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Afghanistan - Politics
It was known since the Constitutional Loya Jirga in 2003 that sticking to the electoral calendar approved there under the eyes of dozens of international and Afghan legal advisors and election experts � with its three-year term for district councils, four-year terms for provincial councils and five-year terms for the president and parliament � was unrealistic.
Pashtuns account for about 40% of Afghanistan's population, but largely dominate Afghan politics. Tajiks are the second largest ethnic group, variously estimated at between 25% to 38% of the population. Tajiks are able to bring the other non-Pashtuns to their side, as they do not have the tribal system that dominates Pashtun politics. Some say Tajiks are more moderate and pro-democracy than other ethnic group in the country.
Central power does not mean a great deal. It means the promise of dividing up aid money. Two opposite dynamics are at work in Afghanistan's government: on the one hand, the central government must gain control over de facto autonomous regions, in order to maintain order. On the other hand, those regions are de jure subordinate parts of a highly centralized state, and reformers eventually must find a way to increase rather than decrease their role in governance.
Ali A. Jalali, Interior Minister of Afghanistan from January 2003 to September 2005, notes that "Tribes and local communities in Afghanistan ... have long complemented the central government�s efforts to enhance security. They have taken an active role in policing in peacetime and a military function in repelling foreign invasions and quelling domestic uprisings during times of conflict. Such collaboration has been possible, however, only when tribes and local communities believed in the central government�s legitimacy and felt confident that it could deliver the services required. When such confidence has been lacking, tribes and local communities have relied on their traditional structures to survive, lending support to the groups that appeared to be politically and militarily ascendant. In this respect, Afghanistan has historically been no different than any other tribal society with its tribes and the government playing the roles of the two mutually influential elements of a single system. Violence has ravaged the Afghan system, however, and as a result the tribes are no longer as willing to support the central government because it has proven itself largely incapable of supporting the tribes".
Afghan politics is a struggle to maintain a balance between institutional and traditional informal governance, in an environment of poverty, social exhaustion, illicit power centers arising from decades of political breakdown, governmental incapacity, criminality, and insurgency. The goal is responsive, reliable leadership in local communities, which binds them to the capital in a reciprocal way, strengthening both the Afghan central government's role and that of local government. This requires workin equally with traditional leadership structures, as well as those who gained power through force or wealth during the days of conflict, but have proven themselves ready to cooperate with constitutional government and rule of law. Lack of local consensus, traditionally weak connections between the capital and localities, long-standing rivalries and distrust among communities, and the presence of illegitimate insurgent or criminal spoilers complicate the task.
An election was held on September 18, 2005 for the "Wolesi Jirga" (lower house) of Afghanistan's new bicameral National Assembly and for the country's 34 provincial councils. Turnout for the election was about 53% of the 12.5 million registered voters. The Afghan constitution provides for indirect election of the National Assembly's "Meshrano Jirga" (upper house) by the provincial councils and by reserved presidential appointments. The first democratically elected National Assembly since 1969 was inaugurated on December 19, 2005. Younus Qanooni and Sigbatullah Mojadeddi were elected Speakers of the Wolesi Jirga and Meshrano Jirga, respectively.
Increasing education and the free flow of ideas through the media are transforming Afghanistan. Kabul-based radio and television reach much of the country, and their sophistication is growing. Recent discussion programs have addressed institutional corruption, the dynamic between the executive and legislative branches, the effectiveness of President Karzai, and a range of social issues. Much of the programming is critical of the government, which on occasion has drawn a troubling response.
In 2009 candidate registration for the 20 August presidential election closed May 8, with at least 44 candidates turning in completed registration forms. Most candidates were unknown to the larger Afghan population. Despite more than 100 registered political parties active in Afghanistan, few candidates embraced party endorsements.
The second national democratic presidential and provincial council elections were held in August 2009, and National Assembly elections were held September 2010. Hamid Karzai's main competitor, Abdullah Abdullah, forced a presidential run-off to be scheduled, but then withdrew. On November 2, 2009, officials of the Independent Election Commission (IEC) declared Hamid Karzai President of Afghanistan for another 5-year term. Unlike previous election cycles, the elections were coordinated by the IEC, with assistance from the UN. NATO officials announced in March 2009 that 15.6 million voters had registered to vote, roughly half of the country's population, and that 35% to 38% of registered voters were women.
Since the fall of the Taliban regime, destabilizing factors have included activities by the Taliban and other insurgents and by al-Qaeda. The government's authority was growing, although its ability to deliver necessary social services remained largely dependent on funds from the international donor community. U.S. assistance for Afghanistan's reconstruction from fiscal year 2001 to the present totals over $72 billion, including support for security services. Donors pledged continued assistance for the rebuilding of the country at the June 2008 international Afghanistan support conference in Paris. Overall, the international community has made multi-year reconstruction and security assistance pledges to Afghanistan totaling over $100 billion.
In response to President Karzai's 10 December 2006 launch of the Action Plan for Truth, Justice and Reconciliation (reftel), Human Rights Watch released a statement on 12 December 2006 calling for the government to implement the plan immediately. HRW went a step further by singling out several prominent officials as perpetrators of human rights abuses who should be tried in a special court. "Several of the worst perpetrators from Afghanistan's recent past are still active and engaging in widespread human rights abuses," HRW stated. Among those GOA officials named were parliamentarians Abdul Rabb al Rasul Sayyaf, Mohammed Qasim Fahim and Burhadnuddin Rabbani, Minister of Energy Ismail Khan, Army Chief of Staff Abdul Rashid Dostum, and current Vice President Karim Khalili.
Ambiguity among international and Afghan decision-makers between reintegration (of low to mid-level insurgents) and reconciliation (of top tier leaders) contributes to confusion and is complicated by the fact that one term is commonly used for both concepts in Dari and Pashto. Most Afghans are likely to agree with Karzai's statement in London in 2010 that emphasized renouncing violence and agreeing to living in a peaceful society enshrined in the Afghan Constitution, and to support the programs aimed at low-level fighters. However, non-Pashtuns and women are generally more leery of the ramifications of high-level reconciliation, believing it means allowing political power sharing with the Taliban and possibly accepting the return of their draconian ways. They fear Karzai would use the reconciliation process to further Pashtunize the government and would only appoint representatives to the Peace Jirga who will support his agenda.
Reconciliation with Taliban or other insurgent leaders is controversial. Many welcome the possibility of reduced violence and instability via a possible reconciliation with the Taliban, while others (mainly non-Pashtuns, women, and certain civil society groups) fear a Pashtun deal that could come at the expense of their interests. So far, all reconciliation efforts have been premised on respect for the constitution, and no ties to Al-Qaeda.
In 2012 the Afghan government continued its attempts to negotiate settlements with the Taliban and other insurgent forces. Higher-level reconciliation efforts did not result in any major breakthroughs, but a growing number of lower-level insurgents reintegrated this quarter�mostly in the west. Political debate continued inside and outside Afghanistan, focused on the goals and terms of reconciliation and how the process should proceed. There were conflicting accounts about the state of negotiations and who was participating in talks. Many political observers continued to worry about the lack of transparency in the negotiations; some are concerned that a deal could roll back the progress made in the past 10 years. U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton reiterated that women�s rights will not be sacrificed in negotiations. She also stated that the dialogue must include women, ethnic minorities, and representatives of civil society.
On January 3, 2012, the Taliban reportedly agreed to open a political office in Qatar to �come to an understanding with other nations." 184 In a speech to the National Assembly on January 21, President Karzai publicly supported the agreement; however, as of March 30, the Taliban had not opened an office. 185 Karzai also announced that he had begun preliminary discussions with representatives of the Hezb-e Islami party, the organization led by Gulbuddin Hekmatyar that opposes the Karzai government. On February 15, 2012, Karzai claimed that the Afghan government had engaged in talks with the Taliban, but the United Nations (UN) Secretary-General noted that the Taliban apparently rejected that claim.
On March 5, 2012, the Wolesi Jirga confirmed all nine of President Karzai�s ministerial nominees. The nomination process was drawn out�it began in 2010�and contentious, but the entire cabinet has now been confirmed. Seven of the nominees had been serving in an acting capacity at their ministries.
In April 2012 Afghanistan appointed the son of slain statesman Burhanuddin Rabbani to replace his father and lead the country's High Peace Council charged with finding a political solution to the Afghan war. Afghan President Hamid Karzai said in a statement that Salahuddin Rabbani is the country's new top peace envoy. Rabbani was then Afghanistan's ambassador to Turkey.
Afghanistan's election commission declared former finance minister and ex-World Bank economist Ashraf Ghani president-elect on September 21, 2014, hours after he signed a power-sharing deal with runner up Abdullah Abdullah. However, the commissioner withheld final election numbers after a UN-monitory audit. The announcement followed Ghani and rival Abdullah Abdullah signing a power-sharing agreement to form a National Unity Government, ending weeks of political bickering following a June 14 runoff presidential election.
Under the terms of the unity government deal, Ghani will share power with a chief executive proposed by Abdullah. The two would share control over who leads key institutions such as the Afghan army and other executive decisions. The new administration faces huge challenges in fighting an emboldened Taliban-led insurgency and paying its bills amid plummeting tax revenue. It also faced significant difficulty in improving the lives of Afghans who face hard times as aid flows fall and as contracts with the NATO-led coalition dry up as most foreign troops leave by the end of the year.
Under the terms of the power-sharing agreement, the new government will have a cabinet -- including the chief executive and his two deputies. Emphasis is placed on "parity" when it comes to deciding on leadership positions in ministries relating to security and the economy. The two sides will be "equally represented at the leadership level." Lower-level appointments will be "equitably" distributed, meaning there will not be a one-for-one handout of jobs. This could be a source of disagreement, as Ghani has stressed a "merit-based" mechanism for appointing officials.
Ashraf Ghani officially took over for outgoing President Hamid Karzai 29 September 2014. Under tight security, delegates from around the world joined Afghan political and religious leaders at Monday's inauguration ceremony, which was held at the presidential palace in Kabul. Election rival Abdullah Abdullah was also sworn in as the country's new chief executive in a power-sharing deal reached after months of a post-election crisis.
According to the Afghan constitution, new parliamentary election must be held between 23 April and 23 May. Article 83 stipulates that the vote must take place 30 to 60 days before the first day of the Afghan month of Saratan 1394; this date is equal to 22 June 2015.
Parliamentary elections were postponed because of security fears and disagreement on how to ensure a fair vote after a bitterly disputed presidential election in 2014. With their terms slated to end by 22 June 2015, Afghan parliamentarians voted 22 June 2015 to extend their five-year term until fresh elections are held. Afghanistan�s parliament voted to extend its own term beyond the constitutionally mandated five years. The action was supported by President Ashraf Ghani who wanted to avoid a legal vacuum in the absence of fresh elections. His office said the decision was taken in consultation with the judiciary, the legislative and the executive branches of government. Some parliamentarians as well as some legal experts are still questioning the legality of this action.
Many points of friction emerged within the National Unity Government, and between the National Unity Government and elements of the political elite, driven, inter alia, by deteriorating security and economic conditions. Although neither of these were of the Government�s making, charges of inaction and miscalculation surfaced in the media. By October 2015, the �unity" government in Kabul forged in 2014 between President Ashraf Ghani and his rival, Abdullah Abdullah, was dysfunctional enough to lack a defense minister.
The Government made progress in addressing the issue of electoral reforms by establishing the Special Electoral Reform Commission, one of its key commitments. The Commission tabled its first set of recommendations, and Cabinet proactively endorsed seven and returned three for further study. The recommendation to change the electoral system would have, in particular, far-reaching consequences for the country�s future political landscape. Electoral reforms are critical for the development of the country�s democratic foundation and they should be a source of stability, bringing people together, not dividing them.
The conflict continued to take a horrid toll on Afghan civilians. In the first eight months of 2015, UNAMA documented the highest level of civilian casualties since it began records.
Afghanistan's parliamentary elections will be held next year, President Ashraf Ghani said 29 December 2015. "The [parliamentary] election will be held between next summer and fall," Ghani said at a meeting with Electoral Reform Commission (ERC) members, as quoted by the local broadcaster TOLOnews. During the meeting, the president stated that electoral reforms will be implemented ahead of the election, with the election date to be set by the Independent Election Commission. Ghani instructed the ERC's selection committee to begin work on bringing about electoral reforms.
Afghanistan�s top election official said 18 January 2016 the postponed parliamentary polls will be held in October 2016, promising mistakes of the bitterly disputed 2014 presidential vote would not be repeated. Independent Election Commission Chairman Ahmad Yousuf Nuristani announced in Kabul the panel has made �all technical" preparations to ensure �fully transparent" parliamentary and district council elections on 15 October 2016. The Afghan parliament�s five-year term expired in June 2015, but security fears and political squabbling on election reforms to ensure a fair vote prevented the IEC from holding elections to choose a new legislative assembly.
Public dissatisfaction with President Ashraf Ghani and CEO Abdullah Abdullah dates to the disputed 2014 Afghan presidential election. When President Ghani and Dr. Abdullah came into office, there was huge hope for the future that things would change. After two years, things haven't changed. The national unity government has been locked in this unending struggle over patronage and appointments, and has not made much if any improvements in people's daily lives.
As Afghanistan's national unity government approached its second anniversary, a new BBG-Gallup survey released March 25, 2016 showed deep public dissatisfaction with the country's national leadership. Nearly 81 percent of respondents said they were somewhat or very dissatisfied with the performance of the national unity government, while 17 percent said they were somewhat or very satisfied. The survey was conducted 27 October to 18 November 2015 among a nationally representative sample of 2,500 adults across all of the country's 34 provinces. It found that dissatisfaction ran across Afghanistan's ethnic and geographic elements.
Afghanistan's government is in disarray. Following bitterly fought and inconclusive presidential elections in 2014, Ghani and Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah shared power under a deal brokered by U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry. Under the deal, Abdullah's role as chief executive was to segue into a prime ministerial role, a first for the young democracy. The smooth transition of power from former President Hamid Karzai to Ghani was hailed as a sign of Afghanistan's acceptance of the international community's democratic project that followed the U.S. invasion and toppling of the Taliban. But the country's so-called unity government is proving anything but unified. After almost two years, Ghani and Abdullah have been unable to set aside their rivalries. The bitterness between the two men stems from a belief in Abdullah's camp that the election was stolen from Abdullah, and gifted to Ghani as someone Washington could more easily do business with.The two are also seen as pandering to different constituencies: in Ghani's case, the majority ethnic Pashtoons, and in Abdullah's, the Tajiks. Ghani and Abdullah split the government into two camps while they bicker over each other's nominees to top government jobs. The result, is political paralysis.
The government could collapse due to widespread corruption and administrative incompetence. The national unity government agreement expires in October 2016, when parliamentary elections are due to take place, though many observers believe the vote will be postponed until next spring because promised electoral reforms have not been implemented.
Unemployment stands at 25 percent, the peace process with the Taliban is at a standstill and the U.N. is expecting the conflict this year to be as deadly as in 2015, when more than 11,000 people were killed or wounded. Afghanistan consistently rates among the most corrupt countries in the world.
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Situated in Wombourne near Wolverhampton is Tiffu's a find Indian restaurant with a gleaming reputation. This restaurant has been designed by a team of passionate staff that are keen to provide diners with an experience they will not forget.
The extensive menu is full of classic Indian dishes, cooked to perfection using rustic recipes and cooking techniques. As each dish is freshly made on the premises, it's no problem for you to ask for a tweak to something you have seen on the menu.
The owners, Tiffu and Joe, have over 30 years of experience in the restaurant industry between them, and are keen to use all that they have learned. Together they have tired a team of friendly individuals that are committed to providing good customer service.
Please note: the tastecard discount is not available on Bank Holidays or Celebration Days. These include, but are not limited to Valentine's Day, Mothering Sunday, Father's Day, Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.

subset: commoncrawl


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Hittite announces a family of low noise amplifiers for microwave radio, test, and sensor applications from 7 to 32 GHz. The HMC516, HMC517, HMC518, and HMC519 family of GaAs PHEMT MMIC low noise amplifier die is designed to meet the needs of microwave radio designers who want a low noise front end device that can also provide enough output power to drive a mixer LO or function as a general purpose buffer amp. These LNAs achieve noise figures as low as 1.8 dB while providing up to 21 dB gain and +17 dBm Psat. The chips can be integrated into hybrid or MCM assemblies.
Hittite Microwave Corporation


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Rogue Galaxy - PS2 - Preview
E3 2006 First Look Preview
Space pirates, the universe's greatest treasure and a legendary planet – sounds like the makings of a solid action game.
Rogue Galaxy is the name of the game and adventure is high priority here. SCEA showed off the PS2 title at a pre-E3 event in Los Angeles recently. It is slated for release in October.
The world is a cross between high tech and ancient civilizations (architecturally), but there is so much more happening than merely traveling across various worlds, fighting off hordes of enemies (in real time, but using a team) and trying to uncover clues to find the legendary planet.
There are minigames featured here as well. For example, you can collect insects, grow them and fight them in arenas. You can also find plans and go to a factory to create a new weapon. It is even possible to use the interface (which did look a bit daunting at first but after a while it seems to be not that involved) and synthesize weapons, combining certain items to create a more powerful weapon.
This is a new intellectual property (IP), though a comic book series based on it just released in Japan. It is very much in the action role-playing mode. Players can get up to eight characters but can only take three on a given mission. During a mission, players will control one avatar, but can issue commands to the others. You will also be able to pause combat and perform a new weapon loadout.
The game itself does follow some of the traditional party-based RPG titles and the story mode does follow a slightly linear path, though players will be able – on occasion – to stray off the plot-driven path. All the NPCs will have dialogue and some will trigger sub-quests.
You begin with one character and add to the party as you adventure through the game.
Graphically very appealing, Rogue Galaxy has a bit more work to go before being ready for a North American launch, but what was seen at the event was rather intriguing. Rogue Galaxy is definitely an RPG-adventure title worth keeping an eye on.


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Roughknight69's 95 zj build
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Though its not much of a build now, the next year or so it will be changed alot. :thumbsup:
To start off this is how my zj looked in feb of 2011 when I got it cost $2200. I bought it off of a fat kid who thought he was a baller. :rofl: This zj has been in florida its whole life up to sept. 2010, so no rust! Practically puts 2010/2011s around here to shame.:laugh:
Heres how it looked when i brought her home.
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Lists of things I bought/modded that I can remember.
Blower motor resistor
new headlight
grill/plastic head panel
tinted tail light
Door switch
Painted gold strip black but eventually painted
entire cladding in Rustoleum Bedliner
alpine 100xdi radio
1800 watt amp
2 kicker cvrs
Then it looked like this.
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Then I added a Iro 2in bb with General Grabber ats in 31s around october 2011
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Fastforward to the past couple months I added
New hd steering stabilizer
1.25 spidertrax spacers
rc winch plate
super winch lp 8500
replaced pass. side rearview mirror (fell asleep and hit a mailbox) and painted them in bedliner also.
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Future plans are:
3.5 Iro or kolak lift
Entire exterior done in monstaliner desert sand/black
roof rack
rear bumper/carrier
h4 headlight upgrade
and a bunch of other stuffs
edit: don't mind my spelling ill fix it eventually :rofl:
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Brown santa also came today with my arb 9000 snatch block and my rc winch plate d-ring mounts :D
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Attachment 336146
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Finally added my d-ring mounts :cheers2:
Looks sweet , nice setup
Thanks! :cool:
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Finished my storage box, though I f'd up the height measurements and the top would only open 6 in. :brickwall
So I took it off for now
Ordered my Iro Benchmark 3.5in lift with rear tb and bellyskid today :)
a lift of thing I will be buying /doing in the next few weeks
Monstaline exterior desert sand
h4 headlight upgrade
a 4ch amp for my 4 alpine type s 6.5s
rockfordfosgate tweeters
more recovery gear
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Went wheeling today, I wish I got better pics of the harder spots :( I had to winch through many muddy parts that were half way up the doors. But the super winch lp 8500 pulled me slowly but flawlessly with many long pulls with my zj being dragged throu the mud.
Installed new sound system today sounds so much better :)
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4 ch amp
new rockford fosgate tweeters
that's some serious mud
What you got against fat kid's?! :club::rofl:
RF wireing is amazing. I had there 0awg in my last jeep. It was like a limp noodle but for the price Kicker was cheaper with a higher strand count.
But theres alot of different things here than just mud, where articulation is much more important :)
I love it even more now I can get it for half price :shhh:
check out sonicelectronix.com I got everything for about half the price as crutchfield.
And nothing against fat kids, except when they try to be wangsta and failing horribly, while leaving a crap load of cheap cigar plastic end in my zj. And you know they werent used as cigars. :nono:
Iro 3.5 in kit with new rear coils, rear trac bar, and belly skid should be arriving by noon.
Any tips for installing the 3.5 in kit?
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Kiko Kostadinov and ASICS Drop the Perfect Dad Sneaker
17 minutes ago
Fly Or Die is a new streetwear company with styles deeply rooted in and inspired by custom sneakers, fixed-gear bikes and Japanese pop-culture.
BFF Trick Comp in LA from ZLOG on Vimeo.
SicWest - TAKE ONE **Official Music Video** Fly or Die MixTape from Juneteenth Works on Vimeo.
Teaser pics from our upcoming Quickstrike fixie tee drops in January.


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Issue No. 04 - Apr. (2014 vol. 47)
pp: 76-79
DOI Bookmark: http://doi.ieeecomputersociety.org/10.1109/MC.2014.103
Great progress has been made in standardizing 2D medical images, but the standardization of 3D medical models is still lacking. The first Web extra at http://youtu.be/J_h3Pcono7A is a video in which a shoulder muscle is rendered based on a fresh cadaver and then laid out on a computer. The pattern is then applied to a 3D model of a shoulder, with corresponding muscle layers and connections to the bones. The second Web extra at http://youtu.be/u5eVGIuhPUA is a video in which flexion and extension range of motion and movement of the upper arm are applied to a 3D model. The third Web extra http://youtu.be/wS4NPn08NKI is a video rendering showing liquid simulation for realistic virtual surgery and medical communication. The fourth Web extra at http://youtu.be/YZ5PWZyS4E0 is a video rendering showing a colon cancer surgery simulation for realistic virtual surgery and medical communication. The fifth Web extra at http://youtu.be/QN5iJhX8PQ4 is a video rendering showing an arthroscopic surgery simulation for realistic virtual surgery and medical communication.
Three-dimensional displays, Solid modeling, Medical diagnostic imaging, Computational modeling, Biomedical image processing, Data models
Young Lae Moon, Kazuomi Sugamoto, Alberto Paoluzzi, Antonio Di Carlo, Jaekeun Kwak, Dong Sun Shin, Dae Ok Kim, Dae Hyun Lee, Jooyoung Kim, "Standardizing 3D Medical Imaging", Computer, vol. 47, no. , pp. 76-79, Apr. 2014, doi:10.1109/MC.2014.103


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Don't miss your chance to see Ghost B.C. in Tucson! Check out the schedule below for the concert date of your choice, then buy your Ghost B.C. Tucson tickets before they sell out!
Looking for Ghost B.C. tickets in other cities? View all Ghost B.C. tickets »
Sorry! We couldn't find any events for Ghost B.C. in Tucson.
If you were searching to see if Ghost B.C. is coming to Tucson, then you're in luck! For their latest tour, Ghost B.C. will indeed hold a concert in Tucson. Have an awesome concert experience when you go to see Ghost B.C. in Tucson. Get your Ghost B.C. tickets Tucson and join fellow fans for a concert to remember!


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We Are Here to Serve: Fire & EMSFrom February 6th 2016 @ 12:00 am to May 23rd 2016 @ 11:59 pm
Lethbridge has had an active firefighting service since a volunteer fire brigade started in 1886. A full time fire department was established in 1909 and it has grown into a fully modern force. Emergency medical care, in the early years of the city, was provided by available doctors and nurses and the Galt Hospital ambulance. In 1912, the Lethbridge fire depatment took over the operation of the ambulance, and provided trained personnel; this was the beginning of the city's integrated fire and emergency medical service.
This exhibit will tell the history of the lethbridge Fire and Emergency Service from its earliest days to today through stories, photographs, and artifacts.


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Enrique Iglesias: Marriage Doesn't Make Any Difference
Enrique Iglesias has revealed why he has not married Anna Kournikova, his girlfriend of over 10 years.
The Latin singer said he and his longtime love do not plan to marry anytime soon, if ever, while speaking to Parade magazine this week.
"I've never really thought marriage would make a difference," Iglesias explained to the magazine. "Maybe it's because I come from divorced parents, but I don't think you love someone more because of a piece of paper."
Enrique's father, Julio Iglesias, is also a famed singer. Enrique's mother, Isabel Preysler, married Julio in 1971, but the union was annulled in 1979.
Inglesias' stance reveals an increasingly concerning tendency in today's era for people to wait later in life to marry, or to avoid marriage entirely. Despite many family advocates promoting the need for stability in raising children, and insisting on the importance marriage has on that stability, Inglesias indicated that he does not necessarily agree: "Nowadays, it's not taboo to have kids and not be married," said Iglesias. "What makes a difference is that you're a good parent."
Many critics may also be quick to highlight the high divorce rate among celebrity couples as evidence to back up Inglesias' claims.
However, while Iglesias has no intention to marry Kournikova, he introduced his girlfriend as his "wife" at a concert in Russia last year. Clearing the air, Iglesias told Parade, "It was just meant to be sweet in the moment."
"I honestly didn't mean to confuse anyone," he continued. "I thought it'd be easier for the audience to understand that if I said 'my girl.'"
The 36-year-old "Balimos" singer said that love dominates his music.
"It's the thing we all have in common," said Iglesias talking about the love songs he is known for writing. "Ninety percent of music tackles that subject because everyone -- no matter how old, what religion, or what nationality -- knows those feelings."
Iglesias' former-tennis star girlfriend also opened up about the topic of marriage in a past interview with Women's Health magazine.
"[Marriage] isn't important to me," said Kournikova last year. "I'm in a happy relationship- that's all that matters."
The 30-year-old continued, "I believe in commitment. I believe in being open and trusting each other and respecting each other completely."
Iglesias and Kournikova have been in a long term on/off relationship since late 2001.
They were rumored to have wed in 2003 and again in 2005, but the couple consistently refused to directly confirm or deny the rumors until now. In 2008, rumors circulated that Iglesias and Kournikova had split up, but Iglesias later denied the reports.
In addition to singing and songwriting, Iglesias is also a producer and an actor.


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328 Kenwood Hill Rd.
We provide tours, demonstrations, classes on spinning and weaving to persons of all ages. We are devoted to keeping the art of hand-weaving and its history alive. The Loomhouse is housed in three century-old cabins that are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Esta Cabin, home of internationally recognized master weaver, Lou Tate, is also known as the site where the song "Happy Birthday to You" was first sung in the 1890's! Many birthday parties have taken place there with historic flavor and guests weaving on the Little Looms. We invite the public to schedule parties throughout the year. we also feature a Gift shop in our Wisteria cabin and a working weaving studio at Tophouse, featuring the Lou Tate Looms. Hours: Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and 3rd Saturday of each month 10:00am-3:30pm and by appointment. Tours $3.50, mini lesson $10.00 (take home your piece). Discounts for groups of 10 or more - reservations required.


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ESET Goes Google Play with ESET Mobile Security for Android Smartphones and Tablets
ESET, the leader in proactive protection against cyber-threats, has today released its product − ESET Mobile Security for the Android platform on Google Play. With ESET joining forces with Google Play, the user gains a convenient way to purchase ESET Mobile Security.
The latest version of ESET Mobile Security for Android can be also used for Android-based tablets and has language switching options directly from the menu. To provide customers with as friendly experience as possible, ESET Mobile Security for Android is equipped with 25 language localizations. On top, it features benefits made popular by previous version of ESET Mobile Security like SMS/MMS Antispam, Anti-Theft Security System with GPS Localization, SIM matching, Remote Lock and Remote Wipe, to mention only few.
According to the Online Security Brand Tracker (OSBT),* a global research project commissioned by ESET and carried out by InSites Consulting (October-November 2011), with analysis conducted by United Consultants, 36 % of internet users worldwide are connecting to the Internet using smartphone, 19 % using basic mobile phone, and 10 % using tablet. Global analyst firm Gartner adds that the Android OS accounted for 50.9 % of smartphone sales to end users in the fourth quarter of 2011. These portable devices store not only sensitive personal data but also proprietary business information – similar to those stored on desktop workstations. According to OSBT, 16 % of those surveyed reported loss of personal data due to security incidents they were exposed to.
"There is definetely a significant growth of Android threats that we are detecting at ESET malware research centers around the world," says ESET Security Intelligence Team Leader Robert Lipovsky. "The new ESET product not only protects you against malware with its unique behavior-based detection, but offers protection for your data in case of device theft or loss," he adds.
ESET Mobile Security for Android: Key Features and Benefits**
- Unique behavior-based detection – warns of any suspicious activity against your phone.
- Anti-Theft Security System – multiple layers of security allows users to maintain perfect control over phone-stored data in the event of the device being lost or stolen with GPS Localization, which locates lost or stolen device by a remote command. Remote Lock that blocks the device remotely to prevent unauthorized access to smartphone's data and Remote Wipe ̶ command which deletes all phone-stored data remotely using a simple SMS command. SIM Matching on the other hand creates a list of trusted SIM cards for smartphone or tablet. In case of an unauthorized SIM card insertion, the user is automatically notified by a text message sent to an alternate phone number (GSM-based phones).
- SMS/MMS Antispam – allows the user to define trustworthy contacts via customizable black or whitelist or to simply block messages from unknown numbers.
- Call Blocking – blocks unwanted calls in both directions – incoming and outgoing. This is a powerful tool especially suitable for parents to keep their children's phone bills in check.
- Trusted friend – a contact or a telephone number that can receive an Alert SMS if an unknown SIM card is inserted into the phone; trusted friend is able to reset the user's forgotten password if needed.
- Security Audit with Built-in Task Manager – provides information about all vital phone functions, including battery life, free disk space, running processes, Bluetooth, and device visibility.
- Fresh, New User Interface – tailor-made graphics and layout for enhanced Android experience and integrated with Google Play market.
- Uninstall Protection – secures the smartphone against unauthorized un-installation of ESET Mobile Security.
Visit the ESET Mobile Security product page for more information.
* Online Security Brand Tracker wave 6 is a global research project measuring brand performance of leading security software products in the home user segment. The survey is representative of 1.8 billion internet users across six continents. Its objective is to gain knowledge of the current situation and trends on key markets; obtain market information and interpretations to manage sales and marketing activities of ESET, as well as technological development of its products. The number of selected countries was 49; field work was carried out by InSites Consulting (Belgium) on online panels of respondents, with analysis conducted by United Consultants (Slovakia) throughout October– November 2011).
**ESET Mobile Security for Android is available in selected markets only and on Google Play. For additional information, please visit the local ESET website. Some features are not available for tablets which do not support calling and messaging.
About ESET
ESET, the pioneer of proactive protection and the maker of the award-winning NOD32 technology which is celebrating its 25th anniversary in 2012, is a global provider of security solutions for businesses and consumers. The Company continues to lead the industry in proactive threat detection. ESET NOD32 Antivirus holds the world record for the number of Virus Bulletin "VB100" Awards, and has never missed a single "In-the-Wild" worm or virus since the inception of testing in 1998. ESET has been selected as one of the most innovative companies in Europe for the 2011 HSBC European Business Awards and holds number of accolades from AV-Comparatives, AV Test and other organizations. ESET NOD32 Antivirus, ESET Smart Security and ESET Cyber Security for Mac are trusted by millions of global users and are among the most recommended security solutions in the world.
The Company has global headquarters in Bratislava (Slovakia), with regional distribution centers in San Diego (U.S.), Buenos Aires (Argentina), and Singapore; with offices in Sao Paulo (Brazil) and Prague (Czech Republic). ESET has malware research centers in Bratislava, San Diego, Buenos Aires, Singapore, Prague, Košice (Slovakia), Cracow (Poland), Montreal (Canada), Moscow (Russia), and an extensive partner network for 180 countries.


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Radio stations, the Got Milk? campaign and Wrigley's Gum aren't the only ones washing their hands of Chris Brown. Woooha.com reports Sony Screen Gems will "erase" Brown's performance from the promotion of the upcoming film Bone Deep. Brown was to be the centerpiece of the film's promotion in the urban market, appearing in commercials and movie posters. Instead, following Brown's alleged assault of girlfriend Rihanna, producers will focus marketing around T.I., who may still be in prison when the film is released in January, 2010. Brown's role in the film itself will not be reduced.
According to IMDb, Brown has starring roles in other two other films in the pre-production/in-production stages: Caramel and Phenom. The director of Caramel recently told Life & Style, "Chris's current situation hasn't had any effect on things in terms of the film. We're still planning on working with him." In the end, it's the producers' decision, and it's hard to imagine anyone funding a film starring an actor who may single-handedly cripple the film's success.
In an effort to make himself look better in the court of public opinion, Brown reportedly began taking anger management classes Monday, February 23rd, in Glendale, California. "Chris doesn't actually have to go by law," an insider tells New York Daily News' Gatecrasher, "but he believes it will make him look better to the public, and he wants to try to get in a few classes before March 5," his court date. While reports say the court date might be pushed back, Rihanna is expected to testify.
Related Stories:
• Ne-Yo: Rihanna "Says She's Fine," Chris Brown "Still My Homeboy"
• Rihanna Breaks Silence, Assures Fans She's "Doing Well" Via Reps
• Shocking Photo of Rihanna's "Horrific" Facial Injuries Leaks


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Egypt will import 900,000 barrels of oil a month from Libya [2]starting in April and is paying off some of the money it owes to foreign energy firms, according to Minister of Petroleum Osama Kamal, to help ease energy shortages that are hitting the economy.
Libya will provide Egypt with the equivalent of 1 million barrels of crude [3] per month at world prices to support the economy, Nouri Berouin, chairman of the Libyan National Oil Company, told Libya's state news agency. With its foreign currency reserves at critical levels, Egypt has cut back on some planned oil imports, traders said early this month. The economy has been hit by two years of unrest since Hosni Mubarak was deposed. Libyan Foreign Minister Mohammed Abdelaziz denied reports that Tripoli had agreed to deposit US$2 billion in the Central Bank of Egypt [4]to support the economy, but said there were talks in general between the neighboring countries on economic cooperation. "There was nothing agreed upon," he told Reuters, speaking in Doha. The Egyptian government is estimated to owe billions of dollars to oil producers working in the country, though the government last month disputed a figure that put the debt at $9 billion. Kamal was quoted by newspaper Al-Mal as saying the government recently paid $1 billion in debt to foreign energy firms and that another $1 billion would be coming in a fortnight. "The Libyan petrol shipments will arrive next month," Kamal was quoted as saying in a separate Al-Borsa newspaper report. On Monday, Libyan Oil Minister Abdul-Bari Al-Aroussi said Libya plans to refine some of its crude oil in Egyptian refineries to support its neighbor, which is struggling after more than two years of political unrest. Kamal also said in comments carried by daily Al-Mal he would meet with several foreign firms this week to discuss new means to pump additional supplies of gas. Egypt's government is working on an economic program [5] where it plans to cut back on subsidies of fuel. [6] Last year it eliminated subsidies on 95-octane gasoline, the highest grade available, and raised fuel prices in many sectors last month. The government had plans to start a scheme to ration subsidized vehicle fuel using smart cards available to drivers of vehicles with smaller capacity engines in July. Al-Masry Al-Youm quoted Kamal as saying the government was looking at a proposal to replace the smart card plan with a system based on mobile phones, indicating the government has yet to finalize the rationing scheme. He did not give a time frame.
[1] http://www.syndigate.info
[2] http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/03/27/egypt-oil-payments-idUSL5N0CJ14G20130327
[3] http://www.albawaba.com/business/libya-oil-investors-479649
[4] http://www.albawaba.com/business/libya-egypt-bank-479753
[5] http://www.albawaba.com/business/egypt-economy-478724
[6] http://uk.reuters.com/article/2012/10/14/uk-egypt-subsidies-idUKBRE89D09020121014
[7] http://www.egyptindependent.com


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Sikiu Mendez
Graphic Designer
Aventura, FL
Aventura, FL
**Design is my passion**
Annual Report
EMPLOYMENT/ EXPERIENCE PRESENT Freelance Graphic Designer OCT. 2009-APRIL 2010, The Ty Group, Miami, FL Freelance Graphic Designer DEC. 2008-AUG. 2009 Graphic Designer, Mike's Cigars Distributors Inc, Bay Harbor, FL Produce ad campaign strategies and design concepts for a variety of products. Prepare designs for photo shoots. NOV. 2008–DEC 2008 Freelance graphic design, The O Property Collection Inc, Miami, FL Designed of their corporate identity for the project "Dellis Cay Experience". AUG. 2007-SEP. 2007 Graphic Designer Intern, Rabinovici & Associates, Miami, FL Performed miscellaneous job-related duties as assigned. Produced technical illustrations for presentations and publication. Created electronically-designed page layouts in InDesign for web. JUN. 2004-SEP. 2006 Graphic Designer / Photographer, (MDC), Kendall Campus, Miami, FL Researched, gathered materials, and prepared presentations. Responsible for new design ideas and creations. Prepared visual presentations in Microsoft Windows Power Point. Also. served as photographer for special events. SEP. 2005-NOV. 2005 Designer / Creative Editor Volunteer, MDC's Student Magazine, Miambiance, Kendall campus, Miami,FL Created layouts and illustrations for editorial spreads. Organized editorial spreads and departments. Contributed to team effort by accomplishing related results as needed. Obtained approval of concept and submitted rough layout for final approval. FEB. 2002-DEC. 2003 Layout Editor Volunteer, MDC's Student Newspaper, Metropolis, Wolfson Campus, Miami, FL Planed concept by studying information and materials. Illustrated concepts and rough layouts of art and copy. Refined typography and layout, and related aesthetic concepts. PROFESSIONAL SKILLS -Design Skills- Layout, editorial design & publication Logo development, corporate identity & branding Promotion & advertising campaign 3-D & Package design Pre-Press & Production -Software Skills- Experienced in Adobe CS3 Illustrator, Photoshop, InDesign & QuarkXPress Familiar with Macromedia Dreamweaver & Fireworks -Fine Art Skills- Oil painting, acrylic, watercolor & Charcoal -Languages- Fluent in English & Spanish AWARDS & ACHIEVEMENTS -Selected to represent top design students from SCAD for Adobe Systems 2008 CS4 marketing material, AUG 2008 -Graduated with honors (Magna Cum Laude) B.F.A.,SCAD, AUG 2008 -The National Dean's List, (SCAD), Fall 2006-Spring 2008 -Combined Honors Scholarship, (SCAD), 2006-2008 -The National Dean's List, (MDC), MAR 2003-2005 -Florida Community College Press Association Awards (FCCPA): MDC's Miambiance Magazine Vol. XV -First place, Individual Awards, cover design, FCCPA, NOV 2006 -Third place, Individual Awards, best magazine design, FCCPA, NOV 2006 -First place, Excellence Awards (best Design, best Table of Contents, & best Staff Page), FCCPA, 2005 -Received Inner Circle of Excellence (given to those receiving three or more awards), FCCPA, 2005 -Graduated with honors (Associates in Art), MDC, 2003-2005 -The National Scholar Honor Society, Fall 2005 -Phi Theta Kappa (Honor Society Member), Fall 2004 Education Video - http://www.adobe.com/education/products/creativesuite/customers/hed/ savannah-college/ SCAD Success Story - http://www.adobe.com/cfusion/showcase/index.cfm?event= casestudydetail&casestudyid=529858&loc=en_us References available on request.


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For pan-Asian girl group, Blush, fame has been a whirlwind journey so far as they try and make their mark on the music scene. Featuring members who hail from Japan, Korea, Philippines, China and India, they've often been dubbed the Asian Spice Girls. But they're keen on establishing their own name, as Men's Health found out.
Blush is the fruit of a talent search across Asia called Project Lotus. The girls chosen by Project Lotus were hothoused in a training academy where they culled the participants down to 10 finalists. Out of these 10, five were eventually selected to form Blush. They are Alisha Budrani (India), Victoria Chan (Hong Kong), Natsuko Danjo (Japan), Angeli Flores (Philippines) and Ji Hae Lee from South Korea.
It is this Asian flavour they're trying to infuse in their sounds. "Our music uses influences from Asia and the globe. Current pop music is a fusion of House, Electronic, R & B, Funk, Rap, Hip Hop, and our music includes all those elements as well as adding a bit of Asian inspiration. But most importantly, we aren't trying to be anyone else – we are just Blush."
The group debuted at the Hong Kong Rugby Sevens in March this year to a capacity crowd of 50,000 and 250 million viewers internationally. They have since opened for Canadian pop star Justin Bieber and performed at the Men's Fashion Week finale party in Singapore as well. Their first single, Undivided, features rap royalty, Snoop Dogg.
The members of Blush seem quite humble, quickly dismissing the notion that they"re already famous. The girls admit that their priority right now is working hard on getting their music out and they're all coping with the attention they're starting to receive. As they tell us, "The attention takes a bit of getting used to. Especially today when people quickly go on the Internet with any of their thoughts or impressions – sometimes the feedback is hard to take, particularly if we don't think it's accurate. We do, however, appreciate constructive criticism and try to utilise this feedback in our performances."
Despite their dedication to their craft, Blush are just a group of girls out to have fun. When asked who's the hottest in the group, they replied "All of us!". Currently, all the members are single and with a busy jet-setting schedule like theirs, finding a guy is probably challenging. They did share that their idea of a fun date would be, well, fun. "No stress, no work, just fun times and fun conversations. We all enjoy a good sense of humour!"
Name: Angeli Flores
Name: Ji Hae Lee
|Name: Alisha Budhrani
Age: 20
From: India
Dream guy: "Understanding, funny and romantic."
Favourite girl group: "Destiny's Child because they all were independent strong women and their unity was obvious in the way they interacted and sang and danced together. Also, they managed to have a group image that was not only sexy but naturally beautiful that allowed particularly girls at a young age as well as older mature women to relate."
|Name: Natsuko Danjo aka Nacho
Age: 21
From: Japan
Dream guy: "Mature and sexy."
Favourite singer: "Christina Aguilera for her powerful voice and raw emotion in her music and Hip Hop superstar Lil Wayne for his unique style and beats."
|Name: Victoria Chan
Age: 28
From: Hong Kong
Dream guy: "Someone who is romantic and loyal."
Idol: "Angelina Jolie because her humanitarian work really inspires me and she's super hot."
Find out more about Blush on www.blushband.com, facebook.com/blushgroup and follow their global adventures on youtube.com/blushvideo.
Photo credits: FarWest Entertainment


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Red Hat has just released a beta version of Subscription Asset Manager. It is a new tool which is available with your subscription. The tool allows you to do on premise Subscription Management. You can see the Quick Start guide at the website.
This is the first product to come out of the great work which the team is doing on Candlepin, Katello, and Thumbslug. If you are an open source project looking to add subscription management functionality, you should stop on bye and take a look.


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Matthew Wilkening
Matthew Wilkening is the Editor in Chief of UltimateClassicRock.com and Diffuser.fm. He is determined to raise his children in a world without competitive singing television shows.
It took him three tries, but on Feb. 8, 1993, Mick Jagger finally released a solo album Rolling Stones fans could fully get behind.
On Jan. 30, 1973, less than 10 people witnessed the first live performances by Kiss at the Popcorn Club (soon to be renamed the Coventry) in Queens, N.Y.
Guns N' Roses have confirmed that they will perform two concerts at this year's Coachella festival, on April 16 and 23.
Guns N' Roses' official website has undergone a potentially prophetic – or possibly meaningless – update.
We look at the nasty verbal battles that took place between Van Halen, Sammy Hagar, Kiss, Twisted Sister and other classic rock bands.
Former Stone Temple Pilots and Velvet Revolver frontman Scott Weiland has died at the age of 48.
A year after an Aerosmith concert in Philadelphia was cut short when a cherry bomb thrown onstage injured both Steven Tyler and Joe Perry, the group gave the City of Brotherly Love another chance.
Aerosmith guitarist Brad Whitford says the group feels "a little bit abandoned" by Steven Tyler's decision to nix the band's planned 2016 North American tour.
Cheap Trick, Deep Purple, the Cars, Yes, Steve Miller and Chicago are among the acts newly nominated for possible induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Kiss take off their makeup and throw a Hail Mary on Sept. 18, 1983 with 'Lick It Up.'
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text: I wrote: >>All they know is someone sold them >> a "secure FTP program" and they can't understand why I want them >> to dump it and use the known-to-be-broken WinSCP instead. Alex replied: >Whats broken in winscp? Its working fine for about 400 clients here I don't have any MS-Windows boxes to test it with, so this is all second hand. My users complain about WinSCP all the time. The #1 issue is it seems to come up with weird file permission defaults. Mostly they are uploading HTML files to a Web server, and it turns off other-read permission. Or it turns off other-execute on directories, so the Web server can't see inside them. There was an issue with WinSCP not really using SSH2's SFTP, but simulating it with some kind of shell stuff. So your users need a shell or they can't use it. I'd like to give some of them /bin/true and just let them upload files but not run any commands. I see that has been fixed in WinSCP3. But the biggest reason people want to use FTP-with-extensions is it is built into Dreamweaver and Go Live and Front Page, and those industry standard programs don't seem to support SSH2/SFTP. Probably for ideological or monopoly enforcement reasons, but that doesn't matter. I don't want to argue with my users about what software they use on their client boxes. They all know Microsoft sucks and they are planning on getting off it someday. But meanwhile they are all very busy and just want to use the same tools they can use with commercial Web hosting companies. If I tell them Debian can't support FTP-with-extensions, they will conclude that Debian is inferior to commercial hosting environements. I have lost about 5% of my users over this, they do not want to use SSH, they want to use integrated Web-authoring software with built in "publish" features that use FTP or DAV. But many of them are on cable modem so I have to prevent them from using FTP with clear text passwords. The fact is that FTP with security extensions is the defacto standard way of solving the clear text password exposure problem in the commercial Web hosting world. Millions of people use it. SSH2/SFTP may be technologically superior, but it is not what most places use. If you go to Barns and Noble or some other large bookstore you will find dozens and dozens of beginners' books about Web authoring. They all describe the process of uploading files through FTP or DAV. Hardly any of them mention SSH2/SFTP at all. Cameron


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After a spate of lateral departures following a tough financial year in 2013, Bingham McCutchen has reportedly sounded out several Am Law 100 firms about a potential union, which comes at a record-setting time for law firm mergers.
Reuters cited anonymous sources in breaking the news late last week that Boston-based Bingham had reached out to at least four Am Law 100 firms over the past three months, with two of those firms rejecting Bingham's purported advances. The Wall Street Journal reported over the weekend that Bingham remains on the hunt for a merger partner.
"[Bingham] very much wants to make a deal," one law firm consultant familiar with the firm's situation told The Am Law Daily in an interview. "But I don't think there are any talks that are gaining traction."
Bingham itself has declined to comment on its tie-up talks, although the Boston Business Journal reported last week that newly elected managing partner Steven Browne had informed the firm's partnership via email of its various discussions.
In response to questions from The Am Law Daily about its outlook, Bingham issued this statement: "We have engaged in talks with scores of firms during the past 20 years, some of which we have acted upon, most of which we have not. We are always open to exploring opportunities, and we continue to selectively screen and evaluate them as they are presented to us.
"As always, however, our clients come first and our focus remains on managing our business for long-term growth and success as well as for a strong 2014. We continue to improve on important financial metrics. Our financial performance is very strong, and we are on track to have a much better year than we did in 2013."
According to the most recent Am Law 100 financial data, Bingham saw gross revenue dip 12.6 percent in 2013, to $762 million, while profits per partner dropped another 12.7 percent, to $1.475 million, and revenue per lawyer mostly held flat at $960,000. Bingham's attorney head count plunged 11.7 percent in 2013 from 900 to roughly 795, according to an annual report by sibling publication The National Law Journal, a number that has continued to fall despite some recent partner-level hires.
As previously reported by The American Lawyer, Bingham itself has been the product of a series of combinations over the past 20 years, such as its absorption of McKee Nelson five years ago this month. In 2011 Harvard Law School published a study titled "Bingham McCutchen: Combinatorial Mathematics," which chronicled the firm's rapid rise through the Am Law 100 ranks after the election of chairman Jay Zimmerman in 1994.
But in May, Bingham said Zimmerman would hand over day-to-day management of the firm to Browne as of June 1. The change came on the heels of a series of lateral partner departures from the firm in the five months after it posted its worst-ever decline in annual profitability, as recently noted in a feature story by The American Lawyer.
The two firms identified by Reuters as recently being approached by Bingham are Morgan, Lewis & Bockius and Winston & Strawn, both of which have made a bit of a habit in recent years of poaching from rivals before they went bust.
A spokeswoman for 822-lawyer Winston declined The Am Law Daily's request for comment about its reported interest in a deal with Bingham. In early 2012, Winston brought on more than 60 lawyers from now-defunct Dewey & LeBoeuf, a move that came a little more than two years after Winston opened a Houston office with 40 lawyers from Howrey, which also went belly-up. (Former Howrey chairman Robert Ruyak subsequently joined Winston.)
As for Morgan Lewis, the 1,363-lawyer firm's chairwoman-elect Jami Wintz McKeon declined to comment about a potential deal with Bingham. McKeon is also no stranger to helping her firm digest the remnants of others, having spent several years in California as Morgan Lewis sought to integrate 50 lawyers from now-defunct Brobeck, Phleger & Harrison. Morgan Lewis also added offices in Moscow and Almaty in 2012 after hiring 65 former Dewey lawyers.
Boston-based legal consultant Jeff Coburn, who admits to having no personal knowledge about Bingham's merger prospects, says that Morgan Lewis could be an ideal fit. Coburn notes that the two firms share certain synergies in geography—Boston and Philadelphia, the latter the home base of Morgan Lewis, both have similar strengths in the life sciences and pharmaceutical industries—and Morgan Lewis' relatively small Boston outpost could benefit from Bingham's largesse.
Sidley Austin is one firm that has hired large groups of laterals from Bingham over the past year, most recently picking up a four-partner real estate and commercial litigation team last month in Washington, D.C. Reached by The Am Law Daily on Monday, Carter Phillips, the Beltway-based chair of Sidley's executive committee, pointed to the larger issues plaguing the legal services industry when talking about Bingham.
"All of us hope that every large firm, especially Bingham, will make it through these difficult times," Phillips says. "All of us have the fear that there, but for the grace of God, go I."
Indeed, U.K. publication Legal Week reported Monday that London-based legal giant Ashurst had sounded out Sidley for a potential merger last year as the former pushed forward with its acquisition of Australia's Blake Dawson. Ashurst previously held merger talks with Latham & Watkins and Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson more than a decade ago.
Senior writer Julie Triedman and Gina Passarella, a senior staff reporter and special projects editor with sibling publication The Legal Intelligencer, contributed to this report.


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Keyboard shortcuts and trackpad gestures are fine, but they're not as good as dedicated knobs and dials for just getting out of the way and letting your concentrate on the job instead of the interface. But knobs and dials are annoyingly fixed, whereas an on-screen control panel can be changed to fit the function.
Can you see where we're going here? The Palette does both. It's a modular, Lego-like set of buttons, knobs, dials and sliders which can be configured in hardware and software to do whatever you want them to.


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Myths Matter
The release of the last book in the Harry Potter series has unleashed a book-buying frenzy unlike anything we have ever seen. The fate of the books' characters, especially Harry himself, stirred up mass speculation, angst, and even lawsuits when a few early spoilers made their way onto the Internet.
The phenomenon left some scratching their heads. Ron Charles, a senior editor of the Washington Post's Book World section, called it "a bad case of cultural infantilism." Charles wrote that what we have been thinking of as a resurgence in reading, caused by this series, may be something else entirely. "Perhaps," he wrote, "submerging the world in an orgy of marketing hysteria doesn't encourage the kind of contemplation, independence and solitude that real engagement with books demands. . . . Potter mania . . . trains children and adults to expect . . . a mass-media experience that no other novel can possibly provide."
Well, I suppose there is something to that, but it seems to me he is missing the bigger picture. He is ignoring the fact that it was not "marketing hysteria" that made the Potter books successful. It was the success of the books that spawned the marketing hysteria. They are a good read. People have found something in the Harry Potter stories that is far more profound and inspiring than just a desire to be a part of the literary in-crowd.
Writers and professors Matthew Dickerson and David O'Hara, in their insightful book From Homer to Harry Potter: A Handbook on Myth and Fantasy, help show us what that "something" is. As they explain it, great myths and fairy tales reach us at a deep level because they contain truth. Far from being escapist, a well-imagined and well-told fantasy is a needed reminder of certain things we know to be true about the world.
For example, the painful things we encounter in the real world—crime, war, betrayal, and other forms of loss and evil—can leave us shaken, confused, and questioning life. But a good fantasy author can remind us of the necessity of sacrifice and the redemption that can come from even the most brutal and senseless acts. They can help restore our faith in goodness—and, yes, sometimes even in God.
Dickerson and O'Hara write, "Muthos [from which we get the word myth] originally meant 'word' or 'speech' and was a near synonym for logos—a word later used in the Gospel of John to describe Christ. . . . The distinction that eventually arose between the words was that muthos came to mean an account through story, while logos came to mean an account through reason or proposition."
Great stories are even more closely related to the Gospel than we realize. No wonder that great stories are so enticing.
As Chuck Colson suggested last week, if you and your children are looking for other inspirational myths and fantasies, try C. S. Lewis's Narnia books and Tolkien's Lord of the Rings trilogy.
The popularity of these books—and, yes, even of the Harry Potter series—reminds us that the yearning for hope, for good to win and evil to be vanquished, is no infantile desire. Rather, it is one of the deepest and most important parts of our nature, placed in us by the God of all truth.
From BreakPoint®, July 23, 2007, Copyright 2007, Prison Fellowship Ministries. Reprinted with the permission of Prison Fellowship Ministries. All rights reserved. May not be reproduced or distributed without the express written permission of Prison Fellowship Ministries. "BreakPoint®" and "Prison Fellowship Ministries®" are registered trademarks of Prison Fellowship


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Hill listservs were abuzz today with news that the DC Department of Public Works was planning to begin towing cars illegally parked in street sweeping zones and adding a $100 towing charge on top of a $100 fine (it's actually a $30 fine). More enforcement of parking violations that screw up traffic might be a good thing, particularly since a recent INRIX study found that in 2009 DC had the fourth worst traffic in the country, up two spots from 2008.
Anyway, the initial report claimed that the new enforcement policy had been confirmed by DC Councilmember Tommy Wells' office. However, in an email to THIH, DPW denied any knowledge of this increased enforcement and speculated that it may have been a proposal by a DC Councilmember. Of course, DC law already allows DPW to tow cars ticketed for any parking violation so you're not exactly safe if this report is false. (I have an email in to Wells' office and will update once I hear from them.)
Parking is always a hot topic and, if the listserv responses were any indication, this could end up a factor in the upcoming Ward 6 Councilmember race between Wells and current ANC 6A Chair Kelvin Robinson (incidentally, THIH is planning full coverage of that race and all of the other local elections). Of course no one likes bigger fines, but who hasn't had a trip made longer and immeasurably more frustrating because some genius can't remember to move their car and ends up blocking half the street? (If you say you haven't, I can only assume it's because it made you so upset that you've repressed the memory.)
Having been that genius on occasion — this morning, for instance, when I got a ticket for parking in a driveway outside a pet store in NW and the cop wouldn't accept my "I-was-just running-in-to-get-some-medicine-for-a-rescue- cat-and-was-only-parked-for-two-minutes-and-was-pulled-over-to-the-side-of-the-driveway-so-couldn't-possibly-have-been-blocking-anyone" explanation (completely true I'll have you know) — I won't be particularly happy at the moment I realize I got towed, but I'll be far happier most days when going a 1/3 mile doesn't take 30 minutes because the road isn't blocked.
Late Update: We checked with Tommy Wells' office above the above and, according to chief of staff Charles Allen, there is currently no fine assessed for neighborhood tows in which a car is towed within a few blocks or simply across the street to get it out of the way. No Councilmember has proposed such a fine, though DPW–is responsible for proposing and implementing any such fines–is considering adding a fine, but nothing been decided or announced. Furthermore, DPW typically does not impound vehicles towed for blocking street sweeping unless the vehicle already has accumulated tickets, moving violations, or expired registration. A $100 fine is added to the $30 ticket for street sweeping violations in these situations.


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Charge medical devices without wires
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(Editor's note: Also of interest by this author are "Risk management in batteries for medical (and other) applications"; and "Battery fuel gauge: factual or fallacy?")
Wireless charging may one day replace plugs and wires similar to how Wi-Fi and Bluetooth have modernized personal communication. Wireless charging with inductive coupling uses an electromagnetic field that transfers energy from the transmitter to the receiver, and this technology is a suitable method to charge medical devices.
How does wireless charging relate to radio transmission? Both are similar in that they transmit power by electro-magnetic waves. Wireless charging operates in a near field condition in which the primary coil produces a magnetic field thats picked up by the secondary coil in close proximity. The radio transmitter works on the far-field principle by sending waves that travel through space. While the receiving coil of the wireless charger captures most of the energy generated, the receiving antenna of the radio needs only a few microvolts to raise the signal above the noise level and receive clear intelligence when amplified.
Types of wireless charging
Wireless charging is classified into three categories: 1) radio charging, 2) inductive charging, and 3) resonance charging.
Radio charging will serve low-power devices operating within a 10-m radius from the transmitter to charge batteries in medical implants, hearing aids, watches, and entertainment devices. Radio charging can also activate advanced RFID (radio-frequency identification) chips through resonantly enhanced induction. The transmitter sends a low-power radio wave at a frequency of 915 MHz (frequency for microwave ovens) and the receiver converts the signal to energy. The radio-charging method is closest to a regular radio transmitter; it offers high flexibility but has low power capture and exposes people to electro-smog.
Most of todays wireless chargers use inductive charging, featuring a transmit coil and a receive coil in close proximity. Electric toothbrushes were one of the first devices to use this charging method, and mobile phones are the largest growing sector to charge without wires. To retrofit an existing mobile phone for mobile charging, simply attach a skin that contains the receiver and provides interconnection to the charger socket. Many new devices will have this feature built in.
For larger batteries, such as those in electric vehicles (EVs), resonance charging, or electro dynamic induction, is being developed. Resonance charging works by making a coil ring. The oscillating magnetic field works within a 1-m radius; the distance between the transmit and receive coils must be well within the 1/4 wavelength (915 MHz has a wavelength of 0.328 m). Currently, resonance charging in trials can deliver about 3000 W at a transfer efficiency of 80% to 90%.
The success of wireless charging was subject to adapting a global standard, and the WPC (Wireless Power Consortium) accomplished this in 2008. With the Qi norm, device manufacturers can now build charger platforms to serve a broad range of Qi-compatible devices. The first release limits the power to 5 W.
"Charge medical devices without wires" looks at how wireless charging and charging mats may be beneficial for medical devices, as well as some of the drawbacks of this approach; it was previously posted at Medical Electronics Design.
About the author
Isidor Buchmann is the founder and CEO of Cadex Electronics Inc. For three decades, Buchmann has studied the behavior of rechargeable batteries in practical, everyday applications, and has written articles and books, including Batteries in a Portable World.
Editor's note: Liked this? Want more?
If you are interested in "medical-design" issues including transducers and interfaces; processors; software; and system design, then go to the Medical Designline home page here for the latest in design, technology, trends, products, and news. Also, sign up for our weekly Medical Designline Newsletter here.
If you are interested in "power" issues such as components; efficiency; thermal concerns; AC/DC and DC/DC supply topologies; batteries; supply ICs; complete supplies; single- and multi-rail management; and supply monitoring: then go to the Power Management Designline home page here for the latest in design, technology, trends, products, and news. Also, sign up for our weekly Power Management Designline Newsletter here.


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need help compiling gphoto2
I'm trying to upgrade to a newer version of gphoto2
to solve a bug. (capture-image times out but all other features work)
I compiled libgphoto2 but when I tried to compile
gphoto it says I need libexif.
the current libexif at SourceForge seems to be corrupt.
It won't uncompress. I've tried both the gz and the zip.
Both complain "unexpected end of file".
Is there another place to get libexif or is there a way
to compile with out it?
The gphoto2 user manual says it's optional but I don't
know the right switch to use when compiling to skip it.
hi there,
line 1097 configure file...
./configure --with-libexif=no
gphoto2 saga continues
After my original post I managed to find the help
for ./configure. (./configure -h) whodathunkit?
But for some reason ./configure --with-libexif=no
didn't work. It still kept asking for libexif.
I managed to find a version of libexif and was able
to install it.
I no longer get hangs and timeouts when capturing images
but now it hangs when I download the image from the camera.
Sheesh! Upgrading just moved the problem from the capture
command to the download command.
All I need is a way to capture, download, and erase
an image from my camera that is scriptable.
I prefer to script in Perl.
Any ideas?
I guess I can give gphoto2 one last try when I get
my other camera home.
|All times are GMT -5. The time now is 01:32 PM.


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Wellesley College Class of 1997
Connecting Classmates & The College
Summer Newsletter
The Wellesley College Alumnae Association and Wellesley College are not responsible for the design or content of these web pages. They are the sole property and responsibility of the alumnae who host and maintain this website. Please send questions, comments and suggestions about this website to the WEBMASTER.


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Understanding Preheader Text [VIDEO]
April 4th, 2014 | by Derek Overbey
The email preheader can be the most critical part of your email. We show you how to make it work
April 4th, 2014 | by Derek Overbey
The email preheader can be the most critical part of your email. We show you how to make it work
August 5th, 2013 | by Eli Menaker
Learn how to avoid 3 common mistakes you might be making with your email design.
April 4th, 2013 | by Jill Bastian
Taking a little bit of time to make just a few changes to your email marketing can get you big results in engagement
January 21st, 2013 | by Jill Bastian
While at our favorite pizza joint the owner was saying his email open rate was okay, but would love to see it go higher. We've got 4 tips to help!
January 7th, 2013 | by Kim Stiglitz
We've got 4 more awesome email marketing tips to power your emails through 2013 and beyond
October 5th, 2012 | by Kim Stiglitz
I've spent years in the trenches of email marketing cranking out my fair share of messages. Hence, I've also done [&hellip
September 24th, 2012 | by Kim Stiglitz
As small business entrepreneurs, we often find ourselves crunched for time and resources on a daily basis. Getting our bi-weekly [&hellip
August 13th, 2012 | by Janine Popick
Here's a little-known secret to get more people to open your email marketing campaigns.
© 2001-2017 VerticalResponse


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If you print the word Wyoming across a map of the state, the small town where Ted migrated from would be right under the n. Ted (winningly played by Joe Egender) is a sweet young fellow who has moved to Los Angeles for two reasons: to become a star and to find someone "real" to love. "You came to L.A. to find real?" asks Rigby (a burly, tough-tender Christopher Neiman).
Erik Patterson's play takes us on a randomly guided tour of the gay life of West Hollywood, at the same time letting us in on the hearts and minds of its denizens. Let the buyer beware: He Asked for It is a virally gay-centric play, very out there, and sometimes an eye-opener in its frankness and language. Despite the heated sex talk, unbelievable but apparently true practices, and porn-bespattered dialogue, its shock value is in the realization that rather than merely casual sex, most wish lists include a universal desire for identity, acceptance, and connection.
Laptops are a theme, playing a huge part in the lonely lives of Henry (a well-tuned and straight-arrow Ron Morehouse); Neal (nicely worked over by Brad C. Light), a bit of a nasty character; Rigby, the "bareback rider" who accidentally, maybe, got off the Poz for Poz line and into the romance chat room; and the reticent Ted, who's getting royally screwed at the hands of Marcus ("I'm not gay"), his sleazy, high-rent agent (a superlative cameo by Joel Scher). Rebecca Sigl is lovely and real as Ted's sweet-16 sister back in Wyoming.
Director Neil H. Weiss keeps things moving at a lively pace, getting excellent performances on the simple set backed by Greg Emetaz's colorful and lively projections and choreographing the set changes so there are no klutzy scene-stealers interrupting the flow.
Patterson's world premiere play is funny, wicked, and a bit shocking, moving quickly from comedy to drama, but it officially ends at intermission. The story has been told and the long speeches of explanation are post-orgasmic and seem tacked on. We got it.
Presented by and at Theatre of NOTE,
1517 N. Cahuenga Blvd., Hollywood.
Fri.-Sat. 8 p.m., Sun. 7 p.m. Apr. 25-Jun. 1.
(323) 856-8611. www.theatreofnote.com.


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Monograph Brings Renewed Appreciation For Roger Excoffon
Named one of the Top 10 Typographic Events of 2010 on Imprint by awarded calligrapher and typographer Paul Shaw, the new Paris-based Ypsilon.éditeur has published monographs on two important 20th century French type designers in its Bibliothèque Typographique series. The first of these two books celebrating Latin type design was José Mendoza y Almeida, published in March last year. Written by renowned type designer Martin Majoor and Sébastien Morlighem who oversees the Bibliothèque Typographique, it consists of essays on Pascal, Photina, ITC Mendoza Roman and other less-known typefaces. Seeing the two authors' gripping presentation at TYPO Berlin 2010 – Passion made me rush to the book stand, buy myself a copy, and have it signed. This excellent book reacquainted me with the work I already knew, and introduced me to more obscure designs of his. This left me quite anxious to get my hands on the second book in the series: Roger Excoffon et la fonderie Olive, written by Sandra Chamaret, Julien Gineste and Sébastien Morlighem, and published last November.
Roger Excoffon (1910-1983) was a major figure in French typography, the graphic arts and visual communication. Most of the typefaces he designed for the Olive foundry in Marseilles between 1945 and 1971 – with the active support of his director Marcel Olive, and his assistants José Mendoza y Almeida and Gérard Blanchard – became classics of advertising printing. Yet despite their omnipresence in the French urban landscape and beyond – or maybe because of it – Excoffon's creations seem to have fallen from grace, especially since Modernism in the 1960s. On a personal level, these quintessential French faces are part of my cultural heritage. My two grand-mothers came from Wallonia, the French-speaking part of Belgium; my brother, sister and I were raised in French; and we spent almost all of our childhood summer holidays at the Côte d'Azur.
This book was published on the occasion of the centenary of Roger Excoffon's birth. It celebrates a work of uncommon popularity and draws on little-known or previously unpublished documentary material (texts, drawings, photographs, advertisements, specimens, etc.). After a chronology of Excoffon's and Marcel Olive's lives and a rousing introduction by Dutch type design legend Gerard Unger, a first chapter retraces the history of the Olive Foundry. From then on the book follows a similar approach to the José Mendoza y Almeida monograph, highlighting in chronological order one typeface or family per chapter. By presenting each typeface individually, analysing and illustrating them, the complete history of the Olive foundry is retraced. The publication is completed with reprints of texts by Excoffon about his craft and his ideas on typography, which are very enlightening and offer us a rare glimpse inside Excoffon's thinking.
Having been confronted with the challenges posed by bilingual publications for most of my own graphic design career, I am always very interested in how other designers tackle this type of problems. Whereas the solution for the José Mendoza y Almeida monograph was simple but effective – French on even pages, English on odd pages – here the designers (and co-authors) Chamaret and Gineste take it one step further. The French text on the left pages is a single block shifted upwards, and the English text on the right pages set in two columns shifted downwards. This makes the lay-out completely unambiguous. Furthermore an extra, narrow column near the spine holds all the foot notes close to the text they refer to. Incidentally this presents the reader with two options – the book can either be a fluid and brisk read, or a comprehensive, immersive one when also taking in all the foot notes.
Alongside the obligatory pictures of the protagonists of the book, the wealth of typographic illustrations is astonishing. From concept sketches over type drawings to finished specimens and advertising, the book is full to the brim with both black-and-white and colour images. On the one hand they illustrate Excoffon's personal approach, which found its inspiration in the pictorial arts as well as the social sciences, while meeting the imperatives of the typographic industry. On the other hand they provide the reader a fascinating insight into how the Olive Foundry marketed and advertised their type.
Besides offering a comprehensive overview of someone's life and body of work, good monographs should teach you something new. The best ones however make you reappraise what you thought you knew, challenging your previous opinion. And this is exactly what Roger Excoffon et la fonderie Olive succeeded in doing. The book is full of nuggets, like finding out the real reason why Banco was designed, and how it managed to defeat its direct competitor Jacno from Deberny & Peignot. For example I never thought much of Mistral, but reading its story and technical background finally made me appreciate the ingenuity of this remarkable achievement in type design. And the chapter on Antique Olive makes a convincing case of having this family up there with Univers and Helvetica in the pantheon of great post-war sans serif families. Roger Excoffon et la fonderie Olive is a fascinating, insightful, and entertaining book, which should be on any serious typophile's must-read list.
1 Comment:
Excelente trabajo….!!!!!
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PORTLAND, Ore. -
A trove of some 14,500 pages from the Boy Scouts' so-called "perversion files" have been made public, and the files show that on numerous occasions local officials helped cover up abuse allegations.
A Portland attorney held a news conference on Thursday after which he made the files available.
The documents date from 1959 to 1985. The confidential files are the "ineligible volunteer" list the Boy Scouts created in the 1920s to cross-check volunteers.
This is the first time the earliest documents -- those from 1959 to 1971 -- have been made public.
The documents show that in many instances the files succeeded in keeping pedophiles out of Scouting, but many times they did not.
The files are a window on a much larger collection of documents the Boy Scouts of America began collecting soon after their founding in 1910. The files, kept at Boy Scout headquarters in Texas, consist of memos from local and national Scout executives, handwritten letters from victims and their parents and newspaper clippings about legal cases. The files contain details about proven molesters, but also unsubstantiated allegations.
The allegations stretch across the country and to military bases overseas, from a small town in the Adirondacks to downtown Los Angeles.
At the news conference Thursday, Portland attorney Kelly Clark blasted the Boy Scouts for their continuing legal battles to try to keep the full trove of files secret.
"You do not keep secrets hidden about dangers to children," said Clark, who in 2010 won a landmark lawsuit against the Boy Scouts on behalf of a plaintiff who was molested by an assistant scoutmaster in the 1980s.
Wayne Perry, president of Boy Scouts of America, said the group is deeply committed to youth protection, but he acknowledged that in some cases, the organization's responses to allegations of abuse by volunteers "were plainly insufficient, inappropriate or wrong."
"Where those involved in Scouting failed to protect, or worse, inflicted harm on children, we extend our deepest and sincere apologies to victims and their families," Perry said in a statement issued Wednesday evening. "While it is difficult to understand or explain individuals' actions from many decades ago, today Scouting is a leader among youth-serving organizations in preventing child abuse."
The Boy Scouts opposed the release of the internal records and said their confidentiality has encouraged prompt reporting of questionable behavior and privacy for victimized boys and their families.
But the attorneys representing victims in several lawsuits against the Scouts say the group hid evidence from the public and police and that the so-called perversion files offer insight into what they deem a serious problem in the organization.
The secrecy protected more than 1,000 suspected child molesters, said the attorneys, who publicly released the documents during a Thursday news conference at a hotel in downtown Portland, Oregon. The attorneys are also seeking the release of post-1985 files from the Boy Scouts.
The files show that the expelled Scout leaders and volunteers -- all men -- "are sociopathic geniuses," said Clark, who has reviewed the 20,000 pages and is among the attorneys releasing the papers Thursday.
"They fool everybody," he said. "And then they are able to coerce, convince or threaten these kids to stay silent. And you see that play out over and over again in the files."
Clark said he represents more than 100 men who as children were in the Boy Scouts, and he estimates that more than 50 percent of his clients have drug or alcohol problems. At least three of them have committed suicide, he said.
Tim Kosnoff, an attorney in Seattle, said the abuse allegedly inflicted on the men as boys "has a corrosive effect" in which trust, relationship and sexuality issues develop with adulthood.
One former Boy Scout represented by Kosnoff, Keith Early, joined the group at 12, recruited by an assistant Scoutmaster who was a married firefighter with three children and led Scout meetings in a church in Washington state.
Early, now 18, was sexually abused by the Scout leader while helping build a Boy Scout camp on his 42-acre ranch, he said in an interview with CNN. The assistant Scoutmaster was convicted of abusing Early and another boy and is now serving a prison sentence of 10 years to life.
"I felt like I was all alone," Early said. "Just thinking about it makes me angry ... because how could you do that to somebody? How could you bring yourself to do that to somebody who is so innocent and has done nothing wrong?"
The Associated Press obtained copies of the files weeks in advance of Thursday's release and conducted an extensive review of them.
In many instances -- more than a third, according to the Scouts' own count -- police weren't told about the reports of abuse. And even when they were, sometimes local law enforcement still did nothing, seeking to protect the name of Scouting over their victims.
Victims like three brothers, growing up in northeast Louisiana.
On the afternoon of Aug. 10, 1965, their distraught mother walked into the third floor of the Ouachita Parish Sheriff's Office. A 31-year-old scoutmaster, she told the chief criminal deputy, had raped one of her sons and molested two others.
Six days later, the scoutmaster, an unemployed airplane mechanic, sat down in front of a microphone in the same station, said he understood his rights and confessed: He had sexually abused the woman's sons more than once.
"I don't know how to tell it," the man told a sheriff's deputy. "They just occurred -- I don't know an explanation, why we done it or I done it or wanted to do it or anything else it just -- an impulse I guess or something."
Seven days later, the decision was made not to pursue charges against the scoutmaster.
The last sliver of hope for justice for the abuse of two teenagers and an 11-year-old boy slipped away in a confidential letter from a Louisiana Scouts executive to the organization's national personnel division in New Jersey.
"This subject and Scouts were not prosecuted," the executive wrote, "to save the name of Scouting."
Our Scripps National Investigative Team and 7NEWS are finishing up a six-month investigation regarding 30,000 documents already obtained and reviewed.
The three-part investigative series will air starting Oct. 28 on 7NEWS.
Watch 7NEWS and refresh this page for updates.


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Foundation Donates To Children's Hospital
The Minnesota Credit Union Foundation's credit unions for kids committee raised more than $190,000 for Gillette Children's Specialty Health Care and presented a check representing the funds raised by credit unions around the state.
The St. Paul, Minn.-based committee works with credit unions throughout the state to raise money for Gillette, Minnesota's Children's Miracle Network-affiliated hospital. Fundraisers included a golf tournament, a bowl-o-rama, and an inflatable obstacle course challenge. Individual credit unions also held their own fundraisers that consisted of cook-outs, candy bar and popcorn sales and casual days.
"The generosity of credit unions and members throughout the state enabled the committee to surpass its fundraising goal by more than $40,000", said Kristi Mukomela, chair of the Minnesota Credit Union Foundation. "The success of the committee's fundraising efforts demonstrates the amazing feats that can be accomplished through the cooperative efforts of the credit union movement."
The committee also received support from several local and national companies that work with credit unions, most notably CO-OP Financial Services. CO-OP Financial Services matched funds raised at the committee's annual meeting event, along with contributions given at fundraisers coordinated by several credit unions throughout the state.