text:
NEW YORK -- We're about six hours away from kickoff between the Minnesota Vikings and New York Giants at MetLife Stadium tonight, as both teams try to begin the process of turning around seasons that have gone well off-course. I'll be heading to the Meadowlands in a couple hours to write about this one, as will ESPN New York's Dan Graziano, but in the meantime, here are a few things to keep in mind from the Vikings' perspective:
Reprieve for run defense? The Vikings have been uncharacteristically bad against the run this season, ranking 20th in the league in yards allowed and 29th in touchdowns after years of being in the top 10. Minnesota will be without safety Harrison Smith -- one of the team's top run defenders -- but could catch a break with the absence of bruising Giants running back Brandon Jacobs, who will likely miss the game with a hamstring injury. That means Peyton Hillis gets the start for the Giants, and while Hillis can be a sledgehammer between the tackles, it's tough to say how he'll fit with the Giants' offense and what he'll bring to the team after signing with them five days ago. If the Vikings can stop the run, they might have more luck making the Giants one-dimensional and capitalizing on Eli Manning's penchant for turnovers. Speaking of that ...
Picking off Eli: The Vikings have said all week that Manning looks like the same quarterback who has won two Super Bowls, but even that quarterback was prone to interceptions at times. And behind a shaky offensive line, Manning has thrown a league-worst 15 interceptions, becoming the first quarterback to hit that total in six games since Dan Fouts in 1986, according to ESPN Stats and Information. Smith is the only Vikings defensive back with an interception this season, and Minnesota's depleted secondary could have its hands full with Victor Cruz, Hakeem Nicks, Rueben Randle and others, but the Vikings haven't won a game where they lost the turnover battle since 2010, and that required Brett Favre to throw for a career-high 446 yards. For the Vikings, winning the turnover battle has been the most direct route to success in the past few years, as it is for many teams. They need to take advantage of the opportunities Manning gives them tonight.
Freeman's debut: With quarterback Josh Freeman making his first start, the Vikings will likely run with a slightly leaner game plan than usual, though Freeman and coach Leslie Frazier both downplayed how much the team will have to change things to get Freeman up to speed. The biggest challenge for the 25-year-old quarterback, who signed with Minnesota on Oct. 7, will be verbalizing changes to plays and protection schemes, especially if the Vikings end up in a two-minute offense. "Some of these plays get somewhat lengthy, and there's stuff within the play," Freeman said. "You understand exactly where everyone is going whether it's a motion, whether it's a route tagged in there, whether it's a concept, you understand what everybody is doing, but being able to spit that out when you're on the clock, when it's loud, when stuff is going on, when you're out of breath, whatever is going on, being able to spit that out and knowing exactly what you're saying." Freeman has emphasized this week how he's got some familiarity with the Vikings' scheme after working with Ron Prince -- who previously coached with Vikings offensive coordinator Bill Musgrave -- at Kansas State. His ability to recall it on the fly could be a key for the Vikings tonight.
Improvement on third downs: Both the Vikings and Giants have had atrocious third-down defense this season -- they have the two worst opponents' conversion rates in the league -- and whichever team can break that trend might have a chance to turn the game tonight. Third downs could be especially important on offense for the Vikings, who are at their best when they can get a lead, extend drives and run Adrian Peterson. Considering how thin the Vikings are defensively, and how much they've struggled with time of possession this season, they'll need to give their defense a break by draining the clock on offense.


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UK MRSA call overstated, argues Shropshire vet
Marsden was responding to a story published on 2 January by GlobalMeatNews.com, which looked at a call from the Soil Association to the UK government to monitor MRSA in UK cattle.
Marsden acknowledged that the bug should be monitored, as should the use of antibiotics in farm animals, but added that the bacteria MRSA ST398 could not be described as an epidemic in the UK and said measures to ensure antibiotics were being used responsibly were already being undertaken on many UK farms, despite the Soil Association's claims.
"One of the two clear issues in the article were the responsible use of medicine," he said. "We undertake a lot of training courses for farmers to ensure that medicines are used responsibly, that the dose rate and duration of treatment medicine is correct, in order to reduce the risk of resistance bacteria developing. We not only demonstrate to farmers how to administer medicines in the correct way, but also how to reduce the need for antibiotic usage with ever-improving management regimes."
He also explained that Shropshire Farm Vets used the five-point plan with farmers, which includes using disinfectants, such as iodine, to kill bacteria on cows' teats after milking, which he said lessens the need for antibiotic use.
One in four
Marsden added that one in four humans in the UK had MRSA on their skin and that the ST398 strain was a different form of that. He said we come into contact with the bug more often than we think and that it can spread on equipment used alongside the rearing of farm animals, which is why the use of disinfectant on farms is important.
As for the "superbug" infecting pigs and poultry in the UK, Marsden told GlobalMeatNews.com that biosecurity for the pig and poultry sector in the UK was exceptionally good, which meant MRSA ST398 was unlikely to spread from cattle, and that the greater danger would be importing pigs and poultry from countries with high prevalence of the bacteria in their livestock.
"A high proportion of people have it on their skin, but we are seeing new strains of MRSA in humans and livestock and it is important this is monitored," he said.
"Responsible use of antibiotics is crucial and using them in a sensible way is very important. We actually kill a lot of harmful bacteria by using them in this way, which means these bugs do not lead to disease in livestock or man. The other thing is to reiterate that we know MRSA is present in the UK and I agree with the Soil Association, that the prevalence of harmful microorganisms, along with changes in their serotype need to be monitored.
"In the UK we have only just started monitoring for MRSA ST398, so one must bear in mind that absence of detection in the past does not mean it was not present in the past."

subset: commoncrawl


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Staten Island braces for Hurricane Earl, but blue skies on the horizon
From the Staten Island Advance: http://blog.silive.com/latest_news/print.html?entry=/2010/09/island_braces_for_hurricane_ea.html
NAGS HEAD, N.C. -- Hurricane Earl steamed toward the Eastern Seaboard yesterday as communities from North Carolina to New England kept a close eye on the forecast, worried that even a slight shift in the storm's predicted offshore track could put millions of people in the most densely populated part of the country in harm's way.
Staten Island should brace for high winds, driving rain and heavy surf tomorrow, but it should all blow over for the holiday weekend.
The Jersey Shore and Long Island are expected to bear the brunt locally, with storm warnings posted as far as Sandy Hook to the north and Montauk to the east. There is the potential for storm force winds, said Michael Leseney, senior meteorologist with accuweather.com.
"It all depends on the track of the storm. If it moves west [it could buffet Staten Island], but right now for Staten Island its main effects will be potential tropical storm force winds."
Leseney noted that the Island could see rough surf and strong riptides at the beaches and high seas with very dangerous wave actions for boaters.
Earl is expected to be east of the Island at 8 p.m. tomorrow.
Leseney said the weekend forecast for Staten Island "looks beautiful" so long as Earl keeps his distance.
Meanwhile, vacationers along North Carolina's dangerously exposed Outer Banks took advantage of the typical picture-perfect day just before a hurricane arrives to pack their cars and flee inland, cutting short their summer just before Labor Day weekend.
The governors of North Carolina, Virginia and Maryland declared states of emergency, sea turtle nests on one beach were scooped up and moved to safety, and the crew of the Navy's USS Cole rushed to get home to Norfolk, Va., yesterday ahead of the bad weather. The destroyer was supposed to return later this week from a seven-month assignment fighting piracy off Somalia.
Farther up the East Coast, emergency officials urged people to have disaster plans and supplies ready and weighed whether to order evacuations as they watched the latest maps from the National Hurricane Center -- namely, the "cone of uncertainty" showing the broad path the storm could take.
Earl was expected to reach the North Carolina coast late tonight and wheel to the northeast, staying offshore while making its way up the Eastern Seaboard. But forecasters said it could move in closer, perhaps coming ashore in North Carolina, crossing Long Island and passing over the Boston metropolitan area and Cape Cod.
That could make the difference between modestly wet and blustery weather on the one hand, and dangerous storm surge, heavy rain and hurricane-force winds on the other.
"Everyone is poised and ready to pull the trigger if Earl turns west, but our hope is that this thing goes out to sea and we're all golfing this weekend," said Peter Judge, a spokesman for the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency.
As of last night, Earl was a powerful Category 4 hurricane centered more than 520 miles south-southeast of Cape Hatteras, N.C., with winds of 140 mph. The most powerful category is 5 with winds 155 mph and higher.
Red Cross officials prepared to open as many as 50 shelters on Long Island that could house up to 60,000 people in an emergency. No evacuation orders were issued, but officials were going to re-examine the situation this morning.
Emergency officials on Cape Cod braced for their first major storm since Hurricane Bob brought winds of up to 100 mph to coastal New England in August 1991. Marinas encouraged people to take their boats out of the water now instead of waiting for Labor Day.
Also yesterday, the seventh tropical storm of the season formed far out in the Atlantic. Tropical Storm Gaston had sustained winds of 40 mph and is expected to strengthen into a hurricane this weekend as it moves toward the Leeward Islands.
Tropical Storm Fiona remained north of the Caribbean with winds of 60 mph and is expected to move toward Bermuda over the next several days. And Tropical Storm Gaston on their heels is beginning to slow down over the open Atlantic, making it the fourth named storm in 11 days.


text:
About This Activity
Welcome to Electric Run Portland, OR! 7/13/13
Registration opens on January 3rd at 9:45 am Pacific Time.
The event will be caped at 10,000 people and is expected to sell quickly.
Event Categories
- Individual Runners/Walkers
- Teams of 4 or more ($5.00 Discount Per member)
Event schedule and times
Register as an individual or save money and have more fun by registering as a team of 4 or more.


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love this style.
so so pretty. ppl are right though; The type should go. Understand the type goes with the "x" on her eye, but the starburst and type—more like packaging, awkward placement. As far as the illo goes, you're right up there with Amy Sol & Erté. Love the vintage colors as well!!
this is what i called an awesome design.
cool illustration! looks a bit weird with the text at the bottom though
sweet illustration! but whats up with the mockup? hm. anyway. +1
i like it good work!!
very nice but gotta agree drop the type lol other then that +1
Oh this is a unique work. You´ve great talent.
Yeash! I would wear it…!+1
check my new one if you want..
lose the type = winner. voted
agree to the type away comments, but great illo, voted+
nice A! yea you don't need the type, anyway +1!
Love it!
i love this!!! vote for you
awesome illustration..lose the text though..
love your illustration on this one!+1
awesomee! but i agree that the text should not be there ><


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Majak moment0:54
Behind-the-scenes footage of Majak Daw receiving his North Melbourne jumper in the rooms before his AFL debut.
NORTH Melbourne president James Brayshaw has demanded a "full and unconditional apology" from Fairfax journalist Caroline Wilson over claims about his club's medical staff.
Brayshaw and Kangaroos coach Brad Scott were both incensed after Wilson suggested on Channel Nine's Footy Classified that North's medical services director Steve Saunders had been overruling the club doctor since 2011.
Echoing an irate Scott, Brayshaw said Wilson was "universally acknowledged to have had a shocker" and warned her she should apologise early in next week's show.
"She repeatedly insisted that our head of high performance, Steve Saunders, had overruled the club doctor," Brayshaw said.
"That has never happened. That is 100 per cent factually incorrect and she has been alerted to the fact that it is.
"I will be watching with great interest on Monday night. And I am talking in the first segment. I and we as a football club expect a full and unconditional apology."
"Caro can say whatever she likes about me. In fact, I welcome it because every time she does I look better, but when it comes to the professional integrity of people like Steve Saunders, we as a football club take his reputation ... very seriously."
Scott had earlier said Wilson's comments could lead to legal action.
"One thing that we are concerned about is that there are false accusations that any one of our staff would overrule a doctor. That is simply a lie," Scott said.
"It's very dangerous territory when you start making those accusations without any evidence to back it up. I can categorically say that's not true.
"And, unfortunately, when Caroline Wilson speaks these days about North Melbourne most people think that it's just pursuing a personal vendetta that she's had against James Brayshaw for a long time."
Wilson later said on 3AW that she shouldn't have implied Saunders was overruling the club doctor.
She said she accepts this wasn't the case at North Melbourne.
Wilson also denied she had a personal vendetta against Brayshaw.
Originally published as Brayshaw demands Wilson apology


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Sisters Tionna Smalls and Antonia "Toni" Reason launch new online plus size boutique, Majesty's Closet, on March 31, 2012.
TV personality, Tionna Smalls, is known to be a curvy woman. The world was introduced to her in April of 2010 when she co-starred with Rozonda "Chilli" Thomas in the hit VH1 show, "What Chilli Wants." After being fed up with not being able to find fabulous clothes to accentuate her womanly frame, she called her sister Antonia "Toni" Reason. Reason, being known for her sense of style and Smalls conversed on the telephone about what the plus size industry was missing and exchanged ideas; it was then that "Majesty's Closet" was created.
Majesty's Closet named after Reason's daughter and Smalls' niece Majesty, is the answer for plus size women everywhere wondering where can they find trendy clothing in their size. Majesty's Closet is an online women's boutique that specializes in fabulous contemporary clothing for sizes 12-28. The sisters replaced the phrase plus size, instead they use 'majestic' size.


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[Federal Register Volume 78, Number 64 (Wednesday, April 3, 2013)]
[Pages 20102-20103]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2013-07771]
Proposed Information Collection Request; Comment Request;
Reformulated Gasoline Commingling Provisions
AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
ACTION: Notice.
SUMMARY: The Environmental Protection Agency is planning to submit an
information collection request (ICR), ``Reformulated Gasoline
Commingling Provisions'' (EPA ICR No.2228.04, OMB Control No. 2060-
0587) to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and
approval in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act (44 U.S.C. 3501
et seq.). Before doing so, EPA is soliciting public comments on
specific aspects of the proposed information collection as described
below. This is a ``RENEWAL'' of the ICR, which is currently approved
through August 31, 2013. An Agency may not conduct or sponsor and a
person is not required to respond to a collection of information unless
it displays a currently valid OMB control number.
DATES: Comments must be submitted on or before June 3, 2013.
ADDRESSES: Submit your comments, referencing Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-OAR-
2006-0745 online using www.regulations.gov, or in person viewing at the
Air Docket in the EPA Docket Center in Washington, DC (EPA/DC). The
docket is located in the EPA West Building, 1301 Constitution Avenue
NW., Room 3334, and is open from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Eastern
Standard Time, Monday through Friday, excluding legal holidays, or by
mail to: EPA Docket Center, Environmental Protection Agency, Mail Code
28221T, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave. NW., Washington, DC 20460.
EPA's policy is that all comments received will be included in the
public docket without change including any personal information
provided, unless the comment includes profanity, threats, information
claimed to be Confidential Business Information (CBI) or other
information whose disclosure is restricted by statute.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Geanetta Heard, Fuels Compliance
Center, 6406J Environmental Protection Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave.
NW., Washington, DC 20460; telephone number: 202-343-9017 fax number:
202-343-2800; email address: [email protected].
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Supporting documents which explain in detail
the information that the EPA will be collecting are available in the
public docket for this ICR. The docket can be viewed online at
www.regulations.gov or in person at the EPA Docket Center, EPA West,
Room 3334, 1301 Constitution Ave. NW., Washington, DC. The telephone
number for the Docket Center is 202-566-1744. For additional
information about EPA's public docket, visit http://www.epa.gov/dockets.
Pursuant to section 3506(c)(2)(A) of the PRA, EPA is soliciting
comments and information to enable it to: (i) Evaluate whether the
proposed collection of information is necessary for the proper
performance of the functions of the Agency, including whether the
information will have
[[Page 20103]]
practical utility; (ii) evaluate the accuracy of the Agency's estimate
of the burden of the proposed collection of information, including the
validity of the methodology and assumptions used; (iii) enhance the
quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be collected; and
(iv) minimize the burden of the collection of information on those who
are to respond, including through the use of appropriate automated
electronic, mechanical, or other technological collection techniques or
other forms of information technology, e.g., permitting electronic
submission of responses. EPA will consider the comments received and
amend the ICR as appropriate. The final ICR package will then be
submitted to OMB for review and approval. At that time, EPA will issue
another Federal Register notice to announce the submission of the ICR
to OMB and the opportunity to submit additional comments to OMB.
Abstract: EPA would like to continue collecting notifications from
gasoline retailers and wholesale purchaser-consumer related to
commingling of ethanol blended and non-ethanol blended reformulated
gasoline. The test results will allow EPA to monitor compliance with
the Reformulated Gasoline Commingling Provisions. We inform respondents
that they may assert claims of business confidentiality (CBI) for
information they submit in accordance with 40 CFR Part 2203.
Form Numbers: None.
Respondents/affected entities: Gasoline stations, Gasoline stations
with convenience stores, Gasoline stations without convenience stores.
Respondent's obligation to respond: mandatory Sections 114 and 208
of the Clean Air Act (CAA), 42 U.S.C. 7414 and 7542.
Estimated number of respondents: 84,050.
Frequency of response: Annually.
Total estimated burden: 21,013 hours (per year). Burden is defined
at 5 CFR 1320.03(b).
Total estimated cost: $357,221 (per year), includes $0 annualized
capital or operation & maintenance costs.
Changes in Estimates: The change in burden from the prior ICR is
due in part to better numbers extracted from business and industry
economic statistics that assisted in calculating the numbers of
respondents. These better numbers reduced the party size by 13,650
members. The number of responses also declined from 110,700 to 84,050 a
difference of 26,650 reports which reduced the industry burden hours
from 27,675 to 21,013. We also found that the original cost per
response was overstated by a factor of 2. With the decline of
respondents, burden hours and responses, and revisit cost per response,
the cost to renew this ICR is $357,221 a difference of $528,379
calculated from the prior collection approved by OMB.
Dated: March 27, 2013.
Byron Bunker,
Director, Compliance Division.
[FR Doc. 2013-07771 Filed 4-2-13; 8:45 am]


text: hi i've just got started in photography after receiving a minolta dynax 3000i from my dad after he seen i was keen on photography he also gave me a chinon cg-5 as this is a MF with all then manual settings unlike the minolta. at the moment my main interest is street photography around london ( i love walking around london finding new sights and places) aswell as photographing my 6 kids. my main job is as a roofer in london so gives me plenty of opportunity to take photos of the skyline. i look forward to learning from you all and hopefully i might even have something valid to say one day:0) anyway thats me introduced myself thanks for reading this jamie


text:
The creator of Harry Potter, the world's most popular boy wizard, is set to cast a spell over the cult cartoon show The Simpsons, her spokeswoman said Wednesday. J.K. Rowling will bring a touch of magic to the animated sitcom about the dysfunctional family by appearing as herself in an episode set in England. "I can confirm that she did a voice-over for The Simpsons," the spokeswoman told Reuters. In the episode Rowling will meet beer-guzzling Homer Simpson and his family when they visit England to find a girl with whom Grandpa Simpson had a wartime fling. "The Simpsons bump into J.K. Rowling outside a bookshop, and they talk all about Harry Potter," Don Payne, executive producer of the cult cartoon, told The [London] Sun.
The episode will also feature openly gay Lord of the Rings star Sir Ian McKellen, the paper said. The family members go to see him perform Macbeth but bring him bad luck by saying the play's name aloud--in defiance of a well-known theatrical superstition. This leads to the actor's being hit by scaffolding and then struck by lightning.
Rowling and McKellen join dozens of stars such as Paul McCartney and Dustin Hoffman who have lent their voices to the show.


text: hi everyone! first off, i live in west texas and there isn't even a decently large lake for hundreds of miles around. the reason i came upon this site was because i wanted a good octopus or squid pic to put on my desktop background and i stumbled upon a site called "save the endangered tree octopus"!!! can u believe the bullshit?? the site even shows a pic of a so-called tree octopus high on the branches of a pine tree. it also claims that it is endangered because sasquatch has been favoring tree octopi as snacks lately. so here i am sharing this amusing but annoying information simply because i love writing in forums and starting new threads!! nice to meet u all!!


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Popcorn is a very nutritious snack on its own, although sometimes the toppings people add can make it high in calories. Each 1-cup serving of plain air-popped popcorn contains only 31 calories, while providing you with fiber and small amounts of vitamins and minerals including iron, calcium and phosphorus. Most of the calories in popcorn come from carbohydrates, as a cup of popcorn contains only 0.4 gram of fat and 1 gram of protein.
Total Carbohydrates
About 45 to 65 percent of your daily calories should come from carbohydrates, as these are important for providing your body with energy and fiber. Air-popped popcorn is 78 percent carbohydrate, 13 percent protein, 5 percent fat and 3 percent water by weight. Each cup of air-popped popcorn contains 6.23 grams of total carbohydrate, accounting for about 25 calories, or about 80 percent of the calories in popcorn. Popcorn contains all three types of carbohydrates.
Sugars are the most quickly digested type of carbohydrate and are often referred to as simple carbohydrates. Popcorn doesn't contain a lot of natural sugars, with only 0.07 grams of sugar per cup, or about 1 percent of the carbohydrates in air-popped popcorn. Almost all of this sugar is in the form of sucrose, with trace amounts of glucose and fructose making up the rest of the sugar content.
Starches are complex carbohydrates formed when three or more sugar molecules are combined. They aren't digested as quickly as sugars, since the bonds between the molecules need to be broken by digestive enzymes. About 70 percent of the carbohydrates in air-popped popcorn come from starches, with 4.35 grams per cup.
Fiber consists of multiple sugar molecules like starch, but your body can't make the enzymes needed to break the bonds holding fiber together, so it goes through your digestive tract basically unchanged. It has a variety of beneficial health effects, including slowing the emptying of your stomach so you feel full for longer and lowering your risk for health conditions including constipation, Type 2 diabetes, heart disease and hemorrhoids. Men should consume at least 30 to 38 grams of fiber per day, and women should aim for at least 21 to 25 grams per day. About 19 percent of the carbohydrates in popcorn consist of fiber, with each cup of air-popped popcorn providing you with 1.2 grams of fiber.
References (5)
Photo Credits
- popcorn image by Photoeyes from Fotolia.com


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LAWRENCEVILLE -- The North Country Fiddlers will perform at a dance at the Lawrenceville Fire Hall, county Route 54, on Aug. 17 from 1 to 4 p.m.
The kitchen will be open starting at noon. There will also be 50/50 raffles and prizes.
Admission is $4. Proceeds benefit the fire department and auxiliary.
Info: 389-4439 or 328-4939.


text:
The Crowley Company is a unique blend of manufacturer, distributor and service bureau. This combination allows Crowley to understand the complexities of archival preservation and records management from every angle, providing a competitive and technological edge that cannot be found elsewhere.
Only The Crowley Company can offer a complete range of digital and analog solutions for imaging technology and film processing including: hardware, imaging services, systems consulting, supplies and technical support.


text:
On Sunday, I was everywhere. And, yes, Cupid's on Vanowen and Winnetka in Canoga Park was one of the places. As I was waiting for my order, I saw something that made me look twice, read it again a third, and tell the poor young, shocked guy working there to "shut up!". Yes, how RUDE! But you see, I have been sad about the closure of my first chili dog love - namely, the Cupid's Hot Dog location that used to be across the street from my lifelong church on the corner of Tyrone and Victory in Van Nuys. It has been gone for several years now, replaced by a (what else?) strip mall. However, that unassuming piece of paper stated, get this: Cupid's will be reopening at it's original location on Tyrone and Victory this summer. Yup, you read that right. After all these years of ORIGINAL Cupid's closing (I do not count the non-originals that sell burgers, fries, kebabs, etc. - the originals only sell chili dogs, chips and drinks) they are starting to open locations! YAY!
Once the young man realized why I had told him to shut up (when he had not even said anything!) he told me that "she" (the owner) was planning on opening more! WHAT? I asked/begged him to ask her to open one in the Pasadena/Monrovia area. He said he would tell her, although I am pretty sure he thought I was a crazed madwoman by this point.
I am so happy. Nothing has made me more sad than the loss of truly wonderful restaurants that I grew up with. Hopefully Cupid's will never need to be a distant memory for those of us who love it!!


text:
Doublefile Viburnum, Japanese Snowball Bush 'Popcorn'
Viburnum plicatum var. tomentosum
|Adoxaceae (a-dox-AY-see-ee) (Info)
|Viburnum (vy-BUR-num) (Info)
|plicatum var. tomentosum
|Viburnum plicatum f. tomentosum
|Viburnum tomentosum
Foliage Color:
Bloom Characteristics:
This plant is attractive to bees, butterflies and/or birds
Water Requirements:
Average Water Needs; Water regularly; do not overwater
Where to Grow:
8-10 ft. (2.4-3 m)
15-20 ft. (4.7-6 m)
USDA Zone 5a: to -28.8 �C (-20 �F)
USDA Zone 5b: to -26.1 �C (-15 �F)
USDA Zone 6a: to -23.3 �C (-10 �F)
USDA Zone 6b: to -20.5 �C (-5 �F)
USDA Zone 7a: to -17.7 �C (0 �F)
USDA Zone 7b: to -14.9 �C (5 �F)
USDA Zone 8a: to -12.2 �C (10 �F)
USDA Zone 8b: to -9.4 �C (15 �F)
USDA Zone 9a: to -6.6 �C (20 �F)
USDA Zone 9b: to -3.8 �C (25 �F)
Sun Exposure:
Light Shade
Parts of plant are poisonous if ingested
Bloom Color:
White/Near White
Bloom Time:
Mid Spring
Other details:
Soil pH requirements:
5.6 to 6.0 (acidic)
6.1 to 6.5 (mildly acidic)
6.6 to 7.5 (neutral)
Patent Information:
Propagation Methods:
From softwood cuttings
From semi-hardwood cuttings
Seed Collecting:
N/A: plant does not set seed, flowers are sterile, or plants will not come true from seed
This plant has been said to grow in the following regions:
, British Columbia
Brookfield, Connecticut
Quincy, Florida
Savannah, Georgia
Elburn, Illinois
Poplar Grove, Illinois
Georgetown, Kentucky
Louisville, Kentucky
Redford, Michigan
Upland, Nebraska
Elba, New York
Wilkes Barre, Pennsylvania
Toone, Tennessee
Lexington, Virginia
Grand Mound, Washington
Seattle, Washingtonshow all
Gardeners' Notes:
On Jan 28, 2012, RosemaryK from Lexington, MA (Zone 6a) wrote:
I hate to be too picky, but I'm seeing 'Popcorn' as a cultivar of Viburnum plicatum f. plicatum in my sources. This makes a difference because it won't pollinate the f. tomentosum cultivars, according to the experts I've consulted. Also, I doubt it's going to set any significant amount of berries on its own bush, either.
On Jun 30, 2006, ifonly from Brookfield, CT wrote:
Fell in love with this viburnum at Oliver nursery in Fairfield CT, so of course it followed me home. It has pretty corrugated dark green leaves. Planted two weeks ago, at about 4.5 feet tall and 3ish wide.
On May 18, 2006, hortensia from Langley, BC, BC (Zone 8b) wrote:
this is one of three forms of viburnum plicatum I grow. It always gives a great show, and is imperturbbly healthy
On Jan 2, 2006, ViburnumValley from Scott County, KY (Zone 5b) wrote:
This will be a true crowd pleaser for those who already know and love viburnums, as well as those just getting started. A quick grower and precocious bloomer, Popcorn has the habit and flower style of the Japanese snowball but is supposed to have fertile flowers hiding inside those numerous puffballs of flowers. It will be a big plant. It seems to also have the habit of the snowball type plants, behaving in a more upright rounded pattern instead of horizontally striated branching. Fall color (and behavior in heat; see 'Shasta') is the same burnt orange and burgundy.


text: [ Two Men Wanted For Robbing U-Haul On North Hearne In Shreveport By Angela Thomas June 26, 2013 Police searching for two people who robbed U-Haul store on June 21st. Read More Category: Crime News, Shreveport/Bossier City News Tags: Shreveport robbers, U-Haul robbery Send to a friend! Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Pin it! Reddit This! Share on Tumblr!


text:
NAFCU to House Committee: Subchapter S Bank Tax Break Larger Than CU Exemption
Wednesday's House Ways and Means Committee hearing wasn't supposed to challenge the tax exempt status of credit unions. However, NAFCU isn't taking any chances.
Dan Berger, executive vice president, government affairs for the trade, refuted "desperate arguments the banking trades have fabricated in an attempt to extend congressional oversight hearings to credit unions" in a letter submitted Tuesday to subcommittee Chairman Charles Boustany Jr. (R-La.) and Ranking Member John Lewis (D-Ga.).
Berger countered that the estimated $2.05 billion in tax breaks granted to banks in 2010 that qualified for federal tax exemption under Subchapter S is greater than the $1.27 billion credit union tax expenditure in 2010.
"Perhaps the real issue should be the unfair advantage over credit unions that our nation's banks get with their Subchapter S tax breaks and multiple bailouts," Berger wrote.
"Given the fact that there are still tax-exempt Subchapter S banks that still haven't paid back millions in taxpayer funded TARP funds, perhaps the Subcommittee should examine the Subchapter S issue further," his letter said.
Berger also evoked a new ally of credit unions – conservative Tea Party groups – in his argument for the value of tax-free credit unions.
"While banks argue for the elimination of the credit union federal tax exemption, even the Americans for Tax Reform has said that, '…any tax imposed on credit unions would have a direct impact on Americans' pocketbooks'," he said.
Removing the credit union tax exemption would have a disastrous impact on working-class Americans, especially those who are unable to obtain credit from profit making mega-banks and those struggling to regain economic footing after the most devastating financial meltdown since the Great Depression, Berger concluded.
The House hearing Wednesday morning did not include any scheduled financial institution witnesses; instead, representatives from universities and hospitals were asked to answer oversight committee questions.


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Passionate if generic debut from Sydney metalcore crew.
If Polaris bring anything to the world of modern metalcore, it's passion. There is an urgency in their delivery that is thoroughly convincing. This is a band with a genuine conviction for their music that is unfortunately overshadowed by a lack of individual identity. This is reflected in the generically typical overuse of Amity-style growled/clean vocal transitions and generally unimaginative songwriting. The Fallujah-like "In Somnus Veritas" offers some respite from the all-too similar bludgeoning and regurgitated tropes on display, exhibiting a small degree of risk-taking that Polaris should embrace further if they don't want to end up as just another metalcore band.
Topics: Polaris
Proto-punk slackers welcome more softness and depth.
Geelong quartet the Living Eyes inject some newfound softness into their blurted proto-punk on this third album. "Spring" sneaks in poppy vocal harmonies and a cheeky description of cold weather ("My dick's the size of my thumb"), while "Household Day" adds plinking background melodies to its grainy lope and lurch. But the main attractions are still Billy Gardner's halting vocals and those deranged monster hooks, which bring a lashing catchiness to "Horseplay". It's all fairly low-stakes, but there are signs of looming depth during "Fear of Heights", on which the band reach the four-minute mark – just barely.
A soul queen's powerful posthumous farewell.
When Sharon Jones died of pancreatic cancer last year, the world lost its greatest exponent of vintage soul. Recording over her last two years with the Dap-Kings and other longtime sidemen, genre masters all, Jones meets darkness with hope on her final album, now a posthumous treasure. "Matter of Time" envisions world peace; "Come and Be a Winner" is a funky pep talk. It's easy to read themes of mortality into the lyrics, but this is a stirringly indefatigable farewell. Her own church choir joins in for "Call On God", and the LP ends heartbreakingly with Jones chuckling or crying – it's hard to tell. Maybe both.
Toowoomba alt-country quintet deliver sophomore outing.
Frequently harnessing the travelling sideshow rollick of the Felice Brothers ("Canyons"), Augusta simultaneously intensifies the low-slung country-rock undertow of 2015 debut Ghosts We Forget. While maintaining the band's cosmic bent ("Broken Lines"), it's a stylistically tighter, sonically meatier offering than its predecessor. The barroom rumble of the coarser guitar parts – see hefty snarler "Horses", and the energising heartland rock urgency of "Yearling" – conjure Lydia Loveless and Drive-By Truckers, while so many glistening textures and melodic undulations align Jenkins and co with local alt-country frontrunners Halfway and Raised By Eagles.
Swedish pop firestarter continues dark lust saga.
The sequel to Tove Lo's raw Lady Wood, like her stylised longform videos, deals explicitly with derangement – sexual, emotional, drug-induced. It'd be easy to dismiss as softcore shock-pop if her songwriting wasn't so formidable. The nicely-titled "Disco Tits" is a lustily convincing club single; "Don't Ask Don't Tell" and "Struggle" tunefully unpack messy relationship psychology, E.M. Forster's "only connect" repurposed for the dancefloor. More problematic is "Bitches," an icy banger evidently involving unsafe sex and gynophobic hook-ups. Like much of Tove Lo's work, it's admirably uncensored, but may leave you craving a shower, however close to home it lands.
Mesmerising, genre-defying debut from chill Melbourne duo.
For a debut to have such poise and confidence is remarkable. In crafting an immersive futuristic chillscape, the Melbourne duo harness a cornucopia of warmly dense beats, elegant, dreamy synths and combine textural features from jazz, hip-hop and electronica. Across the striking acid-soul of "Castle"; spiky astro-funk jabs of "14 Days"; Lamar-isms of "Hand It Over"; Gallic-swagger of "Keep Up With It"; and the sly "A Hearing", Miller Upchurch's falsetto knifes in and out with brutal effectiveness, and combines perfectly with Ed Quinn's exquisitely produced synth collages to offer up neo-noir electro of the highest order.
Rarities collection too good to be leftovers.
Angel Olsen's approach on almost all the songs on this compilation of B-sides and rarities – including a stark version of Springsteen's "Tougher Than the Rest" – is to strip, pare, expose and then rebuild in ways that leave no room for anything but subtext. Take "All Right Now", which is a song that might elsewhere be called haunting (spectral voice, weighted space, low boom bass drum) but is in fact quite physical and present. Or "California", which feels like Wilco as interpreted by Roy Orbison and Tiny Tim. Seriously. It's not a quiet record – charged, literally with electric guitars; metaphorically with its tone – and it carries a heavy emotional weight.
1992 blockbuster reissued with demos, live recording and more.
R.E.M.'s unimpeachable classic gets the anniversary treatment with a box set that includes a 60-page book and four discs: the album in both remastered and Dolby Atmos formats, plus 20 demos and R.E.M.'s sole '92 gig, recorded six weeks after the LP's release. Despite Michael Stipe joking on-stage about being unrehearsed, the band are in career-best form, even when playing songs for the first time. The demos range from near-fully-fleshed-out LP cuts to rough sketches with a lyric-less Stipe humming melodies, revealing a band ably manifesting a mid-career masterpiece that still stands as their finest work.
Folk-rock traveller strikes a sweet note on album six.
Sean Scolnick trades the country-punk rawness that powered much of The Spirit Moves (2015) for endearing folk-pop spontaneity. There's a diamond-in-the-rough quality to these songs that belies the album's proliferation of sonic accoutrements – from the strings of "Life Is Confusing" to the squeezebox zephyrs and tuba of "Ocean City". "House of My Soul" melds the chorus groove of Roy Orbison's "You Got It" with the off-kilter swing of Deer Tick, while there's Simon & Garfunkel-like immediacy in "Private Property". It's impossible to resist the pervading charge of optimism throughout – even in batshit undead/unrequited love song "Zombie".
South Australian knockabouts deliver meaty third album.
Grenadiers' sweatily ragged punk-rock ages gracefully here, with affecting, subtler Australiana in moments like "Long Way Down" butting against odes to "Suburban Life" ("Smash a two-piece feed/Watch Family Feud"; finishing with the 'burbs soundtrack of a two-stroke lawnmower). Their brand of punk has always resembled a gnarled, tatted-up arm, but there's life and all the earned pain and frustration that comes with it sitting behind the attack of "Live Fast, Diabetes". There's no saccharine bullshit in their heart-on-sleeve-tatt punk rock, and Grenadiers will have you throwing a fist in the air in a heartbeat.
Warts'n'all reissue of stone cold metal classic.
Master of Puppets' place in the upper echelons of metal classics was established long ago. What's remarkable about this Deluxe Box Set – beyond the staying power of songs such as "Battery" and "Orion" – is the breadth of the extras. As a fan first and foremost, Lars Ulrich has always understood the mindset of someone who loves a band, so here you get three LPs, 10 CDs, a 108-page hardcover book and much more. Even better than the litany of demos and live recordings? Hearing Jason Newsted's first auditions, playing the likes of "Master of Puppets" with the band for the first time. Breathtaking.
Continuing a life of faith in civil rights, humans and song.
There's "no time for crying, no time for tears, we've got work to do" Mavis Staples says in the snaky little blues "No Time For Crying". It's a tense, urgent even, call to arms, but while this is a protest album, it's not a polemic. Anger is not the only point: purpose, people, and faith offer hope. After all, Staples argues, "we go high when they go low". Jeff Tweedy's songs reflect his closeness to Staples not just in understanding her philosophy and phrasing, but in drawing from soul (the title track), gospel ("Peaceful Dream"), roots ("Little Bit"), and country ("All Over Again") so that they emerge from, rather than impose on, her.
La fille de Serge mixes club pop with noir cinema.
Charlotte Gainsbourg's first musical role in seven years is a spy thriller set in the nightclubs of Europe. All ominous cadences slashed with harpsichord jangle, "Ring-A Ring O' Roses" opens a nail-biting first side propelled by a breathless French whisper in the verses, cutting to airy English choruses. The swelling strings of "Kate" shadow her late father Serge's melodrama. The synaptic crackle of "Deadly Valentine" signals a slow segue into electro. "Dance Vos Airs" brings a welcome dash of acoustic chanson, but between the beat-centric production of SebastiAn and co-writes with Paul McCartney and Daft Punk, the lasting impression is more about ambition than cohesion.
Another year in hell for the bilious hermit of indie rock.
Times are ripe for the old personal/political juxtaposition caper, but ethnic cleansing and oral sex? Young lovers and nuclear incineration? "My Love, I'd Do Anything" bookended with screams from a torture chamber? Oh, Mr Morrissey! The British indie king-in-exile continues his misanthropic streak on his umpteenth uncompromising denunciation of the brutal idiocy of humankind. "Society's hell," he declares for openers, as thumping drums, clanging guitars and horns of war assemble in a world of propaganda and occupation.
"Who Will Protect Us From the Police" is typical of his contempt for uniform of all stripes, but the epic centrepiece "I Bury the Living" is next-level vitriol. Sung from the hapless viewpoint of "a sweet little soldier (gimme an order and I'll blow up your daughter)", its thrashing refrain of "honour mad canon fodder" is unlikely to garner many RSL invitations.
There's trademark tragicomic self-pity, too, between the Christmas bells of "Home Is a Question Mark" and the dancing electric piano of "Spent the Day In Bed". The classic Mozzer trope of withering from sexual neglect reaches a new pitch of terror in the stampeding finale of "Jacky's Only Happy When She's Up On the Stage".
Steel your nerves for the last simmering storm of inhuman oppression in "Israel", but fan or foe, don't expect to be sitting on the fence when the last battlefield vista unfolds.
On sixth album, pop mastermind ditches tabloid drama, goes darker and deeper.
"I swear I don't love the drama – it loves me!" Now there's a credo that sums up the Taylor Swift of Reputation. So rest in peace, Old Taylor, and for that matter New Taylor, because Reputation is New New Taylor. Swift spent most of the past year off the radar, dropping out of the media hustle – a major challenge for a star this relentless about sharing her feelings, not to mention her cats' feelings. Taylor turning off her phone was the equivalent of Leonard Cohen moving to a Zen monastery for five years.
From the sounds of her excellent sixth album, Swift spent that time going into deeper, darker, more introspective places. Reputation is her most intimate album – a song cycle about how it feels when you stop chasing romance and start letting your life happen. As one of the all-time great pop masterminds, she's trying something new, as she always does. But because she's Taylor Swift, she can't stop being her own turbulent, excessive, exhausting and gloriously extra self. Make no mistake, this girl's love affair with drama is alive and well.
The world was expecting Reputation to be a celebrity self-pity party, after her September single "Look What You Made Me Do," airing her grievances about getting mistreated by other famous people. Even if you think her complaints were totally justified, they felt like a dreary waste of her creative time, and many fans were dreading the idea of a whole album's worth. But sorry, world – that was just one of her Swiftian fake-out moves, because there's nothing else like that song on Reputation. (Whew.) Instead, she's playing for bigger emotional stakes – this is an album full of one-on-one adult love songs. That's a daring swerve from a songwriter who's scored so many brilliant hits about pursuing the next romantic high. Taylor might love the players, but nowhere near as much as she loves the game.
We all know better than to treat Swift's songs as straight autobiography, but a year into her relationship with actor Joe Alwyn, she sure isn't cranking out the break-up songs. Gems like "Dancing With Our Hands Tied" and "New Year's Day" are long-term love stories that don't end with a scarf hidden in a drawer. As she sings in "Call It What You Want," "Nobody's heard from me for months/I'm doing better than I ever was." The songs are full of everyday details – spilling wine in the bathtub, building blanket forts. But they also explore a timely question: What happens to your identity when you step back and stop defining yourself by how strangers see you?
There's a surprising amount of sex ("scratches down your back" is a Tay lyrical first) and her first recorded profanity, when she sneers about her exes in the superbly dishy "I Did Something Bad": "If a man talks shit, then I owe him nothing." "Dress" rides on the hook, "I only bought this dress so you could take it off." But even when Ms. White Horse works blue, she can't resist droll self-mockery. Even the title is a sly in-joke, since Taylor has always loved singing odes to her dresses – it's like Bruce Springsteen calling a song "Car." "End Game" is her deeply weird, wildly funny R&B collabo with Future and Ed Sheeran – now there's a threesome nobody saw coming. While both suitors pledge their devotion, Tay plays coy ("You've been calling my bluff on all my usual tricks/So here's the truth from my red lips") and confesses, "I bury hatchets but I keep maps of where I put 'em."
Reputation builds on the synth-pop of 1989 – ingenious hooks blown out for maximum sonic bombast, with production split between the team of Max Martin and Shellback ("2 Swedes and a Swift") and Jack Antonoff. The delirious "Getaway Car" chronicles a love triangle that starts out somewhere fancy ("the ties were black, the lies were white") only to burn out in a sleazy motel with the realisation, "Nothing good starts in a getaway car." And in case you were worried she might retire Petty Tay, "This Is Why We Can't Have Nice Things" is a kiss-off to a posh friend she used to party with ("feeling so Gatsby for that whole year"), like a mega-budget "Better Than Revenge."
The word "reputation" comes up in a few of the songs – not in reference to her public image, but the far more relatable dilemma of how you surrender your identity in counting the likes and faves you rack up every day. In a way, that's always been a theme of her songwriting, going back to the high-school milieu of her earliest records – she's always sung about girls struggling not to internalise the misogyny around them, from "Fifteen" to "New Romantics." As she found out, that struggle doesn't end when you grow up. (Which is why she spent her summer in a courtroom when she could have been on a beach.) For that deluxe touch of self-expression, Tay pivots to print with the long-awaited Reputation magazines. Both 72-page issues are full of her hand-written lyrics, photos, poetry ("May your heart remain breakable/but never by the same hand twice") and watercolour paintings, packaged in faux-tabloid headlines from "Catitude: Meredith Is Out Of Control!" to "Who Is Olivia's Real Father?"
Swift doesn't switch into ballad mode much on Reputation, which is a real shame – if you're a fan of her epic weepers like "All Too Well" or "Clean" or "Last Kiss," you might picture her acoustic guitar sitting alone in the corner, impatiently clearing its throat. But she saves up her ballad mojo for the killer finale "New Year's Day," which continues her streak of ending each album with a sinus-exploding mess of a tearjerker. It's the quietest moment on Reputation, yet the most powerful – she wakes up after a glam New Year's bash ("Glitter on the floor after the party/Girls carrying their shoes down in the lobby") and reflects on what she has left to call her own, which is the not-so-glam partner she'll be spending this not-so-glam day with. It's a tiny moment between two people, a moment the rest of the world will never notice. And all over Reputation, Swift makes those moments sound colossal, the way only she can.


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Welcome to District Eight of the
District Eight consists of the following counties:
|Ohio Section Manager
Scott Yonnaly, N8SY
Ohio Section Emergency
Stan Broadway, N8BHL
Assistant Section Manager
Lyn Alfman, N8IMW
District Emergency
Jeff Slattery, N8SUZ
|Assistant Section
Emergency Coordinator:
Gary Stephenson, WW8O
As of January, 2015, Perry County has officially been moved back into District 8. The Perry EC position is currently vacant along with Athens, Vinton and Meigs.
Connie Hamilton, N8IO from Marietta, Washington County, District 8 is the 13th Severson Award winner.
Click here for an article and details of the award.
Area training opportunities
FSD-212 Monthly EC/DEC Report


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William Haynes
William Haynes, who holds an M.D. degree, serves as a Professor of medicine and Director of Clinical Pharmacology at the University of Iowa. Dr. Haynes has expertise in cardiovascular risk factors including hypertension, hyperlipidemia, obesity, and atherosclerosis. He has been an Investigator in multiple clinical trials of novel therapies for these conditions, including drugs targeting the renin-angiotensin system, endothelin, oxidant stress, and obesity/metabolic syndrome. Dr. Haynes' mechanistic research is funded by the NIH and focuses on the roles of insulin, incretin hormones (including GLP-1), leptin, the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system, and oxidant stress. He has published over 150 papers and has been recognized by multiple international awards.
Biography Updated on 16 August 2012


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Shakespeare Santa Cruz will open its 32nd season with the popular and thought-provoking comedy, The Taming of the Shrew. Edward Morgan will make his SSC directing debut with this production.
Morgan previously worked at Utah Shakespeare Festival, The Shakespeare Theatre, The Kennedy Center, and Milwaukee Rep, and is also a casting partner with Cirque du Solei.
Playing in repertory in the Festival Glen will be the final play in SSC's making-of-a-king trilogy, Henry V, directed by Paul Mullins.
Mullins is an associate artist at The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey, and has also directed for The Old Globe, The Dorset Theatre Festival, The Studio Theatre in Washington, D.C., and American Stage.
The summer season will also feature the annual Fringe show, which has been a favorite of SSC audiences. Each year, SSC's multi-talented acting and production interns get a chance to show their stuff, in the words of artistic director Marco Barricelli: "unencumbered by those pesky professional actors."
The 2013 Fringe show will be Tom Jones, adapted by Jon Jory from the classic Henry Fielding novel. A bawdy and rollicking comedy, the play will be directed by SSC alumna and UCSC Theater Arts faculty member, Patty Gallagher. It plays in the Glen for two performances only, August 20 and 27.
For the first time in SSC history, all shows will take place outdoors among the redwoods in the Sinsheimer-Stanley Festival Glen.
For complete schedule and ticket information see shakespearesantacruz.org.


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The 2011 Suzuki Burgman 650 Executive takes on three other big-bore scoots in MotoUSA's first ever Mega-Scooter Shootout. Check out the full story in our 2011 MotoUSA Maxi Scooter Shootout.
- 2011 Suzuki Burgman 650 Executive
- "This is a scooter for motorcycle riders. No question, they (Yamaha) designed the T-Max to be a machine that could compete with similarly-sized motorcycles!" - Justin Dawes
- With its cloud-like ride and strong engine performance, the Burgman proved a favorite for one of our testers.
- The Suzuki Electronic Continuously Variable Transmission allowed us to manually change gears through a toggle switch on the handlebar.
- "If I had to cross the continent on a scooter this would be the one. The wind protection and creature comforts are insane and that's why this is my top pick." - Justin Dawes
- 2011 MotoUSA Mega Scooter Shootout
- 2011 Suzuki Burgman 650 Executive
- 2011 Suzuki Burgman 650 Executive
- Despite its size the Burgman had some of the best acceleration and braking of the group.
- "The Suzuki Burgman may have been my least favorite scooter of the day. It was much larger than the rest of the scooters and it felt much heavier." - Jen Ross
- The Burgman recorded the lowest fuel economy of the bunch at 37.4 mpg.
11 Photos


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Listed in: Business


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News of the Day From Across the Globe
Updated 10:54 pm, Sunday, December 30, 2012
1 Peace talks: Turkey is holding talks with the Kurdish rebels' jailed leader to press the autonomy-seeking guerrilla group to relinquish arms and end its decades-long conflict, a senior official was quoted as saying on Sunday. Rebel leader Abdullah Ocalan is serving a life term on a prison island off Istanbul. Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan's chief adviser, Yalcin Akdogan, said in an interview with Taraf newspaper that the discussions were aimed at convincing the Kurdistan Workers' Party to lay down its arms for good. He said Turkey was not seeking any kind of a temporary truce.
2 Emergency landing: A small American commercial plane left Iran on Sunday after it was repaired following an emergency landing at an airport in the city of Ahvaz earlier this month, state TV reported. The plane was forced to land 16 days ago due to a technical failure, said Mahmoud Rasoulinejad, head of the state-owned Iran Airports Company. Rasoulinejad said three passengers left Iran for Arab countries in the Gulf, but the plane remained under repair in the airport.
3 Bounties offered: Al Qaeda's branch in Yemen has offered three kilograms of gold to anyone who kills the U.S. ambassador in Sanaa. An audio produced by the group's media arm, the al-Malahem Foundation, and posted on militant websites Saturday said it offered the gold, worth $160,000, for killing the ambassador, Gerald Feierstein. The group said it will pay the equivalent of $23,000 to anyone who kills an American soldier inside Yemen. The U.S. Embassy did not respond to a request for comment.
4 Thatcher surgery: Former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher has left a hospital after an operation to remove a bladder growth. The 87-year-old was admitted last week to have the procedure. Thatcher has been in fragile health since she suffered a series of small strokes more than a decade ago.
- Westfield San Francisco Centre on Black Fridaysfgate
- Gap San Francisco Union Square open on Thanksgiving Day 2017sfgate
- Durant after OKC lossSFGate
- San Francisco's most dangerous intersectionssfgate
- The Westin St. Francis Hotel's famous sugar castlessfgate
- Bear with 2 cubs spotted in Placer Countysfgate
- The Regulars: Mr. Rob Basssfgate
- Crows flocking around Vallejosfgate
- Windows of History: Video animation at SF housesfgate
- Salt & Straw features Thanksgiving ice cream flavors in San Franciscosfgate
5 Plane crash: Investigators on Sunday examined flight recorders and other evidence to try to determine the cause of an airliner crash in Moscow that killed five people, an official said. The Tu-204 belonging to Russian airline Red Wings was carrying eight crew members when it careered off the runway Saturday while landing at Vnukovo Airport. It broke into pieces and caught fire. Four people were pronounced dead soon after the crash and the airline said a fifth died Sunday.
6 Iraq violence: Gunshots wounded at least two people Sunday at demonstrations near the western city of Ramadi when bodyguards and security forces protecting a senior Sunni politician opened fire to disperse protesters, a local official said, marking the first casualties in more than a week of rallies. Some of the demonstrators were demanding that the politician, Deputy Prime Minister Saleh al-Mutlaq, quit the Shiite-dominated government. Sunnis angry over their perceived second-class treatment by the government have been protesting for more than a week in Anbar province.
7 Elephants killed: A passenger train struck and killed five elephants Sunday in a herd crossing railroad tracks in eastern India. A railroad spokesman said the train hit the animals in the Rambha forest area, 110 miles south of Bhubaneshwar, the capital of Orissa state. Dozens of elephants have died in India in recent years after being struck while crossing tracks that often run through national parks and forests.


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The outlook from richard and Lynn Farrar's house is of undulating, sun-toasted pastures framed by snow-tipped mountain ranges. It's a picture-book setting. But when the retired farmers bought their 1-hectare Wakatipu Basin property-10 km from Queenstown, in New Zealand's south island-in 1999, no one told them what their neighbor was planning for those views. If his subdivision, already approved by the district council, is given the green light by the Environment Court, the stillness will be disrupted by bulldozers, the open vistas dissected by roads and fences, and the sheep replaced by 13 new houses. The Farrars are dismayed-and puzzled. After all, says Richard, subdividing this rural land "would destroy the reason why people choose to live here."
The problem for the Farrars-and many of their rural neighbors-is that more and more people are moving into this spectacularly beautiful area. The district's growth rate (4.7% last year) has eclipsed the New Zealand average for the past decade, and unleashed a rural building boom. Some locals applaud development: Mayor Warren Cooper says it has made the Queenstown Lakes District "a much more interesting and, indeed, enchanting place." But landowners who don't want their rural idylls swallowed up by suburbia are rebelling. Lawyers are busy people in Queenstown these days: there are 36 appeals currently challenging new rural building projects.
Sheep still outnumber Kiwis by 20 to 1 in a country with a population density of 14 people per sq. km-half that of the U.S. Those vast expanses of clean, green countryside are drawing not only tourists but big-city escapees. As a result, scenic spots like Tauranga, near Rotorua, and the Bay of Plenty are facing heavy developmental pressure, says Environment Ministry policy analyst Lesley Woudberg.
But it's Queenstown that has catapulted the issue into the spotlight, thanks in part to a nasty exchange of words between mayor Cooper and resident actor Sam Neill, a leading spokesman for the development critics. Cooper called the Jurassic Park star a "chardonnay socialist" and an "environmental dilettante"; Neill said the former National minister represented a "handful of ruthless and greedy developers who want to carve up Queenstown for a fast buck."
The storm has its roots in the 1991
Resource Management Act, which allows New Zealanders to use their land in any way they wish, provided there are no adverse environmental effects, and requires the nation's 69 district and city councils to prepare a plan setting out what's acceptable-and unacceptable-in their local area.
Nine years later, Queenstown's district plan is still caught up in appeals before the Environment Court. But in the three years since the plan was modified, Cooper's council has been inundated with applications from landowners seeking to take advantage of its more liberal regulations. If all the proposed subdivisions go ahead, the number of houses in the Wakatipu Basin could soon triple.
While the critics deplore the suburban character of village-style projects like the 160-residence Quail Rise, developer David Broomfield insists he's green, not greedy. "We've imposed strict color schemes and height restrictions," he says. But Wellington architect Ian Athfield, who designed actor Neill's Lakes District home, says such limits "are stupid. They aren't going to help at all if the house has been built in the middle of the landscape."�
Despite the pace of development, Queenstowners complain that they rarely get to hear about construction proposals. "We usually find out about them when the builders start laying the foundations," says planning lawyer Jay Cassells. That's because the locals haven't done their homework, says Cooper. The mayor says he's never been an advocate of uncontrolled development. But with the downturn in agricultural exports, "people can't be expected to farm themselves into penury to provide green pastures for passing tourists and these nimbycome-latelies." Cattle farmer King Allen agrees that rural subdivisions are "inevitable." But he's still taking the council to the High Court for failing to tell him they'd approved the construction of a 400-house village next to his 60-hectare cattle farm.
Like other locals, Allen says he's not against development; he just wants intelligent development. According to Neill, whose home overlooks the Dalefield valley, that doesn't include farmer Mel Fordyce's plans to have the valley rezoned for high- density housing. Fordyce calls his opponents "hypocrites," saying they took advantage of earlier subdivisions to build their homes. The case won't be decided until the Environment Court brings down its landmark judgment on how the area around Queenstown should be treated. In its interim rulings, the court has sought to rein in development on mountain slopes and hillsides, but not on valley floors. Planning lawyer Warwick Goldsmith says that's "logical and sensible," because valleys can't be seen from public roads. Wakatipu Basin residents disagree. "There shouldn't be any sacrificial landscapes," says film producer Jeff Williams.
Most New Zealanders don't yet understand the importance of the landscape, "because there's no national body advocating its protection," says the Environment Ministry's Woudberg. She hopes Queenstown's development debate will force Kiwis to look at the long-term implications of unchecked development. The government is also taking a stand: its Resources Management Act Amendment Bill, due to be passed this year, is expected to bolster local communities' say in residential developments.
Conservation-minded Queenstowners are taking matters into their own hands. They plan to contest the October council elections, and have a good chance of success: the popular Cooper is not standing. If they win, residents can expect to see development focus on the district's towns, not the countryside. That would please Richard Farrar, who would like to see the Wakatipu Basin designated a national treasure. If the nation's most popular tourist destination can't resolve the development dilemma, say the conservationists, there's little hope for New Zealand's other scenic spots.


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CUNA, Florida CU League Blast Florida Trend Article on 'Half-Truths' on State's Credit Union Business Lending Activity
By MICHELLE A. SAMAAD CU Times Staff Reporter WASHINGTON and TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -- The so-called "battle" for business lending between banks and credit unions is once again making headlines. This time, an article titled "The Battle for Your Money" in the September issue of Florida Trend magazine has prompted several in the credit union industry to criticize the story for what they claim are "half-truths" and unnecessary propaganda. The article's main focus is on credit unions increasing their business lending presence in Florida by 264% over the past two years--"almost 10 times the 29.9% increase in commercial lending by banks over the same period." On the flip side, the article acknowledges that credit unions accounted for less than 1% of business loans in Florida in 2005, a total of $369.3 million, citing data from CUNA. As for deposits, credit unions are nowhere near catching up to banks in Florida. The article said while credit union deposits have doubled from $16 billion in 1998 to some $32 billion in 2005, according to CUNA, it's "still only about an 8.5% share of the market, however. Bank deposits in Florida, meanwhile, rose by 76.5% to some $343 billion during the same period." The article interviews several credit unions including $2 billion Eastern Financial Florida Credit Union on the launching of CU Business Capital, a business services and lending CUSO. "Eastern Financial is big, with assets of about $2 billion and deposits of $1.75 billion. Having grown to a membership of some 214,000, it's operating a long way outside its original mandate, serving employees of Eastern Airlines, which has been defunct since 1991," the article reads. "And it will continue to aggressively market to those who still believe incorrectly that they must work for a company or be related to someone who is affiliated with a credit union, says Lanier," referring to Gary Lanier, the credit union's senior vice president of sales and member services. Billion-dollar credit unions remain the source of contention for the banking industry, Alex Sanchez, CEO of the Florida Bankers Association, told the publication. "These are tax-exempt banks masquerading as credit unions," Sanchez said. He adds that he isn't against all credit unions, just the "billion-dollar, tax-exempt" ones. Guy Hood, president/CEO of the Florida Credit Union League, took issue with the Florida Trend article saying, "For decades, bankers have spread half-truths and doctored statistics to prove their point that credit unions should be treated as banks," in a letter to the editor of the publication. "By suggesting that credit unions are actually banks, as the bankers propagandize, it becomes easier to eliminate credit unions, the last viable choice consumers have in the financial sector," Hood wrote. Hood went on to question what bankers are really threatened by before simply saying, "The bottom line is this: Banks want credit unions to go away." "Bankers complain that credit unions are growing too fast, becoming too big and stepping into areas previously reserved, they believe, to them," Hood wrote. "Banks in the '60s suggested that it was too easy to form credit unions, that there were too many credit unions. Now, after regulations have been changed making it less feasible to form small credit unions, banks complain that credit unions are too big. One wonders when did credit unions actually pass a point that caused this reversal in the banks' rhetoric?" CUNA President/CEO Dan Mica was equally taken aback by the article and penned a letter to the editor as well. Mica spoke of his tenure as U.S. Congressman representing southeast Florida and hearing from constituents who had either just started or had ambitions to start their own small business and had a need for "affordable capital." "With that in mind, I was especially struck by how your magazine approached the topic of credit unions making business loans to their members," Mica wrote. "Incredibly, what seems to matter most, from your perspective, is what credit union business lending will mean for banks and their market share." Mica corrects the article on a segment that mentions credit unions are just now offering business loans. "This is not a field they have only now 'moved into' as your article incorrectly suggests," Mica said. "Second, your frequent use of the term 'commercial lending' calls to mind loans for skyscrapers, strip shopping centers and the like." In fact, he points out, the average size of a credit union member business loan is about $190,000--"often to the budding entrepreneur or small-business borrower in need of, say, more delivery vans or some new landscaping equipment. In many cases, these are people who turn to the credit union after being turned away by banks uninterested in making business loans of that size." In Florida, credit unions' market share is 0.8%, he added. "Bankers have absolutely no reason to be angry about loss of market share in a sector they overwhelmingly dominate," Mica said. "What ought to be of paramount concern--to policymakers if not to the bankers and their lobbyists--is ensuring small-business borrowers have more choices rather than fewer options in the marketplace." The Florida Trend article also mentions $5 billion Suncoast Schools Federal Credit Union's expansion into 14 counties and more than 1,000 select employee groups. The $517 million Achieva Credit Union, formerly known as Pinellas County Teachers Credit Union has also expanded, the article reads, to two counties with "only" 30% of its field of membership working in the educational field. Still, "There's still some education there," Christina Gonzales, Achieva communications specialist, told the publication. "I think that is going to be an ongoing challenge for us." The article provides its account of when credit unions were allowed to expand. "Credit unions began the break with their original mandate in the early 1980s. A recession led the National Credit Union Administration (NCUA), a federal regulatory agency, to allow credit unions to add members outside their original company or group," according to the article. The passage of the Credit Union Membership Access Act, established credit unions' right to expand their memberships, but imposed the 12.25% cap on business loans, setting "in motion twin trends of growth and consolidation," the article said. Since 1998, credit union membership in the state has grown from 3.7 million to almost 4.5 million members, a 22% increase that "outpaces" Florida's 15% population growth, according to the article. But over the past decade, the number of Florida credit unions has actually dropped 22%, according to statistics from CUNA, the article said. "Five or six credit unions a year go out of existence by merging," Mark Ivester, vice president of communications for the Florida Credit Union League told the publication. In his letter to the editor, Mica said credit unions continue to get a bad rap from the banking industry. "Credit unions, with their long track record of making safe, sound member-business loans to a segment too often neglected by banks, are fulfilling this important public policy role," Mica wrote. "For that they should be commended and encouraged--not made out to be some type of threat to an already dominant and exceedingly profitable banking industry." --email@example.com


text: This essay about Katharine Hepburn really makes you want a) to be her b)have known her and c) watch all her movies, immediately. The author, Sarah Standing, had the luxury of living with Hepburn for several months, in all her whiskey-drinking, trouser-wearing, wood-chopping, frigid-ocean-swimming glory. And while Kate's home truths — "You can't sail a leaky boat. You either keep rowing or you sink. Swim to safety before it's too late," — are sage indeed, it seems a little unfair to compare Hepburn's "real star" quality to what passes for celebrity today, as Standing does. After all, it's not like there was really anyone as awesome in her own day either. The upside? At least high-waisted trousers are readily available now - "because it's impossible to explore properly in a dress," as Hepburn herself said. [Telegraph]


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Top Performances and Players of the Week
from Week 3 – we have them. See who the Muscle Milk Offensive,
Defensive and Special Teams Ohio Players of the Week are and see who
else had Big Games. Check out Ohio's
most complete statewide recap…
Belmont High School, a member of the Dayton City League, has never been to the playoffs. And although it's too early to pencil the Bison in as breaking that barrier, they have made history already.
With its 33-14 win over Dayton Northridge on Thursday, Belmont improved to 3-0 for the first time since 1968. That's a span of 43 years.
"We are boldly going where no one has been before," Belmont head coach John Derr told the Dayton Daily News. "I've had good teams, but we've never started like this. We are in virgin territory, new water and we are going to see who can swim."
In 10 years as Belmont's coach, Derr's best record is 8-2. He's also had a 7-3 squad. Finishing below .500 is more the norm though (the Bison have won just 11 games total since 2004), and through no fault of Derr's. Belmont continually struggles with numbers. This year the Division II school has a roster includes just 23 players: Nine seniors, six juniors, two sophomores and six freshmen.
Things will get tougher this week for the Bison who open City League play against Dunbar.
Regardless of how the season finishes, though, Belmont's start is one of note.
"We had a commitment to the offseason," Derr said. "We have a little more serious thought and effort; we are more focused at practice."
It shows.
Maty Mauk, Kenton: Senior QB and Missouri recruit accounted for nine TDs in a 66-13 win over Van Wert. Mauk completed 29-of-38 passes for 481 yards and eight TDs. He also ran for 102 yards and another TD on 10 carries. Mauk's main target was WR Justin Sawmiller who had 13 catches for 217 yards and five TDs. As an offense, Kenton rolled up 731 yards.
Adam North, St. Ignatius: DB had three interceptions in the Wildcats 38-24 loss to Mentor. Feels weird to award a player on a defense that yielded 608 yards, but just think what might have happened had North not made three INTs.
Anthony Melchiori, Aurora: Senior K/WR put on a show in the Greenmen's 52-21 win over Revere. Melchiori (Kent State recruit) kicked a 22-yard FG goal and seven extra points, returned two kickoffs 85 and 87 yards for TDs, caught a 50-yard TD pass and had 256 all-purpose yards. No lie.
Mitch Trubisky, Mentor: Junior QB set a school record for passing yards in a game (469) and accounted for 553 yards of offense in the Cardinals 38-24 win over St. Ignatius. Trubisky completed 28-of-44 passes for 469 yards and three TDs and ran for 84 yards and two TDs as Mentor racked up a school record 608 yards of offense. He also threw four interceptions.
David Nay, Galion: Junior RB ran for 238 yards on 14 carries and tied a school record with five TDs in a 58-0 win over Keystone.
Nick Woodyard, Western Brown: Senior QB completed 31-of-40 passes for 411 yards and five TDs and also ran for another TD in a 36-6 win over Waverly.
Jimmy Gammill, New Albany: Senior K connected on two clutch FGs in the final 1:05 of the Eagles 27-24 win over visiting Columbus DeSales. Gammill hit a 41-yard FG with 1:05 left to tie the game and then hit a 45-yard FG with 7.4 seconds left to give New Albany the win. Gammill also hit three PATs.
Nick Merrick, Claymont: Senior QB completed 22-of-27 passes for 402 yards and a school-record six TDs in a 55-25 win over Carrollton. Merrick's favorite target was WR Tyler Peterson who had seven catches for 167 yards and three TDs.
Kyle Sess, Sycamore: Senior QB rushed for 300 yards and three TDs on 33 carries in a 33-20 win over Springfield.
De'Veon Smith, Howland: Junior RB carried the ball 33 times for 245 yards and two TDs in a 16-15 win over Warren Harding.
Ross Franklin, Johnstown-Monroe: Senior RB had 200 yards and four TDs on 12 carries in a 46-13 win over Hebron Lakewood.
Tyler Jones, Vandalia Butler: Senior RB had 289 yards and three TDs on 26 carries in a 56-35 win over Springboro.
Chase Longwell, Hilliard Darby: Junior QB accounted for five TDs in a 56-13 win over Newark. Longwell ran for 146 yards and three TDs and completed all four of his passes for 78 yards and two more scores.
Drew McArtor, Licking Valley: Junior RB carried the ball 19 times for 280 yards and four TDs in a 58-7 win over Columbus Ready.
Brionte Dunn, GlenOak: Senior RB and Ohio State recruit carried the ball 34 times for 236 yards and three TDs in a 27-20 win over Euclid.
Jalin Robinette, Bexley: Senior QB ran for 242 yards and two TDs on 19 carries and completed 10-of-15 passes for 108 yards and the game-winning TD (to Alec Robins with 11.9 seconds left) in a 26-21 victory over host Hamilton Township.
Joshua Perry, Olentangy: Senior LB/RB and Ohio recruit stood out in all phases of the game in a 41-13 loss to Big Walnut. Perry ran for a TD, had two sacks and returned a kickoff 99 yards for a TD.
Jacob Finfrock, Milton-Union: Senior RB carried the ball 33 times for 250 yards and two TDs in a 28-27 loss to Tippecanoe.
Donyelle Simpson, Heath: Junior RB had a career-high 244 yards and scored two TDs on 25 carries in a 46-13 win over Utica.
James Walsh and Marcus Davis, Dublin Coffman: Duo terrorized Massillon Perry in a 34-16 win. Walsh completed 23-of-32 passes for 282 yards and three TDs. Davis caught 11 passes for 203 yards and two TDs.
John Barton, Twinsburg: RB ran for 109 yards and three TDs and returned a kickoff 90 yards for another TD in a 35-27 win over Lancaster.
Blake Scipio, Hilliard Bradley: RB run for 150 yards and four TDs on just 10 carries in a 64-0 win over Westland.
Christian Hauber, Kirtland: Senior RB/LB accounted for four TDs in a 42-16 win over Orange. Hauber ran for 148 yards and three TDs on 26 carries and returned a punt 87 yards for another TD.
A.J. Motika, Olentangy Liberty: WR/DB caught eight passes for 102 yards and two TDs and returned an interception 18 yards for another TD in a 38-14 win over Delaware Hayes.
Luke Carothers, Pickerington North: Senior DL recovered two fumbles and had a TFL in a 33-0 win over Columbus Northland.
Cody Kondas, Westerville Central: Senior QB completed just 8-of-21 passes for 170 yards, but half his completions went for TDs (four) in a 28-13 win over Thomas Worthington.
Jamal Johnson, New Philadelphia: Sophomore RB had 212 yards and four TDs on 27 carries in a 49-10 win over Barberton.
St. Xavier snaps Colerain's 61-game Home Win Streak: Heading into its game with visiting St. Xavier, Colerain hadn't lost at home in 61 straight games. Now there's a new streak. St. Xavier became the first visiting team to win at "The Cage" since 1999 with a 17-14 decision. Senior K Nick Roemer drilled a 21-yard field goal with 3:57 remaining to give St. Xavier the lead. Colerain missed a 45-yard FG with 46 seconds left. (We will have complete coverage, including video of the game on JJ this week).
Elder suffers Worst Loss Ever at Home: Ouch. Elder dropped a 56-7 decision to visiting Louisville (KY) Trinity at the famed Pit. It was the Panthers worst home loss ever and their worst loss overall since 1960 (lost 51-0 to Roger Bacon).
Springfield Record-Setters: The Springfield Catholic Central senior tandem of Brian Kelly (QB) and Jake Aldridge (WR) went nuts in a 56-13 win over Springfield Northwestern. Kelly completed a school record 25 passes for a school record 408 yards and five TDs. Aldridge broke school records for receptions (14) and yards( 192).
16-Game Skids End: Ashland Mapleton and Jamestown Greeneview each snapped 16-game losing streaks. Mapleton, led by senior RB Jon Leibolt who had 228 yards and four TDs, beat Rittman 41-0. Greeneview beat Cincinnati Riverside East 49-16 thanks in part to freshman QB Chance Fry who ran for fours TDs, threw for another and blocked a punt.
Not Since 1937: Bedford and Cleveland Benedictine, which both play their home games at Bedford's Bearcat Stadium, met there for the first time since 1937 on Friday. Benedictine won the game 27-19 thanks in part to RB Bryan Lacey who had 173 yards and three TDs on 21 carries.
Holy Smoke: Sandusky beat host Ashland 49-35 in a game that featured over 1,000 yards of offense. Sandusky QB Lucas Poggali completed 22-of-31 passes for a school record 390 yards and two TDs and rushed for 149 yards and two more TDs on 13 carries as the Blue Streaks racked up 747 total yards. Senior WR Tristen Jefferies caught nine passes for 252 yards and a TD. On defense he intercepted two passes, returning one 26 yards for a score. Sandusky RB Marquis Winston chipped in 179 yards and a TD on 24 carries. Ashland senior QB Zach Bernhard passed for 437 yards and four TDs. Ashland WR Marquise Jones had 14 catches for 191 yards.
Franklin Heights Snaps Losing Streak: The Falcons snapped a 14-game losing streak with a 10-7 OT victory over visiting Central Crossing. Angel Juarez connected on a 36-yard FG in OT for the victory. The teams combined for just 224 yards. The win was FH's first since a 22-13 win over Olentangy Orange on Oct. 10, 2008. The Falcons did not play football in 2009 due to a levy failure.
Offf-ense: New Philadelphia racked up 529 yards of offense in a 49-10 win over Barberton…Dublin Scioto had 509 yards of offense, including 421 on the ground, in a 34-19 win over Worthington Kilbourne. Junior RB William Houston had 173 yards and three TDs on 26 carries…Centerburg had 514 yards in a 56-32 win over Mechanicsburg…Pemberville Eastwood had 463 yards and three TDs of over 50 yards in a 52-14 win over Oak Harbor.
Defff-ense: Grandview Heights held Whitehall-Yearling to 12 yards rushing on 26 carries in a 24-0 shutout win…Hilliard Darby held Newark to minus-six yards in the first half and minus-two yards rushing in the game (on 29 carries) in a 56-13 win…Reynoldsburg held Logan to 77 yards of total offense in a 30-6 win…West Liberty-Salem held Riverside to 32 total yards in a 52-0 win…Urbana got six TOs but lost 23-17 to Springfield Shawnee in OT.


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ManageEngine, the real-time IT management company, today announced the availability of a new highly automated solution for businesses needing to manage user access to IT systems and information.
Australian businesses and government agencies rely on technologies such as Microsoft Active Directory to determine which users and devices have permission to access IT systems and particular pieces of information.
ManageEngine has now released ADManager Plus 6, which allows any organisation to greatly improve their management of Active Directory permissions. Identity and Access Management (IAM) tools such as ADManager Plus also provide crucial reporting of user access information needed to meet recently introduced auditing standards such as SSAE16.
Alex D Paul, Director - ITSM Products at ManageEngine commented, "Keeping track of employee access to systems and data can be a very time consuming task using the standard Microsoft Windows tools. ADManager Plus lets businesses design templates to automatically provision the appropriate access to systems based on a person's job role."
"ADManager Plus can save an organisation an enormous amount of manual administration effort, while ensuring everyone has appropriate access. This is especially important now that so many job roles involve staff moving between offices, and using their own personal iPads and tablets to access corporate data."
Carrying out IAM manually using Microsoft Active Directory or via scripts, PowerShell cmdlets, is inadequate for situations involving BYOD devices and complex IT systems.
ADManager Plus is a simple, easy-to-use Windows Active Directory management and reporting solution that helps AD administrators and help desk technicians with their day-to-day activities. With a centralised and intuitive web-based UI, the software handles a variety of routine yet complex tasks.
Smart devices that let users access data anytime, from anywhere also pose several threats to data security. Mistakes in access provision can expose crucial information to the wrong users, jeopardising data security. Moreover, businesses must comply with regulatory regimes such as HIPAA, SOX and other IT regulations that mandate accountability in data access and management. " I've been using ADManager Plus for more than five years, managing Active Directory users and permissions," said Margaret Sandler, IT security specialist at CareTech Solutions. "I am conducting weekly as well as quarterly Active Directory audits for SSAE16, and the new automation addition to this product will be a great help in managing the users' accounts. It will eliminate some of the tasks that I perform manually and will automatically modify, move and alert when accounts are expired or need to be moved to different OUs. It will help me stay in control."
ADManager Plus 6 Highlights:
ADManager Plus streamlines IAM in Active Directory, offering IT administrators "user management templates" that can be used to create a library of preconfigured access controls. Those access controls can be assigned to users as their job position warrants, reducing the possibility of errors in access management.
While this standardises access management procedures, ADManager Plus 6 also automates crucial Active Directory operations with new features, such as: • Enhanced workflow engine: ADManager Plus now includes an enhanced workflow engine that allows organisations to define or implement their review-approve policies for all IAM operations in Active Directory. This allows organisations to route IAM requests to specific managers for approval. The engine also allows a multiple-level approval process.
• Automatic task assigner: The ADManager Plus workflow engine can automatically assign a task to a specific employee, ensuring mission-critical tasks are carried out only by qualified technicians.
• IAM ticket repository: All the IAM requests generated in ADManager Plus and their outcomes can be documented. This provides a full audit trail for all changes to system access.
• IAM automation in Active Directory: User provisioning, de-provisioning and other crucial tasks can now be automated in ADManager Plus. Workflows can be implemented for those automated processes. Provisioning templates let IT delegate IAM processes to non-technical personnel while maintaining the accountability needed for compliance.
• Automation rules and policies: Administrators can determine how an automated process should execute and trigger a cascade of processes automatically. For instance, businesses that hire contractors can automatically create user accounts when contracts begin, disable them when contracts terminate, and de-commission them after their retention period.
ADManager Plus also offers a set of prepackaged reports, including compliance-specific reports.
Pricing and Availability:
ADManager Plus 6 starts at USD $495 and is available for download at http://www.manageengine.com/products/ad-manager/download.html. A fully functional, 30-day trial version is also available for download. For more information on ADManager Plus visit www.manageengine.com/products/ad-manager/.
About ManageEngine:
ManageEngine delivers the real-time IT management tools that empower an IT team to meet an organization's need for real-time services and support. Worldwide, more than 65,000 established and emerging enterprises - including more than 60 percent of the Fortune 500 — rely on ManageEngine products to ensure the optimal performance of their critical IT infrastructure, including networks, servers, applications, desktops and more. ManageEngine is a division of Zoho Corp. with offices worldwide, including the United States, United Kingdom, India, Japan and China. For more information, please visit http://www.manageengine.com/; follow the company blog at http://blogs.manageengine.com/, on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/ManageEngine and on Twitter at @ManageEngine.
Hunting for Hackers - Why Preventive Measures are Only Part of the Cyber Solution, Duncan Alderson, Senior Manager, Cyber & Forensics, PwC Australia | IDG Security Day
Interview with David Sykes, Business Leader, Sophos | IDG Security Day
Showreel | IDG Security Day conference, 21st June
Tools of the Trade: A Live Hacking Demonstration - Ty Miller, Director, Threat Intelligence | IDG Security Day
Publisher's Panel - Using AI for next-generation Cyber Security | IDG Security Day


text:
In a cloak-and-dagger story of spies, saboteurs, and secret agents, Kinzer reveals the involvement of Eisenhower, Churchill, Kermit Roosevelt, and the CIA in Operation Ajax, which restored Mohammad Reza Shah to power. Reza imposed a tyranny that ultimately sparked the Islamic Revolution of 1979 which, in turn, inspired fundamentalists throughout the Muslim world, including the Taliban and terrorists who thrived under its protection.
"It is not far-fetched," Kinzer asserts, "to draw a line from Operation Ajax through the Shah's repressive regime and the Islamic Revolution to the fireballs that engulfed the World Trade Center in New York."
©2003 Stephen Kinzer; (P)2003 Tantor Media, Inc.
"Breezy storytelling and diligent research....This stands as a textbook lesson in how not to conduct foreign policy." (Publisher's Weekly)
"With a keen journalistic eye, and with a novelist's pen....a very gripping read." (The New York Times)
"Kinzer's brilliant reconstruction of the Iranian coup is made even more fascinating by the fact that it is true. It is as gripping as a thriller, and also tells much about why the United States is involved today in places like Afgahanistan and Iraq." (Gore Vidal)
"great book"
excellent listen, chapter 2 provides an excellent history of the shia faith. the first few chapters of the book provide an excellent history of Iran, and the author does a fantastic job of weaving the history of iran with the formation of the anglo-persian oil company, the rise and fall of mohammed mossadegh, and the islamic revolution of 1979.
"The beginning of the end"
THis was an absolutely great book on Iran/American history. After reading this book it is clear why IRAN dislikes us. It is not hard to understand why we bacame the target of extremeists by other middle east countries given our involvement in Iran int he 1950's. I never thought that just 50 years ago the American govt would lead a covert operation to overthrow a democracy and instal a represive monarchy. But that is exactly what happened. Now I am going to go read Charlie Wilson's War to find out how we armed these people we pissed off.
"Great insight into US/Iran relationship"
Great documentary, and a must hear/read for all those interested in understanding the US/Iran relationship. The US hostage crisis was always a puzzle for me until I read this book. It also gives an great insight into the history of Iran. Excellent narration.
This book was incredibly researched and detailed, yet engaging and accessable. While the book is sympathetic towards the plight of the Iranian people and the nationalist/Anit-colonial movement, the views of the multiple factions involved are reported fairly. If this book has a "hero," it is MohammAd Mossadegh. Yet, for all his passion and vision, he is portrayed as a real human being with flaws, not a near-mythical giant-slaying figure. A MUST for anyone concerned with current events.
"Wow, a great (and useful) read!"
Kinzer tells a fascinating story that grabs your attention while providing detailed information about a historical topic that is still very salient today.
After finishing this book, one can't help but be fascinated by the fact that the US and British role in squelching Iranian democracy and installing their own puppet ruler is not more widely known. This book was very enlightening in helping me understand an important part of Iranian history; and one which still has a significant impact on middle east policy today. I found the level of detail and quality of storytelling superb.
"Blew me away."
I had no idea. I thought I did, but I was wrong. Very well written. Well read. I will be listening again.
"A revelation"
"All the Shah's Men" shines a bright light on one of the darker epochs of world history. Here is a story of greed, botched colonial adventurism, a misguided coup, and a neo-colonial puppet show that arguably ushered in the age of terrorism that we're living in today. Well-researched and well-written, the book actually made me rather embarrassed by my ignorance of the region, period, and characters. I'm very glad to have had the opportunity to listen to this first-rate book.
"Paying for the short-term perspective"
Kinzer does a very good job describing the overthrow of the Shah in the 1950s. The actions that are described make one want to scream do the right thing for the long haul, not some immediate battle victory with long-term negative consequences. Doing the right thing does not have to be juxtaposed to a "reality" and a focus on consequences that are perceived on a short-term vision paradigm.
"Excellent work!"
Excellent work performed with complete integrity and thorough investigation of all the relevant facts surrounding the beloved Iranian nationalist M. Musadiq's rise and fall, much to the detriment of the United States foreign policy in the Middle East.
"All the Shah's Men"
A fascinating history of modern Iran and the background that led to today's problems. Well-written and very interesting.
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If you find yourself with an itch to travel, you might have more in common with early migrants than just wanderlust. Stanford University geneticists have identified a gene that could explain why early man left his farming communities to explore the world, why Americans are natural capitalists and perhaps even why you can't wait for your next trip abroad (and why some people have no interest in leaving home at all).
Risky and Novelty-seeking behavior
The logic is as follows. Scientists have found a gene that is attributed to risky and novelty-seeking behaviors. When looking at the genetic profiles of the earliest migrants, the ones that left the African savannahs and started man's journey to colonize the world, they found they had a high percentage of this shared gene. When looking at those who stayed behind, they had a much lower percentage of the gene. So over time, those who left, were naturally self-selecting themselves as born-travelers, and would produce children that shared this same genetic profile. Those children were more likely to carry it, and so on.
So are travelers just the great, great (x1000) grandchildren of early nomads? Is the reason some people are perfectly content to never see the world more about their DNA than their life experiences?
Risk-takers and Immigrant populations
In this Princeton book, the author goes a step further to suggest in highly immigrant populations, you have a higher concentration of the wanderlust gene. It makes you willing to take risks, but it also pushes you to try new things. This lends itself nicely to capitalistic societies, where risk and new ideas are rewarded and encouraged. While I'm sure there are many more factors to world economies than a single gene, it does make me wonder… are people from certain countries more likely to travel? Is it purely an economical equation or is there something inherent in our DNA that pushes out the door?
What do you think? Could there be a traveling gene?
Thanks to Expat Expression who first covered this topic
Photo: Spr Msh


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How To Make Hair Grow Faster
by: Lizdin Enterprise • 9
All Android applications categories
by: Lizdin Enterprise • 9
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