developed economies show they continue to struggle. Last week, the U.S. said factory orders fell in March while the economy added fewer jobs than expected in April. Spain said its economy slipped into recession last quarter as the unemployment rate reached 24 percent.
"While it is easy to malign the European recovery, the latest round of U.S. macro-economic data is troubling in itself," energy trader and consultant The Schork Group said in a report.
If the fall in oil prices continues, prices for crude products such as gasoline should also drop, providing a potential boost for consumer spending.
"The U.S. economy has shown it's incapable of maintaining growth levels when energy prices surge, so we expect growth to remain weak in the midterm and the long-term, unless the current sell-off holds," Schork said.
Data on U.S. crude inventories due for release later Tuesday will provide more information about the strength of demand for oil. Analysts surveyed by Platts, the energy information arm of McGraw-Hill Cos., expect the American Petroleum Institute will report crude supplies rose 2.2 million barrels last week.
"Crude supplies have been generally rising, with increases from Iraq, Libya and the U.S.," said Lawrence Eagles, an oil analyst with J.P. Morgan.
In other energy trading, heating oil was steady at $2.98 per gallon and gasoline futures fell 0.2 cent to $2.97 per gallon. Natural gas added 0.6 cents at $2.34 per 1,000 cubic feet.


text:
Bianchi, Daniela
|born on
|31 January 1942 at 11:00 (= 11:00 AM )
|Rome, Italy, 41n54, 12e29
|MEDT h2e (is daylight saving time)
|Data source
|Astrology data
|10°52' 29°09 Asc. 13°11'
Italian actress, whose best known part was Tatiana Romanova in the 1963 James Bond movie From Russia with Love. Born in Rome, Bianchi was the 1st runner-up in the 1960 Miss Universe contest, where she was also voted Miss Photogenic by the press. Her film career began in 1958. In From Russia with Love her voice was dubbed by Barbara Jefford.
She made a number of French and Italian movies after From Russia with Love, the last being Scacco Internazionale in 1968. One of her later films was Operation Kid Brother (also known as OK Connery and Operation Double 007), which was a James Bond spoof filmed in English (though Bianchi was again dubbed) and starring Sean Connery's brother, Neil Connery. Her only role in an American production was in the Dr. Kildare three-part story "Rome Will Never Leave You." In 1970, she retired from acting to marry a Genoan shipping magnate, with whom she has a son. In 2012 she came back to a small role in the documentary film We're nothing like James Bond.
Source Notes
Bordoni quotes B.C. Vol 4
- Vocation : Beauty : Sex-symbol
- Vocation : Entertainment : Actor/ Actress (Film)


text:
China is on the rise – but US influence in Asia shows no signs of waning
Robert Sutter
YaleGlobal, 22 April 2005
If you are happy clap your hands: Military members of the China's National People's Congress back the anti-secession legislations but the West is concerned. (Photo: Xinhua)
WASHINGTON: Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice's inaugural swing through Asia has brought in its wake another spate of stories about China's growing challenge to US leadership. Despite Rice's strong emphasis on relations with democratic allies as a linchpin of US Asian strategy, one of the United States' long-standing allies – South Korea – boldly stepped aside to claim a role as "balancer" between China and the US-Japan alliance. An Australian opinion poll showed the US trailing behind China in popularity. So, should Washington worry about its slipping leadership?
China has surely made gains. Its sometimes maladroit and disruptive past policies have given way to attempts at broadening common ground that are welcomed by most of its neighbors. Chinese leaders embrace a variety of Asian groupings to the satisfaction of other regional participants. Taken together, these recent developments prompt many media and other commentators to predict Chinese ascendance in Asia at the expense of US leadership, which is seen as mired in problems of its own making notably on account of unilateral policies in Iraq and the broader war on terrorism. However, a careful assessment shows limits of China's influence, and resiliency of US leadership.
China's staggering economic growth is undeniable. China is a manufacturing base and central destination in the burgeoning intra-Asia and international trading networks producing goods, notably for export to developed countries. China's over US$1.1 trillion foreign trade in 2004 involved a processing trade value of over US$600 million; about 60 percent of Chinese exports and 50 percent of Chinese imports involved products made from imported components and materials and sold abroad. 1
China has also embarked on a large-scale development of infrastructure. Already massive investment in fixed assets – plant, property, and infrastructure – increased over 40 percent from early 2003 to early 2004. Capital investment as a share of GDP in 2003 was 43 percent – a level widely seen in both China and abroad as unsustainable but nonetheless continuing for the time being. 2 In Asia, China is a top trader with such key neighbors as South Korea (2004 trade over US$60 billion), Japan (2004 trade including Hong Kong over US$210 billion), Taiwan (2004 trade over US$60 billion), and a number of Southeast Asian countries. 3
However, it would be hasty to assume that China's obvious economic heft accompanies equally influential political and diplomatic influence. Last month, China's image suffered with the passage of a hard-line anti-succession law that worsened relations with Taiwan and increased tension in Asia. The law underlined an important reality – China's approach toward Taiwan, arguably the most important regional issue for China, has failed; and it has fallen to the Bush administration to keep pro-Taiwan independence movement within Beijing's bounds. Other Chinese limitations showed in Sino-Korean disputes over the historical Goguryeo Kingdom; strident pressure against dignitaries from Singapore and other Asian states seeking to visit Taiwan; a tough warning to Australia to stay out of Taiwan military contingencies; growing Sino-Japanese tensions leading to greater official Japanese assertiveness over Taiwan; deepening awareness among Asian manufacturers as to the threat to their markets posed by China; and an inability – despite protracted and extraordinary efforts–to join the upper ranks of donors after last December's Tsunami disaster.
China's geo-economic strategy in Asia also has practical limitations since the country remains very poor, as Chinese leaders themselves admit. China's per capita GDP of over US$1,000 ranks well behind the 100th place in the world. It remains a significant net recipient of foreign aid. 4 China's annual dues to the United Nations are small, and its ability to invest and give aid to Asian neighbors is undercut by strong domestic development priorities. Overall, Chinese investment abroad in 2004 was US$ 3.6 billion, a tiny fraction of world investment and less than 10 percent of the investment flowing into China. 5 China's foreign aid outlays are even smaller.
China's strategic reach and influence in Asia is overshadowed by that of the United States. The United States also remains the most important recipient of finished products exported by China and other Asian manufacturers, and an economic partner of choice and accepted security guarantor for most Asian governments. By US government figures, the United States received between 30 and 40 percent of Chinese exports in 2004. 6 The United States is not a threat to many manufacturers in Asia, whereas rising China is.
Reflecting its limited power, China approaches US leadership in Asia with care. Chinese leaders are loath to devote top priority to marginalizing the US influence in Asia at a time of major internal concerns regarding sustaining economic growth and political stability. At the same time, Chinese leaders have worked for over 50 years to rid their periphery of the great American power presence. The Chinese military continues to devote extraordinary efforts to purchase and develop weapons systems to attack Americans in a Taiwan contingency. China also continues to counter US influence through trade agreements, rhetoric, Asia-only groupings and other means that amount to a soft balancing against the US superpower.
In the view of Chinese officials, the Bush administration appears more prepared than previous US governments to act strongly and effectively in the face of Chinese assertiveness and opposition. In response, Chinese officials in recent years emphasize China's recognition of US dominance in Asia and a determination that its rising stature in Asia not be seen as a threat by the United States.
Elite and public opinion in many Asian countries will likely remain critical of the US government, but Asian governments probably will continue to react pragmatically to American policies, seeking to keep relations on a good foundation. The United States is important for their economic development and the security environment in Asia. They remain wary of rising China and its possible ambitions, and see the United States as a needed counterweight. Even in South Korea, a country swept by anti-US sentiment and pro-China fever in recent years, government officials privately assess that continued South Korean ties with the United States are essential in South Korea's ability to deal effectively with China.
One way to assess the perceived US decline relative to China is to compare the recent situation in Asia with past periods of US decline and rise of other powers. In the last few decades, there have been two notable periods of perceived or actual US decline in Asia. The first was the post Vietnam War period, which saw a marked rise of Soviet military-backed expansion in Asia. The second was in the latter part of the 1980s, when Japan seemed to dominate much of East Asia while the United States seemed unable to compete, even in the US domestic market. In both cases, the perceived US weaknesses turned out to be exaggerated as did the strengths of the newly rising powers. It is unclear if this third major episode of perceived US decline, along with China's rise, is the product of similarly distorted views. What is clear to seasoned observers is that any decline that has taken place in US power relative to China does not compare in scope or importance to the challenge to US power and influence in the 1970s and the late 1980s. The notion of China's rising over a declining America seems greatly exaggerated.
Robert Sutter is Visiting Professor of Asian Affairs, at the School of Foreign Service, Georgetown University. Except where other source materials are noted, this assessment is based on Sutter's most recent book China's Rise in Asia: Promises and Perils (Rowman and Littlefield, 2005).
1 Chinese specialists publicly complain, "We need to find out who is making money on this trade. The answer is not China but rather the multinationals." "China Becomes No 3 Trading Nation," Asia Pulse January 12, 2005 (accessed January 15, 2005 on www.taiwansecurity.org.)
2 Morris Goldstein and Nicholas Lardy, Don't hail China's soft landing too soon. Institute for International Economics, October 5, 2004. "A reheated economy," The Economic Global Agenda, January 25, 2005. China has emerged among the top ranks in the production steel and other metals, cement, ships, cars, electronic goods and textiles; and in the consumption of international raw materials.
3 Comparative Connections, October 2004, January 2005 www.csis.org/pacfor. Paul Blustin, "China passes US in trade with Japan," Washington Post, January 27, 2005, p. E 1.
4 The World Bank and the Asian Development Bank continue to extend loans to China, building on their provision of over US$40 billion in loans to China, though China in recent years has been graduated from receiving loans reserved for the poorest countries. The Japanese aid program has declined to somewhat under US$1 billion of foreign assistance loans annually, and probably will end in a few years "Japan-China," Comparative Connections, January 2005.
5 Owen Brown, "China's direct investment abroad rises 27%," Wall Street Journal, February 8, 2005, p. A 16.
6 China-US Trade Issues, CRS Issue Brief for Congress, updated February 14, 2005.
Rising Dragon and the American Eagle � Part II
Robert Sutter – Yale Global Online
China is on the rise – but US influence in Asia shows no signs of waning


text:
Diana Haddad an actress
Lebanese singer Diana Haddad is currently considering the possibility of entering the acting world through the new film "Shu'ori Nahitak" (My Feelings Towards You) written by Fadwa Mohammad and to be directed by Saleem Al Bazz. The singer stressed that she was very impressed with the script, which she is currently going over.
Diana has given her initial acceptance for the leading role in the film, but the remaining cast has not yet been chosen. The singer is hopeful that her first experience in the acting world will add tremendously to her career.
On a different note, Diana stressed that she refuses to be considered a substitute for Lebanese singer Nancy Ajram after the latter had cancelled her participation at the Doha Musical Festival at the last minute. Diana revealed that the administration of the festival called her three days before her scheduled concert and if they wanted a mere substitute for Nancy they could have brought in anyone from Qatar.
Diana added that when she received her invitation she had consulted with her husband, Suhail Abdoul who is her business manager, and he advised her to accept. Diana noted that she felt it an honor to participate in the festival for the third time in a row and added that she was not a substitute with all do respect to Nancy.
Top Headlines
- Diana Haddad wears the traditional Emirati headscarf as she visits Dubai this week. (Image: Instagram)
- Diana Haddad refuses to be considered a substitute for Nancy Ajram
- Diana Haddad to enter the acting world
- We know what Diana Haddad likes to eat for breakfast! How healthy! (Image: Instagram)
- Diana Haddad in an adorable car selfie with her daughter. (Facebook)


text:
Tuition fees hike: Steer towards the right course
THE steep rise in university tuition fees in England, which was agreed by MPs last week, is likely to make students think carefully about the subjects they choose and the study route they pursue.
This could lead to a greater demand for vocational courses and qualifications such as City & Guilds, OCR and BTEC with their focus on imparting industry-specific skills and preparing people for a career and employment rather than a purely academic approach.
Vocational subjects such as health and fitness, childcare, IT, catering and construction are offered by a growing number of colleges and training providers, many of which have extended the traditional September enrolment date to January.
More than four million vocational qualifications were awarded in 2009 according to independent education body Edge, which is a rise of more than 11 per cent on the previous year.
This is to the delight of the many employers who need people with the job-specific skills that vocational training can deliver.
Three-quarters of small and medium-sized business owners surveyed by Edge saw a mismatch between their organisation's needs and young people's skills.
Many colleges offer vocational courses with a range of entry levels and, in some cases, with part-time or flexible study options undertaken alongside work or other commitments.
Vocational qualifications are designed to allow students to progress to higher grades within a particular industry and take a clearly signed entry-level route into a profession.
The number of higher-level vocational courses, including two-year foundation degrees, has proliferated.
Increasingly they are perceived as a faster and much more affordable alternative to a full-time, three-year university degree course.


text:
*Phone: 314-422-6453*
*Fax: 636-464-1026*
*eMail: email@example.com*
REMEMBER: Due to space limitations some pictures are too small to see - BUT click on any picture to get a screen size view - THEN click on the "back arrow" at the top left of your screen to return to the page you just left!!
202.) THE WHOLE ART OF LEGEDEMAIN, OR HOCUS POCUS IN PERFECTION. BY WHICH THE MEANEST CAPACITY MAY PERFORM THE WHOLE ART WITHOUT A TEACHER. TOGETHER WITH THE USE OF ALL INSTUMENTS BELOGING THERETO. TO WHICH IS NOW ADDED , ABUNDANCE OF NEW AND RARE INVENTIONS, THE LIKE NEVER BEFORE IN PRINT BUT MUCH DESIRED BY MANY. WRITTEN BY H. DEAN. LONDON: PRINTED FOR L. HAWKES AND CO. AND S. CROWDEN, IN PATER-NASTER-ROW, AND R. WARE & CO. ON LUDGATE HILL. 1763, SPECIAL REPRINT OF THE 1763, 6TH ED. LIMITED TO 200 COPIES SIGNED BY THE PUBLISHER OF WHICH THIS IS COPY NUMBER 56. Publ. by Walter B. Graham, 1983, Omaha, Nebraska, brown leatherette bound w/gilt letters, 132+ pp., illust. facsimile copy. Includes the original brochure/order form from the publisher. Like New.......$75.00
53.) OKITO COIN BOX ROUTINES, by Mohammed Bey, publ. by Louis Tannen, 1963, 50 pp., illus. and photos. Good cond..........................$10.00
56.) FRENCH PASTEBOARDS, by Bernard Bilis, publ. by Magical Publications, 1980, 63+pp. Illus. by Eric Lewis, spiral bound.Like New................$10.00
60.) ABBOTT'S MAGIC FOR MAGICIANS, Secrets of Occidental and Oriental Mysteries, by Percy Abbott, priv. publ. 1934, grey wraps, 64 pp. W/frontis. which is marked, illus. Very Good cond...........................$10.00
61.) ABBOTT'S SYMPATHETIC SILK TRICKS, publ. by Abbott's Magic Co. Colon, MI, 2nd Ed., 1947, 7 mimeo pages, illus. stapled. Excellent........................$7.50
65.) TELEVISION CARD MANIPULATIONS, by Ian Adair, publ. by Supreme Magic Co., Devon, N.D., illus plus photos, 55 pp. Excellent cond..........................$8.00
66.) THE WIZARD'S MAGIC BOOK, by Peter Adams, publ. by Whitman Publishing Co., Wisconsin, 1930, illus. 158 pp. Shows some wear......................$12.50
67.) CLOSE-UP TIME WITH DON ALAN, by Don Alan, forword by Bert Allerton, back words by Carl Ballantine. publ. by Ireland Magic Co. 1960 ed. 20 pp. illus. The first booklet by one of the pioneers of close up magic, all of whom seemed to be in Chicago - virtually the "cradle" of modern close up magic. Excellent cond...............$8.50
68.) PRETTY SNEAKY, by Don Alan, publ. by Ireland Publications, 1956, illus. 48 pp. One of the very first offerings from the "Jay & Francis Marshall" alliance after the passing of Laurie Ireland. INSCRIBED AND AUTOGRAPHED BY DON ALAN. Slight mark on front cover otherwise Excellent!!.....................$40.00
70.) PARTY - TRIX ALA CARTE, #2 of The Inner Circle Series, by Howard Albright, Eddie Clever, et al. Publ. by Unique Magic Studio, Albany, NY. 1936, 16 mimeo pages, stapled, green wraps. Some ez tricks and gags for the life of the party!!! Fair.......$4.00
73.) GET YOUR ACT TOGETHER, by James Alburger, publ. by Chuck Martinez Productions, San Diego, CA, 1978, 149 pp, spiral bound, illus. "Producing An Effective Magic Act To Music". Covers stained...................$4.50
Some Periodicals:
74.)" THE GEN", publ. by - and House Organ of (Jack Hughes and) Harry Stanley Studio of Unique Magic. 1945 - 1970. London, England. A complete file of the issues - Vol. 1 #1/2/3 (which is a reprint of the original mimeographed #'s 1,2 & 3 as these have always been relatively scarce) to Vol. 26. Included are 68 pages of Supplements - Mostly mimeo and of various sizes - includes Ken Brookes' "In And Around The Studio", "Notes to Subscribers", etc. Almost all the content of these supplements is advertising. Complete file. This was a "hot" publication in the 50's and especially the 60's. With Lewis Ganson as the editer/contributor and an emphasis on Close-Up Magic, it was the pulse of Magic in Great Britain and chronicled the British style of presentation to American Magicians. The file is beautifully and professionally bound in an attractive light tan cloth-24 volumes. All the Supplements are loose and separate.. I leave it to you to decide how scarce this file is!!!....$600.00
81.) MAGIC MARKET, The Monthly Buyer's Guide For Magicians. Steve Ducri, Worcester, Mass. COMPLETE FILE OF ALL 11 ISSUES. Vol.1 #1 - July, 1972 to Vol.2 #3 - Mar., 1974. Loaded with ads and critiques on all phases of Magic. Beautifully and professionally bound in black cloth w/gilt letters.........................$25.00
240.) THE SERVANTE, "NORTH AMERICA'S NEWEST AND BEST MAGIC QUARTERLY".Feb., 1992 to 1993, David Wilson, Calgary, Canada. Vol.1, #1 (publisher's photocopy as only 100 copies issued) plus Servante dealer's letter and issue. Issue # 2, 3, and 4. Includes promo flyer. Have no idea if this is complete or there were more!..................$30.00
84.) MANDRAKE THE MAGICIAN AND THE FLAME PEARLS, from the famous comic strip by Lee Falk & Phil Davis, publ. by King Features Syndicate, Inc. 1946. A "Better Little Book". 3 1/2" X 4 1/2" with pict. board covers, 346+pp. Pages alternate between a printed page and a cartoon illustration throughout book. Shows slight wear but tight and Very Good condition. We grew up on this comic strip and loved it!!!................$15.00
169.) MODERN COIN MAGIC, by J. B. Bobo, publ. by Carl W. Jones, Publisher, tan cloth bound, w/dj, 358+ pp., profusely illust., 1ST EDITION, 1952, INSCRIBED AND AUTOGRAPHED BY BOBO. Dj shows wear and faded, book Excellent....$35.00
170.) WATCH THIS ONE !, by J. B. Bobo, publ. by Lloyd E. Jones, Oakland, blue pict cloth bound, 124 pp., illust., 1947. Some coin tricks but mostly very practical effects with cards, keys, etc. in this, Bobo's first book. EXCELLENT condition.............$15.00
171.) A LIFETIME OF DECEPTION. REMINISCENCES OF A MAGICIAN, by Major L. H. Branson, publ. by Robert Hale Limited, London, maroon cloth bound, 209 pp., 1953. From the author of "Indian Magic" comes his experiences as a Magician and a military man in India and England. Shows some wear and slightly spotted.......... $25.00
More to come!!


text:
The older I get, the more I like certain foods. For instance, 3 years ago you wouldn't catch me eating olives. Now I am crazy for them. Same thing with nuts. I've been indifferent toward them most of my life, but now I crave them. I'm especially fond of toasted pecans. What I'm leading up to here is that I'm really just starting to like pumpkin. It started off with the introduction of pumpkin chocolate chip cookies then just sort of took off. I've been eating pumpkin in everything from soup to enchiladas to pasta. As for sweets, bring it on. Is it me, or is pumpkin turning up in more places than usual this year? Is this purely seasonal or is pumpkin the next big thing? Eh, probably seasonal. Thanksgiving is in a week so all this pumpkin hoo-ha is to be expected I suppose.
Anyhoo. The cookie recipe I'm posting today comes from our good friends at Kraft, Or as Todd would like to say "Big Food". Kraft's clever home economists came up with a pretty darn good pumpkin bar which in my opinion, is much better than a slice of pumpkin pie. I followed the directions as stated, but threw some chocolate chips into the streusel topping part just for fun.


text:
Engaging The Soul of Youth Culture is outstanding at representing solidly Reformed kingdom theology, with all the covenant ramifications, plus an up-to-date understanding of the rising generation.
Why Should I Study Church History and Tradition?
God has given us his Word as his revealed will, but has also given us hundreds of years of church history to help us better understand and apply his Word to our life and world. The Apostles passed on that tradition to the early church and through the church to us today. We do not worship in a time warp. We are not existentialists only focusing on the present moment. As evangelical and reformed Christians, we realize that we worship with saints of all the ages and we stand on the shoulders of giants of the faith who have preceded us.
Pocket History of Theology
Not only does this concise view of the development of the church's theology help us to see how God has worked through his church in its seeking to understand and articulate the biblical faith, but how that unfolding process has brought us to where we are today.
Ryken's Bible Handbook, A Guide to Reading and Studying the Bible
In this handbook each book of the Bible is outlined with information such as: implied purposes, author's perspectives, implied audience, what unifies the book, special features of each particular book, challenges facing the reader or teacher of the book and how to meet that challenge.
Isaiah: God Saves Sinners
Our needs go deeper than the remedies on sale in the marketplace of ideas today. Whether you are a believer or an unbeliever, wouldn't you agree that the 'solution of the riddle of life in space and time lies outside space and time?'
Genesis: A Commentary
As you read the biblical book of Genesis and use a tool such as Waltke's commentary, you will have a much greater appreciation for God's covenant faithfulness, a better feel for God's sovereignty and man's responsibility, and God's universal and mediatorial Kingdoms in which he blesses the nations.This commentary should be in your library and at the top of the list for Genesis.


text:
Forgot your password? Enter the email address you signed up with and we will send you a link to create a new password.
Your password reset has been submitted to the address provided.
Words, letters, and/or numbers in stylized form
providing services and products directed to fire retardant and sound dampening insulation products
Business in Greenville, SC


text:
Unplggd's Sales Calendar: Widescreen LCDs, Apple Coupons, And More!
Man, where's the sun gone these days? It's usually melting around this time in the Bay Area, but this year's been rather lacking. Deals, on the other hand, are just a click away. We'll be firing up our Sales and Events Calendar back up again during these next few months, so keep posted every Wednesday as we hunt the Interweb for the juiciest deals to brighten up your week!
- ASUS VW246H Black 24" 2ms(GTG) HDMI LCD - $196
- Hitachi 0A38016 1TB SATA Hard Drive w/ coupon (ZZFHT805) - $70
- Get 3% off Apple MacBook Pro Laptops w/ coupon (DEALNEWSMWB21598) (Exp 6/30) - Click here
- Save as much as $100 OFF on Mac Software - Click here
- 13.3" MacBook Air 1.8GHz/64GB/SSD - $1099.99 (was $2594)
- Omnimount POWER40 Medium Motorized LCD Mount - $129.00 (was $399.95)
- M-Audio Recording Studio Equipment - $50 + $5 S&H (Sweet Woot-off!)
- Netgear RangeMax WNDR3300 802.11n Dual-Band Wireless N Router (Refurb) w/ coupon (EMCLTLN62) (Exp 6/8) - $33.99 FS (DD-WRT compatible goodness)
- Dyson DC15 Animal Vacuum - $399.99 FS (was $499.95)
Advertisers and stores, if you'd like to reach over 2.5 million unique visitors per month, please contact us.


text:
Agricultural productivity convergence across Europe and the United States of America
This paper applies time series techniques to test for convergence in agricultural total factor productivity among the USA and a sample of nine European countries for the period 1973-1993. The data set used in this paper obtained from Ball et al. (2001). The wide spectrum of unit root test results obtained in the present study support the presence of convergence among the sample countries.
If you experience problems downloading a file, check if you have the proper application to view it first. In case of further problems read the IDEAS help page. Note that these files are not on the IDEAS site. Please be patient as the files may be large.
As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to look for a different version under "Related research" (further below) or search for a different version of it.
Volume (Year): 12 (2005)
Issue (Month): 7 ()
Pages: 443-446
|Contact details of provider:
| Web page: http://www.tandfonline.com/RAEL20
|Order Information:
|Web: http://www.tandfonline.com/pricing/journal/RAEL20
References listed on IDEAS
Please report citation or reference errors to , or , if you are the registered author of the cited work, log in to your RePEc Author Service profile, click on "citations" and make appropriate adjustments.:
- Bernard, Andrew B & Jones, Charles I, 1996.
"Productivity across Industries and Countries: Time Series Theory and Evidence,"
The Review of Economics and Statistics,
MIT Press, vol. 78(1), pages 135-146, February.
- Bernard, A.B. & Jones, C.I., 1993. "Productivity Across Industries and Countries: Time Series Theory and Evidence," Working papers 93-17, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Department of Economics.
- Kaddour Hadri, 2000. "Testing for stationarity in heterogeneous panel data," Econometrics Journal, Royal Economic Society, vol. 3(2), pages 148-161.
- Kaddour Hadri, 1999. "Testing For Stationarity In Heterogeneous Panel Data," Research Papers 1999_04, University of Liverpool Management School.
- Tom Doan, "undated". "HADRI: RATS procedure to implement Hadri test for unit roots in panel data," Statistical Software Components RTS00084, Boston College Department of Economics.
- Michael Happich & Kurt Geppert, 2003. "A note on regional convergence within the EU," Applied Economics Letters, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 10(8), pages 523-525.
- Im, Kyung So & Pesaran, M. Hashem & Shin, Yongcheol, 2003. "Testing for unit roots in heterogeneous panels," Journal of Econometrics, Elsevier, vol. 115(1), pages 53-74, July.
- Pasaran, M.H. & Im, K.S. & Shin, Y., 1995. "Testing for Unit Roots in Heterogeneous Panels," Cambridge Working Papers in Economics 9526, Faculty of Economics, University of Cambridge.
- Tom Doan, "undated". "IPSHIN: RATS procedure to implement Im, Pesaran and Shin panel unit root test," Statistical Software Components RTS00098, Boston College Department of Economics.
- Harris, Richard D. F. & Tzavalis, Elias, 1999. "Inference for unit roots in dynamic panels where the time dimension is fixed," Journal of Econometrics, Elsevier, vol. 91(2), pages 201-226, August.
- Tom Doan, "undated". "HTUNIT: RATS procedure to implement Harris-Tzavalis unit root test for panel data," Statistical Software Components RTS00092, Boston College Department of Economics.
- Suzanne McCoskey, 2002. "Convergence in Sub-Saharan Africa: a nonstationary panel data approach," Applied Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 34(7), pages 819-829.
- V. Ball & Jean-Christophe Bureau & Jean-Pierre Butault & Richard Nehring, 2001. "Levels of Farm Sector Productivity: An International Comparison," Journal of Productivity Analysis, Springer, vol. 15(1), pages 5-29, January.
- Levin, Andrew & Lin, Chien-Fu & James Chu, Chia-Shang, 2002. "Unit root tests in panel data: asymptotic and finite-sample properties," Journal of Econometrics, Elsevier, vol. 108(1), pages 1-24, May.
- Tom Doan, "undated". "LEVINLIN: RATS procedure to perform Levin-Lin-Chu test for unit roots in panel data," Statistical Software Components RTS00242, Boston College Department of Economics.
- Badi H. Baltagi & Chihwa Kao, 2000. "Nonstationary Panels, Cointegration in Panels and Dynamic Panels: A Survey," Center for Policy Research Working Papers 16, Center for Policy Research, Maxwell School, Syracuse University. Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)This information is provided to you by IDEAS at the Research Division of the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis using RePEc data.


text:
|Decision Information
Docket Number:
Case Title:
Decision Type:
Deciding Body:
|Director Of Proceedings
|Decision Summary
Decision Notes:
|Decision Attachments
|Approximate download time at 28.8 kb: 62 Seconds
| Note:
If you do not have Acrobat Reader, or if you have problems reading our files with your current version of Acrobat Reader, the latest version of Acrobat Reader is available free at www.adobe.com.
|Full Text of Decision
Docket No. AB 290 (Sub-No. 336X)
Decided: October 23, 2012.
Norfolk Southern Railway Company (NSR) filed a verified notice of exemption under 49 C.F.R. pt. 1152 subpart F—Exempt Abandonments and Discontinuances of Service to abandon approximately 6.30 miles of rail line (the Eastern Line Segment) located in Lake County, Ind., and Cook County, Ill., and to discontinue service over a contiguous line segment of approximately 1.2 miles (the Western Line Segment) located in Cook County, Ill. [1] The roughly 6.30-mile Eastern Line Segment extends from milepost JH 12.80 (near the Eastern Line Segment's crossing of Eagle Ridge Drive) in Schererville, Ind., to milepost JH 19.10 (near the Eastern Line Segment's crossing of Cottage Grove Avenue) in Ford Heights, Ill. The roughly 1.2-mile Western Line Segment extends from milepost JH 19.10 (near Cottage Grove Avenue) in Ford Heights, Ill., to milepost JH 20.30 (near State Street) in Chicago Heights, Ill. NSR stated that it filed the notice of exemption to facilitate the construction by Canadian National Railway Company (CN) and Elgin, Joliet & Eastern Railway (EJ&E) of a grade separation over U.S. Route 30, a project upon which the Board conditioned its approval of CN's acquisition of control of EJ&E[2] and which is in close proximity to the Line. Notice of the exemption was served and published in the Federal Register on September 24, 2012 (77 Fed. Reg. 58,909). The exemption is scheduled to become effective on October 24, 2012.
The Board's Office of Environmental Analysis (OEA) served an environmental assessment (EA) in this proceeding on September 28, 2012. In the EA, OEA recommends that two conditions be imposed on any decision granting abandonment authority. First, due to concerns about impacts from grading or excavation activities and the disposal of solid and hazardous waste, OEA recommends that, prior to commencement of any salvage activities, NSR be required to consult with the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency, Division of Pollution Control regarding National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permit requirements.
Second, OEA indicated in the EA that NSR served a copy of the historic report on the Illinois and Indiana State Historic Preservation Officers (SHPO(s)), pursuant to 49 C.F.R. § 1105.8(c). The Illinois SHPO submitted comments stating that no historic properties would be affected by the proposed abandonment, but OEA had not heard from the Indiana SHPO and therefore had not been able to consider the Indiana SHPO's opinion before determining whether the proposed project could affect historic properties. Accordingly, OEA recommended that NSR be required to retain its interest in and take no steps to alter the historic integrity of all historic properties in Indiana including sites, buildings, structures, and objects within the project right-of-way (the Area of Potential Effect) eligible for listing or listed in the National Register of Historic Places until the Section 106 process of the National Historic Preservation Act, 16 U.S.C. § 470f (NHPA), has been completed.
Comments on the EA were due by October 12, 2012. OEA received two comments. On September 27, 2012, NSR submitted a letter from the Indiana SHPO stating that the SHPO had not identified any historic buildings, structures, districts, or objects listed in or eligible for inclusion in the National Register of Historic Places within the area of the proposed abandonment. The Indiana SHPO also stated that no archeological investigations appear necessary. Accordingly, OEA concluded that the Board has satisfied its responsibilities under Section 106 of the NHPA in this proceeding, and OEA recommends that the Board not impose the Section 106 condition.
On October 12, 2012, NSR submitted electronic correspondence from the National Geodetic Survey (NGS) stating that NGS had identified one geodetic station marker that may be located in the area of the proposed abandonment. Thus, OEA recommends in the final EA that a condition be imposed requiring NSR to consult with NGS and notify NGS at least 90 days prior to beginning salvage activities that will disturb or destroy any geodetic station markers. Accordingly, the conditions recommended by OEA in the EA and final EA as discussed above will be imposed.
In the EA, OEA states that the right-of-way may be suitable for other public use following abandonment and salvage of the Line. On October 1, 2012, Openlands (a non-profit corporation) filed a letter on behalf of itself and several other entities[3] (collectively, the Trail Proponents), requesting the issuance of a notice of interim trail use (NITU) under the National Trails System Act, 16 U.S.C. § 1247(d) (Trails Act) and 49 C.F.R. § 1152.29 for the Eastern Line Segment. By letter filed October 9, 2012, NSR stated that it was not willing to negotiate an interim trail use agreement for the Eastern Line Segment.
The Trail Proponents' request for a NITU will not be granted. NSR has indicated that it is not willing to negotiate with the Trail Proponents for interim trail use. Under the Trails Act, only voluntary interim trail use is permitted between the railroad and the trail sponsor. The Board's authority to impose trail use conditions is limited because the Board's role under the Trails Act is largely ministerial, see Citizens Against Rails-to-Trails v. STB, 267 F.3d 1144, 1151-52 (D.C. Cir. 2001), and the trail use program is voluntary and consensual between the railroad and the trail user, see Rail Abans.―Use of Rights-of-Way as Trails, 2 I.C.C.2d 591, 598 (1986). Because NSR does not consent to interim trail use/rail banking negotiations, the Board cannot issue a NITU in this proceeding.
The Trail Proponents also request the imposition of a 180-day public use condition under 49 U.S.C. § 10905 for the Eastern Line Segment. The Trail Proponents requested that NSR be prohibited from disposing of the corridor, other than tracks, ties, and signal equipment, except for public use on reasonable terms, and that NSR be barred from removing or destroying potential trail-related structures, such as bridges, trestles, culverts, and tunnels, for a 180-day period from the effective date of the abandonment. The Trail Proponents' justification for its request is that the Eastern Line Segment would make possible the extension of the existing 21.5-mile Old Plank Road Trail in Illinois, and could provide connections to the Pennsy Greenway and Erie-Lackawanna in Indiana, thus expanding recreational and functional transportation opportunities in the area. The Trail Proponents state that the 180-day period is needed to complete negotiations with NSR.
On October 9, 2012, NSR filed a response in opposition to the Trail Proponents' request. NSR expresses concern that imposition of a public use condition could interfere with plans to utilize a portion of the Line for the U.S. Route 30 grade separation project. NSR requests that, if the Board grants the request for a public use condition, it should not endorse one particular public purpose over another and should include language making clear that the public use condition is consistent with and is not intended to interfere with or delay plans to use a portion of the Eastern Line Segment's right-of-way for the rail-highway grade separation project. On October 10, 2012, CN filed a letter in support of NSR's request. On October 16, 2012, the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) filed a letter opposing the Trail Proponents' request for a public use condition, but stating that, if the Board does grant the request for a public use condition and if the parties were able to reach an agreement to utilize the right-of-way as a recreational trail, IDOT would endeavor to make a portion of the property it acquired from NSR for the construction of the U.S. Route 30 overpass available to allow the recreational trail to be a continuing uninterrupted one. On October 16, 2012, the Trail Proponents filed a letter stating that they have no desire to delay or cause unnecessary costs in connection with the grade separation project and asserting that a public use condition would be entirely compatible with the use of the Eastern Line Segment for the grade separation project.
As an alternative to interim trail use under the Trails Act, the right-of-way may be acquired for public use as a trail under 49 U.S.C. § 10905. See Rail Abans.—Use of Rights-of-Way As Trails, 2 I.C.C.2d 591, 609 (1986). Under § 10905, the Board may prohibit the disposal of rail properties that are proposed to be abandoned and are appropriate for public purposes for a period of not more than 180 days after the effective date of the decision approving or exempting the abandonment.
To justify a public use condition, a party must set forth: (1) the condition sought; (2) the public importance of the condition; (3) the period of time for which the condition would be effective; and (4) justification for the imposition of the period of time requested. See 49 C.F.R. § 1152.28(a)(2). Because the Trail Proponents have satisfied these requirements, a 180-day public use condition will be imposed, limited as described below, commencing from the October 24, 2012 effective date of the exemption. The public use condition does not endorse one particular public purpose over another. A public use condition is not imposed for the benefit of any one potential purchaser, but rather to provide an opportunity for any interested person to acquire the right-of-way that has been found suitable for public purposes, including trail use. NSR is not required to deal exclusively with the Trail Proponents, but may engage in negotiation with other interested persons.
While the Board typically does not impose further limitations on a public use condition, the limitations requested by NSR here would facilitate the implementation of another condition that the Board imposed upon its approval of CN's acquisition of control of EJ&E. [4] Moreover, all the parties, including both NSR and the Trail Proponents, appear to be amenable to negotiating for public use with the limitations that NSR has requested. Therefore, the Board will impose a public use condition for the Eastern Line Segment, subject to the further limitations that the condition be consistent with and not interfere with or delay plans to use a portion of the Eastern Line Segment for the U.S. Route 30 grade separation project.
As conditioned, this decision will not significantly affect either the quality of the human environment or the conservation of energy resources.
It is ordered:
1. This proceeding is reopened.
2. The Trail Proponents' request for issuance of a NITU is denied.
3. The Trail Proponents' request for imposition of a public use condition is granted, subject to the limitations that it be consistent with and not interfere with or delay plans to use a portion of the Eastern Line Segment for the U.S. Route 30 grade separation project. Consistent with the public use condition imposed in this decision, NSR may discontinue service and salvage track and related materials. NSR shall keep intact the right-of-way, including bridges, trestles, culverts, and tunnels, for a period of 180 days commencing from the October 24, 2012 effective date of the exemption (until April 22, 2013), to enable any state or local government agency, or other interested person, to negotiate the acquisition of the Eastern Line Segment for public use.
4. NSR's exemption is also subject to the conditions that: (1) prior to commencement of any salvage activities, NSR shall consult with the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency, Division of Pollution Control regarding National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permit requirements; and (2) NSR shall consult with NGS and notify NGS at least 90 days prior to beginning salvage activities that will disturb or destroy any geodetic station markers.
5. This decision is effective on its date of service.
By the Board, Rachel D. Campbell, Director, Office of Proceedings.
[1] The Eastern Line Segment and the Western Line Segment, which are commonly known as the Hartsdale Industrial Track, will be referred to collectively as the Line.
[2] Canadian Nat'l Ry. and Grand Trunk Corp.—Control—EJ&E W. Co., FD 35087 (STB served Dec. 24, 2008).
[3] The Town of Schererville, the Town of Dyer, the Village of Park Forest, the Village of Lynwood, the Forest Preserve District of Will County, the Forest Preserve District of Cook County, the Illinois Department of Natural Resources (public agencies), together with the Northwestern Indiana Regional Planning Commission, the South Suburban Mayors and Managers Association, Folks on Spokes Bicycle Club, League of Illinois Bicyclists, Trails for Illinois, and the Old Plank Road Trail Management Commission
[4] Canadian Nat'l Ry. and Grand Trunk Corp.—Control—EJ&E W. Co., FD 35087 (STB served Dec. 24, 2008).


text:
Subscribe To Topics You're Interested In
I've already subscribed
I thought this crap was finished? It's like that old cop with two days left to retire who gets called out on one last routine dispatch only to find that it's a clusterfail of mammoth proportions and a big shootout ensues...and well, you know the rest, just watch any action movie from the 80s or 90s. Anyway, what started as a simple patch update for Diablo III has turned into another massive fail involving the Real-Money Auction House.
There were two things that peeved off a lot of gamers involving Blizzard's Diablo III launch last year 1:) The always-on DRM that forced people to stay online in order to play the single-player. 2:) The Real-Money Auction House, which is basically an unregulated gambling den that, surprise-surprise, operates on real money.
Neither of the two peeves have been resolved and most Diablo players have learned to live with them. However, just about all the big issues with the game either stem from or revolve around the always-on DRM or the RMAH, and in this case, the RMAH is at the center of attention after an exploit allowed users to generate infinite gold and make REAL money off of the counterfeit money by selling it at under-the-market value on the RMAH.
Just for reference, if someone sold gold for the maximum allowed RMAH value to just four people, they would net $1,000 selling digitally counterfeit money. Diablo III sold 12 million copies, so as you can imagine, counterfeiters could have made a nice chunk of cash from this exploit.
Blizzard effectively shutdown both the Gold Auction House and the Real-Money Auction House, as noted in an official blog post on the forums...
We are still in the process of reviewing all of Tuesday's transactions and need to keep the Auction House offline for a while longer to complete our audit. At this time, we will not be able to bring the Auction House online by 10:00 a.m. PDT. We're re-evaluating required downtime, and will provide another update by 12:00 p.m. PDT.
For now, both auction houses are offline indefinitely, until Blizzard can filter and sift out each and every exploited transaction that occurred this past Tuesday on May 7th. The problem comes in with the finer details, though: how do you handle exploited transactions that involve someone's real money from the RMAH? If someone bought a gazillion in-game gold with $300 real USD, you can't just make that void, roll the purchase back or take the items away. That's someone's real money.
As noted on Blues News, those threatening a class-action lawsuit are just one of many fringe groups Blizzard is dealing with, including those petitioning for a roll-back (which would most certainly work against the better interest of RMAH users), some claiming to ban all those who participated in the exploit or transactions involving the exploit, others are simply asking for no more auction houses at all, and a few are telling everyone to stop asking for petitions and lawsuits. Oh yeah, there is also one or two insurgent threads going on about an offline mode...sorry guys, you 1% offliners will just have to buy the PS3/PS4 version of Diablo III if you don't want to be treated like a Harlem prostitute.
As an aside, I should just note that this instance, no matter how it resolves itself, will never end with Diablo III and the RMAH. Dealing with a real-money market with no oversight save for that provided by Blizzard means that they can do with your money whatever they want. However it plays out, gamers are the real losers whenever it comes to Diablo III and the RMAH.
Subscribe To Topics You're Interested In


text:
ePuzzles |
Newsletter |
Tell a Friend |
Posters |
Links |
Link to Us
Sign up to receive the latest
deals every day
SmartBargains makes it
easy to find the best deal. Their buyers search all over the
world to find the highest quality products at the best prices.
They carry everything for your home, bed, and bath as well as
clothing for men and women, jewelry and shoes all at bargain
Copyright 2001-2007
Smartbargains coupons, Smartbargains coupon, Smartbargains coupon codes


text:
Independent advice combined with sound experience
The VAT Consultancy, which was established by John Crawford in 1991, is the country's leading independent dedicated VAT and customs duty practice, giving best advice on all aspects of UK and international indirect tax matters.
Our consultants have varied backgrounds, having worked for HMRC, the Big 4 and also within VAT teams in industry, both in the UK and overseas. We feel this provides us with a unique insight into the way in which VAT and customs duty impacts businesses and importantly how to provide pragmatic solutions that add value.
The VAT Consultancy was voted 'Best Indirect Tax Team' in the Taxation Awards 2015, 'Highly Commended Runner Up' in the Indirect Tax Awards 2013 and 'Best Tax Team in a Boutique Firm' at the Taxation Awards in 2009.
We are regularly called upon to provide specialist commentary on VAT issues for international and national media, having appeared on the BBC News Channel and BBC Radio 5 Live.


text:
by Portfolio Grader | November 30, 2012 3:08 pm
This week, three Machinery stocks are improving their overall rating on Portfolio Grader[1]. Each of these rates an "A" ("strong buy") or "B" overall ("buy").
L.B. Foster (NASDAQ:FSTR[2]) is bumping up its rating from a C ("hold") to a B ("buy") this week. L. B. Foster manufactures, fabricates, and distributes rail and trackwork piling, highway products, earth wall systems, and tubular products. Shares of FSTR have increased 12.7% over the past month, better than the 1.2% increase the Nasdaq has seen over the same period of time. For more information, get Portfolio Grader's complete analysis of FSTR stock[3].
Oshkosh (NYSE:OSK[4]) improves from a C to a B rating this week. Oshkosh designs, manufactures and markets fire and emergency apparatuses and specialty commercial and military trucks. Wall Street seems to agree with the upgrade and has propelled the stock up 5.5% over the past month. For more information, get Portfolio Grader's complete analysis of OSK stock[5].
Wabtec's (NYSE:WAB[6]) ratings are looking better this week, moving up to a B from last week's C. Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies is a provider of value-added, technology-based products and services for the global rail industry. For more information, get Portfolio Grader's complete analysis of WAB stock[7].
Louis Navellier's proprietary Portfolio Grader[8] stock ranking system assesses roughly 5,000 companies every week based on a number of fundamental and quantitative measures. Stocks are given a letter grade based on their results — with A being "strong buy," and F being "strong sell." Explore the tool here[9].
Source URL: https://investorplace.com/2012/11/3-machinery-stocks-to-buy-now-fstr-osk-wab/
Short URL: http://invstplc.com/1fqJroj
Copyright ©2017 InvestorPlace Media, LLC. All rights reserved. 700 Indian Springs Drive, Lancaster, PA 17601.


text:
With Rob turning 25 today, I entered his birthday into a Birthday Calculator and it told me some highly amusing "facts" about this very special day - here are some of my faves:
Your date of conception was on or about 20 August 1985 which was a Tuesday. <--- TMI, Pattzrents
Your fortune cookie reads:
You are very expressive and positive in words, act and feeling.
Life Path Compatibility:
You are most compatible with those with the Life Path numbers 3, 6 & 9.
You should get along well with those with the Life Path numbers 2, 4, 8, 11 & 22.
You are least compatible with those with the Life Path numbers 1, 5 & 7. <--- Out of interest I searched Kristen's birthday too... she's a 5 - eeek!
The year 1986 was not a leap year.
You were born in the Chinese year of the Tiger. <--- Rawr!
Your Native American Zodiac sign is Beaver <--- *snicker*
As of 5/13/2011 2:20:04 PM EDTDarius Rucker (1966)Stephen Colbert (1964)Dennis Rodman (1961)Stevie Wonder (1950)Ritchie Valens (1941)Harvey Keitel (1939)Beatrice Arthur (1923)Joe Louis (1914)Arthur Sullivan (1842)
You are 25 years old.
You are 300 months old.
You are 1,304 weeks old.
You are 9,131 days old.
You are 219,158 hours old.
You are 13,149,500 minutes old.
You are 788,970,004 seconds old.
Celebrities who share your birthday:
Samantha Morton (1977)
Top songs of 1986
That's What Friends Are For by Dionne & Friends
Walk Like an Egyptian by Bangles
On My Own by Patti LaBelle & Michael McDonald
Greatest Love of All by Whitney Houston
Stuck with You by Huey Lewis & the News
Rock Me Amadeus by Falco <--- bahahah, Adventureland flashback!
Kyrie by Mr. MisterKiss by Prince & the Revolution
Papa Don't Preach by Madonna
How Will I Know by Whitney Houston
Your age is the equivalent of a dog that is 3.57377690802348 years old. (Life's just a big chewy bone for you!) <--- Not a LB edit!
Your lucky day is Friday. <--- oh really?!
Today is not one of your lucky days! <--- WTF?!
There are 366 days till your next birthday
on which your cake will have 26 candles.
Those 26 candles produce 26 BTUs,
or 6,552 calories of heat (that's only 6.5520 food Calories!) .
You can boil 2.97 US ounces of water with that many candles.
#HappyBdayRob :)
- Lorabell


text:
Competitions, awards, grants, loans, research, residencies and internships for professional and graduate student pharmacists.
Centers of Excellence (COE) - COE grants assist health professions schools to support programs of excellence in health professions education for minority individuals in health profession programs, including pharmacy COE strengthens the national capacity to train students from minority groups that are under-represented in these health professions and build a more diverse healthcare workforce.
Health Careers Opportunity Program (HCOP) - HCOP grants increase the number of individuals from disadvantaged backgrounds in the health and allied health professions, including pharmacy. HCOP enhances the academic skills of students from disadvantaged backgrounds and supports them in successfully competing, entering and graduating from health professions training programs.
Last updated on: 1/28/2016 4:03 PM


text:
A committee of the Republican-dominated Arkansas house overwhelmingly approved a resolution supporting the state's constitutional ban against same-sex marriage, as well as the federal Defense of Marriage Act, which the Supreme Court is set to decide on the constitutionality of soon.
With no discussion or roll call, the resolution passed Friday morning. It was put forth by GOP Rep. Jim Dotson of Bentonville, the home of the Wal-Mart corporation. The Arkansas Times notes that the resolution was in shell form but passed anyway, saying, with snark, that "some things are just instinctive for the legislature, of course. Guns and tax cuts good. Women's rights and homosexuality, bad."


text:
Indy champ Tony Kanaan doesn't get checkered flag in Hurricane Harbor's new Wahoo Racer 500
Six Flags Hurricane Harbor christened its newest attraction, the Wahoo Racer 500, on Tuesday with a race featuring Arlington city officials and defending Indianapolis 500 champ Tony Kanaan.
The new slide features six "racing lanes" that start out as spiraling tubes before straightening out into speed drops. Riders go prone on what the park calls "aero-dynamically designed water toboggans," neoprene mats with the front edge curled up to accommodate handles for riders to grasp.
The new attraction replaces three that shared a platform tower on the park's western edge: the Bubba Tub, the Blue Niagra and the Kamikaze. The Kamikaze was the same type of slide as the new attraction, but it could accommodate only two riders on straight slides that featured plateaus and drops on the way down.


text:
Special Order
You have until Feb 1, 2018 to return or exchange items bought after Nov 1, 2017. All other standard return policyzxdyqwyrsrxwscuaqqcfwfsfbrtsfcarta conditions apply.
Show MoreLess
Now Viewing:
Product Highlights
Color: Sage
Special Order
Special Order
You Pay: $75.00
The Delta End Pocket in sage with tan leather trim from Billingham is designed specifically to fit bags with Delta shoulder sling hardware, such as their 225, 307, 335, 445, or 555 models, and will also fit onto a waist belt. It is made from durable FiberNyte canvas and is lightly padded with closed-cell foam. Additionally, it features a drawstring weatherproof neck. The Delta uses a no-crush press stud fastening method, which allows you to slip your fingers behind the flap and close the studs without pressing on the pouch contents.
Exterior: FiberNyte cotton canvas
Interior: Closed-cell foam, polyester lining with StormBlock butyl rubber
|Type of Closure
Press stud fastening
|Exterior Dimensions (WxDxH)
|5.5 x 2.5 x 8.0" (135 x 6.0 x 20.5 cm)
|7.1 oz (201.3 g)
|Packaging Infozxdyqwyrsrxwscuaqqcfwfsfbrtsfcarta
|Package Weight
|0.5 lb
|Box Dimensions (LxWxH)
|8.2 x 6.6 x 3.1"


text:
Steak 'N Shake® Nutrition Facts
Three Pepper Double Steakburger
a Double Steakburger topped with pepperjack cheese, zesty banana pepper rings and spicy Jalapeńo ketchup
Copyright ©2002-2017 dietFacts.com. All rights reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and our Privacy Policy. The material on dietFacts.com may not be reproduced, transmitted or distributed except with prior written permission; contact us here. Items submitted to dietFacts.com become the property of dietFacts.com and may be edited for content and/or length.


text:
Sold for:
Start Free Trial
or Sign In to see what it's worth.
- Sold Date:
- Source: eBay
At auction is a great old RUCKEL'S STONEWARE 2 PIECE CHICKEN FEEDER-WATERER. This vintage feeder is in good condition. It has that wonderful old surface pitted salt glaze. The top has no cracks or breaks. T are a few little chips at the bottom. The base has been repaired. It fits nicely with the top. Please see pictures. This old feeder has been well used and could use a cleaning. I call it Patina and think it looks great as is. The top measures just over 9 inches tall and 8 inches across the bottom. The base is 10 inches across and 2 inches tall. You can read the name in blue very clearly..RUCKEL'S STONEWARE. This old collectible STONEWARE Farm, Poultry feeder and waterer is a super find.
Please read my description very carefully and email me with any questions before bidding. I am not an expert on these vintage items. I do try to describe them as accurately as possible. Making sure you are satisfied and pleased with your purchase is very important to me. These are preowned items and are sold as is found. Insurance is offered at time of payment. I am not responsible for uninsured items. I do take great care in packing each item. Thanks for looking Don't forget to check out my other great auctions


text:
Introduction to Turkey The European country of Turkey is located to the northeast of the Mediterranean Sea. It is bordered by the Black Sea to the north and the Aegean Sea to the west. Turkey's surface area is slightly bigger than that of Texas.In 1964, Turkey became an associate member of the European Community. Over the past decade, it has taken action to strengthen its democracy and ... Read Full Article
Greek History in Rhodes
An island best known as the once home of a Seventh Wonder of the World (The Colossus), Rhodes is popular both for its rich history and its warm weather. Greek ruins and remnants of the Knights Hospitallers fortifications dot the island, while rocky beaches attract numerous tourists seeking sun-related activities like diving and surfing. The island can be accessed by plane or by a short, ... Read Full Article


text:
Organizational Behavior
Robert Nardelli was heavily criticized for his leadership style and methods he used during his tenure as CEO of Home Depot. Using your readings for this week, along with outside research, describe his style of leadership and take a position on whether you think his actions rose to the level of being unethical.
Write a three page paper (excluding the title and reference pages) addressing the following in your paper:
- Clearly describe Robert Nardelli's leadership style in terms of Leadership Theory, incorporating the following theories within your paper:
- Trait Theory
- Behavioral Theory
- Situational and Contingency Theories
- State whether his actions were ethical or unethical.
- Cite the text material and research that support your position.
- Use a minimum of three scholarly sources
Tutor Answer
Brown University
1271 Tutors
California Institute of Technology
2131 Tutors
Carnegie Mellon University
982 Tutors
Columbia University
1256 Tutors
Dartmouth University
2113 Tutors
Emory University
2279 Tutors
Harvard University
599 Tutors
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
2319 Tutors
New York University
1645 Tutors
Notre Dam University
1911 Tutors
Oklahoma University
2122 Tutors
Pennsylvania State University
932 Tutors
Princeton University
1211 Tutors
Stanford University
983 Tutors
University of California
1282 Tutors
Oxford University
123 Tutors
Yale University
2325 Tutors


text:
Nicaragua received an overall score of 10.3, while Guatemala came in last at 7.5 for overall social inclusion.
Both nations are hurt by high levels of poverty and stark inequalities by race, ethnicity, and gender in terms of access to education, jobs, and housing. Guatemala has one of the lowest rates of social spending in the region. One bright note is the sense of personal empowerment that Nicaraguans feel. They rank at No. 3 on that variable. Personal empowerment is a standard measure, drawn from 2010 AmericasBarometer survey data, which is based on the statement: "You feel that you understand the most important political issues of the country."


text: The Black HoleStudio:Disney Year:1979RunTime:97 minutesAspect Ratio:16x9 encoded 2.35:1 OAR Audio:DD 5.1 English, 5.1 DD French, Spanish (mono)Subtitles:English for the hearing impairedSpecialFeatures:Extended Trailer (4x3), Making-of featurette (16 mins)ReleaseDate:August 3, 2004 The Feature... What an ambitious project, and what a bad movie. But for those of us who were of the 1970's generation, movies like this can be enjoyed in the present in a sort of amicable blend of romantic nostalgia and camp fun. But even without the childhood-memory-loyalism (the same loyalism that bonds me to Krull and Beastmaster), Disney's The Black Hole has much to recommend it. While I don't think that the movie succeeds as a take-it-serious "film" by an adult audience, it can still be experienced and enjoyed on many legitimate levels. The Black Hole represents Disney's attempt to capitalize on the Sci-fi momentum of Star Wars which had been released just a few short years before. Though many of the effects shots appear dated (along with visible suspension wires supporting actors and robots in many scenes), Disney Studios did manage to capture a stunning visual language with The Black Hole that was surprisingly original in its look and concept. When you consider the number of effects shots contained in this film (almost every scene it seems), "ambitious" is indeed the word that keeps coming back to me to characterize this endeavor. Extensive use of matte painting delivers some very seamless and dramatic visuals, and while some effects-shots appear obvious, many more will slip by you unnoticed. The unique scaffold-glass design of the main ship is beautiful, and particularly respectful given that the effects team really did manage to achieve a self-defined and original visual style on the heels of so many other sci-fi influences. In terms of pure imagery, some compositions inspire with their rich aesthetics (the glowing meteor rolling down the main corridor towards the bridge) and are worth spending time with this film to experience. And who can deny that Maximilian is one of the most sinister and fear-inspiring robots to come along in a *long* while (at least since Gort from The Day The Earth Stood Still). Oh…and did anyone else notice the "hell scene" with Maximilian standing atop the rocky spire and how remarkably similar it is to the scene with Satan standing on a similar spire in South Park Bigger Longer Uncut? Watch and tell me if you think Trey and Parker were drawing a connection. Well that's an awful lot of talk about special effects and visual style. That's because those are the good things about The Black Hole. Despite some well-seasoned names, acting in this film feels over-dramatized and stale, and the screen-play dialog is about as hokey as a junior-high comic strip. Which is a real shame because with a bit of talent and intuition, the script, acting, and direction could have been tweaked just enough to land this film into a nice solid "B" sci-fi category like many other films that didn't quite make the "A" list, but ended up being good movies none-the-less (Disney's next similar effort Tron is a good example of a film that may not have brought in the bucks from contemporary audiences, but ultimately ended up being a genuinely good film). The allusion to Captain Nemo from 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea with the crazed-genius scientist was a bit too obvious, and the "cute" levitating robots still felt like R2D2 rip-offs. Never-the-less…if you're a sci-fi enthusiast, enjoy camp-classics and playing science-fiction-theater 3000 in your living room, or if you're just curious as to what all the talk is about with this off-the-radar film, I encourage you to give it a try. Picture... I boycotted the original non-anamorphic DVD version so all my comments are focused on this new transfer since I'm unable to compare (however, there is little doubt in my mind that this new 16x9 version easily supersedes the previous disc, and Peter's review at dvdfile attests to this as well). Aside from what looks like a bit too much high-frequency filtering (reducing fine picture detail in mid and far-ground shots), the image of The Black Hole looks mighty good on my 100" screen. I just upgraded to a new "Dalite Hipower" screen and haven't had a chance to recalibrate my projector yet, but even so the impression of the image of this disc was more-than-watchable and at times breathtaking. Despite all the rather challenging material, black level is solid and grayscale smooth and naturally gradient. Almost all "artifacts" that I can detect (aside from the image softness from filtering) appear to be film-source related. Some of the effects scenes have an inordinate degree of noise from the optical processes of production, but nevertheless compression seems confident and the DVD is merely demonstrating the appearance of the best-quality film-source available to the mastering engineers. Given the grain and optical noise in many of these effects shots, I can understand the engineers' temptation to apply a bit of liberal HF or DNR filtering, and in this case I won't come down hard on them for it though I still personally would have preferred a little more mid/far-ground image detail at the expense of image "cleanliness". Of course, I'm talking about the impression on a 100" screen from about a 1.6:1 viewing distance:screen width ratio (which was still a very pleasant experience); viewers watching on large-screen HDTVs or plasmas from 2+ screen-widths distance will undoubtedly find the image sharp and well defined, and those watching on more traditional direct-view sets will likely find the image to be "reference" given the limitations of the source. I'd really like to sing the praises of one aspect of this DVD transfer/mastering in particular, and that is color. Colors are vibrant, bold, and saturated. It's rare to watch a film produced in the 1970's and see color preserved so richly. Reds are deep and don't looked "faded orange" like so many other films from this era. Fleshtones appear natural and, especially in close-ups, I found myself amazed at the enormous variation in tone and hue. No artifact like Color-banding is anywhere to be seen to my eyes. And how often have you heard me say this…I noticed no distracting edge enhancement from my 1.6 screen-width viewing distance (some minor ringing on hard edges in certain scenes if you looked for it...but nothing to bring attention to itself). Yes folks, In between the laughs from the corny dialog and untenable suspension of the laws of physics, the image of The Black Hole on my projection screen garnered quite a few "ooohhhss" and "aaaahhhs". Excepting the slight image softness for large-screen viewers, this DVD really does deliver. Picture: 4/ 5 Sound... I'm pretty impressed with what Disney has done. Those of you with the current non-16x9 disc are already familiar with this 5.1 mix, but watching and listening to this dvd was my first exposure and it was a pleasant one. Clearly the limitation is with the source material, the most crippling aspect being the very "dubbed" and canned sounding dialogue (fits the quality of the screen-play ). However, that caveat aside, it's remarkable what the folks responsible for this 5.1 mix have done. Frequency response is wide and the orchestral presentation is smooth and non-fatiguing. Surround use is also employed more prodigiously than I would have imagined with effects scenes filling out the rear channels nicely when appropriate. I don't have a center-surround set-up so I'm not certain if the rear channels are discrete or paired together in mono…so those of you with center-rear decoding be mindful of this and if you're surround field collapses into the single rear channel be sure to disable EX decoding. The most impressive thing of all about this soundtrack is the unexpected deep bass response. I was watching this film late the other night and kept turning down the volume to make sure that the bass wasn't disturbing the neighbors…a good thing. Sound: 4/ 5 Special Features... You got two! Try to stay calm: [*]Extended Trailer: A trailer on a Disney title…for the DVD title of the same name? Yes folks. Here we see the thrilling and audience-gripping trailer that thrust The Black Hole into becoming the most successful science-fiction/fantasy films of all time. All in glorious 4x3 full-frame. I always enjoy the historical context created by watching these trailers and I'm sure that fans will too. [*]Through The Black Hole Featurette: Hosted by effects supervisor Harrison Ellenshaw, this 16-minute 4x3 full-frame documentary is a welcome addition to the admittedly slim-bonus features on this disc. The discussion focuses wisely on the technical aspects of special effects production and design choices, which are this movie's strengths. Despite its relatively short running length, this documentary is solid and really conveys a much deepened sense of respect for the creative process behind this film and the dedication that went into its production. Worth repeated watching. Highly recommended for both casual and serious fans. [/list] All Together... Camp classics like The Black Hole should be enjoyed for exactly what they are...misguided efforts that usually started out with a really good idea that managed to get a bit drailed in execution. Those of you, like me, who have a fondness for this film from our childhood exposure can safely grab ahold of Disney's new 16x9 disc without fear...whether upgrading from your non-anamorphic copy or buying for the first time. The rest of you who are curious to learn more about this movie... while I can't recommend The Black Hole as a "film" per-se, I can recommend watching it as an *experience* that you won't forget: Laugh at the campy dialog, cringe as the laws of physics are bent beyond recognition, and sigh as the stunning visuals and creative-concept work remind you of just what an ambitious film this set out to be. Enjoy!