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Loving a verbally and emotionally abusive man was the most confusing and contorted place I have ever been. It feels very much like falling down Alice's rabbit hole: words don't mean what they are supposed to mean; what I tried to do 'right' or to make things better inevitably worked against me; I was told opposite things in one breath: you are beautiful, you are wonderful, I am so in love with you, I could never stand by and let someone hurt you was coupled to what's wrong with you, you're a waste of a good brain, you've never accomplished anything, you'd be nothing if not for me. Abuse is when the word 'love' is used for a thing that is torture. The analogy isn't my own. I read somewhere that to use the things a woman has shared about her past, her most intimate and vulnerable secrets, against her, is "the worst form of psychological torture there is" and something inside me clicked, broke into instant tears of heavy recognition, and long time stuffed feelings of reality. No one has a right to cast aspersions on your past. I have had abortions, I've been sexually assaulted, I've had partners before this man. None of those things are wrong. Every one of them was repeatedly used against me.
Emotional abuse is a wasteland, and living there will kill you. If you know what I mean, I hope you also know what I've come to know: nothing you do will ever work. All the rules are broken. There is no sense, no forgiving, no love, no respect, and absolutely nothing you can do about it.
I tried. I tried to be nicer, kinder, more attentive. That resulted in hurt. I tried to stand up for myself, to be assertive, to logically state what the truth was. This resulted in even more hurt. I tried to fight back. I tried to ignore. I tried to please.
Fact is, there is nothing I could ever do to make it better. It's the odd kind of game, where the only winning move is not to play. That seems obvious to people outside, like common sense. But when you live there, this realization is dark and low. It's a place of complete grief, powerlessness, and despair. It's a chilling experience. But it's also here, at the outer reaches of our endurance and heart strength, that we find the strength to act. We have to save ourselves.
Emotional abuse of women by men is a terribly 'ordinary' phenomena. It is so ordinary that even those living with it can confuse it with and excuse it as normal behavior. If you don't have the black eye, if he's never raped you, do you have any right to complain? Any need to save your own life?
(This is how terribly ordinary it is: I know that most people reading the above will find it discomforting and a little odd. And I know that any woman who has lived with it has heard that argument five thousand times. No, you do not have any right, says he. What the *** is wrong with you?).
Yes. Yes you have a right to complain. That is the right of anyone, in any relationship. Unless you have the right to express grievance, you are not equal, and not safe. Yes. You have been hurt. And yes, you need to save yourself.
Stop listening.
Not Love, Love
Denigration, belittlement, contempt, censorship and blaming are not valid expressions of love. Jealousy, accusations, and lack of trust are not expressions of concern.
Love should not hurt.
But this is where it gets even harder, even more confusing. As if having your experience and reality defined for you in the relationship weren't enough, you're also told what is and isn't real by the world outside. If he hurts you, he doesn't love you, they say.
There is a level on which this is true. Control, manipulation, harassment are not expressions of love, but of contempt and ultimately of hatred. The person who puts this on you DOES hate you in some ways.
But to say that's the end of the story over simplifies a very complex situation. Chances are, he does love you, too. Not very well. He's not very good at it, and certainly not fair. But the truth, the whole truth, is that there is real love, even in the rubble.
Even if he doesn't love you, chances are you're stuck there because you love him.
I will not be the one to disparage what you believe and feel by saying "that's not love". I will tell you there are better loves, bigger loves, loves of fairness and so much joy you'll topple over laughing. That you deserve that kind.
That you will never get it, staying where you are.
What's wrong with you?
Women – strong intelligent women, kind women, intuitive and competent women with strong self esteem and healthy boundaries – find themselves in abusive relationships. It doesn't happen because you are weak, made a mistake, should have known better.
It happens because you happened to be there, and he happens to be abusive. You do not bring out the worst in him. You didn't make him angry. You don't drive him crazy.
There is nothing wrong with you.
Those very intelligent, very strong woman can hesitate for years before taking action to save themselves. It can be even harder to act when there are no obvious bruises, when the weapons are psychological, the wounds personal. Women often willingly focus on 'being there', 'understanding', and 'helping' their abusive partner rather than saving themselves.
Look: many men find it difficult – even impossible – to take any responsibility at all for the emotional pain and distress they cause. This is cultural, and certainly not news. That many women feel responsible for the emotional well-being of everyone around them is not news, either.
But those cultural expressions become toxic and lethal in the homes of abuse. They're called 'normal'. People rely on and expect us to behave according to 'norms'. This is what makes abuse possible and so awfully familiar.
Underlying a man's lack of responsibility (for which I've never really heard a convincing excuse), is often sadism. Yes, he does hate you. He objectifies you, uses you, sexualizes you, and erases you as a human being. Many men positively relish the drama, the tension, the increase in adrenalin that abusing someone brings.
Once, my partner said he found it 'romantic'. Inside of me, quiet, without answering, something in me curled up and died.
Perhaps he expresses regret afterwards, or says he he sorry. Sometimes, we can feel their regret, even if it isn't stated. But unless they are 'sorry' enough to make substantive changes, this remorse is simply part of the cycle that marks any kind of addiction or dysfunction. This remorse is actually a part of the abuse.
I spent a very long time accepting his remorse. He didn't say it very often. He didn't take steps to change. But I could sense, in his words and his posture, that he felt regret. That seemed enough.
It was not enough. That he could not verbalize his responsibility, or make a commitment to change, is further abuse.
And here I was taking it as compassion, or deep feeling, or sadness.
His Needs
Look what happened: I was hurt, verbally attacked, called insulting names and belittled as a woman, a partner, and a person who should have the right to act on her own; but suddenly, in that remorse or compassion or sadness, I was caring for him.
Two fold punch: I am hurt, and then I am denied my needs because he has some, apparently more important. This denies the severity of what he's done. It denies my right to anger, or sympathy, or feelings at all.
Abusive men work to have all her attention, and to have his needs occupy the central place in the relationship. This isn't usually spoken, it's not a verbalized rule; it's simply enforced, over and over again. It's an exploitation of the 'norms'. What her separate needs (or thoughts, or opinions) might be are not encouraged. If they appear, they are seen as attacks on him and his rights. If they appear, they are ridiculed, discredited, and disparaged.
Mature love knows what another is feeling and cares about that feeling, even when you do not share it. Mutuality in relationships is in regarding the other as autonomous and complete, with a right to and natural capacity for thoughts, feelings, likes and dislikes, that have nothing to do with you. Indeed, 'real love', a friend told me, 'wants to know everything about you, not destroy what you already have'.
Women are vindictive, sex and aggression are basic needs, And everyone likes a little porn
Allow me to be ruthlessly personal, and then to touch on the state of the world. I have to: this is my life, and it is your life, the real person reading this right now, and it has something to do with the world we live in. This is important. Your life has been compromised (if you are a mother, a father, an abusive man, or an abused woman), and the bigger picture has everything to do with it. Abuse feels private, personal, intimate, and terribly secret and soulful. It is an attack on your soul. But it is also common. It is part of our culture. It is normal. It is based in our 'norms'.
Let me be personal: I left my abuser some time ago. Leaving was a long, very long process (even that was used against me: why do you keep coming back? It can't be that bad. You must be lying.). And much hurt and anger have been surfacing in me after the fact, after I've left. This is uncomfortable, disturbing at times, exhausting. (What's wrong with you? Can't you just let go? Forgive, forget).
But it also makes sense, and is healthy. It makes sense because the atmosphere of abuse is one of denial and distortions and secrets. As it was happening, it was denied, minimized, or explained away. That caused me to disbelieve it. It is only with the gift of hindsight, with some safety to think what I think and feel what I feel, that the whole truth is visible.
In crisis situations, we can numb. I didn't feel, because all of my emotional, psychic, and physical energy was concentrated on his needs and basic survival. After the fact, the numbing wears off and some of the real pain begins.
And in abusive situations, it is literally unsafe and unwise to speak up, to identify the feelings and the truth. Consciously and unconsciously, we are silenced. We don't find our selves again until we are safe.
And it is healthy: the real cost of this relationship runs deep. Grief is a process. Healing is a process. It will take honest time for the pain to run it's course.
I am not there, any longer. But recently, disturbing images and thoughts have come into my dreams and thoughts. In particular, two images. The first is pornographic, something I remember seeing years ago. A young girl sat naked on a couch, with her knees drawn up and her head tucked down. A man with his cock out of his jeans stood before her, rubbing his cock across her legs and her hair. Eventually, the girl 'opened up'; she squealed with pleasure, salivated on his erect dick, mounted him again and again. She said yes, and baby, and please.
The second is a memory. This happened before, long before I'd even met my abusive partner. I was on a date. It wasn't a first, and we'd already done lots of things together, and this night we'd already had dinner, seen a show, and were sitting in a bar with no real plans. He got a text from a friend, unaware that we were together. He was invited to a strip club. My date laughed, told me about it.
We ended up going to the club, together.
If I remember correctly, this was my idea.
I wanted to be independent, unaffected. I wanted to be a wise, worldly woman. I wanted to accept the fact that these men, who I knew, one of whom kissed me, took in girls as entertainment. I saw this as normal, a fact, just the way things are.
It was an uneventful night. We had a few drinks. We left. I sat and talked with one of the girls while her co-worker lapdanced one of the guys. I saw tits, and spangled underware, and a sticky bathroom floor. At one point, more guys joined us. One of them was aloof to me and didn't, when introduced, shake my hand. My date whispered: I guess he thinks you work here. Later, getting a beer from the bar, I had a stranger grab my ass. It didn't really bother me. I'd had strangers grab my ass in other places, non strip clubs, before. It's all terribly normal.
These two images or memories have returned, in gritty detail, in sound, in smell. Now, they make me swoon and feel very, very vulnerable.
We have been taught that women are vindictive, men are more sexual than women, that sex and aggression are instincts, and that there's nothing wrong with a little porn. arguments about this range from nature to nurture, science and history. I am not going to take up the arguments, now. I do not know, and can't know, what is 'natural' to a human mind and behavior and what has been taught. I do know, however, that we have had these 'normal' things taught, and taught, and taught to us. Even if there is some truth in every stereotype, even if we are sexual and aggressive beasts in the wild, it remains more true that these are things we teach little boys and girls. These are things that are enforced – subtly or blatantly – in our most intimate relationships. So that what happens is not 'pornography', not some girl named Dallas slithering on a pole, but a thing that happens when someone's mouth comes close to my clit. A mark that has been made on my own ass. A thing I have in common with every woman I pass on the street.
To call a woman vindictive is to negate her right to an opinion, and to obfuscate the fact that as a woman, she is physically vulnerable, financially handicapped, and in all sorts of socially real ways not given the tools of assertiveness and self determination that men are. Emotions and words are what are left to her. The use of them does not vindication make.
We may be, on the level of our homo sapiens, cave men selves, sexually aggressive. But we do not live as cave men. We do not live as cave men in any aspect of our lives: not at work, not in politics, not in art, nor food, nor technology, spirituality, or physical fitness. The only part of our lives this is considered 'normal' is in inter sexual relationships. It is not a 'truth', but an excuse.
When I think now about sexualization, and its extreme in prostitution and pornography, I am torn. I would like to believe in free speech. I would like to believe that people are free, in the privacy of their sex lives, to do what they want to do.
I do believe those things. And I can get a sexual thrill at the idea of a man's strength.
But to use those arguments as excuses for pornography, to say dancers 'choose' to dance, or that porn stars 'like it', is along the lines of the arguments made in verbal abuse. I have learned truth. In those movies, on those websites, there are thousands of pictures of women's bodies. The women are given names. Close ups pan into their faces. The men, on the other hand, don't get names. We rarely see their faces. There are thousands of girls, catalogued. The number of men ought to tell us what is happening. When I went to the strip club (and I've been in many. I've had girlfriends who danced, I have danced on bars for tips, I explored them for a while with a kind of anthropological wonder), I was struck by the physical truths of the place. Men sat in the dark, anonymous. They are fully clothed, use money, consume drinks and food. They recline. They are entertained. They are consumers. The women are not clothed. They are put on stages. Even when they make the rounds of the room, they walk alone, naked, circling the groups of men. They take money. The bathrooms in these places are telling: the men's room is prominent, clean, classy or overtly descriptive. It's inviting, accommodating, swank or at least convenient. To get to the girls room in these places, you often have to snake around through the back of the building, around utility closets, up and down stairs.
There are arguments about the stereotypes. arguments that say men are abused too. And what about gay porn? These are not truths, but slant.
Men are abused too, usually by male partners. It is an extension of the sexualized norms, not an aberration of it. It is another arm of power, control, victimization. When men are abused by a woman (the numbers are infitismal in comparison, but people use them as if to say see, it's not just poor girls, it's not a man woman thing, it's just sick people), it is also an extension of the power, control, and victimization roles.
These are the myths and realities of being a woman and a man. We call it normal. It produces a culture of 27 million people enslaved (more than the entire trans-Atlantic African trade). It produces hundreds of thousands of american children working in porn and prostitution. It creates a world in which one in three U.S. born girls are sexually assaulted (abused, once or a dozen times over) before she is 18 years old.
And this is what made it possible for me to be curled up on the floor, gasping for breath, afraid to speak, listening to a man tell me I had no reason to cry.
I believe in erotica. I believe in the sensual. I am excited by sensual words, pictures, images, sounds. I believe sex is beautiful.
But I no longer think prostitution, pornography, or calling your girl a dirty whore are 'sexy'.


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Can HR Tech Level the Playing Field?
HR leaders are increasingly focusing on inclusion, equity and fairness as new tools are taking the manual work out of analyzing and making recommendations to business leaders.
By Steve Boese
One of the highlights of last year's HR Technology Conference® and Exposition was our first-ever "Women in HR Technology" summit on the first day of the event. This session was developed to focus on and raise awareness of many of the issues facing women in technology roles generally, and in the HR technology industry more specifically.
Additionally, we also tried to showcase many of the individual success stories from the many HR and HR technology leaders who participated in the summit, with the idea that their stories of personal and organizational achievement and impact would help educate and inspire the audience. The program was received positively, with standing-room-only attendance, and I have since been acting on numerous recommendations to expand it at this fall's conference.
Tech firms' ability to attract, recruit, develop and fairly compensate women and other underrepresented groups is an issue that continues to be top of mind for many HR and business leaders. And when there exists a compelling business or workplace need or opportunity, HR technology solutions and services will be developed or be adapted to attempt to meet these needs. Increasingly, a number of HR technology solutions have been created or have been enhanced to deliver functionality and insights to help HR and business leaders attract more diverse candidates, reduce the impact of bias in talent management decision making, and monitor and audit compensation programs and practices for fairness and equity across the organization.
Let's examine a few of these new and emerging HR technology solutions that help HR and business leaders promote and support the increasingly common and important goals of workplace diversity, inclusion, fairness and equity. We'll also explore how these technologies can help make a difference for organizations working towards meeting these goals.
Talent Sourcing
One of the primary reasons cited by organizations for their inability to build more diverse teams -- particularly for technical or engineering functions -- is a lack of qualified candidates at the beginning of the recruiting process. Many organizations say they would love to hire more female engineers or more people from underrepresented groups for these roles, but they simply are not able to find interested and qualified candidates. While there is debate over whether there's truly a so-called "skills mismatch" for these roles that is driving this challenge, there are some HR technology solutions that have been developed to address this "top of the funnel" issue and help HR and business leaders find more diverse candidates.
Entelo, a past recipient of the "Awesome New Technology for HR" recognition at HR Tech, has a product called Entelo Diversity that allows organizations to find and identify candidates based on gender, race or ethnicity, and even veteran status. This information and these indicators are layered on top of the candidate's skills profile to help organizations see a complete picture of the candidate, which will support diversity recruiting efforts. The Entelo algorithm is designed to help identify candidates who may meet these criteria without relying on specific keywords such as "black," "female," "veteran," etc. Using data about a person's academic history, social affiliations and job titles, the algorithm determines his or her likely gender, ethnicity or race, and whether the person has military experience. Tools such as Entelo Diversity and other advanced candidate-sourcing tools can augment the networks of an organization's recruiters and hiring managers, which may be otherwise lacking members of many underrepresented groups.
Job Descriptions
Another challenge facing organizations that are making efforts to attract and hire more diverse candidates is in the way that online job advertisements and job descriptions themselves are written. Companies might be unintentionally attracting more males and repelling females for certain roles by the language used in job ads. A quick search on any major job board or corporate jobs page is likely to reveal weighted terms like "rock star" or "ninja" when describing the kinds of applicants that are desired. Terms such as these are very likely to dissuade female applicants, who often don't associate themselves with those particular attributes.
Textio, a technology provider of tools that can analyze the text of copy like job ads or job descriptions, has found that job ads containing phrases they classify as "fixed mindset," -- for example, using language that expresses fixed traits necessary for a role, such as "best and brightest," "top talent," or "high performer" -- attract relatively more male candidates, thus leading to more males being hired.
However, when job-ad copy uses phrases described as "growth mindset" -- with language that focuses on how the company helps employees grow (e.g. "loves to learn" and "seeks challenges"), then these roles attract and are filled more frequently by female candidates. While simply altering the copy of job ads is probably not going to fix a company's diversity challenges, it is important for HR leaders to know that their efforts may be hamstrung from the start by job, website or even email communication copy that repels the very kinds of candidates they are seeking.
Pay Equity
This column was written on April 4, recognized by some as "Equal Pay Day" -- a date that symbolizes how far into the year women must work to earn what men earned in the previous year. While a detailed review of the sources and reliability of that premise is outside the scope of this column, it is nonetheless important for HR leaders to understand what tools and resources are available to them to conduct their own review or organizational pay practices, as pay equity will continue to be an important issue moving forward.
Companies such as Salesforce have recently made news by undertaking comprehensive internal reviews of pay, job roles, gender and tenure in order to uncover disparate treatment in terms of compensation in their organizations, and many have made changes -- largely by increasing pay for women in many roles -- as a result of this analysis. It is likely that more companies and HR leaders will be asked to conduct similar analyses in 2017.
The job-search and company-reputation site Glassdoor just released a guide (and some open source code) that companies with more than 200 employees can use to examine their organizations for the presence of a gender-based wage gap. This model factors in variables such as tenure, job role and job category to help companies isolate gender as a potential factor or driver of wage gaps. While useful, this guide does require some level of advanced statistical capability and understanding on the part of HR data analysts.
And more organizations are leveraging the power of modern integrated HR technology platforms for payroll, core HR, talent management and reporting and analytics to facilitate this kind of advanced analysis. For example, Infor provides solutions for payroll processing, integrated compensation planning that can factor in external metrics, including revenue, special incentive funds, pay-for-performance models, along with reporting and data analyses tools. These tools, coupled with the way that data is shared across them, allow HR and business leaders to look into compensation fairness, pay equity and the impact that making compensation adjustments to align pay across genders, roles and categories will have on organizational compensation expenses. These advanced tools help HR leaders by taking the manual work out of analyzing compensation and making recommendations to business leaders.
Although not limited to only the HR technology market, it is true that if you have followed the technology investment and venture capital markets for any length of time then no doubt you have heard or read that women and members of underrepresented groups have a much harder time gaining access to early stage or venture capital. Only 9 percent of entrepreneurs are women, despite the fact that women are majority owners in 36 percent of small businesses overall, according to Kim Seals, managing director of Golden Seeds, a venture firm that invests in women-founded businesses, in venture capital-financed, high-growth technology startups.
For women and other underrepresented groups to make meaningful advances in participation and equitable compensation in the technology industry, the sources of capital that drive the growth and direction of new technology firms have to find ways to reduce their own biases and their history of disparate evaluation and limited support of women-led technology startups. When more women-led technology, startups get traction, funding and start to grow, the overall environment for women in technology will improve.
The history of HR technology suggests that, when organizations have unmet goals or new requirements for the attraction, management, compensation and engagement of their workforces, new technology solutions will be developed to attempt to meet those requirements. While the issues around diversity, inclusion, equity and fairness are not new, they have been under increasing attention in the media, inside HR organizations and, increasingly, inside the board rooms of most midsize and large organizations. HR technology solutions such as the ones mentioned above provide support and insight to HR and business leaders to ensure these important issues can be addressed in ways that are fair, understandable, repeatable and scalable.
While no single HR technology solution can make any organization's diversity or inclusion challenges go away immediately, they do provide powerful resources for progressive organizations in meeting these challenges head on.
Steve Boese is a co-chair of HRE's HR Technology Conference® and Exposition and a technology editor for LRP Publications. He also writes an HR blog and hosts the HR Happy Hour Show, a radio program and podcast. He can be emailed at firstname.lastname@example.com.

subset: commoncrawl


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This item requires a vet's prescription
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Frontline Spot On Combo Cat
Frontline Spot On Combo Cat is a spot-on, clear, amber solution for the treatment and prevention of flea and tick infestations and for the control of biting lice.
It is supplied in packets of 3 or 6 single use pipettes.
Each pipette contains Fipronil and (S)-methoprene. Frontline Combo prevents the multiplication of fleas by inhibiting the fleas eggs from developing.
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How to apply Frontline: Hold the pipette upright. Tap the narrow part of the pipette to ensure that the contents are within the main body of the pipette. Break the snap-off top along the scored line.
Part the fur between the shoulder blades until the skin is visible. Place the tip of the pipette on the skin and squeeze gently to empty the contents onto the skin at two spots: one at the base of the skull and one 2-3cm further back.
It is important to make sure the product is applied to an area where the cat cannot lick the product off.
Once applied, Frontline Spot On Combo Cat will last up to 4 weeks.
It is recommended to not bathe your cat within 2 days of applying Frontline.
Do not use on sick or convalescent animals.
Do not use in rabbits.
All information provided is just for guidance. Please always follow the dose prescribed by your Vet.
This is a prescription item and will be sent once a valid prescription is received.
To check the most up to date information about this product, please read its Summary of Product Characteristics (SPC) on the Veterinary Medical Directorate's (VMD) Product Information Database:
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We also offer delivery by Royal Mail 1st Class or via Next Working Day Courier for a small fee (for items in stock ordered before 12pm Monday to Thursday). Where available orders can be upgraded to Next Working Day pre-12pm or Saturday Delivery. Standard courier orders placed before 12pm on Fridays will be delivered the following Monday.
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Floods, landslides leave 36 dead, 20 missing in Indonesia
Jakarta, Sep 26 (IANS) Rescuers had discovered 36 bodies and were still looking for 22 others who are missing after floods and landslides hit Indonesia's West Java province earlier this week, an official from the local disaster agency said on Sunday.
In Garut district, rescuers found 33 bodies and are searching for all the missing persons, Haryadi Wargadibrata, head of provincial disaster agency, told Xinhua by phone from the province.
A total of 6,361 internally displaced persons remain at government office buildings and military stations, he said.
The catastrophe left 951 houses damaged and swept by currents of rivers, Sutopo Purwo Nugroho, spokesman of the national disaster management agency, told Xinhua via phone.
Search and rescue operation for the victims involved 1,600 personnel, comprising soldiers, police and those from local search and rescue office, disaster agency office, and the Red Cross.
In Sumedang district, three people were killed after landslides hit 2 houses, he added.


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I'd like to draw attention of all to an effort to access information pertaining to Subhas Chandra Bose'a fate. My friends have been trying to access information available with the PMO, MHA, MEA and even R&AW.
The results as of now are not good. In almost all the cases we have have got negative responses. It is strange that on one hand Govt says Netaji died in an air crash in 1945, and on the other they are not sitting on dozens of files.
As a result, we have reported the matter to the CIC, which has already started hearing on our case with the MHA and classified records on Bose.
The latest communication that we have had from the Govt is from the R&AW. We have reason to believe that they have given us wrong information.
Please visit https://www.missionnetaji.org/page/rti_home.html for details and reflect.
Anuj Dhar


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NEW YORK, May 6 (UPI) -- A 12-year-old New York City boy was killed Sunday afternoon when he got caught in a parking lot gate apparatus and was crushed, police said.
Yakim McDaniels was with friends when his clothing became entangled in the gate of the Brooklyn borough parking lot as it rose, taking him with it and crushing him at the top, The New York Times reported.
Authorities said the youth was cut free by emergency workers but was pronounced dead at an area hospital.
"I still don't believe it," said his stunned mother, Doris Chase, 33, who arrived moments after the accident.
"There was nothing I could do.
"He was a lovely person. He never, ever got into trouble."
A neighbor, Jamal Young, 28, told the Times the kids had been trying to send the 20-foot-high gate up and down, and somehow triggered its movement. A city fire department spokesman said the gate could be activated by a master key or by a sensor.


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JVC Everio camcorders record video files using hard disk media and stores the video in a .MOD file in an MPEG-2 formatted video. And JVC recorded video is great for navigating directly to the video you want to edit. At the same time, JVC offers software called Capty MPEG Edit EX for Everio for JVC Everio camcorders users, but it is not quality editing software and not worth the time to learn. So many Everio MOD Camcorders users would like to edit MOD files with iMovie, the problem is that iMovie can't access the camera directly to import the video and Quicktime Pro doesn't even understand the MPEG-2 format.
The best workflow solution is using Doremisoft JVC MOD Converter for mac to convert the .MOD MPEG-2 formatted video into standard Digital Video (DV) for iMovie, or convert mod to mov for Quicktime player.
Doremisoft JVC Everio MOD Converter For Mac is the good software to convert JVC Everio MOD Video to MOV, MPG, DV, etc formats and edit JVC Everio MOD on mac os x easily. JVC Everio MOD Converter Mac is also an JVC Everio MOD Editor For Mac that can edit JVC Everio MOD files: crop JVC Everio MOD files, clip JVC Everio MOD files and effect JVC Everio MOD clips.
With Doremsioft Mac JVC Everio MOD Converter , you are able to convert JVC Everio MOD files and edit JVC Everio MOD video easily, just with a few mouse clicks.
Create a folder on the desktop and download the entire SD-VIDEO folder the camera hard disk to your new work folder, and then open the JVC Everio MOD Converter Mac. Hit the "Add File" button to import JVC Everio MOD files.
Doremisoft JVC Everio MOD Converter for Mac acts as a Mac JVC Everio MOD editor to edit JVC Everio MOD video featurely; for example: Clip JVC Everio MODs----Click "Clip" button to open the video clipping w
indow and drag the slides to set the start and end time seperately.
Select an target output format in the Profile list as your needs. For example, if you need to import JVC MOD video into iMovie, please choose "iMovie > .mp4" or "Common video > dv"as the output format.
All settings is done, press the "Start" button to get the JVC Everio MOD Conversion started. The State will show you the conversion progress.
Browser compatibility : IE/Firefox/Chrome/Opera/Safari/Maxthon/Netscape
Copyright © 2009-2015 Doremisoft Software Co., Ltd. All Rights Reserved


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The LaRue County Democratic Woman's Club is sponsoring a series of six forums for Democratic candidates in March and April.
More than 300,000 Kentuckians are now enrolled in new healthcare coverage through kynect, and that number is expected to grow as we enter the final two weeks of open enrollment. Nearly half of all kynect enrollees are under the age of 35.
Eastern Kentucky veterans who were unable to take advantage of Honor Flight Bluegrass' trips out of the Louisville airport because of distance now have the chance to join the flights out of Blue Grass Airport in Lexington.
Honor Flight Bluegrass is seeking veterans for the first Honor Flight to depart from Lexington's Blue Grass Airport. The flight, or mission, is set for June 6, - the 70th anniversary of D-Day, the Allies' massive landing on the Normandy beaches that helped turn the tide of World War II.
Total county receipts for 2013 fell some $84,000 from the previous year, LaRue County Clerk Linda Carter told magistrates meeting at the courthouse in Hodgenville March 11.
The reduction, from $2,835,844.23 in 2012 to $2,751,856.07 in 2013 was due, in large part, to fewer delinquent taxes, according to Carter.
"More people paid their taxes on time last year, plus real estate didn't sell as well, resulting in less money brought in through deed taxes," she explained.
Mary Gaines Locke, attorney for the City of Hodgenville, said Monday she is considering filing a lawsuit against Kentucky State Police for return of city documents.
City of Hodgenville workers fought with a broken water main on East Main Street on Thursday afternoon. The stream of water shot about 30-feet in the air, nearly hitting the top of a large tree. The City issued a boil water advisory for residents on East Main, Brown's Court and Bardstown Road. It was lifted about 2 p.m. Friday.
Nate Thurman, a City of Hodgenville employee, directed traffic around a water main break on East Main Street.
The May 20 primary is only weeks away.
All four seats of LaRue Fiscal Court are up for grabs this year and three races will be settled in the May 20 primary.
Sixty people attended the GOP chili supper March 7.
Copyright © 2017
The LaRue County Herald is your source for local news, sports, events and information in LaRue County, KY, and the surrounding area.


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Cottage Grove native part of Washington County's Farm Family of 2012
Gary and Lori Swanson's farm in Afton embodies the "family farm."
Gary Swanson spent his childhood on the farm, which his family bought in 1942, and he has since raised his own family there.
"I never got far in life," Gary Swanson joked about staying on the same property all his life.
The Swanson family was named the 2012 Washington County Farm Family through the University of Minnesota Farm Family Recognition Program.
The Farm Family Recognition Program was started in 1980 by the University of Minnesota Extension, The College of Food, Agricultural and Natural Resource Sciences, The College of Veterinary Medicine, the Minnesota Agricultural Experiment Station and Farmfest as a way to honor farm families throughout Minnesota for their contributions to the agricultural industry and their local communities.
The families are selected by previous award winners.
"We were surprised to receive it," Gary Swanson said. "It's very gratifying to know that they thought that much of you."
In addition to Gary and Lori Swanson, the award also honored the whole Swanson family.
The Swansons' son Travis, who lives across the street from his parents with his wife Rachel and their daughter Isabelle, works full-time as an electrician and helps his parents with planting and harvesting in addition to farming some of his own acreage.
The Swansons' daughter Lindsey, who works as an occupational therapist, does not live on the property, but she held her wedding reception on the farm.
The Swansons' 1,300-acre farm was started by Gary's grandfather, initially as a dairy farm. The farm eventually grew to include hogs, soybeans and corn. The Swansons continue to grow soybeans and corn and house feeder cows.
Since Gary Swanson, who previously served on the Afton City Council, had grown up with the farming lifestyle, he said there wasn't ever a question of where his life was going to take him.
"I just like the lifestyle, I guess," he said. "Farming was just for me."
Lori Swanson grew up in Cottage Grove, so she wasn't completely unfamiliar with the farming lifestyle.
"I was kind of brought up in the farming community in a rural setting," she said. "I knew exactly what I was getting into marrying a farmer.
"I just love the rural life and the farm life is great."
A typical year for the Swansons starts in the spring when they begin planting their crops and applying herbicide and fertilizers.
In the summer, the Swansons are busy preparing for the harvest.
"During the summer we're usually praying for rain," Lori Swanson said.
Come fall, the Swansons are busy harvesting their crops. During the harvest, Gary Swanson uses a GPS field guiding system. A GPS yield monitoring and mapping system is also used for grid soil sampling for fertilizing and lime applications.
"It's just one of the newer technologies, I guess," he said. "I think it's made things a lot more efficient."
On average the farm produces about 180 bushels of corn per acre and 50-55 bushels of soybeans per acre.
The winter months are reserved for equipment maintenance and seed purchases.
Gary Swanson said he often works 15-hour days for about six weeks in the fall and spring.
The Swansons said they don't know if their children intend to continue farming the land once they no longer can, but for right now they're going to continue enjoying the farm life.
"We enjoy it, that's for sure," Lori Swanson said. "I love being out here."


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Fiora Build Guide by RzzK
This build has been archived and is for historical display only.
PLEASE NOTE: This build has been archived by the author. They are no longer supporting nor updating this build and it may have become outdated. As such, voting and commenting have been disabled and it no longer appears in regular search results.
Not Updated For Current Season
This guide has not yet been updated for the current season. Please keep this in mind while reading. You can see the most recently updated guides on the browse guides page.
Thank You!
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creating helpful guides for the League of Legends community.
Fiora Build
Ability Sequence
Not Updated For Current Season
The masteries shown here are not yet updated for the current season, the guide author needs to set up the new masteries. As such, they will be different than the masteries you see in-game.
-)---> Introduction
Before all, I would like it if you read at least the Chapters of the guide, before Voting.
There's a SIXTH ITEM, NOT SHOWN IN THE BUILDS UP THERE, wich I explain in one of the chapters down the guide.
Why Attack Speed ? Read -THIS- chapter, and you'll know!
And please, above all: If you DOWNVOTE, Tell me the reasons, so I can look into it!
Hello guys, This is RzzK again, the MS maniac.
This time I bring to you my newest addition. I've recently bought this EXTREMELY fun to play AD carry. The first match I tried, vs other people I got a pentakill, around minute 25 or so. Insta-skin buy, and rock'n'rolling.
I hope you enjoy, and don't forget to watch my other guides.
Have fun ;D
-)---> Builds & Where to play her
#1 First Build
-> Bot. Based mainly on AS / AD.
#2 Second Build
-> Solotop. AS / AD, too, with some Sustain.
#3 Third Build
-> Jungle. The most interesting to play. AS / AD with the jungle-needed items.
#1! Bot. Her Riposte is a GREAT weapon versus ranged carries, also, a good harrassing method. Let them shoot at you, use your Riposte and watch their health pop down. Also, ranged carries need to be .. Ranged. They need distance. Fiora is GREAT for that, acquiring fast close-ups to them. She can get the AS carries get with item, by just using her Burst of Speed.
80 % / 20 %
#2! Jungle. Fiora is one great jungle. With only Cloth Armor and those five pots, you can cycle the jungle tons of times, that'll be enough for you until level 6-7, unless you get hurt from ganks. The incredibly good AS she has, and the high AD at so low levels gives you enough speed, stolen life and sustain you need. The only, little, problem are her ganks. She might be good in there, but she's not so great when ganking due to her lack of CCs.
70 % / 30 %
#3! Solotop. Her great advantage one versus one is undoubted, but she's still kinda squishy, compared to Solotop champions, like Maplhite, Riven, Shen and the like. Only this, makes you regret taking her for this purpouse, while you could do a better role jungling or going bot.
55 % / 45 %
-)---> Cons & Pros
|Why to play her ?
- Fiora is the queen of AS. With only two AS items, she gets to the top, 2.5 AS.
- Her damage is HUGE.
- Movement Speed!
- Anti-Ranged carry.
- Very good sustain jungle.
- Not item reliant.
- Doesn't suffer mana problems.
|What to be careful with ?
- She might be quite squishy, laning.
- Often focused.
- No CCs.
-)---> Fiora - The Grand Duelist Overview
The Grand Duelist
|As the youngest child of the noble House Laurent, Fiora always considered herself destined for greatness. The Laurents had dominated the dueling culture of Demacia's aristocracy for centuries, and Fiora's father was regarded as one of the finest swordsmen the nation had ever seen. Inspired by his tales of glory, Fiora began training as soon as she could wield a blade and quickly showed greater talent than any of her siblings. As she grew older, her self-confidence and rigid discipline only widened the gulf of expertise between Fiora and her peers. Her fellow duelists perceived her confidence as arrogance, but none could defeat her in combat, and each victory only heightened her lofty self-esteem. Even so, Fiora never allowed herself to become complacent in her training, and she drove herself ever harder to become a worthy successor to her father's legacy.
Her devotion turned out to be misplaced. On the eve of an arranged duel, Fiora's father was caught slipping a slow paralysis poison into his opponent's drink. Following the incident, many of his past opponents came forward with their own accusations: envenomed weapons, bribery, blackmail, and more. In an instant, he had destroyed his family's honorable reputation. Fiora was outraged. Not only had her hero betrayed her ideals, but Demacia's dueling elite now doubted her own ability. She desperately wanted to wipe the stain from her family's history but, even more, she wanted the world to acknowledge her mastery. She found her solution in the one arena where she could fight the world's strongest warriors without being accused of dishonesty: the League of Legends.
''Fiora's ego would be insufferable if it wasn't so . . . justified.'' -Jarvan IV
|Duelist. Fiora regenerates health over 6 seconds each time she deals damage. Striking champions will cause this effect to stack up to 4 times.
|Lunge. Fiora dashes forward to strike her target, dealing 40/65/90/115/140 (+0.6) physical damage. Fiora can perform the dash a second time within 4 seconds at no mana cost.
| Riposte. Passive: Fiora's Attack Damage is increased by 15/20/25/30/35.
Active: Fiora parries the next basic attack within 1.5 seconds and reflects 60/110/160/210/260 (+1) magic damage back to the attacker. Works against champions, monsters, and large minions.
|Burst of Speed. Fiora gains 60/75/90/105/120% additional Attack Speed for 3 seconds. Each basic attack or Lunge she lands during this time increases her Movement Speed by 7/9/11/13/15% for 3 seconds, stacking up to 3 times.
|Blade Waltz. Fiora dashes around the battlefield striking random champions 5 times for 160/330/500 (+1.2) physical damage. Successive strikes against the same target deal 25% damage.
Champion & Art Spotlight
-)---> Runes
Greater Mark of Lethality
Greater Seal of Armor
Greater Glyph of Scaling Magic Resist
Greater Quintessence of Lethality
Greater Quintessence of Movement Speed
-)---> Masteries
- Summoner's Wrath improves Exhaust, wich is really good, allowing more damage.
- Brute Force gives you extra damage, also quite useful.
- Butcher offers more damage to creeps, incredibly useful for lasthitting.
- Alacrity & Weapon Expertise give you AS and AP.
- Deadliness , even more AD, hurray! Lethality improves those critical hits.
- Sunder , gives us more Armour Penetration, wich means even more damage.
- Executioner . The name says it itself. Perfect for killing low life people!
- Summoner's Insight moar flash, often.
- Expanded Mind Mana is always well received!
- Swiftness . Fast!
Top & Jungling
- Summoner's Wrath improves Exhaust, wich is really good, allowing more damage.
- Brute Force gives you extra damage, also quite useful.
- Alacrity & Weapon Expertise give you AS and AP.
- Deadliness , even more AD, hurray! Lethality improves those critical hits.
- Sunder , gives us more Armour Penetration, wich means even more damage.
- Executioner . The name says it itself. Perfect for killing low life people!
- Resistance , Magic Resistance, perfect against mages!
- Hardiness , of course, for both minions and AD based champions, makes you less squishy.
- Vigor . This stacks with your passive ( Duelist), allowing you to regenerate huge amounts of life.
-)---> Skills
Bot & Top!
Our point here is maxing Riposte first, for a maximum doze of Damage and Harrasing. Just go a little close to the ranged carries, make them autoattack you, and use your Riposte, to just watch their bullet go back to the owner, and deal one good bit of damage, without getting yourself hurt, at all.
After we take one of each skill, we max Riposte as soon as we can, then we'd go for Burst of Speed, wich provides that AMAZING AS and MS, for chasing, killing and creep-killing.
Thing here changes a little bit. We have to find some balance, between sustain and speed in jungle. So we first get Riposte, for the good AD it gives, and the parry. Once we kill Blue, we'd get Burst of Speed wich will give you a FASTER jungle time. We need to get Burst of Speed, so we can kill those creeps before they take too much of our life, and then we go as always, maxing Riposte, and leaving Lunge as the last skill.
-)---> Items
spaaceOrder & Explanation:
- Doran's Blade. Level 1 with 90 AD is VERY fun, plus it gives one good amount of Heatlh and LS.
- Berserker's Greaves. Fiona's perfect boots. These, plust Burst of Speed is a great result.
- The Black Cleaver. CORE ITEM. AS and AD, plus Armour Reduction. Fiona's PERFECT item. It's got EVERYTHING she'd need, smooth and nice. Get B. F. Sword first, then Dagger.
- Zeal. More MS and AS, wich helps you hit that The Black Cleaver even more.
- Vampiric Scepter we need some more sustain, until we finally get our The Bloodthrister.
- Infinity Edge. This, plus the Armor Reduction from The Black Cleaver results in an AMAZING damage output, specially with her already 2,2 AS by now.
- Phantom Dancer. Finish your Zeal into this.
- The Bloodthirster. Finish your Vampire Scepter.
Jungle & Top
spaaceOrder & Explanation:
- Cloth Armor. You need this when going Top, to fight the Tanky stuff you'll find there. Also, for jungle, wich will give you more sustain against those creeps. Cloth Armor + Heal Pots > Vampiric Scepter.
- Wriggle's Lantern your core jungle item, providing faster jungle, while adding a good amount of damage. You need this when going top, too. Since you want to farm faster, and better, without exposing yourself too much to ganks.
- The rest ... Is pretty much the same!
-)---> The SIXTH & Situational Items
The SIXTH Item
While it adds a good doze of damage, that's not the important bit. The passive is the GREAT one. 40 % + Armor Penetration .. + 10 % from Masteries + 6 points from Masteries + 14,94 from Marks + 10 from Quintessences = 31 Armour Penetration | + 50 %.
If what you need is more Sustain, get this, and just watch how your life gets one good burts. Perfect for chasing!
Get this, go in teamfight, kill as many as you can and let them try to kill you. If they do so, just wait for this item's Passive to act, come back to life and use your Blade Waltz to kill the ones remaining. One great combo, and if used correctly, can sometimes save the whole match.
A second Bloodthirster, for even more damage output. The Life Steal you'd have by now should be amazing, AMAZING.
Yes, people. This IS viable. Specially jungling. Ganks will provide you, besides gold, AD Bonus! This thing is filled up quite quickly, since you get assists everywhere, using your Blade Waltz. Cheap item, and the result can be tremenduous.
Thanks to rDorthosr to show me this IS viable.
P.D: If you're taking this, buy it RIGHT after Wriggle's Lantern, when jungling!
// Situational Items to come .. Still playing her, still trying to see what would be good //
-)---> Why AS ? / Why Phantom Dancer ?
The circumstances would be these, random more or less:
- A suppoused level of 14.
- Our Items would be Doran's Blade, Berserker's Greaves, The Black Cleaver.
- We've got enough money to either buy Phantom Dancer or Last Whisper.
- Our masteries are the ones above, build number 1.
- Our runes, too, are the ones above.
Greater Mark of Lethality
Greater Seal of Armor
Greater Glyph of Scaling Magic Resist
Greater Quintessence of Lethality
Greater Quintessence of Movement Speed
In BLUE will go Last Whisper's results. In PINK will go Phantom Dancer's ones.
Attack Speed:
55 + 25 + 30 + 4 = + 114 %
25 + 30 + 4 = + 59 %
Normal attack speed at level 14 (0,672 * (1 + (14 - 1 * 0,03))) * + 114 % = 1,999.
Normal attack speed at level 14 (0,672 * (1 + (14 - 1 * 0,03))) * + 59 % = 1,485.
Both ways, with Burst of Speed, reach the top of 2,5. But without said skill, you'll have half an attack more with Phantom. So let's see the damage.
Base attack damage (54,5 + (14-1 * 3,2)) + 10 + 10 + 55 + 35 = 206, 1
Base attack damage (54,5 + (14-1 * 3,2)) + 10 + 10 + 55 + 35 + 40 = 246, 1
Let's think we'll have around .. Five seconds of 1 vs 1.
With PD we'd have 11 attacks per 5 seconds ([3 Seconds of Burst of Speed at 2,5 Speed] + 2 Seconds at 2 Speed])
With LW we'd have 10 attack per 5 seconds ([3 seconds of Burst of Speed at 2,5 Speed] + 2 Seconds at 1,5)
With PD we'd have 30 % chance of Critical, wich means 3 attacks would be Criticals.
With LW, we'd have none.
PD's Attacks: 8 Normal attacks would deal 1680 damage (8 * 210 ~) + 3 Critical attacks that would deal 1260 damage (3 * (210 * 2)) = 2940 Damage, for 5 seconds. You could add to this, the extra damage provided by the armor reduction from our Runes and from The Black Cleaver.
LW Attacks: 10 Normal Attacks that would deal 2461. Add the armor reduction from The Black Cleaver, runes and Last Whisper. The damage won't be over the previous 3k + AR, mainly because with The Black Cleaver you'll be already redoucing the AD Carries armor to 0 (60-70 Armor they would have at level 14, plus 13 From the usual Armor runes ) 85 or so, Max. Black Cleaver reduces 45 Armor, Your runes redouce 14 + 9 + 6 + 10 % from Masteries. 82 Armor reduced. Wich means, they'd be receiving almost ALL the damage. Taking Last Whisper would means practically the same).
Add to that the MS it gives, and chasing / escaping options.
Also, add the AS for larger periods of time, wich means that you'll heal more, faster.
The only skill that really scales with AD, from Fiora is her Ultimate, and 40 more Damage don't mean too much, trust me.
-)---> Summoner Spells
Best Options
|Flash: Greatest of the great escape methods. Also, good to get in range for a Lunge or Blade Waltz.
|Exhaust: Use this to completly shut down AD carries. Once they have this on, they won't do **** to you, and you'll kill them fast, faster than Sayk with Teemo.
|Smite: This is a must, for jungling. I haven't tried jungling without this, yet. But yes, also very useful for Baron or Dragon, stealing buffs, etc.
Other Good Options
|Ignite is also a good choice, for mid only. Top Lane requires Exhaust, since you'll be facing people like Wukong, Tryndamere, Nasus, etc. With Ignite you can just finish off people when they flash away.
|Ghost, combined with Flash can be a very deffensive option, or a very offensive one. Chase after them, while dealing tons of damage due to your AS.
|I haven't tried this one out, though I guess it works, as on any ad Carry. Let them try to kill you, and use heal in the last moment.
|It is .. Still viable, in some cases. You can do some pretty good ganks, with some wards placed around. Though if you're using it for top, don't. You already have good speed movement to go B and come back fast.
Bad Options
|Eh .. Nah. You've already got the top AS you can get, using your skills and this builds. And AP is not for Fiora.
|If you need something like this .. And it's not gonna be very often, just buy Quicksilver Sash.
|Em .. No. This is for Soraka. spaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa spaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa
|Fiora has no mana problems, so this is a waste of spell in my opinion. You need to be offensive.
|What !? ...spaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa spaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa spaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa
|Take this one ONLY, and ONLY ... when you wanna troll :D spaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa
|Error 404, not found.spaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa spaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa
-)---> Jungling (Tips and Route)
#1! - You'll start at Blue, since you'll be using skills quite a lot, you need the mana regeneration. Ask your teammates to help you by hitting the thing a few times if they can, so you can get out of there faster, and less hurt. Wait for pull, hit the golem, and just when he's about to attack you, use Riposte, to reflect the attack. Keep doing this till they're dead.
#2! - Wolves. Now you'd have Burst of Speed, so .. Go on and attack the big wolf, use Riposte and immediately activate Burst of Speed. You'll notice the HUGE difference, you'll kill them at the blink of an eye.
#3! - Wraiths. These are just the same, attack the big one, Riposte, Burst of Speed and finisht them off. All of this, while, of course, taking one Health potion, from time to time.
#5! - Lizard. The method is just like at Blue. Attack the big one, and when he's about to hit you, Riposte, Burst of Speed and then Smite, to finish him off. Take Lunge, level 1. You'll need it for ganks.
#4! - Gank ? .. Only if you can. Mid bot, or at worse, top. If you cannot, go on with the golems, and if, whenever you're done, you can gank, do it! Go base and get yourself a Vampiric Scepter, and if you can some boots.
Lunge --> Burste of Speed --> Riposte --> Lunge --> (If you killed, or helped to kill somebody) Burst of Speed.
If you're already level 6, then after your second Lunge, use Blade Waltz, for maximum damage.


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REUTERS: More U.S. Kids Living In High-Poverty Areas: Study
Years of economic setbacks have taken their toll on the nation's youngest residents, with another 1.6 million children living in high-poverty neighborhoods, according to one study that shows nearly 8 million children residing in poor areas in 2010.
Learn more HERE
THE CENTER OF AMERICAN PROGRESS: Debunking Poverty Myths And Racial Stereotypes
Race baiting has been a focus of debates in various media outlets about programs aiding those whose income is at the pit of that debate. Below are some of the most startling facts that debunk some of the poverty myths and racial stereotypes that surround social benefit programs.
Learn more HERE
THE HUFFINGTON POST: How Does A Conservative Evangelical Become A Corporate Tool Supporting A System That Coerces Apple's Suppliers' Workers To Have Abortions? (OPINION)
My two prior columns commented on a piece that Forbes' publisher, Rich Karlgaard, wrote to defend Apple against complaints that its suppliers abuses of their workers had led to suicides. His column morphed into a screed about President Obama based on fictions that were the opposite of the facts.
Learn more HERE
FOX NEWS LATINO: Gingrich Joins With Arizona Faith Leaders To Court Latinos
Newt Gingrich is continuing his courtship of Arizona's Latino voters --this time with faith leaders. Just hours before the debate in Mesa Wednesday night, Gingrich's campaign announced that several prominent Latino religious leaders in the state were joining his Arizona Faith Leaders Coalition.
Learn more HERE
CARE 2: Why Are Young People Leaving Evangelical Christianity?
A new five-year study on the Millennial Generation (those born between 1982 and 1993) has just been released by the Barna Group, a Christian research firm. It shows that young Christians – particularly those interested in scientific and creative fields – are leaving their churches. This is particularly true of more conservative congregations.
Learn more HERE
Have Something to Say?
"Afternoon News Bytes: Feb. 24, 2012"


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Vidhyashankar Kannan
Vidhyashankar Kannan [Shankar]
Comments about Vidhyashankar Kannan
Pollen In The Wind
I know not where I go. know not where I'll be.
I trust the wind, my path she chose for me.
Millions of us, the potential of life
Pass through fields, torn with strife
All of us, in the wind we sway
Some of us die, others go astray
The chosen ones decide, where they fall
To beauty and grace, be trees so tall


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|Número de publicación
|Tipo de publicación
|Fecha de publicación
|13 Ago 1929
|Fecha de presentación
|27 Sep 1927
|Fecha de prioridad
|27 Sep 1927
|Número de publicación
|Raymond Nauth
|Cesionario original
|Raymond Nauth
|Exportar cita
|BiBTeX, EndNote, RefMan
|Citada por (7), Clasificaciones (12)
|Enlaces externos: USPTO, Cesión de USPTO, Espacenet
Aug. 13, 1929. NAUTH 1,724,508
ELECTRICAL APPARATUS FOR CAUTERIZI'NG 0R HEATINGBODY TISSUES Fil ed Sept. 27, 1927 fia y nzonaz Naufk v 20 In connection with this use of high freby an adjustable connection between the out- Patented Au 13, 1929.
RAYMOND trauma, or BUFFALO, nnw vonx. ELECTRICAL arrana'rns FOB canrnnrzme on HEATING BODY TISSUES.
Application filed September 27, 1927. Serial No. 2 2,253.
This invention relates to electrical appathe advantage of eliminating any danger of ratus for cauterizing or heating body tissues shocking the patient during the treatment, a and more particularly to novel circuit arserious danger which accompanies the use of rangements by which high frequency current the output current from theplate circuit. 60 5 is utilized as the cauterizing or heating Another feature to be considered in this agent. type of work is that the circuit should be An object of the invention is to provide a such as will permit the easy regulation of circuit arrangement for the generation of the output current over a wide range. This sustained or undamped high frequency curis necessary inview of the fact that the re- 65 1o rent which is extremely simple in design and slstances of the various body tissues to be operation and capable of maintaining a treated vary considerably and that the areas onst nt frequen to 'be treated vary, and furthermore, the A further object is to provide a circuit in resistance of the body tissues decreases with which the output current. and voltage may increased heat 'so as to'require regulation be independently regulated over a wide durlng the treatment. Ihave found that the range so as to provide the proper electrical necessary regulation may be satisfactorily conditions for each patient and by which obtained by the provision of a variable conthe patient may be treated without any denser shunted across the grid coil. A furdanger of shock; ther regulation may, however, be obtained 75 quency current, it is particularly desirable put current conductor and the grid circuit that the high frequency oscillations be unor by the provision of a condenser in the damped and that the frequency of the curoutput circuit. rent be constant. If such conditions are not Embodiments of my invention are illusmaintained, the, patient will be unpleasantly trated herein, in wh1ch:
aifected by the pulsating current induced by Figure is a schematic diagram of one such variations andwhile the effect is not a form of cn'cmtm which the output current serious one, it is obviously a decided adconductor s ad ustably connected to the grid vantage if it can be avoided. Furthermore circuit.- 85 by maintaining these conditions, other ad-- Figure 2 1S a schematic diagram in which,
vantages are. obtained in that a, more 3011- the output current conductor is connected .in stant and intense heating efi'ect will be proseries with the grid coil. duced, the efliciency ofxthe circuit greatly Flgllre 3 is a schematic diagram of a cirincreased and the operating voltage of the cult utilizing alternating current supply and 90 5 i it low r d, which may be connected to operate like any All of the above advantages may be realof the above circuits. ized b th u e f a, the mioni or vacuum The present circuit arrangement essentially tube or the generationfof the high frecomprises a three electrode vacuum tube 1 queney urrent, the circuit arrangement havmg 1ts plate and grid circuits inductively 0 b ing u h th t th l t d id i it coupled through their respective inductances are inductively coupled with the usual direct 2 n The pla e clrcult is connected from connection at ground. With such an ar the plate of the tube through the inductance rangement, I have that the output 2 and direct current source t to a common current may be taken from the grid circuit point or ground 5. The grid circuit is coninstead of the plate as is the usual practice n ed fr m the grid of the tube th g in vacuum tube circuits. This result may e sual fixed condenser 6 and grid leak be accomplished e'ther by directly conne tresistance 7 and -1nductance 3 tothe common ing the patient to a point along the grid cir- P0 g o The filament is con- 1; (i ff t; a h t, ti or i nected a heating current source 8, vari- F i series with the grid circuit or a part thereof. able resistance 9 and g n 5 in the usual As stated above, the practice heretofore fi fin vacuum tube circuits has been to obtain Th ou put rr nt may be obtained from the output current from the plate circuit. the above described arrangement by means By taking the output current from the grid of a conductor 10. which is adjustably concircuit, I have found that I can maintain a nected tothe grid coil as shown in Figure 1.
high efiiciency' and at the same time obtain The magnitude of current obtained by such connection may be regulated by the proviprovided with a switch veloped while for heating without burning sion of a condenser 11 shunted across the grid coil. This current .mayalso be regulated by the provision of a condenser 12 in series with the conductor 10. While both condensers may be used a satisfactory regulation can' generally be obtained by the use of one only, the arrangement depending on the particular requirements of the case at hand. This arrangement also permlts the voltage of the output circuit to be varied by suitably adjusting the point of contact of the conductor 10 with the grid coil 3. The conductor 10 is connected to an electrode 13 which may be either a cauterizing or heatlng instrument as desired and which is, of course, theinstrument applied to the body. While this arrangement will operate with conductor, a second conductor 14 employed connecting the ground 5 body of the patient.
The output current may alsobe obtalned by connecting the body tissues in series W1t h the gri coil as shown in Figure 2. In ,th1s
case the grid coil circuit is opened and the may be to the body tissues placed directly in series therei;
with. It is also possible to place the body in series with the grid condenser 11 which is used for regulation purposes in this circuit.
Where a comparatively low current isrequired I preferably use the series connectlon. If however, a high current is needed, I find that it is more easily obtained by the shunt connection above described. For this reason I preferably make use of the circuit arrangement shown in Figure 3. In this circuit a transformer 15 supplies heating current to the filament through variable resistance 9 and positive potential to the plate through the rectifier 16. This circuitis also 17 which when thrown one way connects theelectrode 13 to the adjustable output current conductor 10 along the grid coil, while when thrown the other way, the grid coil circuit is opened and the electrode connected to the open end of the coil to permit the body tobe connected in series with the coil. Thus this arrangement permits av quick change from one connection to another. A further feature is that by utilizing alternating current supply, the apparatus may be made portable and the circuit connected to a lamp socket.
The electrode 13 to be employed may be of any of the well known types. For instance, in cauterizing,-I employ a needle in which only a small area at the point is exposed and hence an intense burning effect de- I may utilize the same type of needle but aving a larger area quently a less intense heat. For of claiming I desire to use the ter ing effect to cover both cases above stated.
circuit employed and the of should be placed in only one 10,
The operation of the device is as follows: The circuits are properly energized so as to cause the tube to oscillate in the well known manner, the design of the tube and associated circuits being such as tocause the same to generate undamped oscillations. The frequency of these oscillations may be of any value above the range in which the nervous system of the body is affected. The output current is then regulated by adjusting the condenser 11 or the condenser 12 or the point of contact of the conductor 10 with the grid coil, the adjustment used depending on the circumstances of For observing the value current obtained, a milli-ammeter 18 series with the conductor the particular case.
Besides cauterizing or heating body tissues I have found that this arrangement may be used to'mark hard surfaces, cut glass and' other bodies. I have 'further found that it may be used to cut into the body tissues with such a comparatively small loss of blood as to be in eflect. a bloodless operalon. Having claim: I I
1. The combination'of a vacuum tube circuit for the generation of undamped high frequency current having coupled plate an grid circuits with means for deriving current from the grid circuit and transmitting the derived current to a body to produce a burning efi'ect thereon.
he combination of a vacuum tube circuit for the generation of undamped high frequency current having coupled plate and grid circuits with means for regulating the I current in the grid circuitand means for deriving current from transmitting it to a body to produce a burning efi'ect thereon.
3. The combination of a vacuumtube circuit for the generation fully described myinvention, I
of undamped high the grid circuitand c frequency current having coupled plate and K grid derived current;
4. The combination of a vacuum tube circuit for the generation of undamped high frequency current having inductively coupled plate and grid circuits an electrode connected to the grid circuit and adapted to receive current therefrom and to transmit the current to a body to produce a burning eiiect thereon.
. 5. The combination of a vacuum tube circuit for the generation of -undamped high frequency pled plate and grid circuits an electrode connected to the grid circuit and in series with current having inductively couthe grid inductance, said electrode being frequency current having inductively eou adapted to transmit the current to a body pled plate and grid circuits with means for to produce a burning efi'ect thereon and at deriving current from the grid circuit and 10 least a portion of said body being in series cauterizing body tissues with said current. a 5 with said grid inductance. I In testimony whereof I hereby afiix my 6. The combination of a vacuum tube cirsignature. cuit for the generation of undamped high RAYMOND NAUTH.
|Patente citante
|Fecha de presentación
|Fecha de publicación
|23 Jul 1949
|6 Oct 1953
|Carolyn Lahr
|Moisture meter
|17 Dic 1953
|20 May 1958
|Coles William A
|Device for performing surgical incisions by electronic energy
|5 Mar 1956
|18 Jul 1961
|Siemens Reiniger Werke Ag
|Blocking oscillator having selectively adjustable r-c circuit
|19 Oct 1956
|20 Mar 1962
|Relaxacizor Inc
|Ambulatory electrical muscle stimulating device
|10 Jun 1974
|4 Nov 1975
|H & T Ind
|Spark gap type electric shock-producing prod
|14 Mar 1978
|19 Feb 1980
|The United States Of America As Represented By The United States Department Of Energy
|Self-protecting transistor oscillator for treating animal tissues
|16 Ene 2001
|4 Mar 2003
|Alsius Corporation
|System and method employing indwelling RF catheter for systemic patient warming by application of dielectric heating
|Clasificación de EE.UU.
|607/98, 331/182, 331/171, 99/451, 331/185, 607/76
|Clasificación internacional
|Clasificación cooperativa
|Clasificación europea


text:
The next update will obviously bring a new dungeon and/or a raid boss or two but how zerk-friendly do you think it would be?
Looking at Pav, it seems that anet is still fine with maximum dps-oriented gameplay but that could've been unintentional.
I'm not trying to say it would be bad, but after 2 or so years it's possible that the content would start to become a bit harder to just DPS through. Even though as far as dungeons go, superior dodging and reflecting skillz may remain the name of the game.
Edited by I post stuff, 22 June 2014 - 08:10 PM.


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It's something simple and effective for you this week.
This is the last of my 'winter warmer' recipes, because if I'm not mistaken, I've been seeing some green shoots spring up opposite the restaurant.
It's a lovely, easy dish you can throw together without too much effort.
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Smoked chicken is something you should be able to pick up relatively easily. We smoke our own here at 21212, but Morrisons and all the other big boys should stock it, as well as local delis. The herbs and smoky flavours in the chicken help make this a beautifully flavoursome treat.
In my eyes, it's slightly healthier than your classic mac'n'cheese which uses a block or two of cheddar. Yes, there's cream in this, but there's cottage cheese and egg yolk to provide creaminess, too.
Serves four
2 smoked chicken breasts
6/8 oz macaroni
2/3 vegetable Oxo cubes
1 large onion, finely diced
4/6 oz cottage cheese
1 egg yolk per guest
8 fl oz cream
1 Sweat the finely diced onion until it is colourless
2 Take the chicken breasts, cook them then dice them
3 When the onions are soft, add the diced chicken
4 Boil the macaroni in plain water and drain when done. Add the cream and heat until warmed
5 Crush 2/3 Oxo cubes into into a tiny bit of hot water to form a paste. Add to a pan then add the cooked pasta
6 Add the cooked chicken and onion to the macaroni and cream mix
7 Take the cottage cheese and mix with one egg yolk per guest
8 Fold the cottage cheese and egg yolk mixture into the chicken, cheese and pasta
9 Add the mix to a flat-bottomed dish then bake in the oven at 180c for 20 mins, before finishing with a blast under the grill for 5 mins
Serve with a squeeze of lemon juice, some deep fried sage leaves, black pepper and garlic bread


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A UNION boss has threatened a campaign of co-ordinated strikes across public services and the private sector in the ongoing battle over low pay.
Speaking in the North-East today (Friday, April 4), Unison general secretary Dave Prentis said public sector workers had "no alternative" but to take industrial action in response to the Government's tough stance on below-inflation salary increases.
Referring to Unison's 1.4m public sector workers, which includes 80,000 in this region, he said: "At the end of the day it's the Government that decides what pay increases we get and if it takes co-ordinated action across our local community services, health services and all other employers where we've got members, we will seek to take co-ordinated action."
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The union chief was speaking ahead of a regional Unison pay conference in Newcastle.
He said local government workers had been offered a "derisory" one per cent pay increase while NHS workers were being asked to give up incremental rises worth around three per cent.
Public sector workers were paying the price for the economic crisis, he added, while chief executives pocket big pay rises and bankers' bonuses are higher than ever.
"If the Government isn't standing up for us, we've got to think about whether we take industrial action," he said.
"I think we've got no alternative. We've got to stand up for ourselves.
"It may well be a long campaign; it could be we take action fairly quickly. But I believe our workers will come together to build that campaign and fight for a pay increase."
Asked about the impact of strikes on the public, Mr Prentis said Unison did not "go around ringing the bell for industrial action" but he hoped the public would realise the "terrible situation" facing his members and support them.
Chancellor George Osborne committed the Government to continuing pay restraint in the public sector in last month's Budget, saying it was an essential part of maintaining sound finances and economic stability.
Public sector pay has risen at below the rate of inflation since 2010, although it is still higher than the private sector average.


text: Hi, I am a newbie quilter so I need your voices of experience. I have finally begun to organize my stash and now have a large pile of small fabric pieces ranging from a few inches to about 12" wide. I can't bear to throw them out, and would like to cut them into strips or squares and organize them by color. I heard on Fons & Porter that they like to cut their scraps into 6" and 2-1/2" strips. Does this sound like a good plan? Or...are there better or easier options? I appreciate any suggestions. Thanks ahead of time for your help!


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'Heroes in the Sandbox'
Tricia Sterling and Tracey Tischler are close friends who discuss all their good ideas with each other.
Last fall, Tischler shared her desire to write and publish a children's book so kids can understand why their parent in military service is gone.
Sterling, of Cottage Grove, didn't have to give it a thought; she was on board with her friend.
Tischler, of White Bear Lake, got the idea last October, after talking with Rand Shotton, an Army captain who flies medical evacuation helicopters.
After hearing a story about one soldier's sadness when leaving to go to the Middle East, she realized that children feel sad and need help coping.
"We have so many problems here with people just trying to live their lives," Tischler said in an interview Jan. 21 at Sterling's home. "The kids need to know why they're over there."
Though neither woman knows anyone who has served during a war, they wrote "Heroes in the Sandbox."
But it wasn't time to say: "mission accomplished" just yet.
They needed an illustrator and found one an hour after listing their plea on Craiglist.org.
They chose Jana Schweiss, a graphic artist whose husband was deployed in Iraq at the time.
They also honored Shotton by putting his initials in small letters on the soldier's sleeve on the cover.
The budding authors use the concept of bullying to explain the need for their parents to defend American freedom.
Once done, it was time to find a publisher.
Both are experienced in finding information and discovered publishing can be a long process from book to actual printing. Also, they were afraid their vision of what the book should look like would be tossed aside.
Intended for children from birth to 8 years old, the authors decided to self-publish through AuthorHouse.
"It's very rare when you find someone like Tracey who shares your vision," Sterling said. "We were always helping other people with marketing."
With 75 copies of the book sold in a month, including 25 to Cottage Grove VFW Post 8752, they're proud of their effort and are doing their own marketing.
Sterling wrote to Oprah Winfrey and the Pentagon and is waiting for official permission to send a copy to President Barack Obama.
The book is also available through Barnes and Noble and Amazon.com.
When there is a profit, after recouping the $1,500 to write and publish, they will give half of it to a military family-support organization.
"It's not about us," Tischler said. "It's something I had to do."


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Darwin developed his theory of evolution from a famously simple tree of life drawing. How has the study of evolution and the inter-connectedness of species changed with modern DNA technology? How has exploring genetic relationships shaped how we now view ourselves and how might that be expressed in art?
Lynn Fellman is a multiple media artist and designer who works with scientists to communicate their research. Her work focuses on evolution and the human genome. From research to sketches to completed digital art, she'll explain how her process engages the people in the DNA portraits in genetics–becoming informed advocates for science. See examples on her website www.fellmanstudio.com.
Dr. Scott Lanyon served as Director of the University of Minnesota's Bell Museum of Natural History for thirteen years before becoming Professor and Head of the Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior in 2008. Using DNA sequence data he and his colleagues develop an understanding of the tree of life which he then uses as the foundation of his studies of behavioral and morphological evolution in birds.
For more information about the Beaker and Brush Discussions, visit http://www.smm.org/beakerandbrush.
Beaker and Brush Discussions are co-sponsored by the Science Museum and the St. Paul Art Crawl
2 thoughts on "Evolution & the Tree of Life: Endless Forms Most Beautiful"
Psi Wavefunction's beautiful new tree of the eukaryotes is here.
I'm not getting that link.
It sounds nice, but it's a bit of a trot for me, probably 20+ hours.


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Why Have Kids? The Ethical Debate
Charles Knowlton, a doctor who lived in western Massachusetts during the early 19th Century, was a free thinker whose big ideas about sex landed him in jail multiple times.
Elizabeth Kolbert mentions Knowlton in a piece she wrote for The New Yorker titled "The Case Against Kids: Is Procreation Immoral?" The piece challenges us to ask ourselves why we choose to have kids, and if we want to have kids, how many should we have?
So where does Knowlton come in? It's largely thanks to him that we can even have this conversation. As Kolbert tells us, Knowlton's shocking theories about sex landed him in trouble. Knowlton was concerned about 19th century birth rates and a projected population explosion. This, of course, was way before the pill, and well before broad public acceptance of what we now know as "birth control."
But Knowlton was ahead of his time.
He wrote a controversial pamphlet suggesting that our "reproductive instinct" doesn't have to result in reproduction. Here's how he put it:
Heaven has not only given us the capacity of greater enjoyment, but the talent of devising means to prevent the evils that arise therefrom.
In other words, we can enjoy sex, and choose not to make babies. Or have sex and choose to make babies when we want.
As Kolbert tells us, Knowlton was charged with publishing obscene literature, fined $50 and sentenced to three months of hard labor.
Dr. Knowlton's little pamphlet — and his big ideas about sex and procreation — did nothing less than change the course of history. His ideas lead directly to the ethical debate over whether or not to have children.
- Christine Overall, author of "Why Have Children? The Ethical Debate," chair of the department of philosophy at Queen's University
- Bryan Caplan, economist, author of "Selfish Reasons to Have More Kids: Why Being a Great Parent is Less Work and More Fun Than You Think"
Other stories from this show:
Host Meghna Chakrabarti introduces us to newsmakers, big thinkers and artists and brings us stories of relevance to Bostonians here and around the region. Live every weekday at 3 p.m. and 10 p.m.
- Listen: Weekdays, 3 p.m. on 90.9 FM
- Live Call-In: (800) 423-TALK
- Listener Voicemail: (617) 358-0607


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Tyson Foods Buys Mexican Food Maker Circle Foods of California
by Lance Turner
Posted 6/3/2013 08:08 am
Updated 4 years ago
Tyson Foods Inc. of Springdale acquired the assets of Circle Foods LLC, a producer of frozen and refrigerated handheld Mexican foods, uncooked tortillas and Indian flatbreads.
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text:
StyleBlazers Spotted: Beyoncé & Solange At Roc Nation's Pre-Grammy Brunch
Photo: Twitter
Mimosas, anyone? Two of our favorite StyleBlazin' sisters, Beyoncé and Solange Knowles (alongside video director Melina Matsoukas), turned brunch into a photo op fit for Vogue (ironically enough, Bey's upcoming Vogue cover just leaked!) for Grammy weekend. On Saturday, Beyoncé joined her CEO hub Jay-Z at the Roc Nation Pre-Grammy brunch. She was absolutely stunning in a printed dress bursting with color fresh from Elie Saab's spring 2013 collection and Louis Vuitton pumps. Flawless!
Bey also struck a pose with Rihanna, who chose a dressed down look for the event. Have you ever attended brunch this glam?! Just gorgeous, darling.
StyleBlazers, which look are you feelin' most?
-Jada Gomez-Lacayo


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Mayor Rahm Emanuel liked what he heard when Attorney General Eric Holder pushed Monday for sweeping changes to the nation's criminal justice system, namely scaling back the sentences for low-level drug offenders.
"I commend President Obama and Attorney General Eric Holder for reforming the policy that imposes severe mandatory sentences on nonviolent drug offenders who have no ties to gangs or organized crimes," Emanuel said. "Non-violent drug offenders are often better served by treatment and other options, freeing up law enforcement to focus their time and efforts on preventing violent crimes."
It's not a surprise coming from the mayor of Chicago where jails are notoriously overcrowded.
Last year Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle and Illinois Supreme Court Justice Anne Burke suggested releasing prisoners on home electronic monitoring, if they have a low cash bond but can't afford to post the required 10 percent, as a way to relieve overcrowding.
"The long-term goal is to reduce the jail population without endangering the citizenry or the defendant," Preckwinkle said at the time.
Sheriff Tom Dart told the Sun-Times in March the Cook County Jail hit 96 percent capacity with 9,721 inmates. Dart blamed Chicago's homicide rate and a crackdown on guns in part for the overcrowding.
Sheriff's spokesman Frank Bilecki said at the time he thinks the framework is in place to address overcrowding issues as long as they are implemented.
Holder's plan could help.
Mandatory minimum sentences, Holder said, "breed disrespect for the system. When applied indiscriminately, they do not serve public safety. They have had a disabling effect on communities. And they are ultimately counterproductive.''
Emanuel warned, though, that the new proposed sentencing guidelines "must be coupled with consistent and meaningful punishment for those who commit the most violent crimes, which is why I continue to advocate for a three-year mandatory minimum for serious gun crimes."
Chicago Police say shootings and murders are down so far this August compared to the same time period last year.


text:
Reflections at the New Year
On behalf of the State of Israel, it is my honor to commend this community for all the magnificent work you have done with and on behalf of the Israeli people during this most painful year. Your outpouring of love and support constitutes a source of invaluable encouragement to us. Through your words and deeds, you have directly touched the lives of those Israelis most in need: the ones who have suffered from terrorism, who have lost loved ones and who need us now more than ever.
Now, as we approach Rosh Hashana, we cling to a vision of a better life and a more promising future, for it is no exaggeration to say that the year just passed has been perhaps the most tormenting we have faced since the establishment of our state in 1948. As of this writing, 611 innocent people have been murdered during the ongoing campaign of Palestinian terrorism. At the same time, of course, the past year will be remembered for the fact that the onslaught of hatred and destruction landed on America's shores. Within hours of the attacks on Sept. 11, the United States revealed its full power and glory, its determination and strength. The reaction of the American people became a lesson to anyone who doubted the resolve of a free people to combat terrorism until it is defeated.
During this year, we also witnessed in horror the slaying of five Americans at Hebrew University in Jerusalem, as well as the Israeli Americans murdered at LAX on the Fourth of July. It is hard to ignore the explosion in the number, prominence and perceived legitimacy of anti-Jewish acts perpetrated in locations within Europe and the Arab world in recent times. These frightening events must call each of us to attention, and remind us just how connected we truly are.
While Israel has long had an overwhelmingly positive and strengthening effect upon Jewish communities in the Diaspora, we must acknowledge that, at times, the consequences of our conflict in the Middle East can adversely affect Jews elsewhere. This linkage places a heavy responsibility upon Israel, and highlights the extent to which Diaspora Jewry has a moral right to intervene in Israeli concerns. I would argue that not only is there a moral right, but a moral obligation for the Diaspora to intercede in Israeli life. If your communities can be drawn into our disputes, and if we expect you to take a public stand on Israel's behalf in the United States, how could we legitimately tell you not to play an active role among us?
A fundamental aspect of such a role must be the commitment to spend time with us in Israel. As we make resolutions for the upcoming year, I would humbly urge you to come to Israel on regular visits, and urge your communities to do the same. Especially now, there should not be a single Jew who has not experienced firsthand the wonders of the Western Wall, the power of Masada, the mysticism of Tzfat or the beauty of Eilat. We are all uplifted when you spend time at our world-class universities, our institutes of art, science and research. We need to see you with us. We need to know that we are not alone.
The obstacles we now face can easily overwhelm us with a sense of pessimism; yet Rosh Hashana should mark a moment when we reflect with pride upon Israel's accomplishments and breathtaking successes, which we must never take for granted. Sixty years ago, Jews desperately seeking to escape from Europe had nowhere to go. Now, with our own state, our people have been able to come home en masse.
In the early days of statehood, we were struggling to tame the deserts of the Negev and the swamps of the Galilee. Who could have foreseen that in the year 2002, Israel would have moved to conquering outer space with satellites and astronauts, establishing ourselves as pioneers of cyberspace and as global leaders of the most cutting-edge technologies known to mankind?
In all of its complexity and uncertainty, Israel is, in its totality, our home. It is the only home where Jews can defend themselves, by themselves. We truly have a wonderful land, an amazing country and, in the upcoming year, may we merit the courage to protect our security and our freedom; may we find the creativity to persist in the greatest struggle of all: the struggle for peace. I conclude with our people's ancient prayer of peace: "Give peace, goodness and blessing, life, grace, loving-kindness and mercy to us and to all Your people in Israel."
May each of us and all Israel be inscribed and sealed for a good year.


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A friend of mine and I were asked to leave a camp site last summer for "too much hilarity in our tent". It was 11:15 in the evening but the curfew was 11pm – we'd only got our tents up at 10pm and so a few scotches were needed. At the time, I was furious at being treated so badly and was adamant that I would write up a damaging account of the experience on Trip Advisor.
However, I wanted some money back so I went to see the manager first to understand his side of the story. We spoke for 15 minutes and after this, I agreed with him that it was the camp site that was wrong – it was the wrong camp site for us. It started me thinking about the damage I could have done to his business and how wrong I would have been.
The fact is that it would have been one person's view of their personal experience and it could have ended up as a permanent record of his business.
I later watched a TV programme about Trip Advisor and I find myself feeling sympathy for the criticised businesses. There are people signed up to Trip Advisor for the express purpose of reviewing accommodation, even writing articles from the hotel room whilst they are staying there. They gave the business manager no chance to either deal with or reply to the issues.
Social review sites like Trip Advisor can be excellent and are a great source for anecdotal opinion. The power shift from supplier to customer is on the whole positive, but are we entering a phase of handing too much power to the people?
What really worries me is the number of active reviewers – are we not moving the power from a well chosen few to people who have not been chosen by anyone? Often the reviewers motives are to be questioned, as they could just be frustrated writers or serial moaners looking for an outlet to vent.
It got me thinking of ways to validate and review the actual reviewers. A reviewer is ranked according to the number of reviews they make and their objectiveness. In my opinion, the fewer reviews one writes, the better the quality. A review is generally posted by someone with strong views and it isn't possible to have strong views about every place you stay or eat at. Most places we visit are OK, perfectly adequate. Very few invoke a strong reaction.
What we need is a form of verification where the reviewer is and can be held to account. As I thought, I realised that we have replaced formalised reviewing and content creation in the form of professional journalists with amateur unregulated reviewers and content providers.
Do we need to return to the old ways, finding a solution for regulating social media OR do we find a way for both to co-exist?
My Uncle runs a Yorkshire based sports news agency. He has done this man and boy, and there is little he doesn't know about Leeds United FC. The bulk of his work is not wiring elegant prose about the beautiful game, it is checking facts and figures and reporting on the base news of the games.
There are few bloggers who would take on this task unpaid and so his job is safe for now. However, the blogger can add another dimension to the game that my uncle either doesn't get himself from the reporters box or doesn't have the time to give.
A system that combines accurately balanced and unbiased facts running alongside the amateur anecdote is what is needed in order to provide a full and realistic review.
However let's consider another business that is going to be hugely effected by social media – that of the Con Artist.
We were conned by a supposed Sales Person last year called Matthew Terry (aka Fox) of the Solution Sales company. He's since been arrested, but he conned many small businesses over a period of two years.
He was eventually caught because one of his victims posted a blog post about him and his fraud. Myself and the other victims all posted to this blog post and eventually the police had no choice but to investigate.
Please let me know your thoughts about the positive and negative side of Social Media.


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McHenry junior Jesse Reiser has a Class 3A state runner-up finish and was chosen Northwest Herald Boys Cross Country Runner of the Year, but his running season is not yet finished.
Reiser qualified Saturday from the Foot Locker Midwest Cross Country Championships with a third-place finish at the University of Wisconsin-Parkside in Kenosha.
Grant Fisher, of Grand Blanc, Mich., won the race in 15:02, while Addison DeHaven, of Brookings, S.D., was second in 15:09. Reiser finished in 15:11, just ahead of five runners who were at 15:20 or faster.
Reiser qualified previously from the Nike Regional Cross Country Championships and will run the Nike National Meet on Saturday in Portland, Ore. He then will head to San Diego on Dec. 14 for the Foot Locker National Meet.
Jacobs junior Lauren Van Vlierbergen, the Northwest Herald Girls Cross Country Runner of the Year, took 20th in the girls race in 18:17, but did not qualify for nationals. Only the top-10 finishers advanced.
"Foot Locker was a little tougher (than Nike) because there were so many more states here," Reiser said. "For the first two miles, there was a group of about 50 guys, really compacted, so I just tried to stick with the top group and draft off those guys. The last mile about seven of us left and we started rolling.
"I'm ecstatic. It's an amazing feeling. I can't wait."
One of the benefits of going to San Diego will be a trip to the beach. O'Fallon senior Patrick Perrier, the Illinois Class 3A state champion, told Reiser about that from past experience.
"I felt a lot better today than I did at Nike regionals," Reiser said. "That was a plus."


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Deep Woods Waterfall ©
Part of our Pure Ambiance series
Imagine hiking through the forest and coming across a secluded waterfall. This is the premise of Deep Woods Waterfall. Forest birds can be heard at a non-distracting distance. Very few things in nature are as soothing or sleep inducing as the sound of a waterfall. The falls produce peaceful pink and white noise that naturally cancels out all other distracting noises. Download 60 minutes of this continuously changing recording with relaxing wilderness ambiance. Professionally recorded at studio quality. Just hit 'play' and let it loop all night!
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