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40 U.S. Code § 8712 - Mayor of the District of Columbia
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§ 8712.
Mayor of the District of Columbia
(a)Planning Responsibilities.—The Mayor of the District of Columbia is the central planning agency for the government of the District of Columbia in the National Capital and is responsible for coordinating the planning activities of the District government and for preparing and implementing the District elements of the comprehensive plan for the National Capital, which may include land use elements, urban renewal and redevelopment elements, a multiyear program of public works for the District, and physical, social, economic, transportation, and population elements. The Mayor's planning responsibility shall not extend to—
federal or international projects and developments in the District, as determined by the National Capital Planning Commission; or
(b)Participation and Consultation.—
In carrying out the responsibilities under this section and section 8721 of this title, the Mayor shall establish procedures for citizen participation in the planning process and for appropriate meaningful consultation with any state or local government or planning agency in the National Capital region affected by any aspect of a comprehensive plan, including amendments, affecting or relating to the District.
(Pub. L. 107–217, Aug. 21, 2002, 116 Stat. 1218; Pub. L. 109–284, § 6(28), Sept. 27, 2006, 120 Stat. 1213.)
Historical and Revision Notes
Source (U.S. Code)
Source (Statutes at Large)
June 6, 1924, ch. 270, § 2(a)(2), as added July 19, 1952, ch. 949, § 1, 66 Stat. 782; Pub. L. 93–198, title II, § 203(a), Dec. 24, 1973, 87 Stat. 779.
2006—Subsec. (a)(2). Pub. L. 109–284 inserted "of this title" after "sections 5101 and 5102".
LII has no control over and does not endorse any external Internet site that contains links to or references LII.


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The soundtrack for Abbott's Grill on Saturday night will be a bluesy one, courtesy of the Rehoboth Beach trio lower case blues.
The soundtrack for Abbott's Grill on Saturday night will be a bluesy one, courtesy of the Rehoboth Beach trio lower case blues.
Usually performing at Abbott's once a month, with their last appearance in late March, lower case blues knows how to get the place jumping as it'll serve patrons a heaping helping of bluesy treats, spanning covers from legends like B.B. King, Bo Diddley, The Allman Brothers, Albert Collins, Robben Ford and many others. lcb, a full-time band that gigs mostly in Sussex County, also shines the spotlight on its originals. A portion of those tunes on Saturday night will come from the band's latest album, "Downhome Girl," released in 2011.
A few patrons at Abbott's won't have trouble relating to lcb's laidback "Late Mornin Blues," a tale inspired by the band's habit of having too good of a time after shows.
"It's basically about waking up at whatever hour and not totally remembering what's happened last night," said lead guitarist Jake Banaszak, 29. "I think we've all been there before."
Then there's the vibrant title track, "Downhome Girl," which pays tribute to a special girl and it features the "Bo Diddley beat," Diddley's trademark syncopated rhythm.
The song was born about two-and-half years ago from a Bo Diddley tribute lcb played in Baltimore, Md. Since lcb was hired as the event's backing band, the three amigos had to learn oodles of Diddley songs. After the show, during the drive back to Delaware, frontman B.J. Muntz started forming the lyrics. Though the song came out nicely, Banaszak is still clueless as to who the "Downhome Girl" actually is.
"I don't know where [Muntz] came up with that," said a baffled Banaszak. "Maybe it had to do with a girl he was seeing."
One thing he is certain of is that Abbott's shows lower case blues a lot of love whenever it's in town.
"Everyone that works there is really cool and the food is amazing," he said. "I tell everyone if you want to come early and get some dinner, this is a great place to do it."
The slender guitarist practices what he preaches.
"I usually get there early and get the dinner," he added. "My favorite thing is their pot roast."
WHAT lower case blues in concert
WHEN 9:30 p.m., Saturday
WHERE Abbott's Grill, 249 N.E. Front St., Milford
COST Free
INFO Visit abbottsgrillde.com or call (302) 491-6736

subset: commoncrawl


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Confession time -- I grew up with The Beatles. They hit the music scene in the U.S. in 1964 when I was 9 years old. I was enthralled. From that time on, I really wanted to play guitar and drums. Many books and movies have been written and made about the early days of The Beatles. Nowhere Boy could have been just another in the bunch.
Instead of focusing on how The Beatles got together, it brings the viewers attention to the stormy early life of John Lennon. I can't vouch for the accuracy of the film. So many different stories have been told even by John Lennon himself that it is hard to separate fact from fiction. Yet, the film rings true in feeling if not completely in fact. Paul and George are there, but more as background figures. Featured are the roles of Aunt Mimi and John's mother Julia and the up and down relationships he had with these two. I won't add much more except to say that when the film was finished I had not realized how much time had passed. It held my attention all the way through.


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Pseudobatos lentiginosus
|Scope: Global
Language: English
|Scientific Name:
|Pseudobatos lentiginosus (Garman, 1880)
Common Name(s):
Rhinobatos lentiginosus Garman, 1880
|Taxonomic Source(s):
|Eschmeyer, W.N., Fricke, R. and Van der Laan, R. (eds). 2016. Catalog of Fishes: genera, species, references. Updated 29 September 2016. Available at: http://researcharchive.calacademy.org/research/ichthyology/catalog/fishcatmain.asp. (Accessed: 29 September 2016).
|Taxonomic Notes:
|Last et al. (2016) revised the genus Rhinobatos, transferring glaucostigma, horkelii, lentiginosus, leucorhynchus, percellens, planiceps, prahli, and productus to the new genus Pseudobatos.
|Red List Category & Criteria:
|Near Threatened ver 3.1
|Year Published:
|Date Assessed:
Needs updating
|Casper, B., Burgess, G.H. & Shepherd, T.
|Kyne, P.M. & Valenti, S.V.
This is an amended version of the 2004 assessment to accommodate recent taxonomic revision of the genus Rhinobatus.
The Freckled Guitarfish (Pseudobatos lentiginosus) has a wide distribution in the southeast USA and coastal regions of the Gulf of Mexico, from North Carolina to Yucatán, Mexico and also Nicaragua. A shallow coastal species from inshore to 30 m on sandy and weedy bottom types. In some regions, for example Texas, it appears to be only seasonally and locally common. Little biological information is available for the Freckled Guitarfish. It reaches 76 cm total length (TL) and has a low fecundity (mean of 6.6 young/litter in the USA). Its narrow inshore habitat is susceptible to human impacts. It is taken as bycatch in bottom shrimp trawls in the Gulf of Mexico and occasionally by recreational fishers. Shrimp trawl fishing is intense in the Gulf of Mexico, particularly in shallow waters where this species occurs, with four to five million trawl hours annually. Although data from trawl surveys on the eastern coast of the USA (1989-2005) showed no trend in the population of this species, trawl and longline surveys in the northern Gulf of Mexico (1972-2002) recorded it in only very low numbers, with the last record in 1994. Rhinobatids are known to be vulnerable to population depletion as a result of their limiting life-history characteristics and serious declines have been documented where they are heavily fished. Given that demersal fishing pressure is very intensive throughout the southern part of this species range and its limiting life-history characteristics, it is given a precautionary assessment of Near Threatened on the basis of inferred declines as a result of continuing high levels of exploitation (close to meeting the criteria for VUA2d+4d). Collection of further data from throughout this species range is a priority.
|Previously published Red List assessments:
|Range Description:
|Southeast USA and coastal regions of the Gulf of Mexico from North Carolina to Yucatán and Nicaragua (Sánchez 1997, McEachran and Carvalho 2002).
|Countries occurrence:
Native:Mexico (Campeche, Morelos, Veracruz, Yucatán); Nicaragua (Nicaragua (mainland)); United States (Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, North Carolina, South Carolina, Texas)
|FAO Marine Fishing Areas:
Atlantic – western central; Atlantic – northwest
|Additional data:
|Range Map:
|Click here to open the map viewer and explore range.
|Hensley et al. (1998) reviewed the literature and unpublished data, concluding that the species may be relatively rare along the Texas coast, and is only seasonally common at a few locations. This contrasts with Walls (1975) who stated that the species was locally common in the northern Gulf of Mexico. Bigelow and Schroeder (1953) state that Florida is the species' centre of abundance. Details of seasonal movements are not known although the species appears to display seasonality at least along the Texas coast (Hensley et al. 1998).
Analysis of research surveys conducted in the Gulf of Mexico and along the eastern coast of the USA show no trend for this species. This species was captured in every year that data is available for in the southeast USA SEAMAP survey (from North Carolina to Florida) from 1989-2005. The trend in abundance was not significant (144 individuals were captured in 44 surveys tows, out of a total of ~4223 survey tows sampled) (Shepherd and Myers unpublished data). Only four individuals were recorded during four years, one per year in the northern Gulf of Mexico shrimp trawl fishery survey and demersal longline fishery (1972-2002). This species was last recorded in 1994 (Shepherd and Myers 2005).
|Current Population Trend:
|Additional data:
|Habitat and Ecology:
|Coastal species recorded inshore to 30 m depth, inhabiting sandy and weedy bottom types, sometimes near patch reefs. Aplacental yolksac viviparous. Jordan and Gilbert (1883) reported a litter of five from a single female, Bigelow and Schroeder (1953) reported a litter of 6 in a single female and Hensley et al. (1998) reported a mean litter size of 6.6 from 12 females from Florida and Texas. Parturition possibly occurs during late spring to early summer along the lower Texas coast with fertilization occurring after parturition (Hensley et al. 1998). Feeds primarily on benthic molluscs and crustaceans.
|Use and Trade:
|This species is discarded bycatch in the USA. It is probably utilized where taken in Mexican waters.
|Major Threat(s):
|Taken as bycatch in shrimp trawls in the Gulf of Mexico. Shrimp trawl fishing is intense in the Gulf of Mexico, particularly in shallow waters, with 4-5 million trawl hours annually (Shepherd and Myers 2005). Trawl and artisanal fisheries also operate throughout this species' inshore range off Nicaragua (FAO 2008). Occasionally taken by recreational fishers along the Texas coast (Hensley et al. 1998) and probably elsewhere.
|Conservation Actions:
|None in place.
|Casper, B., Burgess, G.H. & Shepherd, T. 2016. Pseudobatos lentiginosus. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2016: e.T161743A103934572. . Downloaded on 24 September 2018.
|To make use of this information, please check the <Terms of Use>.
|If you see any errors or have any questions or suggestions on what is shown on this page, please provide us with feedback so that we can correct or extend the information provided


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Counting the Omer in the Modern Day
"From the day after the day of rest — that is, from the day you bring the sheaf for waving — you are to count seven full weeks, until the day after the seventh week; you are to count fifty days; and then you are to present a new grain offering to Adonai." —Leviticus 23:15-16
The same evening that 40,000 Orthodox Jews gathered for a rally to consider the dangers of the Internet (and its responsible use), an email from a local conservative synagogue arrived in my inbox to remind me of a ritual for observant Jews to count the Omer. The email message notes which day of the Omer should be counted after sundown, and comes with a prayer written both in English and in Hebrew. You can also get an app for it, follow reminders from Twitter @CountTheHomer, or read the daily prayers via your RSS feed.
The counting of the Omer, also known as the mitzvah of Sefirat Ha'Omer, is a period of spiritual renewal starting from the second night of Passover and ending with Shavuot — the anniversary of the day God gave the Torah to the Israelites. For each night of these seven weeks, Jews are commanded to count from the day on which the Omer (a unit measure of barley) is offered at the Temple. The ritual begins after sundown by reciting a blessing and then saying the appropriate day of the count.
This tradition has been described as a mindfulness practice, and there is a philosophical debate about whether one should count down the days, or count up. A cancer patient proposes that counting toward the Omer can provide you with a hopeful future orientation.


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EA have apparently learned some lessons from SimCity's awkward American release, promising EU players that Origin servers will be ready for action on Friday.
"We're making changes to prevent further issues, and are confident that Origin will be stable for international launches later this week," reads a new tweet from @Origininsider, following numerous SimCity customers being unable to log into the US servers since yesterday's release. Origin has been struggling to keep up with demand, leading to endless queues and failed login attempts.
"The SimCity servers are currently inundated with the masses of eager mayors attempting to govern their cities," apologised EA in a statement.
"We are working to clear traffic from the roads and hope to have all players managing their cities as soon as possible. We're sorry for any inconvenience this may cause and appreciate your patience while we work on a resolution to this issue."
Since we can't actually review SimCity until the EU servers go live, our full verdict will sadly have to go live after the fact.
Though we're excited about SimCity's 'always connected' philosophy and the new gameplay opportunities it provides, this rather inelegant start has got us a little worried about the future. What happens during maintenance... or worse, server shutdowns months or years from now? Let us know whether you're looking forward to SimCity as much as we are in the comments.


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Performance closes Bates exhibition by major Chinese artist
The Bates College Museum of Art installation From Middle Kingdom to Biological Millennium, by Chinese artist Wenda Gu, closes with a reception and a performance piece by Gu at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 9, in the Olin Arts Center, 75 Russell St.
Gu, one of the most important artists to emerge from China in recent decades, will perform Wenda Gu's Wedding Life #6. The piece, says museum Director Mark Bessire, is an important new chapter in a series of performances, the most recent of which was held at the opening of the Guangzhou Triennial last year at the Guangdong Museum of Art, in China.
In a collaboration unusual for Maine's academic museums, the Bates museum and the Institute of Contemporary Art at Maine College of Art, Portland, jointly presented Gu's From Middle Kingdom this year. The museum installations and the performance piece reflect the artist's belief that eventually the "biological millennium" will bring all races together into one mixed group, thus ending cultural conflict.
In Gu's performances he symbolically weds a partner from another culture or ethnicity. Gu and his "bride," performed by Sagaree Sengupta, of Lewiston, will arrive at the museum in a white limousine, welcomed by young people dressed in red. The couple will exchange wedding vows under the guidance of a justice of the peace, performed by Bessire.
Each participant will consider the creation of vows and then write the program together. Using huge ink brushes and sheets of paper spread on the floor, the bride and groom will write or draw important aspects of their life leading up to the marriage. After the vows are exchanged, they will draw together their aspirations for the future.
The performance will be presented around and under the Upper Gallery installation "united nations — 7561 kilometers." The installation, 21st in a worldwide series, is a collection of hair from around the world brought together into a monument that symbolizes the unification of cultures, to be further intertwined through science and the "biological millennium."
Meanwhile, showing in the Lower Gallery are New Acquisitions: Local and Global Contemporary Photography, which closes next May; and Marsden Hartley: Image and Identity, which closes Dec. 18 and is the focus of a museum symposium Nov. 5-6.
Gu was active in the Chinese avant-garde before emigrating to the United States in 1987. He mines tradition and pursues innovation in works that explore globalism, diasporic art and transculturalism to present an idealized unification of humanity.
"Wenda Gu's work is timely in its ambitious attempt to address in artistic terms the issue of globalism that dominates discussions of contemporary economics, society and culture. The enormous scope of his vision — conceiving of his artwork as existing over time and space and not constrained by convention, language or national boundaries — is remarkable," Bessire writes in the exhibition publication, the first major scholarly publication on Gu (MIT Press).
Bessire edited the publication and, with counterparts at museums in Kansas and Texas, co-curated the exhibition. The project was supported by The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts and the National Endowment for the Arts.
Museum admission is open to the public at no cost. It is open 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday and is closed Sundays and major holidays. For more information, call 207-786-6158.
A high-resolution image for publication of a 2000 performance of "Wendu Gu's Wedding Life," taken at the Utsunomiya Museum of Art, Japan, may be downloaded at this URL:


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Pope Francis arrived in Rio de Janeiro to begin a weeklong visit to participate in the World Youth Day festival.
After making a no-frills flight on a charter jet from Italy on Monday, the pontiff got a rousing, and sometimes alarming, welcome on his first trip back to his home continent since becoming the leader of the Roman Catholic Church.
Throngs of people surrounded the pope's car several times as he made his way into the city from the airport, and outnumbered security officers struggled to push the surging crowds back.
While others worried about his security, Francis was all smiles, even rolling down his window in the car to wave and shake hands. He later transferred to an open vehicle for a spin through downtown on his way to an official welcoming ceremony.
Here's a gallery of images from the pope's arrival.
AP photographers and photo editors on Twitter: http://apne.ws/15Oo6jo


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Al Gore's speech today before a Move On audience in New York was so over the top, so around the bend, so surreal in its hateful portrayal of America and the Bush administration, that it stakes out ground never before occupied by a prominent (or formerly prominent) American politician. To fisk the entire speech, pointing out and documenting all of its hundreds of inaccuracies, would take days if not weeks. So I'll confine myself, for now, to a few points.
The main theme of Gore's speech was that all of the current bad news from Iraq is a natural outgrowth of President Bush's policies. For example:
The abuse of the prisoners at Abu Ghraib flowed directly from the abuse of the truth that characterized the Administration's march to war and the abuse of the trust that had been placed in President Bush by the American people in the aftermath of September 11th….David Kay concluded his search for weapons of mass destruction in Iraq with the famous verdict: "we were all wrong." And for many Americans, Kay's statement seemed to symbolize the awful collision between Reality and all of the false and fading impressions President Bush had fostered in building support for his policy of going to war.
To which I can only say: Al Gore, Sept. 23, 2002:
We know that he has stored secret supplies of biological and chemical weapons throughout his country.
Iraq's search for weapons of mass destruction has proven impossible to deter and we should assume that it will continue for as long as Saddam is in power.
Gore continues:
It is now clear that their obscene abuses of the truth and their unforgivable abuse of the trust placed in them after 9/11 by the American people led directly to the abuses of the prisoners in Abu Ghraib prison and, we are now learning, in many other similar facilities constructed as part of Bush's Gulag, in which, according to the Red Cross, 70 to 90 percent of the victims are totally innocent of any wrongdoing.
Huh? Why exactly is that "clear"? But it's always fun when a liberal tries to quote a statistic; let's pursue that for a moment. Gore's reference to the Red Cross was very artfully phrased, no doubt because he knew the impression he was trying to foster was false. Anyone hearing his speech would reasonably understand that the Red Cross had done some kind of a survey or study and had found, by some empirical means, that 70 to 90 percent of the Iraqis in Abu Ghraib and other prisons were completely innocent.
That is not, of course, what the Red Cross reported. Their February report, which is freely accessible on the internet, said only this: "Certain CF military intelligence officials told the ICRC that in their estimate between 70% and 90% of the persons deprived of liberty in Iraq had been arrested by mistake." Note three basic points: One, the Red Cross did no investigation whatsoever to arrive at this "statistic," which now shows up routinely in left-wing denunciations of the war. Two, the allegation is unsourced; the "military intelligence officials" are anonymous. Such anonymous, second-hand sourcing is, for obvious reasons, notoriously unreliable. God only knows what some unknown "intelligence official" said to some unknown Red Cross staffer. Third, the Red Cross' second-hand slur didn't refer to Abu Ghraib or any other prison. It referred to persons who were "deprived of liberty." A great many people in Iraq are detained briefly by military personnel; it seems reasonable to assume that most of those who are "arrested by mistake" are freed, not imprisoned at Abu Ghraib or other prisons in "Bush's gulag." It is therefore ridiculous to transfer the Red Cross' anonymous estimate to the inmates of Abu Ghraib. But this is what Al Gore and other leftist politicians and newspapers do, constantly.
Gore alleges that the war in Iraq has somehow impeded the war on terror and benefited al Qaeda:
Just yesterday, the International Institute of Strategic Studies reported that the Iraq conflict "has arguably focused the energies and resources of Al Qaeda and its followers while diluting those of the global counterterrorism coalition." The ISS said that in the wake of the war in Iraq Al Qaeda now has more than 18,000 potential terrorists scattered around the world and the war in Iraq is swelling its ranks.
Gore relies on news reports like this one from the Associated Press. But, as Dafydd ab Hugh has pointed out, the short attention span of the American liberal apparently prevented Gore from reading to the end of the article, where the 18,000 number is explained:
The IISS said its estimate of 18,000 al-Qaida fighters was based on intelligence estimates that the group trained at least 20,000 fighters in its camps in Afghanistan before the United States and its allies ousted the Taliban regime. In the ensuing war on terror, some 2,000 al-Qaida fighters have been killed or captured, the survey said.
So Gore's claim that "in the wake of the war in Iraq" al Qaeda has 18,000 members is a ridiculous mischaracterization of the Institute of Strategic Studies' report. The 18,000 number is merely the difference between the estimated number of people who passed through al Qaeda training camps before the war in Afghanistan, and the 2,000 al Qaeda members who are estimated to have been killed since then. The figure, whether accurate or not, has nothing at all to do with the war in Iraq, contrary to Gore's assertion.
I don't know whether the IISS has any particular credibility, but, for what it's worth, here is what that organization had to say about the potential benefits of the Iraq war in the fight against terrorism:
Progress in marginalising transnational Islamist terrorists will come incrementally. It is likely to accelerate only with currently elusive political developments that would broadly depress recruitment and motivation, such as the stable democratisation of Iraq or resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Liberals hate America. They never admit it, but it's true. Here is a small but revealing moment in Gore's hysterical tirade that shows, I think, what he really believes:
[Speaking of torture] We all know these things, and we need not reassure ourselves and should not congratulate ourselves that our society is less cruel than some others, although it is worth noting that there are many that are less cruel than ours.
Got that? America is "less cruel than some," but "more cruel than many." We just need to apologize for our errors, bow our heads in submission, and take instruction from the majority of nations in Europe, Asia, Africa and South America who are so well qualified to give us lessons in the avoidance of cruelty. If you believe this, you may as well stop reading; you are a hard-core Kerry voter.
I could go on, but I'll stop for now. There is simply too much falsehood and confusion in Gore's speech for any one person to deconstruct. We should perhaps divide his tirade by paragraphs and parcel out to websites in the blogosphere–the Northern Alliance, for example, with help from others, since the job is so vast–the task of refuting Gore's misrepresentations and libels, one by one.
In the meantime, you should read his speech. Read it, and weep for our country, because this deranged partisan hack was once Vice-President of the United States.
UPDATE: John Podhoretz's view of Gore's speech isn't as positive as ours.


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Lending Startup Earnest Raises $15 Million to Replace FICO Scores
In 2009, Louis Beryl applied for a private loan to help pay for his tuition at Harvard Business School. Even though he had a good credit score and a resume that included stints as a quant options trader at Morgan Stanley and Lehman Brothers, no one would give him an affordable student loan without a co-signer.
The experience gave Beryl the idea to found Earnest, a startup that provides small loans to individuals based on their earning potential rather than credit history. The company just raised $15 million in funding from venture capital investors including Andreessen Horowitz, Atlas Venture and Maveron, Beryl said in an interview.
"The credit system looks at so few things," said Beryl, 33. "For people that are just starting off, and haven't built up that history, it's very hard to get started. They're either being overcharged or they're being denied."
Earnest asks loan applicants about their current job, salary and education history and any balance they have in a savings or retirement account. It also fetches info from online profiles like LinkedIn. It then runs this data through a computer algorithm that predicts their ability to pay back a loan. Each applicant is also reviewed by five people.
Earnest is one of several young companies using new technologies to offer loans to individuals and small businesses that wouldn't qualify for traditional loans. LendingClub and Prosper vet loan applications and match borrowers with lenders through an online marketplace. Kabbage scans the Web for customer reviews of small businesses before deciding whether to provide them loans.
Since opening to residents of Massachusetts and Florida earlier this year, Earnest has processed hundreds of thousands of dollars in small loans to people with FICO credit scores as low as 608 – a score that would be considered subprime by traditional lenders.
This week, the service is opening up to residents of New York, California, Texas, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Connecticut and Utah. Borrowers can apply for one-year loans at a 5.5% interest rate or two-year loans at 6.5% interest for up to $20,000. Earnest doesn't take an origination fee on the loans.
Earnest can afford to charge lower interest rates than a typical lender because its technology has lowered the risk of defaults, Beryl said. So far, it hasn't made one loan that's at risk of default, he said.
To lend more money, Earnest needs to keep raising funds from outside investors. A portion of the new funding is actually a credit facility it can extend to customers. The rest will go toward expanding Earnest's small staff – it plans to add at least three people to have 20 employees by the end of this year – and improving its technology to better analyze customer risk.
If Beryl succeeds, he will help young professionals avoid having long-term debt like he did. To pay for business school, he borrowed money from his mother, who in turn had to refinance the mortgage on her house. He's still paying off mom.


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Certificate Error Provisioning All AMT DevicesTrevor.Sullivan Jan 14, 2009 5:33 PM
Hey guys,
I have a brand new Dell Optiplex 755 running BIOS A11 and AMT Firmware 3.2.1. I'm having trouble provisioning it. Everything works up until the certificate request is made from out certificate server, however. I'm getting the below messages in the amtproxymgr.log (not amtopmgr.log) on the ConfigMgr site server.
I had one of the guys on our server team check out the certificate server, and it is creating multiple certificates for the same client, and automatically approving them (as is proper), but for some reason, the site server is rejecting the certificate during the verification of the certificate chain. Our internal root CA certificate is in the Trusted Root CA store on the site server, and I have successfully provisioned other clients before.
I have also verified that this is not the self-signed certificate issue, because I have manually unprovisioned the device in SMB mode, and also pulled the CMOS battery to reset back to factory defaults. The same behavior is persisting.
DNS also is not a problem, as I have verified the forward and reverse records for the client from the site server. DHCP option 15 is also set properly. If either of these were the issue, we wouldn't be getting as far as we are in the provisioning process.
Found instruction file: D:\SMS\inboxes\amtproxymgr.box\{50830F19-8E2D-410A-A75B-EC5F0A32F96E}.apx
Processing Instruction: RCT 1;1;62151;3.2.1;vproclient.vprodemo.com;SMS_AMT_OPERATION_MANAGER_PROV;
Request certificate task begin to read Site Control File.
Changes to the site control file settings detected.
Request certificate task success to read parameters from Site Control File.
Request certificate task success to connect to the SQL database.
ERROR: CertCreateCertificateContext failed: 0x80093102, msg=ASN1 unexpected end of data.~
Error: CTaskRequestClientCert::RevokeExistedCertificate failed to get serial number from the certificate binary.
Request certificate task disConnected to the SQL database.
INFO: Enter process request 1
INFO: Save Request
INFO: Add new request
Certificate for vproclient.vprodemo.com has been retrieved.
ERROR: CertGetCertificateChain(...) failed: 0x1000040
ERROR: HandleDisposition failed: the root certificate of the CA is not at the Trust List!
INFO: Enter process request 3
INFO: Delete Request
INFO: Request to delete found
STATMSG: ID=7601 SEV=E LEV=M SOURCE="SMS Server" COMP="SMS_AMT_PROXY_COMPONENT" SYS=PROVSERVER SITE=123 PID=8536 TID=2220 GMTDATE=Thu Jan 08 21:28:22.411 2009 ISTR0="vproclient.vprodemo.com" ISTR1="certserver.vprodemo.com" ISTR2="" ISTR3="" ISTR4="" ISTR5="" ISTR6="" ISTR7="" ISTR8="" ISTR9="" NUMATTRS=0
Failed to run instruction: RCT 1;1;62151;3.2.1;vproclient.vprodemo.com;SMS_AMT_OPERATION_MANAGER_PROV;
Finished Executing Instruction: RCT 1;1;62151;3.2.1;vproclient.vprodemo.com;SMS_AMT_OPERATION_MANAGER_PROV;
Trevor Sullivan
Systems Engineer
OfficeMax Corporation


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Team Gluten-Free Member Search and Donate
It has never been so easy to make a donation to support our Team Gluten-Free Members and their fundraising goals. Type in the Team Gluten-Free Member's name below to locate and enter their personalized page. Just click Search and then scroll down to see the results.


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Sentence Completion Practice Test 5
Question 1
Scientists have discovered that our sense of smell is surprisingly _______,capable of distinguishing thousands of chemical oder
- rigid
- inert
- erratic
- keen
- innate
Correct Answer: D
Obviously, the missing word must mean 'capable of distinguishing thousands of chemical odors'. Among the given choices, it is the word 'keen' which has this meaning. So, (D) is the answer.
Question 2
With these _______ sites as evidence, it would be _______ to draw definite conclusions as to the places typically selected as settlements by the people of the Neolithic age.
- imperfect.. feasible
- few.. unsound
- complete.. ridiculous
- abundant.. presumptuous
- scatter.. prudent
Correct Answer: B
With imperfect sites as evidence, it would not be feasible to draw definite conclusions... With only a few sites as evidence, it would certainly be unsound to draw definite conclusions...So, (B) completes a logical sentence, and is the answer.
Question 3
Alice Walker's prize winning novel exemplifies the strength of first person narratives; the protagonist tells her own story so effectively that any additional commentary would be _______.
- subjective
- eloquent
- superfluous
- incontrovertible
- impervious
Correct Answer: C
(Exemplifies means is an example of protagonist means chief character). If the protagonist tells her own story so effectively, any additional commentary would be unnecessary or superfluous. So, C is the answer.
Question 4
The importance of science in the practical affairs of modern societies is recognized even by its detractors, but, surprisingly, its positive influence on culture is often _______, even by its _______.
- despised.. adversaries
- ascertained.. partisans
- conceded.. beneficiaries
- nullified.. assailants
- questioned.. champions
Correct Answer: E
The use of the conjunction 'but surprisingly' implies that there is an implied contrast between the first and secolnd parts of the sentence. The first part says that the importance of science in practical affairs is recognized even by its critics. So, to bring out the contrast, the second part must say that the importance of science of culture is repudiated even by its supporters. Among the given choices, it is the pair of words in (E) which gives this meaning to the sentence, and is the answer.
Question 5
True to her altruistic beliefs, Natalie _______ the _______ attitude of her colleague that a client represented nothing more than a source of income and an opportunity for advancing one's professional reputation.
- applauded.. conscientious
- condoned.. aggressive
- lamented.. mercenary
- adopted.. egotistical
- belittled.. magnanimous
Correct Answer: C
If Natalie had altruistic (meaning charitable) beliefs, she would not have applauded or condoned or adopted the attitude of her colleague that a client is nothing more than a source of income. So, on a considertion of the choices for the first missing word, (A), (B) and (D) can be ruled out. Since the attitude that the client is nothing more than a source of income cannot be described as magnanimous, (E) can also be ruled out. With her altruistic beliefs, she would certainly have lamented (meaning regretted) the mercenary attitude of her colleague. So, (C) is the answer.
Question 6
The athlete's insistence on self-discipline had become _______; rarely, it seemed, did he allow himself even a minor indulgence.
- dilatory
- obsessive
- spontaneous
- infectious
- unemotional
Correct Answer: B
If the athlete allowed himself even a minor indulgence (meaning a minor diversion, such as having a drink or seeing a movie etc.) only rarely, his insistence on self-discipline must have been very severe. Among the given choices, it is the word obsessive, meaning persistence with a single idea that will give this meaning. So, (B) is the answer.
Question 7
All female red Colobus monkeys leave their natal troops, but because these females are _______ by young females from other troops, the practice has little effect on troops' size and composition.
- joined
- replaced
- ignored
- influenced
- rejected
Correct Answer: B
("Troop" is the collective name for a group of monkeys. Natal troop means the group in which a monkey is born). If all female red monkeys leave their native troops, but yet the size and composition of the troops do not get changed, it means that an equal number of female red monkeys from other troops replace them. So, (B) is the answer.
Question 8
Some travelers from United States experience culture shock when they suddenly find themselves in a place where "yes" may mean "no" where a fixed price is _______, where laughter may signify _____.
- alterable.. joy
- unchangeable.. insult
- sovereign.. merriment
- incalculable.. harmony
- negotiable.. anger
Correct Answer: D
One instance of culture shock for the US traveler is mentioned as "when yes may mean no". So, to be analogous with this instance, "a fixed price must be alterable or negotiable". So, among the choices for the first missing. If (A) is chosen, the second instance becomes "when laughter signifies joy". But laughter is a natural result of joy, and will not lead to a culture shock for the American tourist. So, (A) is wrong. If he finds that "laughter signifies anger" as in (E) the US traveler will certainly have a culture shock. So, (D) is the answer.
Question 9
According to Burgess, a novelist should not _______,for sermonizing has no place in good fiction.
- invent
- offend
- inform
- preach
- distort
Correct Answer: D
From the construction of the sentence, it is obvious that the missing word must be a synonym of sermonizing. Among choices, it is 'preach' which has his meaning. So, (D) is the answer.
Question 10
The archaeologist enjoyed the _______ life she led while gathering artifacts; she never stayed at any one site long enough to get bored.
- stealthy
- nomadic
- clamorous
- indiscreet
- rustic
Correct Answer: B
The use of semi-colon in the sentence implies that the latter part of the sentence is an amplification of the type of life that the archaeologist enjoyed. The latter part says, "she never stayed at any one site long enough to get bored", meaning that she was often changing her place of stay. Among the choices, the most appropriate adjective for such a life is 'nomadic', meaning 'having no fixed place of abode'. So, (B) is the answer.
Question 11
Medieval illuminated manuscripts art too _______ for exhibition except under rigorously controlled conditions of light, temperature, and humidity, and thus are _______ the majority of art lovers.
- intricate.. imperceptible to
- immaculate.. idolized by
- fragile.. available to
- valuable.. scorned by
- vulnerable.. inaccessible to
Correct Answer: E
If the manuscripts require rigorously controlled conditions of light, temperature and humidity for being exhibited, it means that they are either too fragile or too vulnerable. So, (C) and (E) are the only possible choices for the first missing word. Their exhibition must consequently be very rare, in which case it is not logical to say that they are available to the majority of art lovers. So, (C) is wrong. (E) completes a logical sentence because, if they are rarely exhibited, they will be inaccessible to the majority of art lovers. So, (E) is the answer.
Question 12
The artistry of cellist Yo Yo Ma is essentially _______; the melodic line rises _______, imbued with feeling and totally lacking in apparent calculation.
- carefree.. stiffly
- reserved.. involuntarily
- lyrical.. passionately
- detached.. carefully
- deliberate.. methodically
Correct Answer: C
The phrase 'imbued with feeling' immediately following the second blank indicates that the second missing word must be a synonym of this phrase. Among the choices, it is only the word 'passionately' that has this meaning. Its pair word, 'lyrical' completes a logical sentence. So, (C) is the answer.
Question 13
The supreme Court's reversal of its previous ruling on the issue of State's right _______ its reputation for _______.
- sustained.. infallibility
- compromised.. consistency
- bolstered.. doggedness
- exacerbated.. inflexibility
- dispelled.. vacillation
Correct Answer: B
The reversal of its earlier ruling, and the implied admission that it had been wrong earlier, cannot be said to sustin the Supreme Court's infallibility, mening incapacity to commit an error. So, (A) is wrong. If the Supreme Court had a reputation for consistency (meaning permanence in its opinion), the fact that it reversed its previous ruling on an important issue would certainly compromise (meaning injure) this reputation. So, (B) completes a logical sentence, and is the answer.
Question 14
Denise was astounded to hear that her brother, whom she knew to be quite _______, was described as taciturn and aloof by his colleagues at the university.
- insular
- placid
- anguished
- vacuous
- garrulous
Correct Answer: E
If Denise was astounded (meaning surprised) to hear that her brother was considered to be taciturn (meaning speaking very little) and aloof (meaning unsociable) by his colleagues, he must have been known to her as a very talkative and sociable person. Among the given choices, garrulous means talkative, and is the answer.
Question 15
Because they are _______ to take financial loss that results from providing drugs for _______ markets, pharmaceutical manufacturers often do not produce needed drugs for rare diseases.
- proud.. small
- eager.. known
- prone.. nebulous
- loath.. limited
- reluctant.. expanding
Correct Answer: D
The market for drugs needed for rare diseases can best be described as small or limited. So, (A) and (D) are the only possible choices for the second missing word. If pharmaceutical manufacturers are proud to take the financial loss incurred in catering to this market, they would not stop producing these drugs. So, (A) is not correct. If they are loath (meaning unwilling) to take such losses, they would obviously stop producing these drugs. Thus (D) completes a logical sentence, and is the answer.


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Growing up and going up
Gothenburg boys use size advantage to beat Hershey
After losing an overtime game the night before, Gothenburg boys basketball coach Roger Koehler worried how his team might bounce back, both physically and mentally.
Maybe, Koehler said, the Swedes just needed to get a game under their belts to pull it all together.Gothenburg had no trouble defeating Hershey 53-39 at home Friday night.
"I wondered about their legs," the coach said, "but they seemed to handle it all quite well."
Gothenburg cruised early with an inside-outside combination that put the Swedes up 14-8 at the end of the first quarter.
Post players Logan Koehler and Tanner Borchardt seemed to dominate the paint against the shorter Panthers but it was Swede guard Blake Ristine who provided the early spark, scoring eight of his 12 points in the opening period.
"Our bigs were dominant, no doubt," the coach said, "but the kids did a good job of moving the ball around."
The score was tied 4-4 in the first period before Gothenburg went on a 12-0 run.
Hershey couldn't make much happen after that as the Swedes held the Panthers to five points in the second quarter while pushing ahead 27-13 at halftime.
"Hershey is going to play hard all the time," Koehler said. "They're coached well and that's just what kind of team they are. But they simply didn't have anything to counteract the success our big guys were having."
Even when Hershey held the Swedes scoreless for six minutes to start the third quarter, there was never a question of control.
"The kids were able to stay composed despite the pressure," the coach said. "That's something we didn't do very well the night before."
Logan Koehler led the scoring effort with 17 points.
Tanner Borchardt pitched in 11 points and 10 rebounds.
Ristine finished with 12 points and five assists.
The Swedes move to 1-1 on the season as they host Southern Valley on Thursday before traveling to Perkins County Saturday.
The 2-0 Eagles were pre-season ranked No. 8 in Class C-2 by the Omaha World-Herald.
"They had a lot of success last year and have a lot of kids back," Koehler said. "It will be a good challenge for us."
Tipoff is set for approximately 7 p.m.
Perkins County has had an 0-2 start to the year with a much smaller lineup than Gothenburg's but Koehler said playing at Grant poses extra problems.
"It's a tough place to play," he said. "There's a lot of tradition in that gym."
Saturday's game is set to begin at 4:30 p.m. MT.
Latest Headlines
- Gothenburg native releases first novel
- We all need help from a friend
- Monsanto hosts 6th annual Safety Day program
- Brady places champ and runner-up at State FCCLA
- Swedes continue conference domination
- Dancing With The Stars changes venues
- Middle-of-the-Pack Finishes For Swede Boys and Girls
- Girls Show Support for Teacher's Cancer Fight


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EMI Universal Deal Cleared, Giving One Company Veto Rights On Pretty Much Any New Music Service
from the well-that-could-be-a-problem dept
A story earlier this week at the Huffington Post, does a really nice job laying out how this deal effectively gives a few Universal Music execs veto power over any new music startup. Because if you're launching a music service today, you generally want it to offer a lot of popular music, and between Universal Music and EMI, they control a huge portion of that market -- much of it historical back catalog stuff, but also some of the more popular mega-acts today. The HuffPo writeup notes that Steve Jobs played the labels off of each other to get them to sign on to iTunes. But, today, the new UMG could control that process.
According to Paul Vidich, a former Warner Music executive who closed the iTunes deal, the pending merger between Universal and EMI could put an end to that state of affairs.Remember, Universal is the company whose former CEO, Doug Morris, once gleefully explained how he didn't understand technology and didn't even try to hire someone who did, because he wouldn't know how. Amazingly, his board let him keep his job for many years (he's since moved on to head up Sony Music). Morris' replacement at UMG, Lucian Grainge, has talked about how the CD format is important to the company's future. And he's now basically the guy with veto power over any new music service.
"Without a UMG-EMI license, they won't have a business," said Vidich, referring to new digital startups. "Within the new UMG-EMI there will be only a handful of senior executives who make these key licensing decisions. So this small group will become the gatekeepers for music startups that require these licenses. The psychology, pay packages and strategic interests of these executives will have an outsized impact on diversity and innovation in the entire online music industry."
That does not bode well for the online digital music marketplace.


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Be Mine Valentine 2
By Let Me Scrapbook!
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- Type: Combo Pack
- Designer: Let Me Scrapbook!
- Download Size: 112.1 MB (approximate)
Design Elements
- Digital Papers: 21
- Page Elements: 28
Designer Notes
"Cutie pie, true love, be mine†~ sentiments you'll find on candy conversation hearts and the inspiration behind this "sweet†Valentines kit! There are lots of fun and unique elements, including several that are not Valentine specific, to give you plenty of options for other types of layouts, cards, hybrid projects, etc.
Image Quality
High-resolution (print quality) JPG and PNG files (with transparency).
Download Options
Easy install directly into My Memories Suite software. Purchase My Memories Suite
General use installer for other software applications (i.e., Adobe Photoshop & Photoshop Elements, Paint Shop Pro, etc.).
Album and Photobook templates are intended for installation in the MyMemories Suite software only.
The General download will still contain all of the digital paper and page element files and template pages in a flat jpeg format so that you can recreate the template.
The layered pre-built pages are not available in the general download.
Download Access
All download options are available after checkout by clicking the "Access Your Downloads" provided on the order confirmation page. You may also access your downloads after logging into the My Account section located at the top right of the website.


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Nadal beats Paire to reach Barcelona quarterfinals
Nadal beats Paire to reach Barcelona quarterfinals
Apr. 26, 2013
BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — Seven-time winner Rafael Nadal advanced to the Barcelona Open quarterfinals by beating Benoit Paire of France 7-6 (2), 6-2 on Friday.
Paire broke Nadal's first service game, but when the fifth-ranked Spaniard found his rhythm he had little trouble extending his winning streak on the Real Club de Tenis' red clay to 36 straight matches.
The match was originally scheduled for Thursday but was postponed because of rain. If the weather holds up, Nadal will play Albert Ramos later Friday. Ramos defeated Kei Nishikori of Japan 6-4, 7-6 (4).
Playing two matches in the same day should be a good test of Nadal's balky left knee. He took seven months off and returned in February after a nagging case of tendinitis.
Nadal reached five straight finals heading into Barcelona, but lost to Novak Djokovic last weekend. That ended his eight-year winning run at Monte Carlo and raised questions of whether he's ready to compete next month for the much more grueling French Open title.
"We'll see how the day goes. For the moment, I've done the important thing, which is to win the first match," Nadal said. "I'm taking it step-by-step. Let's see if I can play better in the second match."
Also, Tommy Robredo rallied from a set down to eliminate sixth-ranked Tomas Berdych 3-6, 7-6 (5), 6-3. The unseeded Robredo hit a winner that clipped the baseline to break Berdych's serve for the fourth time on match point.
Robredo will face Milos Raonic later Friday in the quarterfinals. The Canadian defeated Ernests Gulbis 6-2, 7-6 (6).
Fourth-seeded Nicolas Almagro beat Juan Monaco 6-3, 7-5 to make his third semifinal in the Catalan capital after he broke the Argentine's serve late before serving out the second set.
Almagro will play Philipp Kohlschreiber of Germany in the semifinals after the German advanced two rounds despite playing just six games on Friday.
Kohlschreiber defeated Martin Klizan of Slovakia 1-6, 7-6 (2), 7-6 (5) after their third-round match was postponed on Thursday because of rain with Klizan leading 4-3 in the third set. Kohlschreiber then advanced to the semifinals after Thomaz Bellucci withdrew.
Nadal had a sluggish start and Paire hit a winner off one of his second serves to get the early advantage.
After squandering three break points in Paire's first service game, Nadal broke back to pull even at 3-3 with defensive slices that Paire eventually sent long.
Nadal's steady ground game forced Paire to make three errors in the tiebreaker.
He took control of the second set when he broke Paire at love to go ahead 3-2 after the Frenchman's serve failed him and he hit consecutive double-faults.
Paire had a chance to break back in the next game, but he hit long and slammed his racket into the ground. Nadal went on to take the game and sealed the match when Paire's drop shot fell well short.
Nadal last lost at the Barcelona Open 10 years ago to Spain's Davis Cup captain, Alex Corretja.


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Aug 30, 2006 at 8:44 am
What it do? are you from z28.com or just sending out random friends requests?
Aug 25, 2006 at 1:42 am
Yes I am going! I'll be riding along with you all when you pass through Columbia I'll be meeting up somewhere.
Aug 24, 2006 at 8:19 pm
man you actually got to drive it wow im honored to be your friend you got to tell me about it and you have one hell of a ride man


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Twitter Dishes Advice To Chris Brown Post-Arrest
According to Twitter, Chris Brown either needs jail, anger management, Rihanna or face time with Iyanla Vanzant. The R&B star was arrested in Washington, D.C. for felony assault (he allegedly broke a dude's nose). Now, even Basketball Wives shit-starter Tami Roman wants a piece of him. Is this the last straw? Click through to see what advice the tweets are dishing out for Breezy.


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NORFOLK -- The harsh lessons continue for an Old Dominion team that's typically long on effort, but short on experience and execution.
Three days after Richmond handed the Monarchs their worst home loss at the Constant Center, rival VCU blitzed early and kept them at arm's length on the way to an 83-70 win Friday.
"We're going through a very challenging period," ODU coach Blaine Taylor said after the Monarchs' seventh consecutive loss dropped them to 1-8. "We had spirited practices this week, and I think we ran into two teams this week that are veteran teams that played good games.
"One of the things we're having a difficult time with is defending to the level that we have come to expect around here. We've got marquee players on other teams that are having career nights against us. It's making it very, very hard on us."
The culprits Friday were VCU senior wing Troy Daniels, who tied the school record with eight 3-pointers on the way to a career-best 24 points, and sophomore Treveon Graham, whose 23 points were three shy of his career high.
"Just following the process," Daniels said. "No matter what defense they were playing, just shoot it the right way, and I knew my teammates were going to find me if I was open, so you've got to be ready to shoot, and that's what I was tonight."
Daniels found spaces against ODU's zone defense, while Graham found seams to penetrate for an array of shots.
Briante Weber, subbing for the recovering Darius Theus at point guard, filled up the box score. He finished with eight points, nine rebounds, 10 assists, five steals and just one turnover in 31 minutes. Rob Brandenberg complemented his mates with nine points, including five straight during a key stretch of the second half when ODU threatened.
"We missed some free throws, we missed some easy shots," Taylor said. "We're developing offensively. I thought the second half, you look at a better shooting percentage. I thought we handled their pressure in the backcourt – we really didn't get turned over inbounding the ball or bringing it up. Where we had problems, and this is something we worked on, is when we had opportunities in the frontcourt, taking advantage of an open-court play. That's something we've got to get better at."
DeShawn Painter played his best game as a Monarch, with 26 points and 10 rebounds. The effort by the senior transfer from North Carolina State keyed a 43-32 rebound edge that included 20 offensive boards that resulted in 17 second-chance points.
"It was a good performance," Painter said, "but it just wasn't enough. If you have a good performance, but with no win, you don't feel very good."
VCU took control in the first half with a 22-4 run that featured nine points from Graham and three Daniels 3-pointers. Daniels' final trey gave the Rams a 27-12 lead with 8 1/2 minutes remaining.
VCU's lead fluctuated between nine and 20 points the remainder of the half, and the Rams went to the locker room with a 43-30 lead. Foul trouble hindered the Rams, causing Coach Shaka Smart to call off his press and rely on half-court havoc.
ODU was unable to make much of a dent at the foul line, hitting only half of its 16 free throws. The Monarchs had an 11-rebound edge, but converted nine offensive boards into only five second-chance points.
VCU pushed the lead to 20 early in the second half before ODU battled back. The Monarchs were within 65-53 on two Painter free throws, and Dimitri Batten just missed a 3-pointer from the left wing that would have cut the margin to single digits.
Brandenberg hustled down to the other end and drove for a layup. On ODU's next possession, Weber deflected the ball beyond the top of the key, then raced to save it before it went out of bounds. Brandenberg chased it down in the left corner, gathered himself and buried a 3-pointer that pushed the margin to 70-53.
"We played well in spurts," Smart said. "We still have not developed a killer instinct necessary to put teams away. That's something we'll continue to work on. Allowing 70 points is too much for us. We're going to get back to basics over the next week, before our next game, and get better."
That's ODU's aim, as well, before next Friday's home game against Central Florida. Though the Monarchs have much further to go.
"We did fight to the end and there were some encouraging things," Taylor said. "But the fact is, we're playing all these veteran teams. I told the kids in the locker room, I says, 'I don't know what's going to happen in the CAA race, but it can't be harder than what we're going through now.' "


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Winter Storm Pax may be moving out, but it has left a mess on local roads. So Barrow County Emergency Services is asking local residents to continue staying off roadways.
"With all the sleet, freezing rain and snow that fell over the last two days, the roadways are covered and in bad shape," said Lt. Scott Dakin. "We are strongly advising citizens that if they get out on the roadways, they are still doing so at their own risk."
County road crews are back out on the roads plowing and spreading salt, but it is going to take time for conditions to improve enough to make the roads safe for travel, he said.
"With temperatures not expected to rise above freezing before noon, we are not going to get the melting effect to assist in clearing the roads," Dakin said. "Then tonight we will drop below freezing again; so you will want to monitor conditions before deciding what to do on Friday."
According to Barrow County Emergency Services Interim Chief John Skinner, the county's Emergency Operations Center will start closing around noon.
Though some local residents did not heed public safety warnings about staying off the roads, the vast majority did.
"With the roadways in the shape they were in overnight this could have been a catastrophic storm that would have been historical; instead it was handled easily by the staff we had on," he said.
Pax winding down, leaving messy roads behind
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Let's talk taxes
It's that wonderful time of year when the flowers bloom, the weather warms, and the taxman cometh. I am sure many of you are still reeling after writing that annual check to the dreaded Internal Revenue Service.
The consensus seems to be that, for all practical purposes, the U.S. federal income tax system is broken. Over the years, the program somehow got out of hand and developed into an industry employing approximately 90,000 people.
Employees of the IRS are worried about a bill that was introduced to Congress in 1999. Every year since, the bill has been reintroduced because it keeps getting stuck in committee for revisions. That bill is the Fair Tax Act, and it is gaining momentum.
If the bill ever passes, the IRS kingdom will come crashing down. The employees of the world's largest collection agency will find themselves in the unemployment lines where they will assuredly be treated with utmost compassion. (Ha!)
The Fair Tax Act is a tax reform proposal that would replace all federal taxes on personal and corporate income with a single broad national consumption tax on retail sales. The tax would be applied at the point of purchase of all new goods and services for personal consumption.
The idea is to eliminate the federal income tax and replace it with a national sales tax. Strong opinions fuel both sides of the issue.
The Fair Tax Act is written in an easy-to-understand 132-page document that clearly explains the intricacies of the bill. The document differs dramatically from the 60,000 pages in the current IRS tax code that everyone is expected to follow, but nobody understands. I suspect it was designed for just that purpose.
According to the Census takers, the U.S. population is close to 307 million people. Of that number, approximately 144 million (47 percent) filed income tax returns. Note that I said "filed," not "paid." That is significant.
Those 144 million tax filers allegedly paid $1.8 trillion in federal income tax revenues last year. That works out to approximately $12,500 per person. However, of the 144 million people who filed, nearly 50 percent did not pay any actual taxes.
That means 72 million taxpayers shelled out around $25,000 apiece to make up the $1.8 trillion. That's about 23 percent of the $51,000 median income, which is the percentage that the government uses to calculate our taxes.
Now we have 53 percent of the population, plus 72 million nonpaying tax filers not contributing so much as a dime into the system while they enjoy all the benefits. Hardly seems right, does it?
With the Fair Tax Act being a sales tax, everybody would contribute a fair share according to what they spend, and the government would no longer need to employ 90,000 tax collectors. Anyone illegally residing in this country, visiting this country, or earning cash by illicit means, would pay the equivalent of income tax every time they bought something.
Opponents of the Fair Tax Act say that the sales tax would have to be inordinately high to stay revenue neutral, i.e., bring in the same revenue for government as the current system. The bill that is currently in Congress is at 30 percent. Independent groups opposing the tax say that the number should be closer to 34 percent. That's a large sum added to every retail purchase. This is especially true in regard to big-ticket items. A $20,000 car would cost $26,800.
However, those figures don't make sense when the required sum of $1.8 trillion is divided between 307 million people. If the object is to make the tax "fair," everybody should share the burden. Only 72 million people are paying the IRS. With the Fair Tax, 307 million residents, plus tourists, illegal immigrants, and anyone else making purchases in the USA will be contributing. That dilutes the 30 to 34 percent dramatically.
The opposition to the legislation comes from those who are not paying taxes. Those groups include the wealthy whose creative accountants use tax code loopholes to declare enormous deductions that do not apply to the average person, and people who work for cash and don't even bother filing.
I am not an expert, but the Fair Tax Act in some form seems to make more sense than the current system enforced by the ignominious IRS. As always, instead of resolving the issue, an endless kerfuffle born of skewed political logic echoes through congressional halls and chambers, while the American people stand by, perplexed, hoping for a better day.


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Thanks SilentSwirl! Your comments are always helpful and well-appreciated! **Fingers Crossed** I'll see ya in August!I also put my pics (pretty much the same as Silent's) and impressions of WCL up: http://onelelle.blogspot.com/2007/04/american-university-wcl.html.Gator, I didn't check out the housing around the law school too closely, but I spent some time looking at places in Dupont (on the red line and/or the N bus route), there are some really cute places (reasonably-expensive). I also looked around Georgetown (on the 30's bus routes to Tenleytown) and Foggy Bottom, but they were close-to-too pricey for a 1BR, maybe cheaper for a shared place. The 3L that I spoke to mentioned that renting a house with 4 or 5 people close to the law school is common. Over here: http://www.lawschooldiscussion.org/prelaw/index.php/topic,83204.0.html (I think this is where I saw it), some folks are talking about getting a group house organized.Bonne Chance!
Thanks Gator! I think I'll wait it out until the last week of July, first week of August at the latest, since that's the soonest I'll be able to get to Chicago to sign a lease in person. I've learned from experience to not worry about finding housing whereever I move. I found an apartment in NYC in 1 day, I moved to Paris with no place to live and found an amazing place, in the best location, in 1 hour. DC is a big city, there are tons of places out there if you're not too picky, if I have to I'll sublet for a while. What other schools are everyone waiting on/deciding between? I put in a deposit at Loyola b/c even though I haven't visited, I have a lot of friends in Chicago. I'm still waiting to hear from Brooklyn, Cardozo, Maryland and Boulder.[/quotei've been waitlisted from american. still have to hear from cardozo. but, i did get into loyola and i was just in chicago for their admit day on 4/20. i loved the school, location, and chicago itself. i also have tons of friends there and it's definitely in my top 3 at this point. i still havent decided where i want to end up though.


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This is the iPhone speaker dock made from the exhaust manifold of a retired Formula One race car. Crafted in Modena, Italy, the city considered to be the cradle of Italian racecar innovation, the dock is constructed from the left or right manifold of a retired eight-cylinder F1 engine of your choosing, including a 1978 Cosworth DFV, 2006 Renault RS26, 2007 Ferrari 056, and others. Housed in the openings of the manifold's four headpipes and each driven by neodymium magnets, two silk-dome, 70-watt tweeters and two PPM-cone, 70-watt mid-range speakers provide clear highs and mids. The end of the manifold's collector tube houses a doped-paper cone 140-watt active subwoofer driven by a high-density flux ferrite that provides booming bass. The base, leather trim, hex screws, and corrosion-resistant 6082 anodized aluminum speaker cowlings come in a choice of six colors. Works with iPhones and iPods with 30-pin connectors only. Special conditions and guarantee limitations apply. 14-20" H x 19 1/2" W x 15" D. (26 1/2 lbs.)
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Whether you're shopping for the Rachael Ray in your life—or someone who just likes to throw a stylin' party—you can put some serious spice in her chutney with these gifts ($40 and under).
State of the Union ($40, Etsy)
Whether she hails from the Sunshine State or the Empire State, a custom-made cutting board (available in all 50 states) will help her show some hometown pride every time she slices up that fancy food item you've never heard of.
Split Decisions ($17.95, Spoon Sisters)
Pumpkin or pecan? Blueberry or cherry? This Split Decision Pie Pan is the perfect answer to every baker's seasonal pie dilemmas (and a nifty solution when you're short on fruit).
Let's Lunch! ($22, Uncommon Goods)
If she's the type to bring her classy leftovers for lunch, give Ms. Homemade Bolognese this Stackable Lunch Pot to replace her cheerless plastic ones. Microwave and dishwasher safe.
Be Cheesy ($20, Uncommon Goods)
For people who like cheese (cheese-o-philes?), having the proper serving knife for les fromages is très awesome.
Iron Chef Standards ($24.99, Perpetual Kid)
This OCD Chef Cutting Board is equipped with rulers and angles that will help her julienne those carrots like with even more precision. Scary.
Amanda Waas is the creator of the You're Welcome gift blog.


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|Table of Substitutions: Non-University of Alaska institutions
|This table specifies courses accepted by transfer to UAF, from institutions outside the University of Alaska system, that may substitute for UAF's core curriculum. This table of substitutions applies only to courses accepted by transfer. Students transferring from either UAA or UAS should consult the table of substitutions for intra-UA transfers (a brochure listing current intra-UA substitutions is also available from the Office of Admissions at UAF, UAA or UAS), or visit online www.uaf.edu/admissions/undergrad/transfer/.
|Core Curriculum Courses
|Transfer Courses
|MATH F107X—Functions for Calculus or MATH F103X—Concepts and Contemporary Applications of Mathematics
|a 100-level or above mathematics course having a prerequisite of at least two years of high school algebra
|MATH F200X, F201X, F202X, F262X, F272X, Calculus
|a calculus course at the 100-level or above
|ENGL F111X—Intro to Academic Writing
|the required first semester composition course at the 100-level (must be basic freshman composition and not developmental)
|ENGL F211X—Academic Writing About Literature OR ENGL F213X—Academic Writing About Soc & Nat Sciences
|the second half of the introductory composition series at the 100-level or above
|COMM F131X—Fundamentals of Oral Communication Group Context OR COMM F141X—Fundamentals of Oral Communication Public Context
|a 100-level or above performance course in fundamentals of speech communication, public speaking or small group communication
|Natural Sciences-8 credits
|courses in basic natural sciences (biology, chemistry, earth sciences, physics) with labs, at the 100-level or above. Non-lab courses are transferable only as a second natural science course. To fulfill core requirements, a transfer student must complete two lab courses or two labs. Transfer of credit for courses in a natural science other than those listed requires approval of the dean of the College of Natural Science and Mathematics
|Perspectives on the Human Condition
|HIST F100X—Modern World History
|a Western or non-Western civilization course at the 100- or 200-level (lower division), excluding individual national histories
|ECON/PS F100X—Political Economy
|a course in U.S. or comparative political economy, or U.S. economic history or macroeconomics at the 100-level or higher
|ANTH/SOC F100X—Individual, Society and Culture
|an introductory course in anthropology at the 100- or 200-level (lower division), an introductory-level course in sociology or lower-division social problems course, or a course in cross-cultural psychology
|ENGL/FL F200X—World Literatures
|an introductory or lower-division course in world or comparative literature
|ART/MUS/THR F200X—Aesthetic Appreciation
|a history or appreciation course in art, theatre or music at the 100-level or above
|PHIL F322X—Ethics (Values and Choices)
|an upper-division course in ethics, or, with approval of the philosophy department, a lower-division course in ethics
|Library and Information Research (0–1 credit)
|a 100-level library skills course
|Foreign Language
|two semester-length courses in a single Alaska Native language or other non-English language, or three semester-length courses (9 credits) in American sign language at the university level


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L. Stephen Lau Water Research Endowed Scholarship awarded in fall 2013University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa
Barbara A Guieb, (808) 956-7848
University of Hawaii at Manoa
University of Hawaii at Manoa
Posted: Feb 28, 2013
Applications are now being accepted for the L. Stephen Lau Water Research Endowed Scholarship which will be awarded in fall 2013. The award amount is $1,500.
The scholarship was established with funds endowed to the University of Hawaiʻi at Manoa by Dr. L. Stephen Lau and Mrs. Virginia May Lau of Honolulu. Dr. Lau is emeritus professor of Civil Engineering at UH Manoa's College of Engineering and was director of the UH Mānoa Water Resources Research Center from 1971 to 1990.
The purpose of the scholarship is to further knowledge of Hawaiʻi's natural waters by providing financial assistance that may be used for anything related to costs of attendance or research.
Eligibility criteria:
- Part - or full-time UH system student
- Upper division undergraduate or
- Graduate student
- Any discipline related to water resources
Selection criteria:
- Minimum GPA of 3.2 for undergraduates or 3.5 for graduates
- An essay or a research proposal on any aspect of Hawaiʻi natural waters and how the applicant's research or area of study is related to it.
The application deadline is March 22, 2013. Applications are available at www.wrrc.hawaii.edu. For more information, contact Barbara Guieb at (808) 956-7848 or firstname.lastname@example.com.
Applicants must submit the application form, an essay or research proposal and evidence of eligibility for the scholarship to Barbara Guieb, UH Mānoa Water Resources Research Center, 2540 Dole St., Holmes Hall 283, Honolulu HI 96822.


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Unpaved with good intentions
New easements keep farmland in production despite spiraling property values
When Stephen and Gloria Decater decided to buy the 40-acre spread they'd been farming for two decades, the price was daunting. Even in the mid-1990s, land values in Northern California's Round Valley were already more than double what the income from their organic vegetables could cover.
After months of research, they devised a way to slash the cost to less than half the market value by partnering with a Massachusetts-based land trust, which paid 54 percent of the total price.
It's an unusually complex arrangement: The Equity Trust's control goes far beyond the usual restrictions that bar landowners from subdividing and developing. The conservation easement requires the Decaters — and all future owners — to cultivate the land organically, and earn more than half their income by doing so.
The Decaters' farm is at the vanguard of a new trend that seeks not merely to save Western land from strip malls and ticky-tacky suburbs, but also to keep it in productive agriculture. Zoning and conservation easements, the key tools for protecting undeveloped farmland, have succeeded in preserving a scenic pastoral backdrop. But they haven't kept the land within farmers' financial reach.
Land prices skyrocket
The biggest threat to farm affordability comes from the growing appeal of rural estates with hundred-acre backyards, particularly among the very wealthy. City dwellers are also cashing out of inflated real estate markets and setting up shop in rural areas, often with help from the Internet.
"When someone puts a high-end home on a parcel, that value is never coming down, and it makes that property unavailable to an agricultural buyer ever again," says Tony Nelson, stewardship coordinator for the Marin Agricultural Land Trust. "Where the new landowners have no background in agriculture and aren't particularly interested in agriculture, we are concerned that those properties will be lost to production."
Nelson rattles off the reasons to care about local farming — consumer interest in local food that has doubled the number of farmers' markets in a decade, the inefficiency of transporting food long distances, the importance of agriculture to local cultures and economies. "Preserving agriculture is our main purpose," says Nelson. "We want to ensure that we're not paying just for open space."
To help put a lid on land prices, the 26-year-old trust has tightened its restrictions. Four years ago, it started adding language to its easements limiting the size of new homes. But even a 3,000-square-foot cap wasn't enough to keep property values within the reach of farmers. So one of the trust's latest easements requires ranch owners Jim and Margaret Moore to farm their thousand-acre, $4.25 million spread.
The Moores, who live 30 miles away in San Francisco, have leased their ranch to a local cattleman. For promising to farm and selling development rights to all but three homesites, the former Wall Street investment banker and his wife pocketed $1.7 million — $1 million of it from state environmental bonds and the rest from private donors.
Getting creative
Brian Crawford, Marin County's deputy director of planning, cautions that these "affirmative easements" may prove difficult to monitor and enforce. It's easy to visit once a year and make sure the landowner hasn't built five homes on a cul-de-sac. It's a lot harder to prove that the land is no longer being farmed.
So other groups have taken a different tack in trying to keep tractors plying the ground instead of bulldozers. Colorado's Boulder County leases 22,000 acres, about a third of its open space, to 75 local growers. And when Seattle's Puget Consumers Cooperative heard from one of its suppliers — known for his organic carrots — that 70-odd acres he leased were about to go on the market, they launched a drive to purchase the land themselves. With members donating most of the $100,000 down payment, the co-op formed a nonprofit that bought the land, sold a wetland portion to the state wildlife agency, and leased the rest to the farmer for 30 years. The flow of carrots has continued unabated.
Since then, the PCC Farmland Trust has raised more than $1 million and helped to buy two other farms, mostly leased to farmers with an option to buy. All the land that passes through the trust's hands, whether leased or re-sold, must be cultivated organically.
Back in California, the Decaters are at the peak of their 22nd growing season, making weekly deliveries to the 180 households who buy their tomatoes, corn, and other produce. One Saturday in July, as the farm apprentices worked past the usual 1 p.m. quitting time, Stephen Decater mused on what he and his wife had achieved — and what they had to give up.
According to the agreement, they will be able to pass on the farm to their three sons only if the kids are willing to stay and raise crops. If no one wants to farm, the family will be forced to sell or lease to someone who does. In fact, for the first 90 years of the easement, if the Decaters stop farming, the trust can force them to sell at a set price.
Decater says he had to think long and hard about that, but in the end, he's come to peace with it. "You put so much into a place, you want to know your descendants can stay there," he says. "But there's something to be said for handing it on to another human being with that passion (for farming). A farmer without land is like a cripple."
Seth Zuckerman ([email protected]) is co-author of Salmon Nation: People, Fish, and Our Common Home.
The Property and Environment Research Center of Bozeman, Montana, supported the research for this article through a Lone Mountain Fellowship.


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U.S stocks mostly rose on Wednesday, boosted by a rally in bank shares, though a steep drop in Apple limited the advance and kept the Nasdaq in negative territory.
Trading was volatile, with the S&P 500 dropping into negative territory at one point and the Nasdaq falling more than 1 percent before rebounding. The Dow, which doesn't contain Apple Inc as a component, climbed 1 percent by midday.
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Apple, the largest U.S. company by market capitalization and a big weight in both the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq, fell 4.7 percent to $548.88. Apple is down more than 22 percent from an all-time high reached in late September.
The S&P 500 reversed course after briefly falling below the 1,400 level, seen as a key support point over the past two weeks.
"There's still psychological interest in buying the market," said John Brady, managing director at R.J. O'Brien & Associates in Chicago. At the 1,400 level, "we find again 'dip buyers' there. They strongly believe a deal (on the fiscal cliff) is going to get done."
For several weeks, investors have reacted quickly to whiffs of sentiment from Washington in headlines about negotiations between the White House and congressional leaders over a deal on how to avoid the "fiscal cliff" - a series of mandatory spending cuts and tax increases effective in early January that could push the U.S. economy into recession next year.
President Barack Obama told the Business Roundtable, a group of chief executives, on Wednesday that a fiscal cliff deal was possible "in about a week" if Republicans acknowledged the need to raise taxes on the wealthiest Americans.
The Dow Jones industrial average was up 115.44 points, or 0.89 percent, at 13,067.22. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index was up 5.71 points, or 0.41 percent, at 1,412.76. But the Nasdaq Composite Index was down 13.75 points, or 0.46 percent, at 2,982.94.
Apple's slide weighed heavily on the Nasdaq. Market participants cited a host of reasons for the drop in the iPad maker's stock, including a consultant's report about the company losing share in the tablet market and reports that margin requirements had been raised by at least one clearing firm.
Apple has "to hit another home run to get $700 again," said Brian Battle, director of trading at Performance Trust Capital Partners in Chicago. "They need another new product that hits it out of the park. Without that, they could get a gradual grind-down in confidence ... this is not going to be a short-term trend."
On the upside, The Travelers Cos Inc rose 5.1 percent to $74.111 and ranked as the Dow's top gainer after the property and casualty insurance company said its preliminary estimate of net losses from Superstorm Sandy was about $650 million after tax.
Banks were also strong, with the S&P financial sector index climbing 1.5 percent. The rally was led by a 7.3 percent climb in Citigroup to $36.79 after the company said it would cut 4 percent of its workforce in a cost-cutting move. The KBW Bank Index rose 2 percent.
Bank of America shares shot up 6.1 percent to $10.51, just a touch off a new 52-week high at $10.52.
Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold Inc fell 15.2 percent to $32.47 as the S&P 500's biggest percentage decliner. The company said it was acquiring Plains Exploration & Production Co and McMoRan Exploration Co in two separate deals for $9 billion in cash and stock in a major expansion into energy.
McMoRan Exploration soared 83.6 percent to $15.53 and Plains Exploration & Production surged 24.4 percent to $44.83.
Economic data from payrolls processor ADP showed U.S. private-sector hiring took a hit in November due to the impact of Superstorm Sandy, which ravaged consumers and businesses in the Northeastern United States, but the huge services sector kept expanding albeit at a modest pace, according to the Institute for Supply Management.


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We've got questions, and you've (maybe) got answers! With another week of TV gone by, we're lobbing queries left and right about shows including True Blood, Pretty Little Lairs, Teen Wolf, Drunk History and more!
1 | So that vertical runway on America Next's Top Model… How was that not a big enough liability to be vetoed at the pitch stage? And is the guys and girls edition making you miss Bravo's Make Me A Supermodel something fierce?
2 | Was True Blood's Terry really such a beloved character that he warranted not only the longest funeral in television history, but a flashback episode as well?
3 | Wouldn't it be nice if Food Network execs develop a show for Food Network Star winner Damaris Phillips that focuses strictly on her new southern cuisine and drops the gimmicky "Eat, Date, Love" concept adopted in her final pilot-presentation challenge? And what are the odds that runner-up Rodney Henry gets some kind of irritating "on the road" show greenlit, as Bob and Susie attempt to make him Guy Fieri 2.0?
4 | Theories as to how Dexter's Hannah managed to single-handedly haul an unconscious Dex all the way to the outskirts of Miami? Maybe she stuffed him in one of these?
5 | Could anyone have predicted before the start of Devious Maids' inaugural season that Rebecca Wisocky would score more laughs per scene as the imperious Evelyn Powell than any other regular or recurring cast member?
6 | As fantastic as Sunday's Breaking Bad was, can we all agree that Badger's insanely detailed Star Trek dissertation went on about two minutes too long? And appreciating that Breaking Bad needed/wanted to fast-track a Walt/Hank face-off, wasn't it a bit convenient that Walt almost immediately was given occasion to notice that Leaves of Grass was missing? Lastly, has the sound of a garage door closing ever been more gasp-inducing?
RELATED | Breaking Bad's 8 Most Bitchin' and Bold Twists
7 | Where do you fall on the issue of Newsroom's Sloan and her naughty pics: Team Shoulda Known Better or Team Leave Sloan Alone!?
8 | Were you moms and dads out there surprised by how deep into it Good Luck Charlie got with the Teddy/Spencer/Beau emotional agita — with no tidy "We can be friends!" ending for the losing lad?
9 | So, where do we think Ray was taking Marvin at the end of Sunday's Ray Donovan? Also, anyone else still scratching their head over the Abby-as-shoplifter plot?
10 | We admittedly haven't watched in a few months, but what happened to Suze Orman's cute and mostly-off camera sidekick/stage manager?
11 | For the love of Balanchine, why would Breaking Pointe's Allison even consider giving up her career — and that coveted soloist spot — for a man who's never once come to Utah to watch her perform?
12 | Does Under the Dome's Big Jim ever get tired of clenching his teeth and frowning?
13 | If any actor from NBC's low-rated Siberia is destined for future TV success, who'd be your pick? (For the record, we'd guess Esther Anderson, who plays delightfully conniving model Esther.)
14 | Regarding this week's opening scene, the Teen Wolf writers are totally messing with Sterek 'shippers, aren't they?
RELATED | 2013 Cable TV Renewal Scorecard — Renewed or Cancelled Shows
15 | How strange and disconcerting was it to have the So You Think You Can Dance judges cryptically mention a dark period experienced by choreographer Travis Wall's brother (and fellow former contestant Danny Tidwell) without any concrete information? If he's experienced personal difficulties of late that aren't public knowledge, shouldn't they have been left out of the critique?
16 | Screaming at the TV in agony when Pretty Little Liars' Aria ignored that call from a heartbroken Ezra was the appropriate reaction, right?
17 | Who convinced Criminal Minds' Paget Brewster to get inebriated on Drunk History, and how can we get more of our TV faves to do that?
18 | Could any Big Brother viewers make sense of Elissa's math lesson during the Veto competition? ("First, you have to take the ratio of the sample size that we're provided…. and estimate given the ratio of how many proportions of the ratio could fit on the display. So… it's a lot of math.")
19 | What kind of cruelty is it that The Real's hilarious summer test run ended before that of the vastly inferior fellow fledgling talker Kris, starring the Mother of All Kardashians Kris Jenner?
20 | How are there enough people defaulting on their aircraft that Airplane Repo can exist as a series? And does Mike Rowe narrate every show of this nature?
21 | We're as excited about Jon Stewart's return as the next person, but after John Oliver's gush-fest over "the magnificent" Regis Philbin on The Daily Show this week, aren't you sad to see the funny Brit sign off as host? Also, when former Daily Show correspondents Rob Riggle and Wyatt Cenac showed up for Oliver's last day, what other famous faces were you hoping would appear? (For the record, we would've love a check-in with Vance DeGeneres.)
22 | What was more entertaining: Watching Project Runway's Ken, Sue and Alexandria scramble to dress their model in the hallway moments before the runway show, or Tim Gunn's consternation at the "unprecedented" event?
Hit the comments with your answers — and any other questions you care to throw out there!


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Never has there been a more bizarre Super Bowl, but this is a crazy place, where the weird, wonderful and bad happens every day. The people live below the Mississippi. Some practice voodoo. They party until they sleep standing up. They speak their own language (languages). It's old. Its buildings sweat. It's not the United States as we know it.
Anything can happen in New Orleans and Sunday night something that can't happen did. The Superdome closed its eyes for a while and all the Mardi Gras king's horses and all the king's men had trouble reviving her.
The NFL says it can't bring another Super Bowl to Qualcomm Stadium but it has no problem coming to the venerable Superdome, which carries the name of Mercedes- Benz but runs more like a Yugo. At least Qualcomm doesn't need candles and hurricane lamps to play a football game.
With 13:22 to play in the third quarter of Sunday night's Super Bowl XLVII, the Baltimore Ravens were soaring, up 28-6 on the San Francisco 49ers. And then, as you and 100 million other folks know, most of the lights went out in the Superdome.
They didn't just go out. They were out for 35 minutes. Just before they came all the way back on, the TV cameras caught Ravens coach John Harbaugh lighting up Mike Kensil, the NFL's VP of operations. And I have a good idea what John was angry about (he wasn't just a little bit ticked).
His team had played brilliantly and he was about to put the hammer down on brother Jim's 49ers, whose jugular was showing. And now all the momentum Baltimore built had stopped. Worst fears, you know. By the time the third quarter came to an end, the Niners had scored two touchdowns and a field goal to close it to 28-23, with Baltimore inside the red zone at the end of the quarter.
"Momentum turned and they handled it really well," John would say afterward. "They handled it better than we did."
The final score was 34-31, Ravens, and the strange thing is that, in this case, the score almost seems anticlimactic because of what went on in front of it. Certainly, there never has been a Super Bowl quite like this one, not even the Janet Jackson wardrobe malfunction, because so many people never saw it live.
The blame for the outage was placed on the Superdome, not the power company, and then the Superdome blamed the power company. Well, it is New Orleans. But there is no excuse for what happened during the biggest football game in the world. That's not how the NFL operates _ or at least that's not how it used to operate, which meant every stone you saw was turned.
But what the blackout did was transform a dud into a rousing football game, a real battle of brothers, and quarterbacks, Baltimore's Joe Flacco and San Francisco's Colin Kaepernick, who had themselves a duel. The Ravens, stopped at the one, chose to go for a field goal to make it 31-23 (Harbaugh earlier had sent kicker Justin Tucker on a fake field goal that failed, one I'm sure he wishes he could have had back).
Still, the 49ers, now feeling their oats (whatever that means), came right back and scored on a 15-yard run by Kaepernick (they failed on a two-point conversion) to make it 31-29 with 9:57 to play. But San Francisco never got any closer. The Ravens took an intentional safety when up 34-29 with 11 seconds to play in regulation.
Flacco, who threw for three touchdowns and didn't have an interception in the playoffs, was named the game's MVP, completing 22 of 33 passes for 287 yards. Kaepernick, after a fairly slow start, passed 28 times, completing 16 for 302 yards and a touchdown. He did carry six times for 62 yards, but the Ravens didn't do that bad a job against the read-option, although the massive 49ers offensive line probably wore on them later on.
"The players did a great job playing with discipline," said John Harbaugh, adding Kaepernick "has guts, the guts of a burglar."
So this marked the end of one of the more bizarre weeks in Super Bowl history, beginning with the Harbaugh brothers getting all the attention, then the weird deer antler story and the gay-bashing and culminating in the Harbaugh brothers meeting at midfield, only one of them victorious.
"Meeting Jim in the middle of the field probably was the most difficult thing I've had to do in my life," John Harbaugh said.
They're back to being brothers. They can't black that out.


text: Famous for heading up the J.Crew jewellery collection, Lele Sadoughi launched her eponymous label in 2011, offering collections of jewellery and home décor. Inspired by vintage pieces, industrial machinery, romance and world travel, Lele Sadoughi designs feature bold shapes, luxurious materials and geometric patterns. In gold, crystal, marble and pearl, Lele Sadoughi bracelets are expertly crafted to resemble sculptures. The ultimate statement wristwear, these cuffs and bangles will add an exotic flair to any outfit.


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Deputies: Bomb explodes in Upstate mailbox
Deputies: Bomb explodes in Upstate mailbox
An exploded bomb was found in an Upstate mailbox, according to Judy Stiles with the Laurens County Sheriff's Office.
Stiles said a resident of Neely Ferry Road went to the mailbox at 7:45 a.m. Tuesday and found damage to the box and the suspicious device inside.
Laurens County Sheriff's Office responded to the scene to secure the area, and check out this device.The South Carolina Law Enforcement Division Bomb Technicians was notified for assistance in this matter.
They arrived on scene to remove the device and render it safe.
The device will be sent to the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division to be analyzed for evidence to see who may have made this device.
If anyone has any information on this case they are asked to notify the Laurens County Sheriff's Office at 68-CRIME.