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The CFA, ECOWAS and Monetary Union
One aspect of the effects of the global recession has been the strong pressures impacting on the monetary arrangements of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) or in French the Communauté économique des Etats de l'Afrique de l'ouest (CEDEAO). This regional grouping of fifteen African states (Benin, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, Côte d'Ivoire, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Liberia, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, and Togo) contains Francophone, Anglophone and one Lusophone states. These nations joined together in the Treaty of Lagos in 1975 in an effort to construct an economic and monetary union which would promote growth, stability and the integration of the economic development in the region. ECOWAS was also designed to become part of an even larger union, the African Economic Community.
The core of the difficulties in maintaining and controlling such a monetary union has been the complicated relationship within ECOWAS between the formerly-French West African states who use the CFA franc (the Financial Community of Africa - Communauté financière d'Afrique, CFA franc) as their common currency and the non-francophone (except Guinea) states in the region who do not use the CFA franc. These eight CFA states are members of the customs and currency union, the West African Economic and Monetary Union (Union économique et monétaire ouest-africaine) WAEMU which co-exists within the wider ECOWAS organization. WAEMU represents seven francophone West African states (Benin, Burkina Faso, Côte d'Ivoire, Mali, Niger, Senegal, and Togo) plus the lusophone Guinea-Bissau. This WAEMU was established by the Treaty of Dakar in 1994.
There are actually two separate CFA francs in circulation. The first is that of the West African Economic and Monetary Union (WAEMU). The second is that of the Central African Economic and Monetary Community (CEMAC) which comprises six Central African countries (Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Congo-Brazzaville, Equatorial Guinea and Gabon).
The other states within ECOWAS use their own currencies but have pledged to introduce a common currency within their own grouping, the West African Monetary Zone, WAMZ, by the end of this year 2009. These states (Ghana, Guinea, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, the Gambia and soon Liberia) hope to introduce a new common currency, the ECO, to rival the CFA franc and, eventually to merge the ECO and the CFA franc into a single monetary unit for the region. The pace of these developments is very slow.
One of the primary problems in dealing with the CFA is that it is not within the purview or competence of African officials to regulate the value or changes in the CFA franc. This was the sole responsibility of the French Treasury officials, and now, the French officials seconded to the European Central Bank (ECB). This is a result of an incomplete decolonization by France of its former colonies in Africa. [i]
The French Legacy
The creation and maintenance of the French domination of the francophone African economies is the product of a long period of French colonialism and the learned dependence of the African states. For most of francophone Africa there are only limited powers allocated to their central banks. These are economies whose vulnerability to an increasingly globalised economy expands daily. There can be no trade policy without reference to currency; there can be no investment without reference to reserves. The African politicians and parties elected to promote growth, reform, changes in trade and fiscal policies are made irrelevant except with the consent of the French Treasury which rations their funds. There are many who object to the continuation of this system. President Abdoulaye Wade of Senegal has stated this very clearly: "The African people's money stacked in France must be returned to Africa in order to benefit the economies of the BCEAO member states. One cannot have billions and billions placed on foreign stock markets and at the same time say that one is poor, and then go beg for money...." [ii]
This system of dependence is a direct result of the colonial policies of the French Government. In the immediate post-war period after the signing of the Bretton Woods Agreement in July 1944 the French economy urgently needed to recover from the several disasters of the Second World War. To assist in this process it set up the first CFA amongst its African colonies to guarantee a captive market for its goods.
The principal decision which resulted from the Bretton Woods Agreement was the abandonment of the Gold Standard. In short, the new system gave a dominant place to the dollar. The other currencies saw their exchange rate indexed to the dollar. The reserves of the European central banks at that time consisted of currencies of dubious post-war value and gold which had been de-pegged from the fluctuations of the currency. For this reason France needed the currencies of its colonies to support its competitiveness with its American and British competitors. De Gaulle and his main economic advisor, Pierre Mendès France met with some African leaders and developed a Colonial Pact which would enshrine this is in a treaty (with both public and secret clauses).
"Following the devaluation of the French Franc, it was naturally expected that the currency which was also circulating in Francophone Africa would also be devalued. Instead, France decided to create a new currency for its African colonies on 26 December 1945. The newly created CFA was however not devalued but overvalued. In deciding to overvalue the new currency, the CFA zone economies were effectively excluded from the international market as their products became too expensive on the competitive global market.
There remained only one market for the CFA zone, and that was France their colonial master. This enabled Metropolitan France to appropriate to itself the raw materials needed for its post-War and young industries. The colonies were tied hand and foot to serve Metropolitan France as other markets closed their doors to their expensive products. Thus through the new CFA currency, France was able to economically re-colonize its African colonies that had earlier been cut off from Paris as a result of the War". [iii]
Decolonization south of the Sahara did not happen as de Gaulle had intended. He had wanted to create a Franco-African Community that stopped short of total independence. But, when Sekou Toure's Guinea voted "no" in the 1958 referendum on that Community, the idea was effectively dead. Guinea was severely punished because of its decision and the French soon had to proceed towards allowing the independence of its colonies but at the price of a strict continuing control over their economies. They agreed at independence to be bound by the Pacte Colonial.
The key to all this was the agreement signed between France and its newly-liberated African colonies which locked these colonies into the economic and military embrace of France. This Colonial Pact not only created the institution of the CFA franc, it created a legal mechanism under which France obtained a special place in the political and economic life of its colonies.
The Pacte Colonial Agreement enshrined a special preference for France in the political, commercial and defense processes in the African countries. On defense it agreed two types of continuing contact. The first was the open agreement on military co-operation or Technical Military Aid (AMT) agreements, which weren't legally binding, and could be suspended according to the circumstances. They covered education, training of servicemen and African security forces. The second type, secret and binding, were defense agreements supervised and implemented by the French Ministry of Defense, which served as a legal basis for French interventions. These agreements allowed France to have predeployed troops in Africa; in other words, French army units present permanently and by rotation in bases and military facilities in Africa; run entirely by the French.
According to Annex II of the Defense Agreement signed between the governments of the French Republic, the Republic of Ivory Coast, the Republic of Dahomey and the Republic of Niger on 24 April 1961, France has priority in the acquisition of those "raw materials classified as strategic." In fact, according to article 2 of the agreement, "the French Republic regularly informs the Republic of Ivory Coast (and the other two) of the policy that it intends to follow concerning strategic raw materials and products, taking into account the general needs of defense, the evolution of resources and the situation of the world market."
According to article 3, "the Republic of Ivory Coast (and the other two) inform the French Republic of the policy they intend to follow concerning strategic raw materials and products and the measures that they propose to take to implement this policy." And to conclude, article 5: "Concerning these same products, the Republic of Ivory Coast (and the two others) for defense needs, reserve them in priority for sale to the French Republic, after having satisfied the needs of internal consumption, and they will import what they need in priority from it." The reciprocity between the signatories was not a bargain between equals, but reflected the actual dominance of the colonial power that had, in the case of these countries, organized "independence" a few months previously (in August 1960).
In summary, the colonial pact maintained the French control over the economies of the African states; it took possession of their foreign currency reserves; it controlled the strategic raw materials of the country; it stationed troops in the country with the right of free passage; it demanded that all military equipment be acquired from France; it took over the training of the police and army; it required that French businesses be allowed to maintain monopoly enterprises in key areas (water, electricity, ports, transport, energy, etc.). France not only set limits on the imports of a range of items from outside the franc zone but also set minimum quantities of imports from France. These treaties are still in force and operational. [iv]
The WAEMU CFA franc is issued by the BCEAO (Banque Centrale des Etats de l'Afrique de l'Ouest). This currency was originally pegged at 100 CFA for each French franc but, after France joined the European Community's Euro zone at a fixed rate of 6.65957 French francs to one Euro, the CFA rate to the Euro was fixed at CFA 665,957 to each Euro, maintaining the 100 to 1 ratio. It is important to note that it is the responsibility of the French Treasury to guarantee the convertibility of the CFA to the Euro.
The monetary policy governing such a diverse aggregation of countries is uncomplicated because it is, in fact, operated by the French Treasury, without reference to the central fiscal authorities of any of the WAEMU states. Under the terms of the agreement which set up these banks and the CFA the Central Bank of each African country is obliged to keep at least 65% of its foreign exchange reserves in an "operations account" held at the French Treasury, as well as another 20% to cover financial liabilities.
The CFA central banks also impose a cap on credit extended to each member country equivalent to 20% of that country's public revenue in the preceding year. Even though the BCEAO has an overdraft facility with the French Treasury, the drawdowns on that overdraft facility are subject to the consent of the French Treasury. The final say is that of the French Treasury which has invested the foreign reserves of the African countries in its own name on the Paris Bourse.
The central banks of these 2 zones (the Central Bank of West African States (BCEAO) for WAEMU and the Bank of the Central African States (BEAC) for CEMAC) have supranational status. For each zone, the reserves of member states are pooled; members have no independent monetary policy and no possibility of undermining the central bank's independence or monetizing public deficits.
This fixed exchange rate regime draws its credibility from monetary agreements with France that, via the Treasury, guarantee the convertibility of the CFA franc and provide the central banks an overdraft facility (compte d'opération) to meet liquidity needs. As a counterparty to this guarantee, 50% of their reserves must be placed within the French Treasury in the compte d'opération. The reserves must amount at least to 20% of central bank short-term liabilities. If the reserves are below this level (or if the compte d'opération is in debit) for more than one quarter, the central banks must take corrective measures (interest rate increases, credit rationing, and seizure of foreign exchange available in the zone). [v]
In short, more than 80% of the foreign reserves of these African countries are deposited in the "operations accounts" controlled by the French Treasury. The two CFA banks are African in name, but have no monetary policies of their own. The countries themselves do not know, nor are they told, how much of the pool of foreign reserves held by the French Treasury belongs to them as a group or individually. The earnings of the investment of these funds in the French Treasury pool are supposed to be added to the pool but no accounting is given to either the banks or the countries of the details of any such changes. The limited group of high officials in the French Treasury who have knowledge of the amounts in the "operations accounts", where these funds are invested; whether there is a profit on these investments; are prohibited from disclosing any of this information to the CFA banks or the central banks of the African states.
Prof Nicholas Agbohou, author of Le Franc CFA et l'Euro Contre l'Afrique, and an ardent critic of the CFA-French relationship stated the dilemma clearly in a recent interview: "The economy of any given country is managed by its central bank or in the case of a regional community such as the Economic and Monetary Union of West African Stares (UEMOA), their central hank, the BCEAO, manages the economies of the member states. A central bank, in turn, is managed by an administrative council that determines the running of the bank. A central bank is therefore an important component of a country's economy as it is the principal bank of any country. Commercial banks give credit to individuals or institutions. The interest rate on credit is increased or lowered in conformity with the socio-economic development objectives of the country. For instance, if the central bank wishes to inject credit into the economy to favor the growth of entrepreneurship, the interest rate is lowered.
The CFA zone central banks' administrative councils are composed of: 16 administrators, 2 of them French in the BCEAO; 13 administrators, 3 of them French in the BEAC; and 8 administrators, 4 of them French in the BCC.
Questioner: But the French are in a minority here?
Agbohou: Yes, but in reality the paradox is that it is their reduced number that poses problems in as far as the less visible the French in these administrative councils, the more they are able to give the naive Africans the illusion that they (the Africans) are the masters in control due to their numerical strength.
The sad truth is that this French minority has "blocking powers", in other words the French enjoy veto powers on any major decisions taken by the banks' administrative councils.
For a decision to be valid at the BEAC, it must be unanimously approved by all the members of the administrative council. At the Comoros Central Bank or BCC, at least five of the eight administrators must approve a decision. At all times, no decision can be approved without the French. France is, therefore, in a position to block any major decisions taken by these banks. So if a decision favoured by the Comorian representatives at the BCC does not tally with French interests, the French administrators have the power to block it. The way these central banks function, therefore, legalise and perpetuate the direct intervention of France in the vertebral column of the CFA zone economies. Even to appoint the governor of the BEAC for instance, the candidacy is proposed by Gabon, but it must be approved by Paris which seeks to ensure that the governor is malleable and ready to dance to French tunes to the detriment of African economic interests." [vi]
This makes it impossible for African members to regulate their own monetary policies. The most inefficient and wasteful countries are able to use the foreign reserves of the more prudent countries without any meaningful intervention by the wealthier and more successful countries.
Perhaps the best description of these anomalies can be found in the writings of the Cameroonian economist Célestin Monga [vii] "The crux of the matter comes down to the plain, unvarnished truth that the much praised advantages of the Franc zone primarily buttress a captive market tailor made to suit certain French businessmen installed in Africa, which concomitantly serves the transactions of corrupt African elites who regularly journey to France to augment their personal deposits in Parisian banks. While they are over here, why not offer themselves Pierre Cardin suits and shopping sprees without worrying about exchange rates? As for some farsighted French or African businessmen who would be interested in creating small businesses or developing industries on a durable basis, they are more concerned by the structural problem of mechanically, deteriorating profitability which persists when the currency of a weak economy is tied to the fixed exchange rate of an overly strong currency such as the euro.
What interests job creators aren't the modest inflation rate conjured up by the advocates of the Franc CFA but the opportunities for commercializing their production. From this standpoint, the monetary policies of black African countries adhering to the Franc zone continue to suffer from a rash of self-inflicted masochism." [viii]
The Challenge of the CFA
The major problem with the CFA franc is that because of its pegging to a fixed rate to the Euro its value reflects the successes or failures of European monetary policies, not African realities. For the last few years the rising value of the Euro relative to the US dollar has made African primary products much less competitive than the unfettered currency might have achieved. As Monga continues: "At a time when the world's economy is slowing down, when the crisis of the international financial system and the stock markets threaten developing countries with recession, it is hard to understand why Francophone African countries, which rely almost exclusively on exports for their development still accept monetary arrangements that leave them no room for maneuver as far as external competition or internal economic policy is concerned. To make matters worse, the imports of these countries are usually billed in Euros whereas exports are paid back in dollars. A strong euro against a weak dollar not only overrates the franc CFA (making for a loss of price competitiveness for export products on international markets), but also means a loss of export volume and therefore tax revenues." [ix]
This is particularly true for the range of African commodity prices. In the Standard and Chartered Bank Global Focus [x] this point was stated succinctly: Commodities account for over 80% of the CFA franc zone's exports and, given their impact on the balance of payments, budgets, and growth, have a strong influence on the policy stance toward the peg. In 1994, depressed commodity prices led to macroeconomic imbalances and contributed to the devaluation. Commodity prices, particularly oil, were booming for much of 2008, pushing up international reserves and leading to a rapid improvement in the barometer. The picture differed between WAEMU and CEMAC, however. Rising oil prices negatively impacted WAEMU countries (net oil importers) but strongly benefited CEMAC countries (net oil exporters). Furthermore, oil prices increased faster than prices of cocoa, gold, and cotton, which are key WAEMU exports. The cotton sector is of high importance to some WAEMU countries (Benin, Burkina Faso, and Mali) in terms of export receipts and employment, it is estimated that 15-20 million people in WAEMU depend on the sector for their livelihoods. Cotton prices did not boom to the same extent as other commodity prices, rising only modestly since 2006. (They are even more depressed in local-currency terms.) [xi]
The vulnerability of the WAEMU to the pressures of the high Euro-dollar spread were not felt by the other African states in ECOWAS, especially Nigeria. In Nigeria the windfall profits of $147 a barrel oil greatly enhanced the economic health of the country and its acquisition of substantial monetary reserves. As an important oil and gas producing state its fortunes burgeoned. The high prices paid for cocoa produced increasing income for Ghana and Guinea benefitted from the rising price of bauxite. These commodities are principally traded in dollars. More importantly, these two states were not bound by the restrictions of the Pacte Colonial and could purchase their imports outside the European market (France) and thus had a much lower vulnerability to a rising Euro.
Now, in the wake of the global credit crunch there are more worrying changes. The principal worry is the state of the French economy and the pressures on a Euro to cope with the vast monetary and fiscal divergences among the 27 states. The ECB has lowered interest rates but seems incapable of pursuing a monetary policy which will resolve the differences among the several European states. The French government has recently allocated 428 billion Euros to stimulate growth in the French economy, a large part of which will be directed at infrastructural projects. This does not leave a lot of cash to assist its African dependencies. The declining value of the African reserves, bound up in investments in a falling French stock market has diminished the ardor for French subsidies of development projects in such economic basket cases as Niger, Mali, Burkina Faso and others. France has shown itself unwilling to continue to finance the stationing in Africa of so many troops, including those wearing the blue berets of the United Nations. Even for those states which have discovered oil and gas reserves the falling price of oil has threatened many budgetary plans.
In the Anglophone countries of ECOWAS there is also a marked effect of the global crisis on the local economies. In Nigeria, long the powerhouse of the West African economy there has been a precipitous decline in the value of the Naira. The continuing crisis in the Niger Delta and the threat of the restriction of oil output by the rebels has increased the lack of confidence in the long-term stability of the Nigerian economy. The Christmas coup in Guinea, and the subsequent suspension of the country from ECOWAS, makes it much more problematic for a rapid restoration of income to the country from the vast mineral wealth which had been flowing to the recently deceased president's coffers. In short, there is little about the WAMZ states that would lead investors to expect growth, stability or a common economic policy. There appears to be little chance of an agreement on a common currency by the end of 2009. Still less is there a chance of uniting the WAMZ currencies with the CFA.
In a recent address, the Deputy Governor of The Bank of Ghana, Mr Van Lare Doso, said that even if the ECO was introduced it would take Ghana three years or more to make it legal tender. [xii]
There is little expectation that the current economic climate will bring windfall benefits to West Africa. The fundamental reason for this is neither the state of the world's economy nor the piratical domination of the CFA zone by the French; although they play a part. The reason why common markets, customs unions or multinational groups survive and thrive is because the constituent states trade with each other. The reasoning behind the formation of the European Economic Community; the EFTA and similar variants of these models is that the European states were trading heavily with each other. The uneconomic interference of customs duties, tariffs, currency restrictions, if scrapped, would be beneficial to all the partners. Despite the parallel battle over Federalism within the EU it has been clear that there have been positive and sustained gains for most parties from the creation of the union. Indeed it has succeeded in attracting ever more candidates to the union.
This is not true in Africa. There is very little intra-African trade; indeed most of that is the result of land-locked countries having to rely on neighbors for transit business. Intra-African trade, even in foodstuffs, is a small (around 5%) of national trade for most countries in ECOWAS. Some of this is due to producing raw materials which are exported to countries which are equipped to process them; the lack of a large and sophisticated domestic market for semi-finished goods which can be further processed; the lack of efficient storage facilities and, most importantly, the woeful lack of intra-African transport facilities.
Africa is a vast continent of immense resources but with very poorly developed transport integration with other centres of commerce. This lack of integration with the rest of the trading world is a heavy burden on African exporters and has led to a situation in which an enormous percentage of the prices realized by African exports in the world marketplace is paid for in transport costs. In the developed world these transport and insurance costs make up about 5.5%-5.8% of the delivered price. In some countries in Africa the cost of transport and insurance can make up to almost 80% of the cost of goods or products delivered to the world markets. Moreover, absent a developed intra-African air or sea service, this 80% of the market price for African products is paid to foreign companies in the developed world; and paid in U.S. dollars. This burden of external payments has a marked effect on currency price pressures as well.
To illustrate this one can work backwards. If the market price of a good is determined by the price at the destination than that price is the CIF price. If the transport and insurance costs account for such a high percentage of this price, it then follows that to be competitive; the African exporter must reduce his FOB price to reflect this differential. For example, if manganese ore sells at $250 per ton CIF Western Europe and transport costs of this manganese amount to $60 per metric ton, then the maximum FOB price of the manganese ore FOB Africa cannot be more than $190 per metric ton. The price of transport and, most frequently insurance, is not controlled by the African exporter. He is at the mercy of the shippers for whom transport rates are escalating.
Another important aspect of Africa's dilemma is that the transport patterns which have emerged as a result of the outsourcing of international transport has been the continuation of links between African countries and the traditional colonial markets; e.g. Anglophone Africa to Great Britain; Francophone Africa to France; Lusophone Africa to Portugal, etc. North-South traffic is the most frequent African transport route; East-West Africa is almost unknown. Western Europe still takes about 50% of Africa's exports. With the growth of major petroleum and gas exports from Africa since 1992 this figure of 50% is, in itself, misleading as these high value exports mask a concomitant decline in the value of African non-hydrocarbon exports. These trade patterns have led to ludicrous anomalies. Fresh produce from Southern Africa is shipped to Europe and then trans-shipped again to West Africa. Tobaccos often follow this routing. The hungry displaced civilians in Africa's regional wars in Liberia, Sierra Leone, Angola and the D.R. Congo were forced to import expensive food from Europe via the World Food Program while African exporters of food had to send their products to Europe at low prices because of the transport nexus.
The point is that monetary union must reflect a pre-existing economic interdependence. Without that it is a futile exercise. There is no advanced level of economic interdependence in West Africa, partly due to the nature of African export markets and partly because of the distortion in the ability of francophone countries to act in their own interests because of the domination of France. Whatever the reason, there is little convergence among the West African economies so there will likely be no convergence in their monetary policies.
As a result it is unlikely that and ECO will be circulating within the WAMZ in January 2010. However, there is every likelihood that the CFA francs will continue their distortions of the African economies and very little is likely to change for the better.
By Dr Gary K. Busch in Ocnus.net, le 5 février 2009
[i] How France lives off Francophone Africa via the CFA franc, Mamadou Koulibaly, New African 1/08
[ii] We Want Our Money, Ruth Tete, New African 1/08
[iii] The Euro is bad news for the CFA, Ruth Nabakwe, New African 7/02
[iv] Les servitudes du Pacte colonial, Mamadou Koulibaly, CEDA 4/05
[v] Standard and Chartered Global Focus, 15 January 2009
[vi] CFA, the devil is in the details, Ruth Nabakwe, New African, 7/02
[vii] Celestin Monga, The Franc Zone: Macroeconomics or Masochism, Billets d'Afrique N° 173, October 2008
[viii] ibid
[ix] Ibid
[x] Standard and Chartered Global Focus op cit,
[xi] ibid
[xii] Common African Currency in 2010, Afrol News 29/11/08


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Justin Krashefski has always been a patriotic personality. While growing up, he raised his appreciation for the country that raised him while he simultaneously led his peers in devoted exercise routine, which included the lifting of weights, running and swimming. His physical prowess and love for the United States of America influenced his career path, which at a young age steered him toward military and law enforcement.
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In an address to the inaugural Palestine Festival of Literature (2008) John Berger gives a moving reading of famed Palestinian writer, Ghassan Kanafani's "Letter from Gaza". Kanafani was assassinated by the Israeli Mossad in 1972.
Film: Perry Ogden
Photographs: Stefano Massimo & Rula Halawani
Title Cards: Yves Berger
This BBSNews article was syndicated from Articles – Palestine Chronicle, and written by Articles – Palestine Chronicle. Read the original article here.


text:
Tim Mason, who runs Mountain Operations for the resort said the most
exciting moment of the month came when 15 inches of new snow fell. Both
Mason and General Manager Tom Spangler agreed that December was a
slow-moving month for construction and that people were mostly
concentrated on skiing.
Indeed, Jackson Hole Mountain Resort recorded 107 inches of snowfall at their upper snow study plot during the month, which is 134% of normal. Forecasters reported that this was the seventh snowiest December in the past 41 seasons.
But, onto the construction:
1. At the Base:
A crew of 10 men spent about a week and a half pouring 60 cubic yards of concrete to form the base of the new clock tower.
Zaist Construction and Jackson Hole Mountain Resort crews erected a temporary building over the foundation for the new lower terminal building so they can work on the ground. They are also heating the ground so it doesn't freeze during the winter. This site can be seen next to Nick Wilson's.
"There is a gas unit over there with all these tubes and everything," said Tom Spangler, Jackson Hole Mountain Resort general manager. "There's a lot of work, but they're plugging away. It's a slow process."
2. Tower Update
Tower 1 progressed steadily as well, with crews just starting to drill the foundation in December. Preparing for the foundation means drilling 4 by 4 by 50 feet holes.
"We thought they'd be done in two weeks and it's taken eight days a hole instead," Spangler said. "They're supposed to go 50 feet down and they've been hitting huge boulders. They can do it, it just takes a long time."
All the new towers are slated to be about 200 feet tall, about a 40-50 foot increase from the height of the old ones. "Tower 3, for example, is 140 feet now and it will be about 190," Spangler said. We don't need it until April, so they can take their time and get it done. They can drill all winter."


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LISALGB's Blogs
Countdown to 50!! 50 days until . . .
Wednesday, March 23, 2016 1 comments
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Countdown to 50!! 51 days until . . .
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I got a little sidetracked and missed a few days on my countdown - a week to be exact. But, it was because we have been testing here at school and my schedule has been way off. Schedule changes are hard on me, which is funny considering my job...
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Countdown to 50!! 58 days until . . .
Tuesday, March 15, 2016 3 comments
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Countdown to 50!! 60 days until . . .
Sunday, March 13, 2016 2 comments
Oh, my goodness! Time is scooting right along, isn't it? Daylight Savings time began this morning and Spring officially arrives next Sunday. My goodness, it will be summer before I know it. Today was beautiful!! We have really been blessed wit...
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Countdown to 50! 61 days until . . .
Saturday, March 12, 2016 2 comments
Haha! How did I miss 62 days?? Is that a sign? Oh, my!! Today was a gorgeous day!! I took my Momma's dog for two walks while I was visiting today. We just couldn't stay inside because it was so pretty. I just love days like this!! I am prayi...
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Countdown to 50!! 63 days until . . .
Thursday, March 10, 2016 1 comments
The weather is absolutely gorgeous today!! I would love to be outside. It is beautiful while I am working, but is supposed to rain this weekend. Ha, isn't that the way of it? Spring Break is coming up and I can hardly wait. I think I will do s...
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Countdown to 50! 64 days until . . .
Wednesday, March 09, 2016 1 comments
64 days to go!! I am having a pretty good day so far today!! I like good days when I have energy and my BP is normal. I feel like moving!! Me and the puppy dawg will be getting out of the house this afternoon when I get home from work. He loves ...
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Countdown to 50! Today is 65 days until . . .
Tuesday, March 08, 2016 2 comments
Today is 65 days until my 50th birthday. Ouch, that hurt! It doesn't seem possible that I am almost 50 years old. Wasn't it just last week that I was in Mrs. Marlow's third grade class? Geeez, how time flies. Anyway, I figure that it is a grea...
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Confession - I went Sugar Crazy!
Friday, February 12, 2016 6 comments
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The Biggest Loser Influence
Thursday, February 11, 2016 2 comments
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Planning ahead
Sunday, December 27, 2015 5 comments
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Saturday, December 26, 2015 7 comments
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I'm still working on clearing my inbox. I have made a lot of progress. Here are more older links I have found while doing some Spring…err Summer Cleaning online. This time I will be more organized with the links. Part 3 coming soon…
Has American Apparel Gone Too Far?
Check out this post about a recent ad campaign that American Apparel has done. I'm not a fan of it.
Klobuchar Remarks on sexism in Sotomayor hearings
Sen. Klobuchar is one of my favorite senators. I heard her in a hearing last year and appreciated her frankness. I hope she continues to speak for the people and holds on to her unique senate style. This link is a link to Emily's List's new Blog Read My Lipstick but a link to the full article is there.
Death Toll Rises in Afghanistan; In US Key Econ Report Due
'Save our CEOs' Teaser for Michael Moore's New Film
Susanna Madora Salter, America's First Female Mayor and Elected Official
Former Interrogator Rebukes Cheney for Torture Speech
Article starts slow but a must need read about how the Corn Lobby is at work again…moving from food to fuel production. I wonder if this is why I haven't seen one of those Pro High Fructose Corn Syrup commercials recently.
Hill Still A Climb For Female Staffers
A 19 Cent Raise in 45 years? Women Deserve Equal Pay Now
Cuba: "It's Time to Talk" Say US Lawmakers
Women, Extremism and Two Key States
The G20 and Latin America: A "Rendezvous With Destiny" or a False Start?
Deal By Deal, China Expands Its Influence in Latin America
TransAfrica Forum Expresses Disappointment in Obama Administration's to Attend World Conference Against Racism
What Can Obama Do in Latin America?
Foreign Policy in Focus – Time to Deal With Haiti
Negritudes, la nueva estrategia de Uribe
The US-Columbia FTA and National Insecurity: A Call for Ethical Foreign Policy
Latin America: Summit Reveals a Changing Contient
Where to Now?: Women's Leadership Needs New Direction
Beefy Résumé for a Giant Job: Policing Stimulus Spending
The Body Politic: Cutting Meghan McCain Down to Size
Connecting with Iraqi Entrepreneurs
Obama Responds to Reports of Violence at Border
Murders By Columbian Military Increase, WFP Renews Calls to End Funding


text:
Quality of Jobs Generated by Unorganised Establishments During Globalisation: A Diagnosis with a Case of Indian Punjab
'What has been the quality of jobs generated by Punjab's urban unorganised establishments in an era of globalisation?' is the central question addressed in this paper. It is argued that the unorganised establishments' growth, under the conditions of exogenous technology, may be due to intensive and extensive usage of hired labour. Through secondary and primary data analysis, it is concluded that these unorganised establishments have generated a sufficiently large number of such jobs that may be characterized as of poor quality in terms of low earnings, limited upward mobility, unjust wage setting, uninformed job termination and low job satisfaction.
If you experience problems downloading a file, check if you have the proper application to view it first. In case of further problems read the IDEAS help page. Note that these files are not on the IDEAS site. Please be patient as the files may be large.
|Date of creation:
|14 Nov 2007
|Contact details of provider:
| Postal: Ludwigstraße 33, D-80539 Munich, Germany
Phone: +49-(0)89-2180-2459
Fax: +49-(0)89-2180-992459
Web page: https://mpra.ub.uni-muenchen.de
More information through EDIRC
References listed on IDEAS
Please report citation or reference errors to , or , if you are the registered author of the cited work, log in to your RePEc Author Service profile, click on "citations" and make appropriate adjustments.:
- Tewari, Meenu, 1999. "Successful Adjustment in Indian Industry: the Case of Ludhiana's Woolen Knitwear Cluster," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 27(9), pages 1651-1671, September.
- Geeta G. Kingdon & John Knight, 2003.
"Well-being poverty versus income poverty and capabilities poverty?,"
CSAE Working Paper Series
2003-16, Centre for the Study of African Economies, University of Oxford.
- Geeta Kingdon & John Knight, 2004. "Well-being poverty versus income poverty and capabilities poverty?," Development and Comp Systems 0409040, EconWPA.
- Mukherjee, Dipa, 2004. "Informal Manufacturing Sector in India: Pre and Post Reform Growth Dynamics," MPRA Paper 4866, University Library of Munich, Germany. Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)
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text:
No quarter for mob rule
Credit: Phil Sandlin
An incendiary video about the prophet Muhammad, "Innocence of Muslims," was blamed for the mob attacks on our embassies in Libya and Egypt (and later, Yemen). In Libya, Ambassador Christopher Stevens and three other Americans were murdered. The video stirred some passion here in America as well.
|The article you requested has been archived
- More On:
- Muhammad
- Libya
- Christopher Stevens


text:
Farmville High School — Farmville, North Carolina
Posted by DaveSanders | North Carolina | Posted on December 30th, 2009
Farmville, NC
Population: approx. 4,500
Pitt County
The town of Farmville was incorporated in 1872. For the next 100 years, its growth and prosperity were directly tied to the cultivation, processing and distribution of Brightleaf tobacco. Today, Farmville is trying to hold on to the benefits of small-town life while expanding its commercial and industrial opportunities.
Town of Farmville website
Over 300 old Farmville photos
Farmville High School
Mascot: Red Devils
Colors: Red & White
I couldn't find any record of when Farmville High School opened or closed.
– I found one biography of a fellow who graduated from "the Farmville high school" in the 1890's. Meanwhile, his sisters graduated from "the Normal School", also in Farmville.
– An 1898 "Biennial Report of the Superintendent of Public Instruction" shows the schools in Farmville as the "Farmville Male and Female Academy".
– Another biography says the subject was a teacher in Farmville from 1880-1890, but doesn't say what school.
– The 1910 "North Carolina School Bulletin" records that Farmville High School had 24 students and two teachers.
– Ayden-Grifton High School was built in 1971. Farmville Central High School and North Pitt High School opened about the same time.
1963 State runner-up (Region 1) Lost to Murfreesboro, 20-7
1964 State Champs (Region 1) Defeated Weldon, 26-0
1968 State runner-up (East) Lost to Rohanen, 21-20
In 1957, Farmville didn't win the Class A state football championship, but they had an interesting trip before falling. The game against Beaufort ended in a 0-0 tie. In those days, there was no overtime. The team with the most offensive yards (Farmville) was declared the winner. The following week, Farmville scored late in the game to tie the score at 6. Again, they were awarded the victory by outgaining Red Springs. Here's a recap of the second game from the Red Springs' home newspaper, the Robesonian.
Please help us out. If you have any additional info about Farmville High School, please leave it in the comments below. Send a link to this post to your fellow alumni so they can share their memories, too.
6 Responses to "Farmville High School — Farmville, North Carolina"
I graduated from Farmville High in 1952. Our colors were red and white. i was a cheer leader and in the band that was formed around 1947-1948. My father and I had the same first grade teacher-Miss Annie Oerkins (whose portrait hangs in the Farmville Public Library.) I have annuals from my 4 yrs of high school as well as a pen and pencil drawing by Becky Thomas.
this is a Picture of the HB Suggs Gym
I am making a model of H.B Sugg and Farmville High School I need a full description of Farmville High because I never saw the school in person it was demolished when I was 4 years old (1978)
Leave a Reply
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text:
Skip to comments.Florida lands $4.4 million more to push Obamacare
Posted on 12/16/2013 7:35:34 PM PST by 2ndDivisionVet
TALLAHASSEE Christmas came early for 48 Florida health centers.
Playing the role of Santa, the U.S. Department of Health and Humans Services is doling out $4.4 million to Sunshine State community health groups tasked with Affordable Care Act outreach and enrollment.
The funding is part of a $58 million national push that extends into territories and commonwealths such as Puerto Rico and Guam.
Since July, HHS has awarded $150 million in health center grants.
Florida groups have already received more than $8 million to hire 163 health center workers, or navigators, and to meet the grant programs stated goal of 158,000 Sunshine State insurance enrollments. The new funding is aimed at expanding navigators hours and hiring even more Obamacare workers.
This investment means that health centers can provide expanded assistance for people in communities nationwide looking for resources to help them understand their insurance options and enroll in affordable coverage, HHS secretary Kathleen Sebelius said in a statement.
The timing of the announcement coincides with the Obama administrations frantic efforts to provide consumers with continuous insurance coverage beginning Jan. 1.
The lowly performance of healthcare.gov on top of millions of forced insurance policy cancellations nationwide is prompting the administration to throw more money at the problem and further extend enrollment deadlines.
A December enrollment report, issued by HHS the same day as the new funding announcement, shows only 17,908 Floridians selected an Obamacare exchange plan in the first two months the so-called insurance marketplace went online. Still, thats tops among the 36 states with federally-run exchanges.
Theres no indication however as to how many of those consumers have actually paid an insurance premium to secure coverage.
Nearly 19,000 Floridians have signed up for Medicaid or the Childrens Health Coverage Program, CHIP, which comes at little or no cost to recipients.
Last week, HHS moved the payment deadline for coverage beginning Jan.1 from Dec. 15, to Dec. 31.
The administration is also flexing its muscles and urging insurance companies to accept payment after the year-end deadline and issue retroactive coverage in 2014.
We are providing additional flexibility to consumers across the country to ensure they have access to coverage options that begin on Jan. 1, 2014, said Sebelius.
Click here for a full listing of Florida health centers receiving additional federal outreach and enrollment assistance.
if the give-aways are so good and generous, why do we have to pay to advertise to give them away?
"and urging insurance companies to accept payment after the year-end deadline"
This is criminal.
Robbing you to fund leftwing orgs to convince you to let the government rob you
I have to be honest. you really can't blame these people. they are giving away free healthcare (i'm talking about the ones that will vote for them, the ones living off everyone else's taxes), and people still wont come and get it for free.
so they have to be saying to themselves, the electorate are idiots, and we should be able to get away with anything.
It IS criminal, as are exhortations to businesses and government agencies to ignore deadlines. He encourages others to break the law.
i'm totally cynical these days, so I suspect, somehow this ties in to an effort to persuade people Obamacare and Democrats are good so please vote for the Democrat to replace, recently deceased, Republican Congressman Bill Young.
Ita a Dem party voter fraud Accorn run outlet.
Nicely put.
You nailed it.
Fl is not funding the federal exchanges so why are they promoting it so heavily.
This crap is a Voter fraud front group operated by the renamed
Its pure Chicago voter fraud funded by HHS.
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To try the thousands of add-ons available here, download Mozilla Firefox, a fast, free way to surf the Web!Close
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ClearForest Gnosis
A good research tool Rated 5 out of 5 stars
Gnosis is an excellent tool for people who do any web-based research - particularly corporate research for investing, competitive analysis, etc. Gnosis is able to take basically any web page (though news articles are best) and automatically analyze them to locate the people, companies, organizations and geographies inside them.
A suggestion.. Incorporate this tool with a web based RSS reader like Sage and you have a great news reading and research toolkit.
To create your own collections, you must have a Mozilla Add-ons account.


text:
Commission: X-REX
'Humans can no more be masters of their destiny than any other animal,' wrote John Gray in his polemic 2002 publication, Straw Dogs: Thoughts on Humans and Other Animals. Positing the human race as the tumour 'Homo Rapiens', Gray decried human-centric systems of belief as the cause of planetry malady. Kenny Hunter agrees it is a frightening concept, but it's one which captured his imagination. Where Gray offers macro-analysis, Hunter's self-portrait 'X-Rex' seeks to explore the micro or 'the self as an illusion'.
'X-Rex' is one in a series of three self-portraits using the same classicised bust, made over ten years ago and revisited for Divided Selves, an exhibition of Scottish seld-portraiture from the 17th century to the present, at Edinburgh's Talbot Rice Gallery, 22 April - 3 June. Theatrical, destructive and studio-based, 'X-Rex' is a radical departure from the monumental, toy-like clarity that has previously characterised Hunter's work. And yet it remains attuned to his motovating concerns: the non-linear essence of history, the prevalence of human vanity and the synthetic nature of contemporary life. Hunter has no real interest in laying his 'self' bare; his critique is of the greater human self and its fear of obsolescence.
In his three self-portraits, Hunter strove for a visual language that was expressive, personal and imperfect. The bust itself is pure white, blank-eyed and distant, but the physical devices used by Hunter in each piece are splintered, workman's objects that by their presence alone dislocate the nobility that protudes from his Roman nose. 'X-Rex' is the most expressive of all; existing now as a shattered gesture recorded on film, it is a spectacular affront to the human need for material memorial and effigy.
His children, Rosie and Joe, took a little persuading to topple the plaster bust of their father from a sculptor's banker in his studio. The request of their participation in its demolition was anathema to all they knew about the sanctity of art, of artefacts and of their parents. No rehearsal was allowed and the studio environment, littered with toddlers' toys and greasy fingerprints, became an ambiguous playground-stage in which this subversion of portraiture was enacted. The object was fragile, yet the act finite; 'In a way you become very aware of your own mortality as soon as your child is born,' Hunter reflects. 'You realise that you will turn to dust.'
'X-Rex' is an iconoclast exploration of the modern portrait bust. And, just as the visual language taps into both the historic tumbling of statuary and the contemporary impulse for destruction, its title punningly embraces both Latin terms for royalty and the language of pop culture and technology. It is a fitting analogy for the paradoxical modern divided self and the desire to be both history's protagonist and today's celebrity.
Kate Cowcher is a freelance arts writer
MAP Commissions Archive
None: MAP Commission 2017: MEGAN ROONEY, Others got wings for flying
None: It is this it is this, it is this: Documentation
None: MAP Screen | Reading in the Dark
Iodine of the Sea: Unmastered, Remastered by Katherine Angel & The Blackburn Company
MAP #25: Commission: Mary Simpson
MAP #23: Texts About Tripping Over
MAP #22: Commission: Jimmie Durham
MAP #20: Gintaras Didžiapetris
MAP #18: Commission: Martin Boyce
MAP #16: Commission: Ruth Ewan
MAP #14: Commission: John Michael Boling & Javier Morales
MAP #12: Commission: Richard Forster
MAP #10: Commision: Chris Evans
MAP #6: Commission: X-REX
MAP #3: Commission: Art After Love's Philosophy
MAP #1: Map Commission: Goya Vs Yoko Ono
None: This can only be thought of as a monologue within a dialogue
None: Voicing the Archive: Recording Session
Iodine of the Sea: The Target Moves
Iodine of the Sea: 'A Feminist Chorus' by Lucy Reynolds | Recording, March 2014
MAP #24: Shahryar Nashat
MAP #23: Michael Fullerton
MAP #21: Nairy Baghramian
MAP #19: Commission: Clunie Reid
MAP #17: Commission: Luca Frei
MAP #15: Commission: Dot Dot Dot
MAP #13: Commission: Alasdair Gray
MAP #11: Commission: Donald Urquhart
MAP #8: Ice Station Isis
MAP #5: Commission: Clara Ursitti
MAP #2: Commission: Walk the Walk Draw the Draw


text:
Jamie Redknapp says Harry can save QPR from the drop
QPR can survive the drop if Harry Redknapp can build up the players' belief, says son Jamie.
Last Updated: 28/11/12 1:57pm
Rangers drew 0-0 with Sunderland in Redknapp Snr's first game in charge of the club but they remain bottom of the table, eight points adrift of Aston Villa in 17th.
However, Jamie believes the squad will grow in confidence and belief under his father's guidance and that the players are capable of closing the gap.
"It is probably the biggest task he has had in his career but you have seen that they do have quality at QPR," said Jamie on Sky Sports.
"In my opinion when he took over at Tottenham they were in a false position - they had so much quality in that team.
"But we have seen they do have quality in the team but they have only got two points from eight games. But it is like anything though, you need to get a bit of confidence and a little bit of belief.
"For Sunderland he picked a team with power in the midfield - Diakite, Mbia and Granero look solid. They looked difficult to beat and I think that is something that they have to address because they have not won away from home in over a year.
"They have to go and get results away from home. I know he is talking about making Queen Park Rangers a fortress but you still have to pick up points away from home if you want to stay in the Premier League.
"I think they have some tough games to come and Saturday is a key game - at home to Aston Villa. I think that is really going to be a big game for both sides. I think Aston Villa will believe that if they can win this game that will catapult them up the league, on the other hand if QPR get three points then they believe they will bring Villa further back in."


text:
Devon Sawa Autographed Picture
Sold for:
Start Free Trial
or Sign In to see what it's worth.
- Sold Date:
- Source: eBay
I am selling off my complete Autograph collection. These pictures were either aquired in person, through a Certified collector, or through a friend who was the editor of a popular teen magazine. All pictures will be carefully packaged to insure that you recieve them in the same excellant near perfect condition they are presently in. All pictures were scanned and loaded at the required lower resolutiuon that E-Bay requires. i can assure you that all pictures are clear, and the Autograph is in excellant condition. Since i am listing a huge amount all at once, if t is a question please refer to which picture you have a question about. If the picture was aquired from another dealer i will include t Certificate of Authenticity. Thanks for looking and good luck.PLEASE CHECK MY OTHER LISTING FOR THE COMPLETE COLLETION I AM SELLING


text:
The HAPPY JUICE BAR is NOW open for service!! What's your flavor?
cherry and bananna
I knew that would be your flavour!! Coming right up!
A Gallon of Water please lol
My Pleasure, Captain!! I will deff not serve you anything red or fuzzy! I promise!
Good cause he can't hold his drink, spills most of it
Ahh, good thing you like moist climates, eh?
Honey, lettuce on top ))
How bout I splash it with a dill pickle and a bit of hot sauce!
Hmmmm, mine might have to be mint chocolate. Ever since the urologist said no more chocolate, I NEED IT!
How much do you charge anyway for these drinks might have to run home and get some more change. Or is this Happy Hour Lol. I will pay for Cindys can you possibly put in on me tab.
LOL, it is always HAPPY hour, when the Queens have arrived! The price varies with the customer!
The last batch of enema's Greated a poo-poo platter of hubs, don't you think?
Hey Blonde, but you're the enema Queen! You might have to give Jodi some tips. Did we copyright the recipe for the Happy Juice Enema? That was the cure for Fullashitalitis, remember!
haha you think I should spill the beans for the secret recipe?? Where is she anyway, this service is a bit slack, with the bartender not here ROFL..
Sorry... I have been workn' hard on my LOVE potion!
OOO bring ze love potion on. I too have been inventing Jodie, I have some rough sketches of my new underwear label for men called'Push-ups For Him',it works on the same type of principle as a push-up bra for women.There are 2 little pockets with underwiring that are sewn into the actual jocks, to prevent the sagging that occurs in a man over his lifetime....I am surprised no-one has thought of it.I hope to sell them to Calvin, but I do promise when the cash starts rolling in, I won't forget u guys, never.
This I've got to see!
Oh you will adore them Amanda and so will your man. To get the full scope here, you have to visualise two Emu eggs sitting so securely in a nest so wonderfully crafted. A recent trip to Toowoomba Zoo actually inspired this great brain-wave of mine.
I guess the benefit will be in the angle of the dangle? LOL! Emu eggs!
Oh dang, you have me laughing now Amanda, haha, oh Jodie how did we get from innocent 'ole drinks to men's testicles ROFL..... a bit of a swing in topics hahaha.
Like I said...Tis ALWAYS Happy Hour! How bout some chololate covered tea bags, eh? ROFL
Hahaha sounds very inventive to me, will return Jodie there is a knock at my door. U hold the fort while I am gone...will brb.
Ohhh. that sounds brilliant, Blonde! How bout adding a tingle ring to it. Could be quite a buzz!
haha you want them to play music too yes that is an idea to ponder on.Something like "Lean On Me When I'm Not Strong" you think that will go ???
Or... moons on my hiye-nee?
Maybe she was practising the enemas on herself first? lol
hahaha get off the loo Jodie, we demand some service here....Maybe it was the baked beans I puree in the mix Cin, then again it could have been the 340g of fibre combined with the Spanish Fly......
where's the Tee-Pee?
Practice makes Perrrrfect!
Do we get a topless handsome hunk with muscles bulging, to administer it?
Depends on his MOOD
Oh hell he hasn't got PMT either has he hahaha.
Always!! he he
Oh I second that motion Cin. Talking of motions Jodie hahah great to see u back...I think a hunk of a bloke wearing a pair of my new Push-up jocks would go down rather well with this drink hey Cin?
maybe you should include a secret pocket for a stash of condoms?
Oh brilliant Cindy that could perhaps be incorporated into the little underwire nests that these jocks are going to be famous for.....I already have worked out the TV Campaign and C.C has volunteered to model them....
Google Juice....
"1" orgasmic blend of passion juice...coming up! I'll put it on BP'S tab, eh?
Yep, her tab will do!!
Yes all drinks are on me. I am confident the launch of my jocks are going to be bigggg.
Oh yes... you could have all size's of these...I would sell them in packs of seven with the days of the week printed on them to ensure freshness!
Think those jocks are cool, you might need some that are padded for men with small thumbs
Yeah...it will be like the water bra for men!
by WeddingConsultant9 years ago
by Fluffymetal7 years ago
OMG... I'm going to be 33!! Where did the time go? What should I do? All my friends are either living in Mississippi (and I'm in TX) or live in cyberspace. Let's party hubbers
by JG11Bravo3 years ago
I'm not sure if this is the right place to post this, but I've got a hub in the works that requires the assistance of a volunteer or two.Long story short, I need a couple of people who use self-images for profile...
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AmBank Carz Platinum Visa Credit Card
Commuting became that much more enjoyable with cashback on petrol expenses through this card which provides motorists great auto benefits and allows for payment of road tax with 0% interest through easy payment plans with a 12 month tenure.
AmBank Carz Platinum Visa Card Benefits
The AmBank Carz Platinum Visa Card is catered for the frequent motorist and offers auto benefits such as easy payment facility with 0% interest and a tenure of 12 months for payment of road tax. The AmBank Carz Platinum Visa Card earns a higher rate of cash back for the cardholder on petrol expenses. If the cardholder pays just the minimum amount every month, they can stand to earn up to 5% cashback on all petrol expenses regardless of the brand. This cashback is capped to RM 80 per month. Making full payments on credit card bills will fetch the cardholder cashback of up to 2% capped to RM 20 per month.
The card also earns 1 reward point for every RM 1 spent on retail expenses, both locally and overseas. These reward points have a validity of 6 years.
AmBank Carz Platinum Visa Card Features
The features of the AmBank Carz Platinum Visa Card are as follows
- The AmBank Carz Platinum Visa Card has no annual fees and is free for the first tree supplementary cards availed.
- The card charges 15% p.a. interest rate
- Balance transfer plans are available on this card for tenures of 6 months at 4.99% p.a. and tenures of 12 and 24 months at 8.99% p.a.
- The balance transfer plans do not charge any upfront handling fees
- This card has an Easy payment plan that allows cardholders to spread out a huge purchase from select retail merchants over a tenure of up to 24 months with low interest rates ranging from 0% to 4% p.a.
- The card has a Quick Cash service which allow cardholders to make cash advances against available credit limit
- Interest rates on cash withdrawals is 18%. Daily cash withdrawal limit for this card is RM 5000 and cash withdrawals incur a fee of RM 53 or 5.3% of the withdrawn amount, whichever is higher
- Minimum monthly payments is 5% of the outstanding amount and any late payments attract a penalty of 1% of the outstanding amount capped to a maximum of RM 100
AmBank Carz Platinum Visa Card Requirements or Eligibility
- The eligibility criteria to apply for the AmBank Carz Platinum Visa Card are as follows
- Malaysians who are either government servants or Private company employees meeting the age and income requirements can apply
- Minimum age of the Primary cardholder needs to be 21 years of age
- Minimum age of the Supplementary cardholder needs to be 18 years of age
- Cardholder must draw a minimum annual salary of RM 60,000 to be eligible for this card
Other Credit Cards offered by AmBank
The other credit cards offered by this bank include
- AmBank Platinum MasterCard
- AmBank World MasterCard
- AmBank Imagine Card
- AmBank Cosway Platinum MasterCard
- AmBank Carz Gold Visa Card
- AmBank Cosway Gold MasterCard
- AmBank Visa Signature Card
- AmBank True Visa Card
Balance Transfer Plan by AmBank Carz Platinum Visa Card
The balance transfer plan available with the AmBank Carz Platinum Visa Card allows cardholders to consolidate credit card debt. This credit card offers balance transfer plans with tenures ranging from 6, 12 and 24 months. The rate of interest charged is 4.99% p.a. for 6 months and 8.99% p.a. for 12 and 24 months. The minimum transfer amount is RM 1000 for 6 months and RM 5000 for 12 and 24 months.


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£4.50 - On Sale
5 new blasts of distorted reverb soaked D-Beat Hardcore from Canadian Punks LIFE CHAIN.
One sided flexi with metallic gold ink, housed in red silk screened sleeves.
Highly limited release to celebrate the band's recent tour of the West Coast of USA.
Co-Released with DARK RAIDs (USA) American customers order from them please!
OVERSEAS POSTAGE: Not all countries are listed for postage (as bigcartel makes you list EVERY SINGLE COUNTRY separately, which takes FOREVER!!!) but we can post to any country so if your country isn't listed please email firstname.lastname@example.com with details of what you would like to order and we will work out a shipping price for you. Thanks.


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When you hear "tough crowd," you usually think about comedy clubs, right? Well the truth is, sports fans give the comedy crowd a real run for their money. Just think about the firestorm that "Deflategate" created.
Sports fanatics are some of the most passionate, opinionated people around. I can't emphasize enough what a gift it is to be able to hold the attention of a sports radio audience that is fickle, unyielding, and outspoken. So, *drumroll, how do you win them over?
Some keys to the game:
- – Know your stuff inside and out.
- – Have your finger on the pulse of your market's mood.
- – Possess a captivating personality.
- Expect the unexpected. Just like sports, there is an unpredictable element there that no one can foresee.
Luckily for us, CBS Radio on-air talent possess all four of these elements in spades.
Radio Ink recently published its Top 30 Local Sports Talkers in America list, and we are pumped to say that six of the top seven CBS Radio Sports talent made the cut, with Mike Francesa coming in at #1! His show is #1 in his station's target of Men 25-54 in the New York City Market. We had a blast with Mike this past year when we activated the Chevy Goes Emoji campaign.
Other top sports shows from the list hailed from major sports markets: Boston, Chicago, Detroit, Philly, and Washington D.C.
- Boomer & Carton, WFAN Sports Radio (New York)
- Mike Francesa, WFAN Sports Radio (New York)
- Boers and Bernstein Show, 670 The Score (Chicago)
- Mully and Hanley, 670 The Score (Chicago)
- The Sports Junkies, 106.7 The Fan (Washington, D.C.)
- Josh Innes, SportsRadio 94WIP (Philadelphia)
- Angelo Cataldi, SportsRadio 94WIP (Philadelphia)
- Felger & Massarotti, 98.5 The Sports Hub (Boston)
- Toucher & Rich, 98.5 The Sports Hub (Boston)
- Valenti & Foster, 97.1 The Ticket (Detroit)
We love the passion and dedication these on-air personalities bring to their shows, and have had a blast incorporating them into key campaigns for top clients over the years. Cheers to another year of winning the crowd over in 2016!


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- select colour
it's an internet thing!
it's an internet thing!
10:32 27 July 2006
You know summer is in full swing when reports start popping up about the damaging impact of global warming and what we as humans are doing to accelerate the process.
And Hollywood stars are usually among the first to be accused of their selfish use of the planet - critics pointing to their fur coats and gas-guzzling Hummers.
But while the rest of us sit here complaining about the fumes and sweltering in the heat, there are generous tree-hugging celebrities out there who have recognised they can use their name for a greater cause and are doing their bit to save the planet
Only last week Brad Pitt used his eco-warrior image to promote a competition to choose eco-friendly designs in the rebuilding of New Orleans, following the destruction caused by Hurricane Katrina.
The Fight Club actor told a press conference he was "not prepared" for what he saw, after driving through the city and seeing miles and miles of devastation.
He added: "There's a big opportunity here, to rebuild the city using energy efficient building materials and appliances that would improve quality of life, particularly in low-income communities."
The star collaborated with the environmental organisation Global Green USA on the project, which he not only lent his name to, but also financially backed.
As spokesman for the project, Pitt headed up the jury consisting of architects and city residents, who were given the task of picking design finalists from more than 100 entries.
One of Pitt's former co-stars has also jumped on the green bandwagon in impressive style.
Last Tuesday (18.07.06) it was announced that Julia Roberts - who starred alongside Pitt in Ocean's Eleven - has joined Oscar-winner Morgan Freeman and country singer Willie Nelson as a spokesperson for Earth Biofuels, a company which promotes the use of renewable energy.
The flame-haired actress will chair their new Advisory Board and help promote the use of biodiesel fuel in 500,000 diesel school buses in the United States.
Roberts said: "It's very important that we expand our use of clean energy and make a long-term commitment to it.
"Biodiesel and ethanol are better for the environment and for the air we breathe."
There must have been something in the water on the set of Ocean's Eleven because Matt Damon has also stepped over to the eco-friendly side - albeit a relatively small step.
Like his Hollywood peers, Leonardo Di Caprio and Tom Hanks, the actor decided to go for a greener choice in cars and now drives a hybrid.
He revealed: "You don't need all that car. I don't need a Suburban to drive myself around. It seems to be common sense to me.
"My father drives one, my brother drives one. They're like, 'Why would you ever drive a regular car?' There's no reason to. These cars are just as good, they're just as fast and they use less gas, so I don't understand why everyone isn't driving one."
But while Damon seems perhaps uneasy about been labelled a 'green' - insisting going 'hybrid' was just the sensible thing to do - Woody Harrelson has openly embraced it, and even written a book and recorded a documentary about his experiences.
Although the 'Cheers' actor once described himself as "corporate drug-addict", he is now widely regarded as one of Hollywood's most tireless environmental campaigners, and in 2001 he decided to spread the word about simple living.
Along with a group of his closest friends, including a yoga teacher and a food chef, Harrelson embarked on a mammoth 1,500-mile bicycle ride down the Pacific coast, called the Simple Organic Living Tour.
They were accompanied by the 'Mothership', a bus fuelled by hemp oil and powered by solar panels.
The whole journey was filmed by award-winning director Ron Mann and made into the movie Go Further.
Harrelson writes in the accompanying book How To Go Further: A Guide to Simple Organic Living about his own personal transformation.
He states: "I believe the way I choose to live my life is more considerate, kind, and ultimately fulfilling than the way I lived in the past. When I started my transformation, I don't think I believed I could incorporate the changes I've made into my life. But I was open to the ideas and made the changes I could, ok, you can find other ways to do things."
However, not all Hollywood names are ready to give up their lavish lifestyles for the sake of mother earth, and for every environmental saint there is a sinner.
Action hero-turned-politician Arnold Schwarzenegger has topped the environmentalist hit list since becoming the Republican Governor for California, when he controversially decided to oppose the Clean Alternative Energy Initiative.
The proposed landmark ballot would see an imposed tax on oil finance research and development into alternative energy sources.
His decision is somewhat at odds with his election campaign, which presents him as California's most environmentally friendly candidate - he even drove through the state in a big green bus to highlight his commitment.
Critics believe the reason for his opposition is his wealthy oil-loving campaign donors.
Arnie has received over $2 million in donations from oil-companies, $600,000 specifically from Chevron - who just happen to be the number one donor to the group opposing the Clean Alternative Energy Initiative.
While his reasons may or not be to do with money, there is no questioning the fact that he owns seven - that's right count them - seven gas-guzzling Hummers.
A spokesman for his opposition, Phil Angelides, said: "The California Republican Party running ads about the environment is as absurd as a Governor with seven Hummers being an environmentalist."
Politicians aside, the truth is many stars are prepared to go the extra mile for a good cause - albeit in their Versace suits and Channel sunglasses - and protecting our environment seems as worthy a cause as any.
Disclaimer: Supanet is not responsible for, and disclaims any and all liability for the content of comments written by contributors to this website


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Rosalyn Whitfield
English (North American), English
North American
Child, Middle Aged, Senior, Teen, Young Adult
Special Skills
Audiobooks, Business, Cartoons, Documentaries, Educational, Internet, Jingles, Movie Trailers, Music, Podcasting, Radio, Telephone, Television, Videogames
I have performed as professional vocal artist for more than 20 years. My genre ranges anywhere from Lyric Opera, Soul /R&B, Gospel and Christian, Pop, and Jazz. My vocals range from Alto to Lyric Soprano. I have performed in a variety of settings. I also function as a professional speaker to a variety of audiences. I'm a college professor and a Former Human Resources Executive. I'm in the Second Act of my career and the opportunity to do voice overs brings me great excitement!
Payment Terms
Hire Rosalyn as a voice actor. Payment is made through Voices.com SurePay, an escrow service that guarantees your work is done to your satisfaction. Send payment securely by Visa, Mastercard or PayPal through Voices.com then download your files from the website.
Watch a video to see how to make a payment
Next Steps
To contact Rosalyn Whitfield about your project, request a quote today. We'll walk you through the process step-by-step. It's fast and easy.
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Request a quote for your project today.


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Information structure
In linguistics, information structure describes the way in which information is formally packaged within a sentence.[1] This generally includes only those aspects of information that "respond to the temporary state of the addressee's mind", and excludes other aspects of linguistic information such as references to background (encyclopedic/common) knowledge, choice of style, politeness, and so forth.[2]
The basic notions of information structure are focus, givenness, and topic,[2] as well as their complementary notions of background, newness, and comment respectively.[3] Focus "indicates the presence of alternatives that are relevant for the interpretation of linguistic expressions", givenness indicates that "the denotation of an expression is present" in the immediate context of the utterance, and topic is "the entity that a speaker identifies, about which then information, the comment, is given".[2] Additional notions in information structure may include contrast and exhaustivity, but there is no general agreement in the linguistic literature about extensions of the basic three notions.[3] There are many different approaches, such as generative or functional architectures, to information structure.[4]
Mechanisms in various languages[edit]
Information structure can be realized through a wide variety of linguistic mechanisms.[3] In the spoken form of English Language, one of the primary methods of indicating information structure is through intonation, whereby pitch is modified from some default pattern. Other languages use syntactic mechanisms like dislocation, anaphora, and gapping; morphological mechanisms like specialized focus or topic-marking affixes; and specialized discourse particles. English in fact uses more than intonation for expressing information structure, so that clefts are used for exhaustive focus, and grammatical particles like only also induce contrastive focus readings.
Cross-linguistically, there are clear tendencies that relate notions of information structure to particular linguistic phenomena. For instance, focus tends to be prosodically prominent, and there do not seem to be any languages that express focus by deaccenting or destressing.[3]
The following German sentences exhibit three different kinds of syntactic 'fronting' that correlate with topic.[3]
- a. _Diesen Mann_ habe ich noch nie gesehen.
- 'This man have I not yet seen.' (movement)
b. _Diesen Mann_, den habe ich noch nie gesehen.
- 'This man, that I have not yet seen.' (left dislocation)
- c. _Diesen Mann_, ich habe ihn noch nie gesehen.
- 'This man, I have not yet seen him.' (hanging topic)
It is often assumed that answers to questions are focused elements. Question and answer pairs are often used as diagnostics for focus, as in the following English examples.[3]
- Q: What did John do with the book yesterday?
- A: He SOLD the book yesterday.
- A: *He sold the book YESTERDAY.
- Q: When did Jane sell the book?
- A: She sold the book YESTERDAY.
- A: *She SOLD the book yesterday.
Focus and background[edit]
Focus is a grammatical category or attribute that determines indicating that part of an utterance contributes new, non-derivable, or contrastive information.[5] Some theories (in line with work by Mats Rooth) link focus to the presence of alternatives (see Focus: Alternative Semantics).[6] An alternatives theory of focus would account for the stress pattern in the example from the previous section (When did Jane sell the book? She sold the book YESTERDAY), saying that YESTERDAY receives focus because it could be substituted with alternative time periods (TODAY or LAST WEEK) and still serve to answer the question the first speaker asked.
Background is a more difficult concept to define; it's not simply the complement of focus. Daniel P. Hole gives the following framework: "'Focus' is a relational notion, and the entity a focus relates to is called its background, or presupposition."[7]
Topic and comment[edit]
The topic (or theme) of a sentence is what is being talked about, and the comment (or rheme, or sometimes focus) is what is being said about the topic. That the information structure of a clause is divided in this way is generally agreed on, but the boundary between topic/theme depends on grammatical theory. Topic is grammaticized in languages like Japanese and Korean, which have a designated topic-marker morpheme affixed to the topic.
Some diagnostics have been proposed for languages that lack grammatical topic-markers, like English; they attempt to distinguish between different kinds of topics (such as "aboutness" topics and "contrastive" topics).[8] The diagnostics consist of judging how felicitous it is to follow a discourse with either questions (What about x?) or sentences beginning with certain phrases (About x, ... Speaking of x, ... As for x, ...) to determine how "topical" x is in that context.
Given and new[edit]
Intuitively, givenness classifies words and information in a discourse that are already known (or given) by virtue of being common knowledge, or by having been discussed previously in the same discourse ("anaphorically recoverable").[5] Certain theories (such as Roger Schwarzschild's GIVENness Constraint) require all non-focus-marked constituents to be given.[9]
Words/information that are not given, or are "textually and situationally non-derivable"[5] are by definition new.
- ^ Lambrecht, Knud. 1994. Information structure and sentence form. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
- ^ a b c Krifka, Manfred (2008). "Basic notions of information structure". Acta Linguistica Hungarica. Budapest: Akadémiai Kiadó. 55 (3–4): 243–276. doi:10.1556/ALing.55.2008.3-4.2. ISSN 1216-8076.
- ^ a b c d e f Kučerová, Ivona; Neeleman, Ad (2012). Contrasts and positions in information structure. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. pp. 1–23. ISBN 978-1-107-00198-5.
- ^ Erteschik-Shir, Nomi (2007). Information structure: The syntax-discourse interface. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
- ^ a b c Halliday, M. A. K. "Notes on transitivity and theme in English: Part 2". Retrieved 2015-07-08.
- ^ Rooth, Mats (1992). "A theory of focus interpretation". Natural Language Semantics. 1 (1): 75–116. doi:10.1007/BF02342617. ISSN 0925-854X.
- ^ Hole, Daniel P. (2004). "Focus and Background Marking in Mandarin Chinese: System and theory behind cái, jiù, dōu and ye" (PDF). www.uni-stuttgart.de. Retrieved 2015-07-15.
- ^ Roberts, Craige (2001). "Topics". In Semantics: An international handbook of natural language meaning. Vol. 33. (Eds. Claudia Maienborn, Klaus von Heusinger, and Paul Portner). Walter de Gruyter. pp.1908-1934.
- ^ Schwarzschild, Roger (1999). "GIVENNESS, AVOIDF AND OTHER CONSTRAINTS ON THE PLACEMENT OF ACCENT*". Natural Language Semantics. 7 (2): 141–177. doi:10.1023/A:1008370902407. ISSN 0925-854X.


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The Black on Black Collection
Black Out
Contrary to popular opinion, black is the new black. And if you're fond of this timeless trend, you'll love our new range of black ceramics, handmade in Peru. The striking shade of black is achieved by burning mango leaves in kilns. Using simple tools, the clay is transformed with meticulous attention to detail before the ceramics are hand-polished with stones.View The Collection


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This Monday a new crowdfund will launch from the hands of some of the original creators of the epic, survival-horror GameCube game, Eternal Darkness, with the hopes that they will be able to fund raise or "crowdfund", enough cash to build what the entire fan base has been aching for since 2002: an Eternal Darkness sequel. The good news is that this does not appear to be fake, as the creator's have formed a new, legalized development company called Precursor games, and they've already published a sneak peak to the proposed sequel, which will be called "Shadow of the Eternals". Hit the link below for the official trailer, and more info on this exciting new crowdfund!
After more than 160 years since its invention, the elevator remains arguably one of the most socially-awkward environments today. Everyone stares straight ahead, talking is strictly forbidden, and everyone is hoping in the back of their mind that the lift doesn't get stuck. Or that Hannibal Lecter isn't hiding on top of it. Gaming has incorporated the awkward, but useful invention since the 1980's in some very memorable games, such as TMNT: Turtles in Time, and the very first Mass Effect. So how the heck does an elevator garner its own tribute on SQ? Well, we labeled it as an "odd" gaming tribute, so we think that justifies the love, however through our nearly twenty some odd years of gaming experience, we've come to notice a few awesome trends that all revolve around the epic experience that is the virtual elevator; click that attractive link below for full, scientific results.
Mass Effect 3 will stand in the upper echelon of greatest RPG's of all-time for generations to come, even if Bioware's next franchise blows it away, and even with an arguably substandard ending. Yesterday everyone's favorite game developer released a very cool infographic detailing worldwide Mass Effect 3 player stats, from choices, to general player patterns and trends. There are a ton of great talking points here, but one really stood out to me. Caress the link below to check the stats out, and see what caught our Slightly Qualified eye!
The fabled Mass Effect team up in Edmonton (eh, hoser!) is back to work, although this time they're building an entirely new franchise. The exciting news came from the team's Executive Producer, Casey Hudson, who stated the team is "building something new", and the franchise will be based on "a whole new universe". The news dropped just yesterday during a panel at the PAX East games conference in Austin, MA. Or was it Boston … ?


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The Damned Trailer (2013)
"Heaven help us" 17 October 2013 Horror, Thriller, Mystery 87 mins
After suffering the recent loss of his wife, David Reynolds decides to take his family on a cathartic trip to her home village in Columbia. While en route, they get into a car accident and seek refuge in a secluded inn. While there they find a mysterious young girl, Ana Maria, locked up with cryptic symbols painted on the walls of her cell. Shocked by the treatment of her caretaker, the family sets Ana free only to realize that she is possessed by an evil spirit from centuries past. What's worse, the spirit can jump from person to person, creating a deadly dynamic amongst the once loving family. Now, David must figure out a way to lock the spirit up for good before it destroys him and his family.
Watch the official The Damned 2013 trailer in HD below or find more The Damned videos on Vidimovie.