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2010 Forecasts: AL East
Having careened through the NL (Rockies beating the Braves in the NLCS, after the Rockies had beaten the Reds, and the Braves the wild-card Giants), we begin three nights' worth of AL divisional previews, in the East:
Wow does
BALTIMORE not have pitching. Surely they could have pitching by 2011, but right now
there is nothing on which to rely beyond Kevin Millwood, and no team relying on
Kevin Millwood has made the post-season since 2002 (and what is the excitement over
a pitcher who has produced exactly three winning seasons since that long-ago
last playoff appearance?). There are also worries offensively. Adam Jones was a
superstar at the All-Star break, but flatlined soon after, and any team relying
on Garrett Atkins clearly has not seen a National League game since 2006.
Here is
the unasked question in BOSTON: would the Red Sox rather have David Ortiz at DH
this year… or Luke Scott? Where, production-wise, will Not-So-Big-Papi fall in
2010? I think he's behind Guerrero, Kubel, Lind, Matsui, Scott, and maybe
others. If the demise of the beast continues, the Red Sox are suddenly
presenting a very pedestrian line-up, one that might be the second weakest in
the division. Of course, Theo Epstein might have made this determination
already, which would explain the willingness to fill the big openings with the
great gloves of Beltre, Cameron, and Scutaro, rather than slightly bigger bats
that couldn't have changed the overall new dynamic – the Red Sox are a pitching
and defense outfit. Mind you, as those outfits go, they're among the best in
recent years. The rotation is deep enough to survive Matsuzaka on the DL, the
bullpen robust enough to survive if that soggy finish by Papelbon in the ALDS
was more than a one-game thing, and the cadre of young cameo pitchers has been
refreshed with the rapid maturation of Casey Kelly. But no matter how the Old
Towne Team fairs in 2010, keep the Ortiz thought in the back of your mind. What
if the second half of '09 was the aberration, not the first half? Will the Sox
have to bench him? And if so, could the twists and turns of fate find them
suddenly grateful that they had been unable to trade Mike Lowell?
Oh is this
a conflict of interest. This will be the 39th season my family has
had season tickets in NEW YORK, and I'm not convinced the Yankees will be
hitting me up for playoff ducats this fall. Things I do not expect to see
repeated from 2009: 1) A.J. Burnett's reliability and perhaps even his stamina;
2) Joe Girardi's ability to survive without a reliable fifth starter (if Phil
Hughes really can pull it off in this, his fourth attempt, he might become the
fourth starter if my instincts on Burnett are correct); 3) Nick Swisher's
offensive performance (his average and his RBI totals have never increased two years in a row); 4)
Derek Jeter's renaissance (as the Baseball Prospectus folks note, 36-year old shortstops
deteriorate quickly); 5) Jorge Posada's prospects of getting 433 plate
appearances (which begs the question: if you were hoping to DH Posada on
occasion, why did you sign as your primary DH, a guy who cannot play the
outfield, and can barely play first base?). As I have written here before, I am
not buying the premise that what in essence was a trade of Melky Cabrera,
Johnny Damon and Hideki Matsui, for a full-time Brett Gardner plus Curtis
Granderson and Nick Johnson was necessarily an upgrade – even if Javier Vazquez (9
career post-season innings; 11 career post-season earned runs) was thrown in,
in the bargain. Anybody wanna buy some of my tickets?
In TAMPA
BAY, I'm betting 2009 was the fluke and not 2008. What does one not like about
this team? Is rightfield confused? Stick Ben Zobrist there and let Sean
Rodriguez have a shot at second. That doesn't work? Wait for mid-season and the
promotion of Desmond Jennings. You don't like Crawford and Upton? Bartlett and
Longoria? Pena? The law firm of Shoppach and Navarro? The Rays seem to summon a
fully-grown starter from the minors each year – Price in '08, Niemann in '09,
Wade Davis in '10. I do not think Rafael Soriano is the world's greatest
reliever, but his acquisition is an acknowledgment that championship teams do
not muddle through with closers who pitched in All-Star Games prior to 2001.
What is the most remarkable fact about this extremely talented and balanced
team can be summed up by the caveat I have to offer in praising them. Shortly
after they were ransomed from Vince Naimoli, I discovered to my shock that a
college pal of mine had, for all these years, been married to the man who had just
done the ransoming. A
few innings later, Stu and Lisa Sternberg and I sat in their seats at Yankee
Stadium and he was earnestly asking how I thought he could convince the players
to accept a salary cap so the Rays could contend. I told him I wasn't sure, but
he wouldn't have to worry about it any earlier than our next lifetimes. So what
you are seeing in Tampa is, in fact, Plan "B" – and it may be the greatest Plan
"B" in baseball history.
Did you
know TORONTO is a small market team? Here is something the writers apparently
promised not to tell: the Jays got almost nothing for Roy Halladay. Sorry. When
the reward was Travis D'Arnaud, Kyle Drabek, and Michael Taylor, it was only a
pair of pants being pressed. When the Jays inexplicably swapped Taylor to
Oakland for the lump-like Brett Wallace, it became the full trip to the
cleaners. One of the oldest rules of talent evaluation is: if a prospect has
been traded twice in four months, he may not be quite the prospect you think he
is (one of the older rules is: if one of your starting middle infielders has a
weight clause in his contract, you only have one starting middle infielder). On top of
which, when you consider the Jays paid $6 million in salary offset for the
privilege of giving Doc away, this trade has to be called what it was: a salary
dump in which ownership was admitting it had no interest in competing. Jays
fans are left to cheer three very exciting hitters in Aaron Hill, Adam Lind,
and Travis Snider; to try to get the correct spellings and pronunciations of the
guys in their rotation ("excuse me, are you Brett Cecil, or Cecil Brett?");
and, since there really won't be much else to do under the roof this summer,
buy and read injured reliever Dirk Hayhurst's marvelous book The Bull…
oh, sorry, did I already mention it?
Tampa Bay steps back into the forefront in an exciting race with the
well-managed but decreasingly potent Red Sox, and bests Boston by a game or
two. The Yankees contend – possibly even dominate – into June or July before the
rotation, and/or Posada, and/or Jeter, blow up, and they fade to a distant
third. The Jays and Orioles compete only to be less like The Washington
7 Comments
Have I got a deal for you! 🙂 You come to Central Florida, and we can go see some Tampa games – and I'll come to New York and see some Yankee games with you. Deal? 🙂 What do you mean, "who the heck are you?" LOL Seriously, though… if you did come to Central Florida, I'd love to show you around, or attend a game (or two) with you. It's been a long time since I got to a baseball game, and I really do miss it. And if I ever do make it to New York, I'd be happy to take a couple of tickets off your hands… but I'd be happier if you were there to show me around. Don't want much, do I? Oh well… the offer stands. Hope you're having a good night – loved the show!
Just finished watching the late, late, late, late edition of Countdown. Yes, it's called I-N-S-O-M-N-I-A (chronic for me) and I've got it.
OK, AGAIN WITH THE OUTRAGEOUSLY OFF TOPIC COMMENT (but I'm gonna say it anyway):
Keith, the sad truth is that you had NOTHING to complain about on tonight's Countdown Comment. Really??? I have two words for you: Michael Steele. Tired of looking at him, tired of hearing about him, and despairing of all those unattractive ties he wears. (I'm convinced that talented Beluga whale could do a much better job of painting/designing a decent tie for this fellow.)
Hearing you talk about fulfilling your late father's wishes made me want to take another look at the picture of the two of you attached to your lovely March 13 tribute to him.
Is that really you in the picture, Keith? What an adorable little boy! I see you have your sweet little alfalfa going on in the back of your hair, there. You know, the only way to tame one of those suckers is to apply a great, big gob of Dippity-Do!
Off topic:Ashoein, I understand about the insomnia part LOL Mine is musically induced right now……too much singing does it to me every time. I have yet to get to sleep and I still have to go sing this afternoon, then I have a break until Saturday night……that'll give me time to sleep, and also to refill my oxygen tanks.
I know, singing while on oxygen seems like an impossible combination, but I love music and after I ended up on the stuff I was determined not to give up music. It's taken almost 5 1/2 years, but I've finally got my full vocal power back. The organist/music minister has been having to remind me lately to back off the volume a bit–apparently I'm overpowering the rest of the choir(6-12 people, depending on attendance)……….and they're around the microphones while I'm a good 10′ off to the side. That's the honest truth, BTW……maybe I should have studied voice and gone into opera–I sure have the build and the voice to match it 😉
I did watch the 3 AM CDT showing of Countdown since I missed out on the live one………about that programming hint–some Thurber, perhaps??? ^_^
Okay, back on topic: I just checked the pre-season standings in my morning paper……geeze, the Yankees(.464) are doing even worse than the Cubs(.607) and the Cardinals(.519). At least they aren't as bad as the White Sox(.385) *wince* I picked those three teams because I live in an area where all of them have major fan bases.
Now, about those tickets……..One of the better things about being retired is having the leisure to actually do some traveling and, now that my health has improved, I'd like to visit the East Coast sometime 😉 I definitely want to go visit Washington DC, take up the standing invitation of an internet friend of mine to visit Fredricksburg, Virginia, and of course visit New York City to see the sights 😉 I wouldn't object to going to watch some baseball while I'm there, though………and maybe fulfill my dream of singing the national anthem over the PA at a major league ballpark 🙂 However, traveling will have to wait a bit longer, at least until I get through the next round of poking and prodding by my primary doctor and the annual visit to my allergist(saw my pulmonologist a couple of months ago and he confirmed that my lung volume has improved)……hopefully this year the immunotherapy iinjections will finally be finished. Having to go get shots every couple of weeks has sort of tied me down, even though the allergy shots have worked wonders on my health. I'll just have to wait and see what happens 😉
Sun's coming up here…..time to take a nap for a while.
(I wonder if any MLB fans are going to get annoyed with some of the comments posted on here. lol)
I DID see the live airing of Countdown, last night. Loved it, as well.
"Capture Center" lmao……
I hope you're on "Countdown" tonight Keith because– thanks to MLB Extra Innings– I'm going to be watching baseball from Sunday night through October. 24 hours a day (give or take). But I'll always have Baseball Nerd's blog.
Still, I *am* confused about your post yesterday. You wrote:
"So let's assume the Rockies finish with the best record – they should handle the Giants, and the Braves' experience should make them favorites over the Reds."
To me, that sounds like Rockies-Giants and Braves-Reds, not as you stated it in today's post, and I pointed out that that can't happen.
As far as the Yankees are concerned– their lineup is better than the Red Sox lineup (Beltre + Cameron = downgrade) even if their rotation isn't as deep (and will Lackey, Beckett and Dice-K stay healthy and Buchholz repeat his late-2009 performance?) and their lineup and rotation and bullpen are all better than the over-Ray-ted Rays.
Prediction: Prince Fielder is in a Red Sox uniform before the trading deadline. 😦
Keith, I think you're selling the New York Yankees short. I don't feel good about Boston's offense. I don't think it will produce what they will need over the course of the season. David Ortiz will not be better than last year. And he is the big key to this whole thing offensively. There will be a lot of one run games this year. Which side of those scores the Red Sox are on is going to reflect directly on Ortiz. That said, pitching and defense will be their strong point. But we still need some big guns in our line up to back up our pitching. I see a huge whole in our line without a Manny Ramirez type RBI machine, and Ortiz off. I don't think we've corrected that. And that's a problem. The Yankees I think will be the best team in the AL when October rolls around. They tend to start off slow, but once they get hot, it will be hard to stop them. TB looks to be v. competitive in the East. I'll give them the Wild Card.
"I hated to bat against Drysdale. After he hit you he'd come around, look at the bruise on your arm and say, 'Do you want me to sign it?" Mickey Mantle
Keith, I think you're selling the New York Yankees short. I don't feel good about Boston's offense. I don't think it will produce what they will need over the course of the season. David Ortiz will not be better than last year. And he is the big key to this whole thing offensively. There will be a lot of one run games this year. Which side of those scores the Red Sox are on is going to reflect directly on Ortiz.


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On a private peninsula at the southernmost point of the Riviera Nayarit lies a hidden gem known as Punta de Mita, a posh 1,500-acre resort and residential community.
The moment the guarded gates to this sheltered enclave swing open at the northwest tip of Banderas Bay, it's as if you have entered another world.
Rolling fairways of two Jack Nicklaus signature championship golf courses wend their way past highend homes and pricey condos along a stretch of one of the most beautiful coastlines on the Pacific. The area is also home to two five-diamond resort properties - the Four Seasons Punta Mita Resort and The St. Regis Punta Mita Resort.
The exquisite 120-room St. Regis is nestled on 22 acres of pristine grounds and is one of the most luxurious properties in the area.
From the stunning views through the main lobby straight out to the Pacific, to the private white-sand beaches below with beachside infinity pools set against a backdrop of lush tropical gardens, this truly is paradise.
Dotting the shore are tiny islets and the Marietas Islands, a rich marine preserve with underwater caves and coral reefs perfect for diving, snorkelling and whale watching.
The serene Remede Spa is an oasis within this oasis, where you can pamper yourself in luxury. Trickling water and wisps of curtains blow in the breeze at this 10,000-square-foot sanctuary, putting you in a state of tranquillity before your treatment even begins.
The resort's signature restaurant Carolina is one of only four restaurants in Mexico with a AAA Five Diamond Award.
Staying at The St. Regis is an unrivalled experience, and attention to detail is unmatched.
The impeccable service begins when you arrive at the lobby entrance in one of the hotel's signature black Escalades or Navigators after the 45-minute drive from Puerto Vallarta's airport.
Staff proffer icy-cold towels and refreshing margaritas upon your arrival.
The pampering continues with The St. Regis' renowned butler service.
Your butler will unpack your luggage upon arrival and pack it again for departure, press your clothes and deliver a frothy cappuccino each morning to be savoured on the private terrace of your casita overlooking the ocean. Heaven. The casitas are a study in understated opulence and barefoot elegance, complete with dreamy spa bathrooms featuring free-standing soaker tubs and indoor and outdoor showers. You feel cocooned in privacy, hardly seeing another guest and never feeling crowded even on one of the busiest weekends of the year.
This is escapism at its best.
Punta Mita's Gourmet and Golf Classic For four days each spring, The St. Regis, along with the Four Seasons, DINE (master developer of Punta Mita) and the Riviera Nayarit Convention and Visitors Bureau host the Punta Mita Gourmet and Golf Classic.
The weekend-long event marries culinary excellence with championship golf at the two Jack Nicklaus' courses - Pacifico and Bahia.
The challenging Bahia course has five ocean holes and plays between 5,180 and 7,030 yards through The St. Regis Resort, while the breathtaking Pacifico has seven holes directly facing or playing alongside the Pacific and is home to Punta Mita's spectacular signature landmark 3B green, known as the Tail of the Whale, the only natural island green in the world.
Play takes place over two days - one day on each course - with alternating Best Ball on one course and Texas Scramble on the other.
This year's guest of honour was Lorena Ochoa - former No. 1 female golfer in the world.
Off the greens, a team of guest chefs from around the world (who this year included Thierry Blouet, Maycoll Calderon, Michael Mina, Richard Sandoval and Fernando Trocca)
created delicious dishes paired with the world's finest wine, spirits and tequilas.
From gourmet après-golf lunches to cocktail parties on the beach at sunset, this is one weekend not to miss.
The writer was a guest of the resort. The St. Regis did not review or approve of this article.
Dates for the 2014 Punta Mita Gourmet and Golf Classic are April 3 to 6. The St. Regis offers the following: 89 guest rooms and 31 suites set among 22 acres of gardens on a secluded white-sand beach. Luxury oceanfront suites have private pools and Jacuzzis World-class spa, two golf courses, and three beachfront pools Free activities such as bike tours, Spanish lessons, and cocktailmaking classes Fitness centre, with private yoga and Pilates sessions Tennis courts Surfing, fishing, snorkelling, diving on-site or nearby Three dining options Carolina: the formal AAA Five Diamond Award restaurant serves dinner.
Las Mariettas: a casual beachfront spot beside one of the three pools is open for breakfast and lunch.
Sea Breeze Restaurant: Beachfront restaurant for lunch and dinner with adjacent latenight bar.

subset: commoncrawl


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The scandal-plagued leader's removal could set the party of Nelson Mandela on a path toward reestablishing South Africa as a role model for the rest of the continent.


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This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2013, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Nearly 19,000 elderly Utahns, and millions more across the country, are being pushed into the digital banking world by the federal government.
Starting March 1, the U.S. Department of the Treasury plans to stop mailing out most paper Social Security checks. Instead, it will require recipients to switch to an electronic form of payment: either direct deposit into their bank account or onto a Treasury-issued debit card.
Although the vast majority about 95 percent of seniors in Utah already have their Social Security payments deposited directly into their bank or credit union accounts, for many of the remaining 5 percent the prospect is unnerving.
"There are some older seniors who are not comfortable with computers, and many of those people are worried about fraud on the Internet," said Laura Polacheck, associate state director of AARP Utah. "A lot of them grew up during the Depression and they just like the comfort of having that check in their hand."
Barbara Kidrick of Salt Lake City said she and her husband's Social Security checks are deposited directly into their bank accounts but that her late mother, Erma Wimmer, never warmed up to the idea.
"She lived in Grand County. It was six miles to the nearest Post Office and 32 miles to her bank in Moab. And even though I tried to tell her that having her Social Security check directly deposited was safe and would be a lot more convenient, she never would do it. She said she wanted that check in front of her so she could see it."
The switch away from mailbox delivery has others just plain upset.
Michigan resident Mike Clement told the McClatchy Newspapers service that he and his elderly mother were "hopping mad" that she was being forced to switch to electronic payment.
"It really should be a matter of personal choice," Clement said. "Unfortunately, the feds seem not to care a whit about personal preference."
Paul Runyan is president of Consumers for Paper Options, a Washington, D.C.-based group that has been fighting the Treasury Department's mandate. He said one of the big problems is that many senior citizens who have chosen to receive their Social Security checks through the mail are "unbanked," that is, they have no access to financial services.
"Those 5 million citizens who receive their Social Security checks through the mail deserve some consideration. They paid into the system, and receiving a check in the mail has worked well for them," Runyan said, adding that seniors who are uncomfortable with electronic deposits shouldn't be forced to navigate what for them could potentially be a confusing system of websites, online statements and personal identification numbers.
Runyan also said there are thousands of instances of direct-deposit-related fraud with Social Security payments every year although supporters of direct deposit contend that number is far less than what occurs with paper checks.
The Treasury Department describes its no-paper-checks campaign as primarily a cost-cutting initiative, estimating it will save around $1 billion in check-processing and mailing costs over the next 10 years. It also is promoting direct deposit as a safer and more convenient alternative to receiving a paper check.
Utah has 18,530 residents receiving paper checks, or 4.9 percent of the 377,925 total Social Security recipients in the state. That places Utah 40th in the nation in terms of its paper-check volume, according to the Treasury Department, which estimates the federal government will save $204,571 when those paper-check recipients in Utah are switched over to direct deposit.
Social Security recipients in Utah who haven't yet switched over to direct deposit shouldn't panic, though.
Walter Henderson, director of the Treasury Department's GoDirect Campaign in Washington, D.C., said those who ignore or miss the mandatory deadline won't be cut off or face penalties.
"We recognize that people depend upon their Social Security, and we're not going to stop sending them their checks," he said. "But what we will be doing is contacting those people and trying to help clear up any misconceptions they may have about direct deposit."
Those who are unbanked have the option of receiving a pre-paid debit card that is credited every month with their Social Security payment, Henderson said.
There is no application fee to get the card, and the first ATM withdrawal every month is free. Any subsequent ATM withdrawals will cost 90 cents. For those who do not want to use their debit card at an ATM, they have the option of getting cash back at any store where they use their debit card, he said.
A number of Utah seniors who already get their monthly Social Security checks deposited directly into their bank and credit union accounts said that they have no complaints about the process.
"One of the biggest hurdles I see is that a lot of seniors just don't like change," said David Murdock, 76, a retiree who worked in the state crime lab. "A lot of the older generation weren't raised with computers, so they are leery of them. But I think that once they see how convenient direct deposit is, they will love it."
And Murdock pointed out that even if someone gets a check directly deposited, no computer interaction is necessary. He said his check is deposited directly into his account at a local credit union, "and they send me a statement in the mail every month."
Twitter: @OberbeckBiz
Utah's monthly Social Security data
Recipients • 377,925
Recipients with direct deposit • 359,395
Recipients getting paper checks • 18,530
Annual savings if converted to direct deposit • $204,571
Source: U.S. Department of the Treasury
For direct deposit information
Utahns who would like to sign up for the U.S. Department of the Treasury's direct deposit program can go to http://www.godirect.org for additional details.


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Gibb has colorectal cancer
Bee Gees star Robin Gibb has colorectal cancer and remains in intensive care after waking from a coma, his doctor said Sunday.
Dr Andrew Thillainayagam said Gibb was being treated for advanced colorectal cancer and had caught pneumonia as he was weakened from grueling doses of chemotherapy and two operations.
The 62-year-old singer fell into a coma last week after contracting the pneumonia.
Dr Thillainayagam said that three days ago he had warned Gibb's family that he may not wake up. Instead, Gibb is now fully conscious and able to speak.
He said Gibb is still in intensive care and is "exhausted, extremely weak and malnourished." He is breathing with the help of an oxygen mask and needs intravenous feeding and antibiotics.
"It is testament to Robin's extraordinary courage, iron will and deep reserves of physical strength that he has overcome quite incredible odds to get where he is now," Thillainayagam said in a statement.
The Bee Gees - British-born, Australia-raised brothers Robin, Barry and Maurice Gibb - had a string of disco-era hits including How Deep is Your Love and Stayin' Alive.
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UPDATE: VICTORY HAS BEEN ACHIEVED FOR NOW! THANK YOU FOR ALL YOUR HELP! The Prison has agreed to back down, please see Martin Armstrong – WE WON!
Frankly, I cannot believe that I have to write the words that follow. I just learned that Martin Armstrong is being moved, possibly as early as Monday, from his current holding facility to a much higher security facility, MDC Brooklyn, which is similar to the facility he was in when he was in solitary confinement and where he was beaten nearly to death! This goes against the prison's own rules and is against the law as he has two Habeas cases open in the Supreme Court.
Why would this be happening now with a little more than a year before he is eligible for parole? I and others contend that it is because of his recent writing activity and because of his recent interview with the New Yorker Magazine (The New Yorker - "The Secret Cycle…"), and also because there are now several media outlets requesting to do interviews with him – the prison simply does not want, for whatever reason, the access that we have been enjoying lately to continue. I spoke directly to Martin's younger sister, Nancy, and this is her opinion as well. She is very upset over this move as she, "fears that he may not make it out." She claims that Martin is very much afraid of this move and for good reason…
First let's review the facts… whatever you believe about his innocence or guilt or innocence of any crime, the facts are that he was never put on trial for any crime. He was held in contempt of court for not producing what the judge ordered him to produce, something which he claims he didn't have. He was placed in MDC Manhattan and was basically TORTURED. According to Nancy, he was locked in solitary confinement for almost the entire duration, suffering days on end and at times was intentionally awaken every hour or so all night long, night after night, in an attempt to get him to sign a confession. He was repeatedly told that he would not get the chance to see his 91 year old mother alive again if he did not sign the confession. This took place off and on for SEVEN YEARS. Then one day a huge convict, "a known homicidal maniac" named George, was locked in his cell with him where he proceeded to beat and strangle him until he thought he was dead. Later, according to Armstrong, a fellow inmate stated that the guards watched the beating and refused to open the door to stop it. He lost most of his teeth, and now, over two years later is still missing them because the prison system only has one dentist for over 5,000 inmates. He suffered a detached retina, broken ribs and other internal injuries that left him in intensive care.
They offered him a plea agreement to TIME SERVED if he would plea guilty and after 7 years, he could take no more and agreed, obviously under heavy duress. However, after pleading guilty, the judge instead of living up to the plea agreement sentenced him to the maximum amount allowable and he is now not scheduled for release until September of 2011, first eligible for parole in March 2011. His current location is at Ft. Dix, New Jersey where he is only 20 minutes from his mother and sister, a relatively safe facility. His sister takes his infirmed mother to visit him once a week, but she will not be able to make the journey into Manhattan. He is now under great stress as he believes he may not survive while inside the new location.
Inside this facility, I am told, he will be basically strip searched with nearly every movement, and he is not granted some of the "privileges" that he currently has access to, thus producing his work will be impaired, if not eliminated all together.
The question is WHY would they break their own rules and the law to move him now?
For a refresher, Habeas Corpus is defined as follows: "Habeas corpus (pronounced /ˌheɪbiːəs ˈkɔrpəs/) (Latin: You (shall) have the body) is a legal action, or writ, through which a person can seek relief from their unlawful detention or that of another person. It protects individuals from harming themselves or from being harmed by the judicial system."
Below is Federal Bureau of Prisons document number p5100.08 that spells out exactly what must be considered before moving an inmate. Preceding the document is the pertinent paragraph for those who have active Habeas cases. This paragraph recites the LAW as it applies here as Armstrong has not one, but TWO Habeas cases at the Supreme Court in his current jurisdiction:
Below is the actual law (Frap 23) regarding Habeus and the proceedures to be followed when transferring prisoners who have pending Habeus cases:
Additionally, below you will find the Rules of the Supreme Court. Rule 36 on page 47 states the following:
How nice of a facility is MDC Brooklyn, the facility they are planning on moving him to? Well, here are three separate articles alleging various forms of abuse:
Documented cases abuse of detainees at MDC Brooklyn
Eleven federal jail guards, including a captain and three lieutenants, were charged yesterday with beating two inmates at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, one so badly, officials said, that a pool of his blood and bits of his hair lay on the floor of his cell when it was over.
The guards were also charged with covering up the beatings by filing false reports that blamed the inmates for having instigated the attacks. Eight of them pleaded not guilty yesterday at arraignments in Federal District Court in Brooklyn and were released on bail. The three others are expected to be arraigned in federal court within days.
Federal Prison Guards Facing Civil Rights Violations
Prosecutors say in November 2002, Lopresti, Rosebery, Tassio, Peterson and Santana participated in a planned attack on a former MDC inmate, identified in the indictment as John Doe #1, in his cell, and the subsequent cover-up. The attack, led by Lopresti, was carried out in retaliation for the inmate having "disrespected" Lopresti earlier that day by failing to heed Lopresti's request to remove a t-shirt that was wrapped around the inmate's head.
During the attack, the officers repeatedly struck, kicked and beat the inmate, leaving a pool of blood and clumps of the inmate's dreadlocks on the floor of the cell. The officers allegedly sought to disguise the retaliatory attack by tying the inmate's bedsheet into a noose and wrapping it around the bars of the cell's window in order to make it appear that the inmate had tried to hang himself. In written reports about the incident, the officers falsely claimed that the inmate had become combative as they attempted to prevent the inmate from committing suicide, thereby prompting the officers' use of force against him.
During the subsequent investigation conducted by the Department of Justice's Office of the Inspector General, Tassio initially admitted that her written report was false and that the inmate had not tried to kill himself, but later recanted and re-asserted the charged false claim about the attempted suicide.
America's internal "gulag"
…While in jail, he was denied dental care and was unable to eat his food properly [Sound like what is happening to Armstrong?]. He was also diabetic, but was deprived of his medication for as long as three months. His blood sugar was high and he complained that his feet were numb. When he went on a seven-day hunger strike, vowing to continue until he died, he was thrown into solitary confinement and had his glasses taken away so he could not see.
The Brooklyn MDC is known to be particularly brutal. The New York Times and the Daily News carried reports earlier this year that detainees were slammed against the wall and had their arms, wrists, and fingers twisted and bent. Another common practice was to step on the detainees' leg restraints. At the same time, the detainees were threatened and verbally abused. A report by the Office of the Inspector General of the Department of Justice wrote, "According to detainees, the verbal abuse included taunts such as 'Bin Laden Junior' or threats such as 'you're going to die here.' " Some Muslim detainees were denied any visitation rights for up to 90 days for praying.
Some of the abuses were caught on the jail's surveillance tapes. The Daily News reported, "Inspector General Glenn Fine, whose staff reviewed 380 MDC videotapes, reported in 2003 that 'These tapes substantiated many of the detainees' allegations.' Furthermore, the officers were not just a few bad apples but 'a significant percentage of those who had regular contact with the detainees,' Fine wrote last March."
Think Armstrong will be able to produce those papers in that environment? His thoughts will not be on our economy, the rule of law, what's happening to gold, or any such thinking… instead he will be focusing on SURVIVAL.
Did you know this type of thing was happening in America TODAY? Or, do we ignore it, blowing it off as the guilty getting their "just rewards?" I ask you, is this Armstrong's "just rewards?"
- Last paragraph of "Looking Behind the Curtain - The Real Conspiracy…" April 9, 2009 Paper by Martin Armstong
Keep in mind that at no time in the history of mankind has a country held in prison a larger percentage of the population than we do now (not even South Africa during Apartheid), nor has their been a higher rate of conviction among those put on trial by our government, one of the very statistics that typically elevates the closer to the end of the current "empire" a nation is (this is because it shows that balance has been lost and that the government is exercising greater control):
There are people who are seeking new legal help for Martin on this issue as the law is clearly not being followed. Below is a plea for help from supporters of Armstrong and his family:
They are requesting that everyone please PHONE, EMAIL, AND FAX the following people to remind them of their responsibility to uphold the law and to protect Armstrong. The two primary people to contact here is his current Warden, Donna Zikefoose, who has, without consulting the judge as required by law, signed the order to move him. The other important contact is Traci Billingsley as she is the Public Information Officer of the entire Bureau of Prisons. This is the type of publicity I am sure they do not like.
We have now included contact information for the Judges as well. We appreciate taking the time to work on BOTH angles to increase the odds that we stop their planned movement.
Please do what you can. Send faxes, send emails, and call their phones on Monday and ask to talk to them! Ask them why the rule of law is not being followed in Martin's case! Also please provide a link to this post on other blogs you follow, thank you.
ATTENTION: An update on Armstrong's situation with new contact information and strategy are included. I really appreciate everyone who puts in a few minutes to do this, it's very important for Martin! LINK: Armstrong Update!
Please consider the following poem:
First they came for the communists, and I did not speak out—because I was not a communist;
Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out—because I was not a trade unionist;
Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out—because I was not a Jew;
Then they came for me—and there was no one left to speak out for me.
- Pastor Martin Niemöller (1892–1984)


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The Kobayashi Maru Test and the Job Market
The conventional pathways in the job market aren't working any longer; the alternative is to exit the no-win scenario.
An adjusted gross income (AGI) of $66,193 or more puts you in the top 25% of earners. The top-earning 25% of taxpayers reported 65.81% of all AGI and paid 87.30% of total federal income taxes ( $755.9 billion).
I suppose this may sound like cheating, but I view the choice you present as a bit like the Kobayashi Maru test in Star Trek-–a no-win situation.
It seems clear you are not attracted to the day-to-day work of nursing, so you would be unlikely to feel fulfilled in that career.
You seem enthusiastic about the MBA but $55K in debt for a program whose practical impact in the real-world job market is unknown is risky. I would find out as much as possible about the curriculum of this MBA program and then set about learning it all on my own. No credential will be issued, but if you can actually do the work, then somebody who has moxie will hire you over the person with the credential.
Perhaps you can apprentice with some real clean-tech company in the real world based on what you learned on your own. I personally would be much more impressed with someone who learned a curriculum on their own and avoided debt entirely than with someone who loaded up with debt in a conventional fashion. If someone can creatively solve the problem of learning without acquiring a mountain of debt, then they will probably be pretty good at solving whatever problems I have in my business.
Or I would start a dialog with the school and say you'd like to take the program but can't borrow any money—are there any jobs on campus they could give you? I would email the professors directly and start a dialog with them—how can I do this without debt? People rarely ask outside-the-box questions or make outside-the-box suggestions, and as a result alternatives don't get explored.
You already have a B.A., so that is sufficient evidence of your academic ability. Having hired people myself, I am always looking for the self-motivated person who can do the work, regardless of their credentials or lack thereof.
In general, the conventional pathways aren't working any longer. They may seem to be working, but that's a temporary illusion. The most important skill is to be able to get the work done in a competent manner without imposing needless difficulties on your colleagues and those who are paying you.
A garden is priceless!: largest discount ever from Everlasting Seeds. It's the perfect time to start your veggie/herb garden, and Everlasting Seeds is offering oftwominds.com readers 15% off all products: Buy a Vegi-Max and share with friends!
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Resistance, Revolution, Liberation: A Model for Positive Change (print $25)
(Kindle eBook $9.95)
We are like passengers on the Titanic ten minutes after its fatal encounter with the iceberg: though our financial system seems unsinkable, its reliance on debt and financialization has already doomed it.We cannot know when the Central State and financial system will destabilize, we only know they will destabilize. We cannot know which of the State's fast-rising debts and obligations will be renounced; we only know they will be renounced in one fashion or another.
The process of the unsustainable collapsing and a new, more sustainable model emerging is called revolution, and it combines cultural, technological, financial and political elements in a dynamic flux.History is not fixed; it is in our hands. We cannot await a remote future transition to transform our lives. Revolution begins with our internal understanding and reaches fruition in our coherently directed daily actions in the lived-in world.
|Thank you, Andrew M. ($100), for your outrageously generous contribution to this site--I am greatly honored by your support and readership.


text: "My normally shy dog responded to very well to the GentleSteps training. The fence went in as scheduled. The work was done so that my lawn was not disturbed too much. They worked with us to train the dog (and us) and came back 2 or 3 times to adjust the setting on the fence. We are very happy with our fence and glad that we went with Pet Stop."


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Machine lights are high-quality energy efficient lamps suitable for precise visual inspection of machines and instruments. They improve visibility, providing exceptional brightness for carrying out detailed work.
Machine lights can be used for domestic and industrial purposes. The lights are available from a small pen-style inspection light to larger lights that have hooks, magnets or flexible and extendable arms to get light to the most awkward areas. Magnets and hooks can be secured to something enabling you to work hands-free.
Some machine lights are equipped with a long-lasting and rechargeable battery. Some types do not require batteries and can be charged via USB or DC and AC sources. The larger machine lamps are mains powered. Certain machine lighting is waterproof, coolant-proof, and dust-proof lights and can be used in harsh environments.
These multi-purpose Machine lights are used in many industries including the following:
- Manufacturing
- Electronics Industries
- Construction
- Automotive Garages
- Hospitals
- Dentists
Machine Lamp Types
LED Light - Bright white light and energy efficient
Fluorescent Lamps -Durable, powerful lighting
Incandescent and Halogen – Versatile lights with bright illumination and high resistance to failure.


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July 31st, 2017 – Przewalski is currently running a promotion for their product Przewalski Mountain Bike Shorts (MTB) at almost 50% off the original price of $49.99, now $29.95, and customers could get an extra 30% discount with coupon (coupon code: 8ZFUFIKV). The shorts have basic but timeless designs, which are composed of two parts, and may help the riders avoid embarrassment when they are off riding. These shorts are not meant for cycle riders alone, but people who love comfort can also wear them independently.
The idea for online an store for Przewalski was born in the early 21st century, when the internet was fasting taking pace and looked like a viable means of conducting business transactions. With the recent online store opening, the company is still dedicated to the same audience, the diehard cycling fans from around the world. Over the years, the company has developed a solid reputation for quality products, great value and exceptional services. They have sold their products to cycling fans in London, New York, and Madrid, and very soon to France, Germany, and Australia.
"Our company is always endeavouring to provide great but cost-effective garments for cycling-lovers, and we hope to save customers' time to make choice – for we will be their best option." These are words from Simon Lacrion, the company's contact person. He further added: "we are as well concerned about the wellness of our customers and that is why our MTB shorts anti-bacterial and shock absorbent. They have padding that help minimize skin irritation and reduce friction during riding. The MTB shorts are also made of breathable materials with quick-dry technology. This doesn't allow the material to adhere to the skin, and makes riding much easier"
The MTB shorts are indeed great. The shorts have the following other features:
- REMOVE FAST UNDER LINER SHORTS with a breathable 6.5" Inseam internal Spandex under liner shorts that can be worn independently
- 1.5cm thick elastomeric spongefilled in the inner part so that people can enjoy distant riding
- Made of Cool Max fabric and arranged with air vents for the outer layer. This will make cyclists always feel dry.
In their bid to celebrate the Mountain Bike Shorts, they are offering discount and coupon for a limited time. Hurry and get yours. Visit the product links below:
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Company Name: Przewalski
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Website: https://przewalski.net


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French people back intervention in Mali
- Poll shows backing for the intervention is deep
- President Hollande vows to stay in Mali until %22terrorists%22 are ousted
- Mali is a former French colony
PARIS – The war undertaken by Socialist President Francois Hollande is backed by a majority of French, who see the Muslim militant takeover of the former French colony as a much greater threat than Islamist insurgencies in other nations.
"I support the intervention – did you see all they did and they are blaming it all on Islam," said Karine Oukassine, waiting for a bus in Paris. "It is not Islam … behind the destruction. Other countries need to join France's efforts."
Nearly two-thirds of French people polled voiced support for the intervention in a survey done by the French Institute of Public Opinion, an international polling firm. This from a populace that opposed every U.S. intervention to oust Islamist militants elsewhere, including in Afghanistan and Somalia.
Some French policy analysts say the difference is that the French see Northern Africa as part of their sphere of influence and a greater threat because of its proximity. They also suggest that some economic interests may be in play.
"A domino effect could play out: Mali becoming a Taliban-style state would have evident repercussions for neighboring states," said Phillippe Hugon, a researcher at France's Institute for International and Strategic Relations. "There, France has interests in Niger, notably uranium."
On Wednesday about 800 French troops pressed northward in Mali toward territory held by Islamist jihadists aligned with al-Qaeda. The ground offensive followed five days of airstrikes against training camps and weapons depots. France said it will boost troop levels to 2,500 as other nations offered help with logistics, air transport and intelligence.
The Obama administration said it is providing intelligence-gathering assistance and may have American aircraft land in Mali, but it ruled out U.S. troops at this time. Germany said Wednesday that it will send two military aircraft to help with transport, and Italy said it is prepared to offer logistical support for air operations.
Islamist rebels backed by al-Qaeda terrorists have taken over the northern part of Mali, a desert country in West Africa south of Algeria in which they hope to impose an Islamic state. They are armed with heavy weaponry looted from Libya by Tuaregs, nomadic tribesmen who were paid by former Libyan dictator Moammar Gadhafi to fight for his regime.
Both the Obama and George W. Bush administrations had sent U.S. Special Operations trainers to help Mali's government troops fight off the insurgency, but officers in Mali's military overthrew the government in March, saying the political leaders failed to fight the insurgency.
Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb, which is blamed for the Sept. 11 attack on the U.S. Embassy in Libya that killed a U.S. ambassador, has increased its presence in Mali and throughout the Sahara Desert. It's helping militant groups Ansar al Din and the Movement for Unity in Mali and Jihad in West Africa to seize territory.
France launched its intervention last week in response to an SOS by Mali's president, Dioncounde Traore, as the jihadists gained ground moving south toward the country's capital, Bamako. A fighting force made up of troops from 15 West African nations that was supposed to come to Mali's aid has yet to arrive. President Hollande said the French would remain until the Africa force arrives, though that could take weeks.
Hollande had no choice, said Philippe Migaux, an al-Qaeda expert at Paris' Sciences Po university. "He had to react."
Paris has long maintained West Africa as a sphere of influence. Mali even has a Paris-backed currency, the Central African franc. That is why France is not fighting similar insurgencies in Nigeria or Somalia, said Migaux. And support for the war in France is deep.
Every French age group and every political belief – from communists to the far right – back the war, the French Institute of Public Opinion said.
Hollande has even stronger support among France's Malian community.
"Mr. Hollande is a great guy, he's a hero for us Malian immigrants here in France," said Douga Cisse, the president of a Malian community association in suburban Paris. "We haven't slept since these events began."
Although France once ruled Mali, very few – either in France or elsewhere – see this French intervention as an attempt to restore colonial influence in West Africa.
"If you look at the Malian and African public opinion, and the official positions of states starting with Algeria, Russia and China, you'll note that there hasn't been any condemnation" of the intervention, Hugon said.
However, some have expressed concern especially since France is the only major power with troops on the ground in Mali.
"Other countries – especially African and Arab countries – should be more involved and be more aware of the dangers of what is happening," said 40-year old Lamia Chraibi in Paris, who says she supports the intervention by France and hopes her country's troops stay to "finish the job."
Others argue that the cost is too high at an estimated $530,000 per day, given that France is mired in debt and recession.
"Hollande shouldn't have sent the troops to Mali when our economy is so bad," said Jose De Santos, a tobacconist in Paris' 17 Arrondissement. "We shouldn't be using the money for bombs but to help people here."
And some political players here warn that this war on terrorism has the potential to destabilize nearby countries and prompt yet more violence.
"These wars are a slippery slope," former French prime minister Dominique de Villepin wrote in France's Journal du Dimanche, a weekly newspaper. "Each creates the conditions for the next (one) … from Iraq to Libya and Syria, from Libya to Mali."
Security has been beefed up in French public spaces. Armed soldiers are patrolling some train stations. While analysts downplay the risks of a terrorist attack on French soil, rebels have threatened to bring the war home in recent days.
"France has attacked Islam," Abou Dardar, one of the top rebel leaders, told the French news agency AFP. "We will strike at the heart of France."
McPhedran reported from Berlin


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Tyres burn at the DCO checkpoint near Ramallah as young protesters throw stones at a line of Israeli soldiers and jeeps; tear gas, stun grenades, rubber bullets and live fire are directed back into the crowd.
A Palestinian paramedic team waits on the sidelines, on standby, until an inevitable injury kicks them into gear and they race to the frontlines.
"Often we go to a boy when he has been shot and the soldiers try to shoot us. Everyone on this team has been shot."
Ahmed is a 20 year old paramedic working with the Palestinian Medical Relief Society (PMRS). He stands amongst a group of five of his colleagues. According to them, all have been shot at and injured by Israeli soldiers whilst attempting to save the lives of wounded Palestinians during clashes with the Israeli forces.
"Everyone is at risk from the Israeli occupation forces. Soldiers usually directly target paramedics and medical teams. They do not differentiate between medical staff and demonstrators," added Murad, 22, also a paramedic with PMRS.
As a paramedic working in the occupied territories, injury or even death by Israeli soldiers during protests is an accepted risk that comes with the job.
Over the last couple of weeks, as tensions peak and violent clashes escalate throughout the West Bank and Jerusalem, this risk has become even more acute.
Medical teams have faced intensifying challenges when it comes to assisting the wounded and dying.
Since the latest wave of violence, ambulances and paramedics have been repeatedly attacked by Israeli soldiers with rubber bullets and tear gas grenades.
Today, the Palestinian Red Cresent Society (PRCS) released a statement denouncing Israeli forces for intentionally targeting PRCS teams and ambulances and requesting the international community to pressurise Israel to cease their attacks on the Palestinian medical team and the wounded.
According to PRCS, since Oct 3. there have been 53 attacks against their teams and ambulances, in which 37 emergency medical technicians were wounded and around 20 ambulances damaged.
Furthermore, there have been 24 cases in which PRCS ambulances were obstructed and prevented from reaching wounded Palestinians near seam zones.
This comes just over a week after PRCS declared a state of emergency, Oct 4, across the occupied territories announcing that in a 72-hour period it had faced 14 attacks against its staff and vehicles "in a serious escalation of violations against PRCS, its teams and the humanitarian services they render."
In the first few days leading up to the latest wave of violence, PRCS paramedics were beaten by soldiers in Jerusalem and another group of soldiers attacked a PRCS ambulance in the Old City of Jerusalem.
On the same day, soldiers severely beat another ambulance crew in Jabal Al Taweel (Al-Bireh), wounding two paramedics. They then arrested an injured Palestinian from inside the ambulance, firing tear gas grenades and rubber bullets at it.
According to the PRCS, the violent actions of Israeli forces against paramedics "affirms that these violations aim at hindering the work of its teams and at preventing them from carrying out their humanitarian duty, including reaching injured persons, providing them with First Aid and ensuring their transfer to hospitals."
Dr. Mustafa Barghouti, physician and general secretary of the Palestinian National Initiative, told the Palestine Monitor that Israeli forces are indiscriminate in their attacks and "does not respect the neutrality of medical professionals"
"What we have witnessed during the last two weeks is intentional attacks from the side of the Israeli army and police on Palestinian health professionals, doctors and first aid providers that has included beating them, shooting them with live ammunition and rubber bullets," he said.
Despite the threat of injury or death from Israeli forces, faced by the Palestinian medical staff whilst working in the field, paramedics told the Palestine Monitor they remain undeterred in their efforts to assist those Palestinians in need of medical attention.
"We must help the people. We, the medical staff, are not afraid of death. Our concern is with the wounded," said Murad.
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Editor's Letter: Winners and losers
In each issue of Distro, editor-in-chief Tim Stevens publishes a wrap-up of the week in news.
Earnings season comes but four times a year -- give or take -- and it's upon us again. It's in these mid-season times that we look back on three month's worth of corporate performance and see whose executive strategies are up to snuff and whose, perhaps, need a little retooling.
In the former, happy list we can include Google, whose Q4 2012 earnings added up to $14.42 billion in revenues -- excluding Motorola Home, which would have added another $800 million to the tally. Total profit is a healthy $2.89 billion. We can also happily throw Netflix in the winners group, with its Q4 earnings showing 2 million new US subscribers (for a global total of 33 million) and $8 million profit on $945 million in revenue.
On the losing side we have AMD, which is struggling to keep up with the transition to a post-PC era. Revenues were $1.16 billion, down almost a third from the year before, and resulting in a net loss of $473 million. Logitech too gets added to the losing pile, with revenues down 14 percent to $615 million and a $195 million net loss.
And then we have Apple. The company posted record revenues of $54.5 billion, resulting in a record profit of $13.08 billion, mostly thanks to shuffling an amazing 47.8 million iPhones and 22.9 million iPads into the hands of customers. That all sounds incomprehensibly good, but Mac sales were down nearly a quarter, hurt due in large part to the rather late refresh of the iMac. All in all, Apple failed to live up to analyst expectations and its stock price has been taking a beating -- but that's liable to change by the time you read this.
But, the biggest loser of all is Atari, which filed for bankruptcy protection this week. The brand itself has been sold and re-sold many times since the '80s so it hardly packs the prestige it once did, but still it's sad to see the name struggling on and having to sell off the rights to games like Pong and Tempest to survive.
But enough of that financial stuff, let's talk gadgets.
But enough of that financial stuff, let's talk gadgets. Microsoft confirmed sales of the Surface Pro will begin on February 9th, with a starting price of $899. This is the x86 version of the Surface tablet running full Windows 8 and starting with 64GB of storage. But, given how much of that will likely be consumed by the OS itself, you'll probably want to spring for the $999 128GB model.
Sony's Xperia Tablet Z got official, a 10.1-inch, 1,920 x 1,200 device powered by a 1.5GHz, quad-core Qualcomm processor paired with 2GB of RAM and 32GB of storage. Despite being only 6.9mm thick, it still offers microSD expansion. It weighs only 495g, making it the thinnest and lightest 10-incher on the market. Or, at least, it will be when it actually hits the market, whenever that is.
Nintendo President Satoru Iwata took to the internets to deliver an encouraging batch of news directly to fans, starting with a promised update to overall system speed of the Wii U, a welcome improvement to all those gamers who are short on patience -- which, really, is all of them. The Wii U social network, Miiverse, is also getting a big enhancement, allowing for the creation of more granular groups on there, while also allowing far broader access thanks to a browser interface that will launch this year. Nintendo is also promising that a mobile app will launch sometime this year, which means you can get your fix of obscene stylus drawings wherever you may be.
Finally, we got what may be our first hint at how the next-generation PlayStation home consoleis coming together, courtesy of a leaked developer document handed to Kotaku. The console is reportedly codenamed "Orbis" and will offer an eight-core CPU and R10XX GPU, both from AMD. If these specs pan out, that's an interesting development, as AMD also powers the Wii U and is rumored to be powering the next Xbox as well.
In this week's Distro, we're exploring the history of human-powered flight, from old-timey bits of bamboo and paper optimistically strapped onto the arms of a hopeful/foolish man, to the modern Sikorsky prize. Sarah Silbert reviews HP's Envy x2 convertible while Brad Molen reviews the $50 Pantech Discover smartphone. Joshua Fruhlinger remembers the early days of instant delivery in Modem World, Ross Rubin tells us why Lenovo's IdeaCentre Horizon is what Microsoft's PixelSense (née Surface) should have been and Adafruit's Limor Fried is gracious enough to sit down for Q&A. Now, thank you for being gracious enough to sit down and partake in this week's Distro. I hope you enjoy.
Tim Stevens is Editor-in-chief of Engadget and Editorial Director for AOL Tech. You can find him on Twitter at @tim_stevens.
This piece originally appeared in Distro #75.
Read more http://www.engadget.com/2013/01/25/editors-letter-winners-and-losers/


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Viterra Becomes Founding Partner in New Mosaic Stadium - Canada
Title Bar - News Releases
News Release Contact Information
News Release
null Viterra Becomes Founding Partner in New Mosaic Stadium
REGINA, SASKATCHEWAN--(Marketwired - July 14, 2016) - Viterra Inc. ("Viterra") is pleased to announce it has become a Founding Partner of the new Mosaic Stadium in Regina. The announcement was made earlier today at an event organized by the Saskatchewan Roughrider Football Club.
"We're pleased to be strengthening our longstanding partnership with the Riders, and play an important role in the continued economic development of the city and the province," said Kyle Jeworski, Viterra's President and CEO for North America. "As a company with 100 years of history in the province and our head office in Regina, supporting our community's new landmark venue will provide opportunities for many other shows, events and special occasions that will create an outstanding legacy for the community."
As part of its partnership, Viterra will receive recognition through various channels and promotional activities. The company also plans to host employee and customer appreciation events in connection with its partnership.
About Viterra
Viterra is Canada's grain industry leader, supported by the expertise of its people, a superior network of assets, and unrivalled connections to world markets. Headquartered in Regina, Saskatchewan, our commitment to agriculture goes back over 100 years, partnering with farmers to market and move their crops to areas of need around the world. Our continued focus on operational excellence throughout North America allows us to efficiently handle, process, distribute and transport grains and oilseeds. We provide further value to our partners through a wide variety of contracting and risk management tools to help them realize the full potential of their crops. For more information on Viterra in North America, please visit www.viterra.com. Viterra is part of the Agricultural Business Segment of Glencore.
Viterra Inc.
Peter Flengeris
(306) 569-4810


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by David Roberts
It's still technically winter-time at the time of writing this post, but before you know it, it's going to be spring and there's a good chance that you're thinking of releasing a new album.
I've read at least a dozen articles with people who make sweeping claims like "Don't release in January" that quite honestly don't have any idea what the hell they're talking about. When you should release your album depends on A LOT of factors and there's no simple reason why you should pick one month over another. It all has to do with what your plans are AFTER the release. Let's take a look.
January Boom
In the last few years there has been a big push to get major label artists to release their music in January. For years, January was considered a dead zone in the industry because holiday sales were low and the chances of a record making it big and staying in people's minds between January and the next big push of holiday sales was almost zero.
Having said that though, that opened up a new market for artists with staying power. Adele and a few other major names (Lana Del Rey, Arctic Monkeys, The Maccabees) knew that they had some clout and would be able to capitalize on the "lack" of new music in the January season to make marketing easier and cheaper to do.
Indie Advice: January is a pretty good month for indie music because music bloggers are fresh off the high that was "The best of the previous year" articles that they spent all of December posting and are looking for something new to talk about. Since bands don't send them much right after the holidays, you'll have a pretty good chance at getting placements. Having said that though, if your goal is to ride the Christmas-buying wave and you don't have a STRONG following, releasing in January means you'll be irrelevant by March and come year end, no one will even know your name.
February – May
Here's where things start getting hairy. Spring is PRIME album release time for "indie" bands. I use the term "indie" loosely because here I'm referring to bands who are most likely to be playing festivals. Obviously, Adele doesn't play festival gigs and is more of a mainstream artist than someone running the festival string. I digress.
Spring time is horrendous for competition. It's when the new year is in "full swing" and bands are looking to get their records out so that they have something to push through spring and summer tours, as well as to help keep a band relevant to land festival gigs.
Indie Advice: If you're thinking of releasing in this time period, you better be damn sure that you've got some money to break through the noise with. Blog advertising costs go up around February to May because big name artists are also going to be fighting for the same space as you. You've also got to worry about people's listening span. With so many new records to listen to from big name acts, bloggers and fans will be a bit tough to sway to listen to your own stuff. Avoid Spring if at all possible. Release a single or a new video, but don't let your whole record out just yet. Play some shows, sell your old CDs, build hype, etc.
June – August
Things start to calm down in the summer months (or winter if you're in upside-down land. Aka Australia). But that still doesn't mean it's optimal time to put your record out. If blog coverage is your goal, there's a good chance you won't get a whole lot of love. Summer is festival season and blogs will be quite busy covering their favorite acts at big festival dates. Obviously, festivals don't run the entire 3 months, but the bigger taste-makers tend to favor posting about bands who will be performing at festivals (because that's the "news" of the stories and press releases that are sent to them).
Although, despite it being festival season, smaller blogs tend to have a harder time getting new content to write about. Although submissions still come in, because the bands that "matter" have already sent in their new album information, blogs are struggling for content if they can't make it to Bonnaroo or CMJ in New York City.
Indie Advice: Summer is a solid time to release. Don't expect to get a lot of placement on ForkPitch, but smaller blogs will be all-ears as usual. You can get away with releasing in the summer if you have the time to promote heavily. It'll take a bit of extra attention to grab the ears of college students and young people who will be attending festivals. New music doesn't stick very well in this time period because of how music-heavy the summer is to begin with, but you won't be competing with bigger name acts for promotional space as much.
Finally, the winter season. As I mentioned earlier in the article, the winter months are generally best for major label artists trying to ride the holiday wave. Obviously, as an independent artist you're probably not very worried about how well your album sells during a specific time of the year, but rather if it sells at all. September-December is ignored largely by independent artists because there's no summer-touring involved, nor is there a winter tour they'll be supporting either. Going out on the road when there's snow on the road is generally a no-go for anyone, which is why September-December is the quietest period in the year for album releases.
Indie Advice: If possible, release your record in this period of time. Obviously, you won't be able to go out on tour in support of the album, but because you'll have your album broadcasting to open ears, you may be able to follow up with a single/EP release in the early part of the following year to tour behind. When you're an indie, exposure is what counts the most in the beginning, so having a solid footing to build off of when you're trying to compete for more/cheaper advertising space on social media sites is crucial. If this is your first or second album release, use the safety of September-December to build a repertoire with blogs about your music.
Touring Plans?
A lot of what is mentioned above is based around one thing: touring. If you're an indie that's looking to tour after the release of an album, then there's a good chance your press release will contain tour information about what you'll be doing following the release of your album. If your goal is to get more exposure for your tour, and in turn get blog readers interested in coming out to your show in town, then you should make your decision about when to send out your new-album press releases in regards to how good of a chance it has of being written about.
If you have no plans of touring then just about any of the above time slots will work. Obviously, take into account the fact that festivals and other factors will affect a blogger's decision to cover you, but generally speaking, smaller bloggers (not the huge tastemaker ones likes Pitchfork, NPR, Paste, Obscure Sound etc) won't have as much to cover during high-traffic music months.


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Perfect Cheeseburger
It's all about technique and good beef.
Calling it the Perfect Cheeseburger is pretty bold, but we stand by it. Our burger is big, juicy, and seasoned right. Just a few rules to remember: 1. Gently pack the meat; if you overwork it, it can get dense and tough. 2.... Read More
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Travelers Walk MS returns this spring, with an event in Litchfield April 21
HARTFORD >> Connecticut residents will once again step out from 12 sites across the state for the 2013 Walk MS, presented by Travelers.
More than 6,000 Connecticut residents battle the effects of multiple sclerosis. In a show of support, each year thousands of loved ones, friends, neighbors and co-workers lace up and step out at Walk MS in solidarity for a single cause: to create a world free of MS.
In 2012, more than 10,000 participants participated in Walk MS and raised a record $1.38 million. Team Travelers was the top fundraising team in the state as they raised $70,071. Robert Flowers was the top individual fundraiser, raising $41,224. This year, the chapter hopes to raise $1.4 million.
The 2013 Walk MS, presented by Travelers, will be held Sunday, April 21, 2013, at 12 sites across the state.
The walk sites include: Cheshire at Cheshire High School, Clinton at Joel Elementary School, Danbury at Western Connecticut State University - Westside Campus, Enfield at JFK Middle School, Litchfield at Litchfield Town Green, Manchester at Manchester Community College, New London at Mitchell College, Simsbury at Westminster School, Stamford at Commons Park at Harbor Point, West Hartford at the University of Connecticut - West Hartford Campus, West Haven at West Haven High School and Westport at Sherwood Island State Park.
Each walk site will feature 2.5- and 5-mile fully-accessible routes. Participants will return to a finish-line party with entertainment, activities, and lunch, provided compliments of Subway restaurants and Coca-Cola.
For a seventh year, Darren Kramer, WTNH News 8 anchor, will return to serve as grand marshal. News 8 meteorologist Gil Simmons will lead the charge from West Haven.
Multiple sclerosis is a chronic, often disabling disease. It's generally diagnosed between the ages of 20 and 50. Symptoms can range from numbness in the extremities, to loss of vision and, in severe cases, complete paralysis.
The progression, severity and specific symptoms related to MS in any one person cannot be predicted, but advances in research and treatments are providing hope to those affected by the disease.
Funds raised at chapter events, such as Walk MS, ensure ongoing scientific research to find a cure and provide for the continuation of vital programs and services offered by the chapter to Connecticut residents affected by MS.
To learn more about Walk MS or to pre-register, visit www.ctfightsMS.org and click the "Walk MS" button, or call 913-2550.


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Theoretical, experimental and engineering research papers are welcome. Brief reports of research results or outstanding engineering achievements of likely interest to readers will be published in the Technical Notes format. All Papers and Technical Notes must be free of commercialism. Papers are selected for publication through a peer review process based on their originality and significance, technical interest, and clarity of exposition. All papers will be reviewed critically by at least two independent and anonymous referees chosen by the Editorial Board. All questions on policy and procedures of the IJOPE should be directed to the editors.
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Add jobs or images to a collection
You can add images or jobs to a collection.
- On your computer, go to Google.com.
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plastic reusable formwork for concrete construction
1. light weight, high strength
2. sustainable and enviroment friendly
3. reusable
4. eco-friendly
5. easy operation
Product Description
Modular formwork is an easy and intuitive system of PP formworks for building concrete walls, basements, columns. Compared with the traditional timber or steel systems, modular formwork is handier, more cost effective and faster to set up, save time and labor charge. Modular formwork has panels of various sizes, fastened together by means of fast-lock nylon handles. Thanks to the several possible panel combinations, and special inner and outer corner elements, the possible wall thickness goes from 10 to 40 cm.
We are the professional supplier of formwork, scaffolding, couplers, prop, etc. As the leading supplier of modular formwork in North East China, we endeavour to help you build faster and conveniently, and most important, guarantee the safety for workers. We also endeavour to protect environment because we only have one earth.
Thanks to our credibility and high quality products, we have built long term cooperation relationship with many world class enterprises such as Saudi Arabia ATCO group, Russia Sakhalin Energy Investment Company, Italy Geoplast Company, etc.
Product Characteristics
|product name
|Modular formwork
|tensile strength
|100 times
Product Introduction
The biggest panel is 120x60cm, weight only 10.5kg, which can be lift and set up by only one person easily, need no
crane on the site.
easy set up
Different size of panels can be firmly locked bysimply turn the special handles to 90 degree. The
panels have rib on the back, which makes the system need not traditional wood blocks and nails.
The panels have holes to fit tie rod, guarantee the strength of the whole system.
The material of modular formwork is PP (polypropylene) mixied with special glass fibres which enable panels to hold high pressures.
The handles are made by high strength Nilon, each panel locked by at least 4 handls, which makes the whole system strong enough to pour 40cm walls.
enviroment friendly
The system need not cut and nail due to the variety size, and nearly need no wood, the material can be recycled after broken, will not pollute the enviroment. In practice using, the corner of panels is easier broken relatively compared with the panel itself, our modular formwork have 4 small corner pieces to be replaced seperately, makes the panels can be reused about 100 times.
Concrete does not stick to plastic, thus the panels need no oil before using, and can be cleaned simply by water. The surface of the wall which built by modular formwork is smooth, can be left without rework.
Walls and corners
Using modular formwork, it is possible to pour up to 40cm thick and 3 meters highstraight walls one time. Combining with special corners and compensation panels, right angle walls, three way T-walls and four way cross walls can be fomed easily. The low weight and modularity of modular formwork makes it ideal for fence walls as it is possible to move large gangforms by hand.
Basins and elevator shafts
The low weight of modular formwork simplifies the pouring of tanks, basins and swimming pools in
areas with limited or no access to heavy equipment. Modular fomwork also ideal for elevator shafts as it can use without aid of crane, can make an easy, fast and precise job by hand.
Doors and windows
To make doors and windows by modular formwork is simple, by inserting inside the formwork a wooden frame corresponding to the size of the opening needed, and then pour the walls with doors and windows.
Adjustable Column panel
The column panels are interconnected using the standard nylon locking handles. Each panel will require 9 handles. The forming face has 6 parallel rows of fixing holes to allow the orthogonal connection of the panels in a "star" shape. The rows are placed at a distance of 100/50mm the one from the other, allowing the forming of square and/or rectangular columns with side of 150 to 600mm.
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Please send your project design drawing in AutoCAD file to us, we will help to make formwork solution for you.
concrete formwork
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Wednesday, June 6, 2012
Daily Inspiration: Get Excited
Left: Paperfashion Istagram
Right: Style Me Pretty, Photography by studioimpressions..., Event Coordination and Styling by philipcarr.com.au
Tuesday, June 5, 2012
Glossy Favs: Foryoo Etsy Shop
Everyone wants to put down roots. And mine are firmly rooted in these a.m.a.zing address stamps. Etsy shop Foryoo has the most incredible designs that will make you want to send all of your correspondence by snail mail. Available in self-inking or old-schooled wood handles and sooo affordable at about $30 each. Even renters (or squaters) like me, can have their own little slice of heaven.
All photos via: Foryoo
All photos via: Foryoo
Monday, May 7, 2012
Room of the Week
I know it's only Monday, but I don't think this room can be outdone.
Making even renting (where the bathrooms are always cramped and horrendous) enviable.
Lonny Magazine March/April 2012 | Photography by Patrick Cline; Interior Design by Anna Burke
Friday, May 4, 2012
What I'm Loving: Toile + Ikat
This week I stopped by The Madison Hotel in DC to see the anxiously awaited return of a great space to DC. The renovations are CRAZY CHIC. And I fell hard in love with this mix of Toile and Ikat in the lobby bar. Prints on Prints, people. It's the new 2012.
Wednesday, May 2, 2012
Soda vs. Pop: The Final Frontier
In life there are great moral divides. Mine is Soda Vs. Pop.
Midwestern roots and a East Cost life can't see eye to eye. Cue, cheeky Jonathan Adler gifts to the rescue. I picked up these adorable tumblers in NYC last week, while I was helping a friend with her final wedding fitting. Peaceful coexistence and a fizzy drink live happily ever after.
Bonus points for a coordinating drinking straw. I love this great selection on Etsy from HeYoYo
Friday, April 6, 2012
Before and After: What a Differance a Desk Makes
I blame global warming for the plague of ruts I've seen everyone in this winter/spring/summer-in-spring season. Maybe we didn't get proper hibernation time this year, but I have certainly come down with a case of the blahs. I plan to take mine on head first this weekend with a change of scenery- sitting next to the ocean, drinking mimosas.
A few weeks ago I helped a friend who was having apartment-blahs. We weren't going for drastic change, just enough to feel different. And our goal was under $40 and start-to-finish done in one evening.
How we did it:
A few weeks ago I helped a friend who was having apartment-blahs. We weren't going for drastic change, just enough to feel different. And our goal was under $40 and start-to-finish done in one evening.
Here's the Everyday-Girl-Awesomeness Transformation
How we did it:
- The #1 difference was made by hanging simple sheer curtains (all materials from Target).
- Cleared off all the things that naturally pile up on desks.
- Important papers went into a vertical file box (also from Target)
- Current books in rotation stayed on the desk, all other books got stacked on the floor underneath a table next to the desk in neat piles. It's a studio-we had to get creative
- Added: My favorite Calendar from Etsy and a framed personal memento, a glass jar to hold odds and ends and a bunch of sunflowers as a treat.
Thursday, April 5, 2012
Thursday Tabletop: Flowers + Tins
Step 1: Collect cute tins (or spray paint un-cute cans)
Step 2: Buy flowers. Bonus points for not arranging them
Step 3: Drop flower bunches into tins. Add water.
Result: The most stylish centerpieces on the block.
Take that Easter Bunny.
Take that Easter Bunny.
Source: tres-studio.blogspot.com via ABC on Pinterest
Source: hayleyhurst.com via Erica on Pinterest
Source: marthastewart.com via Carley on Pinterest
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