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The integration of multiple HIV/AIDS projects into a coordinated national programme in China
Zunyou Wu a, Yu Wang b, Yurong Mao a, Sheena G Sullivan a, Naomi Juniper a & Marc Bulterys c
a. National Center for AIDS/STD Control and Prevention, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 155 Changbai Road, Changping District, Beijing, 102206, China.
b. Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Beijing, China.
c. The Global AIDS Program (GAP) in China, United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Beijing, China.
Correspondence to Zunyou Wu (e-mail: email@example.com).
(Submitted: 05 September 2010 – Revised version received: 14 January 2011 – Accepted: 14 January 2011 – Published online: 01 February 2011.)
Bulletin of the World Health Organization 2011;89:227-233. doi: 10.2471/BLT.10.082552
The HIV/AIDS epidemic continues to spread and disproportionately affects people in developing countries where resources are most limited.1,2 Although recipient countries are consulted, the focus of external foreign HIV/AIDS projects is mainly determined by donors. When there are multiple donors, coordination and integration become crucial to ensure resources are used effectively and efficiently.
China, a large developing country, has experienced a rapid increase in HIV/AIDS prevalence.3,4 HIV was first reported in China in 1985 and by 1998 the virus had spread to all 31 provinces of the mainland.5 By the end of 2008, 87% of China's 2868 counties had reported HIV/AIDS cases, including 43 which reported more than 1000 cases and five which reported more than 5000 cases.6 However, the overall HIV prevalence in China remains low.7,8
The epidemic was first reported among injecting drug users9 and was initially limited to this group.5 Later, an outbreak was reported among former plasma donors,10–12 then in other high-risk groups.5,6,13 Generalized epidemics – as indicated by an HIV prevalence of > 1% among women attending antenatal clinics – now exist in Henan, Sichuan, Xinjiang and Yunnan. Thus, the response has had to adapt and respond to the evolving epidemic, a process which has been facilitated by the many generous grants from external donors.14
Until 2003, China's HIV/AIDS programmes were mainly supported by international donors (Fig. 1).3,14 Programmes included bilateral support from countries such as Australia, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the United States of America,15,16 various United Nations agencies and multilateral agencies, especially the Global Fund to Fight AIDS Tuberculosis and Malaria (Global Fund), which has contributed more than US$ 400 million, making it the single largest donor for HIV/AIDS-related programmes in China.17 Support has also been forthcoming from private foundations, such as the William J Clinton Foundation, the Merck Co. Foundation18 and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (Gates Foundation).19 These bilateral, multilateral and private partnerships have had a major impact on the direction and success of the HIV/AIDS response in China.14 For example, one of the earliest projects, funded by the World Health Organization (WHO), set the ground work for establishing HIV surveillance in China.20 Funding from The World Bank has promoted the roles of policy advocacy, capacity building, surveillance, primary prevention and mobilization of nongovernmental organizations to participate in HIV/AIDS programmes;21 programmes funded by the United Kingdom Department for International Development (DFID)22,23 and the Australian Agency for International Development (AusAID) contributed to increasing the government's capacity to work with HIV high-risk groups and promoted harm reduction for drug users;16 funding from the United States Global AIDS Program (GAP) has played a significant role in improving the effectiveness of national and provincial programmes and in piloting innovative technical approaches; and funding from the United States National Institutes of Health has strengthened the scientific capacity of the AIDS response.14
Fig. 1. Major international and domestic HIV/AIDS projects in China, 1993–2009
Observing these significant foreign investments in the HIV/AIDS response, and with pressure from the international community, the Chinese government increased its contribution from 100 million yuan (approximately US$ 15 million) in 2001, to 810 million yuan (US$ 100 million) in 2004, and to 1.6 billion (US$ 239 million) in 2010.3,24,25 In 2003, the government launched the China Comprehensive AIDS Response (China CARES) programme to improve treatment and care for people with HIV/AIDS.24,26 A significant catalyst in this process was the outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) in 2003 which prompted China to change its public health strategy,27 making HIV/AIDS a priority infectious disease. In addition, China's economic growth in recent years meant that the government had the financial means to support budget increases for the HIV/AIDS programme. To respond more effectively to the epidemic, a second five-year action plan was issued with quantitatively-measurable targets and increased funding.28 China now funds more than 80% of its HIV/AIDS programme.29
Lack of coordination
Given the involvement of so many different organizations, coordination has become a major challenge. Efforts were made by each large HIV/AIDS project during the planning stages to avoid overlap in the selection of project sites and target groups. For example, Rounds 3, 4 and 5 of the Global Fund were carefully designed to avoid geographic and programmatic overlap. However, problems began to emerge during the implementation of various programmes. Funding was typically allocated to locations reporting the most severe epidemics, which led to project overlap. For example, in 2005, the Tianshan District in Urumqi City had five HIV/AIDS projects separately funded by China CARES, The World Bank, AusAID, DFID and GAP. Local AIDS authorities became inundated with project-related work, especially report writing. Staff coordinating multiple projects or projects which required separate reports for every activity funded were left with limited time to actually carry out the project activities. Moreover, the quality of delivery of project activities was compromised because they relied on these overstretched staff.
Another issue that began to emerge was the problem of unspent or misused funds when several projects were concentrated in one location. Capacity to adequately use funds was limited due to a shortage of capable personnel. At the same time, funds went to high-incidence areas, resulting in insufficient funding for low-incidence areas to carry out basic HIV/AIDS activities, such as establishing HIV testing facilities and laboratory support. Not only was this counter-productive, it may have contributed to the silent rise of HIV infections in areas which unwittingly transitioned from low- to medium- or high-prevalence areas.
Inconsistency in data collection, measurement and reliability was another concern. Some projects collected similar information from patients, such as sociodemographic information, risk behaviour history and treatment follow-up, but this information could not be shared or compared because of variations in data elements, coding schemes and definitions among projects. In addition, projects only had data pertaining to their own project and lacked a comprehensive picture of the overall situation, limiting their use for government-led planning. For example, in 2005, data compiled by the Global Fund Round 3 AIDS Project included far fewer HIV/AIDS cases and patients on antiretroviral treatment than were known to the national HIV/AIDS information system.
The urgency of integrating all HIV/AIDS projects into one national programme became increasingly obvious for an effective response to the epidemic in China.
Unifying data collection
The first step of integration was to standardize and unify HIV/AIDS data collection and specify common key indicators to measure implementation and effectiveness. The second five-year action plan was used to guide this process.28 Worldwide there were many different monitoring and evaluation indicators sets, including United Nations General Assembly Special Session (UNGASS) report indicators,30 the Global Fund's AIDS indicators31 and the World Health Organization's HIV/AIDS indicators.32 All possible indicators were assembled, reviewed and analysed. Indicators commonly used across all systems were selected and specified for the Chinese national monitoring and evaluation system, which now contains just 19 key indicators.33
Before unification and standardization, there were 56 forms with 225 variables in use for data collection. These forms were used by multiple programmes including HIV/AIDS case reporting, HIV sentinel surveillance and behavioural surveillance, voluntary counselling and testing, outreach for condom promotion, needle exchange, methadone maintenance treatment, antiretroviral therapy (ART), China CARES and the Global Fund's AIDS Projects. All data collection forms were assembled, reviewed and revised against the key indicators developed in the national monitoring and evaluation system, and then comprehensively pilot tested. After unification and standardization, this was reduced to 25 forms and 19 indicators.34,35
An online comprehensive HIV/AIDS data system was developed and became operational on 1 January 2008. The system provides data on newly identified HIV infections, drug users in the methadone programme and HIV/AIDS patients in the free ART programme. Data are entered into this system from all HIV/AIDS projects operating in China and are provided as needed to those programmes for monitoring of implementation and assessment of project impact.34 This process has significantly reduced the workload of project staff in project sites, as well as permitted a much clearer picture of the country's progress in its HIV/AIDS response. Since 1 January 2008, monthly, seasonal and annual statistical reports on the implementation of the national HIV/AIDS programme have been generated based on this system.
Platforms for integration
Six major national HIV/AIDS programmes have been developed, and these allow for easy integration of major foreign HIV/AIDS projects into the national programme.34 The Chinese government is the major funder of all these programmes; however, all international and domestic HIV/AIDS projects containing relevant components to strengthen these programmes have been integrated.
HIV/AIDS surveillance
This programme monitors changes and trends in the HIV/AIDS epidemic.6,20,34,36 In 2009 there were 1318 surveillance sites. The sentinel surveillance was reviewed and expanded to 1888 sites in 2010.37 Foreign assistance (e.g. from GAP) has helped strengthen the capacity of implementation of surveillance at both national and local levels, by providing training, assistance in supervision and drafting reports.
Laboratory network
There are now more than 8000 laboratories able to provide HIV antibody screening testing, 370 laboratories able to provide HIV Western blot confirmatory testing and CD4+ T-cell counts, and approximately 30 laboratories able to provide HIV viral load testing.38 International assistance for the laboratory network (e.g. from GAP) has mainly focused on personnel training, quality assurance for CD4 counts and viral load, and supporting operational research on new technology applications such as the immunoglobin G-capture BED enzyme immunoassay,39,40 early infant diagnosis41 and HIV drug-resistance testing.42
Primary prevention
These include the prevention programmes for sex workers and men who have sex with men, methadone and needle exchange programmes for drug users, and the programme for the prevention of mother-to-child transmission.3,34,43,44 Foreign aid focuses on high-risk groups, e.g. the Gates Foundation project focuses on out-reach HIV testing among men who have sex with men; AusAID projects focus on needle exchange in Guangxi, Yunnan and Xinjiang.
Free ART programme
Free ART was initiated in 2003 and now provides treatment for more than 80 000 AIDS patients.45 Major external projects supporting treatment include the Global Fund Round 3, which provided funding for the purchase of antiretroviral drugs and for training health workers; the Clinton Foundation AIDS Project, which supported paediatric treatment46; and GAP, which provided training for rural health-care providers and technical support.
Testing and counselling
Initially established as a voluntary counselling and testing programme in 2003, this programme was expanded to provider-initiated testing and counselling in 2005 to encourage routine HIV testing of high-risk groups.34 Most international AIDS projects have components of HIV testing and these have been integrated into the national programme.
Case management
The major objective is to prevent transmission from people living with HIV to their sexual and drug-using partners, and to provide good medical care and social support to those already infected.34 This has been a major goal of the China CARES programme and the Global Fund Round 3. Support from GAP and the Gates Foundation have played a role in improving available services.
Planning and budgeting
Adequate project planning is crucial for the successful integration of foreign projects into one national programme. The second five-year action plan is used as a framework for planning foreign-funded HIV/AIDS projects. Understanding the coverage of all existing HIV/AIDS projects is important to identify gaps in the national response and to direct the planning of new projects so that they can be well integrated with existing projects.
Ensuring budget integration of funding sources is also crucial to ensure adequate funding so planned activities can be fully implemented and are complementary to the national programme. A typical example for budget integration is the China national harm reduction programme with the use of government funds for the purchase of equipment, methadone and personnel training, and Global Fund Round 4 monies for methadone treatment and needle exchange programmes.
Monitoring and evaluation
Reports derived from project-specific monitoring, supervision and evaluation activities are relevant to the project implementation team and the funding organizations. However, they only present one aspect of the HIV/AIDS epidemic and response and can sometimes create confusion. Since 2007 China has conducted these activities according to location rather than project. Specifically, three levels of monitoring, supervision and evaluation are used, namely the policy-level, comprehensive technical-level, and specialized technical- and project- level.
Policy-level monitoring, supervision and evaluation is done by a group of high-level government officials led by a vice minister from the State Council AIDS Working Committee and several AIDS experts as consultants. They focus on policy implementation and promote multisectoral responses and solve political and policy issues. Usually, a leader from each major HIV/AIDS project is invited to participate.
The comprehensive technical level involves a group of HIV/AIDS experts from the fields of epidemiology, laboratory, prevention and treatment, accompanied by HIV/AIDS project officers. The experts are usually selected from the Chinese Ministry of Health HIV/AIDS Expert Panel and from technical divisions of the National Center for AIDS/STD Control and Prevention. This team assesses the epidemic situation, prevention, treatment and care programme implementation funded by both domestic and foreign sources.
The specialized technical- and project-level includes epidemiology, prevention, and treatment and care services. Examples of activities included at this level are supervision of sentinel surveillance data quality, problem solving in reaching greater numbers of drug users by extending services from methadone clinics to community health clinics, and understanding issues with compliance to ART and management of opportunistic infections.
The integration of monitoring, supervision and evaluation has greatly reduced the workload for both central and local levels. For example, the average number of person-visits to one province in a year had reduced from 20–25 visits to 11–14 visits after integration.
Impact of integration
The reactions to the integration have been positive from donors. First, the country offices in China for the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) and the World Health Organization have actively supported and participated in the integration process. The Global Fund, the largest donor, is also a great supporter. When its Round 3 AIDS project ended in 2008, the Global Fund agreed to merge its ongoing Round 4, 5 and 6 projects and the recently approved Round 8 project into a single project that is fully integrated into China's national AIDS programme. Bilateral HIV/AIDS projects, including GAP and DFID, were already integrated into the national programmes and there was support from private foundations, such as the Gates Foundation and the William J Clinton Foundation. Integration has greatly facilitated implementation of the national HIV/AIDS programme.34,35 For example, the number of identified and reported HIV-infected men who have sex with men increased by 83% between 2007 and 2009 in the 15 provincial capitals supported by the Gates Foundation project, but only increased by 42% in other provincial capitals.47
The integration has brought great benefits for the Chinese health system. First, it has reduced the workload for local health agencies implementing HIV/AIDS activities. Previously health staff working at project sites had to complete up to 123 different forms for multiple projects. This has been reduced to 25 electronic forms. Second, the integration has been able to leverage resources for overall health care in local communities. For example, blood specimens collected for HIV testing at surveillance sites and methadone clinics are also used for testing syphilis and hepatitis C; prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV has been extended to prevention of congenital syphilis and hepatitis B. Ensuring an efficient and economically accessible rural health system is one of China's most pressing challenges.48
Limitations of integration
Several challenges were encountered during the integration of programmes. First, additional time and effort is required for coordinating planning, budgeting, implementation and evaluation of multiple projects. Although some staff reported the extra work, their complaints dissipated when they were able to see that time and effort was saved at later stages of project management.
Second, integration may make the impact of a single project "invisible" if it does not have specific features. For example, GAP has almost completely integrated its work into the national AIDS programme so its impacts are difficult to disentangle from the overall AIDS programme. Conversely, the Gates Foundation has focused on projects for men who have sex with men over and above those routinely performed by government agencies; significant improvements in HIV testing and follow-up services for this marginalized group can be attributed to this project.
The process of integrating all HIV/AIDS projects into one national AIDS programme in China is a prime example of the "Three Ones" principles advocated by UNAIDS.49 Integration started with creating unified and standardized data collection forms and resulted in the establishment of a national comprehensive online HIV/AIDS data system. Six national programmes serve as platforms for integration of foreign projects. The integration has brought many benefits for both the Chinese government and for external project funders. The model of integration recounted here may serve as a useful model for other countries.
We thank Chin-Yih Ou and RJ Simonds for their helpful comments during the preparation of this manuscript.
Competing interests:
Zunyou Wu is the director of the National Centre for AIDS/STD Control and Prevention in the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention. Yu Wang is the director of the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention. Both have been directly involved in the development and scale-up of the national AIDS programme.
Preparation of the paper was partly supported by grant # 5U2RTW006918-07 from the United States National Institutes of Health which includes funding from the Fogarty International Center and the National Institute on Drug Abuse. SGS was supported by a travel grant from the UCLA Center for Global and Immigrant Health.
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Upcoming Conferences and Events
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SBJ/September 29 - October 5, 2003/Facilities
Portland venues keep concessions in-house
Published September 29, 2003
Oregon Arena Corp. in Portland has decided to keep its food concessions operation in-house at two facilities, continuing with Cutting Edge Concepts at the Rose Garden and Memorial Coliseum, senior vice president J.E. Isaac said last week.
The Paul Allen-owned company sent out requests for proposals earlier this year to major concessionaires in the midst of cost-cutting moves that included the dismissal of 88 full-time employees, 48 on the facility side.
"After looking at other opportunities out there, we concluded that not only do we have one of the finest food and beverage operations in the country, but we're returning a market-level return to our owner," Isaac said. "Financially, we're as good as anybody else we could obtain."
Cutting Edge Concepts has operated concessions at the Rose Garden since the arena opened in 1995 and took over the premium dining business in 1999 from Levy Restaurants. There are two years left on CEC's concessions contract, and six years remaining for the luxury suite business. The company's contract extends for similar terms at city-owned Memorial Coliseum. Oregon Arena Corp. manages that venue, which is the former home of the NBA Trail Blazers.
New contracts would have been negotiated had an outside party been brought in for the food-service business.
Isaac said CEC has undergone a reorganization, with about five full-time positions eliminated. Mark Lewis continues his role as vice president, and Doug Hawkins is still the general manager.

subset: commoncrawl


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Ever know someone who you knew would love hunting, if they ever took a chance and gave it a shot? Maybe you yourself are the one who has never hunted and you have always been curious what it is all about.
Well now is your chance. There is a new law in place that basically lets non-hunters ride along and try out hunting under the supervision of experienced hunters. The trial hunters won't have to take an education course first. The Law that took effect on the first of 2012 lets people get a New Hampshire Apprentice Hunting License.
The Mechanics of It
- Anyone holding an Apprentice Hunting License has to be with an actual licensed hunter who is at least 18 years old at all times. This means that the apprentice has to be within the hunter's eyesight the whole time. The Apprentice Hunter License is exactly the same price as a standard hunting license but it can only be purchased from the New Hampshire Fish and Game Headquarters on Hazen Drive, or it can be purchased online at http://www.wildnh.com/Licensing/license_forms.htm, in which case your license will come in the mail.
- An apprentice hunting license can only be purchased a single time throughout a hunter's life and it is good from the time it is purchased until the end of the year.
- To hunt in the future you will have to complete either the bowhunter education course or the hunter education course just like everyone else and purchase the standard hunting license. You can sign up to take the education course of your choice at http://www.huntnh.com/Hunting/hunter_ed.htm
The new hunting license offers an exciting experience to people who may have been apprehensive to take the plunge before. It mirrors the experience that young hunters get from the youth hunting program for older hunters.
New Hampshire has finally jumped on the bandwagon following behind 30 other states who already have an apprentice hunter program put in place. New Hampshire Fish and Game created a Frequently Asked Questions section on their site about the new license and you can view that here. http://www.huntnh.com/Hunting/apprentice_FAQs.htm


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Germany: Ngoma Africa Band to perform at Africa Trade Fair Expo
Ngoma Africa Band, a German based Tanzanian band will headline the Afrika-Messe, Bremen Germany, on 15th September 2012.
The band leader, Ebrahim Makunja aka Ras Makunja did receive the International Diaspora Award (IDA) on behalf of the band for their commitment to promote East African music throughout Europe.
Ms. Susan Muyang Tatah, CEO of the International African Festival Tubingen 2012 said Ngoma Africa Band was chosen for the award because of their creative performance on stage. It's difficult to resist dancing at their concerts, she said.
Ngoma Africa Band will also perform on 12th September 2012 at Bremahaven City and on 15th September 2012 at Africa Trade Fair Expo (Afrika-Messe), Bremen City.
The band has just released a new CD titled "Bongo Tambarare" featuring hits including "Supu ya Mawe" and "Uhuru wa Habari". The new release is already dominating air waves in Tanzania.
For further information about Ngoma Africa Band and to listen to their music, please visitwww.ngoma-africa.com.


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Samuel Alarcón (born in Madrid in 1980) received his degree in Audiovisual Communication in 2003. After a short period of working at the Spanish National Radio he produced and completed his first feature length documentary in Rome, 3000 Years of Labor (2004). In the same year he began to direct the "Cult Films" feature on the Spanish National Radio program. In 2005 he produced and completed his first exploration in fiction, Octavio, which was submitted to several exhibitions and competitions. It won the "Rome Prize" at the Academy of Spain in Rome, where he also began the arrangements for his second feature-length documentary, City of Signs. In 2006 he began a project called Cartas alongside his friend and fellow filmmaker Javier Cardenete, which illustrates an audiovisual correspondence between individuals. The film received the prize for best feature length film and honorable mention in the film festival of Ateneo de la Laguna in Tenerife (2008).
He has also delved into the world of video-art with works such as Pal, Altoviti'07, and Il Pulcino. He has also worked in sound production and design for several television series, video installations, and short films. He is currently researching Roberto Rossellini for his PHD in Film History from UAM (Universidad Autónoma de Madrid), from which he has already received his diploma of advanced studies. He is also preparing a summer course for the university entitled: "Sites in Cinema: The utilization of space in film."
Doc Alliance is a creative partnership of 7 key European documentary film festivals. Our aim is to advance the documentary genre, support its diversity and promote quality creative documentary films.


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A Sheridan man was bound over to 4th Judicial District Court after a preliminary hearing in Sheridan County Circuit Court on Tuesday afternoon. 35-year-old Rockie King is accused of aggravated assault and battery as well as child abuse.
The State alleges that King slapped his wife and injured his 13-month-old daughter on November 16th. Sheridan Police Detective Scott Brastrup was called to the stand to testify. When interviewed by police, King allegedly said he and the child had been wrestling and that's how the injuries occurred. When the child was examined at the hospital, doctors found evidence of manual strangulation and several scratches and bleeding cuts around the child's mouth. The State entered pictures of the injuries into evidence during the hearing.
King faces up to 10 years in prison if convicted. A date has not been set for King's arraignment in District Court. He is waiting for that proceeding in the Sheridan County Detention Center.
Camel Toe Joe, you are
Camel Toe Joe, you are really quick to judge! Am I missing something? Have you heard both sides of the story? Were you there? I'm guessing not. Caining? Are you serious?
child abuser
Ten years isn't nearly enough for the low-life that would do something like this!
Tough Guy!
If this loser is not sentenced to at least 10 years something is wrong with you! We need to start taking our society back and punishing these perverts and so called men! A 13 month old must have been a tough match up for a 35 yr old. Stop the BS judge and start handing out real sentences! Make an example out of him and make him the first caining victim in Wyoming! Look at the countries who use this form of punishment, you can walk down the street at any time of day or night and not be afraid. We need to start using a system that is not such a joke or such a pleasure to have to serve! Free TV, Health, Meals a bed its easier than work!


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It may not have been a bomb, but it's still metaphorically explosive.
A bomb squad in Jensen Beach, Fla., was shocked to learn that the suspicious package they were set to dismantle was a sex toy.
"It was a pink plastic adult novelty item, with some type of a plastic rabbit attached to it," the sheriff told reporters.
Naturally, the woman who got the package claimed she never ordered it.
Elsewhere in Florida, state officials say they'll soon be deploying drones to locate mosquito-breeding ponds so that the pests can be eradicated.
But they won't use Hellfire missiles to do the job. Instead, teams will be dispatched to spray mosquito-killing chemicals or deposit mosquito-eating fish.
A "drowning person" report that prompted a massive rescue response in Columbus, Ga., turned out to be a basketball floating down a river.
Rescuers went out on the Chattahoochee River after someone reported hearing screams.
But they called off the search after finding only the ball bobbing on the surface.
Maybe his first mistake was going to Scotland for pizza.
A German tourist got into a raging fight with his wife in a Scottish pizza parlor over how bad their vacation was going and threw a sizzling hot pie at her.
Wolfgang Gruelich, 57, was let out of jail after he agreed to take a separate flight home from his family — and also take time to consider how things might have gone if he had just tried the haggis.
There's no bridge over these troubled waters.
Villagers in Nebbi, Uganda, rejoiced when construction of a bridge over the River Odyek was finished Friday. But their glee was short-lived: they weren't able to use it to commute the next week, because It collapsed Monday.
The collapse cut off villagers' new access to hospitals.


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Not Accepting Guests
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Join Couchsurfing to see Adrien's full profile. It's free!
About Me
Get my sister a birthday present
Hello! I'm a 22-year-old journalist, working for a news channel in Auckland. Like many Kiwis, I'm a half and half - fifty percent of my blood is French, 50 percent is Kiwi... and no one knows what the rest is. I get kicks from travelling, meeting people and all the other stuff most of us here love to do. But the sad reality is that it's been a while since I've packed up the ol' rucksack and hit the road. So I'm keen to meet you so you can tell me about your travels. Can maybe host a traveller one night or two, but not sure if my flatmate is as sold on CS as I am - but I'm always keen for a drink and/or an adventure.
Live it, love it, don't love it, change it.
Why I'm on Couchsurfing
I participated for 8 months by sleeping on peoples couches. Have hosted when I was at home, now I just hang with surfers.
Stayed at Mıguel's in Lısbon and only regret was that İ didn't stay longer with the guy.
Stayed at Cıhan's ın Istanbul and the guy was a legend host. Both days he showed me so much of İstanbul, İ love the place.
Stayed two nights with Ivan and Nelly in there sweet apartment in wonderful Plovdiv, Bulgaria. Great feeds here.
Surfed on Diana and Iordan's couch for two nights in capital city, Sofia (Bulgaria). Loved them and their friends, loved the city.
Borrowed Tomi's floor in Skopje for three nights (had planned for 1) along with 4 other sweet surfers. Had the best time ever.
Stayed one night at Manolis apartment in Athens. Made the most of his exceptional Greek hospitality and his mothers cooking!
Hung out and stayed at Sergios kick ass pad in Tirana, Albania, and loved it. Sergio is a true blue great guy. Thanks for showing me around!
Spent three wonderful days in Budapest thanks my great host, Gary.
Stayed one night with Rafal and he didnt have much room so gave me his bed. Thats a good host if I ever did see one.
Surfed Clemens' couch in Vonderful Vienna for two nights. First night he took me to one of the biggest student parties I ever saw, second night I went to Mozart's Figaro. It doesn't get much better than that.
Stayed one night in Nottingham at Rob and Lusannes sweet pad. Rob and Sansun were so wonderful to me by feeding me, picking me up, dropping me off to the Kings of Leon concert, and making sure I was very comfortable... Which I was!
Total Surfing Nights: 19
Music, making it with guitars and listening to all types of music. I really listen to much stuff, and love discovering more. Film. Sport; surfing, rugby, squash, football and more... I'm inquisitive and easily interested in many things.
- concerts
- cooking
- coffee
- partying
- drinking
- news
- traveling
- socializing
- music
- surfing
- sports
- soccer
- rugby
- racquetball
- journalism
- squash
Music, Movies, and Books
Wouldnt know where to start...
One Amazing Thing I've Done
I lived for three weeks with a family of coffee producers in northern Peru, a few kilometers from Ecuador, in the middle of absolute nowhere (ex-Amazonia), with no electricity or hot water, in a house made of mud, and worked with them. It was amazing by all definitions of the word.
Teach, Learn, Share
I can teach you some French and perhaps even a few life tricks. As to learning, I love learning new things so hit me.
Countries I've Visited
Albania, Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, China, Croatia, Czech Republic, Greece, Italy, Macedonia, Montenegro, Morocco, Peru, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Switzerland, Turkey, United Kingdom, Uruguay
Countries I've Lived In
France, New Zealand


text:
A Hasid - and a Professor
The stone walls and bulletin boards in Jerusalem's ultra-Orthodox neighborhoods were covered last week with huge obituaries, and large notices also filled the front page of Hamodia. Hasidic courts, institutions and funds, and ultra-Orthodox personalities and politicians expressed their grief over the loss of Rabbi Menachem Mendel Brayer, who died Saturday a week ago, at Jerusalem's Shaare Zedek Medical Center.
The late rabbi was the father of Nahum Dov Brayer, the Admor of Boyan, an old Hasidic sect based in Jerusalem. Apart from the family ties, the obituaries also portrayed a picture of a very colorful figure: "The Hasidic scholar, the renowned pleasant and wise man, their crowning glory. A great leader in Israel. Sharp and knowledgeable in all the inner workings of the Torah, a great scholar, who disseminated Torah among the flocks."
Not coincidentally, among the heaps of praise there is no mention of some of the titles he acquired during his lifetime, titles that outside the ultra-Orthodox sector would have appeared in very large print: doctor of psychology and respected lecturer in education and Bible at Yeshiva University in New York. Even though he always considered himself a Boyan Hasid in every respect, and had a senior status among Hasidim, Rabbi Brayer was firmly in the modern Orthodox world. He was the leader of a mixed community of ultra-Orthodox and modern Orthodox in New York, but devoted most of his life to academic research. Even the obituaries published last week in almost every Israeli ultra-Orthodox paper did not hint about this side of the rabbi.
The story of Rabbi Brayer is unusual in the ultra-Orthodox world for another reason: He was skipped over for the title of Admor 27 years ago. It was instead given to his oldest son, despite his youth. The son, who moved from New York to Jerusalem and heads a large Hasidic community, which today lists more than 1,000 families among its followers, maintained close ties with his parents in New York. Boyan Hasidim describe the devotion between the Admor and his father the academic.
Boyan Hasidism is today the largest of the sects from Beit Rozhin, which was established around 120 years ago in Ukraine and spread across the European continent. After World War II, some of the communities rebuilt themselves in the United States and Israel. Beit Rozhin, which is known for the regal pomp in its court and for the distance maintained between the Admors and their followers, also includes the Sadigera, Hosiatin, Bohosh, Churtakov and Shtefenesht sects.
A humble man
The previous Admor of Boyan, Rabbi Mordechai Shlomo Friedman, was the last remnant of the Boyan dynasty after the Holocaust. He emigrated from Europe to New York and set up his court there. The rabbi, who had no sons, married his oldest daughter, Malka, to Menachem Mendel, who himself came from an illustrious family in the Rozhin dynasty.
In 1971, upon the death of the previous Admor, the Boyan Hasidim decided not to appoint a replacement, but an heir apparent was designated: Nahum Dov, the oldest grandson of the Admor, and not his son-in-law, the Rabbi Dr. Brayer. According to a story well-known among Boyan Hasidim, the father did not want the position, because despite his family tree - and unlike his son - he did not have the "blue blood" of Boyan Admors running through his veins. According to another version, which ultra-Orthodox commentator Rabbi Yisrael Gellis cites, Brayer "wasn't suited to the role of Admor, because he was a humble and honest man."
But the more interesting version, which several Boyan Hasidim denied this week, is actually cited by someone outside the ultra-Orthodox world, Yaakov Mazor, a research fellow at the Hebrew University's Center for the Study of Jewish Music. Mazor met several times with Rabbi Brayer during the course of his research on Boyan court melodies, and at these meetings, he discovered that the title of Admor was actually offered to Brayer after the death of his father-in-law in 1971, "but he didn't want to be an Admor," said Mazor.
"He told me he turned down the job of Admor because he did not see himself fit to lead a Hasidic sect. He certainly saw himself as a Boyan Hasid, but he didn't want to lead the community. The second reason is that he didn't want to give up his academic career. He very much liked research and teaching at Yeshiva University."
Unlike the monarchic rules in some Hasidic sects, whereby the heir apparent receives the title of Admor even if he is still a child, Boyan Hasidim did not want a child rabbi. For nine years, no Admor led the community. Only in 1980, after his marriage, was Nahum Dov appointed the Rebbe of Boyan. The young Admor immigrated to Israel, and for the last 27 years he has led the Hasidic community, many of whose young adherents live in Beitar Ilit. There are also some Boyan communities in the U.S.
The Admor's parents stayed in New York, along with their younger son, Avraham Yisrael Brayer, who leads a modern-Orthodox life and works for NASA. Boyan Hasidim related in the name of the Admor's father that he was proud "that both sons are floating in the upper spheres."
It's hard to exaggerate the huge gap between a community such as Boyan and the world of Yeshiva University. Even though both places have ultra-Orthodox characteristics, Yeshiva University is a modern and Zionist academic institution where men and women engage in extracurricular secular studies. Boyan Hasidim, on the other hand, have for the last few decades been entrenched in the heart of Jerusalem's ultra-Orthodox conservatism, and contrary to accepted norms in other Hasidic communities, most of the Israeli followers do not work, and live off kollel student allowances. This Hasidic community made sure to preserve its non-Zionist identity over the years, but is represented in the Knesset's United Torah Judaism faction by MK Meir Porush, who is known for his right-wing views.
At Yeshiva University, Dr. Brayer worked as student psychologist and as a lecturer in Bible, education and Jewish philosophy. According to Yeshiva University's guiding principles, he conducted academic research within the framework of Orthodox tradition. Meanwhile, he remained a central Boyan figure both as the father of the Admor, and as someone who served the previous Admor. He also visited Israel frequently and sat beside his son at his tishes, the festive meals when Hasidim gather to see their leader and hear words of Torah.
During some of his visits, he met with Yaakov Mazor. "I was very impressed by his personality," says Mazor. "He was a very intelligent man, wise, with a sharp mind, and full of human warmth. Despite his status within the Hasidic community, he agreed to meet a stranger such as myself, and I hardly needed any flowery language, as is often the case. I said I was researching music, and he immediately accepted me."
Prolific author
Over the years, Rabbi Dr. Brayer wrote numerous books and articles in English. In 1973, he wrote an article titled "Psychedelic Drugs and Religious Conscience," in which he brought the approach of Halakha and Western psychology to the world of narcotics. Later on he published a book about Jonathan, the son of King Saul, and a book of commentary on the Maharal of Prague, and contributed an article to the book "Jewish Bioethics." His most quoted research, a two-volume book issued in 1986, is called "The Jewish Woman in Rabbinic Literature: a Psycho-Historical Perspective." It is a comprehensive social-historical study, starting from the period of the Mishna, of the sources of the Jewish laws and customs relating to women. He also wrote a thick volume called "The House of Rozhin," a biographical survey of anecdotes about the dynasty.
Several Boyan Hasidim who were asked this week if they had seen these books in the central Boyan Beit Midrash - or if they had even heard of them - said no. They only were familiar with the book of commentary on the Maharal. However, Mota Brim, an artist and Boyan Hasid, is careful to note, "We in the community always treated him with great respect. Everything derives from the special relationship the rebbe had with his father, a rare relationship of respect for one's parents. The rebbe would sit at the center of the tish, in front of hundreds of people, and if his father entered the hall, he would get up, run to him, hug and kiss him and then seat him at the head of the table. The fact that the father was modern didn't change a thing."
Another Hasid said, "Despite the fact that he was modern, he was like the number two person in the community."
A few years ago, when the father's health deteriorated, the Admor took his parents into his Jerusalem home and appointed someone to oversee his father's treatment at Shaare Zedek Medical Center.
"Boyan Hasidim knew very well that an academic with senior status in the community is a very rare thing," said Yaakov Mazor. "But their attitude was an attitude of respect and admiration. They did not look at this askance, and would even boast about the doctor who came from the Hasidic community."
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text:
Edith Mae Baker
BRIGHTON — Edith Mae Baker, 91, of Washington, died Saturday, Feb. 1, 2014, in McCreedy Home in Washington.
Funeral services will be at 10:30 a.m., Wednesday, Feb. 5, at the Brighton United Church with the Rev. Rick Zickefoose officiating. Burial will be in Antioch Cemetery north of Fairfield. The family will greet friends for one hour immediately preceding the funeral, from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m., Wednesday at the church. Memorials for the Antioch Cemetery may be left at the church or mailed to the family at P.O. Box 9, Brighton, IA 52540. The Gould Funeral Home in Brighton is in charge of the arrangements.


text:
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There are a number of PR opportunities for exhibitors at Infosecurity Europe both in advance and during the event.
Infosecurity Group's official PR company MIDAS have created a round up of how you can work with them and maximise your exposure.
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- 91%: Percentage of boomers who want more value from a brand when they're considering a switch.
- $514: Average amount boomers spend per month on their spouse; they spend almost $800 on their children.
- 26%: Percentage of boomers who say they are not at all brand loyal.
Source: "Generation BUY: A Close Look at the Boomer Consumer," TV Land


text:
LOS ANGELES, Sept. 28 (UPI) -- The Los Angeles County coroner's office said it was looking into whether heat had a role in the death of film editor Sally Menke, whose body was found Tuesday.
Menke, 56, worked on director Quentin Tarantino's movies "Pulp Fiction," "Kill Bill" and "Jackie Brown."
The Los Angeles Times reported her body was discovered at the bottom of a ravine early Tuesday by searchers in Beachwood Canyon. Her Labrador retriever was found alive and sitting beside her, the newspaper said.
Friends had contacted the authorities when Menke failed to return home Monday after a hiking trip.
Sources familiar with the case told the Times they believe Menke became disoriented and collapsed, and that weather conditions contributed to her death.
The coroner's office said no cause of death had been determined, but added investigators were looking at whether Monday's high temperatures were a factor.


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Mets unable to shake Phillies' hex
Mets unable to shake Phillies' hex
With 14 games remaining in their season -- none against the second-place team in the division -- the Mets are not all that concerned with the Phillies. Whatever their anxiety is, it is a by-product of their own dreadful performance Sunday and the three-game sweep that resulted. For now, they're worried primarily about themselves.
The Mets fell flat and, in the words of David Wright, embarrassed themselves in a game that they considered less than critical but more meaningful than most. They understood that the 10-6 pasting they'd endured was bad enough on its own merits -- or demerits. But what made it worse was that they knew they were far more responsible for it than were the Phillies.
A pinch-hit grand slam by Greg Dobbs in the sixth inning did them in. But what directly preceded Dobbs' home run were three of the 11 walks the Mets surrendered and one of the six errors they committed.
"They just took what we gave them," Wright said. "And we gave them a lot."
This remarkable defeat -- the Mets were incredulous about it -- came replete with the errors, the walks, a hit batsman, four unearned runs, more mindless execution and enough bad karma to fill Ryan Howard's uniform.
"[That was] as ugly a game as I've ever been a part of or watched," Tom Glavine said. "I don't know that there's ever a right time for a performance like this, but it certainly wasn't today."
And coming as it did after unsettling losses Friday and Saturday and the sweep in Philadelphia in late August, the Mets clearly are less sure of themselves than they were following their "right-the-ship" sweep of the Braves.
"It's hard to believe we're the same team," one of them said. "Every season has ups and downs. But this drastic? At this time of year?"
Before the Phillies arrived on Friday 6 1/2 games in arrears, the Mets had discretely wondered whether they might clinch their second straight division championship during their pending trip to Washington and Miami. Now they must execute another U-turn, as they did against the Braves following the first sweep, to add some security to their lead and repair their damaged sense of self.
"Hopefully, it will mirror what happened last time," Wright said.
The Mets were proud and sitting rather pretty just three days after that four-game sweep at the hands of the Phillies. And manager Willie Randolph, steadfast in his optimistic outlook, leaned on the sweep of the Braves during the postmortems Sunday.
"You saw how quickly things can turn around then," Randolph said. "And we had a decent homestand before this [the Mets had won five of six games at Shea Stadium against the Astros and Braves prior to Friday]."
The manager didn't dismiss the loss -- "It was a bad time we picked to play bad baseball. It was a terrible game for us." -- and he hoped his players wouldn't fixate on the loss, the Mets' eighth straight against the Phillies and 12th in 18 games against them this season.
"I think we'll turn the page and play well in Washington," Randolph said.
The Mets play three games against the Nationals and four against the Marlins before their final seven-game homestand begins Sept. 24.
The race may be settled by then. As one of the Mets said of the Phillies on Saturday, "They save their best bullets for us and then have nothing left."
But now, more than ever, the Mets are relying on the Phillies to fade, rather than saying the race is theirs to win.
Glavine said, "I still would rather be in our position." But at the same time, one Met mentioned, "Phillies are four out in the loss column." He had done the math. Teams looking forward don't care about the loss column.
The Mets ought to be looking forward, if only to avert their eyes from their performance Sunday. More Russian Roulette Relief -- with no empty chamber -- dragged them down after a three-run home run by Carlos Beltran had tied the score at 5 in the fifth and offset another inadequate performance by Oliver Perez. Undermined by the errors, including two on one play by Jose Reyes, Perez allowed five runs, two earned, and walked six in 4 2/3 innings.
He allowed the leadoff batter to reach base in each of the first five innings and walked the opposing pitcher in a critical situation.
But this loss fell on the bullpen, as had seven of the Mets' first 11 losses to the Phillies. The Mets' relievers allowed 10 runs, seven earned, in 9 2/3 innings in the series. In contrast, the Phillies' relievers allowed one run in 11 1/3 innings in the sweep. It came on the home run Wright hit against winning pitcher Geoff Geary in the seventh inning that reduced the Mets' deficit to 10-6.
The home run had significance beyond the score, making Wright the 30th player in history to hit 30 home runs and steal 30 bases in the same season.
"It came in a situation ... that was not the most joyous of moments," Wright said.
By then, the tag team of Jorge Sosa and Guillermo Mota had done its work. Mota was summoned shortly after Beltran's 29th home run.
Mota did as Perez had done. He put the leadoff batter on base, as Pat Burrell walked. Then Luis Castillo committed his first error with the Mets -- in his 37th game with them -- and the team's fifth of the game. He mishandled Howard's hot ground ball, which had some double-play potential, and his rushed throw to second base, with Wright covering because of the overshift against Howard, bounced away.
Mota walked Aaron Rowand, loading the bases before Sosa was called. A walk to Jayson Werth put the Phillies ahead. Dobbs' slam, the Phillies' second pinch-hit slam this season, followed. It was the sixth grand slam against the Mets, who have hit none, and the 10th home run Sosa has allowed in what now is 105 2/3 innings.
Until that point, the play that most exasperated the Mets was the double error charged to Reyes in the second inning following Perez's unpardonable two-out walk to starting pitcher Adam Eaton. Jimmy Rollins hit a routine ground ball slightly to Reyes' left, and the Mets shortstop played it properly.
But an unexpected high bounce denied him a play, and his rushed, hard and relatively short throw handcuffed Castillo and bounced away. Both runners scored on the two errors by a player who hadn't committed one in 43 games, and who had just established a career-high errorless streak Saturday. Moreover, no Mets shortstop or second baseman had made an error in 44 games, the longest such streak in franchise history. Moises Alou, Paul Lo Duca and Jeff Conine also were guilty of errors in the Mets' first six-error game since Sept. 13, 2002.
But the poor play went beyond errors. Beltran threw to third base -- with zero chance of throwing out Howard -- while Werth advanced to scoring position on Wes Helms' sacrifice fly in the third.
Perez, speaking generally, said, "We're better than that." Randolph said it, too. But the Mets hardly showed it Sunday. "We were in position to bury them," Wright said. "And we failed miserably."
That wasn't concern about the race that came out of his mouth.
"We either step up now or allow this to be in the back of our minds when we go to Washington," Wright said.
That is concern about the Mets.
Marty Noble is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.


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Cubrina (2376 m) and gloomy Mnich (2067 m)
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Tatras also have their climbing legends. Mnich (2067 m), seen in gloomy mood on the right, is like a perl amongst these legends. The easiest route to its summit is of grade III UIAA.
The date of the photo: 30th june 2007
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In steps of V. I. Lenin - Rysy from polish side (Album)
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Cubryna/Čubrina (Mountain/Rock)
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Image ID: 307636
Hits: 1236
Lat/Lon: 49.12300°N / 20.03200°E
Object Title: Cubrina (2376 m) and gloomy Mnich (2067 m)
Image Type(s): Scenery


text:
On this Labor Day, we have a story about retailers using deals and sales to lure in customers.
It's famous for its Underground. But over in the U.K., a strike by Tube workers could result in chaos.
And speaking of the U.K., British Airways is planning on more mergers. With what money exactly?
Germany is expected to continue using nuclear power plants for longer than expected.
Gotten a movie lately? Has it been from Redbox? The video rental kiosk chain says it has rented its one millionth movie.
Residents in the Gulf are making the transition from disaster response to coastal restoration.
And an urban cruise takes a wild ride on the commerce side.


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|29 Nov 2009
speakers problem
hi .. frm da day I installed windows 7 , ONly one of my speaker is working, only right speaker, n der r no problems with speakers I have checked.. both are working, I tried to adjust from all the possiblities but its not working.. cud anyone help me plz..n if I'm testing the speakers the volume of the second speaker is also appearing in first(right) one..
|My System Specs
|29 Nov 2009
Win 8 Release candidate 8400
hi .. frm da day I installed windows 7 , ONly one of my speaker is working, only right speaker, n der r no problems with speakers I have checked.. both are working, I tried to adjust from all the possiblities but its not working.. cud anyone help me plz..n if I'm testing the speakers the volume of the second speaker is also appearing in first(right) one..
Hi AnD WeLcOmE
It iS EiThEr ThE DErIvEr, Or DE CoNfIg.
How about you tell us what sound card and 32 bit or 64?
Ken J
|My System Specs
|29 Nov 2009
Hi Ken
thanks for your reply
My sound card is Realtek AC'97 Audio
and 32-bit
and when I check my speakers properties, I see there is no jack information is available - is that a problem ??
|My System Specs
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Yesterday, I bought a new sound card, it is High Definition Audio (8-channel) and I have 5.1 Logitech speakers. The problem is that the sould card has only 3 audio sockets, green (for the front speakers), pink (for micro.) and blue. However, my speakers, which are 5.1., have 3 cables to connect to...
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Headphones & Speakers problem
When I plug my headphones in sometimes random things don't play through them. For example atm I'm talking on skype and I can hear my friend talking to me but if I play a youtube video the audio from the video comes out through the speakers. How do I make everything come through the headphones? I...
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Conexant driver: headphones jack and speakers problem
Hi I have been browsing through the forums and have not yet found a solution to this problem, but a lot of people seem to be having several similar sound problems. I hope someone can help me solve this. I have an HP Pavilion dv2 notebook. I had windows XP and upgraded to Windows 7. Everything...
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Realtek hd problem..headphones work as speakers..
HELLO, I have a wired problem with realtek hd r237 windows 7 drivers: I don't have any sound on laptop's internal speakers but i can hear in headphones.In PLAYBACK DEVICES headphones are detected as speakers and when i unplug them sound automatically turns to SPDIF- no sound on internal...
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2013 Latinas of Influence Reception
Hispanic Lifestyle
Wednesday, April 3, 2013 from 5:00 PM to 7:00 PM (PDT)
Who's Going
San Francisco, California
London, United Kingdom
Florence, Italy
Event Details
Hispanic Lifestyle is proud to announce our Latinas of Influence Reception will take place on Wednesday, April 3, 2013 at the Ontario Airport Hotel, Ontario, California from 5PM to 7PM.
The event will recognize several Latinas of Influence who have been featured on our television program, Hispanic Lifestyle and companion website Hispaniclifestyle.com for their contributions in business, community service, entertainment and education.
In honor of National Women's History Month, (March 1, 2013 to March 31, 2013) beginning March 1, 2013 on our website Hispaniclifestyle.com we will post at least one Latina of Influence each day. In total at least 31 Latinas of Influence will be featured on our website. Many of the postings will include video segments of Latinas that have had a positive impact in terms of professional accomplishments and inspiration in our communities.
The complete listing will be posted on our website by February 20, 2013
Date: April 3, 2013
Location: Ontario Airport Hotel - 700 N. Haven Avenue, Ontario, CA.
Time: 5PM to 7PM
Format: Reception, Hors d'oeuvres, No Host Bar
Program: Starts 5:30PM
When & Where
Ontario Airport Hotel
700 N. Haven Ave
Wednesday, April 3, 2013 from 5:00 PM to 7:00 PM (PDT)
Add to my calendar
Hispanic Lifestyle
Hispanic Lifestyle is an award winning television program, website and event producer. Our television program which is broadcasted on several PBS and independent stations is accessible to over 10 million households. For almost 20 years Hispanic Lifestyle has profiled many of the nations most influential Latinos in government, business and entertainment.
Hispanic Lifestyle has produced more than 80 events over the last 19 years including our signatures productions, the Inland Empire Hispanic Image Awards, Business Expo and Conference and Latina Conference.
Our production staff has assisted companies and organizations with promotion and production services for their events since 1995.


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Guido Santorsola
Guido Santorsola (b. November 18 1904 in Canosa di Puglia , Italy , d. September 24 1994 in Montevideo , Uruguay), a South American composer and conductor.
In his youth he lived in Brazil; then he studied violin and composition in Europe, including the Trinity College of Music in London in 1922. He left Europe in 1925 and returned to Brazil. He later lived in Uruguay .
He composed mainly for the guitar. One of his most well-known works is "Giga". His compositions, which include guitar music and several concertos, use a mixture of Brazilian folk music and modernist techniques.
|Guido Santorsola
|Suite Antiga in 5 parts: Prelude, Minueto, Musetta, Sarabanda, Giga


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Unfortunately, I think you're correct and with Country being the next theme, next week won't be the week she leaves either. Pass the earplugs!Originally Posted by nemo78;2869918;
I dread that Hillbilly crap!
Unfortunately, I think you're correct and with Country being the next theme, next week won't be the week she leaves either. Pass the earplugs!Originally Posted by nemo78;2869918;
I dread that Hillbilly crap!
I thought that she had excellent song choice and did a great job on the song. I really like Kristy and I actually agree with Paula that Kristy is improving each week. MUCH more so than Chikeze and Ramiele
I thought it was cheesy as hell and she did just OK job with it, just OK at it's best. The fact that this was her best performance tells more about her past performances than this one.Originally Posted by simplechef;2869980;
i don't think her performance was extraordinary or anything. the song wasn't that challenging, pretty much anybody could have sang it and sounded decent.
It's easy to be miserable. Being happy is tougher - and cooler.
thom yorke
that was possibly the best damn song choice ever.
personally, i find that to be the most annoying song ever.
but kristy pulled it off really well
she's still the 2nd worst, in front of sayesha, in my opinion...
but last night was great for her.
I also think it was cheesy and pageanty. But I agree that it was a clever song choice, because she now just looks like your perfect little American citizen, and you forget for a moment that she should've been gone two weeks ago with that "Eight days a week" that I try to forget that I ever saw.
I think Alaina, Asiah and Alexandrea are better singers than this joke of country poop.
Forget it, it will haunt you forever.Originally Posted by mc_aka_alisa;2871059;
Her song choice was on target though, this week.
How can you beat "patriotic" on FOX TV?
Oh well.
What Smart Song Choice Can Do For You! by Kristy Lee Cook...
It was a clever choice for the obvious patriotic reasons - I was wondering if she chose it to make up for the video where she sings in front of the confederate flag. If she did, she is smarter than she seems to be.
Originally Posted by BoBoFan;2869934;
The "mute" button will get one helluva workout next week.
"There's no crying in baseball!"
-- Tom Hanks, A League of Their Own


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By Caroline Sikes
March 25, 2013
KEY MATCHUP vs. MAGIC
Michael Kidd-Gilchrist vs. Moe Harkless
The matchup between Michael Kidd-Gilchrist and Maurice Harkless will see two talented rookies who have been playing well recently going toe-to-toe. For the Bobcats, Kidd-Gilchrist has scored in double-figures in three of the last four games and is coming off his fifth double-double of the season, scoring 13 points and grabbing 10 boards against the Heat. On the season, MKG does it all for Charlotte, contributing 8.9 points, 5.5 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 1.00 block… He will be facing off against someone Coach Mike Dunlap knows well in Maurice Harkless. Harkless, the rookie out of St. John's, played for Dunlap last season while Dunlap was serving as the interim head coach for the Red Storm. This season for the Magic, the 15th overall pick in the 2012 Draft has averaged 7.2 points, 4.3 boards and 1.2 steals but has seen his playing time increase lately as he continues to improve. Harkless has finished in double-figure scoring in 16 of Orlando's last 19 games, including a season-high 25-point performance on March 22 against the Thunder… Whichever rookie comes out on top of this matchup may be an indication of who will take the game.
The Bobcats return home, where they've won three of their last four games at Time Warner Cable Arena®, with the only loss coming from the 92-91 upset at the hands of the Pistons on March 23… To keep the home court advantage alive, the Cats will need their backcourt to lead the way, as they have done for most of the season. Kemba Walker continues to lead the Cats in scoring (17.3 points), assists (5.5) and steals (2.0) during his sophomore campaign… Gerald Henderson could be key to a Charlotte victory, as he has elevated his game recently. During March, Henderson averages 18.0 points on 44.8 percent shooting, while adding 3.8 rebounds and 3.1 assists… Another player who has been huge for the Cats lately is Jannero Pargo. Pargo was signed to a second 10-day contract to replace the injured Ramon Sessions and has yet to disappoint. In the six games he's played for the Bobcats, he averages 10.2 points (shooting .440 from the field and .433 from long range), 2.8 assists, 1.2 steals and 1.0 rebound in 17.2 minutes… The Cats frontcourt took a hit last week when Brendan Haywood was sidelined for the rest of the season due to a stress reaction in his foot. Then Josh McRoberts suffered a shoulder strain against the Pistons and missed Charlotte's last game versus the Heat. Before the injury, McRoberts had started the last seven games, averaging 9.9 points, 8.4 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 1.4 steals during that stretch… After losing at home early in the season to the Magic, the Bobcats have won the last two in Orlando, so it will be interesting to see if the Cats can finish the series 3-1.
After starting the season 12-13, the Magic have been struggling to find a way to win, going 6-40 since December 21… Things haven't been looking up for Orlando down the stretch, after finding out leading-scorer, Arron Afflalo, would miss the rest of the season due to a strained right hamstring. The Magic was already missing Glen Davis (foot) who was their second leading scorer, but has been sidelined since late January. To make matters worse, Nikola Vucevic didn't play in the Magic's last three games after suffering a concussion and working to meet the league's protocol for head injuries. The Magic have been forced to play small lineups in the absence of 7-0 Vucevic, who on the season averages 12.4 points, 11.5 rebounds and 1.0 block… Jameer Nelson has been in charge of leading this injury-laden team as the season winds down. Nelson has been impressive despite the obstacles, averaging 14.9 points, 7.4 assists, 3.7 rebounds and 1.31 steals… Tobias Harris, who was traded from the Milwaukee Bucks in February, has made the most of his new home in Orlando, posting 14.9 points, 7.6 rebounds, 1.4 assists and 1.25 blocks through 16 games.
Make sure you come out to support your Cats as they take on their division rivals, the Orlando Magic, at 7 p.m. on March 27 at Time Warner Cable Arena® for Wednesday Night Basketball. All Wednesday Night Basketball games feature $4 12 oz. beers, bottomless popcorn and Team Store item of the game, as well as awesome deals at the Epicentre. If you can't make it out, catch the game on SportSouth or listen on WFNZ. Join other Cats fans by following the live in-game chat at bobcats.com or by downloading the Bobcats app on your smartphone.


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Gifts from company CEO Jonnie Williams and the stock provoked conflict-of-interest claims for allowing Cuccinelli's office to handle Star Scientific's $700,000 tax lawsuit against the state. Read »
Before a nearly all-Republican crowd, Republican Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli dismissed his absent Democratic foe. Read »
Cuccinelli has determined that a portion of the General Assembly's state's transportation funding bill goes against the state constitution. Read »
Virginia Democrats pushed two deeply emotional hot buttons Tuesday in the state's gubernatorial race, slamming Republican Ken Cuccinelli for equating the nation's bloody reckoning over slavery with today's... Read »
Democratic lawmakers on Thursday denounced Republican Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli's remarks in his new book about government programs like Medicare and Social Security. Read »
Republican Gov. Bob McDonnell was noncommittal on whether Republican gubernatorial candidate Ken Cuccinelli should step down as attorney general. Read »
There may be no one challenging Cuccinelli for the GOP gubernatorial nomination, but seven are vying for the Republican nominee for lieutenant governor. Read »
The Virginia State Board of Elections has requested that Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli initiate an investigation into allegations of voter fraud. Read »
Three prominent Virginia lawmakers are calling on the Department of Justice to investigate possible voter registration fraud connected to a Florida company and its subsidiary Pinpoint. Read »
Abortion rights supporters unveiled a website Tuesday to call attention to Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli's refusal to certify new abortion clinic regulations. Read »


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More than four years ago, Jackson County officials decided they needed about .07 acres of J.B. Alexander's property on Maysville Road to build Steve Reynolds Industrial Parkway, an access road into a Jackson County Industrial Development Authority industrial park.
Several thousand dollars in legal fees, one demolished warehouse and multiple headaches later, attorneys for the county and Alexander have settled on a price for the strip of land barely 20 feet wide.
Alexander sued the county for the $400,000 his appraiser believed the property was worth and the income he has lost since the county took ownership in 2006. The county initially offered only a few thousand dollars, then increased that offer to $150,000 after a second appraiser reviewed the case.
The suit was scheduled to go to trial today, but last week, both parties settled on a price of $250,000.
Darrell Sims, who sold the abandoned saw mill to Alexander in 2004 for $215,000, thinks the county made the eminent domain seizure process more difficult than it had to be in an effort to get the land at a discount.
The portion of the land the county took ruined the 5-acre parcel for industrial use, and Alexander should have been paid for that loss of use in addition to price of the land, Sims said. The two men believe Alexander could have charged an industrial tenant $3,500 a month in rent for the site, yielding $126,000 in three years.
In 2004, the local government began the process to acquire the land. The Jackson County Industrial Authority was developing a 400-acre industrial park near Interstate 85 along Maysville Road. The land was needed to build and provide right-of-way space for the industrial park's main drag, Steve Reynolds Industrial Parkway.
The county severely undervalued the land and the 1950s-era warehouse located on the parcel that was demolished as part of the project, Sims said.
Sims had replaced the building's roof and electrical system in the 1990s, but the county's appraiser valued the building at about $16,000. The county told Sims and Alexander the building had lost 90 percent of its value due to depreciation. Meanwhile, the county maintained the building was valued at $160,000 for tax purposes.
"They came up with that depreciation number just to drive down the price," Sims said.
After a two-year stalemate over the value of the land, the county condemned the property on July 26, 2006. On July 28, the county's contractors started tearing down the warehouse.
"They took the building down piece-by-piece," Sims said. "They didn't take a wrecking ball to it."
To add insult to injury, the county tax assessor's office continued to calculate Alexander's property taxes as if the building were there.
"We'd go down there and say, 'Look, this building's not there. The county tore it down,' " he said. This is the first year since 2006 that Alexander was not billed for taxes on the demolished building.
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Essar Energy plc [LSE: ESSR], the India-focused integrated energy company, today announced that it has been allocated a share of coal from the Amelia coal block by the Madhya Pradesh state government to supply fuel to its Mahan I power project.
The allocation of a share of coal from Amelia gives Essar Energy a second source of fuel to supply Mahan I, a 1,200 megawatt power project, in addition to Essar's existing Mahan coal block. The addition of Amelia will significantly extend coal availability from Essar's captive blocks for Mahan I from the current estimate of approximately 12 years. Both blocks are within very close proximity to the power project.
The Madhya Pradesh state government has formally notified Essar Energy and another company, DB Mining Power, that they will jointly be allocated 40% of the coal from Amelia, which has been allocated to and will be operated by the Madhya Pradesh State Mining Corporation (MPSMC).
Amelia is estimated to have around 214 million tonnes of coal reserves, according to the Ministry of Coal. The block still requires environmental and other approvals before mining operations can begin.
Essar Energy will be supplied with its entitlement of coal from Amelia by MPSMC under a long term linkage arrangement once a Fuel Supply Agreement has been signed. The FSA is expected to be signed once the required environmental and other approvals have been obtained. The coal will be supplied at prevailing Indian coal linkage prices.
Essar Energy still expects to secure a separate shorter term tapering coal linkage arrangement to secure fuel for Mahan I until the Mahan block is producing sufficient coal.
Separately, the Government of India's Empowered Group of Ministers continues to hold meetings to discuss forest clearances for Essar Energy's three coal blocks at Mahan, Chakla and Ashok Karkata,. These clearances are necessary to allow mining operations to begin. The Mahan block will supply fuel to Mahan I, which is due to be completed by March 2012. The Chakla and Ashok Karkata coal blocks will serve the nearby Tori I and Tori II power projects, which are due to be completed before the end of March 2014.
For further information on Essar Energy, please visit www.essarenergy.com
For further information on the Essar Group, please visit www.essar.com
Alternatively, please contact:
Essar Energy
Mark Lidiard, Director of Investor Relations & Communications +44 20 7408 8714 or +44 7554 440421
Andrew Turpin, Head of Media Relations +44 20 7408 8702 or +44 7827 283659
Capital MS&L
Richard Campbell +44 20 7307 5334 or +44 7775 784 933
Nicholas Bastin +44 20 7255 5117 or +44 7931 500 066
About Essar Energy
Essar Energy (LSE:ESSR) is a world class, low-cost, integrated energy company with an established track record.
Essar Energy, through its subsidiaries, owns one of India's largest private power producers with 1,600MW of installed capacity and a further 8,070MW under construction.
Essar Energy, through its subsidiaries, owns one of India's fastest growing private sector oil and gas companies with a diverse portfolio of exploration and production assets. The Vadinar refinery, located in Gujarat, is India's second largest private sector oil refinery with throughput capacity of 14.7 million metric tonnes per annum and plans to expand to 20mmtpa by September 2012.
About Essar Group
The Essar Group (the "Group") is a multinational conglomerate and a leading player in the sectors of Steel, Oil, Gas, Power, Communications, Shipping, Ports, Logistics, Construction and Minerals. With operations in more than 25 countries across five continents, the Group employs over 70,000 people, with annual revenues of US$17 billion.
* * *
This announcement contains certain forward-looking statements, including statements regarding Group's plans, objectives and performance. Such statements relate to events and depend on circumstances that may occur in the future and are subject to risks, uncertainties and assumptions. Although the Group believes that the expectations reflected in such forward looking statements are reasonable, there are a number of factors which could cause actual results and developments to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward looking statements, including, without limitation, the enactment of legislation or regulation that may impose costs or restrict activities; the re-negotiation of contracts or licences; fluctuations in demand and pricing in the Oil and Gas, Power and Energy industries; fluctuations in exchange controls; changes in government policy and taxations; industrial disputes; war and terrorism. Further information on the significant risks and uncertainties associated with the Group's business is set out in the Prospectus published on 4 May 2010. These forward-looking statements speak only as at the date of this document. The Group undertakes no obligation to update any forward looking statements whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except to the extent legally required.
These statements (and all other forward-looking statements contained in this document) are not guarantees of future performance and are subject to risks, uncertainties and other factors, some of which are beyond the Group's control, are difficult to predict and could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied or forecast in the forward-looking statements.
This announcement does not constitute, or form part of, an offer or any solicitation of an offer for securities in any jurisdiction, or an invitation or inducement to invest in the Group or any other entity and should not be relied upon in any way in connection with any investment decision.


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DeMarcus Ware question (can he regain Pro Bowl form?) the trickiest Cowboys will face in offseason
Those who insist Jerry Jones the owner fire Jerry Jones the general manager must return to reality.
Jones will not cede control. And while you debate the owner's wisdom in retaining his head coach and apparently standing by his coordinators, a significant issue still looms.
How do the Cowboys proceed with DeMarcus Ware? The decision here, more than any other the club makes this off-season, signals whether Jones will take a more pragmatic approach to personnel in these .500 times.
Let's get one thing out of the way from the start. The Cowboys will not threaten to cut Ware if he refuses to slice his pay in half. He is not Doug Free.
Ware has been a Pro Bowl fixture and one of the most prolific pass rushers of his generation. He's not a struggling right tackle in need of a second chance. The nuclear threat won't work with someone as accomplished as Ware because he will simply walk.
This is where it gets tricky. Ware is one of the stars Jones goes to year in and year out to restructure to ease the team's salary cap crunch. The club has been willing to push Ware's money — a base of $12.25 million in 2014 — down the road because he has consistently performed at a high level.
Jones can no longer make this assumption.
Ware turns 32 in training camp. The star who had 19 1/2 sacks two years ago finished with a career-low six this season and found himself in a constant battle with injuries.
An aberration? Ware's health also was a point of concern in the final weeks of the 2012 season. He has failed to record a sack in 13 of the 19 games he's played over the last 14 months.
The Cowboys can't negotiate with Ware as if nothing has changed. But going all in on the theory that his decline is irrevocable is equally dangerous.
Ware wasn't himself this season as he dealt with a torn quad, a hyper-extended elbow and herniated disk. But an argument can be made that no one in a Cowboys uniform performed at a higher level during training camp. Ware dominated left tackle Tyron Smith on a daily basis.
This is the same Tyron Smith who will appear in next week's Pro Bowl.
"Going back into training camp, I felt better than I have in a long time," Ware said. "Then the little injuries happen with the quad and your elbow and your back, so you sit back and think about what can I do now this off-season to make sure this doesn't happen again, because I know exactly where I can be and how I can play.
"Injuries took a toll on me a lot this season. But that's no excuse because I got out there and played. I've got to figure out some way to get healthy this off-season for next season."
Has Ware lost a step?
"Not at all," he said. "Not at all."
The Cowboys can't take Ware's word on this matter. The coaching staff must make their own determination and pass it along to Jones.
After the loss to Philadelphia to end the season, Ware indicated he would be willing to take less money to help the team. He came back the next day and emphasized to reporters that he would be willing to move money around to help the team.
That is different from agreeing to take less money.
"Pay cut and restructure are two different things," Ware said. "You hear what I'm saying.
The Cowboys desperately need to carve out cap room. The club can't justify Ware's $16 million cap hit in 2014 at his current level of performance. It can't push the money down the road in good conscious given that his statistics have declined in three consecutive seasons.
The club is on the hook for $8.571 million if it simply cuts Ware. This would actually reduce his hit on the '14 cap by $7.43 million.
But the Cowboys need more talent in the defensive front, not less. Ware in decline is still more productive than the majority of players the club will have a chance to select in the May draft.
And don't forget, it appears unlikely the club will have the cap room it needs to re-sign free-agent defensive tackle Jason Hatcher. Can the Cowboys go into next season without Ware and Hatcher and have any realistic shot at improvement in the front four?
The Cowboys must reduce Ware's salary cap hit to a level that more accurately reflects his performance. Jones must take a hard line here, but not so hard that Ware walks. Asking him to cut his base salary in half doesn't appear to be a realistic option.
Ware, meanwhile, must allow his contract to be adjusted. It's difficult to see how this relationship continues if he refuses to take any sort of pay cut.
A contract that reduces Ware's $12.25 million base salary but includes incentives that potentially allows him to recoup some of that money may be the way out for both sides.
Finding that number won't be easy. This is where Jerry Jones the general manager needs to make it right for Jerry Jones the owner.
Catch David Moore and Robert Wilonsky on The Ticket (KTCK-AM 1310) for Intentional Grounding every Wednesday night from 7-8 p.m. through the playoffs.
Follow David Moore on Twitter @ DavidMooreDMN
A slippery slope
DeMarcus Ware has been one of the premier pass rushers of his generation, but his numbers are in decline. Here's a look.
Season/Sacks/QB hurries
* Has just 7.5 sacks in his last 19 games
* Has gone without a sack in 13 of his last 19 games
* Recorded just 2 sacks in the final 3 months of 2013
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