text:
Once a month, a boat brings provisions to a tiny Pacific atoll called Marutea in the outlying southeastern portion of French Polynesia, better known as Tahiti. This is the only contact with the outside world the island�s 50 or so inhabitants have.
That�s because the island is private property, bought by Hong Kong businessman Robert Wan in 1986 from Frenchman Jean-Claude Brouillet. How did Brouillet come into possession of a South Sea island in the first place?
The Polynesian government sold Marutea to Brouillet in 1974 on the condition that he start an industry there. Brouillet chose pearl farming. Every August since 1976, workers at the island�s lagoon fishery have harvested, on average, some 25,000 wearable natural black cultured pearls that when round range in size from 9 to 13mm, and are occasionally as large as 16mm.
Marutea�s pearl crop is a significant share of the world�s annual black pearl production, perhaps 40 percent. And Wan owns at least one other farm as large as the one he bought from Brouillet and controlling interests in a few more sprinkled throughout Polynesia.
The Marutea black pearl farm is the best-known of the dozens of large and small South Seas black pearl culturing ventures, most of them found in Tahiti (hence the name, Tahitian cultured pearl). Marutea, like most island pearl farm operations, is remote, located 1,000 miles from Papeete, the capital of Tahiti. Here Marutea�s black beauties are flown, a seven-hour trip by small plane, after harvesting and grading, to be handed over to their American and European distributors.
With at least 50 percent of total cultured black pearl production coming from Wan-owned or Wan-controlled farms, the market has little to fear in the way of turbulence. The only threats are from nature.
But except for hurricanes and such, things are just as you�d expect them in the South Seas: smooth and tranquil.


text:
List & Earn Rs.250* extra.
Accedere Printed Back Cover For Micromax Canvas 5 E481
Cash on Delivery eligible.
Currently unavailable.
This item is currently not in stock.
This item is currently not in stock.
- Suitable For : Micromax Canvas 5 E481
- Material: Plastic
- Nature
- Type: Back Cover
- Waterproof
Product description
The Accedere Protective ProBack Case for Micromax Canvas 5 E481 is designed with the appropriate cutouts for the speaker, camera and other openings to provide the best performance both in functionality and safety. Slim polycarbonate back cover protects from bumps & drops or damages to the phone. Furthermore the back case gives you a nice grip and the case is precision moulded with no seams or sharp edges.
Customer reviews
There are no customer reviews yet.
|5 star
|4 star
|3 star
|2 star
|1 star

subset: commoncrawl


text:
I am looking for a new helmet. I have a 99 R1200RT and enjoy a quiet ride.
I am considering whether to go with a modular helmet like I have now or whether to use a full face helmet. I have researched on the web and find the following:
Modular Helmet advangages:
The sun shield sees like a good idea. Does it work better than a tinted shield would on a full face helmet.
My HJC allows me to put the helmet on without taking off my glasses. Some reviewers claim that not to be the case with all flip helmets?
Full Face Advangages:
Weight. Does the extra weight of a flip helmet really matter?
Quiet: My 10 year old full face is still quieter than is my 5 yr. old HJC.
Venting: Do modern full face helmets flow enough air to allow the shield to be closed on a summer day.
Tinted Shield: I now have a BMW tankbag that holds almost anything. I could carry an extra shield and change as the sun sets. Wondering do the tinted shields offer enough advantage so that it would be comparable to a flip down shield on the Flip helmets?
Thank you


text:
Update: Q & A from the webcast is available here. I'm still working on getting the source code posted. If you missed this webcast, you can view it on demand from this page.
I'll be giving a webcast that describes how to deploy an embedded database using Visual Studio 2005 ClickOnce technology. The webcast will be at 1 PM Pacific time on Friday 5/12. You can register for the webcast here.
I hope you have a chance to log in.
Mike Wachal
SQL Express team


text:
Our pals over at The Basketball Jones were down in Orlando for All-Star weekend doing their goofy NBA thing, making the league's players come off as a very likable bunch of dudes. This holds true for Andre Iguodala, who the TBJ crew interviewed for their segment about NBA players writing their own headlines.
Dre's is simple. He just wants you to say his damn name properly.
Andre's bit comes in at about the 2:00 minute mark. He also had a solid answer to the question of which teammate's couch he would sleep on ala Jeremy Lin.


text:
Friday, August 29, 2008
We're going to Vietnam!
Here we come! Mommy and Daddy are coming to get you in a little over a week. We can't wait to meet you!!!
I know I haven't posted here in a while, but we had quite a roller coaster of a summer waiting for our I-600A (U.S. immigration) approval. In the end, we ended up with more information about our son's birthfamily, which is a good thing. But the long wait, combined with the worry and anxiety caused by the bumps in the road, was more than I could handle some days. But on Day 78, we finally got approval from USCIS.
I thought I would learn via email. For weeks I have been sleeping with my computer right by my bed, checking it before I go to sleep and as soon as I wake up. But this morning at 6:38 a.m., our adoption coordinator called us with the news--we have to be in Vietnam by Sept 10 for our official court date to adopt Sam. (Sept. 10 is also Ed's mom's birthday.) The email had come at 2 in the morning.
We are hoping to see as much of the country as possible, so we're leaving a few days earlier than necessary and staying an extra day at the end. Believe it or not, we leave in one week! Yes, seven days. We have lots to do to get ready, but I'm happy to be rushing around. And our agency is helping us with so much. I have to say, they really have worked hard for us this whole time.
Our good news is bittersweet, though, as so many families in the Vietnam adoption community are getting bad news this week that their adoptions will not be completed. I pray that they persevere and find their children, wherever they are. We certainly didn't initially plan on a son from Vietnam. But now I just know that this little boy is meant to be ours. We also remember his birthmother today, as we have learned some of her story and it is sad. Some days we wish we could adopt her, too. But we are grateful to her for giving Sam life, and we hope to be parents she would be proud of.
Thank you to everyone we know (and many of you we do not) who have been praying and cheering for us. We plan to blog while in Vietnam and hope to be able to share pictures of our new family soon.
Friday, August 15, 2008
USA Today article on adoption
By Wendy Koch, USA TODAY
Markoff gave her a book she had made about her family in Manhattan. After daily visits for a week, Phan was laughing.
"I promised her I would be back," Markoff says. Although she and her husband, Scott, got approval from the Vietnamese government to adopt Phan one month before her visit, the U.S. government hasn't issued the necessary visa to bring Phan to New York.
Phan is still waiting.
Not so long ago, the Markoffs' adoption of Phan might not have been as complicated. But today, international adoptions are increasingly complex for Americans, a trend that is reducing the number of foreign children entering the United States and leading more prospective parents to look into adopting from U.S. foster care.
The face of adoption is being changed by a combination of factors, including more aggressive efforts worldwide to stop illegal child trafficking. As part of those efforts, the U.S. government is more closely scrutinizing requests for U.S. visas for foreign children.
At the same time, several nations that have sent many orphans to the USA — namely China, Russia and South Korea — have begun encouraging more domestic adoptions, and limiting foreign ones, as their economies improve.
As a result, a historic shift in foreign adoptions is underway.
Last year, China, Russia, South Korea and Guatemala — the big four in providing candidates for adoption here — accounted for 70% of the 19,292 children who entered the USA for adoption. Three years ago, those nations accounted for 79% of the 22,728 kids who came here for adoption.
Meanwhile, two African nations, Ethiopia and Liberia, are emerging as popular countries to adopt from, although the number of children they send here remains relatively small.
"This is very much a time of transition," says Michele Bond, deputy assistant secretary for Overseas Citizen Services at the State Department, which issues visas for children entering the USA.
The Hague Adoption Convention, which the U.S. began implementing in April, requires the 75 participating countries to take specific steps to ensure that kids have not been sold or stolen, and that adoptive parents are suitable. It urges countries to try to find domestic homes for its children before looking abroad.
Most child-welfare advocates welcome the initiative.
"It adds a full layer of protection to children, adoptive parents and birth parents," says Tom DiFilipo, president of the Joint Council on International Children's Services, an adoption advocacy group.
However, Diane Kunz, executive director of the Center for Adoption Policy, a research group, says the State Department sometimes is too quick to reject adoptions from nations not meeting the Hague guidelines. She cites Guatemala and Vietnam, which have been among the top 10 foreign sources for international adoptions in the USA.
The State Department, noting rising concerns about baby trafficking, has warned Americans against adopting from those countries. In response, Vietnam and Guatemala have stopped taking applications from Americans.
Kunz says the Hague treaty's strict standards, along with other countries' promotion of domestic adoptions, will cause a continuing decline in international adoptions by Americans, which boomed in the 1990s.
For thousands of U.S. children in foster care, the shift away from foreign adoptions could be a positive development, says Kathy Ledesma, acting project director of AdoptUSKids, a federally funded program that promotes adoptions of foster children.
About 129,000 of the estimated 510,000 children in foster care across the USA were eligible for adoption in 2006, according to the most recent federal data. About 50,000 were adopted that year, compared with 20,679 foreigners adopted by Americans. Children are placed in foster care because of neglect or abuse. The average age is 8; one-third are 3 or younger.
"Increasing numbers (of people interested in adoption) will turn to foster care," Ledesma says. Her program is receiving more calls from people wanting to become foster parents, often the first step toward adopting children in foster care.
However, for the Markoffs and others who have focused on adopting a foreign child, the tightening rules on international adoptions are frustrating.
Jodi and Scott Markoff have two biological sons, ages 7 and 10, but wanted a third child — a daughter. They send Phan packages of clothes and hair clips. They phone every week, often prompting Phan to ask through an interpreter: "Can you come as soon as possible?"
Jodi says Vietnamese families were given first priority to adopt Phan. Because none stepped forward, she doubts Phan would be adopted domestically. Jodi fears Phan is "losing her childhood" in the orphanage.
"This," Jodi says, "is an older child who understands time."
Boy 'does not deserve this'
Kristina Frick also is marking time. She and her husband, Maj. John Frick, a Special Forces officer who has served in Iraq, are waiting for a visa to adopt a Vietnamese baby they call Joshua.
"His room is done. We have everything — diapers, clothes," says Frick, a stay-at-home mom in Tampa. The Fricks have one child, a girl adopted three years ago from U.S. foster care.
Frick says Vietnam approved Joshua's adoption in November, when he was 2 months old, and as soon as she saw his photo, she fell in love with him.
"Children are born in your heart," she says. "It was as if I gave birth to him."
She worries about the crucial early months she's missing as he remains in an orphanage. "This little boy does not deserve this sentence," she says.
Rah Bickley says her 17-month-old son, Sam, who came to the USA in April, has developmental delays that she blames on the four extra months he spent in a Vietnamese facility while U.S. officials investigated.
She says she and her husband, John O'Brien, became dismayed by the U.S. inquiry.
"There was never proof" of irregularities, she says. "We felt betrayed by our own government."
In a stinging report in April, the State Department said Vietnam's adoption system was rife with corruption, baby-stealing and baby-buying.
The report "does not truly reflect the situation in Vietnam," says Cuong Nguyen, spokesman for Vietnam's embassy in Washington. He says Vietnam opposes baby-stealing and has taken steps to stop it, including the arrests of suspected traffickers.
Vietnam has made "significant progress," says DiFilipo, who has met with Vietnamese officials and toured the country to check on its work.
Vietnam has not agreed to the Hague treaty, so adoptions from there are governed by an agreement between it and the USA that expires Sept. 1. Vietnam stopped taking adoption applications from Americans on July 1.
The tougher rules surrounding international adoptions stem from "the world paying attention … in a way it hadn't before," says Adam Pertman, executive director of the Evan B. Donaldson Adoption Institute, a research group. Besides boosting adoptions from the U.S. foster care system, Pertman says the changes in international adoptions are likely to:
• Promote the adoptions of disabled children. Parents faced with long waits for healthy infants are more willing to consider older kids, such as Phan, or those with disabilities, Kunz says.
• Encourage adoptions from Africa. Adoption agencies report that U.S. families increasingly are asking about adopting children from Africa. Nancylyn Bigonesse, spokeswoman for the Gladney Center for Adoption in Texas, links that interest to changing racial attitudes in the USA and the celebrity effect of Angelina Jolie, who adopted a girl from Ethiopia, and Madonna, who adopted a boy from Malawi.
Bigonesse also notes that many churches are telling parishioners about the needs of orphans in Ethiopia and elsewhere in Africa.
David Pilgrim, vice president for adoption services at the Children's Home Society & Family Services, says families looking to adopt shouldn't lose hope, because millions of children worldwide need homes. "If you hang in there, you will be able to adopt," he says. "It may take longer, so give yourself more time."
'It was absolutely crushing'
Some families, fed up with waits and visa denials, are hiring attorneys. The Markoffs have turned to Lynda Zengerle, a partner at Steptoe & Johnson, a prominent law firm in Washington, D.C. She has helped several families get U.S. visas for Vietnamese children.
On June 16, the day the painters came to paint Phan's bedroom "misty lilac," the Markoffs got a letter from the U.S. government saying it intended to deny the adoption. It questioned whether Phan's father knew he was giving her up permanently.
"It was absolutely crushing," says Jodi Markoff, her voice cracking.
Zengerle arranged for a Vietnamese investigator to re-interview Phan's father. She says the interview makes clear the father understands his daughter could be adopted abroad. Zengerle says he left her at the orphanage in October after Phan's mother died and has not returned to visit.
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, which works with the State Department investigating prospective adoptions, cannot comment on a specific case because of privacy concerns, spokesman Bill Wright says.
"We're not insensitive to children and don't want to condemn them to orphanages," says the State Department's Bond.
At the same time, she says her office also doesn't want kids bought or stolen from their parents.
The Markoffs never expected their adoption to be denied, partly because Phan is older than most adoption candidates. The Markoffs have ordered furniture, bought clothes and checked out summer camps and kindergartens for Phan.
"She's part of our family," says Scott Markoff. He says their sons were nervous at first about Phan's adoption, then got excited — and now are confused.
He says Tyler, 10, told them: "I don't understand why it has to be so complicated. All we want to do is give someone a home."


text:
Aether Antiboss is an ultimate all-in-one anti-prying eyes solution. Not only does it merely hide your files, folders, programs, documents, windows, it doesn't leave a chance for anyone to know that something is being hidden!
Using Aether Antiboss you can make any particular software hidden on your computer and run it without revealing this fact to hostile parties.
With Aether Antiboss all hidden software is invisible on the disk, it cannot be found, viewed, deleted and run by anyone besides you. And there's no need to "unhide" or "unlock" hidden software first to be able to run it! It remains totally invisible but still is able to work!
How do you like the idea of having, for example, a chat program on your work computer and be sure that nobody can detect it, even if they will search for it throughout the hard disk? Even when they start your computer in Safe Mode?
Moreover, when your hidden software is running, you can completely hide and restore all its windows and even tray icons in just a second, with a single keypress! To run a hidden program, you also can use customizable hotkeys - and no additional windows will be shown.
Besides that, Aether Antiboss can completely hide any of your private documents and files! Just drag-n-drop the folder with these files and documents to the Aether Antiboss window and they all are hidden! Nobody will ever notice that they they exist on your disk! Aether Antiboss can hide individual files as well as whole folders with all their contents, including all subfolders!
Aether Antiboss has a nice skinned appearance, and the interface is convenient and intuitive. And it is sold for a very reasonable price. Just $25.
Aether Antiboss features (brief information)
* completely hides any of currently installed software on your disk
* hidden software can be run as usual without having to "unhide" it first
* when hidden software is running, it remains completely invisible on the disk
...and many more!
Keywords: antiboss, hide, files, folders, programs, windows, lock, invisible, hidden, secure, protect, guard, restrict, security, policy, access, control, parental, password, prying, eye, private,
Recent Changes: * New feature: Every program can now be hidden in memory!
It's total stealth, undetectable neither in Task Manager
nor with advanced process exploring tools!
* Bugfixes.
Install Support: Install and Uninstall
Supported Languages: English, Russian
Additional Requirements: Windows 2000, Windows XP, Windows 2003
PAD file URL: http://www.magpiesoft.com/pad/aa_pad.xml
Home | Featured | Submit | Link To Us | Contact Us | FAQ | About Us | Advertise | Sysop Login
Copyright © 2006-2017, by Soft93.com, All rights reserved. Privacy statement | Terms of use


text:
The ''Star Wars" movies are finally in the past. Let the roadshow begin.
With ''Star Wars -- Where Science Meets Imagination," Boston's Museum of Science has an exhibit that's the institutional equivalent of a US Treasury printing press in the basement. How are you going to coax people to come see Han Solo's costume, Luke Skywalker's landspeeder, Yoda in all his latex Muppet splendor? Better you should ask how you're going to keep them away.
Yet the show, which opens tomorrow in the Current Science & Technology Center on the second floor of the Museum's Red Wing and runs through April 30, is hardly the stretch last year's ''Lord of the Rings" exhibit was. That one, with its Hobbit costumes and eldritch swords, was fun for movie fans but awfully skimpy on the science, and it smelled of opportunism, if not prostitution of the museum's mission. With an estimated quarter of a million visitors trooping through to see a bunch of movie props, though, can you blame anyone for trying?
Named with happy exactitude, ''Where Science Meets Imagination" is a different galaxy entirely: A hugely enjoyable movie-memorabilia flea market that doubles as an eye-popping, hands-on tour along the leading edge of scientific breakthroughs. It's fun. You learn something. Best of all, the fun is in the learning.
For complete coverage of the ''Star Wars" exhibit at the Museum of Science, including Ty Burr's interview with George Lucas, visit www.boston.com/starwars
There are several elements to the exhibit, each better than the last, so making it all the way through is a little like successfully penetrating the Death Star. The first thing a visitor needs to tackle is the mock-up cockpit of Han Solo's famed Millennium Falcon that sits on the first floor landing. Expect long lines -- the spacecraft holds only five or six earthlings at a pop -- and expect the sensory equivalent of a carnival kiddie ride, with a little bit of rumbling and rocking during takeoff and a zip through hyperspace that's not as awe-inspiring as the one in the movie.
Once the Falcon ''takes off," though, the clipped voice of Anthony Daniels -- better known by his nom de Lucas, C-3PO -- comes over the intercom to lead us from our solar system all the way to the outer edge of the universe, where we pick up the hazy light left over from the Big Bang. It's a neat scene-setter for the astronomical and metaphysical vastnesses the exhibit covers.
The same distance is covered in far more depth in the related planetarium show ''Far, Far Away: The Worlds of Star Wars," created on-site by the planetarium staff. Here such Lucasian locations as Tatooine (Luke Skywalker's desert home planet, for you non-aficionados), Hoth (the ice planet from ''The Empire Strikes Back"), and Mustafar (the molten-lava planet where Darth Vader and Obi-wan Kenobi had their final donnybrook in ''Revenge of the Sith") are compared to various real-universe planets -- and our home planet itself at various stages of its evolution.
Even with Daniels again providing cozy narration, ''Far, Far Away" is macrocosmic in its implications, and some of them seem calculated to give younger viewers the willies. Comparing Mars to Tatooine, or Mustafar to Jupiter's moon Io, or Dagobah to prehistoric Earth is all well and cool, especially when the dome of the planetarium transforms into an alien planetscape. When we see the coast of New England slowly submerged by melting icecaps, though, or a massive asteroid smashing into an Earth city, the effect is more than a little unsettling. ''It would take an object half the size of Earth to destroy it," says Daniels, not very reassuringly. Be glad the show opens young minds to the big picture, but expect some fretful discussions on the ride home.
The meat of ''Where Science Meets Imagination" lies on the second floor, in the long CS&T exhibition hall crowded with costumes, props, and opportunities for hands-on experimentation. Statistics give a sense of the panoply: Four years in the making, the show displays more than 100 ''Star Wars" artifacts and real-world technological gizmos, 17 videos, 21 interactive stations, with 60 Museum of Science and 25 Lucas employees plus 20 additional scientific experts needed to give it birth. It's all divided into two main areas, ''Getting Around" and ''Robots and People."
In practice, the show's a lesson in pop/institutional multiple-personality disorder, with chances to learn sandwiched between emotionally resonant movie tchotchkes. ''Star Wars" droolers will be in Bantha heaven: Here's Darth Vader's helmet (all three pieces) and there's the scale model of the Millennium Falcon used in the film and over there is a war chest of lightsabers, from Darth Maul's double-edged special to Count Dooku's to Padme Amidala's. Costumes for everyone from Mace Windu to a Tusken Raider. A Wampa with a bloody hunk of meat. Three Wookiees. That intelligent floating tennis ball Luke trained with in the original. More droids than you can shake an oilcan at, including a ''naked" C-3PO, if that's how you get your kicks.
Even if those names mean nothing to you, though, the exhibit is worth attending, because the science on display is immediate, comprehensible, and fun. The chance to build your own hovercraft with Legos and magnets is heightened by the fact that the little dealie-bob actually floats its way through an obstacle course. The trial-and-error stations that allow you to create a workable robot deliver satisfaction when the critter manages to walk without falling over on its shiny face.
Interactive exhibits on robot vision and prosthetic parts are backed up with real-world science and human docents, and I'm not sure which is more transfixing: Anakin's mechanical arm or the retinal implants and microprocessor knee on display at a nearby learning stand. The show pulls from the museum's own collection -- models of experimental aircraft -- and from the skunk works of such New England companies as Segway, with a strong assist from academia.
For me, the most breathtaking bit of techno-widgetry in the exhibit is a mixed-reality virtual environment that allows users to build a moisture farm or walled Jawa village by placing cards on a table, then watching them burst into tiny, busy life on an overhead screen. It's like ''The Sims" on steroids, with added real-world lessons about cooperation. ''I designed it so you can't 'win,' " creator Nick Hedley of Canada's Simon Fraser University told me at the press opening. ''You have to learn compromise."
''Star Wars -- Where Science Meets Imagination" is a compromise, too, but it's an inspired one that lets the Museum of Science have its populist cake and eat it, too. Even for people who don't live and breathe ''Star Wars" or for those who felt let down by the recent trilogy, the exhibit is a display of old-fashioned movie magic and delightful future shock.
Ty Burr can be reached at email@example.com.


text:
The film finds the naive and surprisingly mellow birds living in peaceful climes – the permanently fiery Red (Jason Sudeikis) aside. Co-directors Clay Kaytis and Fergal Reilly introduce us to a world full of knowing nods – a Birds And Bees Fertility Clinic and an Early Bird Worm Shop are two fixtures on the avian island – in which flightless birds live in harmony, still unmolested by troublesome pigs.
There is also speedster Chuck (Josh Gad), anger management therapist Matilda (Maya Rudolph), and the self explanatory Bomb (Danny McBride). But then, joining the jamboree as initially innocent visitors from over the horizon, come a bunch of nautical pigs. Eggs get filched and war is soon declared. With Bill Hader (Superbad) voicing one of the pigs, we may well be on their side.
Peter Dinklage (Game Of Thrones), Kate McKinnon (Ted 2) and Tony Hale (The Heat) also lend their vocal talents to this one.
The Angry Birds Movie will declare war on these shores on 13 May 2016.


text:
Safety and Efficacy of Human Umbilical Cord Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells for Treatment of HBV-related Liver Cirrhosis
Recruitment status was: Recruiting
- Full Text View
- Tabular View
- No Study Results Posted
- Disclaimer
- How to Read a Study Record
HBV related Liver disease is a common medical problem in China. An estimated 7.18% of the Chinese (about 93 million) is infected with hepatitis B, and most of the HBV- related hepatitis can developed into liver cirrhosis.
Liver transplantation is the only available life saving treatment for patients with end stage liver disease. However, lack of donors, surgical complications, rejection, and high cost are serious problems.
Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) possess plasticity and have the potential to differentiate into hepatocyte; Thus, MSCs hold great hope for therapeutic applications. Human umbilical cord-derived MSCs (hUC-MSCs) exhibit a more beneficial immunogenic profile and greater overall immunosuppressive potential than aged bone marrow-derived MSCs. Like MSCs derived from bone marrow, hUC-MSCs can also be used to treat rat liver fibrosis and improve glucose homeostasis in rats with liver cirrhosis. In this study, the patients with HBV-related liver cirrhosis will undergo administration of hUC-MSCs via hepatic artery to evaluate the safety and efficacy of hUC-MSC treatment for these patients.
|Liver Cirrhosis End Stage Liver Disease
|Other: UC-MSC transplantation Other: conventional treatment
|Phase 1 Phase 2
|Study Type:
|Study Design:
|Allocation: Randomized
Intervention Model: Parallel Assignment
Masking: None (Open Label)
Primary Purpose: Treatment
|Official Title:
|Safety and Efficacy of Human Umbilical Cord Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells for Treatment of HBV-related Liver Cirrhosis
- one year survival rate [ Time Frame: one year after treatment ]
- MELD score [ Time Frame: 1week, 4weeks,3months, 6months, 9months and 1year after treatment ]
- Child Pugh Score [ Time Frame: 1week, 4weeks,3months, 6months, 9months and 1year after treatment ]
- alpha fetoprotein [ Time Frame: 1week, 4weeks,3months, 6months, 9months and 1year after treatment ]
- renal function [ Time Frame: 1week, 4weeks,3months, 6months, 9months and 1year after treatment ]
|Estimated Enrollment:
|Study Start Date:
|September 2012
|Estimated Study Completion Date:
|September 2015
|Estimated Primary Completion Date:
|September 2014 (Final data collection date for primary outcome measure)
|Assigned Interventions
Active Comparator: conventional
conventional treatment & antiviral treatment
Other: conventional treatment
Participants will receive conventional treatment and antiviral treatment.
Experimental: UC-MSC transplantation
Participants will receive umbilical cord derived mesenchymal stem cell treatment at day 1 and conventional treatment and antiviral treatment through the one year study visit. Participants will then be followed until one years study visit
Other: UC-MSC transplantation
After enrolled, Participant will receive umbilical cord MSC transplantation of 1*10E6 cells/kg via hepatic artery. Participant will then be followed until 1 years study visit
|Ages Eligible for Study:
|18 Years to 65 Years (Adult)
|Sexes Eligible for Study:
|Accepts Healthy Volunteers:
Inclusion Criteria:
- Aged 18-65 years
- HBV-related liver cirrhosis
- Child-Pugh score 9-15
- Written consent -
Exclusion Criteria:
- Hepatocellular carcinoma or other malignancies
- Severe problems in other vital organs(e.g.the heart,renal or lungs)
- Pregnant or lactating women
- Severe bacteria infection
- Anticipated with difficulty of follow-up observation
- Other candidates who are judged to be not applicable to this study by doctors
Please refer to this study by its ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT01728727
|Contact: ying han
|Contact: yongquan shi
|China, Shaanxi
|Xijing Hospital of Digestive Disease
|Xi'an, Shaanxi, China, 710032
|Contact: Ying Han 86-29-84771539 email@example.com
|Contact: Yongquan Shi 86-29-84771515 email@example.com
|Study Chair:
|Daiming Fan
|Fourth Military Medical University
|Responsible Party:
|Han Ying, professor, Fourth Military Medical University
|ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier:
|NCT01728727 History of Changes
|Other Study ID Numbers:
|Study First Received:
|October 31, 2012
|Last Updated:
|November 13, 2012
Keywords provided by Han Ying, Fourth Military Medical University:
liver cirrhosis
end stage liver disease
umbilical cord
mesenchymal stem cells
Additional relevant MeSH terms:
Liver Cirrhosis
Liver Diseases
End Stage Liver Disease
Pathologic Processes
Digestive System Diseases
Liver Failure
Hepatic Insufficiency
ClinicalTrials.gov processed this record on September 21, 2017


text:
Since 1941, Fidelity have been crafting quality outerwear from the finest North American Melton Wool. Based in Boston, Fidelity found its roots in supplying Navy Pea and Bomber jackets to the US Navy. Despite the company's growth, Fidelity maintain the impression of a honest family business, using the finest materials available to them, which is evident in the immaculate quality and timeless style seen in their recent collections.
Sorry, there are no products matching your search.


text:
Methodist Episcopal
Religious Societies - Book A
Original Index is located in the vault at the Greene County Courthouse. This document found on page 86. Transcribed by Arlene Goodwin.
State of New
York }
County of Greene } ss We two of the members of the Church hereafter mentioned certify that on the seventh day of May 1860 the male members of full age who statedly meet for divine worship with said church in the village of Cairo & County of Greene according to the rules of the Methodist Episcopal Church (and which is believed to have been incorporated for it ___ ___ ____) being convened at the Meeting house the place of Public Worship heretofore occupied by said Church in the Village of Cairo in said county present to public notice having been given fifteen days and in two successive Sabbaths for the purpose of Incorporation said church Electing Trustees & designating a name or title by which said board of Trustees in law & in Equity – Should be hereafter Known. Nor thereof in presence of the ____ of at State of New York in such case made & provided Reverend George Woodworth was appointed Chairman & who thereupon nominated Orrin Slater & Edward T. Stevens two of the male members of said church of full age to preside as the election of the at the election of the Board of Trustees receive the ____of the electives Judge of the qualification of such electors who than severally by a plurality of voices duly election be ___ as aforesaid
That said persons the male members of full age of said church did then & there by like plurality of voices determine that there be five persons elected to constitute a board of Trustees for said church to take into possession all the estate of said church on which may hereafter may come into possession of said church by purchase or otherwise and to take charge of all the temporalities of said church & that said persons did then & there by a like plurality of voices elect John Stuart, Edward T. Stevens, Orin Slater, Henry Steels & Henry Brass members of said church as the Board of Trustees of said church.
And the said persons did then & there by a like plurality of voices designate this said board of Trustees & their successors in office will always be known both in Law & in Equity as the Trustees of the Cairo Village Methodist Episcopal Church. The said Trustees elected as beforesaid were the divided by law into three classes as follows
First Class
} Second
Class }
Third Class
John Stewart } Orin Slater } Henry Steele
Edward Stevens } Henry Brass
In the
presence of
Orrin Slater LS
Edward T. Stevens LS
Augustus Hill
Justice of the Peace
Recorded May
8th 1860
At 1 pm.
Jas Cooke Clk
of Contents Church
Records Home Page
Religious Societies Home Page
of Contents Church
Records Home Page


text:
mobile phone technology
InterDigital loses more than patent case against Nokia, Huawei, ZTE
The latest company to fall victim to Nokia's patent-infringement claims is InterDigital Inc., who fell to its lowest profits in over a year after losing a case to Nokia and Huawei Technologies and ZTE Corp, two of China's largest phone-networking equipment makers.
Sony and LG settle patent suit
Electronics companies LG and Sony reached an agreement to settle 24 patent infringement lawsuits pertaining to digital TVs, Blu-ray players and mobile handsets. The companies have agreed to cross-license their technologies.


text:
dont wait to live life
I'm ready to do some more traveling soon. I don't want to work my life away. Kids are grown, I'm independent and very curious about other cultures, people, foods & sights.
Outdoors, cooking, gardens, photos, markets
south east asia japan china california
Mamasan Abroad hasn't logged any travels yet.
Mamasan Abroad hasn't been active in the wiki travel guide yet. Have you?


text:
THERE WAS AN extra little chill of horror running down my spine on Tuesday night while watching the calamity unfold at the World Trade Centre in New York.
If I still had my previous job as a portfolio strategist, I could have been there. Mid-September for most years was the time for a roadshow to brief clients on events in Asia. New York was at least a three-day stop, with several meetings scheduled in those twin towers.
They were mostly morning meetings too, often a breakfast meeting in the Vista Hotel, and then up either of the towers to see clients we had not met earlier.
It seems strange now to remember how tight the security was there. Since the 1993 bombing of the Vista Hotel, which seems to have been aimed at bringing at least one of the towers down, the World Trade Centre has had the tightest security in New York.
To see someone, you first had to stand in line at a long security desk where you had to turn over at least one piece of photo identification and have your name checked against a list of visitors, or have security phone upstairs to check with the people you were seeing.
There was nothing routine about this. The security guards were grim and determined. You made no jokes about it in front of them. This sort of thing you frequently encountered in London when IRA-bombing campaigns were at their height, but it was unusual in the United States.
And then you went up in the lift and changed to another if you were going near the top. One client's office was a few floors from the top of the South Tower and the receptionist there was accustomed to people gazing over her shoulder to the windows facing south, high over the other buildings of downtown Manhattan.
That was where you waited for the people you were seeing. They did not take you into a conference room. They just left you looking out of those windows and had a big telescope placed there. Invariably, I would be gazing out through the telescope when they tapped me on my shoulder to tell me it was time.
Every time I did it those questions would go through my head: what if the bombers of the Vista Hotel had succeeded? What if the tower in which I was standing had gone toppling down over the rest of those high office blocks beneath me? It did not seem imaginable and then again it was. It made me grateful for the security below. I never considered the threat from above.
The people who worked in those offices did not seem to feel that horror. Then again, perhaps they did when they first arrived there, but they no longer let it occupy their minds. We talked investment, not the World Trade Centre except perhaps for a remark about what a long trip it was to get a cup of coffee from below.
Do I call them friends? They were business clients, people I did not meet as often as I do friends, people who had to keep some distance from me because occasionally trades went sour and recriminations could follow.
Yet they were also people with common interests, people who could share a laugh about happenings in the investment trade and with whom I could quickly find myself in deep discussion on matters that absorbed us all. From that sort of shared interest friendship quickly grows.
I do not want to name those people or even their firms. I cannot be sure if some of them had not moved elsewhere or if they were at work when the aircraft hit. Most of all, no one yet has a list of names and I shall have to wait along with many others who are dreading the news more than I am.
Some of them are surely dead in the horror that crossed my mind when I visited them. Why say it's a shock. You know it is.
Most Popular
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5


text:
Alven Webster Wohlford moved to Escondido in the late 1800's as a banker and started the Escondido National Bank. Since Citrus farming was the thing to do, Alven bought a ranch. At the time, farmers used wooden flumes (canals) when they wanted to water, but money soon became an issue. Flumes wore out and people didn't repair them and this gave Alven an idea. His idea was to put gates on valves to lock it and those who bought stocks of shares in his new company, the "Escondido Water Company" –had access to water. In addition to running bank, and farm, he ran the water company. Alven died in 1926 and Alvan's wife died in 1948.
Alven's son Burnet Sr. (aka B.Ç.) took over the ranch and water company and ran the company for 50 years. The interesting thing about B.C was he almost went into a completely different direction than farming. After college, he went to Stanford for Law School and after the WWI decided he was going to move to New York and become a big time attorney. Sadly, doctors told him his eyesight would go bad if he became a lawyer and he'd probably go blind. That changed everything.
He moved back to Escondido to run the family farm. Burnet Senior's son Burnet Jr. (aka Tigger) is alive today and is 80 years old.
Today, Burnet Wohlford III, who actually goes by "Burnet" owns and operates Heritage Ranch Management. Jennifer Quinonez meets the Wohlford family and learns about their history.
Explore the
rest of Episode 919
California Heartland® is made possible by:
A production of , Sacramento, CA. ©2008 KVIE, Inc. All rights reserved.


text:
Artist: Teenage Mutants @teenage-mutants, Moonwalk @moonwalk-mw
Release Title: Teenage Mutants vs. Moonwalk
Label: Stil vor Talent
Catalogue No: SVT173
Release: 2016-07-29
Dreamy melody crafters Moonwalk show off their techno side as they double up with label mainstay Teenage Mutants for a split-EP. Moonwalk set the coordinates signing off the incipient track, a pensive composition boasting a steady bassline traced with scintillating whirs. Lush vocals complete the melody, while additional metallic percussive pads densen the groove, trailing off to an abrupt halt. 'Meteora' props a cynical mood, as grave synths interlace, gradually unraveling a crisp and straightforward arrangement.
Teenage Mutants' first contribution comes in the shape of the tribalesque vocal infused 'Bokawa'. Kicking off with an immersive percussion, 'Casio' instantly comes off as a heavy hitting, dancefloor absorbing cut. Constant blipping ticks reveal the title connection, while synth sequences cushion the groove line. Despite using an array of additional elements, the bassline remains the centerpiece and ultimately makes for an incisive earworm.
[Snippet ]
Licence : All Rights Reserved


text:
It's not only the English underclass that has been indulging in a wild, self-destructive riot of late. At the other end of the economic spectrum, the financial markets are grabbing trainers and torching furniture shops, albeit in a much more grand, abstract and significant way. They, likewise, are counterintuitively trashing their own neighbourhood, which unfortunately is the entire western world.
Globalised free trade is eating itself. It was billed as a way of spreading wealth throughout the world, by out-sourcing jobs, so that back home we could benefit from cheap goods while simultaneously providing money to the world's poorest. Inevitably, however, those who would have been doing those jobs in developed countries don't even have the wherewithal to consume the cheap stuff. D'oh!
No one in power dares to say it yet – or even think it, probably. But the logical conclusion of what's going on – in Britain, where the south-east is the economic engine, in Europe, where Germany is the economic engine, and in the US, where China is the economic engine, providing the goods to Americans and also the money for them to buy them – is a return to more deliberately localised economies. Protectionism is a dirty, dirty word.
But politicians around the globe are swilling the word "localism" around in their mouths, and assessing whether they can get used to the taste.


text:
Huddersfield prop Eorl Crabtree will miss England's autumn internationals against Wales and France after being told he needs to undergo shoulder and elbow surgery.
Scrum-half Danny Brough, Crabtree's Giants team-mate, is also a doubt as he awaits the outcome of a scan to assess the full extent of a groin tear he sustained during his side's 46-10 play-off defeat at Hull on Sunday.
Meanwhile, Huddersfield winger Jermaine McGillvary is to undergo ankle surgery which will rule him out of the England Knights' Alitalia Cup campaign.


text:
The Giant's Shoulders is a web carnival highlighting classic papers in science. Or people or concepts. Go here to get the details.
THe first deadline is Midnight EDT on July 15th (tomorrow)
The first edition will be hosted at A Blog Around the Clock. Send your entries to Coturnix!!!
As for me, I may submit this:
"Vanya on 42nd street", the movie by Louis Malle, was a blast. Such a long time since I have watched a group of actors performing a text with so much intensity. Saw it on Sunday, but on Monday night I was still excited, and couldn't take it from my mind. Simple shots, no cutting, and great theater. Actors showing the best of the profession, an step beyond being naturalistic: as a great performance of an actor or actress is achieved when he/she is able to include non-natural reactions which tell you all the conflicts of the characters. Doing that while reciting the long lines of Chekov is extremely hard, but essential. Magic, pure magic.
(Nov. 30th, 94)
That is one of the first known blog entries, ever, by Claudio Pinhanez on Open Diary. Preserved here. That would count, right?
Or this one:
From PZ's first post on Sb Pharyngula.
Let me also reassure (or worry) you with one important thing: I think Seed gets it. When we were negotiating this move, one specific request was that I could be as free here to say what I want as I was on my own server, and I'm confident that that will be the case–so expect me to be as obnoxious as ever, sprinkling little bits of information on my usual abrasiveness to make it all go down smoothly. So, no changes except for the new URL, better performance, and a few quirky features that are gone but may slowly be restored…content will be the same, and there are promises of better things to come. We all win!


text:
A novel optical passive router ring architecture using MAGNet protocol
Tachtatzis, C. and Lee, A.S.T. and Harle, D.A. (2003) A novel optical passive router ring architecture using MAGNet protocol. In: Conference on Heterogenous Networks (HETNETs03), 2003-07-21 - 2003-07-24.
hetnet2003.pdf - Preprint
Download (55kB) | Preview
This paper introduces a family of bidirectional multi-fibre passive photonic ring architectures that may serve as a high-capacity network backbone for supporting next-generation data-centric services. We introduce a novel dual-router node design that avoids several non-ideal routing phenomena typically associated with passive networks based on cyclic graphs. Our design also achieves the requisite single-hop full-mesh connectivity needed for arbitrary node-to-node communications. A ring enlargement strategy is presented that allows this architecture to scale across a wide range of networking domains. A medium access protocol will also briefly elaborated.
|Item type:
|Conference or Workshop Item (Paper)
|ID code:
|optical networks , wavelength routing, metropolitan-area networks, local-area networks, novel, optical , passive , router ring architecture, MAGNet protocol, Electrical engineering. Electronics Nuclear engineering
|Technology > Electrical engineering. Electronics Nuclear engineering
|Faculty of Engineering > Electronic and Electrical Engineering
|Depositing user:
|Pure Administrator
|Date deposited:
|14 Mar 2012 14:29
|Last modified:
|21 Sep 2017 15:35
|Export data:


text:
The Human Rights Commission says Sri Lanka is gearing up to face the United Nations Human Rights Review.
Several countries including Sri Lanka will come under review in the United Nations Universal Periodic Review of the human rights records of all 192 UN Member States.
The review will be held in October and November during the UN Human Rights Council sessions.
Human Rights Commissioner Dr.Prathibha Mahanamahewa speaking to our news team noted that the Human Rights Commission is currently working on several recommendations.
Speaking further Dr.Mahanamahewa had this to say.


text:
Apple chief Tim Cook said in a talk show that Apple's biggest threat is Google and that it took years to create a larger iPhone. Read »
Lack of Federal Aviation Administration rules for drones has made companies test and research outside the United States -- and taking their jobs with them. Read »
Amazon's new campaign may be to sell shoppers more items from neighborhood stores. Read »
A new survey finds that Amazon employees rank high in attractiveness and low in pickiness. Read »
Google has set aside $500 million to grow its Google Shopping Express and compete with Amazon, reports say. Read »
Amazon is suing a former executive now working for Google for violating its non-compete agreement, according to reports. Read »
Now products are being tweeted about and possibly sold on Twitter with a new "Buy Now" button. Read »
Google is expanding its overnight delivery service Google Shopping Express from Fresno, Calif. to the Oregon border, according to reports. Read »
Google is close buying Twitch, a live-streaming service for video games, for $1 billion. Read »
After spending 10 years in the tech business and becoming a billionaire, Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg turns 30. Read »


text:
Central New Yorkers collecting food and more for Sandy victims
Sun, 04 Nov 2012 17:26:20 GMT —
~Summit Auto, Hiawatha Boulevard Syracuse, is accepting coats and food Sunday 12 - 5 and Monday 11-5
Lots of groups here in Central New York are taking donations and making plans to go to the New York City area to help storm victims. Here are some of the efforts going on:
~Summit Auto, Hiawatha Boulevard Syracuse, is accepting coats and food Sunday 12 - 5 and Monday 11-5
This is being coordinated by Syracuse native Kimberly O'Casey, who now lives in New Jersey.
~St. Matthew's in East Syracuse is also collecting warm clothes, boots gloves and blankets, and toys for children. This is being coordinated by East Syracuse Police PBA, Sunday 12:30-5pm.
What's collected from both of the above drives will also be coordinated with the LACI's Tapas Bar effort. The Syracuse restaurant is setting up a pop-up restaurant in Queens on Wednesday.
~Boatyard Grill, Ithaca is doing a 'Fill the Truck' donation drive Sunday 10am-6pm to help in NY/NJ relief.
~Park Central Presbyterian, taking donations of hygiene kits on Sunday.. The Syracuse church is open noon - 5pm, at East Fayette Street
~Hunt Real Estate is collecting cases of water, non-perishable food items, clothing, blanks, and other personal hygiene products. Donatiosn can be dropped off at any local Hunt Real Estate branch until Sunday, November 11.
~Communications Workers of America #1123 (Verizon employees) are loading a truck with what they've collected, to be sent downstate on Monday. Next Saturday a group of workers will also go to NYC to set up a mobile BBQ and cook for storm victims and responders.
~Blood Drive at the Oncenter, Monday 8am-2pm. You can make an appointment in advance.


text:
Benzinga Market Primer: Friday, January 25
Futures Rise on Earnings, German Sentiment
U.S. equity futures rose in pre-market trading following continued strong earnings and a better than expected report on German business confidence. The IFO Business Climate Index rose to 104.2 in January from 102.4 in December, better than economists forecasts of 103. Further, the Expectations Index released alongside the main index, a measure of the outlook of business leaders in the near term, rose to 100.5 from 98 in December, besting estimates of 99.
Top News
In other news around the markets:
- ECB President Mario Draghi spoke at the World Economic Forum, saying that the LTRO's and OMT helped to save the euro, that the second half of this year should see accelerating economic momentum, that the OMT will remain in place as long as needed, and that pan-European deposit guarantees are some way out.
- The Bank of Japan released its latest policy meeting minutes, revealing that the BoJ is taking on aggressive easing, that it is not appropriate to be pessimistic on Japanese growth prospects, that the BoJ will act independently of the government, and that beating deflation, not devaluation, is its biggest task.
- Thursday, German Prime Minister Angela Merkel became the latest leader to criticize Japan's currency policies, following central bankers such as the Bundesbank's Jens Weidmann and the Fed's James Bullard questioning the politicization of the exchange rate.
- S&P 500 futures rose 3.5 points to 1,495.30.
- The EUR/USD was was higher at 1.3432.
- Spanish 10-year government bond yields rose sharply to 5.163 percent.
- Italian 10-year government bond yields fell to 4.087 percent.
- Gold fell 0.07 percent to $1,668.80 per ounce.
Asian Markets
Asian shares were mixed overnight led by significant strength in Japan following the release of the Bank of Japan minutes. The Japanese Nikkei Index rose a monstrous 2.88 percent and is up 8.4 percent in the past month while the Shanghai Composite Index fell 0.49 percent and the Hang Seng Index fell 0.08 percent. Also, the Korean Kospi declined 0.91 percent and Australian shares rose 0.52 percent on hopes that the RBA will cut rates at its next meeting.
European Markets
European shares were stronger overnight on the back of the strong IFO survey despite British GDP in the fourth quarter missing estimates. The Spanish Ibex Index rose 0.66 percent despite a strong move higher in bond yields and the Italian MIB Index gained 0.53 percent. Meanwhile, the German DAX rose 1.09 percent and the French CAC rose 0.74 percent while U.K. shares rose 0.19 percent.
Commodities were mixed overnight with oil rising and copper futures rallying nicely. WTI Crude futures rose 0.39 percent to $96.32 per barrel and Brent Crude futures rose 0.1 percent to $113.42 per barrel. Copper futures rose 0.45 percent to $369.30 on hopes of an RBA rate cut. Gold was lower and silver futures were flat at $31.73 per ounce.
Currency markets saw euro strength and yen weakness in overnight trading following the BoJ minutes and the IFO survey release. The EUR/USD was higher at 1.3426 and the dollar rose against the yen to 90.85 but was capped by reports of a large option barrier near 91.75. Overall, the Dollar Index fell 0.16 percent on weakness against the euro and the Swiss franc despite strength against the pound, the yen, and the Canadian dollar. Also, the AUD/USD traded like a roller coaster over the past 48 hours or so as the pair popped on Chinese Manufacturing Data above 1.05 only to retreat lower on increased hopes that the RBA will cut rates.
Pre-Market Movers
Stocks moving in the pre-market included:
- Starbucks (NASDAQ: SBUX) shares rose 2.35 percent pre-market as the company reported stronger than expected earnings.
- Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT) shares fell 1.38 percent pre-market despite reporting earnings that beat estimates.
- Nokia (NYSE: NOK) shares fell 0.94 percent after declining over 8 percent Thursday following the company's earnings release as the company suspended its dividend to preserve cash.
- Berkshire Hathaway (NYSE: BRK-A)(NYSE: BRK-B) shares rose 0.3 percent pre-market as the stock closed in on its 52-week high at $97.73.
Notable companies expected to report earnings Friday include:
- Halliburton (NYSE: HAL) is expected to report fourth quarter EPS of $0.61 vs. $1.00 a year ago.
- Honeywell (NYSE: HON) is expected to report fourth quarter EPS of $1.09 vs. $1.05 a year ago.
- Proctor and Gamble (NYSE: PG) is expected to report second quarter EPS of $1.11 vs. $1.10 a year ago.
- Weyerhaeuser (NYSE: WY) is expected to report fourth quarter EPS of $0.20 vs. $0.14 a year ago.
- Kimberly Clark (NYSE: KMB) is expected to report fourth quarter EPS of $1.35 vs. $1.28 a year ago.
On the economics calendar Friday, New Home Sales are the only relevant piece of data on the calendar ahead of the ECRI weekly index. In addition, Canadian CPI data is due out.
Good luck and good trading.
Posted-In: Earnings News Bonds Guidance Dividends Futures Commodities Previews Best of Benzinga
© 2017 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.


text:
By JIM RUTENBERG; Winnie Hu contributed reporting for this article.
Published: January 27, 2006
Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg used the first State of the City speech of his new term yesterday to call for a drastic change in the World Trade Center development plan so the project can finally move forward. He also asked unions to accept changes to health insurance and pension benefits, whose costs, he said, ''have spiraled out of control.''
In an address that set the stage for battle on several fronts, Mr. Bloomberg, a Republican, called this ''a special moment for New York'' and laid out what he called ''the road to long-term strength, stability and success.''
The speech, coming after his impressive re-election victory in November, included a pledge by the mayor to fulfill his campaign promise to help low- and middle-income New Yorkers by embarking on the largest program to build housing in the city's history.
And Mr. Bloomberg promised to attack chronic poverty in three of the city's poorest neighborhoods -- Bushwick and Bedford-Stuyvesant in Brooklyn and Melrose in the Bronx -- by enlisting the help of leading business figures, like Richard D. Parsons, the chairman and chief executive officer of Time Warner.
The address, the unofficial starting bell of the mayor's second term, laid out a broad agenda that his newly reordered team hopes will put City Hall on a more nimble footing.
The administration has been consumed by recent crises, including a transit strike and a series of children's deaths that the police say came at the hands of abusive parents.
Mr. Bloomberg's proposals to expedite development at the site of the Sept. 11, 2001, attack on the World Trade Center were delivered in some of his most forceful remarks, a departure from his generally hands-off approach during his first term.
Saying, ''We cannot allow the trade center to be a construction site for the next 15 years,'' Mr. Bloomberg proposed that the leaseholder, Larry Silverstein, give up control of two of the five building sites, in exchange for a reduction in his rent. (Mr. Silverstein holds a 99-year lease on the site, which is owned by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey.)
That would allow officials to seek other developers to build towers on the site while Mr. Silverstein focuses on developing the Freedom Tower.
''We need this now to advance our economy and pay tribute to those who died there,'' the mayor said, ''not a decade and a half in the future when it fits a developer's financial plan.''
Officials of the Port Authority have been pressuring Mr. Silverstein to accept a similar deal. In addition, the authority has signaled that it is amenable to the mayor's proposal that its headquarters, previously situated in the twin towers, be moved into one of the buildings Mr. Silverstein is being urged to relinquish, Towers 3 and 4.
Mr. Bloomberg, speaking at the Snug Harbor Cultural Center on Staten Island, received ample applause throughout his comments on ground zero development.
But the hall, filled with elected officials, community leaders and labor officials, was notably silent when the mayor approached the uncomfortable subject of benefit plans for the municipal unions, though he did so in relatively bland terms.
''We will work with labor and legislative leaders on innovative pension modifications for future workers,'' the mayor said.
The vow, a month after a bitter transit strike that centered on that very issue, suggested that the mayor would make such demands a centerpiece of upcoming negotiations with the city's unions.
Despite his pledge to work with labor leaders, the remarks drew a forceful rebuttal from Randi Weingarten, the chairwoman of the Municipal Labor Committee, who answered in the affirmative when asked if she took the mayor's comments as ''a declaration of war.''
''When the M.T.A. did it to the T.W.U. workers, it provoked a strike,'' Ms. Weingarten said, referring to the Metropolitan Transportation Authority's attempts to get Local 100 of the Transport Workers Union to accept less generous benefit packages in return for wage increases.
''So I'm very surprised that the mayor would throw out the health care premiums and pension reforms in a speech like this today, given what we've just lived through in a transit strike.''
Ms. Weingarten, who also is president of the United Federation of Teachers, the city teachers' union, complained that neither the mayor nor any of his aides had alerted her that he would be calling for changes in pension and health care plans during his address, which she attended.
Stu Loeser, Mr. Bloomberg's press secretary, said the mayor meant no slight and was seeking ''a partnership'' with the unions on the issue.
And, as evidence that labor relations were healthy, Mr. Bloomberg's aides pointed to a statement from another labor leader, Dennis Rivera, head of 1199 S.E.I.U. United Healthcare Workers East.
Mr. Rivera praised a considerably less controversial proposal that the mayor announced yesterday: to start a public-private task force ''that will attack chronic unemployment and poverty in the homes and neighborhoods where the need is greatest.''
That proposal was one of several initiatives for the poor that the mayor spoke of in his address.
He repeated his campaign pledge to have the city schools enroll eligible students for public health insurance when they enroll them in classes.


text:
From shipping to staffing, the Chamber and its partners have the tools to save your business money and the solutions to help you run it more efficiently. Join the U.S. Chamber of Commerce today to start saving.
U.S. Chamber's Freeman Named Top 40 Under 40 by PRWeek Magazine
WASHINGTON, D.C.-The U.S. Chamber of Commerce today recognized Tita Freeman, vice president of Communications and Strategy, for being named 40 Under 40 by PRWeek magazine. Freeman and other rising talent were recognized for "demonstrating the powerful future" of the communications and public relations industry.
"Tita has been instrumental in aligning our communications team's strategy to focus on the Chamber's core mission: advancing policies that support economic growth and job creation," said Tom Collamore, senior vice president of Communications and Strategy at the U.S. Chamber. "She has helped to build one of the most effective communications shops in town."
Prior to arriving at the Chamber in March 2008, Freeman was a full-time consultant in Google's Washington, D.C. office. She directed communications at the Business Roundtable, a trade association representing CEOs of major U.S. corporations, from 2002 to 2007. Freeman began her communications career at APCO Worldwide and also held management positions at LexisNexis and Teligent.
At the Chamber, Freeman is part of the leadership team that has successfully raised awareness of the Chamber on key issues ranging from health care to international trade. She has played a key role in shaping the Chamber's recently developed Campaign for Free Enterprise, which formally launches this fall.
Freeman's profile appeared in the August 1, 2009 issue of PRWeek, where 40 corporate, agency, and nonprofit professionals under the age of 40 were recognized for their outstanding work on behalf of their organizations and clients.
The U.S. Chamber is the world's largest business federation representing more than 3 million businesses and organizations of every size, sector, and region.
# # #


text:
During GuruFocus' interview with Fairfax CEO Prem Watsa in September, GuruFocus asked him if he sees investment opportunities in Europe. He commented on his investment in Bank of Ireland (IRE):
Watsa: Bank of Ireland was always the most conservative bank in Ireland, run by a fellow who just became CEO in 2009, Richie Boucher, who we like a lot. In Ireland, house prices dropped 40-50%, and commercial real estate building prices came down significantly (office buildings). So it's very difficult to survive that, and even a conservative bank like Bank of Ireland got hit. But coming out of this, it's the only bank that's a private bank (government has 15% of the shares, rest 85% is in the private markets, which we own a little less than 10%).
What impressed us was that Ireland seems to have taken its medicine, reduced the deficit, increased taxes, cut government spending significantly, so without making too much noise, the Irish have done what they had to do. The government of Ireland, with the ECB, set up some very tough rules: You have to have enough capital to take a 60% hit in house prices coming down from the high and commercial real estate prices coming down 70% from the top, and your capital position should be sufficiently strong take those hits. And that's what they did, they did the rights issue and raised a lot of money to make sure they had the capital to withstand those hits.
In our due diligence, we talked to them, we went through the individual portfolios; it's a well-regarded bank, with centuries of experience, and has a history of being conservative, but in a country where real estate prices fell off the bottom, no bank with their leverage and lots of mortgages could survive that. But we feel really good about it, and it's a long term investment.
GuruFocus: Do you think it has a durable competitive advantage?
Watsa: Definitely. It's a full-service bank, privately controlled and listed in the stock market, and not having the government in control of day-to-day operations is a positive. There was a chance, if the rights issue was not done by private interests, that the government would be 70-75%, so the fact that the government is at 15%, and very supportive I might add, is a plus.
In August, Fairfax led the capital infusion to Bank of Ireland. Other investors include Wilbur Ross, Capital Research, Fidelity and Kennedy Wilson. The details of the deals can be found in the press releases here. These investors invested 1.12 billion euro into Bank of Ireland. Following the investment, this group of investors owns 34.96% of the total issued ordinary stocks of Bank of Ireland. Ireland's government owns 15.13%. Fairfax owns about 2.8 billion of Bank of Ireland's ordinary shares. The cost of Fairfax's shares is at 10 cents (euro) a share.
Bank of Ireland's ADR is traded on the NYSE under the symbol IRE. Each ADR represents 4 ordinary shares. Since the deal, Bank of Ireland ADR had undergone a 10:1 reverse split. Therefore, Fairfax and Wilbur Ross's cost per ADR is about 4 Euro a share. Today IRE is traded at around US$4.4.
When GuruFocus asked Prem Watsa about the valuation of Bank of Ireland, he said:
The real book value right now is running a little below .30 euro, maybe .27-.28, and then in the next few years it might be static, maybe it will go down a little, but it will be dependent on the economy's performance, and it will be dependent on the Bank of Ireland in terms of what it does, in terms of earnings. If you look at Bank of Ireland's track record in the past, it's done very well, and now it's well capitalized, it has a terrific CEO, it has a good management team, so over time, it should do very well for its shareholders. They are focused on doing well for their shareholders.
The number 0.3 euro Prem Watsa mentioned was for ordinary shares, before the 10:1 reverse split of the ADR. This would translate into about 12 euro per ADR. Therefore Bank of Ireland ADR is traded at about 25% of its book value, far below the valuation that Bank of America (NYSE:BAC) or AIG (AIG) is traded. We all know that Bruce Berkowitz thinks both of them are extremely cheap.
What does this mean to other value investors like us? It means that we can buy these shares at about 70% of the prices paid by Prem Watsa and Wilbur Ross, or about 25% of the book value.
There are quite positive developments at Bank of Ireland, and in Ireland as a whole. According to Barron's:
Just one year later, (Ireland) gross domestic product is on track to grow 1.1%, after falling 10% in real terms and 18% in nominal terms between 2007 and 2010. Economists see another 1.1% gain next year, although export growth is fueling the expansion while the domestic economy remains weak. Stripping out exports and inventories, GDP will slip 3.1% this year, according to Eurostat, the European Union's statistics office. Still, that's a notable improvement over the declines of recent years.
Ireland's 10-year bond yield has also dropped from more than 14% to around 9% today. (For comparison, the yield on Greece's 10-year bond is more than 270%.) Investors are seeing hope. The shares of Bank of Ireland were up 10.6% yesterday after the bank said it's "making progress" on paying down its massive debt by selling 590 million euro of North American and European loans to Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corp.
Both Prem Watsa and Wilbur Ross are long-term investors. This investment can be considered "cigar butt" investing, where you buy distressed companies at distressed prices. But often times these distressed prices can go even more distressed in the short term. When GuruFocus asked Prem Watsa about his time frame for this investment, he said:
"Maybe five years, maybe longer, so we think of it as long term. We don't buy it for the next year or two, we don't know what will happen in the next year or two, so we're buying it for five years, and maybe even longer."
As the European crisis continues to unfold, the road to recovery in Ireland will be bumpy or even distressful for investors. But today you can buy Bank of Ireland shares at only 70% of what Prem Watsa paid or about 25% of book value.
As pointed out by Prem Watsa, this investment will take five years or longer to work out. At the ages of 60s and 70s, Prem Watsa and Wilbur Ross apparently have that kind of time frame. Do you?
During GuruFocus' interview with Fairfax CEO Prem Watsa in September, GuruFocus asked him if he sees investment opportunities in Europe. He commented on his investment in Bank of Ireland (IRE):


text:
Written by Guest Blogger Emily Miller
Grace Coddington is the inspirational backbone at Vogue. Former model turned editorial styling genius, her new book of memoirs, Grace, launches in November and reveals one of her hidden talents, sketching. From the front row to her adoration for felines, Grace's whimsical cartoons leave readers enlightened. Her drawings are so personal and charming that Balenciaga collaborated with her on a limited edition bag for Fashion's Night Out 2012 scattered with sartorial cats. The illustrations in Grace are clever fashion anecdotes and adorably personified felines, much like La Vilaine Lulu an animated comic strip by YSL, this book will surely be added to our fashion archives.
via Vogue


text:
First Coast (Jacksonville, Fla.) linebacker Reggie Northrup has taken unofficial visits to Florida State before, but nothing like what he experienced this weekend during his official visit. Just a ...
Premium Content
Subscribe today to read the full article and get everything Rivals has to offer.
- Member-only message boards
- Exclusive highlights and recruiting interviews
- Exclusive coverage of Rivals Camp Series
- Breaking recruiting news


text: Hi everyone! I have a huge decison I need help with. My family and I want to go back to Disney next September really bad! With all of the money problems we have been having there is no way we can do it......unless I send my husband away with the military for about 40 days!! They asked him to go, he has no problem with going. It is up to me now. That means I will be home with my two girls, and he will be away for a long time. I dont know what to do. Would I be selfish if I tell him I want him to go so we can afford Disney?


text:
Champlin Park senior runs in fourth Class AA girls state cross country meet
The wind and snow that greeted St. Olaf college in Northfield early Nov. 3 had passed long before Cassidy Soli prepped for her fourth and final Class AA girls state cross country meet appearance.
Still, there was a sense of an oncoming storm for each of the 174 participants awaiting their 2 p.m. start time.
Shakopee senior Maria Hauger was responsible for it.
To put Hauger's performance last Saturday into context, Wayzata's Anna French set a new course record in the race – and finished second to Hauger by a full 15 seconds.
Hauger won her fourth consecutive Class AA state title, completing the 4-kilomter layout in 13 minutes, 42 seconds.
Soli has run each of those races – a school record at Champlin Park – and watched form afar at what the amazing Hauger as accomplished.
"She is just incredible," said Soli. "I mean, wow, she is just crazy."
Hauger was the toast of Northfield much of the day, but there was no question where the attention of the contingent of Champlin Park fans was during the race.
Soli hummed along at her pace, finishing with what she considered to be a solid time of 15:14.2 to place 60th overall.
"The whole race as really fast, and I wasn't expecting that," said Soli. "But I'm happy. I'm happy with my time, and I'm happy with just being here. To come race here four years in a row really means a lot to me."
It has also meant a lot to the program she represents.
Champlin Park cross country coach Kevin Moorhead talked of the example Soli has set, and of the mark she has left on the team.
"I'm just the coach, so I'm just a long for the ride, but what a ride it has been," Moorhead said. "I couldn't be prouder of her, and what is really scary is how much better she can be. Some college coach is going to really luck out by landing her."
Soli's future will include running cross country in college. Where that is has yet to be determined.
Last weekend, it wasn't even on her mind.
Instead, with her family and friends by her side, she was soaking in her final visit to the high school cross country layout situated on the backside of the St. Olaf College campus.
She's made countless memories over the last four years at this place, and she had room for one more last Saturday.
"I just love high school cross county, and if you look around here, so does everybody else," said Soli. "There is something special about this place. I'll remember this for the rest of my life."


text:
Backyard Orchard News
OrganicAuthority.com Interview with MFPLA Lead Instructor Ernest Miller
REPRINTED WITH PERMISSION OF ORGANIC AUTHORITY (www.organicauthority.com)
Earth Day Profile: Chef Ernest Miller on a Different Kind of Soul Food
Written by Lacy Boggs Renner
(image: The Farmer's Kitchen)
In the heart of the bustling Hollywood Farmers Market sits The Farmer's Kitchen: a farm-to-table cafe as well as a commercial teaching, processing and retail kitchen offering affordable, healthy foods for patrons at all income levels. We chatted with chef Ernest Miller about the concept of The Farmer's Kitchen, the importance of eating "food in context" and the selfish reasons why Americans should be getting to know their farmers.
Organic Authority: What is the mission of the Farmer's Kitchen?
Ernest Miller: The Farmer's Kitchen is a non-profit community-oriented kitchen. We are a project of Sustainable Economic Enterprises of Los Angeles (SEE-LA), the non-profit that runs eight farmers markets in the Los Angeles area, including the largest, the Sunday Hollywood Farmers Market, which celebrates its 21st anniversary this year.
The Farmer's Kitchen supports the mission of SEE-LA in many ways: we serve a farm fresh, from scratch lunch to 280 elementary students at a local charter school (Larchmont Charter School West Hollywood) that is part of Alice Waters' Edible Schoolyard Project; we operate as a farm-to-table cafe, serving breakfast and lunch; we provide job and career training to culinary students, high school students and members of the general public who want to learn what it is like to work in a professional restaurant; we provide classes to low resource families (diet, nutrition, cooking, exercise) and classes for the general public; we also make many preserved foods and value-added products with farmers market produce.
(image: The Farmer's Kitchen)
OA: How are you actively involved in the local community?
EM: We are major supporters of the Master Food Preservers of the University of California Cooperative Extension, Los Angeles County, hosting some of their classes in the kitchen. We've also supported the Orange County Master Food Preserver program. We provide technical assistance to the Hollywood Orchard Project, helping them preserve the fruit from their neighborhood.
OA: What drives your menu creation?
EM: The fresh, seasonal produce of the Hollywood Farmers Market, as well as the many different preserved foods we also create.
OA: How do you work with local farmers?
EM: We work very closely with our local farmers, speaking to them on a weekly basis to learn what will be coming in soon, or leaving soon. We make suggestions on what they might want to grow and encourage and consult with them on making value-added products.
OA: Why is it important to you to support local sustainable farmers?
EM: If it isn't sustainable then, by definition, it cannot continue indefinitely. Our industrialized food system has been a boon in many ways, but is not ultimately sustainable. We believe that sustainability is going to have to start with local farmers and teaching people how to eat with the seasons. Local food also tastes better, when it is grown and harvested for flavor, not for shipping well. We believe in "food in context" — that when food is seasonal and expresses the history and culture of a place, it tastes best.
OA: What does sustainability mean to you?
EM: Sustainability means a practice of agriculture, cooking and eating that can go on indefinitely without destroying the health of our environment or ourselves. It is not just the farmers that need to be sustainable, but those who cook and eat the food as well.
OA: Why is it important for Americans to get to know where their food comes from, how it was raised and their farmers?
EM: Self-interest. Food tastes better when it is harvested locally and in season. It is generally less expensive, and is certainly less expensive when you take into account fair labor practices, environmental harms and all the other hidden costs of our industrialized food system.
Ultimately, we need to pay more attention to how and what we eat. We need to eat in context, knowing the place, history and culture of what we eat. When we eat, we feed not only our body, but mind and soul as well. If you don't know where your food comes from, how it was raised and who raised it, you may be feeding your body, but you are starving your mind and soul.
OA: How can America help revive the regional local farmer infrastructure that disappeared over 50 years ago?
EM: Support your local farmers, visit their farms, encourage and support programs that introduce children to what farming is all about (farm-to-school, 4-H).
OA: What cooking tips do you have to inspire home chef to cook more seasonally?
EM: Don't use recipes. Learn techniques, shop the farmers markets for fresh, delicious produce, and cook it simply.
OA: What is your must have, go-to home cooking tool?
EM: A 10-inch Chef's knife.
OA: What are your favorite must-have home pantry staples?
EM: A good extra virgin olive oil, a good pomace olive oil, home pressure-canned beans, brown rice and just to give a special, unique twist to all sorts of dishes, preserved lemons.
(image: jules:stonesoup)
OA: What shopping tips do you have for the home chef?
EM: Shop at a farmers market and see, feel, smell and taste the produce. Talk to the farmers, and don't be afraid to try something you've never had before.
Organic Authority would like to thank Ernest Miller and all of the sustainable, organic farmers and chefs whose work is providing healthy food for us all to eat. We honor you as being conscious stewards of our planet. And, we are thrilled to have you participating in our Earth Day event!
Why Genetic Diversity Is Important in the Honey Bee
The declining population of honey bees troubles us all.Bee breeder-geneticist Susan Cobey, who...
White-Eyed Drone
Beekeepers sometimes see a white-eyed drone in their hives--a genetic mutation.All drones (male)...
What's That Buzz?
So you're sitting in your yard having your morning coffee, and you get buzzed--not a buzz from the...
Fred Jensen, Kearney viticulturist who created a 'living legacy,' passes away
During his 15 years at Kearney, Jensen identified recent agricultural science graduates and hired them as staff research associates to work with him in the field and in his lab. He trained them on the most recent plant science research techniques, imparting skills for future careers as farm advisors.
UC Cooperative Extension advisors that worked with Jensen include George Leavitt, retired UCCE advisor in Madera County, viticulture; Harry Andris, retired UCCE advisor in Fresno County, tree crops; Bob Beede, UCCE advisor in Kings County, tree crops; Larry Bettiga, UCCE advisor in Monterey County, viticulture; Rhonda Smith, UCCE advisor in Sonoma County, viticulture; and Mary Bianchi, UCCE advisor in San Luis Obispo County, horticulture.
"Jensen was soft-spoken, had a good sense of humor and honest to a fault," said Fred Swanson, the former director of Kearney. "He was an outstanding researcher, an accomplished photographer and has made a greater impact than anyone I've known by investing himself in other people."
Jenson was raised on a farm in Weedpatch, Kern County. He earned a bachelor's degree in soil science at UC Berkeley in 1942, then served for three years in the U.S. Army. He later earned a master's degree in horticulture from UC Davis.
In 1947, Jensen was hired as an assistant farm advisor by UC Cooperative Extension in Tulare County at a salary of $3,600 per year. In 1972 he was promoted to viticulture specialist at Kearney.
As both a farm advisor and specialist, he worked to develop and obtain registration for commercial products to benefit the state's grape growers, such as plant growth regulators and many other critical agricultural chemicals. Jensen's detailed research on gibberellic acid applications helped identify optimal rates and timing that had eluded previous UC researchers. His work on bloom time applications have become an industry standard. Jensen also did the initial work on ethephon, a plant growth regulator used to enhance and improve fruit color. Jensen developed the use of ethephon to enhance raisin maturity, which almost eliminated the loss of raisin crops from early rains.
Jensen researched cultivar selection, vine spacing, trellising and integrated pest management. An early promoter of IPM practices, his contributions were instrumental in production of the UC Grape Pest Management Manual. He was the author or co-author of more than 250 publications and his scientific work is referenced in textbooks, journals and other viticulture publications. Jensen was a longtime editor of the scientific journal American Enology and Viticulture and was a world authority on table grape production.
Jensen retired from UC Cooperative Extension in 1987, but continued to conduct research and extension work for decades as an emeritus viticulture specialist and private viticulture consultant. In honor of his life-long body of work, Jensen received the Merit Award from the American Society for Enology and Viticulture in 2001. He was recognized for his contributions to California's table grape industry at the 6th International Table Grape Symposium in 2010.
Jensen is survived by his wife of 27 years, Thelma Lile Essex, two daughters, three step-children and many grandchildren and great-grandchildren. A memorial service will be at 11 a.m. April 28 at Quail Park Retirement Village, 5420 W. Cypress Ave., Visalia, Calif.


text:
Elmo puppeteer accuser recants accusations, says relationship was consensual
A 23-year-old man who accused Elmo puppeteer Kevin Clash of sexual abuse is now recanting, saying he was an adult at the time of their relationship.
The man, who is not identified, initially said he was 16 when the alleged abuse occurred.
"He wants it to be known that his sexual relationship with Mr. Clash was an adult consensual relationship," according to a statement from the law firm of{ } Andreozzi & Associates, which is representing the man, according to USA Today.
Clash has reportedly acknowledged to TMZ he had a relationship with the young man, but says it only took place after the accuser was an adult. He has taken a leave of absence from the show.
"I had a relationship with the accuser," Clash said in a statement he released. "It was between two consenting adults and I am deeply saddened that he is trying to characterize it as something other than what it was."


text:
Photos are for members only!!
Peachmate is a 100% free sex site for adults looking for fun with no strings attached.
Escort ads, casual sex groups, personal ads, video chat and much more.
Im a fun loving guy who just wants to live life to the fullest and not miss any opportunity. I just moved to virginia to seek out new opportunities


text:
Louisiana is a very beautiful state rich with color, culture, and character(s). It offers both large cities and small towns suitable for folks of all types looking for a new place to call home. Whether you are interested in land for farming, such as up north, prefer the scenic routes of middle Louisiana, life on the delta, or the dazzling New Orleans, there is truly something for everyone in the Pelican State.
Property prices really do vary throughout Louisiana. There are great deals out there spread all over the state, but for those who have a specific area in mind, that's a great way to start.
The Shreveport/Bossier City area is both beautiful and lively, with everything from scenic historic districts to an exciting nightlife scene. There are homes in this area for those looking for homes that are more luxurious; magnificent homes in the $750,000 dollar range are available in this area. For those interested in the other end of the spectrum, there are fantastic buys available for properties with land and quaint homes in the $50,000 range. The median home price in this area is approximately $170,000, compared to the national average home price of $177,900.
Monroe and its outlying areas offer quaint farmland and a more rural setting for those looking to be away from the hustle and bustle. Monroe's beautiful setting places the perfect backdrop for real estate in the area; again, for those looking for something more luxurious, Monroe offers beautiful plantation-style homes in the million-dollar range; for those looking for properties that are a steal, cute homes on large lots can be found in the $15,000 to $20,000 range. The median home price in and around Monroe is approximately $111,000, compared to the national average of $177,900.
This area sits on the banks of the Red River and is deep in the heart of the state. With famous places like the Alexandria Zoological Park, marshes, swamps, and bayous teeming with wildlife such as alligators and cougars, and a Mardi Gras parade all of Alexandria's own, this area is an excellent choice. Median home prices in the cities of Alexandria and Pineville are around $170,000; prices in the more rustic outlying areas, such as Boyce, are in the range of $135,000.
For those looking to live in the Big Easy, prices are going to depend on which part of the city you are looking at. There are multi-million dollar mansions available in the French Quarter, and great shotgun house deals under $10,000. The median price of homes in the greater New Orleans area (excluding the French Quarter) is $153,000; the average price for properties inside the French Quarter is between $650,000 and $700,000.
The most popular place to live in Louisiana is Terrebonne Parish, known as Cajun Country. This includes areas such as Chacahoula, Cocodrie, Oak Forest, Sarah Plantation, Magnolia Plantation, and Woodlawn. This area is very beautiful and historic, but can lack in job opportunities.
Another popular area is the northern area of Shreveport/Bossier city. There are more job opportunities, great dining choices, and a wide variety of housing options in this area. Bossier City is currently undergoing a great deal of suburban expansion, so it definitely has up-and-coming potential.
Houma, Louisiana is at the top of the list of the fastest growing Louisiana cities. In the heart of Cajun Country, located in Terrebonne Parish, Houma is the parish seat and economic center of its parish. Houma is famous for its food, swamps, music, and hospitality. It even has its own Mardi Gras celebrations! While Houma is at the southern end of Louisiana, it is close to the larger cities of New Orleans, Baton Rouge, and Lafayette, and the local economy, once dependent on the oil industry, is now thriving thanks to seafood production, tourists, and the medical industry. It currently has an unemployment rate of 4.8%, well under the national average of 9.7%. The average household income has risen over 25% in recent years, and the increase in households is more than 20% in the last ten years.
Houma is growing mainly due to the change in their economic situation. In the past, the majority of Houma's employment as well as the smaller, unincorporated surrounding areas depended heavily on the oil industry and those industries touched directly by it. Recently, an increase in seafood fishing and production, as well as more tourism and an influx of medical professionals due to money received by the state from the federal government for storm-related damages has created a shift in Houma's economic opportunities. With more high-paying professional jobs and more varied employment opportunities, residents from other, less economically diverse areas of Louisiana and its surrounding states are moving to Houma to take advantage of its offerings.
There are many types of mortgage loans available to those looking to buy properties in Louisiana. Some of the most popular include adjustable rate mortgages, fixed rate mortgages, interest-only mortgages, balloon mortgages, jumbo loans, VA loans, and FHA loans.
Louisiana is a recourse state. This means that if a borrower becomes unable to pay their mortgage and ends up defaulting, the lender can come after that borrower for the loan. There are many different options for the lender to obtain the funds from the borrower, such as seizure of an asset, garnishment of wages, or levying a judgment against the borrower in order to satisfy the debt. This is because recourse loans do not require collateral, and as such are unsecured loans.
There are two types of foreclosure processes in Louisiana: executory and ordinary. The ordinary process is much more extensive (generally lasting at least nine months) and expensive, and is very similar to a lawsuit. The executory process is set in motion when a lender utilizes a mortgage that has an "authentic act that imparts a confession of judgment" clause where the borrower acknowledges and accepts the obligation of the mortgage. When this language is present, the foreclosure can go much quicker, approximately six months. By Louisiana law, the lender does not have to notify the borrower that they intend to initiate foreclosing procedures, but the deed of trust or mortgage might. Regardless of that situation, when the lender files the petition the borrower is served with a demand for the default amount. The borrower then has three days to pay the money and if he or she cannot the court orders a "writ of seizure and sale", which the court clerk delivers to the sheriff. It is then up to the sheriff to execute the writ, and escort the borrower from the property.
The state of Louisiana offers many beautiful and attractive places to live. They also have many mortgage programs offering potential borrowers the opportunity to obtain a mortgage for one of those properties. In the event of the borrower defaulting on a mortgage, the lender has the ability to demand the remaining amount from the individual borrower and can obtain that payment via many means, including seizure of the property and initiating foreclosure proceedings. Foreclosures in Louisiana can last between six and nine months, and begin with an opportunity for the borrower to fulfill their existing financial obligations to the lender before legal action is taken to remove them from the property.
It is very important not only to choose the right property for you and your family, but also to choose the right loan product and make sure that you will be able to fulfill those obligations. Louisiana is a beautiful state with much to offer; choose wisely.


text:
Welcome to Tacoma World!You are currently viewing as a guest! To get full-access, you need to register for a FREE account.
As a registered member, you'll be able to:
- Participate in all Tacoma discussion topics
- Communicate privately with other Tacoma owners from around the world
- Post your own photos in our Members Gallery
- Access all special features of the site
Left over stereo from 5.0 Mustang into my Taco.
Discussion in 'Audio & Video' started by haider320, Apr 1, 2013.


text:
British commuters are getting access to a very cool new feature ... provided that they have PSPs. Channel 4, the edgiest television station in the UK, will offer streaming programming for PSP owners at one of 7,500 wi-fi locations owned by Cloud. Nathalie Schwarz, director of Channel 4 Radio, said: "Becoming the first broadcaster to make radio content available wirelessly on PSPs will help 4Radio connect with a young, mobile audience, making our programming easily available whenever and wherever they want."
It's expected that this service will expand to offer full television shows, such as the new Celebrity Big Brother (pictured above).
[Via Times Online]


text:
I was trying to get on Netflix and it wouldnt start. Then I tried to go on the internet and it wouldnt work. I tried to go to my settings to check the wifi and all I got was a white screen. I went back to home and decided I should turn it off for a while and leave it on the charger. After an hour or so I went to turn it back on, and it didnt turn back on. I keep trying and trying but it wouldnt turn back on. Can someone help?!
Try unpluging from charger and plug it back into the charger. Sometimes that wakes it up.
Otherwise, press the power button for about 15 to 20 seconds until it turns itself on.


text:
Rolling Thunder: Good riding, friends, cause
The wall of sound created by hundreds of thousands of revving engines is now gone from America's capital. But the spirit of the riders will long be remembered by all those who saw Rolling Thunder's 24th annual motorcycle demonstration in Washington on May 29.
Riding along with Rolling Thunder were many American Legion Rider members, including Marty Justis, the Legion's executive director of National Headquarters in Indianapolis.
"I made the trip to D.C. with about 30 fellow riders from Indiana and Illinois," Justis said. "It was a great time, but it always is when you mix good riding and good friends with a good cause like Rolling Thunder."
Since 1988, the Rolling Thunder veterans organization has staged a motorcycle demonstration in the Nation's Capital to promote its cause, "to bring full accountability for Prisoners Of War (POW) and Missing In Action (MIA) of all wars, reminding the government, the media and the public by our watchwords: 'We Will Not Forget.'"
The event usually attracts 350,000 to 400,000 riders, who do not have to belong to Rolling Thunder to participate. That's why so many American Legion Riders were also in town, riding their motorcycles from the Pentagon's parking lot to the National Mall.
"It's every rider's chance to be part of an event that brings attention to a matter of importance to many families, and that is to know the fate of their soldier, sailor, airman or Marine who never returned from war," Justis said. "I think all those who participate share a measure of pride in knowing that we're helping to push for an answer for those families."
While the annual demonstration gets good press coverage in the Washington area, Justis said the event should get more media attention around the country. "American Legion Riders can make a difference by participating in the demonstration every year, and by generating media attention beforehand in their own communities," he said.
Chapter by chapter, Justis said, Legion Riders can bring more attention to the annual event and reinforce the need to continue it until all POWs and MIAs are fully accounted for.
"Each year, before we head out to the Nation's Capital, we can let the news people know The American Legion – and the Legion Riders particularly – care deeply about those who have yet to come home," Justis said.


text:
The recent news of Lance Armstrong is heart-breaking, from a number of different angles and perspectives. I can't even begin to imagine the anger, the resentment, and the bitterness that's been generated on both sides of the fence, against Lance himself, his former teammates, the USADA, and everyone else who is a part of this tragic story.
I don't pretend to know much about the situation but from what I've read it seems that most signs point to him being guilty of cheating and ruining his incredible career, being banned forever from the sport and potentially being relieved of his 7 incredible titles. Those titles must have been a heavy burden on his conscience.
But the outcause, the result of such tremendous upheaval from scandal, has created an ever-lasting black mark on a very storied and celebrated career. It's one that will be just as much a part of his story as the wins were.
The cost? His legacy. This isn't just a personal legacy that's isolated to an individual man; it's a comprehensive one, all-inclusive of those that supported him, became his fans and wanted to believe in the very best. It includes both the close inner circle and those that he would never meet.
His responsibility was to protect his collective legacy and take incredible care of it, as best as he possibly could. It's unfortunate it ended this way and the damage has already been done – it'll most likely continue as well.
It's unbelievable. I just cannot fathom that drop, from such heights. I don't want to comprehend it either because I don't want to believe that it could ever happen to me (although I am subject to the same challenges as any man, regardless of circumstance).
I hope that his continued good work with the many cancer organizations will continue and that he'll find solace and consolation with his work there. I hope he builds a new legacy, one that most people (not all) will be proud of, especially himself. I hope that those that need to forgive will forgive and that he'll be able to forgive himself most of all.
Lance Armstrong's legacy has been unwoven but that doesn't mean it can't be threaded anew.