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I have had so much fun in the past 6 months writing posts! Amanda and I have become even closer, Mr. Fitness is a huge supporter of the blog and I really stepped out of my comfort zone. 2012 was a pretty good year! Below is a list of my 12 favorite posts of 2012. Happy New Year's Eve!
1. Power Ups & Downs. This was one of the very first workouts Amanda and I recorded together. I had no idea how the videos would turn out. I just wanted to show people that no one looks great (except for professionals) while working out. It's become part of our weekly routine and they are always a blast… sometimes!
2. Ask Amanda: How To Get Through A Plateau. I love all of the Ask Amanda posts because Amanda has such a great knowledge and spirit AND I can't provide you with professional advice. When I send Amanda the question I never know what the answer will be but its always great, informative and inspiring. You will be seeing one of these posts every week in 2013!
3. Ashley from My Food 'N Fitness Diaries hosted me as a guest blogger on her site. You can read the post here. And while you're there, check out Ashley's blog 😉 A brief synopsis: There is a workout going around Pinterest that claims it burns 100 calories. We disproved it.
4. The S'more Incident. I'm glad I don't have any more stories like this off the top of my head to share! Otherwise I would, because in the end (you know months later) they are pretty funny. In order to improve, we need to admit our mistakes and shortcomings and then be willing to see the humor in them.
5. The Fall Magazine. Designing this magazine had only one purpose, to combine two things I love design and blogging. Initially I had planned to do one for the holiday season and while I did have it almost completed I didn't think it was my best work. Therefore, I didn't release it. The Holiday Edition wasn't as much fun for me as the Fall and that defeated my overall purpose. Keep an eye out for a Spring Edition!
6. Excuses I May Have Used. I had a lot of fun writing this because at one point I asked Mr. Fitness excuses I've made in the past and he had a plethora of them. In fact, I had to tell him take it easy!
7. Skinny Vanilla Chai Protein Latte. Designer Whey shared this on Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest. It was something I had been drinking for months but never shared on the blog. THEN Designer Whey mentioned they were having a recipe contest and suggested I enter. I won… twice! I have never won a contest like this in my life let alone twice. I entered a total of 3 recipes over the course of 3 weeks. Honey Vanilla Pear, Ginger Peachango and Sugar Plumberry. My face hurt from smiling. I think Mr. Fitness was more excited than me about the prize, a Healthmaster Blender. It is a really great blender and I plan to post a review soon!
8. Taking Portland. The trip was so much fun that naturally, the post was fun to write. Mr. Fitness always finds the best places to eat. I'm already talking about going back there.
9. Mug Pancakes. This is a very simple recipe. I can't express to you how excited I was when this worked itself out. I'm sure that there is something similar out there, but for me it was like discovering America.
10. Funks Happen. I had been working on this post for weeks, but it just seemed I couldn't truly come out of the funk! Every time I thought it was done I wasn't ready to post yet because I was still in a funk. It evolved over the course a month and I finally posted it when I could see the light at the end of the tunnel. It was very therapeutic and I'm happy it finally made itself published.
11. Taking Discovery Cove. I fell in love with marine life at the age of 10. I had so much fun with my Mom that day and I couldn't believe how physically exhausted I was that day.
12. 12 Days of Christmas Workout. I had a lot of fun creating this workout. I also had no idea how hard it would be, I was just trying to make it sound good. Oops.

subset: commoncrawl


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The default behavior for grouped Windows 7 taskbar icons is that when you click them, a list of thumbnails appears and you have to click again to pick one.
Another method is doing Ctrl-click which, when done repeatedly, selects one of the windows right away.
Is it possible to switch the default behavior for the Ctrl+ one? I want to click the icon and have one of the windows get to the front without clicking any thumbnails.


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Prepared by Marjan Kluepfel, HGIC Horticulture Specialist, and Bob Polomski, Extension Consumer Horticulturist, Clemson University. Revised by Joey Williamson, HGIC Extension Agent, Clemson University. Revised by Janet Scott, HGIC Extension Agent Clemson University. (New 04/99. Revised 05/08.)
Printer Friendly Version (PDF)
Mulching is one of the most important ways to maintain healthy landscape plants. A mulch is any material applied to the soil surface for protection or improvement of the area covered. Mulching is really nature's idea. Nature produces large quantities of mulch all the time with fallen leaves, needles, twigs, pieces of bark, spent flower blossoms, fallen fruit and other organic material.
When applied correctly, mulch has the following beneficial effects on plants and soil:
There are basically two types of mulches: organic and inorganic. Both types may have their place in the garden.
An organic mulch is a mulch made of natural substances such as bark, wood chips, leaves, pine needles, or grass clippings. Organic mulches attract insects, slugs, cutworms and the birds that eat them. They decompose over time and need to be replaced after several years.
Inorganic mulches, such as gravel, pebbles, black plastic and landscape fabrics, do not attract pests, and they do not decompose.
Organic Mulch Materials: Your yard "trash" can be recycled as mulch with the advantage of retaining the nutrients found in these organic materials, in addition to saving money otherwise spent in transporting and disposing of the yard trash.
Grass Clippings: The best use for grass clippings is to leave them on the lawn. They decompose rapidly, adding nutrients back into the soil. If you choose to use grass clippings for mulch, it is best to build up the mulch layer gradually using dry grass, not fresh clippings, to prevent the formation of a solid mat that can prevent water moving through it. A two-inch layer of grass clippings provides weed control if it is not full of weed seeds. Be careful not to use clippings from lawns that have been treated with herbicides.
Hay & Straw: Never use hay for mulch since it contains too many weed seeds. Straw decomposes rapidly, so you will have to replenish it to keep the weeds down. Straw is not very ornamental and is best for a vegetable garden or over newly sown lawns. Straw will improve the soil as it decays.
Leaf Mold: Leaf mold has a tendency to form a crust, preventing water from penetrating into the soil. It is better to use leaf mold as a soil amendment than as a mulch.
Leaves: A 2- to 3-inch layer of leaves provides good weed control. It is best to shred the leaves coarsely, using a shredder or your lawn mower. Whole leaves have a tendency to blow away, while finely shredded leaves do not allow water to penetrate. Oak and beech leaves help to acidify the soil for acid-loving plants. Leaves are usually easy to get, attractive as a mulch, and they will improve the soil once they decompose. After the leaves decompose, dig them into the soil and add a new layer of mulch on top.
Pine Bark: A 2- to 3-inch layer of pine bark is good for weed control. Pine bark makes an attractive, usually dark-colored mulch. It can be purchased in various particle sizes, from shredded to large-sized particles, called nuggets. Large pine bark nuggets float in water and may not stay in place during a heavy rain. They may also attract termites and other insects.
Pine Needles: A 2-inch layer of pine needles makes an excellent mulch for acid-loving trees and shrubs. Pine needles tend to interlock and stay in place better than most mulches, especially on a slope. This mulch is very attractive and allows air, water and nutrients to penetrate easily to the soil surface.
Shredded Hardwood Mulch: This mulch is good at suppressing weeds. It does not wash away easily. It decomposes relatively slowly, and it is very attractive.
Wood Chips: This material contains bark and pieces of wood of various sizes and makes an attractive mulch. A 2- to 3-inch layer of wood chips provides good weed control. Small wood chips decompose very rapidly using nitrogen from the soil, which needs to be replaced by nitrogen fertilizer. Wood chips may attract termites and other insects.
Pecan Shells: Pecan shells make a long-lasting, attractive, dark brown mulch that is effective in retaining moisture in the soil. Availability is limited to areas where pecans are processed.
Ground Cover: Many perennial ground cover plants, such as ivy, periwinkle, pachysandra, mondo grass and liriope, will cover the soil and act as a mulch. For more information on groundcovers, refer to HGIC 1100, Groundcovers.
Inorganic Mulch Materials:
Gravel, Pebbles & Crushed Stone: These materials are permanent and are best used for permanent plantings such as foundation plants. A 1- inch layer of small rocks will provide good weed control. Do not use them around acid-loving plants since the rocks may add alkaline elements and minerals to the soil. These materials reflect solar radiation and can create a very hot landscape environment during the summer months.
Black Plastic: Black polyethylene film is very effective in preventing weed growth. It also holds water in the soil. Therefore, plastic is not recommended for poorly-drained areas as it may cause the soil to remain too wet, which could result in root disease problems. You may have to cut holes in the plastic if water does not go through it. There is black plastic available that has small holes in it to help with drainage. If exposed to sunlight, black plastic is broken down fast, losing its effectiveness as a mulch. However, if you bury black plastic in the soil, it will last for many years. Covering the black plastic with a layer of wood chips or pine needles will reduce heat absorption and mask its artificial appearance.
Clear Plastic: Clear plastic will not suppress weed growth because light penetrates the film and raises the soil temperature, which may result in an increased growth of weeds in early spring.
Landscape Cloth or Woven Ground Cloth: Materials woven of fabric, plastic or paper are available in various lengths and widths. The materials are treated to resist decomposition. Unlike plastic films, woven materials allow water and air to move through them. They are very effective in controlling most weeds, although some grasses may grow up through the holes in the fabric. Landscape cloth needs to be fastened down so it will not be pushed up by perennial weeds. Better moisture, temperature and weed control will be obtained by adding several inches of another mulching material on top of the landscape cloth.
Aluminum-Coated Plastic & Foil: One layer of either one of these materials provides excellent weed control. These materials decompose very slowly, but they are very expensive and quite unattractive mulches.
Ground Rubber Tires & Artificial Pine Needles: Mulches made of ground rubber tires and artificial (plastic) pine needles do not decompose, and unless scattered, may never need to be replaced. The use of these materials is relatively new, and both their effectiveness as mulch and their color retention is still being evaluated.
Mulching is a very important practice for establishing new plantings, because it helps to conserve moisture in the root ball of the new plant until the roots have grown out into the surrounding soil. The growth rate and health of trees and shrubs increases when there is no competition for water and nutrients from weeds. Mulch also helps to prevent tree trunk injury by mowers and trimmers. Newly planted trees require a circle of mulch 3 to 4 feet in diameter. Maintain this for five years. Mulch entire beds of shrubs, trees, annuals, herbaceous perennials and ground covers.
Mulch can also be used to cover trails, driveways, and play and natural areas.
Light-weight mulch such as dried grass clippings and pine straw can be used temporarily to cover low-growing tender plants to protect them from frost injury.
The best time to mulch new plantings is right after you plant them. Around established plants mulch is best applied in early spring. This is when plants are beginning to grow and before weed seeds start to germinate.
How often mulch needs to be replenished depends on the mulching material. Grass clippings and leaves decompose very fast and need to be replenished frequently. Inorganic mulches such as gravel and pebbles rarely need replenishing. As the plants grow and fill in the bed areas, less and less mulch is needed.
Before applying any type of mulch to an area, it is best to weed the area. Spread a layer of mulching materials over the entire plant bed. Keep mulch 2 to 3 inches away from the stems of woody plants. This will prevent decay caused by wet mulch and rodent damage during the winter. Keep mulch 6 to 12 inches away from the walls of buildings.
Subterranean termites nest in the soil and feed on materials that contain cellulose. Termite treatments are applied to the soil around buildings, so keeping mulch away from walls will prevent termites from using it as a bridge to cross treated soil.
Newly planted trees require a circle of mulch 3 to 4 feet in diameter. Maintain this for at least three years. Do not pile mulch against the trunk. For established trees in lawns create a circle of mulch about 2 feet in diameter for each inch of trunk diameter. Increase the size of the mulched area as the tree grows. Try to apply the mulch at least 6 to 12 inches beyond the drip-line of the tree. Because the root system can extend two to three times the crown spread of the tree, mulch as large an area as possible.
The amount of mulch to apply depends on the texture and density of the mulch material. Many wood and bark mulches are composed of fine particles and should not be more than 2 to 3 inches deep. Excessive amounts of these fine-textured mulches can suffocate plant roots, resulting in yellowing of the leaves and poor growth.
Coarse-textured mulches such as pine bark nuggets allow good air movement through them and can be as deep as 4 inches.
Mulches composed of grass clippings or shredded leaves should never be deeper than 2 inches, because these materials tend to mat together, restricting the water and air supply to plant roots.
To determine how many cubic feet of mulch is needed, you need to calculate the surface area and the desired depth of coverage. There are 27 cubic feet in a cubic yard. One cubic yard will cover a 324-square-foot area with an inch of mulch. Figure out the square footage of your bed, that is the width times the length for square or rectangular shaped beds. The square footage of a circular bed is the distance from the middle of the circle to the outside, multiplied by itself and then multiplied by 3.14 (which is pi). Multiply your square footage by the depth desired (in inches) and divide by 324 square feet. This will tell you how many cubic yards you will need.
Mulch Toxicity: Though mulch benefits plants, "sour" mulch can quickly damage plant tissue and lower the soil pH causing injury or death. Bedding and low-growing woody plants are most easily damaged. Symptoms include yellowing of the leaf margins, scorching or dropping of leaves and occasionally entire plant death. Although it may be several days before symptoms appear, spreading sour mulch can damage plants immediately.
Sour or "acid" mulch is caused by poor handling or storing of mulch resulting in anaerobic (without air) conditions. Mulch piles need to "breathe" to prevent anaerobic conditions from occurring. In the absence of air, microbes in the mulch (mostly bacteria) produce toxic substances such as methanol, acetic acid, ammonia gas, and hydrogen sulfide gas.
Sour mulch smells like vinegar, ammonia, sulfur or silage. Good mulch smells like freshly cut wood or has the earthy smell of a good garden soil. Another way to determine if mulch is sour is to test its pH. Toxic mulch will have a pH of 1.8 to 2.5.
To prevent mulch from turning sour or to cure sour mulch, you need to turn your pile once or twice a month, more frequently if the pile is very wet. Do not let the pile get larger than 4 feet thick in any dimension if you are not turning the pile regularly. A good aeration will eliminate the toxic compounds in 24 hours, but to be safe allow three days.
Slime Molds: Slime molds are fungus-like organisms that can be a nuisance in mulch. They typically appear suddenly during warm, damp weather. The resulting masses may be several inches to a foot or more in diameter and vary in color, including bright yellow or orange. They are unsightly but harmless, feeding on decaying organic matter such as that found in new hardwood mulch. No pesticides are recommended. Simply scoop up with a shovel and remove.
Matted Mulch: When thick layers of dry mulch are applied or existing mulch dries, some nuisance fungi can grow, forming a mat of mycelium (a mass of fine threadlike structures that make up the body of the fungus). The mycelial mat is hydrophobic (repels water). As a result, the mulch is not easily penetrated by water, which can prevent plants from receiving adequate water. Newly installed mulch should be watered to prevent this problem. If existing mulch is matted, break apart the matted layers with a rake or claw cultivator.
The Artillery Fungus: Occasionally, micro- organisms in mulches can become a nuisance. The shotgun or artillery fungus (Sphaerobolus) may cause serious problems. While it decays the mulch, it also produces fruiting structures that resemble tiny cream or orange-brown cups that hold a spore mass resembling a tiny black egg (1/10 inch in diameter). This fungus shoots these spore masses high into the air. They stick to any surface and resemble small tar spots on leaves of plants, on cars or on the siding of homes. They are very difficult to remove. To avoid damage to cars and houses do not use mulches that contain cellulose (wood). Use pure bark mulches, especially pine, or if the mulch is already in place, cover the hardwood mulch with pine needles.
Stinkhorn Fungi: Stinkhorn fungi, such as Mutinus caninus and M. elegans, can colonize hardwood bark mulch. The fruiting bodies or mushrooms often come up in the fall and exude a very unpleasant odor. Scoop up and dispose of the mushrooms as soon as they appear. Consider replacement of hardwood bark mulch, which contains a lot of wood, with another choice, such as pine needles, pine bark, or a composted mulch.
Toadstools & Mushrooms: Some fungi found in mulches produce toadstools (mushrooms), and some of these are toxic to humans. As such, it is a good idea to destroy them when small children have access to the mulched area.
Page maintained by: Home & Garden Information Center
This information is supplied with the understanding that no discrimination is intended and no endorsement of brand names or registered trademarks by the Clemson University Cooperative Extension Service is implied, nor is any discrimination intended by the exclusion of products or manufacturers not named. All recommendations are for South Carolina conditions and may not apply to other areas. Use pesticides only according to the directions on the label. All recommendations for pesticide use are for South Carolina only and were legal at the time of publication, but the status of registration and use patterns are subject to change by action of state and federal regulatory agencies. Follow all directions, precautions and restrictions that are listed.


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Like website:http://www.tomtom.com/livetraffic/
When I try pan or zoom on the above site, feels very good similar to Google map, it's very smoothly for this user experience.
my question is how I can implement this effect with openlayers respectively for pan and zoom? I could not find them in openlayers examples at least.
thanks for you attention.
following is part of my source code, maybe it works but not smoothly as I think
var map, layer; function init() { var options = { projection: "EPSG:900913", maxExtent: new OpenLayers.Bounds(18.203001,
47.078001, 399.909001, 261.796001),
scales: [2400, 1200, 600, 300, 150], units: "m", panDuration: 100, controls: [new OpenLayers.Control.Navigation( {dragPanOptions: {enableKinetic: true}} )] var tile = new SimpleTileCache("map",
{ 'format': 'image/png', transitionEffect: 'resize' });


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Doesn't the story of the rich man and Lazarus in Luke 16:19-31 teach an eternal hell of torment?
No, Indeed! It is simply a parable used to emphasize a
point. Many facts make it clear that this is a parable. A
few are as follows:
Click the book below to open it as a PDF file.


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Deloitte's Operations services help companies build a lasting competitive advantage at every level of the business. We work collaboratively with clients to connect strategic vision with measurable results for supply chains, industry operations, cost reduction, and business model transformation.
Operational efficiency
Companies are always striving to improve their management, governance systems and processes, operations, costs and product quality. Our team has extensive experience providing consulting services to improve operational efficiency based on international best practice, tools and methodologies.
The Deloitte Global CPO Survey 2013
The Deloitte CPO Global Survey report presents the findings from 2013 survey, comprising of over 180 responses across 18 countries. The participants have a combined turnover of US$2.7 trillion across the Americas, Europe, Middle East, Africa, Asia and Australia, and cover all major industry groups.


text: After numerous requests, today we are launching a new screencast series on Nettuts+ that will focus exclusively on the CodeIgniter PHP framework. Over the course of about 10 videos, I'll teach you exactly how to use this framework. Ultimately, we'll work our way up to building a custom CMS. Without further ado, here's day one!


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Gifts A GoGo's customer service goal is simple: We are committed to providing our customers total satisfaction. Every time. Guaranteed.
Hours:Our customer service hours are Monday thru Friday, excluding holidays, from 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM PST. We typically return calls and emails within two business hours.Contact Us:
Thanks - The Gifts A GoGo Staff


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Roman Reigns celebration
Since they want to give him the best chance possible at being accepted as the top star in WWE, there are rumors floating around that the company could bring in several members of the famous Samoan wrestling family to the show to help celebrate with Roman Reigns. The Rock is a possibility. Rikishi will be there since he is being inducted. Jimmy Uso, Jey Uso and Tamina Snuka are already under contract and available.
February 15, 2015


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Bankruptcy Law
Bankruptcy Law Questions? Ask a Bankruptcy Lawyer Now.
How "old" is the old credit card debt? In other words, when was your last payment?
Thank you for that information. In your response, make sure you put the same caption on the top of the paper with the names and case number XXXXX it. Then in the body of the paper write that according to Florida Chapter 95.11 the statute of limitations for debt related to an oral contract is four years from the date of breach or a credit card debt which is also four years. In other words, if you haven't made any payments in four years, the debt is gone! Put that in your response. However, I would still list it on the bankruptcy just to be extra sure.
If you still have court, tell the judge the debt is too old.
DISCLAIMER: Answers from Experts on JustAnswer are not substitutes for the advice of an attorney. JustAnswer is a public forum and questions and responses are not private or confidential or protected by the attorney-client privilege. The Expert above is not your attorney, and the response above is not legal advice. You should not read this response to propose specific action or address specific circumstances, but only to give you a sense of general principles of law that might affect the situation you describe. Application of these general principles to particular circumstances must be done by a lawyer who has spoken with you in confidence, learned all relevant information, and explored various options. Before acting on these general principles, you should hire a lawyer licensed to practice law in the jurisdiction to which your question pertains.
The responses above are from individual Experts, not JustAnswer. The site and services are provided "as is". To view the verified credential of an Expert, click on the "Verified" symbol in the Expert's profile. This site is not for emergency questions which should be directed immediately by telephone or in-person to qualified professionals. Please carefully read the Terms of Service (last updated February 8, 2012).


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Term's over, results were out and the house supply of booze has been drunk, it was time to go home to Bangkok's sun for the summer! Spent the last night in Nottingham alone in the house with a takeaway and managed to pack everything I need for summer into a managable sized suitcase and dozed off to Big Brother live. Dragged out of bed by my alarm clock at 9 am, called myself a taxi and got myself to the Nottingham Coach station in time for the luxurious National Express coach trip to London Victoria. Not a very eventful trip and I'm afraid there won't be a trip report on that one – except the fact that my neighbour for the trip was a 60 year old lady who managed to bling Missy Elliot to shame! Got to London, met my brother and his 20 kilos of possession packed in a rolling suitcase for me to take home, we made our way from Victoria to Paddington station.
A tube ride later, we arrived at Paddington, made our way to the Star Alliance check-in counter and was greeted by a lovely lady of Globeground, unfortunately to be informed with not very lovely news. Since my ticket was rerouted from Manchester to London, they could not accept my ticket at Paddington – and I had to make my way to the SQ ticket counter at Heathrow, hmm.. not what the lady at the London office said, no biggy – rolled up my sleeves and dragged all my 40 kilograms of possession onto the Heathrow express, bound for Heathrow Terminal 3.
15 minutes later, we arrived at Heathrow Central (for T1,2 and 3), lugged myself up to the check-in area of SQ and headed to the business class check-in counter when a lady from Aviance in charge of shepherding the cattle class passengers through the queue came up to me and said "business class!!!", flashed my *Gold card and was pointed to the first class counter, no harms done.
A friendly chap from aviance proceeded to check me in without any fuss, he didn't even mention anything about the rerouted ticket, gave me a little pretty SQ sticker on my lowly economy class boarding pass and told me to use the fast track at security and wrote down the location of the Silverkris (how fancy!) lounge behind the LHR-SIN boarding pass. After tagging all of my 40 kilos of crap – he went on to ask the routine security questions, and a non routine one of "which suitcase contains the kitchen sink?". Pff!
Cleared security and made my way to the Silverkris lounge near gate 6(?) – fancy stuff! Gobbled down a few mini sandwiches as my first meal of the day, all washed down with bottles of Tiger Beer (bless Singapore!). Stayed there for a while and decided to join the rest of us common people at the gate area (32?) – just in time for boarding.
13 June 2004
SQ 319 , Seat 38G
Please check your spelling (press "Check Spelling" above)
©Copyright 2016 Demand Media, Inc. All Rights Reserved


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Where to Invest Your Money
IRAs, 401(k)s, Pensions, Annuities, and Uncle Sam
Related Links
Discussion Boards
Repeat after us: "Retirement savings are for retirement." Again. "Retirement savings are for retirement."
Why this mantra? Simple: The best place to put your savings is in tax-advantaged accounts. As with all things IRS-related, you'll pay a penalty if you want to get your mitts on the moola before the golden age of retirement. So, once again: "Retirement savings are for retirement."
Now that you've promised to put your money away for the long term, where should it go? You have many options when it comes to retirement accounts. We've pulled out the most important types and developed a general pecking order of where you should deposit your savings:
- Employer plan with a match
- Roth IRA
- Employer plan without a match
- Traditional IRA
- Taxable investment
- Annuity
Here's a closer look at each and the general Foolish order of things:
1. Employer plan with a matchIf your employer matches your contributions to the company's defined contribution plan -- e.g., 401(k) or 403(b) -- this should be the first place to devote every dollar that you can afford to lock away for the long term. Why? You're staring at free money, and you shouldn't just stare at free money -- you should take it.
Other advantages of an employer-sponsored plan:
- Tax deduction: The money you contribute to the employer plan is not included in your income for tax purposes.
- Tax-deferral: You don't pay taxes until you retire. That leaves more of your money to grow through the years.
- Automatic investment: The money is transferred directly from your paycheck to your account. No checks to write, no monthly reminders, no paper cuts to the tongue while sealing the envelope.
The contribution limits vary from plan to plan, but generally the limits are:
- 2008: $15,500
- 2009: $16,500
Thereafter, the limit will increase in $500 increments whenever the cumulative effects of inflation indicate such an increase is needed.
In addition to the normal contribution limits outlined above, those over the age of 50 can make an additional "catch-up" contribution in the following amounts:
- 2008: $5,000
- 2009: $5,500
Thereafter, the "catch-up" limit will increase in $500 increments whenever the cumulative effects of inflation indicate such an increase is needed.
Making your employer's plan the first stop applies only to those dollars you defer that are joined by matching dollars in your account. Check your plan. For instance, if the employer offers a match only up to the first $3,000 that you contribute annually, but you're contributing $5,000, those 2,000 unmatched dollars might well be put to even better use -- namely, a...
2. Roth IRAThe next place to turn after you've taken full advantage of the company match (i.e., free money) is a Roth IRA, as long as you qualify. (Your ability to contribute to a Roth begins to phase out at a modified adjusted gross income of $101,000 for single filers and $159,000 for joint filers, reaching the ineligible stage at $116,000 and $169,000 in 2008, respectively.) Why a Roth?
- Tax-free growth: While you won't get a tax deduction on contributions to a Roth IRA, you'll never have to pay taxes on the earnings when you begin withdrawals (assuming you follow the rules).
- More control: If you open your account with a discount broker, you can purchase individual stocks, bonds, and any index investment offered through that broker. This is an advantage over the limited selection offered by most employer-sponsored plans.
- No mandatory distributions: With employer-sponsored plans and traditional IRAs, you must begin withdrawing funds by April of the year following the year in which you reach age 70 1/2, even if you don't need the money. Not so with a Roth. If you don't need the money, it can keep growing on its merry, tax-free way.
The contribution limit for a Roth (and traditional IRA as well) is $5,000 for both 2008 and 2009. Thereafter, the maximum allowable contribution will be indexed to inflation in $500 increments.
3. Employer planWe still like defined contribution plans (like 401(k)s and 403(b)s) for your retirement savings even after you've reached the matching limit. The money that you contribute to the plan comes regularly out of your paycheck without you having to do anything at all, and you're getting that tax deduction by contributing pre-tax money. Again, the contribution limits vary from plan to plan, but generally, the limits are $15,500 for 2008 and $16,500 for 2009.
However, the investment options in your plan might not be that great. If you're staring at a bunch of underperforming managed mutual funds as your only choices, you might want your money going to better accounts. Each month in our Rule Your Retirement service we take a detailed look at what qualifies as a "good" investment for the long-term.
4. Traditional IRAIf your income level is too high for you to start or to continue contributing to a Roth IRA, you can nonetheless make a contribution to a traditional IRA. The contribution limits are the same as for the Roth, and those limits apply to total annual IRA contributions; in other words, you can't contribute $5,000 to a Roth and $5,000 to a traditional IRA (at least, not until contribution limits reach $10,000 a year).
A traditional IRA grows tax-deferred and is taxed as ordinary income upon withdrawal. Plus, contributions are tax-deductible if 1) your employer doesn't offer a retirement plan, or 2) your adjusted gross income is below a certain level. Those levels change every year, so check with the IRS. For 2008, for example, the limit is $53,000 (gradually phased out until $63,000) for single tax filers or $85,000 (gradually phased out until $105,000) for married filers.
5. Taxable investmentsAfter you've maxed out the tax-advantaged vehicles at your disposal, only then should you put your retirement savings dollars into taxable accounts. However, if you don't like the investment options available in your employer-provided plan, then you might move taxable investments up higher on this list, ahead of your unmatched defined contribution plan.
6. Annuities
For most people, annuities are a last-resort investment because they are too expensive, offer mediocre insurance coverage, restrict the owner's investment choices, and lack liquidity. Because of the large fees (read: commissions for your broker) associated with annuities, they are a favorite of brokers and planners. It's not uncommon for Rule Your Retirement members to regale us with annuity pitches offering outrageous claims. When it comes to a legitimate pitch, annuities are most suitable for investors who:
- Have contributed the maximum to their defined-contribution plans and IRAs and desire further tax deferral on investment gains
- Prefer investing in mutual funds as opposed to individual securities
- Will keep the annuity for at least 15 to 20 years
- Are in a 25% or higher income tax bracket today, but expect to be in a lower income tax bracket in retirement
- Don't need the annuity proceeds prior to age 59 1/2
- Are unconcerned that heirs must pay ordinary income taxes on any appreciation
- Desire a "guaranteed" income for life in retirement
How much should go where?
If you've happened to catch any commercials for the big banks and brokerage firms, you may have noticed that "asset allocation" is a hot selling point. Each sepia-toned sales pitch claims that the firm knows that elusive formula that will put all of your dollars in the exact right place at the right time. A healthy percentage of those dollars will be allocated right in your planner's pocket.
We prefer a simpler way of thinking. Let's start with the conventional wisdom of yore. Typically the rule of asset allocation was to subtract your age from 100, and devote that portion to stocks. Therefore, a 50-year-old would have 50% of her portfolio devoted to stocks. A 70-year-old should only have 30% devoted to stocks. Then people started living longer, and the number to subtract from became 110. Perhaps there is some broad-stroke sense to that, but in reality, retirees must determine the allocation that allows us as individuals to sleep well at night while still generating the income and portfolio growth required for the rest of our lives.
Generally speaking, here are the Fool's rules for asset allocation:
- Any money you need in the next year should be in cash.
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Such an allocation will make sure the cash you need today is ready to be spent, the money you need in the few years will be safe from a stock market crash, and the money you need several years hence will be growing enough to beat inflation. (We cover asset allocation in depth on our Rule Your Retirement website -- a companion tool for Rule Your Retirement subscribers. Check it out for the next 30 days for free to see how a balanced strategy can help grow and preserve your nest egg.)
As you can tell, we love tax-advantaged retirement accounts. However, keep this in mind: Money that you are saving for retirement should be money that you definitely won't touch until your retirement. Sure, you can get money out of a 401(k) or IRA before your retirement age if you absolutely have to, but in general there's a penalty -- and some taxes to boot -- attached to doing so. Again, the best thing to do is to repeat after us: "Retirement savings are for retirement."


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Forums ► The campfire ►
Tongariro gossip
Has anyone seen any gossip on what actually *happened* on Ngauruhoe on Saturday? http://www.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post/news/6912084/Tourists-narrowly-avoid-second-tragedy I've seen a couple of near-identical good news stories about these guys, each with a triumphant photo of the group smiling in front of the rescue helicopter. But it reads as if 5 people came down from Auckland, tried to bite off much more than they could chew, and got themselves into a seriously deadly trap at which point they were very lucky to get out alive. I'm struggling to see what's so different from 2 weeks before when 16 people came down from Auckland to start from the same road-end, tried to bite off more than they could chew, and got themselves into a seriously deadly trap at which point they were very lucky to get out alive. The only difference I can see is that the first case included the involvement of a bus driver which police and media decided to heavily launch into and assign blame, and apparently it was all the bus driver's fault, or you'd think so. No such luck with this second such incident in the space of 15 days. There's nobody else to blame, so all we get is good news.
yeah these guys misread the forecast, they had enogh time to get down from tongariro but instead headed up, ran out of daylight, and needed bailing. another difference is it was a speedy elicopter rescue, but also in the tvnz coverage they were used for publicity on how they reaalise they got it wrong and how greatful they are, so maybe it was a tradeoff in actng nice to them and getting them to admit in public how things can go wrong.. http://tvnz.co.nz/national-news/cliff-face-rescue-highlights-risky-tourist-behaviour-4885144/video?ref=facebook
it was the police who started the demonising of the shuttle company in the last incident, initially they got the wrong company.... it doesnt outline how these chaps were transported to the track, but if there was a company involved no one is saying in this instance.... but this time the one person commenting on their actions puts the blame more on the shoulders of the tourists themselves for insisting on going on the crossing in bad conditions seems that renaming the crossing to Alpine after the last death on the crossing hasnt been totally successful in stopping people putting themselves at risk, a lot of people think of ski resorts when they see the word "alpine" perhaps the word "National Park" conjures up the wrong image for these people as well. like some of the american national parks in summer.... problem is if you've never been caught out in bad weater in alpine conditions with no quick escape it's hard to convey to people how dangerous it is... hte shuttle companies are taking money from the walkers, i think they have a responsibility to not take people who dont have storm gear. they are happy to advertise to and take the general public. theres beeen a trend for storms to be harsher as the years have gone on, with stronger winds, despite global warming there are still plenty of days where the cold can kill an ill equipped person. there will be a greater frequency of rescues and deaths if the tourist operators don't tighten up on when and who they take up the mountain. they are happy to let people go in summer clothes, jandals and carrying only lunch and a drink in supermarket bags... people will do any activity no matter how dangerous if it's being marketed.
Thanks, waynowski. I came across the TVNZ story earlier today (might've been from your facebook group), and there's much more info in that. Someone also wrote a comment on my blog from a backpacker perspective that they thought the 'Alpine' tag could often be having the opposite effect from that intended, so you might have something there. (That was this comment -- http://www.windy.gen.nz/index.php/archives/713/comment-page-1#comment-56725 ) I sort of agree that drop-off operators can act irresponsibly and it might be that there was some of that here, but I'm very reserved about treating that as a primary cause of the accident. To me it doesn't add up to blame a shuttle driver so extensively for messing up a weather forecast as if they were entirely responsible for the group having gone in the first place, when I think that's really only a small part of the problem. Drivers can try to dissuade people from going or refuse to take them outright, but it won't solve the problem as long as people can find their own transport anyway and have no advice at all. Then, blaming drivers who have nothing to do with a group or an way to be responsible for the decisions it makes after they've waved goodbye, is just a band-aid application and not a very good one IMHO. Even though I'm sure there's good intent, the "arrangement" that other operators have of refusing to officially operate if winds are forecast over a certain level is just an imperfect mechanism to be able to shunt blame to the met-service if there's a tragedy. (Yes they died but it's not our fault. We rely on the forecast and it was very wrong!) It's also just going to be annoying for people who actually are prepared, and as a friend of mine pointed out, what if a shuttle company had refused to drop off the two guys who rescued the group two weeks ago? There's a complete conflict of interests going on, and I'd bet that any one of those commercial operators would drop off a group in jeans and t-shirts and no decent raincoats if they were convinced that the weather was going to be good for the day. At the very least they might not ask questions if they convinced themselves a group would probably be okay, but it really can't be up to them to judge a group anyway. Meanwhile there's a much, much bigger problem with the entire tourism machine that's making visitors to really want to go, even if they're fundamentally not able to be truly responsible for themselves, make effective decisions for themselves in the circumstances, or appreciate what they could be getting into. I guess my gripe with the most recent incident is with the DomPost especially, which (a week ago) dedicated an editorial to stating that the particular commercial shuttle operator was at fault, and ignoring that there's a bigger issue with people neglecting responsibility for themselves, even if that's because our industry is flawed. Yet with *this* rescue, where it's tough to say it's anyone's but their own fault, there's barely an acknowledgement except a report of a close call and a bunch of happy people. As well as I can tell, the paper doesn't even realise that the two incidents occurred in so near the same place. In my mind the primary cause of both of them was groups of people entering Tongariro National Park without adequate preparation, and nearly creating a serious tragedy because of it. The operator thing's just a distraction.
As it happens, I was there on Saturday and we were planning to do the Tongariro crossing but in the end decided to head round to the desert rd access and walk up to Waihohonu Hut area. More as an assessment of parties fitness and lack of daylight hours, with expectation of weather eventually closing in from the west. The weather wasn't actually bad early on, very occasional low cloud but infrequent. There was an obvious dusting of snow on South side of Ngauruhoe but none on the north side. The crossing would have definitely been possible, and you can't really attribute any blame to transport operators, who most likely had no idea that these guys were going to head off track and attempt to come down south side of Ngauruhoe. The pamphlets I saw from one of the operators were quite clear on the minimum gear that you should have with you to attempt the crossing and on Sunday they had cancelled trips for that day and Monday due to bad weather.
I may have it wrong but I think the most recent group had always planned to go up and over Ngauruhoe and then camp near the Tama Lakes, rather than follow the Crossing route. I've no idea if they used a transport operator.
yeah thats how i read it, it was of their plan all along to take the route they did. its a quandry, the shuttle operators are delivering people into an environment which a lot of their passengers are ignorant of and or ill preparedd for in adverse weather... its a problem because the trip is so heavily marketed and reported on in the media. people think how hard can it be it's nowhere near like everest.... a friend of mine spoke to some canadian trampers visiting here, they had travelled a lot and said they had never felt so cold anywhere in the world as they had in new zealand,, our temperature range is often at the level where there is still a lot of humidity and that humidity accelerates heat loss from the body especially when the wind blow and or if the air can get blown in under clothes in lower temperatures the humidity will drop, and as long as your'e insulated it's not as unpleasant. unless its getting to extremely cold temps like 30 or more below we regularly get wind rain and snow in winter people are making their living by delivering people into this environment, few people want the dangers hammered all over the marketing and affecting peoples livelihoods.... doc would be better off not promoting the walk at all in some ways and the shuttle operators should be advertising alternative walks thhat arent quite as exposed. with more alternatives to choose from, people could choose something closer to their ability, part of the problem is also people not getting hit by bad weather until they are high up and we into the walk.. if people are exposed to bad weather straight away i've seem most people abort teir trips i was on the routeburn at mackenzie hut.... due to go to the falls hut. the tramp is exposed for eleven of th twelve kilometres above athousand metres. the weather was pretty bad, the wind would have been gusting around a hundred k's and it rained 300mm the rain stung my face. the guided walkers aborted, fifty people in the doc huts were scheduled to cross between the two huts that day. only three of us attempted and made the crossing, the rest didnt bother leaving their huts when they looked at the weather and got the forecast from the ranger and these people were all equipped for bad weather... i had to walk bent doubled over hanging onto the hillside in places to make progress, the head guide gfor the guided walker aparently said he couldnt stand up at ocean view corner and said the conditions were impassable for walking it wasnt all as bad as ocean view corner , i knew engough from doing the trip before to know that a minority of the trip would have severe wind as the wind swirls around in hollows in the hill and it was mainly coing around small spurs that i'd just have to tough it out to get to the quieter places. although i wasnt sure i would be able to make it to start with.... but unfortunately people get caught out unawares in exposed places and are too far removed from shelter to get themselves out of trouble quickly...
i think doc should limit the no's on the crossing... with up to a thousand walkers doing it in a day it detracts from the scenery. i hadnt done it for over twenty years and never on a busy day, i couldnt believe how many people were on it when i was last there. all the litter and even toilet paper you can see where the rim of red crater has a wide chanel worn in it from all the people walking past. you can only have 80 people a day allowed to start the milford track, why should you allow a thousand on the crossing?
I don't believe it's possible for DoC to limit numbers, for several reasons. Firstly, how does one differentiate the track from the park without locking people out of the park? Secondly, it's not really legal under current legislation which allows open public access to public land for free, with a few very hard-to-get exceptions. Personally I wouldn't want *that* to change, certainly not without extreme caution and a clear understanding and agreement of where we're going, because I see free public access to public land as a fundamental right defined in the Conservation Act. Tinkering with it opens flood-gates for locking people out of their own land all over the place. The Milford Track has no restrictions on how many people can walk it per day, unless I've misunderstood. There are restrictions on how many people can book the huts overnight, and restrictions on where people may camp. This limits numbers in practice due to the nature of how most people want to visit the Milford Track. I don't know exactly how to solve this, but I do think there would be a benefit in a serious public discussion about exactly what we're trying to achieve through the greater tourism industry with the Tongariro Crossing, and some clearer thinking about what's needed to ensure that visitors who do wish to attempt it aren't just told the info and given warnings, but actually understand them and really do take the precautions they need to take to be safe.
doc might be able to control how much commercial companies entering the park are dropping off trampers. thus controlling to a certain extent how many walkers do the track...
If this post breaches forum rules, please flag it for review.
This topic was closed automatically due to inactivity on 12 June 2014 22:38.
|The campfire
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|14 May 2012
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Guys, I think we can all agree that Dean Geyer is the best thing to happen to Glee since…well probably since it started.
The South African hottie was spotted in West Hollywood of Friday (October 19) posing for photos in a variety of outfits. I'm quite partial to the outfit with the button-up shirt and the orange vest. It's very Marty Mcfly-esque, but in a modern sort of way. The photos were being taken for the upcoming issue of BELLO Mag by Aleksandar Tomovic!
Also, new decree: Dean should show off his muscles all the time. Like he's showing them off at the LA Haunted Hayride. I think you can all back me up on this, right? So, where's this girlfiend of his?
We spotted them kissing once, but haven't really seen them together since then. Could it be that Deanie baby is back on the market? It's probably way too early to say, but if he is, I'm pretty sure that every girl with a pulse would be up on it. I mean, guys, he sings, he dances, he acts, he has a South African accent, we know he's got crazy sexy abs–do I have to keep selling him to you?
Launch the gallery to check out all the sexy photos of Dean's photo shoot. It's kind of beyond adorable when he let's his hard-man demeanor go and laughs. Good times had by all.


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The discovery of the fossilised remains of an enormous extinct rabbit on the island of Menorca, has proven of great excitement to old fossils like me living in the Baleares.
The creature named Menorcan King of Rabbits (Nuralagus rex) by local palaeontologists weighed at least 12 kilos and was ten times the size of its extinct mainland cousin and six times bigger than the living European rabbit. The Sumo wrestler of the rabbit world lived alongside creatures of similar exaggerated proportions such as the giant dormouse, tortoise and bat.
Dr Josep Quintana of the Catalan Institute of Palaeontology who has reported his findings in the Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology also discovered the very first bone of the extinct rabbit. He believes the species lived 3-5 million years ago and could be the earliest known example of Island Rule in mammals, meaning that certain groups of larger mammals living on islands became smaller such as Myotragus,… Read more


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It can be hard to remember that Mélanie Laurent had actually been acting for a decade, albeit largely in French-language productions, before breaking out internationally by killing Hitler in "Inglourious Basterds." Of course the one-two punch of the Quentin Tarantino movie and Mike Mills' well-received "Beginners" is a relatively recent phenomenon for the actress, but in person, too, Laurent has an engaging freshness about her and a genuine excitement about where she is and what she's is doing that makes her seem more like an ingenue than a seasoned pro. Or so we found when we got to meet her at the Berlin Film Festival where her latest film, Bille August's "Night Train to Lisbon" (our review here and our interview with co-star Jeremy Irons here) premiered.
In it, Laurent takes on another role within a large ensemble as a political revolutionary in mid-20th century Europe, though in tone and execution it couldn't be more different from 'Basterds.' We got to talk with Laurent about this superficial similarity, and well as about her abortive singing career, Gerard Depardieu's bad influence, her bet with Luc Besson, politics, directing, and much more. Here are some highlights from that conversation.
Well, actually my agent called me saying Bille August wants to talk to you. And I said [gasps] "No! Why?" and he said, "Well, he's a director… you're an actress… duh." I was like, "You think he wants to work with me?" So he asked me if I wanted to be young Estefania, and I felt honored, so I said yes before I read the script. And then I read the script and I said thanks! And then I heard about the cast, but I knew that would be frustrating too, because I would have no scene with Jeremy Irons. But that's my life, because I had no scenes with Brad Pitt either. It's always the same story.
Does your approach differ between English- and French-language films?
Working in English, it depends on the part. For example,when I did "Beginners," that was my first movie in English, and because we were really free and that was kind of a big love story, it was easier for me to speak English. It's really easier to say "I love you" – I don't know why, but I love saying "I love you," instead of "je t'aime" and especially with Ewan MacGregor! So that was easier, and that was strange because I was absolutely not comfortable with English. Four years ago I didn't speak a word of English.
When I'm tired it's a mess because it's so much work for me to work in English. Because when I'm working with French, to be honest, I'm arriving on set and I'm like, "what is it today? Oh, that's a big scene!" It's so easy because it's my language… and I started to make movies with Gerard Depardieu and he didn't know his text in the morning either, so he taught me that great method of "the less is the new more." Like in a fashion magazine – do nothing! It's the best! And I was "OK, I kind of like that."
But here you have to speak English with a Portuguese accent.
Yes, but then I was happy to be French because the [rolling r sounds] are easy. Jack Huston was dying with the 'rrrr's, he was almost crying every day with the dialect coach. It took me five days to know the accent. When learning the American accent could take a lifetime for me.
Of course, they are super-strong women who fight for ideas and fight for freedom and they are activists. I did other movies that are about that – a movie called "The Round Up," the real story of a nurse who tried to save children from a camp during the Second World War… I do a lot of movies about the Second World War.
Why do you think that is – are you similar to these characters yourself?
I would love to be young Estefania, I would love to be a big hero. But I need to find the good way to fight, without being killed. I'm serious. Because I'm sure we killed Marilyn, I'm sure every time artists say something strong – because you can have that power of being on a TV show, in front of a politician saying "because of you we're all gonna die!" then you die the next day. You kill yourself with a gun you didn't have!
That's why I feel great when I'm working with Greenpeace, because its exactly the good balance of being in a fight, but you feel protected… But I do want to organise something. Like a big revolution.
So you are politically active?
Hmmm, politics is complicated, but yeah, of course – I worked with Kofi Annan, about climate change. That was actually one of the best experiences I've had. A few artists did a picture for the Copenhagen meeting a few years ago and I was the only one who did a picture like I was smiling, like it was positive, like 'we're gonna change things!' Everyone else was so depressed, like "We're all gonna die soon." Which, well I think we are all gonna die soon, but I didn't want to look like that, so I made a happy picture. And someone told me [Annan] just saw all the pictures and was like hmmmm, okaaay, and then was like "Oh! She is better, she is nice, I want to work with her." And so they called me saying Kofi Annan is in Paris, he wants you to be on his side to defend the project and I was like "Whhaa?"
And for the first time I did a political speech, which was one of my best experiences ever. I was with Kofi Annan, working on these documents. I was like "What do you think about that line, because it's talking about my President, which I don't like, and I want to find a way to not be too aggressive" and he was like, "yeah, maybe change that word, and that word." And then I was so stressed out, but I just did this big speech in front of so many people, and I was proud. My grandparents were there and all my family were there, and they raised me in that way, to change things a little bit, to do your part. And that was amazing. And then I did a TV show and usually with these shows you don't know what they are gonna say, but because that was politics, they gave me the questions before! So that's how I discovered that politicians always know the questions before.


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Danzig Moon Breakdown Mars Plate Trial
Danish Dynaformer closed gamely to win the $150,000 Plate Trial by three-quarters of a length June 14 at Woodbine, but the Queen's Plate prep race was marred by the fatal breakdown of Danzig Moon.
Danish Dynaformer closed gamely to win the $150,000 Plate Trial by three-quarters of a length June 14 at Woodbine, but the Queen's Plate prep race was marred by the fatal breakdown of Danzig Moon.
Dynamic Sky, ridden patiently by Joel Rosario, nosed out a game His Race to Win to capture the $147,903 Plate Trial in a superb finish June 9 at Woodbine.
A day after the Belmont Stakes (gr. I) wraps up the American Triple Crown series for 2013, the spotlight shines on 3-year-olds at Woodbine.
Unbeaten in two seven-furlong outings, Donver Stable's homebred Beeker Street stretches out June 3 in Woodbine's $150,000 Plate Trial Stakes. The Plate Trial is a prep for the June 24 Queen's Plate.
In spite of a bad break and a wide trip, Check Your Soul took command at the top of the stretch for jockey Patrick Husbands and cruised to a 3 1/4-length victory in the $153,739 Plate Trial at Woodbine June 5.
Sam-Son Farms' homebred Eye of the Leopard came five-wide into the lane and ran down Southdale in the final strides to win the $152,000 Plate Trial Stakes by a neck May 31 at Woodbine.
Queen's Plate winner Mike Fox and jockey Emma-Jayne Wilson will aim for the second jewel in the Triple Crown of Canadian racing when the field goes postward in Sunday's Prince of Wales Stakes at Fort Erie Race Track.
It's been 15 years since a winner of the Plate Trial Stakes went on to capture the Queen's Plate, but Jiggs Coz could be the one to buck that trend after he coasted to victory in the CAN$151,200 event for 3-year-olds Sunday at Woodbine.
Leading Queen's Plate contender Jiggs Coz vies for his third straight stakes win in Sunday's $150,000 Plate Trial for 3-year-olds at Woodbine.
Lightly raced Pipers Thunder, owned and bred by Chiefswood Stable, threw his name into the contender hat for the upcoming Queen's Plate by scoring a one-length upset win in Sunday's Plate Trial at Woodbine.
Two-year-old Canadian-bred champion Edenwold gets his third chance to conquer a two-turn distance in Sunday's $150,000 Plate Trial Stakes at Woodbine.
Sam-Son Farm's Dance With Ravens and West Point Thoroughbreds' Get Down top a select field of seven for Sunday's $163,500 Plate Trial Stakes at Woodbine, as the countdown to the 146th Queen's Plate June 26 kicks into high gear.
Gustav Schickedanz's Mobil made his case for Queen's Plate favoritism stronger Saturday, edging away from Rock Again in deep stretch win Saturday's $162,200 Plate Trial Stakes at Woodbine.
Fourteen horses are expected to compete in Sunday's Queen's Plate at Woodbine. Some of the runners had their final workouts Wednesday, including Shaws Creek.


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A false-positive update for Microsoft' Security Essentials software has removed Google's Chrome browser from hundreds of Windows desktops.
Reports of problems originally started at Google's support forums on Friday. A support thread with 200 comments includes a number of users reporting that Microsoft Security Essentials identified Google's Chrome browser as a "severe" threat and removed the software. Some users reported that the threat was PWS:Win32/Zbot, a variant of the Zeus (Zbot) malware.
Microsoft acknowledged the mix up on Friday and addressed the problems by releasing a new definition file update for Microsoft Security Essentials. ZDNet reports that the software giant updated its Malware protection center listing for the Win32/Zbot listing with the following:
"On September 30th, 2011, an incorrect detection for PWS:Win32/Zbot was identified. On September 30th, 2011, Microsoft released an update that addresses the issue. Signature versions 1.113.672.0 and higher include this update.
PWS:Win32/Zbot is a password-stealing trojan that monitors for visits to certain Web sites. It allows limited backdoor access and control and may terminate certain security-related processes."
Microsoft's Windows chief, Steven Sinofsky, introduced Internet Explorer 10 in Windows 8 Metro style earlier this month at the company's BUILD conference. Sinofsky joked: "I don't think anything is better than a Chrome-less browsing experience." Perhaps he's more of a visionary than we first thought.


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New PS3 Greatest Hits Include Killzone 2, UFC 2009 Undisputed
Today Sony revealed that ten PS3 games will be added to their "Greatest Hits" collection in the US and Canada. The games will be re-released in the coming weeks with new packaging and a $30 price tag.
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Press Room
Lansdowne Celebrates America with Free Concert and Fireworks on July 5th
Luxury Resort in Northern Virginia to Also Attempt World Record for 'Largest Group Selfie'
Lansdowne Resort, by Destination Hotels & Resorts, will host their annual Lansdowne Celebrates America party featuring a free concert and fireworks on Saturday, July 5. The concert featuring the band Gonzo's Nose starts at 6:30 p.m. with the fireworks to follow at approximately 9:45 p.m. At intermission of the concert, the resort plans an attempt to break the Guinness World Record for the 'Largest Simultaneous Group Selfie,' a mark that currently stands at 1,000 people. The concert and fireworks at the Leesburg resort is free and open to the public.
"This is by far our favorite event of the year," said Michael Snapkoski, director of sales and marketing at Lansdowne Resort. "Gonzo's Nose is one of the best party bands in the Washington DC area and our fireworks display will be one of the most spectacular in Northern Virginia. We invite everyone to come out and enjoy this holiday event in a family-friendly environment."
Gonzo's Nose is considered one of the most popular bands in the Washington, DC area. The band has been performing together for more than 20 years and their playlist covers music from the 80's to the most popular tunes heard on the radio today. The pyrotechnics display will be conducted by Zambelli Fireworks, renowned as the 'First Family of Fireworks.' Vendors from throughout Loudoun County will be on hand at the event to offer guests food and drink options during the festivities. No outside coolers will be permitted at the event.
Lansdowne launched its Summer Selfie campaign on June 10 and is awarding weekly prizes for the best submitted selfie image. Weekly winners are eligible for the grand prize to be awarded on September 1 which includes a pair of two night stays at Lansdowne, and their sister property, Wild Dunes Resort in Charleston, SC. The $2,000 grand prize also includes two treatments at Spa Minérale, dinner for two at Crooked Billet, golf for two at The Golf Club at Lansdowne, a bottle of Virginia wine at dinner and a special in-room amenity upon arrival. To enter the Summer Selfie contest, simply upload a photo at LansdowneSelfie.com.
Lansdowne Resort is also offering a special hotel room rate associated with the special Summer Selfie campaign. The Summer, Selfies and Savings package starts from $156 per night and saves guests up to 25 percent for stays of three nights, or more. A two-night stay booked through this Leesburg, Virginia summer vacation package will earn the guest a 20 percent discount off the best available rate.
To learn more about the Lansdowne Summer Selfie contest, summer packages, special day camps, and events, go to LansdowneResort.com/Summer, or call 877-509-8400.
About Lansdowne Resort, by Destination Hotels & Resorts
Lansdowne Resort is the Washington, DC area's only full-service resort. A recipient of the AAA Four-Diamond Award in every year of its existence, this resort combines impeccable service, urban style, understated luxury and premium amenities. Situated in the heart of Virginia Wine Country, Lansdowne Resort combines luxury accommodations, the world-class Spa Minérale, 45 holes of championship golf at The Golf Club at Lansdowne and a wide variety of delectable dining options. Recognized as one of the Mid-Atlantic's premier resorts and IACC (International Association of Conference Centers) certified conference centers, this 500-acre gem is located just 40 minutes from the Nation's Capital and only eight miles from Dulles International Airport. See www.LansdowneResort.com for details. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter.
About Destination Hotels & Resorts
Destination Hotels & Resorts is an authentic collection of luxury and upscale independent hotels and resorts across North America. Offering enriching, locally-inspired experiences from alpine adventures and stunning beachfronts to urban landmarks, each property reflects the natural surroundings and culture of its distinctive locale. With more than 40 properties in premier travel destinations, including Aspen, Chicago, Denver, Lake Tahoe, Los Angeles, Maui, Miami, New Orleans, Phoenix, San Antonio, San Diego, Santa Fe, Seattle, Vail and Washington D.C., the award-winning portfolio features renowned golf courses, indigenous spas, and exceptional culinary venues. For more information on Destination Hotels & Resorts, visit www.destinationhotels.com. Follow us on Twitter: @Destination. Like us on Facebook: DestinationHotels.
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i just started on the track and as everyone warned me, i am hooked. i am trying to decide which bike to get. budget is around $1700
1) 2010 fuji Pro
2) 2010 Felt TK2
3) 2010 Jamis Sonik
4) 2010 Motobecane Track frame and adding Cne Creek wheels, and other components
5) 2010 Bianchi Concept Pista adding very basic wheels and components
6) Colnago Pista bike -so far this is my favorite, but, its components are decent and i would not have any money left to upgrade wheels.
7) Giant omnium
8) Javelin Vigorelli
am i crazy by thinking that the Motobecane seems the best way to go? i do not know anything about the frame, but, i can get some nice wheels and components.
Track type: ADT (Los Angles ) track. indoors and pretty step banks.


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Pokémon: Pristine Version
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January 2nd, 2012 (10:55 AM).
Rayziken 2
Beginning ROM Hacker
Join Date: Jan 2011
Gender: Male
Posts: 233
I absolutely adore the graphics and how they're based on the late Gen IV style. The Gen V style is too flashy and hurts my eyes, but these graphics are exquisite!
Changing the subject into a rather random one, will Treecko and Torchic be catchable? After all, they're my favourite basic Pokemon.
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Jessica Battilana
Dave Eggers Will Serve You Grilled Cheese
Back in college, my get-rich-quick scheme was a grilled cheese cart that I would pedal around to festival, Phish concerts and the like (this was back on the East coast and long before Burning Man had swept up free spirits across America). Little did I realize how prescient that scheme would be. It was based on very simple deductive reasoning: people like grilled cheese. A lot. They like it so much, in fact, that some savvy local Lit folks are using it to lure people to a book reading.
Eat It: Rabbits, Soba and Meatpaper #10
Sip and chat with wine importer Kermit Lynch
On February 20 Berkeley-based wine importer and author Kermit Lynch will be at Omnivore Books for a wine tasting and a reading from his two books. The event is free and runs from 5-6 p.m.
The Pigs are Coming: Cochon 555, Napa-style
Pig-mania is well-established, the inroads running deep. If you are a pork enthusiast, then your Stanley Cup, your Superbowl, your Oscars is Cochon 555—a ten-city tour that kicks off February 28 in Napa and concludes next June in San Francisco. The premise is simple—five chefs, five pigs and a little friendly competition, with the winner earning both bragging rights as well as the title "Prince of Porc" (or Princess, though there has yet to be one).
Throwdown: Papalote vs. Bobby Flay
I don't know how many of you have seen the Food Network show Throwdown with Bobby Flay. The premise is pretty simple—Bobby Flay shows up at a restaurant unannounced and challenges the owners to a cook-off of a signature item from the menu—usually something iconic like barbequed ribs, or mac and cheese, or fish and chips. As SF Weekly reported back in December, Flay challenged the owners of Papalote to a burrito contest, but we felt the news deserved another mention since the episode will be broadcast on Wednesday, February 17.
Eat It: Fundraisers, V-Day Dinner and The End of Beer Week
Heart 4 Haiti Benefit at La Cocina
On February 12 La Cocina will host a Hearts 4 Haiti benefit sale and auction. Local food businesses—including Ritual Coffee Roasters, Kika's Treats, Bi-Rite Market and many, many more have donated products for the sale, and proceeds will benefit Partners in Health. The event runs from 6-9:30 p.m. Stop by to pick up a treat for your Valentine!
Recipe for Romance: Chefs Share Their Special Meals
Most chefs and restauranteurs are too busy cooking and serving on Valentine's Day to darken the door of any local restaurants, but that doesn't mean they never make time for a special meal. We asked 6 local food personalities to tell us the most romantic meal they've shared.
Twice as Nice: 4505 Meats and Namu now at the Saturday Ferry Plaza Farmers Market
A few weeks back there was a bit of scuffle regarding the ousting of Aidell's from the Saturday Ferry Plaza Farmers Market (hey—it's San Francisco—we take our drama where we can get it). Now that the dust has more or less settled, we have good news about two vendors that will be joining the weekend roster: 4505 Meats and Namu.
Five Minutes with Town Hall Chef Vernon Morales
Last week I spent a couple of nights revisiting some old restaurants—I hit A16 on Monday, which is now under the able tutelage of Liza Shaw, and then the following night I went to Town Hall, where I had not been in an embarrasing several years. I have been wanting to return ever since I heard that Vernon Morales had come on board as chef. Morales was the chef at the now shuttered Winterland, where he made waves with cuisine that nodded at his previous training, which includes a five-month stint at El Bulli and time at Restaurant Daniel in New York.
Dolores Park to Renovate, People Freaking Out
People are kind of freaking out about this Dolores Park thing, no? The Uptown Almanac broke the news that the park will be closing for a massive $12 million dollar renovation, scheduled to begin as soon as August 2011. Holy hell! That means we're only eighteen months away from a hipster catastrophe of the highest order! And while I'm sorry for the businesses and residents who will have to suffer through the reno (Really. I am. I lived in Boston during the Big Dig, only to move away when it was finally completed.), I think that we can all agree that Dolores Park has seen better days.
A Locavore's Guide to Wings and Muffulettas
I don't know much—er, anything—about football. I know that this year's Superbowl it's the Indianapolis Colts versus the New Orleans Saints, and because I like to make judgements based on food, I'm going to be rooting for the Saints. And while I might be a little weak on the finer points of touchdowns, first downs and tackles, I have very extensive knowledge in the field of salty snacks. I am a salty snack master from way back, and Superbowl Sunday gives me ample opportunity to eat things I normally don't. For example, I have not yet sampled Doritoes' zesty taco chipotle ranch flavor. I know, where have I been?


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Nov 23, 2007, 08.07 PM | Source: Moneycontrol.com
Axis Bank rolls out second season of Quest - The Inter-B school Business Quiz
Axis Bank has announced the second season of �Quest� - a Business Quiz featuring premier Business Schools as participants. Quest will see a total of 228 teams from 13 B-schools including the 6 IIMs, (IIM Ahmedabad, IIM Bangalore, IIM Calcutta, IIM Indore, IIM Kozhikode and IIM Lucknow) XLRI, FMS, SPJIMR, JBIMS, MDI, IIFT and XIMB pit their wits and match their knowledge against each other. Mr. Harsha Bhogle, the eminent quizmaster and sports commentator will host the final round of the quiz at Nehru Centre, Mumbai on November 27, 2007. The winners will bag a cash prize of Rs. One Lakh and the runners-up, Rs. Fifty Thousand.
An online preliminary round will be conducted for the registered teams in the respective institutes under the supervision of Axis Bank officials on November 20, 2007. The best team from each B-school will be short-listed and only the top 8 teams would qualify for the final round of the Quiz.
According to Mr. S. Bhattacharya, President � Human Resources, Axis Bank, �Since the year 2000, Axis Bank has been tapping top talent from the premier B-Schools for key profiles in various functions and has become a preferred career destination for MBAs. QUEST is geared up to go a long way in establishing a greater bonding between Axis Bank and the B-Schools�.
The inaugural episode of QUEST took place in January 07. The event witnessed the participation of 198 teams. The team from IIM-Calcutta won the event while the team from IIM-Ahmedabad was runners-up.
Sourced From: Adfactors Public Relations Pvt Ltd
Axis Bank stock price
On May 31, 2016, at 09:33 hrs Axis Bank was quoting at Rs 518.20, up Rs 4.90, or 0.95 percent. The 52-week high of the share was Rs 613.40 and the 52-week low was Rs 366.65.
The company's trailing 12-month (TTM) EPS was at Rs 34.47 per share as per the quarter ended March 2016. The stock's price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio was 15.03. The latest book value of the company is Rs 187.27 per share. At current value, the price-to-book value of the company is 2.77.


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|Alphabet Assessment
|Students should be assessed to find out which letters and sounds of letters they can name.
|Assessing Students Concepts About Print with Video
|Watch Patti demonstrate how to assess children's concepts about print.
|Children's Literature Web Guide
|A wealth of resources related to books for children- young and old.
|Concepts About Print Assessment
|Patti offers an assessment for determining children's understanding about the concepts of print.
|Fairrosa Cyber Library of Children's Literature
|Find classics, magazines and ebooks in the reading room, authors, illustrators, articles and reviews in the reference shelf collection, and archived childrens literature discussion in the archive.
|Letter of the Day
|Each day a different letter of the alphabet is highlighted with a song, pictures, and a poem to read.
|Linking Literature with Learning
|Article by Kay E. Vandergrift describes the importance of using literature across the curriculum in all learning areas. Also, look at her bibliography for further research.
|Literacy Center
|Provides a pre and early reading curriculum which can be used at school and at home. It is also helpful for students who are learning English as a Second Language.
|National Center for Family Literacy
|This organization strives to create educational and economic opportunity for at-risk children and their parents.
|Notes from the Windowsill
|Book reviews and news from Wendy E. Betts.
|Patti's Electronic Classroom
|Check out Patti's Classroom for great language arts resources as well as rubrics and assessments.
|Read Across America
|Begun in 1998 as a project to encourage students to read, the celebration culminates on or around March 2nd, Dr. Seuss birthday. Find some ideas and activities from the National Education Association to help you celebrate.
|Rhyme a Week
|Lessons for discovering and using rhymes taken from Nursery Rhymes.
|This is the official site for Dr. Seusss (Ted Geisels) 100th birthday on March 2nd, 2004. Find out more about this popular author and follow the 100 ways to celebrate Dr. Seuss calendar.
|Vandergrif's Childrens Literature Page
|A great resource for booklists, childrens book publishers, multicultural resources, fairy tales, how to evaluate and analyze childrens books, and much more.


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Zee Char
Joined on Nov 7, 2005
|Total: 4, showing: 1 – 4
I'm never going to become a slave to this. LR and PSE apparently will continue to be available for purchase. I have LR and CS6 and I will continue upgrade LR and use CS6 until the day I can't. Then I'll switch to PSE. They day I can't do that
good by Adobe. Too bad. I was a die hard DPP user for RAW conversion but with all the great improvements Abode has made in last several years I switched to them exclusively. DPP will still work for me.
Thanks. I took this while on my vacation in Portugal. I brought my 5DMK2, 7D, 24-105, 100 macro, 70-200, 300L, Canon 1.4 extender and I rented the Zeiss 21mm. Figures I got one of my favourite shots with my P&S. There were a few days when we took very long walks and I just did not feel like hauling my big gear with me.
I can explain it for you, but I can't understand it for you.
Thanks. No I did not do anything to correct for distortion.
|Total: 4, showing: 1 – 4


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Mobile Site You Are Here > PFR Home > Players > H > Scott Hagler
News: s-r blog:A Round-By-Round Look At the Draft
William Scott Hagler
Position: K
Height: 5-8 Weight: 160 lbs.
Born: July 19, 1964 in Eufaula, AL
High School: DublinCollege: South Carolina (school history)
Weighted Career AV (100-95-...): 0 (15060th overall since 1950)
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We all just enjoyed Labor Day yesterday. This holiday heralds a gradual slowdown for a great American summer tradition very close to my heart – the BBQ. For the longest time, BBQ purists have argued over the merits of coal-fired and gas-fired grills, smokers and more currently infra-red grilling.
While each offers something unique, not all of us can have all types in our backyards. The investment in initial cost, floor-space, maintenance and upkeep can be high to be able to justify the purchase.
When talking this over with my kids, you can imagine my pleasure and surprise when our 10 year old found the solution for me – in the form of a Hybrid Grill (Google — what did we ever do before you!!). Now you know my wish list for next Father's Day –– a Hybrid Grill! This cool piece of work can do coal, propane/natural gas and has infra-red heaters to keep the meat warm.
So, now that I have your attention, and haven't totally made you long for a juicy bit of Texas BBQ, let's talk about how this translates to Cloud Computing.
The NIST definition of Cloud Computing talks about 4 Deployment Models for the Cloud: Community, Private, Public and Hybrid Clouds. Let's talk today about Public, Private, and Hybrid Cloud Models and the value propositions of each.
First, here's a high-level summary of what Private, Public and Hybrid Cloud deployments models may look like as we see in the figure above.
- An elementary way to visualize a Public Cloud is everything related to the Cloud is "outside the firewall". This would be a group of users in an organization accessing computing services outside the company's firewall. In the above graphic, they are accessing the three delivery models of Cloud (Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS), Platform as a Service (PaaS), and Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) outside the network boundaries of the business by going to a Public Cloud.
- In the case of a Private Cloud, PaaS and IaaS are being utilized inside the network boundary of the business.
- A Hybrid Cloud can have many meanings: In a nutshell, one may have some services being presented from inside the firewall, and some from outside.
- A Virtual Public Cloud is a special case where a network boundary using a Virtual Private Network (VPN) is created inside a Public Cloud, so it appears and functions like a Private Cloud.
As you can see, a Public Cloud is a great way to totally move your expenses to an opex model vs. capex. You can buy capacity as you grow your business. You do not need to build the capacity for the maximum usage, that may occur three years from the day you go-live! Just add it as you grow.
The chances are very high, by the time you meet the capacity, Moore's Law and advances in technology would give you fresh and much better choices for scale and volume from a Public Cloud Provider. Why lock yourself into hardware that is 3+ years old when you can have continually updated and current resources?
The Private Cloud is all about Control. This is ideal for businesses with a lot of internal capacity who already have software and hardware procured. In some cases the business might have unique requirements that cannot be easily met via a Public Cloud. You do not have to worry much about security – everything is "inside" the network boundary/protected by a firewall. An interesting viewpoint often over-looked is that in a Private Cloud, you do NOT need to be connected to the Internet. This is something we take for granted.
The Hybrid Cloud, as the name suggests, can leverage mixed services to combine what works best. BBQ analogies aside, it means having some computing assets in a non-cloud solution, some in a Public Cloud, some in a Private Cloud, or some combination in-between. My colleague, Don Parente, has a good viewpoint on Hybrid Clouds in his recent post.


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major coolant leak. as soon as i put coolant it leaks out. coming from the front of the engine block. directly behind the fan. i can squeeze any of hoses and hear the air push through and more coolant comes out. doesn't seem to be any oil mixed in. any ideas? i just drove this things 700 miles yesterday. wife went to the store came home and it leaked everything in the garage.
by porthos11 in Vancouver, WA on July 06, 2010


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This is a procedure for handling complaints that one of ISPA's members has breached the Code of Conduct.
(Kindly note target times are indicative only and do not constitute a service level commitment. They are measured both against each individual complaint as well as against the average of all complaints received.)
ISPA has the right to investigate any transgression of or non-compliance with the Code of Conduct by a member, and lodge a complaint against that member using the process outlined below.
- The name of the service provider against whom the complaint is being made
- The full names, address and contact details of the complainant
- Identification of the part of the Code of Conduct which has allegedly been breached
- A detailed description of the actions (or inactions) which resulted in the alleged breach
- An indication of whether the complainant has made an effort to resolve the complaint directly with the service provider.
- Is the service provider a member of ISPA?
- Has an adjudicator or an appeals panel already dealt with an earlier complaint on the same issue?
- Is the complaint about an Internet service?
Target turn-around time for steps 1-5 is 3 working days
If the adjudicator requested that the service provider supply additional information (in step 9), and the service provider failed to do so, then the adjudicator may take the service provider's failure to assist into account when making his decision.
Target turn-around time for steps 7-9 is 3 calendar weeks
If the Management Committee rejects an appeal, that is the end of this procedure.
Target turn-around time for the complete process (excluding an appeal, if any) is 5 calendar weeks.