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Bankrupting America's Spending Daily
Spending Daily | February 5, 2013
Government Becoming "an entitlement machine"
Gerald F. Seib editorializes in The Wall Street Journal, "While the debate rages over the size of government, a funny thing has been happening: Quietly, government has been shrinking. Not dramatically, and not necessarily permanently. But in the ways most people think about government—employees on the public payroll running programs—it's actually in decline. This reality has been masked by the fact that government spending isn't declining, although the rate of increase has moderated. But the part of government that is really increasing right now is the part that churns out checks for people receiving Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security. … What's happening, in short, is that government, particularly at the federal level, is turning increasingly into an entitlement machine, dispensing benefits to those who qualify, while a combination of recession, deficits and an aversion to new taxes is squeezing most remaining government activity."
NYT: Problem Is Washington Has Been "Consumed With Deficit Reduction"
The New York Times editorializes, "In President Obama's first term, the fiscal stimulus and the auto-industry rescue of 2009 created and preserved millions of jobs. But the stimulus ended years ago, replaced with temporary measures that have been insufficient to propel the economy forward. Health care reform in 2010 was a major step in the effort to support the middle class, but its broad effects will be felt only in the years and decades to come. In recent years, the administration and Congress have been consumed with deficit reduction, which is antithetical to job creation because it curbs government spending when the economy is weak. … What has been missing for years is a forceful labor agenda — one that calls for more jobs, but also has as its goal rising wages coupled with robust hiring."
"The GOP's ObamaCare Flippers"
The Wall Street Journal editorializes, "As D-Day looms for ObamaCare, one big question is how many states will sign up for its Medicaid expansion. The recent and spectacular flip-flop of Arizona Governor Jan Brewer is a case study in the political pressure and fiscal gimmicks designed to get states to succumb. … In March of that year, Ms. Brewer wrote to Mr. Obama calling the Affordable Care Act 'a vast new entitlement program that our country does not have the resources to support' and also one that 'makes our situation much worse, exacerbating our state's fiscal woes by billions of dollars.' … The state supposedly no longer needs to spend "billions" but merely an extra $154 million in 2014—then bank $1.6 billion from Washington, which her budget documents call 'a return on investment of more than 10-to-1.' How can the state conjure such money from nothing? The answer is that Ms. Brewer and Arizona hospitals have cooked up a spending scheme to rip off national taxpayers to avoid even the $154 million the state would at first pay. The hospital lobby first floated this scheme in 2011 'for the specific purpose of generating matching federal Medicaid funds.'"
"Can Washington Break Its Addiction to Crisis Economics?"
Nancy Cook editorializes in the National Journal, "Politicians have stared down so many fiscal battles and economic near-calamities during the past six years that it's unclear if they still know how to operate when they're not approaching some sort of crisis. That question hung over the last two weeks, as Congress voted to temporarily suspend the debt ceiling and as Washington experienced a lull between fiscal battles. If we're not in a crisis, then, really, what are we supposed to do now? The economic timeline since 2007 has conditioned us to think this way. We've become adrenaline junkies for the meltdowns and slap-dash solutions: from the credit crisis to the collapse of Lehman Brothers to the housing market dive to the recent battles over taxes and the budget. … The question for 2013 is: Can politicians and policymakers wean themselves off of the high of last-minute policy to create longer-term, less reactive plans to create jobs or boost the housing market or build better roads and bridges or overhaul the tax code or curb healthcare spending over the next two decades?"
Reid: Action on Spending Cuts Will Mean Tax Increases
Bloomberg reports, "A consensus is growing among U.S. Senate Democrats to seek a short-term replacement for the $1.2 trillion in automatic federal spending cuts scheduled to take effect March 1, two Democratic aides said. … There is no agreement on what options Democrats will choose or how big the plan should be, said both aides, who sought anonymity to discuss the private talks. One alternative would be a $50 billion package of spending reductions and higher revenue to cover a five-month delay of the automatic cuts, one of the aides said. … 'We're going to make an effort to make sure' that action on the spending cuts 'involves revenue,' [Sen. Harry] Reid said."
"House GOP thinks unthinkable on defense cuts"
Darren Samuelsohn writes in POLITICO, "The Republican mantra for decades has been: cut NPR, EPA and the National Endowment for the Arts.Now add the Pentagon to the list. In the modern history of the Republican Party, it would have been unthinkable. The GOP is built on two core tenets — small government and big defense spending — and for decades, the two ideas co-existed peacefully. Republicans wanted to cut the federal budget — everywhere except the Pentagon. No more. The reason: A new breed of conservatives in the House cares so much about cutting spending they're willing to extend that to the budget for bullets and bombs, too — in this case, by letting $500 billion in across-the-board automatic budget cuts over 10 years take effect, alongside a similar number for domestic agencies."
Hatch: "increased revenue alone cannot fix our crisis"
Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, editorializes in POLITICO, "American families are used to working with dollar amounts starting with hundreds and thousands. But the fiscal situation of our country requires us to act in terms of billions and trillions. The numbers are well-known — our national debt is nearing $16.5 trillion, with annual trillion-dollar deficits having become the norm. Despite claims to the contrary, increased revenue alone cannot fix our debt crisis. The only way to get a grip on our financial outlook is to address the largest contributors to our debt — our nation's entitlement programs, specifically Medicare and Medicaid. Unfortunately, waiting until the last minute to stop a crisis has become standard operating procedure in Washington. But that isn't how we should be tackling our debt or safeguarding Medicare and Medicaid."
Budget Day Came And Went, Battle Over Spending Begins
Roll Call reports, "Budget day came without a fiscal 2014 budget proposal on Monday, but congressional Republicans didn't let the occasion go by without a sharp attack against the White House on its priorities and its inability tocomplete a federal spending plan by the required deadline. 'This was supposed to be the day that the president submitted his budget to the Congress. But it's not coming. It's gonna be late. And some reports say that it could be as long as a month late. I think that's too bad. The economy could use presidential leadership right now,' Speaker John A. Boehner said in a floor speech Monday. … Without an Obama administration budget to target, House Republicans instead trumpeted legislation introduced by Georgia Rep. Tom Price last week requiring the president to offer either a budget that balances in 10 years or a supplementary plan stating when the president's budget would eliminate the deficit."
"Ending Corporate Welfare One Program at a Time"
Bloomberg editorializes, "U.S. President Barack Obama took advantage of one of the largest audiences in television history to address the residents of Greenwich, Connecticut. Well, maybe it wasn't that straightforward. But by using his pre-Super Bowl interview with CBS News to discuss tax reform, including the infamous carried-interest loophole that benefits hedge-fund and private-equity managers, he signaled a new willingness to do something about corporate welfare — whether it is embedded in the tax code or embodied by government policy. If only saying something about it were as easy as doing something. Some lawmakers have been trying to close the carried- interest loophole, which allows investment managers to pay tax of just 20 percent on their income, for years. Doing sowould raise a mere $2 billion a year, small change when the federal deficit is close to $1 trillion. Even more intractable are the bailouts, tariffs, monopolies, subsidies, no-bid contracts, occupational licenses and loan guarantees that governments routinely grant to businesses and industries. The federal government directly spends between $75 billion and $100 billion a year on everything from farm subsidies to research grants. Include indirect benefits from things like tariffs and corporate tax exclusions, and the favors granted by local and state governments, and the total is much higher — probably more than $1 trillion."
BankruptingAmerica.org is an educational project of Public Notice, an independent, nonpartisan, non-profit, 501(c)(4) organization dedicated to providing facts and insight on the effects public policy has on Americans' financial well-being.
Latest posts by Bankrupting America (see all)
- The Reason Health Insurance Penalties Are Tempting - June 24, 2013
- Surprise! Government departments DO figure out ways to handle Sequester - June 23, 2013
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Current information on Irritable Bowel
Syndrome for professionals and patients, including research and clinical issues
Hypnotherapy has been officially
recognized since 1958 by the American Medical Association and has continued to
We are
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The Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) Self Help Group, established in 1987, is a patient advocate group in support of those who suffer from IBS, those who are looking for support for someone who has IBS, and medical professionals who want to learn more about IBS. The IBS Self Help and Support Group is the largest on-line community for people with Irritable Bowel Syndrome. (Be sure to check out the Hypnotherapy and CBT forum there.)
have your symptoms diagnosed by a medical practitioner or doctor. It is
important to remember that you cannot
Healthy Audio Ltd
Updated 08/17/2013

subset: commoncrawl


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SAN LEANDRO — Police are hunting for an attacker who they say brutally beat a Safeway manager inside the store just south of Victoria Park on Monday morning.
A motive for the attack, witnessed by customers, was not immediately known, police said.
Officers were called at 10:55 a.m. to the grocery store at 555 Bancroft Ave. for a report of a battery involving seriously bodily injury, said Lt. Randy Brandt.
Brandt said the man walked up to the manager inside the store, had a brief conversation with him and, for unknown reasons, punched the manager in the head, knocking him to the ground.
The manager fell and suffered serious injuries, Brandt said.
The suspect ran out the front door toward Bancroft Avenue and then in an unknown direction.
The manager was taken to a hospital for treatment and remained hospitalized on Tuesday.
Police described the suspect as a black man, age 20, 5 feet 10 inches tall, with an athletic build. He wore a hat, gray shirt and bluejeans.
Anyone with information about the suspect or this case is asked to call police at 510-577-3230 or contact the Anonymous Tip Line at 510-577-3278.
Contact Natalie Neysa Alund at 510-293-2469. Follow her at Twitter.com/nataliealund.


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Is anyone else fed up with the extremism on both sides of the gun/gun control debate?
View Single Post
January 2, 2013, 12:20 PM
Spats McGee
Join Date: July 28, 2010
Location: Arkansas
Posts: 6,995
Originally Posted by
. . . . gun violence. . . . gun violence . . . gun violence . . . . gun violence . . . . gun violence . . . . gun violence . . . . gun violence . . . . gun violence. . . . gun violence
Why is "gun violence" any worse than
airplane violence
fertilizer violence
? The discussion needs to be about violence, period.
Originally Posted by
. . . .- When people say that there is no such things as gun owner responsibilities, only gun owner rights. Tiresome as it is, the analogy with the first amendment not giving the right to yell 'fire' in a movie theater is relevant. There need to be responsibilities that come along with gun ownership, such as making a reasonable effort in keeping guns away from minors and other individuals that should not have access to guns (as one example). To state that the second amendment should infer only rights and no responsibilities is invalid. There are regulations around gun ownership and there needs to be regulations around gun ownership. . . . .
One important distinction that needs to be made in that "fire in a theater" analogy: Yelling "fire" in a crowded theater is an intentional act, with reasonably foreseeable consequences (a stampede) that may result in injury or death. Mind you, I am not arguing that gun ownership does not come with responsibilities; it most certainly does. Tort law already provides for remedies for things like negligent use or entrustment, though.
Oh, and there are already regulations around gun possession. (Ownership is a different kettle of fish, and I think that any real danger comes from possession, not ownership.) As an example, see 18 U.S.C. 922.
Originally Posted by
. . . .- When people use the way too common 'two wrong things make a right' argument such as "Well cars kill people too, let's ban cars then". Automobiles are highly regulated, as is the ownership and operation of automobiles. . . . .
of motor vehicles is regulated. I'm unaware of any regulations on ownership, though. What's happened in the last 3 weeks is a huge push to regulate
of firearms, on top of already-extensive regulation on
If we were to treat
of guns in the same way as ownership of automobiles: (1) there'd be no minimum age to purchase; (2) no background check would be required; (3) there would be no license required as long as the driver stayed on private property.
Originally Posted by
. . . .I wish that there could be a sensible discussion around gun violence with true cause and effect being examined, based on data rather than emotion. To try to determine what can be done to reduce gun violence. Why is it that a reasonable dialog cannot be held about reducing gun violence?
1) I hold my right and responsibility to protect myself and my family inviolate, regardless of data. I care about more than just how many people care killed. I care about which ones are killed. What's more, I hold
right and responsibility to protect yourself and your family to be inviolate.
2) "Why is it that a reasonable dialog cannot be held about reducing gun violence?" Over several decades, gun owners have been more than reasonable, even accomodating to the anti-gun crowd. The latter have proven themselves to be unreasonable. We tried it the gun-control way, and it failed.
I'm a lawyer, but I'm not
lawyer. If you need some honest-to-goodness legal advice, go buy some.
Spats McGee
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ACParadise Network: American Cosplay Paradise American Cosplay Experience American Cosplay Snapshots
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Disclaimer: ACP/ACE does not take any responsibilities for the transactions between this cosplayer and any buyers, and will not serve as a third party for any disputes.
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I am currently taking small to medium sized costume and accessories orders. Message me for further information at firstname.lastname@example.com for questions and commissions.
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These are costumes or props made and worn by this cosplayer, available for purchase.


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Genre: Science, Animals, Pets
Premise: If you can't fathom replacing your beloved Spot with just another dog, perhaps creating an exact replica is the way to go. This series tells all about the extraordinary world of pet cloning, including who exactly is taking advantage of this decidedly 21st-century technology, and if it actually succeeds in bringing pets to life. Oh, and there's the cost factor as well, which can run in the many thousands of dollars. Therefore, asking ``Is it worth it?'' to someone who can actually afford the procedure probably isn't, ahem, worth it.


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Erosion and vegetation have erased most of the scars left by impacts in the geologic past. Perhaps the best preserved lies about half an hour east of Flagstaff, Arizona. On a late autumn morning Carolyn Shoemaker and I pull off Interstate 40 and wind through scrubby desert toward a low rise marking the rim of the crater. Fifty thousand years ago this was a forested plain inhabited by mammoths, giant ground sloths, and other Ice Age animals. Shoemaker, an asteroid expert with the Lowell Observatory in Flagstaff, imagines the day the sky fell. "Suddenly, there's a terrific, brilliant light," she says. In a flash, a searing-hot iron-nickel mass, 150 feet wide and weighing 300,000 tons, tears into the Coconino sandstone, flinging boulders and molten iron for miles. A blast of wind more powerful than any earthly tornado scours the landscape.
All that's left of the cataclysm now is a chasm three-fourths of a mile wide and 570 feet deep, fringed with Mormon tea bushes. At the turn of the 20th century, an engineer named Daniel Moreau Barringer was convinced that a massive iron meteorite lay beneath the crater and obtained the mining rights to the land. But after a series of shafts revealed nothing, many prominent geologists concluded that a volcanic eruption, not a meteorite, had formed the crater.
Carolyn's husband, Gene, made Meteor Crater one of America's most recognizable landmarks. In the late 1950s he mapped the overturned rock around the crater and pointed out similarities to the Teapot Ess crater in Nevada, formed by a nuclear test. His data showed that Barringer was right: A meteorite had gouged the crater, although most of the iron had melted into tiny droplets. Several of Barringer's shafts can still be seen from the rim, along with a full-size cutout of a waving astronaut—a nod to NASA, which once used the crater as a training ground. Some visitors whisper and point at Carolyn, and one man plucks up the courage to come over and request her autograph. Carolyn is famous in her own right. She discovered a comet that, in 1994, vividly demonstrated the cosmic threat we face.
In 1980, their children grown and out the door, Gene suggested that Carolyn start a career as an asteroid hunter. "I'm a morning person," she says. "I had never stayed awake all night in my life. I didn't know if I could do that." But she decided to give asteroid hunting a shot. Gene had access to the Palomar Observatory near San Diego. "After a couple years, I learned how to discover things," she says, modestly. She has 32 comets and 367 asteroids to her credit. "Some are more interesting than others."
On March 25, 1993, Carolyn, Gene, and David Levy, an amateur astronomer, were at Palomar for their scheduled observation time. Snow was falling, and the night promised to be long and boring. Carolyn killed time by studying a batch of overexposed film from the previous night. Many frames were worthless. On one of the last images, however, she came across a smudge. "I said, 'It looks like a squashed comet.' " The team asked astronomers at Kitt Peak to take a look. It then occurred to Carolyn that her squashed comet might be a broken comet. Confirmation came that same night when Kitt Peak spotted a string of comet shards traveling together.


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News analysis
The superpower rivalry between the U.S. and China is showing signs of softening, following a series of high-level military visits and plans for a rare joint naval exercise between the two nations next year.
Washington invited Beijing to participate in the biennial Rim of the Pacific Exercise (RIMPAC), which has formerly included scenarios such as China itself launching an offensive against U.S. ally Taiwan.
Hosted by the U.S., RIMPAC is the world's largest maritime training operation and features 22 countries. It will be the first time China has participated.
A smaller joint navy exercise last week was the first time Chinese vessels had visited U.S. waters since 2006, The Associated Press reported. Three People's Liberation Army (PLA) ships carrying 680 officers and sailors performed drills on Sept. 6 with USS Lake Erie off Waikiki and Diamond Head, Honolulu.
Two days later, Chinese Admiral Wu Shengli met U.S. Navy Chief of Operations Admiral Jonathan Greenert in San Diego, home of the U.S. naval fleet. This followed up on a visit by Chinese Defense Minister Chang Wanquan to the Pentagon in August.
"Our goal is to build trust between our militaries through cooperation," Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel told reporters during Chang's visit.
The state-run China Daily newspaper characterized the admiral's visit to the U.S. as "a move experts described as part of the 'rare, determined and intensive efforts' by Beijing and Washington in recent months to improve military ties."
The exchanges come as part of President Barack Obama's "Pivot to Asia" policy, an eastern re-balancing of military might in the wake of the withdrawal from Afghanistan and Iraq, which raised eyebrows in Beijing when it was unveiled last year.
Stephen Orlins, president of New-York based National Committee on U.S.-China Relations, said the series of events has the potential to build a significant affiliation between the world's two largest economies.
"It is very meaningful, and it might be just the beginning," said Orlins, who in 2011 led a delegation of U.S. members of Congress to visit a Chinese navy submarine, and has briefed U.S. naval personnel on China.
"The question is: Are these just symbolic actions or are they actually substantive? Whether this is a new relationship between the U.S. and China will depend on actions by both states."
There have also been positive steps on the political front. During this year's meeting at Sunnylands, Calif., Obama and Xi Jinping, general secretary of China's Communist Party, began to ameliorate recent hostilities over alleged cyber attacks by Chinese hackers.
These events -- both military and political -- have huge symbolic value in China, Orlins said: "The meeting with Hagel made the papers in the U.S. but in China it was front-page news."
But not everyone is convinced of the partnership.
Justin Logan, director of foreign policy studies at the Washington D.C.-based Cato Institute, thinks the America's new-found policy toward China is more about containing a military threat rather than working together to solve global issues.
He rejects a 2012 statement by Leon Panetta, who was then defense secretary, suggesting the shift east is about "the challenge of humanitarian assistance and needs." Writing in The Diplomat, Logan asked: "Would any American accept such a rationale for China deploying 60 percent of PLAN [People's Liberation Army Navy] assets to the Western Hemisphere?"
Paul T. Haenle, a former NSC china director under George W. Bush and Obama, disagrees. He said he never saw the desire to contain China expressed by either administration.
"Xi Jinping has proposed a new type of 'great power' relations between the U.S. and China to avoid a Cold War or conflictual type of relationship, and to forge a relationship between two great powers that is cooperative and constructive," said Haenle, who is director of the Beijing-based Carnegie-Tsinghua Center for Global Policy. The drive for closer military ties is an integral part of building this relationship, he says.
Skepticism is not reserved to voices in the U.S., however.
China is locked in several territorial disputes, the most prominent of these being over the Senkaku/Diaoyu islands which it contests with Japan, an ally of the U.S.
And referencing this, at a press conference during his visit to the Pentagon, China's defense minister voiced concern about America's bolstered military presence in the Pacific, and hinted at unease over its ties to other countries in the region.
"To a certain degree, these kinds of intensified military activities further complicated the situation in the region," Reuters quoted Chang Wanquan as saying. "We hope that this strategy does not target a specific country in the region."
Orlins also foresees there may be an issue reconciling the countries' human rights records.
Human Rights Watch (HRW) said in its 2013 report that despite China's continued urbanization and economic growth it has seen little progress on human rights. The government "places arbitrary curbs" on freedom of expression and religion, and prohibits independent labor unions and human rights organizations, it said.
China also has economic ties with several nations not favored by Washington, such as Venezuela, Zimbabwe, and North Korea.
But Orlins said these issues may not be significant enough to jeopardize the growing partnership.
"China does not have mutual defense treaties with these countries," he said of China's allies. "In the case of Iran, they are actually supporting more onerous U.S. sanctions. And with North Korea I think it's clear to everyone they have different issues there than we do."
He also noted that on the subject of Syria, Obama has been far harsher toward Russia than China.
Ultimately, Orlins feels the partnership may prove to be essential – rather than just beneficial – for Beijing.
Hindered by its various territorial disputes – which also involve the Philippines, Taiwan, and Tibet, to name a few -- China needs the stability the U.S. would provide in the region so it can get on with solving its numerous internal problems, he says.
"The Chinese growth needs to last another three decades, and peace and stability on their borders is essential to this," he said.
With pollution clogging its air, water, and land, 100 million of its people in "abject poverty" and a continued exodus from rural areas, China's recent slowing of economic growth threatens its future prospects, Orlins says.
"If they are distracted in the Pacific that's going to make dealing with all these things impossible," he said.
NBC News' Ed Flanagan, Reuters and The Associated Press contributed to this report.


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Yeah, I love her tits. However, I don't care much for her performances. She almost never does doggie in her movies...she's self-conscious about her butt. Unfortunate. She's so hot...:(
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text:
My sophomore year of college, I lived across the street from a fraternity house. No, it wasn't this pack of bigots, though I'm embarrassed to say that it was at the same institution. Anyway, like most frat guys, they were really into drinking beer shirtless on their front porch, with music blaring and barbecues blazing. Hey, whatever floats your boat, right? Well, no. Not when your boat is pumping Jimmy Buffet loud enough for all of Baltimore hear. Saturday after Saturday, my roommates and I were jolted awake by the pseudo-calypso strains of "Margaritaville," "Cheeseburger in Paradise," and all the other food-and-drink-themed classics. And when they got tired of that? "Sweet Home Alabama."
While I'm free associating, I might as well let you know that Jimmy Buffet has decided to sue some dude for copyright infringement. Apparently that dude, named Robert Akard, owns a site called Under One Hut, where you can buy all types of latter-day frat guy accoutrements, from crisp, khaki shorts to beach-themed home accessories. Listen, don't barf yet — it gets better. So the dude's web site is selling some Jimmy Buffet merch, apparently without permission from the Buffmeister. Interested? Well, for $16, this little beauty can be yours.
This kind of makes me nervous that Jimmy Buffet is going to sue TMT for adapting his lyrics to last month's news story. That would be really sad, because then Mr P would be totally penniless and have to go live in a box. Whoa, that's depressing. Please, Jimmy Buffet, for the love of all things tequila-infused, have a heart! Don't take away Mr. P's home!!!


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ND ACT scores below average
FARGO -- Students who graduated from high school in North Dakota may not be adequately prepared for college, according to a report released today from the American College Testing company.
North Dakota's graduating class of 2013 high school seniors who took the ACT college readiness assessment had an average composite score of 20.5 -- slightly lower than the national average of 20.9.
While the scores indicate North Dakota students might be behind the rest of the nation, their ACT scores generally meet admissions standards for the state's colleges and universities.
The four-part ACT test assesses students in reading, English, math and science reasoning. Composite scores, the average of the four single subject scores, range from 1 to 36.
ACT created college readiness benchmarks using students' scores to determine how high a student would have to score on each ACT subtest to have a 75 percent chance of achieving a C-grade or better in the corresponding entry-level college class.
Overall, only 23 percent of 2013 ACT-tested North Dakota high school graduates met benchmarks in all four subjects. Nearly one-third of students tested in North Dakota did not meet any of the benchmarks.
While North Dakota students' average composite ACT score fell toward the bottom of the pack, Minnesota students had the seventh-highest average score in the nation with 23.
Part of the difference can be attributed to the pool of testers. In North Dakota, ACT testing is mandatory and 98 percent of graduates in North Dakota took the test compared to 74 percent in Minnesota.
Jeff Schatz, Fargo Public Schools superintendent, said the district prefers to separate the scores of students who are involved in college preparatory coursework from those who take the test with no intention of applying to college.
Schatz said the district as a whole generally scores higher than the state average.
"I think our kids that are preparing for college are doing pretty well on the tests," he said.
The district uses the data to determine adjustments to the high school curriculum to make sure it is adequately preparing students for college.
But the ACT test is just one aspect. District leaders also look at the admissions requirements of area colleges and universities. Planning for college starts as early as eighth grade to make sure students sign up for the classes they need to meet admissions criteria, Schatz said.
The state average ACT composite score is slightly lower than admission standards at the state's two four-year public research universities.
Depending on a student's grade point average, a minimum ACT score of 18 to 22 is required to be automatically accepted to the University of North Dakota.
North Dakota State University's admissions page indicates an ACT score of 21 or higher is recommended for consideration.
The average ACT score of last year's freshman class was 23, said Jobey Lichtblau, director of admission at NDSU.
A student with a lower ACT score might be admitted if his or her grades in core high school classes indicate college readiness and vice versa.
"The ACT is simply one component of the evaluation," Lichtblau said. "It shouldn't be the only component. You look for other factors where a student can be successful."
The North Dakota average ACT score exceeds admissions standards at Minnesota State University Moorhead, where 75 percent of first-year students who enrolled in 2012 scored 20 or higher on the ACT, according to data from the National Center for Education Statistics. At neighboring Concordia College, 75 percent of students scored 22 or higher.
The average student in North Dakota might not meet admissions standards at the University of Minnesota, where 75 percent of students enrolled for fall 2012 scored 25 or higher.
The state average generally meets admissions criteria for North Dakota's four-year schools as well: 75 percent of Dickinson State University and Valley City State University students who started last year scored 18 or higher, while students at Minot State University scored 20 or higher.


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London 03 December 2012: IPsoft, today reveals 5 IT tasks which organisations aren't automating, simply because they don't know that they can. The list includes low level IT tasks such as the response to system events before they happen and mechanical password resets via SMS. The expert systems specialists are urging businesses to reassess their IT needs against this list in order to identify opportunities for automation within their business. Doing so will create huge productivity gains and provide a platform for automating more complex functions in the future.
As a leading player in this market IPsoft is well positioned to offer advice to businesses on the top 5 tasks which they will benefit from automating. They include:
Predictive incident management: allowing organisations to predict events before they happen and escalate into serious issues
Requesting permission: such as changing software routines which do not require a member of staff to oversee
Running diagnostics: this could free up to 70% of employees time which could be dedicate to other tasks
Password management: easily managed via automation and sent to users via SMS
Application checks: even tasks such as pre-flight routines can be automated
Terry Walby, UK MD of IPsoft, comments "By integrating an expert system that can self heal and learn, businesses will immediately cut 70% of wasted effort solving problems as well as recoup an average 30-35% in costs."
Autonomic systems are the only solutions that know what to do and when to do it. By mapping logical processes into dynamic decision trees and logic, automated systems are able to follow the same decision processes as a human and thus automate not just the task, but the 'how', 'what' and 'when' decision as well.
Walby concludes, "Truly expert systems can be used to automate not just some of the simple tasks of your 1st or even 2nd line IT support staff, but all the low level tasks IT managers are stuck with on a day-to-day basis. Even when the problem can't be solved through automation the system is smart enough to replicate the processes one would expect a qualified support engineer to follow including seeking out the relevant information, gathering the documentation, and providing the approving party with the right information in order that they can make an informed and rapid decision to resolve the problem.
"Research we have conducted calculates that by doing this businesses could free up to 48 man hours a week. This time could then be allocated to other areas of the business to realise huge cost, efficiency and productivity gains and help achieve business goals."
-Ends -
About IPsoft
IPsoft offers a unique service proposition. Delivered using expert systems, IPsoft offers autonomic IT management services to clients across the public and private sectors. It is helping many leading brands across financial services, telecommunications, retail, healthcare, media, manufacturing and technology to realise huge cost, efficiency and productivity gains with their service.
For more information, please contact
Russell Lindsey / Joe Johnston
Rocket Communications
08453 707 024 email@example.com


text: hi there was just wondering if anyone could help please???? noticed lately that my s3 somtimes whilst accelerating seems to feel like it is stoping usually in forth and 5 gear bout 4000rpm then just seems to bolt of again but only does it now and again have been told it might be the d v valve breakin down can anyone help please ??? car is standard 03 reg


text:
Szeged - Restaurants, confectioneries in Szeged
In 1992. February 22 was opened the confectionery. The confectionary shop downstairs designed to offer cakes made with his own workshop. On the next floor pizzerias.
Quick links:
Hotels in Budapest,
Apartments in Budapest, Bed & Breakfast in Budapest,
Hostels in Budapest, City centre hotels in Budapest, Airport hotels, Design hotels
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text:
A Joss Kyle Adventure
by J. Daniel Sawyer
"Dune kaffe, tall, no crème."
"Si, senor." The small, leathery barista dressed like Juan Valdez nodded his head and pulled the coffee from the antique tapped carafe on the bar. The rain flowed down like a waterfall, thick enough to obscure the other side of the narrow dirt and gravel road. The tourist bureau said it always rained like this during January. "Kaffe."
"How much?"
"No, no. Quatro."
"Si, senor. Cinco."
"Gracias." Mondu laid down a five-credit chit. The money was pretty much the only modern thing allowed in public here. He wrapped his fingers around the base of his coffee cup and flipped his oilskin up over his head, his boots squishing in the mud as he ran across the road to his shop.
The water against the palm frond thatch chattered like cloud of courting locusts. Per local regulations, the building was constructed of traditional reed materials, with only the barest of Fullerine and steel reinforcement to protect against earthquakes and looting. The nature preserve in the Brazilian basin didn't just preserve nature in a more or less arrested state, it preserved material and human culture too. The twenty-second century's answer to the Amish lived here—men and women and various intermittents who wished to experience life as it once was in the wilds of the Amazon, along with a handful who wanted to disappear for a little while.
Coffee on the counter, oilskin on the hook, Mondu hopped over the low gate and stepped up to the register. A customer—short, Asian, and heavily scarred—sat on the wicker chair in the small lobby. Seeing Mondu return from his coffee break, the man stood, meticulously folded his newspaper, and strode over to him like a man who'd forgotten to take his rejuvs for a few years. Knotty joints—a man with arthritis eating his bones like a…what did they call those fish? Prianahs—piranhas—something like that. Poor cunter. Somebody should've given him the facts of life while he could have taken advantage for cheap. Nanobot joint lubrication was painless—leg transplants weren't.
"Helgretes, amigo," Spanish never set well in his mouth, and he didn't dare try Portugese. English was bad enough—the mishmash creole he'd learned in the bowels of the Nigerian IT world was his first language, and he liked it that way. Efficient, short phrases stolen from English, Afrikaans, Mandarin, and half a dozen programming languages cobbled together to express thought elegantly, simply, and directly. Still, he had to make himself understood as best he could—as long as he worked the counter. "What service can we give for you, sir?"
The man set his Panama hat down on the glass-top display case—real glass, too, not the cheaper and stronger Fullerine composite—and tapped his finger over a gaudy native bracelet. The term "native" was used loosely—the Yanomami and Awa maintained show settlements as tourist attractions, but aside from their sentimental and commercial devotion to family history, they had long since melted into the South American Confederation's pot.
"Que é o preço?" A voice like cracked sheepskin. Mondu could understand the question perfectly well—programming AIs for hierarchical metabase bots required a dozen different languages. Speaking it…well, that was quite another matter.
"Sid sid, fifteen on'a ticket."
"You speak English?"
"Sid sid, I do."
"Good. I need this here."
"Having a ticket?" Mondu hadn't seen the man in before, but the boss might have dealt with him. The item he wanted wasn't one Mondu had logged in, so it was possible the customer was trying to reclaim a pawned item.
"What is a ticket?"
"Returning customer…"
"No. I have not been here before. How much?"
"Twenty five, less gots you something to hock."
The customer rifled through his pockets and pulled out a ring, setting it on the table. "Here."
"Gold." Mondu placed the ring under the scannerscope, sampling its purity and checking to make sure it didn't have a tracking mark that he'd have to remove. "Good good. Straight swap plus ticket. Good for you?"
"That will suffice."
Mondu printed the claim number, carefully and by hand, on the ticket alongside its trade value. The man would have three days to reclaim the property before it went on general sale. He listed the price value of the swapped bracelet as the redemption value, and handed it to the customer.
The man took it without meeting his gaze, and shuffled out as if every step pained him. Aside from his gait, he didn't look that old—but then, neither did Mondu. Cheap rejuv kept looks from meaning much—had done since as long ago as Mondu could remember. People looked the age they wanted to, and that's all there was to it.
The rain still came. It felt safe. The thing he'd missed most about life back home after he left was the rain. His city, Calabar, grew up right out of the middle of the rainforest in southern Nigeria where, when the air wasn't thick enough to chew, it rained. The rain always felt right. Here, even though between the canopy and the clouds he rarely saw the sun, the rain felt close. It felt like all the parts of home that he actually missed—and there weren't many of those.
The thatch did leak a bit, here and there. The boss kept a bunch of cotton towels under the counter to keep the glass clean. Mondu wiped the glass down, and then settled on a stool at the end of the counter, leaning up against the reed wall. He couldn't really tell where his sweat ended and the humidity and rain began, but he didn't really care. His coffee, still warm enough to drink, stank of too much cinnamon and over roasting, but the bitter smoothness slid down his gullet like chicha.
From his perch he had a view, through the door and the rain, of the cafe patio. The array of umbrella-hooded small tables were usually abandoned—at least since the rains started—but not this week.
The man arrived in a Fedora hat and trench coat to keep off the rain—far too warm for this weather. For the third day in a row, he drank his coffee with his hat set on the table as if reverence required his head remain uncovered in the presence of the ramshackle canteen knocked up out of corrugated metal and banana leaves. Rain or shine—mostly rain—he showed up precisely at 1200 and left precisely at 1250, as if he were billing by a psychiatrist's watch. A tourist might have stayed two days waiting for his guide to arrive for his trek through the jungle. A professional's schedule would have varied depending on the needs of the day. This man was more precise, and three days was too many.
Mondu studied him for a while, wondering if he would stand and come into the shop. For days now the stranger's eyes had scanned the environs as if he were waiting for someone. All that time, the one place Mondu hadn't caught him looking was at the old hockshop. If he was here for one of the boss's special services and wanted the boss to do it personally, he'd be waiting a while till the boss got back from his jaunt to Sao Paulo to see his mistress.
The afternoon stretched on—no further foot traffic came in through the door. A couple of calls rang in on the antique phone—actually rang, like a bell—freelance guides checking in for loitering clients, tourists calling in advance asking if they had steel machetes, and the like.
He wished he had a computer. He hadn't been on the net in almost six months—for all he knew the universe had been and gone in that time. He wanted a new wetware cube and a terminal to hook up to it just as it was decanted. Use the delicate chemical signals to coax the fiber lines into place, stimulate it right to lay down the language strata, etch the programming onto the protoneurons, and come out the other end with a custom AI well suited for the ordered task. He missed the communion with the emerging mind, the challenge and precision of the work—the artistry.
Night came on with a slackening of the rain. Mondu closed up the shop and made his way through the file room where he took his dinner of tapir, Brazil nuts, banana chips, and mango before climbing into his hammock. It wasn't much, but it came free with the job. Besides, if he was going to live for a six month rotation in a nature preserve he might as well get all he could out of the experience.
It didn't hurt that it was a more comfortable way to sleep than any bed he'd ever used.
Morning found him snoring lightly with a cockroach on his head. Sometime during the night he'd shifted his arms, flopping them outside the deep valley created in the cloth by his body, and holding open what was otherwise effectively a cocoon for keeping out the bugs. When he cracked his eyes open against the light, he saw the sectioned abdomen of the creature squatting comfortably over his left pupil. Nothing in the world looked bigger than an Amazonian cockroach, but when you woke up enough mornings with them sitting on you, or crawling over your coffee maker, they lost their effect. They really weren't much more than small, creepy-looking six-legged birds. He flicked it off his forehead and rolled out of bed, landing squarely on his feet.
The rain wasn't falling, but the humidity hadn't taken much notice. It's suffocating moisture meant the night had offered no relief from the heat, so he stripped down to skin and soaped yesterday's grime off his body, then dusted himself head to toe with antifungal talc before slithering back into a pair of camo BDUs and a three-sizes-too-big white silk button-up. He grabbed a papaya out of the tree that grew out his back window and chewed it over while he opened the shop and planned his day.
Not that there was much to plan. No tour groups were due through for another four days, and the casino wouldn't be open until they were in town, which meant there probably wouldn't be anyone coming through the shop who needed to go into hock to cover their debts. It was even less likely that people would be through for souvenirs or deals selected out of the display cases of previously pawned items.
If business was slow again today, he might tempt fate and slide out early with a blowgun and a machete for a walk through the jungle. He still had a few hunting tags for the season—perhaps he'd bag a tapir and make a bonfire for a spit-roast. The village folk might like the odd excuse to gather during the long stretches of rain. He didn't know for sure—they weren't a sociable set. But, even if only a few showed up it would help – he was running low on books to read during the evenings.
Mondu found a mount plate in the boss's office, and used it to display the gold ring from the day before. Front and center in the display case, he should be able to move it when the next pack of tourists came through—it might make a good wedding ring, and there were always one or two couples looking to stage memorable nuptials in front of a banyan tree or down by the river.
As the day dragged on, Mondu perched himself up on his stool against the wall and digested a trade paper he'd printed up in Rio—no PPDs allowed for residents in the preserve, so all his reading material was dead tree. There was no lack of trees to print them on, not in the Amazon. Nor, he thought as he nipped back to the old-fashioned outhouse privy, for toilet paper. No saddles and suction here, no built-in bidets, just a handful of paper to get enough of the crap off to keep his ass from staining his shorts. It wasn't really sanitary—but then, what in the 20th century had been?
As he was marking his place in the book and pulling up his drawers, he heard a loud rapping on the counter.
"Si Senor. Une momento, por favor." Mondu grabbed his book and meandered out from between the hallway of inventory shelves and around the corner to the front of the store.
There, at the display case-cum-counter, stood the man in the rain. His white Fedora rested loosely in his hand on the counter, and his half-bald head glistening with water beads under the hot, old-style incandescents.
"You speak English?" An American. In the six months he'd been here he hadn't seen a lot of Americans.
"Sid sid. I speak English okay."
"Good. This ring here, how much?"
The man nodded, then he chewed his bottom lip thoughtfully. "And this here?"
"The machete, or the stylus?"
"The machete. I have some hunting I may need to do."
"Do you have a license? We supply them."
"I do. Freedom of movement is important to me."
Mondu's face broke into a broad smile. The man was looking for one of the boss's special services—a passport, probably, but it could be national ID, or a false account, or any number of other things. It was a chance to do something fun. "We have many tools available."
The customer nodded. They understood each other. "My needs are specific—as you can see from my suit, cleanliness is important to me."
"Will you need privileges?"
"No. Just cleanliness."
"Understand. Take this," Mondu handed over a pencil and a paper form. Based on the boxes he checked, the man didn't just want a passport, he wanted an identity. He checked the whole sheaf—biometrics included.
"This should do me fine."
"Price is…"
"Not a problem." He produced a deck of cards from his pocket and set it on the table. With his left hand he cut them, then dealt the first card to Mondu, face up. "Put this through your assay—it should settle the bill."
A playing card? Mondu slid the card off the tabletop and threaded it into the assay scanner he'd used the day before to determine the molecular structure of the ring.
"Set it to x-band."
Mondu complied. Under the low level X-ray bombardment, the card showed platinum in the ink. A lot of platinum. The boss set the store's exchange rate at twelve hundred credits per ounce. Mondu looked back up at his customer. "You have how much?"
"Two decks." Mondu nodded and did some quick mental calculations. It would more than cover the fee.
"Two decks for a full ID jacket."
"How long?"
"Three hours."
"Stand in front of the register, please." Mondu flipped open the camera port concealed in the cash register. "Eyes straight forward." The customer complied, and Mondu snapped the photo.
The customer donned his hat and tipped the brim to Mondu. "I'll see you this evening." Without another word, he turned and walked out.
Three hours was just enough time to work up a full ID jacket. Mondu's fingers danced between the scattered devices on the boss's desk in the office. Taking the photo and laying it into the watermarked paper with the laser etcher, he carefully laid down a false name, encoded false issuing authority information into the threads laced through the paper for that purpose, looked up a copy of the notary's signature from three years ago and carefully forged it—this was the part that took the longest. It required an actual signature, not a printed duplicate, and it had to be autonomic. The difference between a deliberate signature and a thoughtless stroke of a pen from muscle memory showed up in the way ink bled into the paper where the pen hesitated. That wouldn't pass muster.
A lot of the fine details were like that—little touches here and there that had to be done by hand. It was the imperfections that authenticated the documentation—the right kinds of random defects in the right places. The ID card, the marriage license and death certificate for a fictitious wife, the passport, the digital thumb copies of all of them complete with crypt256m keys, and the biometrics jacket made the package complete. Once Mondu had it all in order he uploaded the keys to the SAA keyserver, from where they'd propagate across the different customs authority systems.
Biometrics were the easy part. DNA was easy enough to wrap or rewrite, fingerprints were easy enough to burn off or replace, irises were easily altered, even the bones of the facial structure or a person's gait could be tweaked enough that post-singularity intelligence couldn't recognize them. As such, biometrics cards were linked to the cryptkeys that didn't change, and travelers were required to renew every two years to update any changes that they'd made through cosmetic, medical, prosthetic, or cyberorganic procedures. When the customer returned, he could sample the fingerprints, the iris scan, the DNA sample, and the walk cycle.
Mondu gathered up the scattered instances of forgery, returned the gadgets to their proper places, and set everything up to give to the customer after he integrated the biometrics. He looked at the clock—sixteen hundred. He had a good half an hour before the customer came back, enough time to inhale some pineapple and a breast of peacock.
"Hey! Boy!" The voice from the front room sounded like the owner of the gold ring. Mondu dropped the last of the bones on his plate and emerged from the back to find the weathered Asian man standing over the display case, looking with relief down at the property he'd evidently come to reclaim.
"Wanting back the ring?"
"Twenty two to get out the hock." Mondu reached into the display case and removed the ring from its pedestal. He set it spinning on the counter and reached for the proffered claim ticket and cash from the customer. "Thank you." He grasped the cash and felt the oily residue on it. Wet he might have expected—everything was wet here—but not oily. He left the cash on the counter and lifted his hand to look at it. As he did, his hand seemed to melt before his face. He felt a strange euphoria as he watched the flesh run like wax and darkness closed across his vision like an iris.
Mondu felt nothing as his head hit the ground and his scalp split, trickling a generous rivulet of blood down through the floorboards to fertilize the forest.
End of sample. ©2009 J. Daniel Sawyer, All Rights Reserved
Read the rest on your Kindle, Nook, or other ebook reader.
Return to The Antithesis Progression


text:
Looking for ANDREW FRANK HOLLINGSWORTH of Texas & Arkansas
Don't know which state ANDREW FRANK HOLLINGSWORTH was born in--sometimes he went by ANDREW other times by FRANK. In 1900 he was in Arkansas married to SOPHIA (HANKINS) with 3 children, JESSIE, DAVID, & LUELLA. By 1920 he was in Grannas, Polk County, Arkansas with wife MINNIE, daughters NANCY & LILLY(my mother). Nothing after that. Help anyone?
on 2011-01-25 09:55:59
josephine_1q0a9z8 has been a Family Tree Circles member since Apr 2009. is researching the following names: KEEN, HOLLINGSWORTH.
hello josephine_1q0a9z8 - I think you have got a real will of the wisp in this frank Hollingsworth - I did a quick run thro Arkanasas records & the only thing that showed up which may be of assistance is the following >
Frank Hollingsworth -b- 3rd Jan 1889 -Rogers ,Burton-Arkansas
d- may 1958 > ------------- > ^
F- John Hollingsworth
M- Sarah Ann Hutton
I hope this may help if not thro'it in the rubbish can. hope you can find him - Regards edmondsallan
Thank you edmondsallan. A much appreciated help!!!


text:
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Experts at SophosLabs™, Sophos's global
network of virus, spyware and spam analysis centers, have advised
users not to panic following media reports of a virus which infects
RFID tags*.
A paper entitled "Is your cat infected with a computer virus?",
written by a group from the University of Amsterdam, has theorized
that it is possible for an RFID tag to carry a virus and, in
exceptional circumstances, to spread via vulnerable RFID readers
and middleware.
The semi-academic paper is full of assumptions that have to be
realized before it is possible to create a virus that will use RFID
tags to spread. It is worth mentioning that the virus code
described in the paper works only on the environment constructed
specially for the purpose by the authors of the paper and that
there are no known vulnerabiltities like that in any real RFID
middleware system.
"The researchers who wrote this paper failed to find a
vulnerability in the RFID system for their virus to exploit. So
they had to deliberately build a system with a problem for their
virus to try and use to spread," said Graham Cluley, senior
technology consultant for Sophos. "Any data storage device can
carry virus code , but it doesn't necessarily mean that the virus
would be able to spread successfully. In this instance, the
researchers failed to show how an RFID virus could spread in the
real world."
Sophos believes that businesses should focus on the real risks,
rather than be diverted by hype. Organized criminal gangs behind
virus and Trojan horse attacks are concentrating their financially
motivated malware on the Windows platform.
"The sky is not falling, and no-one should be diverted from the
important task of dealing with the very real risks posed by
conventional viruses. Windows desktops and servers are the main
battleground for viruses right now, not the aisles of the
supermarket or at the vets when you get your pet cat chipped,"
continued Cluley.
* RFID tags are small chips that can carry a small
amount of data, in order to replace barcodes often used in
supermarkets and warehouses.
More than 100 million users in 150 countries rely on Sophos' complete security solutions as the best protection against complex threats and data loss. Simple to deploy, manage, and use, Sophos' award-winning encryption, endpoint security, web, email, mobile and network security solutions are backed by SophosLabs - a global network of threat intelligence centers. Sophos is headquartered in Oxford, U.K., and is publicly traded on the London Stock Exchange under the symbol "SOPH." More information is available at www.sophos.com/company.
- 2017
Sophos Ltd. All rights reserved.


text:
I was commissioned to design the tour poster for the Grammy Award-winning artist Markéta Irglová from the Swell Season.
The poster incorporates the flower from the pomegranate plant, a recurring theme from her most recent album.
The print is a three color silk-screen print on madero beach French speckletone 100# cover. Printed by Fugscreens.


text:
For Groupon, Does Size Matter?
By Rolfe Winkler
In daily deal land, it's not just the size of your list that matters. It's also what you do with it.
Part of Groupon's pitch to merchants is that it has the biggest list of email subscribers, meaning merchants looking to drive customers through the door can benefit more from being included in a Groupon email than, say, top rival LivingSocial's.
But according to David Sinsky at Yipit Data, it's not that simple. Take the New York City market. Groupon has increased the number of deals it features every day in New York, to an average of seven in May, says Sinsky. So merchants are competing with one another for the attention of Groupon's email subscribers.
Top rival LivingSocial averages about three deals per day in New York. Travelzoo features just three to four deals per week. The result? By Sinksy's estimate, merchants featured by LivingSocial and Travelzoo actually sold more coupons on average — 600 and 1,000, respectively, in May. That's despite their deals going to a smaller email list. Merchants featured by Groupon sold about 500 coupons.
Indeed, LivingSocial and Travelzoo sell more coupons per deal in most major North American markets, Yipit says.
To be sure, the aggregate number of coupons sold by Groupon is far higher than the other two. In New York it works out to over 20,000 per week by Yipit Data's math. LivingSocial sells roughly half that amount in total and Travelzoo, less than a fifth.
And, while Groupon merchants may be losers for having to compete with one another for attention, Groupon subscribers are winners. They're more likely to find a deal that interests them each day, considering that more are put in front of them. And as Groupon gathers more information about which deals appeal to which users, hopefully it can improve relevance.
Still, the small number of coupons sold per merchant compared to its rivals undercuts Groupon's pitch that the size of its list generates powerful network effects that benefit merchants.
It also calls into question whether merchants will keep paying a premium for Groupon's extra reach in terms of the slice of revenue they're willing to give up.
And Groupon needs more featured deals for its GrouponNow mobile app to be effective. The idea behind GrouponNow, to deliver nearby deals to your phone, is super cool. But so far the density of deals is too low for the service to be useful. A hungry user in Brooklyn pulled up GrouponNow last week only to find that the nearest food deal was more than four miles away.
[WSJ-more-in tag="Groupon"]


text:
Indur Goklany,
This paper, "Economic Growth and the State of Humanity," by Indur M. Goklany, emulates and builds upon the contributions that Julian Simon made in reporting on the progress of humankind.
Indur Goklany
Boon or bane for the environment?
Indur Goklany
By Indur M. Goklany
Terry Anderson,
Writers on the RangeMarch 29, 2005 By Jon Christensen and Terry Anderson
Terry Anderson,
By Terry L. Anderson and Jon Christensen


text:
The chairwoman of a Chinese diary company went on trial on Wednesday over a tainted milk scandal that has killed at least six children and made thousands ill.
Tian Wenhua, 66-year-old former general manager of the now bankrupt Sanlu Group, pleaded guilty to charges of "producing and selling fake or substandard products," state-run Xinhua news agency said.
Click here to see photos of the scandal.
Tian appeared with three other company executives at a court in Shijiazhuang, capital of northern Hebei province. It was unclear whether they could face the death penalty.
"(Tian) may face a maximum penalty of death for producing and selling contaminated baby milk food, along with three of her senior managers at the Shijiazhuang Intermediate People's Court," the official China Daily said on Wednesday.
But the Xinhua report said the maximum sentence for the charges was life imprisonment.
Executives at Sanlu, partly owned by New Zealand's Fonterra group, failed to report cases of Chinese children developing kidney stones and other complications from drinking milk adulterated with melamine for months before the scandal broke in September.
Melamine, an industrial compound used in making plastic chairs, countertops, plates, flame retardants and even concrete, has been added to food to cheat nutrition tests due to its high nitrogen content.
Another 17 people involved in producing, selling, buying and adding melamine in raw milk have gone on trial in the last week.
At least six children have died and more than 290,000 made ill from the contaminated milk, battering already dented faith in China-made products and prompting massive recalls around the world.
Tian told the court on Wednesday she learned about the tainted milk complaints from consumers in mid-May, Xinhua quoted her as saying.
The company set up a working team led by Tian to handle the case, but did not submit a written report about the milk powder to the Shijiazhuang city government until August 2, Tian said.
The Shijiazhuang government did not report the case to higher government authorities until a month later, prompting speculation authorities sought to avoid a scandal upsetting Beijing's Olympic Games in August.
China, seeking to restore battered credibility in its food, drugs and products, is likely to pass stiff sentences if the four are convicted.
Zheng Xiaoyu, former head of the food and drug watchdog, the State Food and Drug Administration, was executed last year for taking bribes and dereliction of duty in the wake of a series of drug safety scandals.
In the lead-up to the high-profile trial and after repeated promises that China has put a lid on the problem, fresh quality scares have surfaced.
The melamine scare has also prompted quality inspectors to test tableware "following reports that some products contained poisonous ingredients," Xinhua said on Wednesday in a separate report.
More than 1,500 boxes of Chinese biscuits exported to Hong Kong and Singapore had also tested positive for melamine, local media reported on Tuesday.
China's Health Ministry on Wednesday promised to build a "pre-emptive" monitoring system to stamp out the use of black-listed non-food additives that have led to health scares involving eggs, seafoods, and sweets in recent years.
"We used to rely on crackdowns (to solve food problems) ... but now we are combining punishment with prevention with more stress on the latter," Su Zhi, a senior quality supervision official in the Ministry of Health, told Xinhua.
But the baby milk formula scandal has also opened up a festering debate about appropriate compensation for victims and their families.
Along with Sanlu, 21 other local dairy companies that were found to have produced melamine-tainted milk have pledged 1.1 billion yuan ($161 million) to compensate victims and cover medical costs for affected children, a report posted on the Dairy Association of China website (www.dac.com.cn) said.
Some 900 million yuan would be paid in cash compensation to victims, and the rest placed in a fund for medical treatment, the report said.
But terms, which include a 2,000 yuan ($293) one-off payment for victims with "mild symptoms," have been greeted with skepticism.
"I'll never accept that amount," Wu Yanfang, a mother whose 16-month-old girl still has a stone in her kidney, told the China Daily.


text: I am looking to get a Sig 232 or 230 in 380 acp. It will be a CCW, it fits in my hand like it was made for me. So what do I have to look out for? Hows the recoil? I know the ammo is hard to find now.


text:
Legal Question in Family Law in Kansas
How do I find out what my x-spouse income is if he is self employed?
Asked on 6/19/07, 5:17 pm
1 Answer from Attorneys
Rian Ankerholz Ankerholz and Smith
Re: income
If you have issues which are subject to the continuing jurisdiction of the court, you may send discovery materials (which must be answered under oath) in order to inquire about an ex-spouse's income. Obviously, it is much harder to pin down an income figure for a self-employed person than for a regular salaried employee. Contact an experienced family law attorney to assist you in getting this information.
Answered on 6/19/07, 5:51 pm


text:
Imagine being only two weeks away from giving birth and homeless. That was the predicament faced by one mom-to-be in Bakersfield, California. Thankfully, the community came together to ensure that she, a veteran, and her baby will not go without. 23 ABC News reported on the inspiring story of what the community did for the pregnant veteran.
The veteran, who served 12 years with the California National Guard that included a tour in Iraq, became homeless six months after her service ended. She first sought help from the California Veterans Assistance Foundation. The California Veterans Assistance Foundation provided housing for the veteran and reached out to the Kern County Veterans Collaborative because she needed newborn supplies as well. The collaborative put the call out to the community.
The response was unexpected and overwhelming. People were quick to help despite not personally knowing the 32-year-old veteran, who wished to remain anonymous. So much was donated that the pregnant veteran has everything that her baby needs and much more.
"It's kind of amazing because we thought we'd just get some diapers and some bedding and maybe a car seat and a crib, but we got everything she needed and more," said Deborah Johnson of the California Veterans Assistance Foundation.
Helping to collect and deliver those donated supplies were people not usually associated with baby blankets and teddy bears — biker men. The local Harley-Davidson dealership and The Armed Forces Support Riders, a group that provides motorcycle escorts to military members, joined together to collect and deliver the donated supplies.
"The baby stuff is kind of different. That's why we got a truck here. We're not putting a bassinet on a motorcycle," joked Ben Patten of Bakersfield Harley Davidson.
It's awesome that the community of Bakersfield came together to help a pregnant woman in need. After serving the country for so many years, she deserves everything that has been donated to her and more. Hopefully, she'll continue to get all the support that she needs to raise her child in a safe and happy environment.
Have you ever helped out a mom or mom-to-be in need? Tell us in the comments below!
Photo credit: Flickr


text: I was trying something new with stain on this A style. The top is carpathian spruce with a tad of bear claw in it. The back, sides and neck are euro maple. Calling this one "The Bear". I do like how it came out, it reminds me of a nice glass of merlot on a hot summer night. Though it looks good in these pics, in real life its just ummmm....one of those things that a photo just won't ever capture. I have a Garcia 2 point coming up that I am going to be doing this color on.


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Marcus Rios went on three official visits to UCLA, Arizona State and Nebraska and a couple other programs were pushing him but the four-star defensive back wanted to end things and said he knew the Bruins were the right fit.
"Oregon was coming in and Notre Dame offered as well but I felt UCLA was the right place," Rios said last week at the Cal State Game.
"It's close to home, when I took the official there I loved everything about it and the new coaching staff is great. I talked to coach (Jim) Mora and coach (Demetrice) Martin seems like a really good dude. I believe their program is going to change and be successful and that's why I wanted to go there."
Article Continues Below
The 6-foot, 170-pound cornerback from Elk Grove (Calif.) Cosumnes Oaks said he kept a close watch on the coaching change at UCLA and that he was encouraged even more after talking with Mora.
His NFL and experience on the defensive side of the ball was a big deal to Rios, who's rated No. 20 at cornerback and No. 244 in the 2012 class by Rivals.com.
"That is a thing I looked at as well," Rios said. "Coach (Rick) Neuheisel was a good dude, I was going to go there whether he did or didn't get fired because I love UCLA but I believe this new staff is going to change things around.
"Coming from a defensive back's perspective, I know he does a lot with the defense so that's good for me and I know he'll make me successful. My goal is to make it to the NFL and I know he's going to push me to that goal.
"I just chose the school I know I like things other than football like the setting and where I'd be living. UCLA was the best for me."
Rios, a former Boise State commit, said he's done with recruiting even if other programs continue to recruit him. Notre Dame, Oregon and others might make some final pitches but Rios said he's heading to UCLA.
"I'm pretty much finished with it now," Rios said. "I'm happy to be a Bruin."


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HI Chris here and today I am super excited to share this adorable card inspired
by Alice in Wonderland!
This card features FOUR different Stamp sets!
I just love how all the Sin City Stamps can be combined!
Supplies needed
Other supplies - Cardstock (White and Black), Ribbon, Silver Ribbon Wire, Distress Markers, Alcohol Markers, Archival Ink
Dimensional tape
Dimensional tape
Start by stamping the diamond stamp from the Sin City Stamps Classic Spark set. Set aside.
Stamp corners from the Sin City Stamps Inhale...Exhale on another piece of white cardstock. Cut hole in center of cardstock and tear and bend back edges to create a window.
Attach window piece over the top of the diamond background and mat onto black cardstock. Color center of stamped corners with markers.
Stamp frog from Sin City Stamps Alice in Wonderland Characters 2 twice onto cardstock.
Cut envelope from one of the stamped images.
Color image with the markers.
Attach cut envelop with dimensional tape. Attach Stamped frog to card.
Stamp greeting from Sin City Stamps Dandelion Wishes and mat on black cardstock. Add ribbon and ribbon wire for accents.
Here is another peak of the final card!


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Project Phoenix gets funded above and beyond initial Kickstarter goal
The Japanese indie RPG Project Phoenix absolutely killed it during its Kickstarter campaign. The project initially asked for $100,000 and ended the month long process with $1,065,000 across 15,802 backers. That's 1,065% or the original target; preeeetty impressive numbers there. This game fuses Eastern and Western RPG tactics to make a super RPG/squad based RTS using AAA talent INCLUDEING the very talented Nobuo Uematsu for scores.
- Due to this massive funding, several of the stretch goals have been achieved including:
- Double the amount of monsters/character models
- Uematsu writing the music
- Detailed cities/towns
- Character customization
- Fully exploreable overworld
Hiroaki Yura, Project Phoenix's producer and director comments:
"Thank you to all of our loyal, passionate fans who've marched with us from start to finish! You cannot imagine how grateful we are for your support! We've broken the elusive $1 million mark, and then some, hitting the stretch goal that gives gamers the ability to experience the world of Azuregard on a much deeper level as they explore locales in all their intricacies. This added dimension will make the Project Phoenix experience all the more fantastic!"
This game is shaping up to be pretty damn interesting. I fully admit that I want this, I want it bad. I'd even go as far to say that I'm one of those 15,802 backers; good things ahead!


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HTC DNA vs Samsung Galaxy S3
thoughts? opinions?
Printable View
HTC DNA vs Samsung Galaxy S3
thoughts? opinions?
the DNA is coming with a quad core... vs S3 dual core (in the US). DNA battery, 2020 vs the 2100 on the S3. It has a 5" 1080p screen vs the slightly smaller 720p screen on the S3. Pick your poison.
Can use titanium backup to remove bloatware...if you have rooted your phone.
Sent from my GT-I9100 using Tapatalk 2
I currently have an HTC Desire. Probably the worst phone I have ever owned. I am planning to roll with the Samsung Galaxy S3 next, which will be next month. I hope the Android OS and keyboard is better than the Piece of fucking shit I have now.
Even if you don't like the android keyboard, there are some shit hot free skinable keyboards to download.
Sent from my GT-I9100 using Tapatalk 2
the S3 should be getting the Jelly Bean update in the next few months. Does rooting your phone make updating to the new OS difficult?
And how to the "leaked builds" of OS compare to the official release?
I definitely want to get rid of some of the pre-packaged crap that comes with the phone.
Also I am kinda sour on HTC (after the thunderbolt)... perhaps I should just give Samsung a try
What carrier do you use?
For example, the latest out right now is an Android 4.1.2 FW (ELK4) that features multi-view (think of it as side by side windows) for apps.
Are you unlocked? And what model are you using? i.e. I9300 etc?
I have verizon. And I will be getting an S3 in the next week or so.
Looking for black friday deals
Well, the s2 leak is 4.1.2. And it is very stable. The difference from ics is startling...almost like a new phone..not a joke. I flashed all of the leak apart from the csc and have had no issues at all...i am on my 3rd with this jb leak. Battery is good, at least for me. http://img.tapatalk.com/d/12/11/21/4e3ahyve.jpg
Sent from my GT-I9100 using Tapatalk 2
You mean the S2 doesn't have an official JB update? or is this just a leak of an updated JB that the S2 already has?
No. The s2 doesn't have a 'official' rom yet. This one is a leaked rom although its incredibly smooth and for me, bug free.
Sent from my GT-I9100 using Tapatalk 2
It's not too bad flashing stuff via ODIN.Pretty piss easy if you sk me. Just don't mess around with the 'Re-partition' setting or try to flash a .pit file.
I wish Samsung would keep their new stuff on the S3, smart stay, Share shot, etc without bloating other stuff.
Carriers are why there is bloatware beyond manu apps.
Well, I ended up getting a Galaxy S3. Wow this is so much better than my HTC Desire. And holy hell, 4G is fast. My ol 3g was like dial up in comparison.
The S3 has a big, but not so much so that it has hampered my ability to toss it in my front pocket. I am happy with my decision.
Anybody know a good free app that allows for silent photography? Tired of taking a picture, and half the country can hear it.
The default camera app for you doesnt have a silence feature?
Nope. It just offers different sound choices.
I believe phone cameras don't make sound if you turn down your ringing volume.
But as for question, no, sadly.
That's how mine works Gangsta. So try that out if you haven't already, Kwes. I have an S2.
I remember when I had a blackberry it would make the most annoying sound when taking a photo.


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Executive pay in Asia will surpass pay in the United States by 2013, according to one study, while another finds that the cost of manufacturing overseas has increased so much that some companies are bringing work back to America.
Hoping to attract talent from a limited pool, Asian companies are now paying higher executive salaries than Western European businesses, and will catch up to U.S. levels by 2013, according to a recent report by Mercer.
In contrast, salaries in the United States have stagnated due to the financial crisis and weak economy. Another factor has been the intense scrutiny of executive pay in America and Canada as shareholders and regulators demand transparency and alignment of pay and performance, according to Mercer.
"In my mind, the democratization of pay around the world is a good thing," says Gregg Passin, a partner in Mercer's human capital business in New York. The Mercer report surveyed consultants familiar with compensation in emerging economies, including India, China, Malaysia and the Middle East.
"Obviously, salary levels in Asia are getting closer and surpassing [those in western countries]," Passin says. "At the executive level ... local nationals, whom we have been educating and have been trained by multinationals, are now in competition. It's not just [within] multinationals, but domestic companies. The pay levels have an effect. These are no longer the low-cost places to do business."
That is having an impact on the manufacturing sector as well.
An analysis by The Boston Consulting Group finds that the United States may experience a manufacturing renaissance within the next five years as the wage gap with China shrinks and some U.S. states become more attractive to companies.
Flexible work rules and various government incentives are making some states -- including Mississippi, South Carolina and Alabama -- increasingly competitive as low-cost sites for manufacturing, according to BCG, which is headquartered in Boston.
Chinese wages are "climbing at 15 to 20 percent a year because of the supply-and-demand imbalance for skilled labor," says Harold L. Sirkin, a BCG senior partner. As the value of the yuan continues to increase, the gap between U.S. and Chinese wages is narrowing rapidly.
Businesses throughout Asia and the Middle East are riding an inflationary bubble, according to Mercer.
Average executive salaries in key Asian countries have increased by an average of 7 percent, with the notable exception of Japan.
Middle Eastern states, such as Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates, are especially competitive. Companies there are introducing deferred bonus plans and annual incentive programs that are linked with performance measures. The Mercer survey predicts base salaries there will increase by 6 percent to 7.5 percent in 2011.
"In these countries, the inflation rate is two or three times what it is here," says William Sheridan, vice president of international human resource services at the National Foreign Trade Council in New York.
"[Compensation] keeps pace with inflation. Ten years ago, an Indian manager or professional earned one-third what an American would be earning. Demand is high and supply is low. The economy is growing," he says.
While salaries go up in Asia, Passin says, the emphasis on pay in the uncertain U.S. economy "is being placed on rigorous pay-for performance benchmarks, longer-term equity-holding requirements, claw-backs and deferred bonuses in the financial sector."
It's not the economy, but the limited home-grown talent pool that is hampering Asian countries, especially China and India, experts say.
"The Mercer analysis confirms what we hear about from our corporate members. The growth economies are largely in Asia, where host-country talent often is in short supply and in high demand by [multinational corporations] and local companies/governments," says Sheridan.
One result is that Asian professionals educated and working in the United States have been returning home.
"The top managers in Asia have gained experience working for U.S. companies there or here," says Sheridan. "And they go back because these [Asian-based] companies are growing at a faster pace and they have those skills back in demand in their own country
"There's a whole flow going back to India. The Indian government is encouraging [it]. ... Previously, 20 or 30 years ago, they had limited opportunities in their countries. India had extremely high income taxes. There was a disincentive in the past," he says.
In the forefront, experts agree, is China.
"China is really driving the pace of compensation in the region overall," says Doug Friske, global leader of executive compensation for Towers Watson in Chicago. "The driver is economic growth. In China, specifically, the government is interested in embracing the public markets, and you see private-equity money" being invested in local businesses.
At the same time, China is adopting Western-style long-term incentives, such as equity, to attract top local talent.
While the picture may be rosy for Asian executives, inflated pay levels "will make it more expensive to do business in China in the long term," Friske says. "It's going to be more expensive to hire locals [when] competing with local Chinese companies."
"With the higher cost of doing business," Sheridan says, "the profit margin drops. ... It's happened before, in Mexico. Ten years ago, a manager [in Mexico] could well make more than an American."
That didn't stop the U.S. from doing business in Mexico, he adds. "You have to monitor expenses."
If those expenses make it unsustainable for U.S. companies to do business in Asia, they'll look for the "next China," perhaps in Eastern Europe, Sheridan suggests. "Outsourcing has [always] moved to lower-cost locations."
Many lower-cost countries, however, lack the supply chain, infrastructure and labor skills to do the work, according to The Boston Consulting Group, which notes that some companies are already bringing work back to the United States.
NCR Corp. brought back production of its ATMs to Georgia in order to decrease the time to market, increase internal collaboration and lower operating costs, according to BCG, while toy manufacturer Wham-O Inc. returned half of its Frisbee and Hula Hoop production from China and Mexico to the United States.
"Workers and unions are more willing to accept concessions to bring jobs back to the U.S.," says Michael Zinser, a BCG partner who leads the firm's manufacturing work in the Americas. "Support from state and local governments can tip the balance."
It's more than just an issue of wages, he says.
"If you're just comparing average wages in China against those in the United States, you're looking at the problem in the wrong way," Zinser says. "Average wages don't reflect the real decisions that companies have to make."
Doug Hohner, another BCG partner who focuses on manufacturing, notes that "In the U.S., we have highly skilled workers in many of our lower-cost states. By contrast, in the lower-cost regions in China, it's actually very hard to find the skilled workers you need to run an effective plant."


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Hi - coming in from DC area for a quickie visit with my s.o. & wanted to visit Le Colonial based partly on our Viet heritage.
- What is every1's opinion these days? - Reviews have been mixed from the Chicago land hounders.
- Is it artsy food & ambiance only?
- How socially adhered to is the business casual rule?


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Article Continues Below
Click Click Here to view this Link.- Here to view this Link.-
Auburn extended an offer to fast-rising Jackson (Ala.) linebacker Gavin Bryant on Tuesday.
"My coach told me that Coach Melvin Smith (Auburn defensive backs coach) wanted to talk to me. I called him and told him about myself, and he said they wanted me to play for them. It feels good to land that offer. I wanted the close schools to offer me, so that's good," Bryant said.
Bryant is fresh off landing an offer from Alabama over the weekend. South Carolina, Kentucky and others have also offered Bryant. He claims eight total offers.
The 6-foot-2, 225-pound Bryant will be in Auburn on March 30 for Junior Day. It will be his first visit to Auburn and his first visit with the new Tigers' coaching staff.
"I don't know too much about the new coaching staff," Bryant said. "I want to see what they have. I want to see the depth chart on linebackers, see if I could get some playing time. And I want to talk more with Coach Smith."
With his most recent offers coming from the in-state rivals and the most recent national champions, Bryant has thought about the prospects of staying in his home state.
"Sometimes I think about doing it, but sometimes I think it doesn't matter where I go, I just want to go play," said Bryant.
Bryant admittedly grew up an Alabama fan. Will that impact his ultimate decision?
"I'm trying to give everybody a fair shot," he said.
Bryant has no timetable for a final decision as offers continue to roll in.
Bryant had 120 tackles as a junior. He will attend the Rivals Camp Series Presented by Under Armour on April 6 in Birmingham.
Click Here to view this Link.


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Senators Ask CMS to Review Proposed Hospital Payment Decrease
In a letter sent to Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Administrator Don Berwick late last week, 52 senators asked the agency to review its current proposal to decrease Medicare payments to hospitals—due to coding changes—by 2.9% in fiscal 2011.
The letter, which was sent several days after a similar House letter went to CMS with 242 congressmen's signatures, says that before any such a change goes into effect, "we need to confirm that the appropriate and correct methodology" has been used and that the proposed rule takes into consideration any changes in patient severity.
The letter stated that coding offsets are based on the assumption that hospital payments "have increased solely due to changes in coding or classification of patients." However, other reasons for such changes could occur such as the possibility that some patients have more serious illnesses or complex conditions.
And, as more patients are being successfully cared for in outpatients departments, those patients who end up being admitted to hospitals are more likely to be seriously ill, the letter added. Therefore, if the proposed rule is enacted, it could cost hospitals across the country an estimated $3.7 billion in fiscal 2011.
The senators cited the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission as showing that hospitals are paid "substantially less" than the cost of delivering care to Medicare beneficiaries. In fact, MedPAC projected a -5.9% decline overall for the Medicare margin for hospitals in fiscal 2010. Keeping this in mind, Congress should provide a full inflation update for hospital payments in fiscal 2011, they said.
In addition, the Medicare Inpatient Prospective Payment Rule contains a smaller-than-usual update of 2.4%, however, this would be eliminated with the proposed coding offset, the letter said. Many hospitals are reporting, though, that a 2.4% adjustment will not bring them closer this year to the actual rate of cost increases that they have faced.
If the rule is implemented, the senators are requesting that CMS ensure that the final methodology used take into account changes in patient severity. "Otherwise, this cut to hospital payments may adversely affect their ability to care for patients and serve their communities."


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If the Bafta Television Awards was your first introduction to Olivia Colman you've been missing out - big time.
Not only has she starred on the small screen in hit series such as Rev, Hyde Park On Hudson and Broadchurch, this shining star is no stranger to the movie theatre with box office hits The Iron Lady, Hot Fuzz and I Give It A Year under her belt.
Stealing the show at the TV Baftas - when she picked up not one, but two awards - Olivia had made an impact on the acting world and Team MyDaily couldn't be more psyched if we tried. Why? Well she's Sophie from Peep Show, of course.
So, now you know the MAIN reason we heart Olivia, but here's pretty much everything else you need to know about the star from her stint in the AA car insurance ads to where she went to uni. Check it...


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Hi! I hope someone can help - my zucchini plants are huge, and seem healthy. Tons of blossoms, and tons of new fruit starting. However, after they get so big, they seem to start to rot. The end gets soft, and yellow. I'm new to gardening, so I'd love some help to figure this out. Thanks!
Problem with zucchini fruit
Bethels ~ squash and melons suffer from Blossom End Rot for the same reasons tomatoes will. There are a number of possible causes.
If you want to read more about the different causes ~ http://www.gardeningknowhow.com/problems/squash-blossom-end-rot-causes-and-treatment.htm
For me, the most common is erratic watering. I came back from vacation to find some of the Delicata squash with BER due to watering issues. Kristi
Thank you so much! I have been a little erratic with the watering, so hopefully that will solve the problem. I appreciate your response, and the link!
You can possibly salvage the undamaged portion by trimming that end off.
Might be worth a try. I've not tried it but some folks say the taste is different. Good luck Kristi
I've found that the two most common things that cause this problem in my garden are powdery mildew and pickle worms. Check first for PM, sometimes the symptoms show up first on the fruit before the classic signs are seen on the leaves and stems. Pickle worm moths lay their eggs in the blossoms where they first eat the insides of the flowers then move to the fruit, going in where the blossom is attached to the fruit. Sometimes they damage the flower so badly it cannot be pollinated. To check for pickle worms, rip the flower open. The first instar is very small, creamy white to beige and spotted.
Looks like you got some Powdery Mildew starting in the 2nd pic. I would spray something mild before it gets too bad. It won't get better if you leave it alone.
anyone know of a good calcium rich foliar spray to use to help with the possible deficiency?
a good read for low calcium issues which can also cause blossom end rot
I personally use Aggrand products. They are organic and do well for me and my friends. They sell a liquid bonemeal and a liquid lime. I think the liquid lime provides more calcium. Check out the website http://www.aggrand.com or specifically http://www.aggrand.com/Store/Products/lime.aspx
Growco Indoor Garden Supply ( http://www.4hydroponics.com/ ) offers a number of different liquid fertilizers including calcium.
Good luck.
This message was edited Jun 26, 2012 1:02 PM
Is the bonemeal from free range animals that are grass fed with no antibiotics? ;p
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Industry sectors that had the most job growth in February were leisure & hospitality, which added 2,500 jobs; construction, up 1,900 jobs; retail trade, up 1,700; transportation, warehousing & utilities, up 1,500; and professional & business services, which added 1,100 jobs.
Industries with the most job losses included government, down 1,400; manufacturing, down 900; other services, down 800; financial activities, down 700; and information, down 500.
Since the low point in the recession, the state has regained about 90,900 jobs.
An estimated 288,000 people (seasonally adjusted) in Washington were unemployed and looking for work in February, and about 197,000 claimed unemployment benefits. As of March 17, 76,103 workers in Washington had run out of all unemployment benefits.
Employment Security is a partner in the statewide WorkSource system, which offers a variety of employment and training services for job seekers, including free help with interviewing skills, résumés and job referrals. WorkSource also can help employers recruit and screen for qualified workers, apply for employment tax breaks and qualify for subsidized employee training.
Locations of local WorkSource offices are listed online at www.go2worksource.com and in the blue pages of local telephone books.
Full report at https://fortress.wa.gov/esd/employmentdata/reports-publications/economic-reports/monthly-employment-report
Labor-market info website – www.esd.wa.gov/employmentdata
State and local trends – https://fortress.wa.gov/esd/employmentdata/reports-publications/regional-reports/numbers-and-trends
Employment Security website – www.esd.wa.gov
WorkSource website – www.go2worksource.com


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Artist description:
playing with the program and what it can do. i always found it strange that angels are always seen as females in the media but in the bible and most mythology they are seen as male~
Flash Draw Created Dec 10, 2012 640 x 460px Unless noted Copyright 2012 Snowfox93.
We encourage you to submit a comment and let the artist know what you think of this drawing. Please log in or join to post a comment.
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nice effect!
thank you ^_^


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Forum List » Guru News and Commentaries
Guru News, Stock picks and commentaries
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Bill Ackman Discusses His Outlook for JC Penney
Posted by: Dheeraj Grover (IP Logged)
Date: January 15, 2013 09:26AM
Well-known long and short hedge fund manager Bill Ackman was on CNNFN. In this video he discusses his views on J.C. Penney and his outlook for the turnaround led by former Apple (AAPL) retail chief Ron Johnson.
-- He thinks J.C. Penney is heading in the right direction.
-- Average turnaround takes around four years and J.C. Penney is only in its second year and will need some time to fully show the results.
-- Thinks Ron Johnson is the best guy to run J.C. Penney
-- Thinks store looks great now and this is the year when he will see the sales heading in the right direction.
-- Pershing is in this for the long run and has the patience and commitment to stick to the turnaround engineered by Johnson.
Credit and source: CNNFN, www.cnnfn.com
Here is the video:
Guru Discussed: Bill Ackman: Current Portfolio, Stock Picks
Stocks Discussed: JCP, AAPL,
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text: The Poetry Handbook offers a lucid and practical guide to the poet's craft. In addition to the varied examples that accompany chapters on meter, form, layout, lineation, punctuation, rhyme, diction, syntax, history, biography, and gender, at the end of every chapter, Lennard applies each topic to the same poem, Nobel Prize-winner Derek Walcott's "Nearing Forty," building, incrementally, a full technical reading. Lennard italicizes and clearly explains critical and scholarly terms, both in the text and in glossaries. He supplements notes and quotations with detailed references to both the Oxford and Norton poetry anthologies, and includes substantial Suggestions for Further Reading. Designed with the undergraduate as well as the general reader in mind, The Poetry Handbook will fascinate and reward anyone interested in how poems work.


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Taff™ 08:03 26 May 2011
I tried Jing about 6 months ago for an XP machine which also captures video or screencasts suitable for short computer tutorials. Screenshots were very good as well. Free Version seemed as good as the snipping tool as far as I remember. Jing Free Download