text:
Not Accepting Guests
- Last login over 1 year ago
Join Couchsurfing to see Ben et Louise's full profile. It's free!
About Me
{Ben} Usually, we are travelling in couple... But not this time! Louise stays in France for her studies and I'm traveling in India for three months!
See you soon?
We are a french couple, Ben et Louise. We are together now since more than six years.
Ben is 35, he was working in an association of music, organizing concerts and festivals.
Louise is 29, she's making currently studies of social worker.
We both like travel and discover alternative way of life.
Why I'm on Couchsurfing
We love Couchsurfing, it's an amazing opportunity to meet people living in the countries we visit, and thus better understand the lifestyles, the actuality, the culture of these different places. This is an incredible accelerator of understanding of the country!
We had already a lot of experience of Couchsurfing, specially during our long journey in China and Southeast Asia in 2012.
Before that, Louise had already practiced several times in his trip to Central America in 2008.
{Louise} My best experience of Couchsurfing was in Mexico. We spend ten days together with my host Ernesto who became a real good friend. He make me meet his friends, his familly, his food (what a wonderfull cooker!). It was an amazing introduction of the discover of the mexican culture and hospitality!
Travels of course! And meet people!
Obviously we like good music, good movies, good books, GOOD FOOD... So common!
- culture
- books
- concerts
- festivals
- chinese new year
- dining
- movies
- traveling
- socializing
- music
- social work
Music, Movies, and Books
{Ben} Currently, I'm reading many books in relation with my indian trip: "The White Tiger" by Aravind Adiga, "Shantaram" by Gregory David Roberts, "A fine balance" by Rohinton Mistry and the list is not over...
In music, we have more international tastes: Billie Holiday, Ali Farka Touré, Serge Gainsbourg...
In movies, we have a preference for arthouse films, but we are definitely not exclusive.
One Amazing Thing I've Done
Difficult to answer this question! Perhaps the most extraordianires things are always those that await us in the future.
But celebrate the Chinese New Year of the Dragon in Beijing, it was really, really incredible!
Countries I've Visited
Cambodia, China, Estonia, India, Italy, Laos, Malaysia, Morocco, Myanmar, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Russian Federation, Spain, Thailand, Turkey, United Kingdom, Viet Nam
Countries I've Lived In
Canada, France, Niger


text:
Garmin MapSource v.6.16.1 - v.6.16.1 - 55.01 MB
It looks like Garmin is on a four-month update schedule of its MapSource Windows-based mapping software. MapSource is included with the purchase of a Garmin map on DVD or CD. Features include:
- Back up important trip data separately from your Garmin device.
- Plan routes from the convenience of your computer instead of on your device.
- Create, view, and edit waypoints, routes, and tracks.
- Plan extensive or complicated routes, in which you travel to several locations in an order you specify.
- Transfer waypoints, routes and tracks between your computer and your device.
- Transfer selected map from your computer to your device.
- Find items, addresses and points of interest included in the map data.
- View your maps in detail on your computer screen.
You can even download a MapSource tutorial at http://www8.garmin.com/cartography/mapsourceTutorial.html.
Changes made from version 6.15.11 to 6.16.1:
- Added support for 64-bit USB device drivers.
- Added generic label descriptions (less 'unknown' features).
- Added support for importing relevant data from TCX files.
- Added very small and very large symbol size selection.
- Added support for editing waypoint address and phone number information.
- Added New Zealand TM grid.
- Added display of the total length of all selected tracks/routes in the status bar.
- Added numeric sorting of routes, tracks and waypoints.
- Added ability to send error reports directly to Garmin after a crash.
- Improved memory issues when running MapSource under Windows 7.
- Improved map projection for many map products.
- Improved speed of 'finalizing' step when transferring data to SD cards.
- Changed mouse-wheel functionality to zoom in and out.
- Changed 'seasonal closures' avoidance option to 'date and time closures'. MapSource will now route over roads that have time-of-day and seasonal closures if this avoidance option is not checked.
- Changed route via point symbol to small black dot.
- Fixed various categories and subcategories that affected find operations and the display of POI categories and subcategories.
- Fixed some auto-routing oddities.
- Fixed remembering 'Find Nearest' dialog search category.
- Fixed issues with 'Save As' file dialog (in some cases, existing files were overwritten without prompting).
- Fixed some issues with the Swedish grid.
- Fixed issue with address search when a city name was supplied.
- Fixed loss of mixed-case characters when transferring routes to some USB devices.
- Fixed an issue with the refreshing of the route avoidances dialog.
- Fixed an issue with finding elevation features.
- Fixed an issue where the comment field would be incorrect after creating a waypoint from a find result.
- Fixed an issue where transferring data from a mass-storage device would fail.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Vind de perfecte vakantie
From Chamonix, you can reach the summits of Mont Blanc by cable car. The Aiguille du Midi cable car was completed in the middle of the 20th century, and was completely restored at the end of the last century. During this climb, the cable car makes a first stop at Plan de l'Aiguille, at an altitude of 2,317 meters.
After a change of cabin, the convoy leaves for the high peaks. In 10 minutes, you are already at 3,777 meters, near the Glacier des Pèlerins. The mountain views are unbelievable, and the air amazingly pure. Don't forget your camera!
The Montenvers funicular railway, which started in 1909, bravely journeys from Chamonix up to the edge of the Mer de Glace glacier, one of the largest alpine glaciers and the largest glacier in France.
It takes this little red train some 20 minutes to complete the 5 km journey and 871 metre ascent.
At the terminus, visitors can admire the Mer de Glace glacier and the panoramic view of the Grandes Jorasses and the Drus below. Depending on the time of year, visitors can enter the ice grotto, carved straight out of the side of the glacier. They can also visit the Alpine animal museum and Montenvers museum. This is one visit that certainly won't leave you cold!
Take the Brevent cable car from Chamonix and discover the mountains. When you attain the heights of Brévent-Flégère, nature unfolds in all its majesty before visitors.
Take advantage of one of the finest views of Mont Blanc, the Aiguille du Midi, Chamonix and the Diosaz Valley.
Accessible in summer and winter, this place is the starting point for numerous hiking, snowshoeing or skiing outings. Paragliders also benefit from the setting to soar above the mountains.
Photographer Teresa Kaufman takes you to discover the Chamonix Valley and helps you immortalise the landscapes, whether you have an SLR or a simple smartphone.
You can discover scenes of everyday life, hamlets and villages perched on the mountain.
The routes off the beaten track are accessible to all provided you have good walking shoes.
Teresa Kaufman is known for her work on mountain life and traditions, as well as her passion for cats.
On 8 August 1876, for the very first time, men climbed to the peak of Mont Blanc. With this exploit, the sport of mountaineering was born.The highest peak in France, Mont Blanc stands 4810m tall and extends into France, Italy and Switzerland.
In 1924, the whole world was watching Mont Blanc where the first Winter Olympic Games were hosted, in Chamonix.
The Aiguille du Midi cable car was opened to the public in 1955, and in 1960, General De Gaulle opened the Mont Blanc tunnel. This 11,600m long tunnel linked the Valley of Chamonix with the Valley of Aoste.
A vast playground for mountaineers, skiers, snowboarders and parachutists, Mont Blanc still inspires many a dream.


text:
Artist description:
A MIx of evil and good. Ahh a classic
Flash Draw Created Mar 06, 2011 470 x 338px Unless noted Copyright 2011 ASecretPassion.
We encourage you to submit a comment and let the artist know what you think of this drawing. Please log in or join to post a comment.
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MaFaGaFiZaR Mar 06, 2011
Very good, congratulations:)
Page 1


text:
Here's a secret: The more you try to get me to watch and/or read something, the more apt I am to shy away from it. I can't explain why I'm wired this way, but that's the reality of the situation. So it took me a very long time to finally read author Jason "David Wong" Pargin's cult sensation "John Dies at the End". And while I enjoyed the novel for what it was, I wasn't completely sold on the idea that it was the greatest thing under the literary sun. That having been said, "Phantasm" director Don Coscarelli's upcoming adaptation looks pretty freakin' awesome. Besides, how can you go wrong with Clancy Brown and Paul Giamatti? Their participation is pretty cool in and of itself.
Curious to know more? Enjoy this plot synopsis:
It's a drug that promises an out-of-body experience with each hit. On the street they call it Soy Sauce, and users drift across time and dimensions. But some who come back are no longer human. Suddenly a silent otherworldly invasion is underway, and mankind needs a hero. What it gets instead is John and David, a pair of college dropouts who can barely hold down jobs. Can these two stop the oncoming horror in time to save humanity? No. No, they can't.
"John Dies at the End", which also stars Chase Williamson, Rob Mayes, Glynn Turman, and Doug Jones, is expected to hit select theaters in 2012. Huge thanks to an extremely tall gentleman named Chris Cohron for bringing this to my attention. He now has every right to act smug.


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Wintergear - that was hilarious! We have something similar that makes its rounds here in Wisconsin as well. The last one for us is "-150 Floridians freeze solid and Wisconsinites turn on the heat."
We only have had a little snow so far, but the temps all last week topped out in the 20's. I sent my kids out as much as possible, because we will soon be in the single digits and then much lower. They don't close the schools here until it is below -35. Kids go out for recess until it is -10. Our blood runs thick.


text:
Discover Author
Abigail Gibbs was born and raised in deepest, darkest Devon, England. She is studying for a B.A. in English at the University of Oxford and considers herself a professional student, as the real world has yet to catch up with her. Her greatest fear is blood and she is a great advocate of vegetarianism, which logically led to the writing of her first novel, The Dark Heroine: Dinner with a Vampire. She splits her time between her studies, stories, and family, and uses coffee to survive all three.
*This is a promotional service of HarperCollins Publishers, 195 Broadway, New York, NY 10007, providing information about the products of HarperCollins and its affiliates. By submitting your email address, you understand that you will receive email communications from Bookperk and other HarperCollins services. You may unsubscribe from these email communications at any time. If you have any questions, please review our privacy policy or email us at [email protected].
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|October 11, 2005, 08:13 PM
Senior Member
Join Date: May 8, 2005
Posts: 406
Imposter LEOs in Florida.
This is very preliminary and heard through my mother-in-law down in Florida. She lives in the central part of the state. Apparently, several incidents have occured recently that I thought I should post, not for warning, but thought.
Several men have been pulled over in her area by "police officers" in unmarked cars. After they are pulled over, the men are attacked and drugged by the officers, who are imposters. After they are drugged they are beaten very badly and raped multiple times. I believe there has been at least three incidents. Two men have survived. They were left in a wooded area, not near cities. Supposedly one victim, a boy, was found dead in a trunk.
I guess, the moral is, if you feel you are being pulled over by an imposter, call 911 yourself and check the officer's badge number. The chances of this occuring aren't very high, but I felt since this was happening to men, not just women, and the violent nature of the crime, it was a good thing just to think about when ever pulled over.
I figure a real LEO would understand your concern, particularly with such incidents happening close to home.
|October 11, 2005, 08:55 PM
Junior member
Join Date: January 18, 2005
Posts: 3,298
OMGosh! This would put one on THIN ice, but IF I SUSPECTED SUCH A THING in addition to calling 911 I would have my holster unsnapped and WOULD NOT comply with getting out of the car or anything until I confirmed their badge numbers. If they saw my CHL license (or in Texas I had to show it to them) I would not give up my gun and might very well even pull my gun and have a standoff with them and wait 'till another REAL cop showed up or was called to straighten it out or until I got confirmation of their badge numbers if I suspected any such thing.
If anyone considers this dangerous, they are right. If anyone thinks this illegal or threatening an officer (if that is who it is. Police themselves draw their weapons on suspicious potentially dangerous men, why should anybody else take any fewer precautions) I would rather take my chances in court or even go to jail than surrender to what you just described (There is not a smilie?? face I can insert in this space to reflect the serious expression on my face as I type this)
Granted this odds of any of this ever occuring while pulled over are highly improbable, but just the thought sends a chill through my spine.
Giving this a little more thought, another (and even safer option if available) option would be to take off in your car after they have pulled you over and lead them on a chase (if they chase you) to the nearest police station or marked police car you spot.
|October 11, 2005, 09:08 PM
Senior Member
Join Date: January 7, 2005
Posts: 859
Anyone have an article on this stuff??
|October 11, 2005, 09:20 PM
Senior Member
Join Date: May 8, 2005
Location: St. louis
Posts: 249
I have never been stopped by an unmarked car, but I think driving to a safe busy place before stopping would be the best course of action. I live in a heavily populated area though. In the rural areas that I frequent (NE Arkansas) I know all of the local and county police. I don't know what course of action I would take in an unfamiliar place.
|October 11, 2005, 09:52 PM
Senior Member
Join Date: November 28, 2004
Location: Silicon Valley, Ca
Posts: 7,117
More red-light rapists - old story, but they usually prey on women. Can anyone validate this is really happening?
We're assuming the car isn't a fully marked unit with roof lights, spotlights, push-bars, etc. Maybe it looks like a Ford Taurus with lights in the grille or one behind the windshield.
By moving slowly and driving in a populated area gives real cops a chance to show up. If the cop is real, his backup will arrive shortly for a "suspicious" failure to yeild. If they're fake cops the cell phone will probably be your best friend until the real cops show up.
I'd avoid any confrontation until I knew whether they were real cops or not. The last thing you want to do is pull a weapon on a real cop who's been to the range more than you have!
If they ARE real, thank the dispatcher and ask them to tell the officer of your call and that you will pull over in a safe place. Cops who are professionals will understand, especially if they know you contacted their PD.
BillCA in CA (Unfortunately)
|October 11, 2005, 10:47 PM
Senior Member
Join Date: September 11, 2005
Location: Los Angeles
Posts: 1,152
FYI, in CA its illegal to do a stop with an unmarked unit, if this was to occur its either a cop who does not know what he/she is doing or a fake. Either way I would not stop. Call CHP/911.
"Those who would give up essential Liberty,
to purchase a little temporary Safety,
deserve neither Liberty nor Safety."
-Ben Franklin
Spc. Jeremy M. Campbell
Died 9/1/2005
and the best DS ever
MSG Matthew Ritz
Died 11.23.2005
For those who have had to fight for it, Life holds a special meaning that the protected will never know.
(='.'=) Someone set us up the bunny!
|October 11, 2005, 11:19 PM
Junior member
Join Date: September 26, 2005
Posts: 66
Living in central Florida, there hasn't been anything on the news about a band of sodomizing cop wannabes. Although, there was a story about a volunteer fire dept guy impersonating a cop and pulling women over. He was caught a week ago.
Do you have a news link?
|October 12, 2005, 07:13 AM
Junior member
Join Date: April 18, 2005
Posts: 517
Are they stealing kidneys, too?
After half a career in unmarked cars it didnt bother me a bit if someone kept going to a populated area, as long as they were'nt accelarating to do it. I normally requested a marked unit on any stops I did anyway, when possible.
|October 12, 2005, 07:48 AM
Senior Member
Join Date: July 8, 2001
Location: North Central Florida & Miami
Posts: 3,060
while I am sure this has happened, I feel this is more urban legend than anything else. I would like to see the links to local news sources.
Nemo Me Impune Lacesset
"The trouble with our liberal friends is not that they're ignorant; it's just that they know so much that isn't so.".........Ronald Reagan
|October 12, 2005, 09:15 AM
Senior Member
Join Date: September 21, 2005
Posts: 312
this happens in every large city. round here it happens several times a year. usually it is a wanna be getting a stiffie by pulling over some speeder. the police say never pull over for an unmarked car. justslow down and call 911 tell them the situation and ask for a marked car. you may get a felony stop out of it but you wont get raped drugged mugged etc. i had a unmarked car follow me almost 40 miles one time. i was leaving flagstaff for phoenix. this unmarked crown vic flipped on hist flashing lights in the grill. i ignored them and nothing happend. come to find out it was the warden of the winslow prison trying to be robo cop. needless to say when i found out i mentioned to him and made a friend and had a favor owed
|October 12, 2005, 09:27 AM
Senior Member
Join Date: December 18, 2004
Posts: 1,935
Sorry, don't have any links. I don't know about any specific incidents in Central Florida, but there have been plenty of cases in South Florida of idiots impersonating cops and pulling people over.
Last one I saw on the news was a guy who got caught when he pulled over an off duty cop on I-95 in Palm Beach County. He couldn't fool the real thing.
I think they said on the news you should slow down, don't stop, and call 911 to identify a cop, if you think he may be a fake.
|October 12, 2005, 10:00 AM
Junior member
Join Date: July 21, 2005
Location: West Palm Beach, FL
Posts: 1,224
I get the sense that IF you were pulled over by a fake cop, he probably would not allow you the time or opportunity to call 911, especially if you were to tell him, "Hold on a sec, I'm checking up on you."
Supposedly, a real cop is supposed to be willing to allow you to proceed to a populated area. Supposedly, he would also allow you to check his credentials/badge number.
But if you are pulled over, and you comply, and you see the (probably fake) badge of this imposter cop, it doesn't seem likely that once you've had personal, proximate contact like that he would allow you to call the real cops.
I think the story about the rapes/drugging sounds apocryphal. It's true that historically there have been cops who raped women on lonesome roads in rural counties, etc. There have also been real cops who have shaken down drug dealers, or illegal immigrant drivers, etc. But lately in Florida, more than that kind of stuff, people have been victimized by home invasion imposter cops. They arrive at a home with "police clothing" on, and possibly fake badges, and force their way into a home (usually a drug home) and obtain compliance from the occupants because in the quick progression of events it's tough to know whether the invaders are real cops that you'd better obey.
|October 12, 2005, 03:44 PM
Senior Member
Join Date: May 8, 2005
Posts: 406
I do not have a newslink.
One of the survivors is someone my MIL works with.
It's not an urban legend either. It has happened in my own town. I thought the case that was relayed to me was important, because most imposter pullovers occur with women, or at least around here.
I am sorry I cannot back this case up with a newslink, I can search for one if you would like. The post was about being aware and seeing what others thought might be appropriate given this odd situation.
Also, they pulled them over in less populated areas/highways. As the story was related to me, it seems that the group targeted people whose primary language was not english, giving the predators a great edge with communication/use of force.
|October 12, 2005, 04:06 PM
Senior Member
Join Date: January 7, 2005
Posts: 859
I'm still having problems with this one. If this is actually going on, then I would think that LE and the news groups would be all over it, especially if there are rapes and dead children involved!! Besides, I would think the solution would be an easy one...if getting pulled over by an unmarked Police car, one would just call the local PD or such and verify if in fact they are being pulled over by an unmarked Police car, again, especially in light of these supposed rapes and murders.
|October 12, 2005, 04:41 PM
Join Date: June 29, 2001
Location: Prescott Valley, AZ
Posts: 2,406
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Cruise Dresses, Casual and Formal Cruise Dresses
Have you decided to take a cruise? Well then, let Simply Dresss help fill your suitcase full of casual cruise dresses, fancy and formal cruise dresses and gowns. There are casual strapless short dresses with billowing skirts for enjoying the Caribbean sunshine. Consider a midi dress or maybe a trendy jumper for relaxing on the lido deck or exploring the ship.


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CALABASH, NC (WWAY) — Three weeks after fire destroyed a Calabash strip mall, one business reopened today with help from colleagues around the world.
The owner of Head Hunters Barber Shop did not have insurance. He did, though, have help from other barbers who donated supplies, including one all the way from Finland
For weeks there's been a buzz around Calabash. When would Marco Rooks reopen his barber shop after a March 18 stripmall fire destroyed it and several other shops?
Thursday, it was "shear" joy for customers as the shop reopened in a new home.
"Everything you see is from scratch," Rooks said. "We had to do the plumbing, electrical, everything. So we started from scratch with just an empty building."
Rooks and his employees salvaged some things from the fire, but it was not enough to open a new shop.
"Everything else: mirrors, water bottles, all new clippers, some of them well over $100 a piece; everything had to be bought," employee Chris Scott said.
Then… some help.
Rooks posted about the fire in an online forum for barbers. He was warning others to get the insurance he did not have. Within days fellow barbers responded offering their extra equipment and supplies.
Rooks says it was heart warming.
"People I've never met just reading posts online. They sent things," Rooks said. "Neckstrips, things that we need in the shop, all of us, for our day-to-day activities. Just out of the goodness of their heart they started sending. One guy from Helsinki, Finland."
Customers are happy the shop is back open.
"I had planned to go down and get a haircut on a certain day, which turned out the shop burned down the night before, so I've been waiting ever since," one man said as he got his long-awaited haircut.
A wait cut shorter thanks to that help from afar.
The new Head Hunters is located off Beach Drive and Highway 179 in Calabash.


text:
Trial Comparing Radioactive Seed Localization to Standard Procedure for Non-palpable Breast Cancers
This study has been completed.
McMaster University
ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier:
First Posted: September 26, 2005
Last Update Posted: March 2, 2011
Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation
Information provided by:
McMaster University
- Full Text View
- Tabular View
- No Study Results Posted
- Disclaimer
- How to Read a Study Record
The purpose of this study is to determine whether a new surgical technique (radioguided seed localization) for localizing nonpalpable breast tumours is better than the standard technique (needle localization).
|Breast Cancer Invasive Nos Stage 0 Breast Carcinoma
|Procedure: radioguided seed localization for nonpalpable breast cancers
|Study Type:
|Study Design:
|Allocation: Randomized
Intervention Model: Parallel Assignment
Masking: None (Open Label)
Primary Purpose: Treatment
|Official Title:
|A Prospective, Randomized, Controlled Trial of Radioguided Seed Localization Versus Standard Needle Localization of Nonpalpable Breast Cancers
Resource links provided by NLM:
Genetics Home Reference related topics: breast cancer
MedlinePlus related topics: Breast CancerU.S. FDA Resources
Further study details as provided by McMaster University:
Primary Outcome Measures:
- Compare the number of positive margins following excision of the nonpalpable breast tumours for the two different surgical techniques [ Time Frame: immediate post-operative pathology results ]
Secondary Outcome Measures:
- Compare procedure times, complications and volume of tissue excised for both techniques [ Time Frame: intra-operative ]
|Study Start Date:
|June 2004
|Study Completion Date:
|June 2010
|Primary Completion Date:
|March 2010 (Final data collection date for primary outcome measure)
Intervention Details:Detailed Description:
Procedure: radioguided seed localization for nonpalpable breast cancers
radio-labelled (I-125) titanium seed inserted via needle into nonpalpable breast lesion and gamma probe used to guide surgery
Most breast cancers are removed by partial mastectomy/lumpectomy. The most important factor in ensuring that the cancer does not return in the breast is to ensure that it is completely removed during surgery. Complete removal is dependent on having a rim of normal tissue (clear margin) surrounding the cancer. If the margin is positive, or the cancer recurs, more surgery or mastectomy is required. Approximately one third of breast cancers are detected by mammograms or ultrasounds and cannot be felt by patients or physicians. Accordingly, a localization technique is required to help the surgeon to find and remove the cancer. The current technique (needle localization) has a higher chance of having cancer cells at the margin. This is a study about a surgical technique. The objective of this comparison study is to determine whether a new technique (radioguided seed localization) is a better way to remove nonpalpable breast cancers. The main objective of this study is to determine if the new technique generates fewer positive margins compared to the standard technique. An improved technique would benefit thousands of women every year.
Information from the National Library of Medicine
Choosing to participate in a study is an important personal decision. Talk with your doctor and family members or friends about deciding to join a study. To learn more about this study, you or your doctor may contact the study research staff using the contacts provided below. For general information, Learn About Clinical Studies.
|Ages Eligible for Study:
|18 Years and older (Adult, Senior)
|Sexes Eligible for Study:
|Accepts Healthy Volunteers:
Inclusion Criteria:
- Histologically confirmed invasive or in situ breast carcinoma
- Nonpalpable breast tumour
- Candidate for breast conserving surgery (BCS) based on clinical and radiologic evaluation
Exclusion Criteria:
- Histological confirmation more than 3 months from enrollment
- Pregnancy or lactation
- Contraindication to BCS or patient requests mastectomy
- Age less than 18 years
- Male patient
Contacts and Locations
Information from the National Library of Medicine
To learn more about this study, you or your doctor may contact the study research staff using the contact information provided by the sponsor.
To learn more about this study, you or your doctor may contact the study research staff using the contact information provided by the sponsor.
Please refer to this study by its ClinicalTrials.gov identifier (NCT number): NCT00225927
Please refer to this study by its ClinicalTrials.gov identifier (NCT number): NCT00225927
|Canada, Ontario
|St. Joseph's Healthcare
|Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, L8N 4A6
|Juravinski Cancer Centre
|Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, L8V 5C2
|Princess Margaret Hospital
|Toronto, Ontario, Canada, M5G 2M9
Sponsors and Collaborators
McMaster University
Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation
|Principal Investigator:
|Peter J Lovrics, MD
|McMaster University
|Study Chair:
|Mary Townsend
|Administrator for Research Programs, McMaster University
More Information
Publications automatically indexed to this study by ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier (NCT Number):
Keywords provided by McMaster University:
Additional relevant MeSH terms:
Publications automatically indexed to this study by ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier (NCT Number):
Reedijk M, Hodgson N, Gohla G, Boylan C, Goldsmith CH, Foster G, Cornacchi SD, McCready D, Lovrics PJ. A prospective study of tumor and technical factors associated with positive margins in breast-conservation therapy for nonpalpable malignancy. Am J Surg. 2012 Sep;204(3):263-8. doi: 10.1016/j.amjsurg.2012.03.007. Epub 2012 Jul 12.
Lovrics PJ, Goldsmith CH, Hodgson N, McCready D, Gohla G, Boylan C, Cornacchi S, Reedijk M. A multicentered, randomized, controlled trial comparing radioguided seed localization to standard wire localization for nonpalpable, invasive and in situ breast carcinomas. Ann Surg Oncol. 2011 Nov;18(12):3407-14. doi: 10.1245/s10434-011-1699-y. Epub 2011 Apr 30.
|Responsible Party:
|Dr. Peter J. Lovrics, McMaster University
|ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier:
|NCT00225927 History of Changes
|Other Study ID Numbers:
|First Submitted:
|September 16, 2005
|First Posted:
|September 26, 2005
|Last Update Posted:
|March 2, 2011
|Last Verified:
|March 2010
Keywords provided by McMaster University:
invasive breast cancer
in situ breast cancer
radioguided seed localization
nonpalpable tumour
needle localization
margin status
Additional relevant MeSH terms:
Breast Neoplasms
Breast Carcinoma In Situ
Neoplasms by Site
Breast Diseases
Skin Diseases
Carcinoma in Situ
Neoplasms, Glandular and Epithelial
Neoplasms by Histologic Type


text:
Insulated concrete forms were adopted into the International Residential Code (IRC) in 2006.The 2006 IRC Supplement and subsequent editions of the code include prescriptive standards for ICF wall construction. What ICF applications are covered in the IRC?
Insulated concrete forms are included in the IRC for buildings that are no greater than 60-ft in plan dimensions, containing floors with clear spans not greater than 32ft and roof clear spans not greater than 40ft. The building shall not exceed 2 stories above grade, or shall not exceed 35 ft in roof mean height.
The walls can be a maximum of 10 ft high for each story and the concrete core in the walls range from 4" to 10" thick. Walls constructed shall be limited to buildings subjected to a maximum design wind speed of 130 miles per hour (58 m/s) Exposure B, 110 miles per hour (49 m/s) Exposure C and 100 miles per hour (45 m/s) Exposure D.
In addition, wall constructed shall be limited to detached one- and two-family dwellings and townhouses assigned to Seismic Design Category A or B, and detachedone- and two-family dwellings assigned to Seismic Design Category C.
Floor/ceiling dead loads shall not exceed 10 pounds per square foot (479 Pa), roof/ceilingdead loads shall not exceed 15 pounds per square foot (718Pa) and attic live loads shall not exceed 20 pounds per square foot (958 Pa). Roof overhangs shall not exceed 2 feet (610 mm) of horizontal projection beyond the exterior wall and the dead load of the overhangs shall not exceed 8 pounds per square foot (383 Pa). If your building falls within the IRC's parameters:
For applications falling within the parameters of the IRC Section R611, the stamp of a licensed engineer will not be required for code approval in jurisdictions that have adopted the International Residential Code, or for walls designed to PCA 100 or ACI 318.
If your building falls outside the IRC parameters, or if the IRC has not been adopted by your local building authority:
For applications falling outside the parameters of the IRC Section or if the IRC has not been adopted by your local building authority, either of the following will be required to obtain code approval for your project:
1. the stamp of a licensed engineer, or
2. submission of engineer-stamped prescriptive engineering, as provided by your ICF manufacturer. ICF's and New Energy Code Requirements
Many changes have been made to the new energy code requirements. Among them the demand for better building envelope designs that require more air tight structures with a continuous air barrier, and greater thermal insulation values. The new energy code requirements are a natural fit for buildings constructed with ICF's. The Standard Governing ICFs In The USA
The standard governing ICF's in the USA is ASTM E2634, "Standard Specification for Flat Wall Insulating Concrete Systems" . For the design of the concrete wall refer to American Concrete Institute (ACI) 318, "Building Code Requirements for Structural Concrete"
ICFMA Suite 460
11-300 Earl Grey Drive,
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
The mission of the ICFMA is to promote and enhance the social, environmental and economic value of insulating concrete forms in the North American marketplace.


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She is my baby, she is...
He is the definition of a...
She is an emotional girl...
Hi and welcome. I was raised in Escondido but now live in Northern Cali. Just wanted to say hi.
Hi! Welcome to CafeMom!
Feel free to join the CafeMom Newcomers Club.
To find us, click the 'groups' tab above then click 'active groups'.
It is a great place to get started and make friends.
I hope to see you there!
by anenaiez posted at 6:20 PM on May. 13
, 2007
My children and Husband are the most important things in my life, I love Scrapbooking and making cards. I am a 24/7 mom, I usually don't have much time for me and when I do I will clean check my e-mail very quickly or try to take a little nap.
Add Critter Carpool to your profile to start playing now!
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Legal Question in Bankruptcy in California
What is the median income threshold/ceiling for filing bankruptcy in CA? Is it set by state or even more locally? If so, Orange County, CA. Thank you!
3 Answers from Attorneys
Median income is set by the federal government (IRS) and is by state and size of family. You can find the information on the US Bankruptcy Court website.
Median income is based on family size, but it is not the determining factor in whether or not you can file bankruptcy. Your income and allowable deductions play a part in determining whether or not you should be in a Chapter 7 liquidation or in a Chapter 13 partial repayment plan under the means test.
Your best bet is to consult a local bankruptcy attorney for further assistance..
The median income is based on census bureau statistics that pick up what the average household income is by state. On our website you can find a tool that will show you what the median income is for your household size. http://www.absolutebankruptcy.org
Related Questions & Answers
If you are behind on payments on a car at the time you file for Chapter 7... Asked 5/02/13, 5:54 pm in United States California Bankruptcy Law


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Page 8 of 10
For North Vancouver actor Bill Lawrie, it came the via social business network, LinkedIn.
Lawrie had known since he was young that he was adopted.
"We were all gathered around for Thanksgiving or Christmas, and I guess I was probably 11," he said. "My cousin was about nine, and we were sitting around the table, the whole family, my uncles and aunts and my cousins and my family, and he pipes up, out of nowhere, 'How does it feel to be adopted?'"
Lawrie said his mother went ghost white and whisked him off to a bedroom to explain that he was "their little, adopted boy."
Lawrie said it made zero impression on him whatsoever.
"All I could think was that I wanted to get back to the dinner table to finish eating," he grinned.
Fast-forward to about three years ago.
"I had been working a night shift and came home at 4 a.m. and there was an email in my in-basket," said Lawrie. "It said something to the effect, 'Looking for William Lawrie. I may be your cousin from your biological mother, Frieda Sawatsky.'"
When his adoptive mother passed away, Lawrie had found his adoption papers. So he knew that his birth name was Ronald Sawatsky and that he'd been adopted at Burnaby General Hospital.
The name fit, so he printed off the email but thought it might be some kind of scam.
When he contacted the email writer, who turned out to be a birth cousin living in Toronto, she told him she'd traced him through LinkedIn.
Lawrie learned that his biological mother was still alive and living in Chilliwack and had asked relatives to try to track down her son.
And it turned out that, after giving up her son for adoption, Frieda Sawatsky had adopted two daughters of her own.
Lawrie has met one of them but he never did meet his birth mother.
"She didn't want to meet me, for whatever reason," he added. "She obviously had the motivation to look for me but, when she found out I was findable, she decided she didn't want to see me. The feedback I got was that she might have had some micro strokes and was having difficulty speaking. She didn't want to meet me in the mental condition she was in. She passed away 18 months ago."
Lawrie still doesn't know who his natural father was.
"That was information she took to her grave when she passed away a couple of years ago."
For East Vancouver family doctor, Laurie Martz, it took a trip to the Maritimes to accidentally connect her with her family roots.
Her father Joseph was born in Poland, one of seven kids — six of them born in Poland — and lived in a little village called Klimintov.
November 24, 2017, 3:49 PM
Canadian pop superstar hits the ice with the Winterhawks More...
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German Loeller storms to victory More...
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Project now estimated at $2.7M More...


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America's best read urban weekly | Learn More »
Actually MMS is not just sodium chlorite; it is a combination of sodium chlorite Na Clo2 and citric acid.
One should never consume straight sodium chlorite!!! Once it is mixed with citric acid it produces ClO2-Chlorine Dioxide and this is a very strong oxidizer and is what gets the job done.
The simple biochemistry is this: Anything that gives up electrons is an anti-oxidant. ClO2 or MMS gives up five of them. Anything that receives those electrons is a toxin and is neutalized. Once MMS has given up it´s electrons it is harmlessly expelled from the body. Doseage is usually kept at three drops per hour so as to not overload the system with the expelled toxins.
So from my experience this does work and is VERY INEXPENSIVE and there in lies the problem that causes problems with BIG PHARMA and the FDA. IT CAN NOT BE PATENTED!!!


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Ray Manzarek, the founding keyboardist of The Doors, died Monday morning in Germany. He was 74 years old. The Doors had a tremendous impact on music. They even had a movie made about them. Read about Ray's passing here.
Stoney & Bill were talking about the impact of the Doors before today's show. Bill believes the Doors are one of the most overrated bands ever. Stoney thinks it's Pink Floyd. What is the most overrated band ever? What band don't you get?


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Early voting begins Saturday for the April 3 Maryland Republican primary, and at least one presidential contender's plans have been announced.
Mitt Romney is scheduled to campaign in Maryland this week, John Porter, a spokesman for the Maryland Republican Party, told the Associated Press.
Romney is expected to join former Gov. Bob Ehrlich Wednesday in Ehrlich's hometown of Arbutus for a town hall forum. Ehrlich is the chairman of Romney's Maryland campaign.
The second event is a rally in Frederick from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Wednesday.
There are 37 Maryland delegates up for grabs.
Published at 2:17 PM EDT on Mar 19, 2012


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The 50th Newport-to-Ensenada International Yacht Race starting today could be the windiest in more than a decade if stronger than normal breezes continue, raising prospects for records but concerns for safety, as well.
Winds gusting to 30 knots Thursday whistled through the rigging of some of the 550 sailboats huddled in Newport Harbor awaiting the event. The golden anniversary regatta has drawn many first-time competitors whose offshore experience is limited.
"That's why we have 14 escort boats," race official Doug Wall said. "We've never lost anybody in the race."
The U.S. Coast Guard and its Mexican counterpart also monitor the race, officials said.
Dave Ullman, a Newport Beach native who won the Rolex Award as American yachtsman of the year last year, said Thursday, "Today would be perfect--18 to 20 knots--but my thought is that [Friday] will be a pretty light southwesterly breeze."
Boats ranging in size from 25 to 100 feet are entered in 22 classes. The largest and fastest will start the 125-mile race at noon, followed at 10-minute intervals by other classes on opposites sides of the mile-long line split by the committee boat in the center. If all goes according to schedule, the last boats will start at 1:20 p.m.


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New York State ranks near the nation's top when it comes to legislative salaries and per-member spending by lawmakers, according to an Empire Center analysis of data from the National Conference of State Legislatures.
New York lawmakers in 2005 were paid the nation's third highest annual base salary at $79,500, according to the most recent NCSL salary data. Only lawmakers in California ($110,880) and Michigan ($79,650) were paid more than legislators in the Empire State. The NCSL data, made available by the Empire Center for Public Policy, can be found here.
Other state-by-state breakdowns made available by the Empire Center show that as of 2004, New York's legislative budget was the country's third largest and per-member spending by Empire State lawmakers ranked fourth nationwide, according to the latest NCSL budget figures for state Legislatures.


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Should employers be allowed to ask job applicants for the logins and passwords to their social network site profiles such as Facebook as part of employment background checks? The answer to this question may involve the next frontier of online privacy, suggests the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), after the Maryland Department of Corrections (DOC) asked a job candidate for his Facebook login information as part of a background check. Continue reading
Tag Archives: MySpace
Employers Firing Employees over Information Found on Popular Social Media Sites Face Legal Risks
By Thomas Ahearn, Employment Screening Resources (ESR) News Editor
A recent article on the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) website – 'Employers Tread a Minefield' – warns employers about "tripping over legal potholes in social media" if they choose to fire people over alleged social media infractions as more employees and job applicants access popular social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter.
While job seekers and employees have been warned that what they post on popular social network sites such as Facebook and Twitter during their private time could come back to haunt their public careers, employers are now increasingly facing questions about their own policies regarding social media usage that outlines what is, and what is not, appropriate.
Due to the fact that these social network sites are a virtual treasure trove of personal information about employees and job applicants, the WSJ article cautions employers about the potential for litigation over social media use of employees, citing several legal cases as examples.
- A National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) judge – in the federal agency's first 'social media complaint' – will soon consider whether a medical transportation company illegally fired a worker in Connecticut after she criticized her boss on Facebook (UPDATE: Connecticut Facebook Firing Settlement Talks in Works).
- Workers in New Jersey sued a restaurant company when they were dismissed after managers accessed a private Myspace page the employees set up to chat about work.
- A Silicon Valley company was sued twice for comments an anonymous blogger (who was also an attorney for the company at the time) made about two lawyers and their patent-infringement suit against the company.
- A former Georgia high school teacher has sued the local school district claiming that she was forced to resign her position over photos on Facebook that showed her drinking alcohol during a vacation in Europe.
While information about job applicants and employees found on social media may seem tempting to employers, viewing such information could lead to issues of discrimination, privacy, and authenticity and accuracy if a person is a victim of "cyber slamming."
Yet, despite these dangers, employers seem intent on using social media for screening. A 2009 survey of more than 2,600 hiring managers conducted by leading job networking site CareerBuilder.com found nearly half of employers – 45 percent – used social networking sites to research candidates. The survey also revealed that 35 percent of employers rejected job applicants based on what was uncovered on social networking sites. Of these 35 percent:
- 53 percent cited provocative/inappropriate photographs or information.
- 44 percent cited content about drinking or using drugs.
- 35 percent cited bad-mouthing of previous employers, co-workers or clients.
- 29 percent cited poor communication skills.
- 26 percent cited discriminatory comments.
- 24 percent cited misrepresentation of qualifications.
- 20 percent cited sharing confidential information from a previous employer.
Experts quoted in the WSJ article say the best defense against legal action for employers is to establish a social media policy and train employees about the policy, something that experts estimate that fewer than half of U.S. companies have done. In the meantime, the amount of legal action resulting from employer missteps in social media is likely to rise.
The issue of using social network sites such as Facebook to screen job candidates increasing the legal risk for employers was the Number 6 Background Screening Trend for 2011 for 2011. For a complete list of the Employment Screening Resources (ESR) Fourth Annual 'Top Ten Trends in Background Screening' for 2011, visit http://www.esrcheck.com/Top-Ten-Trends-In-Background-Screening-2011.php.
In addition, Lester Rosen, safe hiring expert and founder and President of Employment Screening Resources (ESR), a background check company accredited by The National Association of Professional Background Screeners (NAPBS), recently participated in a podcast on BackInfoSecurity.com, 'Background Checks: Beware Social Media,' and talked about how employers use, and sometimes abuse, social media for background checks. For more information, visit http://www.bankinfosecurity.com/podcasts.php?podcastID=951.
Founded in 1996 in the San Francisco area, Employment Screening Resources (ESR) wrote the book on background checks with 'The Safe Hiring Manual' by ESR founder and President Lester Rosen and is accredited by The National Association of Professional Background Screeners (NAPBS®) . To learn more about Employment Screening Resources, visit http://www.ESRcheck.com or contact Jared Callahan, ESR Director of Client Relations, at 415.898.0044 or email@example.com.
Senator Sends Letters to Social Networking Sites Facebook and MySpace after Wall Street Journal Reports Privacy Breach
By Thomas Ahearn, ESR News Blog
Senator John D. (Jay) Rockefeller IV, Chairman of the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, has sent letters to the heads of two popular social networking sites – Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg and MySpace President Michael Jones – requesting more information about privacy breaches recently reported in the Wall Street Journal (WSJ), according to a press release from the Senator that includes the text of both letters.
Senator Rockefeller states in both letters that he is troubled by a recent Wall Street Journal investigation report that revealed the practice of Facebook, MySpace, and affiliated applications (or "apps") transferring user IDs and user personal information to marketing firms, tracking companies, and third-party advertisers without their knowledge. As reported by the WSJ:
- Third-party applications have transferred Facebook users' personal information to marketing firms, data brokers and tracking companies. This violates Facebook's explicitly stated privacy policy.
- MySpace has shared user IDs with third-party advertisers. This has happened after users clicked on advertisements or accessed affiliated third-party applications.
Senator Rockefeller is quoted in the press release saying that these reports "raise serious questions about social networking sites' commitment to enforcing their own privacy policies on behalf of consumers" and that, as Chairman of the Senate Commerce Committee, he intends to "find out whether today's social networking sites are adequately protecting their users' personal information."
In the letter to Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, Senator Rockefeller requests answers – with specificity – to the following questions:
- 1) How does Facebook enforce its Privacy Policy relating to affiliated application operators and websites? What logistical protocols are in place to promote maximum compliance? What resources, including the number of personnel, does Facebook dedicate to monitoring and enforcing application operators' compliance with its Privacy Policy?
- 2) What penalties does Facebook impose on application operators and websites that violate the company's Privacy Policy? Are offending application operators allowed to continue to do business with Facebook?
- 3) Does Facebook take steps to retrieve information from application operators found in violation of the company's Privacy Policy?
- 4) The Journal article quotes a Facebook official that asserts the company has "taken steps… to significantly limit RapLeaf's ability to use any Facebook-related data." What exactly does this mean?
- 5) According to the Journal article, there appears to be a pattern of privacy infractions involving Facebook applications. Specifically, what other past problems has Facebook encountered with regard to applications, and what steps did Facebook take to rectify them? Are these applications still available on Facebook's platform?
- 6) To the extent that personal data has been shared in violation of Facebook's Privacy Policy, what steps has Facebook taken to notify individual users as to the specific information that has been mishandled, and who has had access to that information?
In the letter to MySpace President Michael Jones, Senator Rockefeller requests answers – again, with specificity – to the following questions:
- 1) Why does MySpace's Privacy Policy place the responsibility on Members to control their personal information when interacting with affiliated apps and advertisers, when other social networking sites have more restrictive policies that better protect consumer privacy?
- 2) Why does MySpace's Privacy Policy assert that the company "does not control" and "cannot dictate" the actions of third-party applications on how they retrieve and use Members' information when other social networking sites impose limits on the use of such information?
- 3) The definition of PII is very narrow and does not capture a range of consumer information – such as user IDs – that could be used to identify MySpace Members. Please explain the rationale behind this narrow definition of PII and how it differs from personal information that is considered non-PII.
- 4) How does MySpace reconcile the explicit terms of its own Privacy Policy with the Journal's report that the company "had pledged to discontinue the practice of sending personal data" to ad networks and similarly prohibited third-party application operators from doing so?
- 5) If MySpace has publicly pledged to prohibit such information transfers, how has this prohibition been enforced and what plans does MySpace have in place to effectively enforce its policy in the future?
The protection of Personally Identifiable Information (PII) of individuals – such as names, birthdates, addresses, identification such as Social Security Numbers (SSN) and driver's licenses, and financial data – should be reflected in the Privacy Policy of every company.
Employment Screening Resources (ESR) does not re-sell or "offshore" Personally Identifiable Information (PII) of individuals and all domestic background checks are performed exclusively in the United States. Once Personally Identifiable Information is offshored and leaves the U.S., the PII is beyond the reach of U.S. privacy laws. A large number of background screening firms have also taken a position against offshoring Personally Identifiable Information at http://www.concernedcras.com/no_offshoring.htm.
For more information about Employment Screening Resources (ESR), visit http://www.ESRcheck.com.
Employment Screening Resources (ESR) literally wrote the book on background checks with 'The Safe Hiring Manual' by ESR founder and President Lester Rosen. ESR is recognized as Background Screening Credentialing Council (BSCC) Accredited by the National Association of Professional Background Screeners (NAPBS®) for proving compliance with the Background Screening Agency Accreditation Program (BSAAP). For more information about Employment Screening Resources, visit http://www.ESRcheck.com.
Background Check Expert Lester Rosen Presents Webinar on How Social Media Use During Employment Screening Can Trigger Privacy Lawsuits
By Les Rosen, Employment Screening Resources
Lester Rosen, President of Employment Screening Resources (ESR), a leading international employment screening background check firm headquartered in the San Francisco area, will present a national webinar for a leading business information site on employment screening on Thursday, April 22, 2010 at 2:00 PM EST / 11:00 AM PST.
The webinar — How Social Media and Traditional Background Checks Trigger Privacy Lawsuits — is being presented by Business 21 Publishing, which provides multi-media corporate learning and employee training products. Participants in this 60-minute webinar will learn best practices to help screen employees thoroughly without violating the law.
In the webinar, Rosen — a nationally recognized expert on employment screening background checks — will address such topics as:
- The pros and cons of using social media internet sites such as Facebook, MySpace, and Twitter and how privacy and discrimination laws apply.
- What employers should do when they discover that a job candidate has a criminal record, a bad credit report or some other red flag.
- The Title VII implications of background checks and credit reports.
- The legal requirements under the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) and how state to state privacy laws also apply.
- The legal risks associated with "one button" automated background check systems.
- What applicants need to sign before and after the background check is complete.
- How employers should deal with independent contractors or temporary workers.
- Considerations when conducting International background checks.
"Hiring safe, qualified, and honest employees is mission critical for any business, and I am pleased to have the opportunity to help employers avoid the risks of a bad hire," commented Rosen. "Recruiters and hiring managers also need to understand the potential liabilities that employers can face if employment screening is done incorrectly or unfairly as well."
Mr. Rosen, who is also an attorney, is a writer and speaker on the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA), pre-employment screening, and safe hiring issues. In addition, he is the author of the first comprehensive book on employment screening — "The Safe Hiring Manual: The Complete Guide to Keeping Criminals, Imposters, and Terrorists Out of Your Workplace" — and also wrote an additional guide on the subject called "The Safe Hiring Audit."
Mr. Rosen's speaking appearances have included numerous national and statewide conferences. He has testified in the California, Florida, and Arkansas Superior Court as an expert witness on issues surrounding safe hiring and due diligence. Mr. Rosen was also the chairperson of the steering committee that founded the National Association of Professional Background Screeners (NAPBS), the professional trade organization for the screening industry, and served as the first co-chairman in 2004.
For more information about the webinar How Social Media and Traditional Background Checks Trigger Privacy Lawsuits, please visit: http://www.b21pubs.com/p-892-how-social-media-and-traditional-background-checks-trigger-privacy-lawsuits.aspx. More information about Employment Screening Resources (ESR) can be found at www.ESRcheck.com.
Source: http://www.b21pubs.com/p-892-how-social-media-and-traditional-background-checks-trigger-privacy-lawsuits.aspx
Lawsuits for use of Social Networking Sites for background Checks
By Les Rosen, Employment Screening Resources
2010 Trends in Screening — Trend Five: Lawsuits for Use of Social Networking Sites for Background Checks
In past posts, Employment Screening Resources (ESR) has labeled the use of the internet and social networking sites as a hot topic. In 2010 and onwards, it appears very likely that litigation over the use of these sites will be the hot topic.
One big issue of course is discrimination. Applicants can bring a "failure to hire" lawsuit if the employer utilized information from a social networking site about their race, ethnicity, nationality, martial status, religious preference, age, etc. Another issue yet to be decided is privacy. Even though the information is on the internet, strong arguments can be made that consumers have a reasonable expectation of privacy on websites where only friends are supposed to visit and the terms of use prohibit commercial exploitation. In addition, employers need to be careful about the use of legal off-duty conduct. There are also issues as to authenticity and whether a site really refers to or belongs to an applicant. Recruiters are also not immune from potential liability just because they are searching for "passive" candidates who may not know they are the victims of discrimination.
As ESR has described in past articles, discrimination rules apply equally to recruiters. And firms that use social network sites in a discriminatory fashion could find themselves in hot water if a recruiter spills the beans, or the recruiting practices results in a workforce that is statistically imbalanced. See: http://www.esrcheck.com/wordpress/775/the-rush-to-source-candidates-from-internet-and-social-networking-sites-2
Stay tuned to the ESR blog for updated information.
(Employment Screening Resources (ESR), a leading national online employment screening background firm, is releasing the "Third Annual Top Ten Trends in the Pre-Employment Background Screening Industry" for 2010. This is the FIFTH of the ten trends ESR will be tracking in 2010.)
Social Media Policy Tips
Guest blog: ESR invites partners to provide guest blogs. The following is an articles on Social Medial Policy Tips:
As Facebook, MySpace, LinkedIn, Twitter, YouTube and other such sites become more ingrained in our daily lives and habits, employers are scrambling to incorporate guidelines for responsible social media use into company policy manuals. But do all employers need a social media policy? Probably.
Your employees are already tweeting and posting comments, pictures and video. It's up to you to outline how (or if) you want them to reference your company in such settings. Understanding that you may want to give employees some flexibility to use social media, you should at least consider some guidelines that protect your company.
Here are some dos and dont's employers should consider when thinking about establishing social media policy.
DO: Create a social media policy that fits with your industry, philosophy and needs. Determine if your company can benefit from using social media outlets to communicate internally and with customers and/or vendors. Also consider the possible scenarios that could cause harm or damage to your company, customers and employees. This could include employees posting comments that may disparage your company reputation and/or posting negative comments about customers or clients.
DO: Make employees aware that they may be liable for content and information they post on blogs, social media sites and email. Let them know that their postings on public media sites may be monitored by the company and used as grounds for termination if it causes harm to the company, other employees and/or customers or vendors.
DO: Clearly communicate your social media policy to your employees. Include it in your new hire orientation, your employee handbook and, if applicable, your intranet and/or company blog. Have employees sign an "acknowledgement" that they read and received a copy of the policy. Ensure existing employees understand your policy in relation to proprietary and private information. Refer back to your existing confidentiality policy.
DO: Communicate how much time and when employees can access social media with company property or on their personal property during work hours. If you have a more flexible work environment, provide general guidelines (i.e. use the Internet within a reasonable amount of time without it affecting your work). Some companies may want to limit such activity to breaks (or not at all).
DON'T: Make subordinates feel uncomfortable with "friend requests." Balance this issue carefully to determine how much you want to mix your personal social media information with your business. For example, don't make employees feel coerced into accepting their boss as a "friend" or "follower." Some employees may want to keep their personal pages separate from their work identity, while others could perceive favoritism if you connect with some but not others.
DON'T: Let employees post offensive or harassing language, pictures or video that impact or harm your business, customer or employees on public media sites. Employees may not be aware that some of their personal sites are open to the public, including customers, vendors, supervisors and coworkers. Your social media policy should refer to your zero-tolerance harassment policy.
DON"T: Ignore the power of social media. Assign a person or department to monitor blogs and other social media sites to see what people are saying about your company. Respond to customer comments, deal with disparaging remarks and use it to see what others are saying about your competition.
Brenda Gilchrist, SPHR, is principal/cofounder of The HR Matrix, a Santa Rosa-based full-spectrum management firm specializing in human resources, organization development and employee recruitment. Contact her at (707) 526-0877 or email@example.com .
Background Check Expert Lester Rosen to Present at Seattle Conference on Social Networking sites
Employment Screening Resources a leading international employment screening background checking firm headquartered in the San Francisco area, announced that its president, Lester Rosen, will be presenting before the prestigious Staffing Management Association (SMA) of Seattle on September 16, 2009.
SMA's mission is to present practical and relevant information by bringing in top-notch recruiting and retention experts. See: http://www.emaseattle.org/events.shtml
Mr. Rosen will be addressing, Landmines, Pitfalls and Potential Law Suits – Understanding the Risks of Using Search Engines and Social Networking Sites to Screen Candidates.
"am very pleased to have opportunity to discus this cutting edge topic with to-notch staffing professionals in such a critical economic area as Seattle," commented Rosen. "There is evidence that recruiters and hiring managers are utilizing social network sites to make hiring decisions without taking into account the potential liabilities that employers can face if done incorrectly or unfairly. This talk is geared to starting a dialogue on the potential landmines that may be encountered if not done correctly."
Mr. Rosen will review a major new survey that demonstrates what percentage of employers use these sites, which sites they use, how often they are used to NOT hire someone, as well as the most frequently seen issues that turn-off employers.
Mr. Rosen, who is also an attorney, is a nationally recognized, expert, on employments screening background checks. He is a writer and speaker on the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA), pre-employment screening, and safe hiring issues. In addition, Mr. Rosen is the author of the first comprehensive book on employment screening, The Safe Hiring Manual Complete Guide to Keeping Criminals, Imposters and Terrorists Out of Your Workplace,a 500 pages plus guide that acts as the text book for the screening industry. He also wrote, "The Safe Hiring Audit."
 Mr. Rosen's speaking appearances have included numerous national and statewide conferences. He has testified in the California, Florida and Arkansas Superior Court as an expert witness on issues surrounding safe hiring and due diligence. Mr. Rosen was the chairperson of the steering committee that founded the National Association of Professional Background Screeners (NAPBS), the professional trade organization for the screening industry, and served as the first co-chairman in 2004.
More information about Employment Screening Resources can be found at www.ESRcheck.com
The Rush to Source Candidates from Internet and Social Networking Sites
The following article by ESR President Lester Rosen first appeared on www.recruitingtrends.com
The Rush to Source Candidates from Internet and Social Networking Sites — Let's Slow Down and Think About This for a Minute
What is sometimes overlooked in the rush to use the Internet to recruit is the one question that needs to be asked first: What are the legal risks in using the Internet for recruiting, and how do we manage those risks?
Discrimination allegations
Allegations of discrimination is one critical area where employers and recruiters can find themselves in hot water when utilizing social networking sites such as MySpace and Facebook (sometime shortened to "MyBook"). Recruiters may be accused of disregarding candidates who are members of protected classes by passing over the online profiles of people based on prohibited criteria such as race, creed, color, nationality, sex, religious affiliation, marital status, or medical condition. All of those are things that may be revealed by a Facebook or MySpace search. There may even be photos showing a physical condition that is protected by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) or showing someone wearing garb suggesting their religious affiliation or national origin. This issue is sometimes referred to as Too Much Information or TMI.
The problem is that once a recruiter is aware that an individual is a member of a protected group, it is difficult to claim that the recruiter can un-ring the bell and forget he or she ever saw it.
It could be argued that if a passive candidate is passed over because of discriminatory criteria revealed on a social network site, how they can be harmed, since they did not even know they were disregarded and are none the wiser. The problem with that approach is three-fold. First, discrimination and civil rights laws would likely still apply, even in recruiting passive candidates. Secondly, there are few secrets in the world. If a firm is using discriminatory criteria, a member of the recruiting team who feels uncomfortable about such a practice may well say something – either publicly on the web, or within the organization. Third, it can be argued that discriminatory criteria were being used if it turns out that the entire workforce happens to be homogeneous and does not include members of protected classes.
Of course, the analysis is complicated by the fact that the aggrieved individual may have placed the information on the web themselves. However, it would be challenging to suggest that a person somehow consented to discrimination by placing material on the web that was then used illegally by recruiters. Until Courts rule on these issues, employers can only try to apply established legal concepts to their online recruiting efforts.
Protection from allegations
The issue for employers and recruiters is how to protect themselves from allegations of discrimination if no further action is taken after the recruiter discovers on the Internet that a person is a member of a protected class. For employers that want to use social network sites to screen a current candidate, the safest path for the use of social network sites is to obtain consent, and only search once there has been a conditional job offer. This helps ensure that impermissible information is not considered before the employer evaluates an applicant using permissible tools, such as interviews, job-related employment tests, references from supervisors, and a background check. At that point, the reason for searching social networking sites would be to ensure that there is nothing that would eliminate the person for employment, such as saying nasty things about your firm, or if the applicant engaged in behavior that would damage the company, hurt business interests, or be inconsistent with business needs.
Different rules apply
For sourcers and recruiters who are looking for passive candidates, however, that approach does not apply. By definition, the recruiter does not have consent, since sourcing is at the start of the hiring process.
Sourcing Stage Considerations
Employers and recruiters in the sourcing stage may want to consider some of the following:
- Ensure each position has a detailed job description written for that specific position that clearly lays out the essential functions of the job and the knowledge, skills and abilities (KSA) required for the position.
- Have a clear internal policy that internet sourcing is NOT being used in violation of federal and state discrimination laws and that only factors that are a valid predictor of job performance will be considered, taking into account the job description and the KSA require for the job.
- Have documented training on legal recruiting techniques. The training should include clear information on what would constitute a discriminatory practice.
- Have a clear procedure that outlines key words, criteria, and methodology for sourcing, so recruiters can demonstrate that they are searching for objective requirements to be considered as part of the pool. Even better is if the criteria being used can be measured or have a metric attached.
- If someone meets the objective requirements but is not placed in the pool of potential candidates for other reasons, a recruiter may want to note why the exception is being made. For example, if the social networking website demonstrated behavior inconsistent with business interests, that should be noted.
Computer twins, cyber slamming, credibility and privacy
Of course, social network sites need to be taken with a grain of salt. Employers need to be careful that the site they are looking at actually refers to the applicant. Many Americans have online computer twins, people with similar names. Another problem is "cyber slamming," online smearing usually done anonymously, such as derogatory comments on websites or even setting up a fake website that does not truly belong to your applicant. Yet another issue is whether the statements made are even true and credible, keeping in mind that the idea behind these sites is friends talking to friends, and users of these sites have been known to embellish.
Another problem yet to be fully explored by the courts is privacy. Contrary to popular opinion everything online is not necessarily fair game. Certainly if a person has not adjusted the privacy setting so that his or her social network site is easily available from an Internet search, that person may have a more difficult time arguing that there is a reasonable expectation of privacy. However, the terms of use for many social network sites prohibit commercial use and many users literally believe that their social network site is exactly that, a place to freely socialize. The argument would be that in their circles, it is the community norm, and a generally accepted attitude, that MySpace or Facebook pages are off limits to unwelcome intruders, even if the door is left wide open. Another issue is legal off-duty conduct. A number of states protect workers engaged in legal off-duty conduct.
Until the courts sort this out, one thing does seem fairly certain if an employer uses subterfuge to gain access, such as by creating a fake online identity just to penetrate a social network site, then the privacy line has probably been crossed.
The bottom-line as always when using the Internet for employment related matters: Proceed With Caution. There has yet to be clear law or court cases that set forth how to proceed in this area. In the meantime, employers and recruiters may want to approach the Internet with some caution before assuming that everything is fair game in the pursuit of passive candidates.
Applicants also need to realize that those photos and writings that seemed funny in college may not play well in the job hunt. Applicants should not be the last to know what will show up on the internet, and if there is something an applicant wants to keep private, then he or she should either delete it or make certain they have adjusted their privacy setting on their favor social networking site to keep out intruders. Better yet, use your social networking site as a job hunting tool, by extolling your qualifications on the web.
For more information, see: www.ESRcheck.com
The Rush to Source Candidates from Internet and Social Networking Sites
A new article by Employment Screening Resources President Lester Rosen has appeared in the Recruiting Trends blog, sponsored by Kennedy Information for the purpose of providing leading edge insights and strategies for the recruiting professional. The blog offers articles by thought leaders and experts in the area of talent management and recruiting.
The article is titled: "The Rush to Source Candidates from Internet and Social Networking Sites – Let's Slow Down and Think About This for a Minute.â€
The article examines pitfalls and legal risk in the use of the internet for sourcing and screening. See: http://www.recruitingtrends.com/article/ART635215
Mr. Rosen, who is as an attorney at law, is a member of the Editorial Board and frequently presents at Kennedy Information Recruiting Conferences.
Has Bozeman, Montana Gone To Far? Requiring Access to Social Network Sites Can Open up a Pandora's Box of Legal Issues
According to a story published online by the Christian Science Monitor, the City of Bozeman, Montana has "requested that candidates provide their username and passwords for social networking sites such as Facebook, MySpace, and Twitter. The application asks that candidates "list any and all current personal or business Web sites, web pages, or memberships on any Internet-based chat rooms, social clubs, or forums, to include, but not limited to: Facebook, Google, Yahoo, YouTube.com, MySpace, etc." http://features.csmonitor.com/innovation/2009/06/19/montana-job-seekers-asked-for-facebook-myspace-logins/#comment-10827.
Although this is an evolving area of law, the City needs to tread very carefully in this area. First and foremost, they are opening themselves up to discrimination claims if the social network site reveals an applicant's membership in a protected group, such as race, nationality, ethnicity, religious afflation, marital status, physical condition, etc. This is especially an issue when asking for this information in the application stage where there can be an inference that such factors were used illegally to screen out candidates on the basis of their membership in a protected class. Even assuming that a review of such sites may be relevant to the job, it is best done later in the hiring process, so applicants can be assured they were considered fairly, before the City goes looking at private sites. The City should also formulate clear policies and procedures to ensure they are looking for factors that are valid predictors of job performance.
There are a number of other issues as well to consider. For an examination of some of the reasons the use of social network site can be dangerous, see the following ESR article: http://www.esrcheck.com/articles/Caution-Using-Search-Engines-MySpace-or-Facebook-for-Hiring-Decisions-May-Be-Hazardous-to-Your-Business.php.
Update: According to the latest news information, the City of Boozeman has dropped this requirement due to negative reactions. However, this blog post will remain since this is an ongoing issue.


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Orwell's description of Britain as a family with the wrong members in charge has always applied to English football, where, despite the vast wealth and glamour of the Premier League, the national team have not reached a World Cup final since 1966. The chances of the 2018 global tournament reaching its climax at Wembley have receded again with this latest bout of infighting.
England's World Cup bid must now proceed without the Premier League's figurehead, Sir Dave Richards, whose reasoning for standing down will give increasingly sceptical Fifa voters fresh cause for mirth. Richards said: "I can now best support a successful bid without the necessity of sitting on the board." In other words, the Premier League, a powerful independent republic within the national game, would like to help the bid by not being part of it.
This comes 11 days before sport's plutocrats assemble for the draw for Africa's first World Cup, in Cape Town, where the ubiquitous David Beckham will lead the English parade. For 2006, the faultlines in England's candidacy were arrogance, presumption and an inability to play politics as well as the Germans, who believed they had a gentlemen's agreement with the Football Association not to block Euro 96 (which was staged in England) in return for a clear run at the 2006 World Cup.
This time, vanity and resentment are playing havoc with the submission, which has been described as "lightweight" by Jack Warner, a leading Fifa powerbroker, and has already endured the obligatory free-gift brouhaha. The Mulberry handbags intended to delight the wives of Fifa's 24 executive committee members ended up being wielded against England's bid with a force Lady Thatcher would have envied.
The real story here is a ram-raid by the Premier League on the FA chairman and former New Labour apparatchik, Lord Triesman, who aroused the hostility of the top 20 clubs by attacking their levels of corporate debt. Triesman's belief that the English game is borrowing itself to oblivion has some validity. But it placed him on a crash course with a league that is now more powerful than the FA, itself weighed down by Wembley's construction cost and losses. Yesterday Richards took revenge.
This self-indulgent wrangling may already have ruined England's case to bring the game it invented "home" for the first time in more than 50 years. If the feuding chieftains cannot run a bid, why should they be trusted to run a World Cup? Few at Fifa will want to reward this self-destructive behaviour if Spain and Portugal, Russia and Australia can mount a more convincing argument.
Footballing cathedrals adorn the English landscape. The infrastructure of road, rail and hotels is adequate, if overpriced. But we prefer our side drama of power games and mutual handbagging. An assumption of England's bid is that the mother country "deserves" another World Cup after such a long wait. It's getting harder to say that with a straight face.


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LIAB 104:12/Description
From Erfwiki
Click here to go back to the panel.
At the foot of the Throne Room's staircase, Parson gets up to a crouch with a look of pure rage as he looks up at the camouflage Doll. His sword lies behind him, and the camouflage doll looms on the left.


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Complete your tropical Prom theme decorations with a lit palm tree! Sturdy wire structures store compactly and are easy to set up, take down, and transport. Great for use for multiple school events! Tree features brown wire mesh trunk and coconuts and green wire mesh palm fronds with clear mini light accents. Measures 7 ft. 5 in. x 5 ft. x 4 in.


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Stars end successful road trip on sour note in 6-3 loss to Devils
NEWARK, N.J. — Zach Parise made sure the night the New Jersey Devils honored former captain Scott Niedermayer ended on a winning note by scoring a goal and setting up three others in a 6-3 victory over the Dallas Stars on Friday.
David Clarkson, rookie Adam Henrique, Ilya Kovalchuk, Petr Sykora and Patrik Elias also scored as the Devils won their third straight and snapped the Stars' and rookie goaltender Richard Backman's three-game winning streak.
Johan Hedberg finished with 33 saves for the Devils.
Michael Ryder, Brendan Morrow and Toby Petersen scored for the Pacific Division-leading Stars, who went 3-2 on a road trip that covered 6.500 miles.
Niedermayer, who helped the Devils win the Stanley Cup in 1995, 2000 and 2003 while wearing No. 27, became the third Devils player to have his number retired.
It was appropriate that on a night the Devils honored a former captain, that the current captain led the way.
Parise made the biggest play of the game, with the Devils trailing 2-1 early in the second period and the Stars on a power play. He stripped the puck from defenseman Stephane Robidas just over the Dallas blue line, skated into the zone and found Henrique between the circles for a one-timer that tied it 2-2.
After that it was all New Jersey.
Kovalchuk put the Devils ahead for good at 12:12 of the middle period by taking a drop pass from Parise and ripping a shot over the shoulder of Bachman, who on Thursday night became the first Stars goalie to win his first three starts by beating the Islanders.
Sykora, who played with Niedermayer on the Devils' 2000 championship team, stretched the margin to 4-2 late in the period by tapping the rebound of Cam Janssen's shot out of the air and into the net.
Parise gave the Devils a three-goal lead in the third period, redirecting a perfect pass by rookie Adam Larsson past a defenseless Bachman.
Ryder gave the Stars a 1-0 lead by putting in the rebound of Loui Eriksson's shot at 8:40 of the first period, but Clarkson tied it with a bad-angle shot from low in the left circle with less than five minutes left in the period.
Morrow put Dallas ahead again by capping a great tic-tac-toe play. He took a pass from Mike Ribeiro and put the puck into an open net.
Parise then changed the momentum with his steal and feed, and by the end of the night the crowd chanted "Niedermayer."
NOTES: Devils D Henrik Tallinder was a late scratch because of back spasms. … Parise has assists in three straight games. … Stars C Tomas Vincour sat out after spraining a knee against the Islanders on Thursday. … Devils C Travis Zajac played for the first time this season after missing 30 games because of an Achilles' tendon injury sustained in the offseason.


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Thanks for visiting my blog!!
I am so excited (and hope you will be too) because I've been keeping a secret for a while and now I finally get to share it with you.
I feel like Oprah Winfrey, because during the month of August, we will get to know a digital artist that we all love and admirer…Mo Manning! I will ask Mo about what inspires her to create the digital artwork we love so much, and how she got her start in the digi world, plus so much more!
Yep, I will interview Mo the artist behind Mo's Digital Pencil Too and those super cute digi stamps we can't create without! If you have never heard of Mo, then what rock have you been hiding under? *gigl* Whether you're a dedicated follower or newbie to Mo's beautiful artwork, you are in for a treat.
Also, for anyone that signs up to follow my blog, you'll be entered in a drawing for a chance to win blog candy from the artist at the end of the month. The fun begins August 1st…so you don't want to miss out!!
See you on the 1st!!
Now get to creating…
CandyRemember: There are no mistakes in card making, only opportunities for creativity!


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Stephen was distressed when he called tonight with his report. He was emotionally exhausted and sick with worry over James' state of mind.
"Based on what was presented to the jury today, the case is still a draw," Stephen said. "But after the jury left the courtroom, Judge Carter said that the state had failed to prove at least two of the charges"—presumably the rape charge and the child abuse charge—"and that he was considering adding more sub-charges to the two charges the state could prove"—presumably the child endangerment and false police report charges.
Jefferson Sanders stormed out of the courtroom saying, "Well why don't you just fucking let him go?!" A couple bailiffs started to pursue Sanders, and the judge stopped them saying, "We'll deal with him tomorrow."
When James heard the judge's words, he crumpled, buried his face in his hands, and cried despondently. He refused words of comfort from Claiborne, and Stephen was not allowed near him. Stephen waited in vain all evening for a call from James and hopes that James will get some rest before tomorrow's proceedings.
Everyone (not least of all James) was surprised by the judge's statement. It impresses me as evidence that Judge Bobby Carter still regards his role as more prosecutorial than impartial—he was, after all, an assistant prosecutor before he was elected judge. When Carter ran for office, his boss prosecutor Bill Gibbons was Chairman of the Committee to Elect Bobby Carter Judge of the Division Three Criminal Court in Memphis, Shelby County Tennessee. As one website asked, "What better way [for the prosecutor] to win cases than to have your own hand picked judges?"
Witnesses called today by the prosecution included Brandon Wilkins, the neighbor James got to call 911; Shawn Tucker, the first responding police officer on the scene; Demar Wells, a crime scene investigator, Sergeant C.J. Ray, a detective for sex crimes-juvenile division and the guy who didn't believe James when he tried to tell the truth and said they'd already "thrown away the key"; and Marrvin Lee, a corrections officer from the juvenile detention center who had confiscated the drawing by James.
It was revealed in court that a nearly identical drawing was provided to police by Jefferson Sanders who claimed he had retrieved it from James' room—a curious claim, since James says he only made one such drawing (at the detention center after the incident), and because Sanders was no longer living at home since his relationship with Monica had become estranged. It also seems curious that this second drawing had not been discovered by crime scene investigators if it had indeed been in James' room as Sanders claims. Given Sanders' history of tormenting James and trying to destroy him (see https://wandervogeldiary.wordpress.com/2012/06/10/father-knows-beast/), and in the light of yesterday's sly gambit, it seems entirely possible that this second drawing could have been produced by Sanders for presentation to the police as damning evidence.
Though they are still on the prosecution's witness list, brothers Noah and Micah Scheulin (see https://wandervogeldiary.wordpress.com/2012/06/16/fever/) did not appear in court today. Stephen speculates that they were no-shows based on the fact that Noah is now living in Minnesota and Micah was to have moved there soon. The prosecution plans to wrap up its presentation tomorrow with only two witnesses, nurse Nina Sublett and her supervisor, who examined Neily Shea's injuries on the night of the incident. You can count on graphic photographs being presented.
Groove of the Day
Listen to Carl Light and the Bodydecker performing "Web of Lies"


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Sandro DeAngelis has good reason to be pulling for the Los Angeles Angels in the American League Championship Series.
After all, football kickers form a tight union.
The Calgary Stampeders rookie placekicker and Angels first-baseman Darin Erstad are Nebraska Cornhuskers alumni, with Erstad toiling as a punter for the Huskers' 1994 national championship squad.
The following year Erstad was drafted first overall by the Angels, although an NFL career was also a possibility.
"To do the things he did -- be the top pick in the baseball draft and be the punter on a national championship team -- that's amazing," DeAngelis said after yesterday's Stampeders walkthrough for tonight's CFL clash with the visiting Hamilton Tiger-Cats.
"A lot of people said he could have punted in the NFL, too. That shows you the type of athletic ability he has.
"To be the first-overall pick in is no joke and it goes to show you what kind of athlete that guy is."
A first-baseman whose Angels are tied 1-1 with the Chicago White Sox for a berth in the World Series, the 31-year-old Erstad has maintained strong ties to his old school.
He even donated a portion of his $8.5-million US contract to his alma mater.
"He came and spoke to the team and donated a million dollars to the new stadium project they're doing," said DeAngelis, a Husker for five seasons (2000-04).
"There's quite a legacy with him in Nebraska.
"One of the trainers was very close to him and had his Angels jersey hanging up in his office, so Erstad was a guy who everybody, absolutely everybody, knew and loved."


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"It's the Flo family," I breathed, hardly able to believe what I saw. Three sodden chimpanzees huddled in a small fig tree opposite the tent. There was tough old Flo with seven-year-old Figan and little Fifi, just four and a half. Then, as we watched, Flo lifted a hand—and there were not three chimps, but four! It was only a glimpse, but we could clearly see the tiny black infant clinging to its mother's warm dry belly.
Baby Hastens Return to Chimpland
A brief message in Swahili had brought us hurrying back from London to Tanzania's Gombe Stream Game Reserve beside Lake Tanganyika. For four years, on the grassy ridges and in the forested valleys there, we had been learning intimate details of the life and ways of wild chimpanzees.
"Flo amekwisha kuzaa," said the letter from our cook Dominic, who looked after the camp in our absence, "Flo has had her baby."
We had not been able to return immediately. I had to finish my term at Cambridge University, and we had a rather important engagement on March 28, 1964, in London—Hugo and I were married. Limiting our honeymoon to three days, we rushed back to East Africa to see the new chimpanzee infant.
Now as we sat there—the chimps, Hugo, and I—waiting for the rain to stop, I recalled the early, arduous days, with this same old tent as my shelter, when the chimps scattered in fright before the strange hairless primate who had invaded their territory.
But gradually they had accepted me, and I had begun to fill in the pattern of their behavior. I had discovered how the chimpanzees, as they search the mountains for food, travel in small temporary groups based mainly on personal friendships, sleeping like true nomads where dusk finds them.
Of major importance had been the discovery that these chimpanzees use, and even make, crude tools for capturing and eating termites and ants. And finally, we had witnessed and recorded on motion-picture film the remarkable stylized display that we have called a "rain dance".
Only after months of observation, however, had I begun to understand the subtleties of the relationships between individuals and the complexities of chimpanzee communication.
This had first become possible thanks to David Greybeard, who had come to my camp in 1962 and accepted a banana from my hand. To share his good fortune, his friends had followed, first Goliath and William and then others, including Flo and her children.
Then had come the day, after four years of preoccupation with her daughter Fifi, when Flo had become sexually attractive again. She was trailed into camp by a retinue of 15 males, who mustered up courage to grab some bananas. Thereafter they returned again and again.
At this point we realized what a splendid arrangement we had hit upon—being able to make regular observations, in one location, of the various individuals of this nomadic community. Thus the Banana Club, begun so casually, developed into an organized feeding system that yielded results of major scientific significance. One of the most important was to be our continuous record of the development of the new baby now so unbelievably close to us, nestled on his mother's lap.


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LEO Training, Good Enough?
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April 23, 2011, 09:33 PM
Senior Member
Join Date: November 15, 2007
Location: Outside KC, MO
Posts: 10,128
I wouldn't expect such a thread to last too long, though. Cop-bashing isn't looked upon kindly here. Lot of cop members, and probably most of the rest of us have cop friends or family.
FWIW, of the tickets I received over the years, I only was offended by one: I hadn't seen the school zone light flashing overhead, because I was behind a semi. I passed the semi; saw the two police officers with their radar guns, and thought nothing of it as I was at or under what I thought the speed limit was.
I explained this when I got pulled over, after the officer told me the speed limit was 15, not 35, due to the flashing school zone light (I also hadn't realized the school was on that block). The officer said, "We thought it was odd, since you were looking right at us." But then he wrote the ticket anyway.
I found that annoying, but technically I was speeding, even if it hadn't been my intention.
Now, the other tickets I've received, I had coming. And I was very pleased on the rare occasions that I received warnings (not that rare, in hindsight; 1/3 of the times I was stopped, I got warnings).
I suspect most people would have to admit the same - most tickets are justified, and the police are more likely to give a warning where a ticket could be given, than a ticket that's totally unjustified.
Sorry for the veer.
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Were you satisfied with your Christmas online holiday shopping experience? That's the question that researcher ForeSee Results asked more than 9,000 US Christmas shoppers to find which retailers provide the most satisfying shopping.
Retailers were graded on a 1-100 scale with 100 the most satisfied. In the results, those who shopped online gave their experience an average satisfaction rating of 90, while offline retail shopping received an average rating of 72. I guess even holiday shipping delays are preferable to the mad, chaotic rush of retail shopping on black Friday.
ForeSee Results also identifies the top 40 ranked retailers this holiday season, with Amazon.com and Netflix leading the pack with tied ratings of 84. Some other big successes were Walmart, Staples, Hewlet Packard, and Target, which saw the greatest increases in customer satisfaction from last year. Overall, the top 5 retailers for customer satisfaction were Amazon.com, Netflix, QVC.com, Apple, and Barnes and Noble.
But all is not good news, as 15 of the top 40 retailers had declining customer satisfaction from last year. Some of those retailers which dropped were among the top 5, with Netflix, QVC.com, and Apple all losing ground this year over last year's customer satisfaction ratings.
The biggest drops, though, were experienced by Circuit City, the Gap, and the Home Shopping Network, which tied for last place with retailers Overstock.com, Home Depot, and Neiman Marcus, all with a rating of 69.
With the economy in poor shape, customer satisfaction is an important factor. The research notes that satisfied customers are 65 percent more likely to buy from the same retailer, which suggests a shift to online shopping overtaking brick-and-mortar retail experience.