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Travel gimmicks come and go, but years after hotels dreamt up the first girlfriend getaway packages, the trend of women going on vacation together has proven its staying power. And why not: even if the catchphrase—or pink—makes you cringe, you can't argue with the appeal of stealing away for quality time with your best girlfriends.
"At the end of the day, women are more concerned with who they are traveling with, rather than where they are traveling to," observes Stephanie Oswald, editor in chief of Travelgirl Magazine.
Even so, deciding where to spend your hard-earned time and money can get tricky. For some groups, a soothing setting like Florida's coastal town of Delray Beach can be all you need to put a plan in motion. Other women hone in on a group activity to focus their rendezvous. "That's why group wine tastings, cooking school classes, and jewelry-making lessons are all the rage," Oswald says.
Charleston, SC, encourages friends to bond during comfort-food cooking classes and while dining in one of America's hottest foodie destinations. If you're more of the wine-swilling sort, think south beyond Napa and Sonoma and bring California's Santa Ynez Valley up for consideration.
If you're gathering a gang with diverse interests, a big and accessible destination is a good bet—places like New York City and Vegas remain popular for a reason. College towns can be a more affordable option, while still offering a dose of sophistication and culture. Take Madison, WI, for instance, or Austin, TX.
It's the Texas capital that recently sparked the interest of Amanda Pressner and two girlfriends who quit their jobs to travel the world and launch the Lost Girls website in 2006. Getting away together has since become an annual tradition—and Austin the latest choice. "We figured that the laid-back, artistic/creative vibe would be right up our alley," says Pressner. A stay at Travaasa, an experiential spa and yoga resort, is at the top of their to-do list.
"We tend to focus on luxurious adventure, which means that we try to fit in one major high-adrenaline activity like hiking or surfing and relaxing aspects like spa treatments, wine tasting, or multicourse meals," she says. "Girls' getaways, while focused on fun and celebration, don't have to be one big drinking fest like guys' trips often are."


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SEMA 2010: Mopar Challenger V10 Drag Pak Gets 600 Straight-Line Horsepower
Debuting alongside the new 2011 Challenger SRT8 392 at the SEMA Show in Las Vegas, Dodge unveiled an even more potent version of its Mopar Drag Pak model. While you might expect it to also come with a 392 under the hood, you'd be wrong. In it's place is something even better: the Viper's 8.4-liter V10! That's right, with 512 cubic inches of displacement, the engine makes 600-hp and 560 ft-lbs of torque.
Also included in the package is a 2-speed automatic transmission, fuel cell, light weight polycarbonate door windows, lightweight drag racing front brakes and racing wheels and tires. And of course, it's a full body-in-white with everything stripped out so you can take it straight to the track.
Just 70 versions of the Mopar Challenger V10 Drag Pak will be built, for the price of $85,512. Like street cars, Dodge will offer option packs, including a $7,950 Competition Package with an eight-point coll cage, six-point safety harnesses and a mesh window net. There's also a $950 Mopar Body Logo Wrap, or paint for $6,800.

subset: commoncrawl


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J'ouvert revellers covered in blue paint dance and parade with the Rapso music band 3canal during the 20th anniversary celebration of their song Blue as part of Trinidad Carnival on Feb. 27, 2017 in Port of Spain, Trinidad. Continue reading
Author Kate DiCamillo gained acclaim for her children's novels "Because of Winn-Dixie" and award-winning "The Tale of Despereaux." Jeffrey Brown talks to DiCamillo about her latest role as National Ambassador for Young People's Literature and her goal to "remind people of the great and profound joy that can be found in stories." Continue reading
In our news wrap Tuesday, the number of Americans who have enrolled in the new health care law has officially surpassed 2 million. The Obama administration initially hoped to have 3.3 million ACA enrollments at this point. Also, 2014 has already arrived in some parts of the world, as the celebrations roll westward. Continue reading
On the very moment that Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his famous speech 50 years ago, a bell rang out amid a crowd of thousands who gathered on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the March on Washington. Ray Suarez highlights notable moments and words from the celebration. Continue reading
More than 40 years since the 1972 Miami Dolphins made NFL history with their perfect season, coach Don Shula and his undefeated team were honored by President Barack Obama with a visit to the White House. Kwame Holman reports on the presidential tradition of following sports and Mr. Obama's dedication to his home teams. Continue reading
Celebrations took place across the world when the last Chilean miner emerged after being trapped for 69 days. ITN's Jonathan Miller recaps the euphoria captured in Chile and across the world. Continue reading
As many as 2 million people converged on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., to witness the inauguration of President Barack Obama. Gwen Ifill reports on the record crowds and their reactions to the historic day. Continue reading


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Scottish cardinal rips BBC
September 06, 2010
Cardinal Keith O'Brien of St. Andrews and Edinburgh is accusing the world's largest broadcasting organization of anti-Christian and anti-Catholic bias.
"Our detailed research into BBC news coverage of Christianity in general and Catholicism in particular, together with a systematic analysis of output by the Catholic Church, has revealed a consistent anti-Christian institutional bias," he said.
The cardinal expressed concern that a BBC documentary on Pope Benedict, timed for the start of the papal visit to Great Britain, would be a "hatchet job." He said that the clear bias evident in BBC religious programming showed the need for the network to hire new religion editor.
The BBC rejected the cardinal's suggestion, saying that the network already employs "a dedicated religion correspondent" and insisting that the network's programming is fair and comprehensive.
"Senior news managers have admitted to the Catholic Church that a radically secular and socially liberal mindset pervades their newsrooms," he added. "This sadly taints BBC news and current affairs coverage of religious issues, particularly matters of Christian beliefs."
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text:
Re: Can a canary and a finch mate?
Posted by Kitty.J on 5/15/06
On 5/12/06, Sandra wrote:
> I have a Zebra Finch and a yellow canary. The other day,
> they started making a nest. Is it possible for them to
> babies? Or are they just making a nest? Please respond.
All is possible nowaday. They may mate and not produce
chicks just eggs. Like when my orange weaver mated with my
society finch. She didn't even produce eggs but i saw them
mate, lol.


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UNDATED - Area veterans paid tribute to their fallen comrades in Memorial Day ceremonies in Gainesville and Lula during the holiday weekend.
The Gainesville-Hall County Vietnam and Korean War Veterans' groups held an annual observance Sunday at 2 p.m. at Veterans Park at Rock Creek, laying wreaths at their respective war monuments and reading aloud the names of the men from Hall County who died in the two conflicts.
Approximately 200 people attended a Monday morning event in downtown Lula at the town's Veterans Park. The annual event was held at 10 a.m.


text:
Make trip be one to remember, and not in a bad way
Holidays often include trips to a loved one's house — across town, out of the city or even the state. In our excitement, we often jump in the family car and drive off without a second thought. Don't let your trip spoil your holiday.
KNOW EXACTLY WHERE YOU ARE GOING: Don't leave on a whim. Use maps, check out computer travel Web sites or buy a GPS device.
CHECK YOUR VEHICLE: Check engine fluids (oil, water, brake fluid, etc.) Check the tires for wear and proper pressure.
FOR EXTENDED TRIPS: Do not start your trip fatigued by, say, starting out right after working all day or night. If there are other licensed drivers in the car, take turns driving. Try not to get yourself into a tight schedule — "Got to get there by 5 p.m."
WHEN DRIVING: Keep your doors locked and windows up. Unless you know it is an emergency, do not stop for stranded motorists. If you have a cell phone, use it to call for assistance.
IF YOU EXPERIENCE A BREAKDOWN: Pull as far onto the shoulder as possible and turn your emergency flashers on. If you have a cell phone, call a reputable source or law enforcement. If a stranger stops, talk to the person through a partly rolled-down window.
MOST IMPORTANT SAFETY TIP: Pay special attention to driving conditions and traffic situations. Stay aware by scanning in anticipation of what is going on.
REMEMBER: Now that you're at Grandma's, the trip is only half over.
AND DON'T FORGET: Please wear those seat belts.
Chief Doug Pasley, Kenneth City Police Department


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Princeton Readings in Political Thought:
Thinking Politically: An Introduction
In this anthology you will find selections from important works of political theory that span some 2,500 years, from the ancient Greeks through today. The author of each wrestles, in his or her own time, place, and way, with the most basic questions that human beings can ask about living together--questions about justice, and about relations and institutions of power.
Studying political theory forces us to wrestle with these questions in order to clarify what politics is all about. Indeed, the word "theory" comes from the ancient Greek _theoria_, which means "viewing," "speculation," "contemplation."<1> Here is just a partial list of what political theorists look at, speculate about, and contemplate.
What is power?
What defines a citizen and what are a citizen's obligations?
Who should be "sovereign" in a political community? Who should be included in the community? Who can be excluded?
When does a government become "illegitimate"? When is it legitimate to rebel against political authority? Are there rights with which a government may never tamper?
How far should a government intrude into our private lives?
What should be the role of the state in a just society? What _is_ a just society?
What means and what ends are legitimate in politics?
Formulating questions like these can be deceptively simple. Political philosophers frequently find that half their task is defining the very words they use, for how one demarcates terms will affect how one thinks through political problems. Indeed, we can see this throughout the entire history of Western political thought. At its dawn, in _The Republic_ (see Chapter 2), we find Plato seeking to answer the question: What is justice? In attempting to explain this basic term, he concluded that justice was to be found in a society with a proper division of labor, in which everybody plays the role for which he or she is naturally best suited. The ideal state, Plato thought, would be a dictatorship of its smartest citizens, "philosopher-kings." The vast majority of the people were simply not competent to govern; they would have other tasks. If we skip ahead--over two millennia ahead--we find the same question still being posed: What is justice? In the 1970s, a Harvard professor, John Rawls, inaugurated a renaissance in political theory with a book entitled _A Theory of Justice_ (see Chapter 41). He argued that given "fair" conditions in which to select the principles governing their society, everyone would choose equal liberty, equal opportunity, and the idea that inequalities--socioeconomic differences-- would be acceptable provided they are to the benefit of the least advantaged in society.
Plato and Rawls obviously reached different conclusions when trying to define justice. But to grasp their respective contributions--and to see what both of them have to say to us nowadays--we must not just think about their conclusions, but must examine the structure of their arguments as well. What claims do they make and how do they make them? Are they justified? How do they construct their assertions?
Now you may be saying to yourself, "Theory, philosophy--it all seems so abstract. Don't these theorists just weave grand webs out of the recesses of their minds? What effect does it all have on the real world anyway?" The impact has been more than you might imagine. Ideas are, of course, only one element of what makes history. Still, how people think politically very much affects how they act politically.
Consider this: When the French Revolution took place in 1789, one powerful influence on leading revolutionaries was the ideas of the Genevan-born political theorist Jean-Jacques Rousseau, even though he had died eleven years earlier. "Man is born free, yet everywhere he is in chains," reads the incendiary first sentence of his book _The Social Contract_ (see the selection in Chapter 13). One was completely "free," Rousseau argued, only in a "state of nature" where there was no government or social constraints. Since life in society always requires governance and rules (which, when enforceable, are forms of coercion), and since we will not live in a state of nature, Rousseau asked: Under what conditions can we say that these "chains" are legitimate?
Rousseau wrote that we are politically free when we are subject to laws we have formulated ourselves. So he insisted that "the People" should be "sovereign" and that their "General Will" should be the author of a land's basic laws. These were subversive ideas in prerevolutionary France, a hierarchical society in which the Crown was sovereign and the inhabitants of this realm were the King's subjects, not self-governing citizens. No wonder that _The Social Contract_ was banned in Paris and Geneva when it was first published in 1762. Its author had to flee into exile. Yet when the Revolution came, captivated crowds--or so the story goes--listened as the celebrated revolutionary Jean-Paul Marat read Rousseau's book aloud on Paris street corners.
For another example, take a case closer to home. In the late seventeenth century, the British political theorist John Locke articulated a famous theory of revolution in his _Second Treatise of Government_ (see Chapter 12). When Thomas Jefferson and his colleagues wrote the Declaration of Independence, shortly after the "shot heard 'round the world" was fired at the British by American farmers in Concord, Massachusetts, they did so with Locke's ideas very much in mind.
Locke argued that there were rights that belonged to human beings by nature--the rights of life, liberty, and property--and that government was entrusted to protect them. Should a government violate this trust, it was no longer legitimate. Then, citizens had a right to overthrow it and establish a new one. Locke's ideas were tied to the nonviolent "Glorious Revolution of 1688," which established a constitutional monarchy and parliamentary supremacy in Britain: the king was now below, instead of above, the law (although Locke's book was written before this revolution).
Jefferson and the American colonists, facing King George III almost a century later, declared that it was a "self-evident" truth that human beings are "endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights," among which were "life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness." Because George III had violated those rights (and others!), Americans no longer owed him fealty. Independence was declared and the colonies became an independent American republic. Later, in 1787, when the delegates assembled in Philadelphia to debate the principles of and then write the U.S. Constitution, among them were men deeply immersed not only in Locke's writings, but in European political theory in general. They read, thought, and talked about political ideas as they fashioned the document that would govern the United States.
Early in this anthology, in the section on the ancient world, you will read Aristotle, Plato's pupil. In the fourth century B.C., he asserted, in _The Politics_, that man is a political animal, a being who can fulfill his nature only through participation in a political community. If you didn't live in one, Aristotle asserted, you were either less than human or more than human.
Even if you accepted this in principle, you would probably say it differently nowadays. You would probably say that men and women are political animals. Aristotle, living when he did, didn't accept the equality of women and also believed that slavery was natural. This just gives you a hint at how political ideas get reshaped over centuries. As you read this anthology, you will see that as concepts of human nature and human history change, so do concepts of politics. For one example, Christian thinkers of the Middle Ages didn't accept the idea that we are political animals. For them, religion came first and foremost. They thought religiously and fit politics into their theology. Later, when we enter the modern world, politics reasserts its independence.
But then, in the nineteenth century, we find one of the most important liberal political philosophers, John Stuart Mill, trying to assert the individual's independence from politics by delineating those dimensions of life in which government had no right to intervene--areas that ought to be strictly matters of individual liberty. Government ought not to interfere with acts that are strictly "self-regarding," he argued. Otherwise we will be unable to develop and fulfill ourselves as individuals. At the same time, Mill recognized that despotism comes not only from abusive governments but also from apparently nonpolitical sources. He warned of the "tyranny of majority opinion," of how popular views can have a chilling effect on individual creativity. People are often intimidated by new or unusual ideas. He once declared that "No society in which eccentricity is a matter of reproach can be a wholesome state."
Mill himself took up an unpopular cause in the Britain of his day: feminism. He was an early advocate of women's rights (and as a young man he was once arrested for trying to distribute information about birth control on London streets). This, of course, raises an interesting question: How far does "thinking politically" extend? In various sections of this anthology you will find writings concerning the status of women and the oppression of women. Is this "political"? Certainly, if you define politics in terms of power exercised by and among human beings.
However, some political thinkers contend that we should define politics more narrowly so as to keep an eye on specific features, dynamics, and questions--questions like the nature of the state and different forms of government. Take, for example, Max Weber, a formidable political thinker of the early twentieth century who is often called the "father of sociology." In his brilliant essay "Politics as a Vocation" (see Chapter 26), he defined the "state" as a "human community that (successfully) claims the _monopoly of the legitimate use of physical force_ within a given territory." This is a famous definition. Think of all the important questions it raises (and which Weber explored in many writings): what does "legitimate" force mean? Or a "human community" and a "given territory"? Do we specify these on the basis of size? Population?
And again: What about relations of power within this state? Weber's work, it is sometimes said, is a debate with the ghost of Karl Marx. It is easy to see why. Marx insisted that we could never think of "the state" or governments without placing them within a larger socioeconomic totality. He asked: If economic life is dominated by a small part of the population--"the ruling class"--then won't socioeconomic power be translated into political power?
Marx contended that "the state," the organization of political power within a society, was simply a means by which one social class oppresses other classes. Since for him all history is the history of class struggle, governments simply try to keep the have-nots in order on behalf of the haves. Consequently, "the state" is an "executive committee" asserting the interests of the dominant economic class. Marx believed it possible to create a classless society in which the state would eventually vanish. If there is no ruling class and if society is organized cooperatively so that socioeconomic resources benefit all, there would no longer be a need for government as we have known it, he thought. In that case, politics would vanish and, presumably, we'd no longer need to "think politically."
Who is right? Who is wrong? Of course, there is no simple answer. You may find that _even when some political theorists seem very wrong-- terribly wrong--you may learn a lot from their errors_. As John Stuart Mill argued in _On Liberty_, even if you believe something to be completely true--absolutely true--unless it is contested and debated and argued, it may well turn into a useless dogma.
So, in opening these pages, we invite you to think politically, to wrestle with great debates about political ideas. Some may lead you to see the world with new eyes, and some of the ideas may simply infuriate you. Frankly, we hope that there is a lot in these pages that will leave you unsettled. Perhaps the arguments will raise for you new questions and open some new horizons about the ways power is exercised. If so, you may want to explore political theory in more depth. We hope that these introductory selections will inspire you to read the full texts.
Mitchell Cohen, Baruch College and the Graduate School of the City University of New York
Nicole Fermon, Fordham University
Note 1. F. E. Peters, _Greek Philosophical Terms: A Historical Lexicon_ (New York: New York University Press, 1967), 194.
File created: 8/7/2007
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text:
Dhaka - Bangladeshi rescuers were on Friday trying to pull a capsized ferry to land in their search for victims still believed trapped in the vessel that went over during bad weather with about 200 people on board.
Twenty-two people are known to have drowned when the MV Miraj-4 tipped over in high wind and rain on the Meghna river near the capital, Dhaka, on Thursday.
About 40 people swam to shore and 35 were rescued, police and rescue official said, meaning about 100 people were unaccounted for.
Low-lying Bangladesh with extensive inland waterways and slack safety standards has a poor record for ferry accidents with casualties sometimes running into the hundreds.
"Instead of recovering bodies from inside of wreckage, now we're focused on pulling the ferry (to the river bank)," Saiful Hassan Badal, deputy commissioner of Munshiganj district, told Reuters by telephone from the scene.
"We'll get a clearer picture once the ferry is pulled out."
Most of the passengers were city workers and students heading home for the weekend beginning on Friday.
Passenger Abdur Rahman, 50, who managed to swim to shore, said passengers had asked the captain to pull into the shelter of the river bank when a sudden storm struck.
"But he ignored us... the ferry capsized within a few seconds," Rahman said.
Another passenger who swam to shore, Liton Hussain, told reporters he had lost his wife, son and daughter.
Hundreds of people, including wailing relatives of missing passengers, thronged the river bank at the site. - Reuters


text: Dual booting Hackintosh + Linux [SOLVED] I have an existing Hackingtosh install working perfectly and I would like to add an option to boot into Linux. I used the diskutil to make a 12 G partition at the end of the disk where I installed a minimal Linux. How can I get the multibeast bootloader to see it?


text:
Protective skin designer Gizmobies extends its active collaborations with yet more delightful pieces, this time in creative partnership with Japanese label VANQUISH. The VA FLOWER utilizes a colorful pop floral aesthetic quite unlike the brand's usual style. The VA GEOMETRIC emphasizes the letter "V" with a striking monochrome geometric pattern while the VA ICON presents the label's new icon for Spring/Summer 2013 in monogram fashion. These have been freshly released at Japanese stores and are available at the VANQUISH official online store for ¥3,990 JPY (approximately $47 USD).
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by Bruce Strand, Arts editor
The aspirations and delusions of a teenager dealing with depression, and his impact on close friends who grew up with him, is the storyline of Elk River's one-act competition play entry, "The Puppet Show."
"It's a very cerebral play," said director Michelle Brooks. "We put in things to help the audience follow it easier. At the end, it keeps you thinking for longer than the 35 minutes you spent watching."
Sub-section competition will be held Saturday at Buffalo with ERHS slated for 1:50 p.m. The top two of six plays will advance to sectionals.
Tonight, the public is welcome to view this play and a non-competition play (see below) Saturday evening, starting 7 p.m. at Zabee Theatre.
Four ERHS participants were named all-conference on Tuesday at the Northwest Suburban Conference festival at Champlin Park. They are actors Cara Fromm, Adam Habarneh, and Brady Murphy, and technician Autumn Laniel, the student director/backstage manager.
Murphy, a slight, bespectacled junior in his first lead role, plays James, whose guardian is older sister Sam (Fromm), both orphaned by an auto accident.
James is under medication he'd rather not take. He's too restless to sleep, haunted by tragedies (real? imagined?) that took place at 2:48 a.m. He realizes he can't be what his girlfriend Sarah (Alicia Brady) needs, so he pushes her toward a close friend, Sean (James Bound). He narrates stories about himself and his friends, some of which really happen, some which don't.
"It's a really deep role," said Brooks, "and Brady brings the ability to analyze the character and pull out some amazing emotions."
The cast also includes Lucas Laniel and Aggie Menke as Luke and Catherine, members of the group who fall in love; Haberneh as James' best friend; and Grace Heyne as Kelly, another friend.
"The Puppet Show" was penned by J.S. Hokestra when he was a senior at Fridley; he is now a sophomore at UW-River Falls.
Brooks, formerly director at Spring Lake Park, saw it performed by Fridley two years ago and liked the way it made her think.
"I chose it because, one, it's a good story, and two, I thought it would be a chance for the kids to pick his brain and talk to him about the characters," said Brooks. "Which they did. He came for two days over his winter break."
Non-competition play
"The Music Box," written and directed by Harbeneh, a music and theatre standout, is the non-competition play to be presented at 7 p.m. tonight, followed by "The Puppet Show."
Harbeneh said it's a tale of two young people whose love for each other led to tragedy.
"A complicated love," added Menke, who plays the lead alongside Jordan Plachecki.
The cast of 11 includes Anessa Demers and Laniel as her disapproving parents.


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SACRAMENTO — In an effort to improve traffic safety across California, the Business, Transportation and Housing Agency (BTH)—which becomes the new Transportation Agency on July 1, 2013—today announced it has approved 274 state and local applicants to receive approximately $87 million in federally-funded traffic safety grants administered by the California Office of Traffic Safety (OTS). The grant-funded programs will help combat alcohol and drug impaired driving, encourage seat belt and child safety seat usage, fight distracted driving and enhance law enforcement activities.
"These traffic safety grants will help save lives and improve public safety across California," said Acting Secretary Brian Kelly. "These programs crack down on dangerous activities like texting and driving while also seeking to change behavior through public education and new research."
"Traffic safety is at a crossroads," said Christopher J. Murphy, Director of OTS. "Roadway deaths dropped 37 percent from 2006 to 2010, but we have seen a slight upturn since. The programs funded by these grants are aimed squarely at holding the line, and even reversing it once again."
Alcohol-impaired driving still makes up nearly 30 percent of roadway fatalities, prompting OTS to fund multiple and varied programs to tackle its many causes and consequences. These grants will help reduce fatalities and injuries by supporting high visibility enforcement such as more than 2000 DUI checkpoints and programs cracking down on drivers with outstanding warrants.
"With the support of the Office of Traffic Safety and the Business, Transportation and Housing Agency and through these federal grants, the California Highway Patrol will be able to continue our ongoing mission of saving lives," said Commissioner Joe Farrow. "Working in concert with our local law enforcement partners statewide, we will use this support to provide valuable traffic safety education programs to our communities and enforcement where it is needed most."
New grants will also expand the number of local special prosecutors dedicated to alcohol and drug impaired driving cases and fund new lab testing equipment and drug detection training to increase successful prosecution of alcohol and drug impaired driving cases. A recent OTS survey showed that 14 percent of drivers on a Friday or Saturday night have at least one potentially driving-impairing drug in their system, not including alcohol.
Several key grants will also seek to improve active transportation in California by combating recent increases in serious pedestrian and bicycle crashes. The Pedestrian Safety Guide and Countermeasure Selection System will be expanded to include older adults, distracted walkers and victims of speeding. Free expert technical assistance and staff training in pedestrian and bicycle safety will be offered by the University of California to local communities. Grants will also support the California Active Transportation Safety Information Pages, a website that encourages and promotes safety for pedestrians, bicyclists and other non-motorized road users in California.
Some of the other key statewide programs funded through these grants include:
· Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) research studies regarding substance abuse, fatal crashes and distracted driving· California Department of Public Health (CDPH) webinars to increase the use of booster seats and provide National Child Passenger Safety Technician certification courses· Expansion of "It's Up to All of Us," a CDPH pedestrian and bicycle safety campaign· California Highway Patrol (CHP) distracted driving enforcement and public education campaigns· Specialized CHP driver drug detection training for law enforcement· CHP's "Every 15 Minutes" high-school assembly program and sober graduation events· University of California research grants regarding motorcycle safety, seat belt usage, and pedestrian and bicycle safety
"Along with the California Highway Patrol and Office of Traffic Safety, the California Department of Motor Vehicles plays a big role in the quest to keep the roads safe for all Californians, and this funding will go a long way towards that goal," said DMV Chief Deputy Director Jean Shiomoto. "These programs will be an investment in safety that will help keep dangerous and risky drivers off the roads."
On July 1, 2013, the Business Transportation and Housing Agency will no longer exist and will become the new Transportation Agency in accordance with the Governor's government reorganization plan signed into law in 2012. The new Transportation Agency will be responsible for transportation-related departments within the state: Caltrans, the Department of Motor Vehicles, New Motor Vehicle Board, California Highway Patrol, Board of Pilot Commissioners, California Transportation Commission, California High-Speed Rail and the Office of Traffic Safety.
The grant program begins on October 1, 2013. For more information on the grant program, visit http://www.ots.ca.gov/
Note: The Signal delivers press releases from reliable sources to provide up-to-the-minute information to our website readers. Information directly from news sources has not been vetted by The Signal news room. It may appear subsequently in news stories after it has been vetted.


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NEW YORK ( TheStreet) -- Square is leading the mobile payments revolution from its headquarters in San Francisco, and COO Keith Rabois believes the company can do more to make the shopping experience better for both consumers and sellers. Speaking in a phone interview with TheStreet last week, Rabois noted that Square wants to make commerce better for everyone. "The process is broken," he said, when discussing where Square is headed. "We've made a lot of progress in the past two years, and we we want to simplify commerce. We want it to be a better experience for the customer and the buyer." Square is growing at a tremendous rate, as it helps revolutionize the mobile payments industry. One of its major initiatives is a deal announced with Starbucks ( SBUX) last year, which has helped raise awareness of its technology. The Seattle-based firm is now integrating Square in all of its 7,000 U.S.-based stores, and, thanks to Starbucks' heavy foot traffic, the mobile payments specialist has a much higher profile. "80% of Americans visit Starbucks, and, basically overnight, Square Wallet was available to America," said Rabois. Rabois would not disclose whether the deal was done at a lower rate than Square's normal 2.75% charge rate, but noted that the two companies will do more in the future. The former PayPal executive also said that Square has its readers in several other major retailers, including Wal-Mart ( WMT), Apple ( AAPL), and Target ( TGT). "Starbucks has an amazing brand," Rabois said, adding that the coffee giant is a pioneer in mobile payments already with its Starbucks app. He called Starbucks the most advanced, most successful, U.S. merchant, and with Square Wallet, Starbucks has its eye on the future. The future is bright for mobile payments, according to Forrester Research, which predicts the market will grow 48% annually between now and 2017, reaching $90 billion by the end of 2017. The growth of mobile payments is showing up everywhere. Visa ( V), for example, invested an undisclosed sum in Square in Feb. 2011, while eBay ( EBAY) reported strong fourth-quarter results on Wednesday, thanks in large part to its PayPal division. PayPal mobile payments volume rose more than three-fold to $14 billion, and the company expects more than $20 billion in 2013, noting that active accounts rose 15% year-over-year.
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text: Once again we will be dining out on Christmas Day. My old standbys are Old Anglers or Courderoy. This year a vegetarian will be joining us and the prix fixe at those is all meat or seafood. Any ideas as to who is open with other possibilities? I'm thinking Indian or Thai or really good Chinese.


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Hawker Beechcraft hopes to continue to stave off competition from VLJs with two new upgrades–announced last month at EBACE–to the stalwart King Air turboprop line. The upgraded King Air B200, which the company is calling the B200GT, gets more powerful PT6A-52 engines, while the C90GTi will be equipped with Rockwell Collins Pro Line 21 avionics as standard. The B200GT's new engines will maintain 850 shp to a higher altitude (25,000 feet), giving the aircraft stronger climb and cruise performance (up to 20 knots faster). The C90GTi's Pro Line 21 package will include three eight- by 10-inch LCD flight displays and integrated flight information system, which delivers charts, graphical weather and enhanced map overlays.
Two new king airs added to fleet q
- May 31, 2007, 6:19 AM


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Imagine the quadratic curve with equation
On the concave side of this curve there is a circle of radius R. The circle is as close the the extremum of the quadratic as possible without resulting in the curves crossing each other. Write a function which takes as inputs a,b,c, and R and returns the coordinates of the center of the circle.
For example, if
a=1; b=0; c=10; R=pi;
then the function returns
T = circ_puzz(a,b,c,R) T = 0 20.1196044010894
This can be visualized as follows:
P = @(x) a*x.^2 + b*x + c; % Quadratic C = @(x) real(-sqrt(R^2-(x-T(1)).^2) + T(2)); % Lower half circle x = linspace(-R,R,10000); % Range of plotted data. plot(x,C(x),'r',x,-C(x)+2*T(2),'r',x,P(x),T(1),T(2),'*k') ylim([0,30]) axis equal
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Local youngsters danced, sang, and played their way into the hearts of residents at The Summit at Blue Mountain Health System during a talent show inspired by a 6-year-old's desire to give back.
When Max Fitzpatrick, 6, visited the nursing and rehabilitation center last month with his Cub Scout troop, he enjoyed the visit so much that he asked his mother if they could return this time not just to visit, but to play for the residents.
"He said, 'I'd really like to play my drums for them,'" said Katya Fitzpatrick, Max's mother. "I was very excited that my son wanted to give back. I thought it was so sweet."
Katya and Max contacted The Summit and asked for permission to coordinate a small talent show.
Once they had approval from the staff, they began asking Max's friends if they would like to take part. Max had recently taken part in a talent show at his school, Ss. Peter and Paul in Lehighton, and many of his friends were eager for a chance to reprise their talents.
Nearly two dozen students from Ss. Peter and Paul and St. Joseph Regional Academy took part in the talent show, from preschool to seventh grade.
The students shared a wide variety of talent acts, including singing, dancing, and performing on musical instruments.
"This was a wonderful way for students to give back to the community, and hopefully to put a smile on the residents' faces," added Katya. "They were very excited to perform."


text: Accountability In this world, no one gets to the Fortune 6 level without setting ambitious goals and ensuring that they're met. We measure. We monitor. We hold ourselves accountable for reaching the objectives that we set for ourselves and one another. This is a serious opportunity and we give it's due. So you may not see a lot of foosball tables or game rooms, but you'll see some of the world's most competitive and high performing contributors ever to join forces for a worthy mission. Ambiguity When you look at how we've grown through acquisition and deliberate marketplace innovation, it's easy to realize that every day is different at Optum, part of the UnitedHealth Group family of businesses. We're changing, building new businesses, refining ideas; all while holding ourselves to see a big picture while looking through the shifting and ambiguous details of everyday business. You'll need to be comfortable making decisions where you may have to trust your reasoning over certainty. You'll need the courage to navigate a matrix of business activities and marketplace challenges without flinching. Culture We ask you to reach for aggressive performance goals while we expect you to demonstrate an uncompromising level of collegial respect and professionalism. We value relationships and performance in equal measure, so we look to one another for support, kindness and understanding. Oh, and did we mention that our members, their families and their providers need to be able to trust us wholly and without reservation? That drives a huge emphasis on the value of integrity. We'll expect you to do the right thing because it's the right thing. Every time. Without fail. Lastly, you can't even think about helping people live healthier lives without having an outsized level of compassion for every life we touch. Bringing compassion to your work is critically important and incredibly satisfying. Self-directed As you think about the descriptors above, you're probably coming to realize that no matter how much we support your work, you're not going to have someone holding your hand through the challenging times. We need people who can step up, step forward and take the next step toward reaching their goals. For some, it comes naturally. And they'll be your co-workers. You'll find them to your right and to your left; raising the bar and encouraging you to reach higher. Pace Yes, it feels urgent. It is urgent. We're not just competing in the marketplace, we're trying to make a difference that totally reshapes the marketplace. We're in a moment in time that represents the opportunity in our history to have the biggest impact on the world. We're going for it. And you'll need to keep up. Email Students, is UHG right for you? Learn what it's like to work here, what it's like to do your life's best work. SM Watch Video Learn more about our operations in India Learn more Get To Know Us Click to visit us on your favorite social sites.


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- September 13, 2006, 5:29 AM
The comment period on a notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) to establish operational life limitations designed to prevent widespread fatigue damage primarily in large commercial transport aircraft (those with an mtow of more than 75,000 pounds) has been pushed from July 17 to September 18. The NPRM is one of several rulemaking actions that are part of the FAA's aging-aircraft program. Currently manufactured jets operated under Parts 91 and Part 135 on-demand would be excluded from the retrofit requirement of the proposed rules. For more details, contact the FAA at (425) 227-2774.


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The Family Scholars blog has recently hosted a long discussion on civility with many of its resident writers. (Here are early contributions from Barry Deutsch , Amy Ziettlow , Ralph Lewis , Elizabeth Marquardt , and Fannie ; for others, visit the blog .) Their conversation spurred me to think about what may be the toughest question in arguing about contentious moral issues: whether and how to say "what you are doing is wrong."
It's a hard thing to say and a harder one to hear. Even when couched in more gracious language and surrounded by personal compliments, it will almost certainly offend the person to whom it is said, especially if that person belongs to a persecuted or unpopular minority. And thus it can often be called uncivil.
But the statement remains crucial, and not just to the freedom of speech and public discourse but also to moral progress. After all, "what you're doing is wrong" was said by abolitionists to slave-holders, by civil rights protesters to segregationists, by feminists to men who beat their wives. Today, vegetarians say it to meat-eaters, pacifists to soldiers, pro-life protesters to doctors who perform abortions, environmentalists to polluters, and so on.
Obviously the statement can be made in error, in an abusive manner, or in an attempt to vilify and harm someone. It rarely promotes unity, and it's something I think we should avoid aiming at complete strangers on the Internet. In short, it doesn't always contribute to public discourse and moral reform.
Yet in this pluralistic society, where nearly all of us are in a minority with regard to at least one of our ethical convictions, we should not be too quick to cry "uncivil!" and end the conversation when one person accuses another of immorality.


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Working Together, We Achieve More
The Victoria County United Way works with local partners to improve lives every day. Our Community Investment process distributes grants within the three strategic goal areas shown in the chart below to positively impact individuals and families in these specific priority areas. Local non-profit agenciesprovide the needed programs to address the priority needs in the crossroads area (Victoria, DeWitt, Goliad, Refugio and Lavaca counties).
There are many challenges that we face as a community. It takes everyone working together to create a brighter future. Together we can accomplish more than any single group on its own. Working with many partners, United Way continually looks for the most effective ways to help meet the most basic needs in life.
When we reach out a hand to one, we influence the condition of all. Our leadership understands that we all win when a child succeeds in school, when families are financially stable and when people have good health. These results and changes have benefits that ripple out to the community as a whole.


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Martlesham Heath: Next Home and Garden store to create 250 jobs
PUBLISHED: 09:11 29 May 2012 | UPDATED: 08:48 30 May 2012
A NEW homes and gardens superstore being opened by retail giant Next in Suffolk next month will create 250 new jobs, it has been revealed.
The new 52,677 sq ft store, at Martlesham Heath, near Ipswich, is only the second to be launched by the company under its Next Home and Garden format.
Besides Next's women's, men's and children's fashion ranges and its homewares collection, the new store, due to open towards the end of next month, will also offer garden and DIY products.
Although Next is established in the homewares sector as well as fashion, it is only the group's second store to sell DIY and garden lines, following the opening of its first Home and Garden store in Shoreham-by-Sea in West Sussex last August.
The home improvement department will include paints, tiles and DIY equipment as well as flooring, carpets and bathrooms while the garden section will include plants, tools, lawn mowers and outdoor living lines including barbecues.
The new store at Martlesham Heath has been created through a major refurbishment of the former Focus DIY store on the Beardmore Park retail estate.
Next purchased the site following the collapse into administration last year of Focus, which operated a total of 178 stores across the county and employed around 3,900 people.
Rival DIY retailers Wickes and B&M acquired 24 Focus stores between them as going concerns – including in Wickes' case the Maldon branch in Essex – with staff retaining their jobs but most of the Focus stores were closed.
However, Focus stores in Sudbury, Haverhill and Thetford were among a total of 55 sites acquired by Kingfisher and they re-opened under its B&Q brand later in the year, creating a total of 86 jobs across the three locations.
The 250 new jobs to be created by Next at Martlesham, slightly more than expected when the scheme was announced in January, means that more than 1,000 people are set to find work in out-of-town-centre retail developments in and around Ipswich over the next year or so.
Fashion retailer Matalan is thought to have created around 100 jobs with the opening of a store on the Orwell Retail Park off Ranelagh Road and preliminary work began last month on the construction of new Waitrose and John Lewis at Home stores, expected to open next spring, on part of the former Crane site off Nacton Road.


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Book Review: Beg by Rory Freedman
I received an email recently inviting me to review the newly released book, Beg by Rory Freedman. If her name rings a bell it's because I interviewed her sometime back in response to her previously co-authored book, Skinny Bitch, a NY Times bestseller. The subtitle to her latest book, A Radical New Way of Regarding Animals, is aptly put. Throughout the pages of this book, Rory urges us to, "not only commit to taking better care of our precious pets, but also to treating all animals—horses, dolphins, chimps, cows, pigs, and others—much more humanely."
It's always disappointing to read about and see how animals are treated so poorly in our country. I live in Missouri so I know firsthand! Yes, this is the backwards state where the people voted for and approved Prop B which required some very minimally humane conditions for animals in puppy mills. I think the bill referred to providing puppies and breeding dogs "adequate food" and "adequate water." That was eventually deemed over-the-top regulations and the state eventually overturned part of the voter-backed language. The Daily Show's Olivia Munn did a segment on Missouri's Prop B and she interviewed Anita Andrews who compared Missouri's puppy mill regulations to communism.
That's the state I live in.
So reading a book like Beg makes me realize that I'm not crazy for caring about animals. That it's alright to be concerned about the awful living conditions that many animals face…because of humans. Beg calls attention to these problems and provides steps every concerned person can take to protect these innocent and loving creatures.
There are definitely many points made in this book that I really liked. Here are just a few:
- The book has lots of thought-provoking facts like this one: In the US, nearly 6 – 8 million animals enter shelters every year. Half of these are euthanized. These kinds of facts are not always easy to read, but it's important to know.
- Rory also shares personal stories based on her own life or those of others who have loved animals, including their pets.
- She expands her focus beyond just pets and discusses animals in zoos, the circus, and other types of environments that we oftentimes look at as entertaining to humans but fail to understand from the perspective of the animals.
- Rory provides suggestions for action at the end of the book, including adopting either veganism or vegetarianism diets. I'm a big supporter of both lifestyle/diet choices as a way of helping to improve the lives of people and animals.
There are a few things about the book I didn't like so much, most notably, the promotion of PETA. How could an animal-loving vegan not be supportive of an organization like PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals)? I find PETA's tactics and misogynistic antics to be distasteful and extreme. I think we can do better than resorting to bullying and disrespecting people to be more appreciative of animals. Thankfully the book lists lots of other, more palatable options to express our love and appreciate for the animals on this planet, including the Humane Society of the United States and the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM).
Overall, I do not describe myself as an extremist when it comes to my diet, my life, or my love of animals. I think there is great value to be found in finding areas of compromise from the many different voices across our planet. Rory Freedman does a thorough job giving voice to the voiceless…animals, both our beloved pets and others.
Related Links:
Order your own copy of Beg by Rory Freedman
Read the Namely Marly interview with Rory Freedman
Check out Rory Freedman's site and join her 31-day Challenge, Beg for Change
Vegansaurus Interview with Rory Freedman about her latest book, Beg
3 Responses to Book Review: Beg by Rory Freedman
Now on my must read list, thanks for making me aware.
P.S. Isn't the Vizsla on the cover just the cutest!?
this was the book that convinced me to go vegan, i put this book down and cold turkey went vegan! 😀


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World Trade Grows, but Protectionism Still a Concern
July 26, 2012
Following the financial crisis, the majority of the world's developed economies rightly reaffirmed their dedication to open trade principles. In this way, they helped prevent the protectionist tendencies that deepened the economic collapse of the 1930s. This effort, coordinated by the G20, has manifested itself in a number of trade agreements and continuing progress toward lower barriers to trade, says The Economist.
- In 2010, a trade deal covering close to 30 percent of the world's population -- the China-ASEAN Free-Trade Area -- was struck.
- Additionally, despite the deep suspicions between them, trade between the two emerging giants, China and India, is booming.
- Further, Russia, the single largest emerging market that is not yet a member of the World Trade Organization (WTO), is expected to become a full member by the end of the summer after 19 years of negotiations.
- Even the European Union, mired in economic turmoil and political conflict, managed to make side deals with Colombia and Peru earlier this month.
The proliferation of these regional agreements and greater grassroots participation in imports and exports paints a bright future for international trade. In a new long-run forecast, the global banking firm HSBC predicts that world trade will grow by close to 90 percent over the next 15 years -- advancing modestly at first, because of the euro crisis, then vigorously.
However, crucial warning signs suggest that barriers to trade may be sneaking back into public discourse. The WTO's director-general, Pascal Lamy, has detected subversive moves by individual nations to protect domestic industries, signaling that the fight for continued openness may be more conflictive than previously recognized.
- The motivation for such protection stems from the economic downturn, which offers a pernicious justification for targeted protectionism.
- The new restrictions range from higher tariffs to costly import licenses and customs controls.
- An increasingly popular method is to strangle traders not with high tariffs, which are easy to spot, but with red tape, which is not.
- Moreover, because barriers are easier to put in place than to remove, the share of trade held back by protectionist measures tends to grow over time.
Even the growth of regional trade agreements may signal grim circumstances: some interpret them as a less-optimal replacement for global agreements that have repeatedly failed to come to fruition.
Source: "Protectionism Alert," The Economist, June 30, 2012.
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This seems an unlikely place to look for the lead in candy that poisons children – here, where a miller opens a burlap bag, unleashing a river of maroon dried chilies into a chute. At this mill in Aguascalientes, Mexico, the grinders pound for a few ear-splitting minutes. Then out spills the soft, red powder that will smother Mexican treats.
Here is exactly where the search should begin.
U.S. health inspectors have looked at many things to uncover the origins of lead in candy. They've tested the candy wrappers. They've tested the clay pots some candy comes in. They've tested the candy itself.
But neither U.S. nor Mexican health agencies have done comprehensive testing on chili, even though it is the ingredient used in most candies testing dangerously high for lead.
The Orange County Register hired a laboratory to conduct 55 tests of fresh, dried and ground chili bought in Mexico. More than 90 percent of the chili-powder samples tested high for lead, shocking Mexican federal and state health officials, who say they will investigate.
U.S. Food and Drug Administration officials were taken by surprise when told about the Register's findings and also said they would look into the matter.
To find how lead gets into candy, the Register traced the trail backward from stores to the fields of Zacatecas, collecting samples along the way – including soil, well water, fresh chilies and chili powder. Many candy companies get chili from Zacatecas, which produces nearly half of Mexico's dried chili.
The Register focused on guajillo chili, a 6-inch, plump green pepper. The chili, which turns red when it's dried, is used to give candy a sweet-tart kick. Fresh chilies the Register tested straight from the farm contained no lead. But by the time chili powder reaches the public market, where some candy companies buy their chili, much of it is tainted.
In many cases, half a teaspoon is enough to poison a child.
Lead, which harms young children most, can cause irreversible damage. It can lower intelligence and cause stomach pain and kidney damage. And lead poisoning often goes undetected because the symptoms can be caused by many other things.
Mexico, which only began phasing out leaded gasoline in the mid-1990s, is about 30 years behind the United States in preventing lead poisoning. There is no routine lead testing of children.
Tough lead regulations have been passed, but they are rarely enforced. Some advances have been made in raising general awareness of lead in ceramics. But when it comes to chili, few in Mexico know of the dangers.
As with lead in candy, there is no single source of lead in chili. But dirt and debris are major factors, the Register found. To understand how lead gets into chili, you have to start at the beginning, in the farm fields, and follow the pepper as it makes the journey to the candy plants.
Jose "Pepe" Garcia Saldivar, a farmer in Zacatecas, has dealt with plagues, drought, floods and fungus. But lead?
He walks through his 5 acres of chili plants about 20 miles outside Ojo Caliente one September afternoon. Pests have damaged some of the guajillo crop, and a heavy rain has hit it hard. Garcia crouches to point out the damage. Then he looks up.
"If you do find any lead here, it would be good for us to know so we can do something about it," he said.
Garcia, 49, didn't choose farming. He was born into it, following his father's path. He doesn't know how to read or write, but he has memorized enough numbers to understand receipts.
When Mexico opened its markets in 1994, farmers like Garcia were devastated. U.S. corn, which is heavily subsidized, flooded the Mexican market. It only got worse when China, where labor is much cheaper, began exporting chili to Mexico.
"The buyers, the middlemen, used to come here and buy at a good price," Garcia said. "Now, the crops don't sell. It isn't worth anything. The government allowed this free trade, and it hasn't benefited us."
On this afternoon, Garcia, who usually wears a flannel shirt, jeans and work boots, is dressed up. He wears a beige cowboy hat, ironed shirt and nice pants. He wants to look professional when he sells his chili.
He takes his guajillo to a dryer about 10 miles from his farm. Despite making his best pitch, he loses money on his crops.
This is the fifth year in a row that's happened.
After he has sold his chilies, Garcia has no idea where they will end up. Maybe in a salsa bowl at a restaurant. Maybe in a family's kitchen. Maybe in a lollipop in the hand of an Orange County child.
Fresh chilies picked from Garcia's farm, as well as those from four other farms, showed no lead in laboratory tests. Soil from Garcia's chili field tested at 16 parts per million lead. Four other guajillo farms also had lead in the dirt, ranging from 18 ppm to 90 ppm. All soil has some lead in it, and lead experts weren't disturbed by the levels in these samples.
"It is unlikely that lead gets into fresh chilies in the fields because the vegetables and fruits generally don't take up metal from the soil," said Paul Bosland, a pepper expert from New Mexico State University. "Even if lots of lead was present in the soil, the leaves would absorb it, not the fruit." But there are other ways lead finds its way into chili powder during the journey to the candy factory.
Shortly after dawn, they arrive at the dryer outside Ojo Caliente. A parade of beat-up pickups driven by tired chili farmers from all over the region rumbles through the concrete gate and parks on the weighing machine.
Cresencio Ortiz, wearing a belt buckle engraved with a fighting rooster, is waiting for them.
The 71-year-old flashes a big smile when a farmer approaches. Ortiz pulls out a thick wad of bills and begins peeling. In one minute, he becomes the owner of the chilies loaded in a truck.
Ortiz, a father of seven, is the middleman, buying the chilies from the farmers and then selling them to merchants or millers. He works at the dryer, which has 120 clients, some with two acres of chili and others with more than 100 acres.
It's high season on this September morning, and the 15 dryers in the Ojo Caliente region are in full swing. Men dash from one chili mound to another, comparing prices and quality. Threatening rain clouds make things more urgent, with workers yelling to get out the tarps to cover the chilies on the ground.
Drying season in Zacatecas has its rituals. It is a man's world. Middlemen from all over the state who haven't seen one another in eight months are happy to be reunited. They play cards to pass the time while the chilies dry. They share a smoke, sometimes a beer. They talk about their children, their grandchildren.
The dryers all look alike at first glance – concrete courtyards, some the size of football fields, surrounded by giant walls. What happens behind the walls depends on one important thing – where the chili is headed.
Chili heading directly to the United States or to Mexican companies with huge sales typically are cleaned thoroughly, inspected individually and packed into clean boxes. But tours of five dryers in Zacatecas revealed something quite different for chilies destined for small- time operators or local markets. They didn't get inspected individually. They didn't get packed into clean boxes. And they certainly didn't get washed.
It's cold at the dryer outside Ojo Caliente on this morning, but the men keep warm near the 10-foot tunnels where hot air blasts over the chilies for 24 hours, sending a delicious smell into the air. Officials at the dryers say the machines are powered by unleaded diesel or natural gas, not leaded gas.
When the chilies emerge on the racks, they are dried a deep, rusty red. The men spread the chilies on the concrete. They put the nice- looking chilies in one bunch and the bruised in another. The chilies often stay on the ground for 24 hours.
They shovel the chilies into sacks. Then the workers, wearing their boots, climb into the sacks and stomp to pack them tight.
"Sure, it's not very clean," Ortiz said. "But you won't eat it like that. You'll clean them first."
Ortiz echoes a common sentiment in Mexico, where the burden of clean produce falls to the consumer. Antibacterial solution is sold alongside fruits and vegetables in markets across the country.
At this dryer, dirt clings to some of Ortiz's dried chilies, as well as to chilies in dozens of other piles.
Two of Ortiz's whole guajillos from the dryer were tested at a laboratory. One came up clean, another had 0.5 ppm lead.
The California guideline for lead in candy is 0.2 ppm. The FDA guideline for lead in most food is 0.25 ppm, but there is no standard for chili or other spices. However, Richard Jacobs, a specialist at the FDA who has investigated lead in candy for years, said lead in food ingredients should not exceed 0.1 ppm.
Of three other whole guajillos from different dryers, two tested positive for lead.
On 18 additional guajillo samples, the laboratory rinsed the chilies and tested the runoff to determine whether dirt clinging to the chilies might be the source of lead. Four samples of the runoff contained lead.
It's the beginning of a problem that will get worse by the time the chilies leave the mill.
Ortiz and other middlemen have a big job ahead of them once they get the chilies out of the dryers. They'll pile the chilies into trucks and crisscross the country, going as far as Mexico City, 300 miles away. They have to find a buyer.
One of their first stops likely will be an hour away, in Aguascalientes, the capital of one of Mexico's smallest states, where Jesus Gonzalez works.
Gonzalez works in the heart of the agricultural market, one of Mexico's biggest. It's a city unto itself, complete with street names and restaurants.
A typical weekday finds hundreds of produce trucks zooming through the parking lots, where traffic laws mean nothing. Men with slabs of beef draped across their shoulders like capes hurry to the butcher. Women bustle past, their bags brimming with chilies. Drivers honk in frustration at merchants who dash across the street without looking.
They all have somewhere to be, something to buy or something to sell. There is a sense of purpose, excitement. A big-city excitement.
Gonzalez drives into this chaos every day to get to the four chili stores he owns.
He is a devout Roman Catholic. Portraits of saints hang in his stores. During the Cristero war in the 1920s, when an anti-church government clashed with the Catholic Church, villagers were relocated to big cities. Gonzalez's family was moved from a small village in Jalisco to Aguascalientes.
Some say he has money, but he doesn't put on airs. He drives a rusty pickup and wears rumpled clothes. His nieces and nephews who work for him say he's like a father to them.
His clients include small stores run by mothers in their neighborhoods and restaurant owners. Gonzalez has sold to candy companies in the past. He also relies on opportunities. When bigger companies face a shortage from their chili suppliers, they come to him and other chili sellers to fill the gap.
Gonzalez doesn't just sell whole, dried chilies. He's also a miller, the only one in the market who mills year- round.
His mill is in a middle- class neighborhood near the market, behind a black metal gate. A house is at the entrance. Fighting roosters crow in wire cages near the back next to bags of chili that have been in storage for two years.
Three workers spend their days pouring chilies into one mill. They don't wear masks or gloves. And, like scores of other millers in Mexico, they don't clean the chilies before they are ground.
More than dirt gets into the bags. A 110-pound bag of dried guajillo goes for about $130. Because middlemen and farmers get paid by the pound, they sometimes weigh down the bags, interviews with at least a dozen chili workers showed.
Mills screen out some debris with visual inspections and magnets. When Roberto Reynoso, a worker at Gonzalez's mill, is asked about impurities in the chili, he pulls out a car-battery connector, rocks, ball bearings and other debris that he found in the bags. Reynoso estimates that eight of 10 bags that come to the mill contain junk.
Because the bags aren't labeled and can sit in a warehouse for years before the chilies get milled, it is impossible to trace them to the farm or middleman when a problem is discovered.
The mills' screens don't catch everything. Sometimes nails, rocks and dirt get ground up with the chili. And the mill itself can be a problem, especially if it has parts soldered together with lead. Over time, parts of the mill get ground up with the chili. The Register tested four chili-powder samples from Gonzalez's mill – three guajillo and one chile de arbol – and all contained dangerous levels of lead, ranging from 0.3 ppm to 1.3 ppm.
The Register toured five mills in Mexico and tested 25 chili-powder samples bought from major agricultural markets in four states – Zacatecas, Aguascalientes, Jalisco and Michoacán. Some candy companies go to these markets to buy chili in bulk.
Twenty-three of 25 chili-powder samples tested positive for lead, ranging from 0.3 ppm lead to 4 ppm.
At 3 ppm, a child would only need to eat 2 grams, less than half a teaspoon, of chili to exceed the daily maximum lead level considered safe. In some cases, that would be just one lollipop or one candy packed in a clay pot, a common container for sticky Mexican candy.
Gonzalez didn't blink when told about the lead in his chili powder. He pointed out that the mill has a magnet, which catches metal, although it doesn't attract lead.
He said the cost would be great to clean the chili and label every bag. Every peso counts.
"What else can I do?" he asked.
"It is very common for people who sell bulk commodity to throw in dirt, rocks, depending on what the commodity is, so that they increase their profit margin by a few percent," said Stephen Rothenberg, senior medical researcher in Mexico who studies lead issues.
"What is surprising to me is that they are not washing the chili right before they mill it," Rothenberg said.
Mexican candy makers, however, weren't surprised.
"It's really dirty, dirty, dirty," said Maria de la Luz Garcia Cortes, whose family runs Fabrica de Dulces Cisne, a candy company in Morelia that has 40 employees. She said her company is careful to make sure the ingredients used are pure, and she won't let her children eat candy with chili unless she knows where it is from. "It has rats. They don't check it," she said. "You don't know how it is made."
Javier Arroyo of Mexican candy company Grupo Lorena, which uses sterilized chili for its products, said: "If you have dirty chili, you have lead." A Register analysis showed that at least 79 percent of the Mexican candies testing high for lead in U.S. and California laboratories contained chili as a main ingredient. Eliminating lead shouldn't be that difficult, experts say. "I assume that if the soil attached to the chili was washed off, it should reduce the lead in chili powder by at least an order of magnitude," said Jon Ericson, a University of California, Irvine, environmental scientist who has studied lead poisoning among children in Tijuana.
Mexican government officials initially denied there were problems with chili powder.
"I don't believe it," said Jesus Gonzalez Najera, a government agricultural official in Zacatecas who helps farmers with subsidies.
But when told about the Register test results, Gonzalez Najera became concerned and vowed to look into the matter.
"We have to see what the problem is. There must be something in the milling process that is happening," he said. "What is the cause? This sounds very bad."
Jose Luis Flores, a federal health director in Mexico, also was taken aback by the findings. He wondered if chilies dried in the sun were picking up dirt or if food coloring containing lead was being used in chili powder.
"When you tell me this, I say, 'Oh, goodness,' " Flores said. "Imagine how worried I am now."
In California, officials with the Department of Health Services initially said they couldn't act on tainted chili because they can't collect samples in Mexico.
But in an interview in February, they promised to work with Mexican officials.
"We know that some of these lead sources are in the ingredients, but that is important information to share with the Mexican officials so that as those assessments of risk factors are conducted the proper action can be taken," said Kevin Reilly, the state's deputy director of prevention services.
"I think that's valuable information, absolutely, and it should go into working with the … manufacturers in Mexico on how to eliminate that as a potential source."
Although the FDA has suspected chili as a source of lead, U.S. officials also were surprised by the Register's high lead results in chili.
"If you have some good data that would help us along, that is one good thing that we would see from what you're doing," said Terry Troxell, director of the FDA's Office of Plant and Dairy Foods and Beverages. "We've looked at quite a few candy samples over the last few years, and most of the levels are below 0.25, and so I guess I'm a little surprised that you're seeing 4 parts per million in chili." The FDA issued an April 9 warning about Mexican candy, citing problems with chili powder. The move came weeks after the Register asked the agency why it hadn't done more about the candy ingredient.
Not all chili milled in Mexico is contaminated. At a chili mill in an industrial neighborhood in Guadalajara, about three hours from Aguascalientes, things are done a bit differently.
The chili here isn't just cleaned, it's sprayed with chlorinated water. It doesn't touch the floor. Workers wear hairnets and aprons.
It is ground in sterile, stainless-steel mills that cost $15,000 each – more than seven times what some smaller milling operations pay for their equipment. Plastic curtains surround the mills to prevent dust from sifting in. The chili leaves this building in labeled bags, so if there is a problem, the chili can be traced. Then, it is sent to a laboratory in Mexico City to be screened for lead, bacteria and other problems.
This isn't just any chili. It's chili going into candy headed for the United States. But that doesn't stop the lead-laced candy from ending up in the hands of Orange County children.


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Antique Styled Magnificent Wood Patio Chair by Benzara
- Wood Patio Chair Dimensions (inches): L 26 x W 26 x H 41
- Made of quality wood
- Durable construction
Bring home this wonderful Wood Patio chair that will render you soft and comfortable seating. Made of quality wood this chair is sure to last for long. The wood patio chair is antique styled and features striking color palette, sturdy legs and style peeling off texture that add to its beauty. Uniquely patterned this wood patio chair shall assist you in adorning furniture set up while adding charm to the room space. The wood patio chair shall catch hold eyes of many and be talk of the town. The wood patio chair can also be added to government set ups or similar other spaces to make your guests feel the comfort and praise you. Unique styled this wood patio chair shall go well with all kinds of interiors. This wood patio chair is worth owning. Did you get one?
|Assembly Required


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Acne Scars + Fractional Laser
Difference Between Fractional and CO2 Lasers?
Is a Fractional non-ablative laser different than a CO2 ablative laser? Is one of these methods the best for treating acne scars? How long does the... READ MORE
Fractional Co2 Laser for Acne Scars on Asian Skin?
I'm a Filipina woman with deep acne scars. A dermatologist recommended a light Fractional CO2. I was told new CO2s are safer. I was... READ MORE
What's the Difference Between Fractional and Yag Laser?
I have ice pick acne scars. I went for a free consultation and they said I would receive Fractional laser therapy. Later on I went to their... READ MORE
How Permanent Are Co2 Laser Effects on Scars?
Hello, I'm curious, are effects achieved by fractional co2 laser treatment are permanent? I'm aware that time does it's job for skin quality but how... READ MORE
Fractional CO2 Laser Resurfacing Collagen Remodelling?
I have a severe acne scar and to remove it, I have done a fractional CO2 laser resurfacing 1 month ago. However, I did not see any dramatic... READ MORE
Fractional Laser for indented acne scars?
I would like to know if any doctors have used this treatment for scars & if you did, were your patients happy with the results? I read a few had it... READ MORE
Best Fractional Laser Face Resurfacing for Acne Scars? (photo)
I am 22 and have some mild acne scarring (ice pick scarring and light red spots). I have tried peels (Vi peel, salicylic acid, TCA, etc.) mild lasers... READ MORE
Fractional Co2 Laser Treatment For Acne Scars?
I had fractional Co2 laser treatment for my acne scars 1 month and 1/2 after i was done from my roacutaine treatment. At the time I was having the... READ MORE
No Improvement to Acne Scar After Fractional CO2?
Hello Doctor..I am 3 weeks POST fractional CO2 but do not find any improvement in my acne scars on face. Is this normal? I am scared all my hard... READ MORE
I Have Done Full Face Fractional CO2 Laser Resurfacing 1 Month Back. My Redness is Gone.But I Can See More Scars on Face Now?
Acne Scars READ MORE
Is it possible to heal or fix acne scars completely? What is the best result I can expect from Fractional CO2 Laser Resurfacing?
I have a very severe acne scars, I am sorry for not being able to provide any photos. I have done 3 treatments of fractional CO2 laser resurfacing so... READ MORE
I'm Not Sold on Fractionated CO2 Being Better for Acne Scarring, Opinion?
A continuous wave CO2 laser removes the epidermis and deposits a lot of heat into the dermis. The after pictures prove this a great thing. It's... READ MORE
Smoking 2 Cigarettes After the 3th Treatment?
I had 3 fractional treatments for acne scarring yet. Normally I doesnt smoking but i was on a party and smoked 2 cigarettes. May it be bad for the... READ MORE
How Permanent Laser Effects Are?
Hello. Dear Doctors, tell me please, does fractional (ablative) co2 laser remove scars (from acne in my case) permanently? I'm asking because I've... READ MORE
Fractional Laser Vs Skin Needling for Boxcar, Rolling and Icepick Acne Scars? (photo)
Want to understand punch elevation, laser, skin needling and microdermabration which best to which kind of scares boxcar, rolling scars and icepick... READ MORE
Fractional Co2 vs. Fraxel Duel 1550/1927. Which Is Recommended For Acne Scars on Indian Skin? (photo)
Hi...My am Suvendu from India.I have mild acne scars on my cheeks.For this I want to do laser treatment.What kind of laser is best for Indian darker... READ MORE
Fractional CO2 Laser for Red Marks and Acne Scars?
Next month, I am going to have a Fractional CO2 laser procedure its been now 6 months since i finished Accutane and my acne is under control but a lot... READ MORE
What Can I Do for Redness/PIH/dry/pores Enlarge/blackhead and Whitehead? (photo)
Hey Doctors. I had mild acne scars since i had acne last August 2010. I started taking Acnotin/Roaccutane on last September 2010 n stopped end of May... READ MORE


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Proceeds will benefit OASIS Central Minnesota
When the OASIS Central Minnesota Board asked Karen Warner, adviser of the Little Falls Community High School (LFCHS) Art Club to collaborate with them for an Empty Bowls fundraising event, she responded with a resounding "Yes."
The LFCHS Art Club had participated two years ago with another organization and the students were excited to do it again. The Art Club spent an entire Saturday in November and participated in a Throw-a-thon making 200 bowls for the event. Youth As Resources (YAR), which is an organization of high school students as well, donated the money to the Art Club for the clay and glaze.
In December, the entire community was invited to glaze the bowls which took place at the Great River Arts Center. The Great River Arts Association donated not only the space but glaze for the bowls as well.
OASIS Central Minnesota (formerly OASIS/Share a Meal) has been around since 1989, providing free weekly meals every Thursday evening at 6 p.m. held at First Lutheran Church and also organizing the Paint-A-Thon in Morrison County which takes place the first Saturday of August. OASIS brings together people from all over Morrison County to volunteer with both of these programs. Thousands of meals have been served and more than 200 homes have been painted during the last 20 plus years since OASIS was formed.
The Empty Bowls Dinner will take place Sunday, Jan. 29, from 11 a.m. – 2 p.m. at First United Church in Little Falls, located at 1000 First St. S.E. Several soups donated from local restaurants will be available along with bread, dessert and a beverage included with the meal. Everyone will be able to choose their own bowl which they can then take home after the meal.
Several local artists have donated their art to be a part of a silent auction which will be available from 11 a.m. – 2 p.m. as well.
During the meal musical entertainment will be provided. The price of the meal along with a handmade ceramic bowl is $10. For children ages 6-10 the price is $5 and children 5 and under eat for free. All proceeds will benefit the programs of OASIS Central Minnesota.
Collaborating with the OASIS Board making the bowls and the meal, were Warner and the LFCHS Art Club, Mary Kenna and Youth As Resources and Cynthia French and GRAA. Many local businesses also donated food items for the meal.
Artists donating items to the silent auction during the fundraiser are Dennis Myers, Matt Krousey, Susan Beyer, Ester San Felippo, Stacy Ziegler and Steve Olson.
For more information about the Empty Bowls, call Tim Poland, executive director of OASIS Central Minnesota at (320) 632-9140.


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CREENFIELD PARK, N.Y (Jun. 28)
The annual convention of Young Israel concluded here last night after adopting a resolution calling for the establish-vent of a Young Israel center in Tel Aviv to strengthen the movement in Israel.
Another resolution approved by the convention delegates urged the strength- eating of Orthodoxy in the United States by setting up chapters of the organization in various U.S. universities. The convention also decided to join in a proposed investigation of alleged high prices in the sale or kosher meats. Eli Stein was re-elected president of the Nation Council of Young Israel.


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Yellow Medicine County defendant, 21, to serve 60 months
GRANITE FALLS -- A defendant with a criminal history including an aggravated robbery conviction will be serving 60 months in prison after pleading guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm.
Charles Adam Howell, 21, of Granite Falls, received the sentence during a hearing June 29, the Yellow Medicine County attorney's office reported.
Howell was originally charged for an incident March 16, 2009, according to prosecutor Mark Gruman with the county attorney's office.


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SERIES:: Circularity (tm) Series
SIZE:: TBD (contact artist)
MEDIUM:: acrylic painting
GROUND:: stretched canvas
COLORS:: blue, purple (or just blue)
WIRING:: wired and ready to hang
AVAILABILITY:: by commission (approximately 2 weeks per panel to ship)
SHIPPING METHOD:: Fedex Ground, insured, signature required for release
SHIPPING COST:: FREE in US
Sales of commissioned pieces are final
Original and handpainted. Textured in my signature Rosettes-On-Squares ™ motif - my signature series inspired by the works of Wassily Kandinksy, Werner Panton and Ray and Charles Eames. Wired and ready to hang with black sides for a sleek contemporary framed look. Perfect for home or office.
Available by commission – other colors, sizes available. Painting will be completed and shipped in approximately 2 weeks after payment is made. Please contact me.
Artist retains all copyrights to painting and its images – images are not to be copied or otherwise used without artist's written permission.
www.artbyhiromi.com ~ Original modern art paintings. Contemporary art for home and office. Abstracts, landscapes, florals, zen and asian-inspired pieces, paintings with texture, mixed media and acrylics. All waiting to join your life and bring a smile to your face. Feng shui-compliant. ;) Add color to your life.


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9月 12, 2014 合計視聴数:: 5197 今日は: 1 ★★★★
Hotel Benidorm Mexico City, Providing easy access to popular Mexico City attractions, including the vibrant Zona Rosa, this hotel features spacious accommodations and many exceptional on-site facilities. With the city's metro stations only a short walk from Hotel Benidorm, the World Trade Center, Telmex Cultural Center and the silver and craft market, La Ciudadela, are easily accessible. A number of shopping centers and local restaurants are also only moments away. While staying at the Benidorm, guests can enjoy delicious meals at the on-site Mesón del Monje restaurant. The hotel also features a lobby piano bar along with a gift shop. (Hotel Benidorm Mexico City hotels 予約).


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McGuinty Government Leads Largest Ever Emergency Exercise TORONTO, Nov. 10 /CNW/ - NEWS Ontario will test its ability to respond to a disaster by participating in the largest emergency response exercise held in recent history. Exercise Trillium Response will involve all levels of government and will simulate a massive ice storm in the northwestern area of the province, similar in scope to the one that devastated eastern Ontario and Québec in 1998. The exercise will take place in Thunder Bay and area between November 17 and 23. More than 1,500 participants from the Ontario and Canadian government, 25 municipalities and three First Nations communities, the province of Manitoba and non-government organizations, will participate. A fleet of specialized equipment and tactical teams will be deployed in the exercise including: - The Emergency Medical Assistance Team (EMAT) (http://webx.newswire.ca/click/?id=6f96f7a0225280a) - Emergency Management Ontario (EMO)'s Mobile Emergency Operations Centre or Mobile 1 (http://webx.newswire.ca/click/?id=11324177eed56ce) - 1,000 members of the Canadian Forces (http://www.canadacom.forces.gc.ca/site/org-org-eng.asp), dozens of specialized army vehicles, naval craft and a Boeing CC-177, the military's newest heavy transport aircraft. EMO and the Canadian Forces are jointly leading exercise Trillium Response. QUOTES "Being prepared will help save lives and lessen the economic impact of a disaster and will allow Ontario to recover more quickly after an emergency," said Community Safety and Correctional Services Minister Rick Bartolucci (http://www.mcscs.jus.gov.on.ca/english/about_min/bio.html). "This exercise will build on our existing expertise and uncover areas that may need improvement." "It is crucial for the region to be well prepared for emergencies as the Thunder Bay area provides key strategic transportation linkages between western and eastern Canada," said Northern Development and Mines Minister Michael Gravelle (http://www.mndm.gov.on.ca/about/executives_e.asp). QUICK FACTS - The Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care's EMAT is a mobile 56-bed medical field unit that can be driven anywhere in Ontario within 24 hours. LEARN MORE Read about exercise Trillium Response and emergency management in Ontario. ------------------------------------------------------------------------- ontario.ca/safety-news Disponible en français BACKGROUNDER ------------------------------------------------------------------------ TRILLIUM RESPONSE 2008 Trillium Response is a multi-jurisdictional disaster response exercise developed by Emergency Management Ontario (EMO) and the Canadian Forces. It will simulate a large-scale ice storm taking place in northwestern Ontario starting on November 17 and escalating over the following week. The exercise will test the province's ability to respond to a full-scale emergency. Exercise Trillium Response will draw on the expertise of more than 1,500 participants from the provincial and federal governments, 25 municipalities and three First Nations communities, the province of Manitoba and non-governmental organizations. This includes 1,000 members of the Canadian Forces. SUPPORT FOR TRILLIUM RESPONSE "One of Canada Command's primary roles is providing civil and humanitarian aid in times of disaster," said Commander of Joint Task Force Central Brigadier-General John Collin. "The Canadian Forces will assist the province for this exercise because on any given day, we stand ready to help Canadians in times of need." "We are pleased to be the host city for this exercise," said Thunder Bay Mayor Lynn Peterson. "As the regional hub, it is essential that Thunder Bay and surrounding communities be prepared for all types of emergency situations. The coming exercise will be a highly beneficial test of our resources and skills in the event of a real disaster." "We are all about being well prepared," said Chief of Emergency Management Ontario Dan Hefkey. "Working with a range of local and federal agencies in exercises like Trillium Response helps us all to learn valuable lessons. Ontarians expect the people who manage emergencies to do everything to be well prepared. We are meeting that expectation with this exercise." PROVINCIAL INVOLVEMENT IN TRILLIUM RESPONSE Emergency Management Ontario EMO is a branch of the Ministry of Community Safety and Correctional Services. Through effective partnerships, it leads the coordination, development and implementation of prevention, mitigation, preparedness, response and recovery strategies to maximize the safety and security of Ontarians. Mobile 1 EMO's Mobile Emergency Operations Centre, or Mobile 1, is a state-of-the art mobile emergency response vehicle equipped with communications and support equipment. Mobile 1 can provide communities with a mobile facility for the coordination of local response efforts. In addition, it can supply power and full communications support to a municipal or ministry Emergency Operations Centre or Emergency Information Centre in the event that conventional communications are not available. Provincial Emergency Operations Centre Located in Toronto and staffed at all times, the Provincial Emergency Operations Centre (PEOC) continually monitors emerging and ongoing situations inside and outside of Ontario. This ensures key decision-makers and provincial resources (http://webx.newswire.ca/click/?id=11324177eed56ce) are able to respond as quickly as possible. The key function of the PEOC is to coordinate the Ontario government response to major emergencies, including providing a single point of contact for municipalities and First Nations for provincial emergency assistance. Office of the Fire Marshal The Office of the Fire Marshal (http://www.ofm.gov.on.ca/english/default.asp) (OFM) provides assistance to Ontario fire services for large-scale events and emergencies involving chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear, explosive (CBRNE), hazardous materials (HAZMAT) and Heavy Urban Search and Rescue (HUSAR). It assists fire service leaders in risk management and decision-making. A key component of the overall Trillium Response exercise, Trillium Assist, is coordinated by the OFM and will involve elements of its CBRNE, HAZMAT and HUSAR programs. The OFM's Mobile Satellite/Operational Support Unit provides state-of-the-art satellite and related communications, real-time research and other support capabilities and will take part. Ontario Provincial Police's Provincial Emergency Response Team The Provincial Emergency Response Team (PERT) consists of 28 highly trained officers prepared to respond to chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear and explosive threats and urban search and rescue incidents. The team also provides support to other specialized Ontario Provincial Police units. PERT assists other provincial and municipal agencies, such as the OFM, in emergency planning and mitigation for large-scale disasters and major events. Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care's Emergency Medical Assistance Team Ontario's Emergency Medical Assistance Team consists of a self-sufficient 56-bed acute and intermediate care mobile field unit. It provides support when the health-care system in a community is overwhelmed in a local emergency, and can be dispatched within 24 hours anywhere in Ontario with road access. EMAT is staffed by a group of volunteer emergency medical professionals who are specifically trained to respond to major health emergencies. The team operates with its own medical equipment and supplies, a communications centre, electricity and water. The EMAT is funded by the province and deployed at the request of the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care. EMAT is operated by Ornge, a charitable organization that operates one of the largest and most sophisticated programs of transport medicine in North America. Ornge performs approximately 18,000 admissions annually and coordinates all aspects of Ontario's aero medical transport system, the new critical care land transport program, and the authorization of air and land ambulance transfers between hospitals. Ornge is dedicated to the provision of high quality patient care through innovative transport medicine. FEDERAL PARTICIPATION The Canadian Forces, through Canada Command, provides civil and humanitarian assistance to Canadians when requested by civil authorities. For Trillium Response, the Canadian Forces is providing 1,000 soldiers, sailors, airmen and airwomen to assist provincial authorities in dealing with the exercise disaster. The Canadian Forces is also providing military facilities, vehicles, specialized medical and communications equipment and a CC-177 Globemaster transport airplane to assist in this exercise. Personnel will come from Canadian Forces Base Petawawa, and from Reserve garrisons and bases across Ontario. MUNICIPAL, FIRST NATIONS AND OTHER STAKEHOLDER PARTICIPATION Municipalities across northwestern Ontario are taking part in the exercise. Participation varies from full field activities in Thunder Bay and Shuniah to tabletop and command post exercises in most other communities. The Aroland, Constance Lake and Rocky Bay First Nations are also taking part in Trillium Response. Non-governmental organizations, such as the Salvation Army, the Canadian Red Cross and St. John Ambulance, are also playing a key role in the exercise; they will be involved in food distribution, coordinating services to evacuees and providing first aid. Confederation College in Thunder Bay is also participating by providing audio-visual support to the exercise and the involvement of students in different exercise components such as casualty simulations and mock media coverage. Ontario's emergency Supply Chain and Logistics Coordination Alliance includes experts from EMO, private sector firms and organizations and federal departments such as Public Safety Canada and the Department of National Defence. In the event of a disaster, private sector representatives will join public sector officials at the Provincial Emergency Operations Centre. They would provide technical advice on procurement and distribution issues and reach out to private firms to assist with emergency acquisition, transportation and distribution of essential goods and products. INDIVIDUAL AND FAMILY EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS All Ontario households should have an emergency preparedness kit that will allow families to be self-sufficient for the first 72 hours of an emergency. The kit should contain supplies which consider the specific requirements of every family member, including those with disabilities, special needs, children, seniors and pets. FOR MORE INFORMATION Learn more about preparing a family emergency survival kit (http://webx.newswire.ca/click/?id=88bbef0061929ab). ------------------------------------------------------------------------- ontario.ca/safety-news Disponible en français FACT SHEET ------------------------------------------------------------------------- PARTICIPANTS IN EXERCISE TRILLIUM RESPONSE 2008 Trillium Response 2008 involves more than 1,500 participants from 40 different organizations including provincial ministries, federal departments, the Canadian Forces, municipalities and non-governmental organizations. It was developed jointly by Emergency Management Ontario and the Canadian Forces. PROVINCIAL PARTNERS The following provincial ministries and agencies are taking part in the exercise: - Ministry of Community Safety and Correctional Services - Emergency Management Ontario - Ontario Provincial Police - Office of the Fire Marshal - Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care - Emergency Medical Assistance Team - Ministry of Natural Resources - Ministry of Labour - Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing - Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure - Ministry of the Environment - Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs - Ministry of Aboriginal Affairs - Ministry of Northern Development and Mines - Ministry of Transportation. In addition, the province of Manitoba is also taking part in the exercise, including its provincial Heavy Urban Search and Rescue team and emergency management organization. FEDERAL PARTNERS The following federal departments and agencies are involved in the exercise: - The Department of National Defence and the Canadian Forces through its Ontario-based Joint Task Force Central - Public Safety Canada - Canadian Coast Guard - Environment Canada. MUNICIPAL AND FIRST NATIONS PARTNERS - City of Thunder Bay - Rainy River District (Rainy River, Lake of the Woods, Dawson, Emo, La Valle, Chapple, Alberton, Morley - share a joint emergency operations centre) - Town of Atikokan - Township of Conmee - Township of Fort Frances - City of Kenora - Town of Machin - Town of Manitouwadge - Town of Marathon - Township of Neebing - Townships of Nipigon, Red Rock and Dorion (joint exercise) - Township of Oliver Paipoonge - Township of Pickle Lake - Township of Shuniah - Aroland First Nation - Constance Lake First Nation - Rocky Bay First Nation. OTHER PARTNERS Non-governmental organizations and other participants in Trillium Response include: - Canadian Red Cross - St. John Ambulance - Salvation Army - Confederation College - Thunder Bay Port Authority - Thunder Bay Airport Authority - Supply Chain and Logistics Coordination Alliance. ------------------------------------------------------------------------- ontario.ca/safety-news Disponible en français
For further information:
For further information: Laura Blondeau, Minister's Office, (416) 325-4973; Patrice Cloutier, Communications Branch, (416) 326-9195
Ontario Ministry of Community Safety and Correctional Services
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I used to suck Snotface 1 child; Storybrooke, ME, United States 34026 postsJan 15th '13
And I'm not trying to be cocky or anything of the sort, but I can really see how I've progressed in my jewelry making.
I made these in the past couple of days :)
These and SO much more is available on my FB page and some are in my Etsy shop as well. The links to both places can be found on my profile here. DOn't forget to 'like' the page if you haven't yet 8) :wink:
Thanks for looking! :D
Jan 15th '13
Quoting LeTs*StArT*a*RiOt!:" OMG that stuff is gorgeous!! I'm so tempted to buy something when I get some cash! (although I want something NOW lol) Do you do custom jewelry?? "
Awe, thanks! :D I absolutely do.
Jan 15th '13
Quoting LeTs*StArT*a*RiOt!:" DD's almost 18 months, and when she turns 2, I really want a charm bracelet or a necklace with pics ... [snip!] ... and princess stuff on it between the pics. I hope I described that ok... do you think something like that would be possible??"
It's certainly possible.
Jan 15th '13
Quoting LeTs*StArT*a*RiOt!:" Then when it gets closer to that time, I am definitely going to be messaging you about pricing! :D By the way, those blue-ish dangly earrings are beautiful."
Alright, I'll be here. Thanks!