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Amazon, Kindle, Barnes and Noble
Goodreads Summary-
Thirteen-year-old, Noah Zarc, rockets to Venus in a quest to learn more about his past. He just can't believe his father is really the monster everyone says he is. Maybe there are valid reasons for everything he's done, including abandoning Noah at birth.
While searching for answers to secrets no one wants to talk about, even those that have remained hidden for over a thousand years, Noah becomes embroiled in a mission that could end up causing the greatest cataclysm in the history of the solar system. And the name, Noah Zarc might be forever linked to the most devastating crime in humanity's existence, all because he was in the wrong place at the wrong time.
This is the second book in the Noah Zarc series by Robert Pease and it was just as thrilling and full of close calls, time jumping and catastrophes and revelations as the first novel in the series Noah Zarc Mammoth Trouble. Noah is a time hopping space cruiser driving phenom who gets himself roped into helping his father Haon (Noah spelled backwards) visit Earth before whatever catastrophic event happened that made it uninhabitable for thousands of years. Something that destroyed everything that lived and breathed, from human to animal to plant. It's called the Cataclysm, but what caused it is never spoken about nor is it written in any of the history books or even the holopads. Noah has to find out the truth. But sometimes the truth is worse than not knowing. And he is right in the middle of it all.
Haon does seem to have some good sides to him. He wants to save the Venusians, the people that live on Venus in squalor crowded on top of each other in filthy streets with no shelter or jobs or food. But the Poligarchy, the ruling government, refuses to do anything. They won't even see them or take notice of them. So Noah, seeing these people begins to understand Haon being incensed at all the millions being poured into the ARC that his family lives on preserving and rescuing animals from extinction while the Venusians are dying daily. Noah begins to see Haon in a different light. Growing up isn't as black and white as his parents have taught him. Haon isn't the enemy he was brought up to believe he was. And Noah has to wade through the gray area and try to figure out Haon's motives and what is right and wrong.
And when bad is bad and sometimes when it's good.
I read this book so quickly, it's just that kind of book. I did have a little trouble remembering the start of the book. I had to go back and read what happened in the last few chapters of Mammoth Trouble to remember why Noah was where he was. But by chapter two I was settled in and the adventure pretty much begins right there. There are never slow spots in Cataclysm. There is a lot of flying space craft and Noah gets a kick out of dodging missiles and time jumping (just not 20 times in a row) but none of that jargon slows you down. It enhances the feeling that you're sitting in the spacecraft with him. It's a fun ride but as soon as it starts it's over and you're blasting through Earth's atmosphere to a deserted planet.
The only thing that hampers Noah at all is that he doesn't have the use of his legs. But he does have a very cool chair called a magchair that is connected to neuro transplants in his brain that he can communicate with it so it comes at his beckoning. He still has to rely on the chair, but I'm hoping with all the other simulated everything in this new world that Noah will get legs in the next book, only because he wants to feel what it's like to run. And he did get in to a bit of a situation when he had to leave his chair behind.
All I can say is I loved this one even more than Mammoth Trouble. It had action, a bit of butterflies in the stomach romance, and all the excitement you could ask for. I think this a great book for reluctant readers. There is no way they couldn't find this book engaging with all the action going on. Unless they don't like space. But it has more than that. It has moral questions. Family relationship issues. And personal dilemmas. Even what does it mean to be alive?
My only complaint and I think cover lovers will agree, the cover has got to go. That boy on the cover is not 13. The original cover was awesome and I have no idea why the covers were changed but the child on the cover still has his baby face and I can't stand it. I hate reading about his feelings about a girl and seeing that face. So PLEASE, don't look at the cover. The meat and potatoes is there, I promise. It is a book you don't want to miss. Just ignore the cover. It doesn't match the story inside! I PROMISE!
So, now, there is some information before from Mr. Pease about the Blog Tour and some giveaways!
Release Party NotesNoah Zarc: Cataclysm, the second book in the Noah Zarc series, is about a boy named, surprisingly enough, Noah Zarc. If you haven't read the first book, Noah Zarc: Mammoth Trouble, then you probably want to start there. But if you are well-versed in all things Zarc, then take a gander at the description of the next book below. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it.
Thirteen-year-old Noah Zarc rockets to Venus in a quest to learn more about his past. He refuses to believe his father is really the monster everyone says he is. Could there be valid reasons for everything he's done, including abandoning Noah at birth?
While searching for answers to secrets no one wants to talk about, even those that have remained hidden for over a thousand years, Noah becomes embroiled in a mission which could cause the greatest cataclysm in the history of the solar system. And the name, Noah Zarc, might be forever linked to the most devastating crime in humanity's existence, all because he was in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Get your copy today by visiting Amazon.com (available in paperback or as an eBook.) Other online retailers listed below.
CASH and PRIZES
Guess what? You could win a $50 Amazon gift card as part of this special release party. That's right! Just leave a comment below saying something about the post you just read, and you'll be entered into the raffle. I could win $50 too by having the most comments. So tell your friends to stop by and comment on this post too!
You have until the end of December to comment.
Also, we will be giving away one pair of signed books (Noah Zarc: Mammoth Trouble, and Noah Zarc: Cataclysm) to one winner as well.
D. Robert Pease has been interested in creating worlds since childhood. From building in the sandbox behind his house, to drawing fantastical worlds with paper and pencil, there has hardly been a time he hasn't been off on some adventure in his mind, to the dismay of parents and teachers alike. Also, since the moment he could read, books have consumed vast swaths of his life. From The Mouse and the Motorcycle, to The Lord of the Rings, worlds just beyond reality have called to him like Homer's Sirens. It's not surprising then he chose to write stories of his own. Each filled with worlds just beyond reach, but close enough we can all catch a glimpse of ourselves in the characters.
Discover ways to connect with the author by visiting his site at www.drobertpease.com
THANK YOU! for visiting. And don't forget to comment below for that chance to win the $50 Amazon gift card. And of course head on over to your favorite online book store and buy a copy of Noah Zarc: Cataclysm, for you or for the kids in your life.
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Kim Kardashian Carries Mystery Wardrobe Bag in West Hollywood (PHOTOS)
Kim Kardashian is in full on wedding planning mode, and we can't help but wonder what could possibly be inside the wardrobe bag she was seen carrying on Thursday morning.
The bride to be was seen carrying a bag that had an Alexander McQueen label on it, which is sure to have the masses speculating — is this one of Kim's bridesmaids dresses?!
Only time will tell. Although, it is entirely possible that the bag the 30-year-old reality star is carrying around is simply some of her dry cleaning.
Kim tweeted about her morning, saying:
"Morning GORGEOUS!!!! Just finished an intense workout! I am so much more on my grind when I am in LA!"
Check out the gallery and then share your theories on whether or not you think that is one of Kim's bridesmaids' dresses in the comments! Also check out more of Kim's wedding prep below!

subset: commoncrawl


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Honeywell Encourages Young Engineers
Honeywell is putting its corporate weight behind efforts to encourage young people to become engineers.12/06/2010
Yokogawa and Fractionation Research partner at research facility
Fractionation Research (FRI) and Yokogawa Corporation of America announced collaboration on automating procedures and data acquisition for the FRI research facility at the Oklahoma State University campus in Stillwater, Okla.12/03/2010
ABB buys Baldor
Swiss giant pays $4.2 billion for U.S. motor company.11/30/2010
Historical agreement between IEC, ILAC and IAF
Reducing cost, time and complexity through the pooling of resources11/30/2010
MCAA Elects New Leaders for 2011
James P. Bolin, Jr. COO of Process Automation for Pepperl + Fuchs is chairman for the next year.11/30/2010
Siemens achieves breakthrough with CO2 reduction technology
Siemens Energy has successfully completed the first test phase with its CO2 capture process in a pilot facility at the Staudinger power plant operated by E.ON.11/19/2010
Ensuring an Accurate Result in an Analytical Instrumentation
Download all three parts of this whitepaper to learn how you can ensuring an accurate result in an analytical instrumentation systems11/18/2010
Siemens Posts Record Profit for Fiscal 2010
In fiscal 2010, Siemens generated the largest operating profit in its history. Total Sectors profit rose four percent to 7.8 billion Euros. Net income climbed 63 percent to 4.1 billion Euros. Growth picked up speed once again during the year. While declining in the first two quarters, new orders and revenue rebounded sharply in the second half-year.11/11/2010
IFPAC-2011 Keeps Things Current With the Latest in Process Analysis and in Process Control
Opening New Doors in Process Analysis and Control. Sharing Knowledge to Make Better Decisions11/11/2010
Fieldbus Foundation announces first registered devices implementing advanced field diagnostics
New diagnostics technology will optimize plant asset management programs.11/11/2010
Beamex's Intrinsically Safe Calibrators Receive CSA Certification
Beamex's Intrinsically Safe Calibrators MC5-IS and MC2-IS and External Pressure Modules Have Received CSA Certification for Both the USA ("US" Certification) and Canada ("C" Certification)11/11/2010
Exida releases first fully integrated functional safety life-cycle tool
exida has released V3.0 of its exSILentia functional safety life-cycle engineering tool.11/10/2010
Rockwell Automation reports fourth quarter 2010 results
* Revenue up 26 percent year over year * Diluted EPS of $0.91 * Company provides fiscal 2011 diluted EPS guidance of $3.80 - $4.2011/09/2010
New cybersecurity standard for process control industries issued
The International Instrument Users Association (WIB) releases comprehensive cybersecurity standard to protect critical industrial computer systems From cyber attack,11/09/2010
Emerson Process Management joins FDT Group
Emerson joins organization to support global base of field device users.11/08/2010
OPC Foundation Announces OPC .NET 3.0, aka OPCXi11/03/2010
Reporting Live from Automation Fair® 2010
Stay tuned for our live coverage of Rockwell Automation's Automation Fair® from November 2-4. Visit our web portal to check our daily news, hourly tweets and catch up on last year's coverage.11/01/2010
IOM Gets It Together
This year's Invensys Operations Management (IOM) user group meeting demonstrated that the latest reinvention of Invensys has finally achieved what the company has been working on11/01/2010
Trade Shows Rebound
The death of the old mega-trade shows, which attracted thousands of exhibitors and even more thousands of attendees, may have been exaggerated.11/01/2010
Berra and the Rosemount 1151 Bid Farewell to Emerson Process Management
John Berra and the Rosemount 1151 Bid Farewell to Emerson Process Management, After 35 Years Together10/28/2010


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Jason Alexander Mahoney: Don't Blame Me. Blame Hitler
Luke McGarry
After an April 22, 2008, beach trip, Keith Bird and Jason Alexander Mahoney drank beer and partied with a group of friends at Fitzgerald's Pub in Huntington Beach. According to surveillance video, they also secretly removed $442 worth of chicken wings, carne asada and beer from the bar. But Bird and Mahoney weren't typical, common thieves. They both had direct ties to Public Enemy Number One (PEN1) Death Squad, the murderous, methamphetamine-drenched, white-supremacist criminal street gang based in Orange County.
For Bird, the punishment from a 2010 plea deal amounted to three years in prison. He's already out of custody. However, for Mahoney, who'd collected two prior felony strikes, the consequences stemming from the nonviolent theft proved severe: 35 years to life.
Now locked inside Corcoran State Prison, he is asking federal judges to overturn his convictions, calling them a travesty of justice. His writings show decent knowledge of legal concepts and an intense passion about his plight. One of his complaints is that Lance Jensen, his superior court judge, and Edward Eisler, his public defender, allowed Senior Deputy District Attorney Jim Mendelson to win the case by shifting the second-degree commercial-burglary case into a trial about PEN1 and its pro-Adolf Hitler ideology.
Mendelson—a no-nonsense former Marine, veteran prosecutor and arguably the living embodiment of Clint Eastwood's gruff character in the Dirty Harry flicks—showed jurors photographs of Mahoney making a PEN1 hand sign, proudly embracing the theories of Mein Kampf and giving a Heil Hitler salute. He introduced evidence the defendant used the moniker "Knuckles" because of his fondness for brass knuckles. The prosecutor also displayed pictures of the defendant's tattoos, a living billboard of offensive imagery. The initials "PDS" (PEN1 Death Squad) adorn Mahoney's stomach; a swastika interlaced with "PEN1" graces his left, upper chest; a demonic infant with a "P" in its eye decorates his right calf; and from his right shoulder to his right wrist, there's another swastika and PEN1 tattoo. Simply put, his right and left arms are black-inked temples to Hitler and Nazi lore.
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But what do racist antics and tattoos have to do with the burglary?
"Since there were no elements of racial hatred involved in the charged crimes, [Mahoney's] belief system was irrelevant to any other issue at trial, including motive or intent," the inmate's July 15 petition for a writ of habeas corpus states. "In short, evidence of racist ideology did little to illuminate the nature of petitioner's gang affiliation and served only to depict him as a bad person in the face of the jury."
The petition goes on to further allege that inflaming jurors with pro-Hitler images "evinces a substantial likelihood of distracting a jury from a dispassionate evaluation of [the defendant's] guilt" and robbing him of his right to impartial jurors.
When it was clear at trial that Mendelson, who had already introduced more than 30 incendiary photographs, planned to use at least 15 more, Eisler objected outside the presence of the jury. "With all due respect, there has to be a limit to this, and [the DA] has crossed it a long time ago," the public defender asserted. Mendelson fought to continue admitting photos into evidence, and Eisler fired back, "Your honor, these photos are as bad as could be. I think, at this point, we're beating a dead horse." Jensen concurred, calling the DA's tactic "overkill."
Mahoney, who, unlike Bird, was found near a backpack with a loaded .357 Magnum at the time of his arrest, is also arguing in his petition that those items belonged to someone else. When the defense summoned Bird to the witness stand to ask him who owned the weapon, Mendelson effectively blocked the testimony by telling him he would be prosecuted if he admitted the gun belonged to him. Bird then invoked his 5th Amendment privilege.
Eisler asked Bird a final set of questions, though. "Did anybody in law enforcement threaten you not to testify?" he asked.
"Yes, sir," replied Bird, who declined to answer more inquiries. The prosecutor made it clear on the record that the thought of a law-enforcement officer making an unethical threat was ridiculous.
The appeal raises another question: If a hoodlum quits his gang, when will government officials stop tying him to his past affiliation? For Mahoney, the apparent answer is never. He claims that at the time of the burglary, he had quit PEN1 six years earlier and relinquished the racist ideology following a prison stint and the birth of his son. He moved from Riverside to Tracy, a town near Stockton. He says he wanted to remove his tattoos, but he could not afford the services. During more than half a decade, law-enforcement agencies in his hometown accumulated no gang-related charges against him.
According to Mahoney, his lawyer rendered "ineffective counsel" by allowing Mendelson to inaccurately paint him as an active gangster. "[Eisler] did not investigate or put one witness on the stand in petitioner's defense to prove he retired from PEN1 in 2002 other than petitioner, not one," the appeal states. "The facts reflect that the prosecution's case was so heavily weighted with alleged gang evidence against petitioner that when the defense provided none, in all effects, this sunk his ship. [Mendelson's] case was a simple approach. After connecting petitioner to the burglary, the prosecutor put the PEN1 gang on trial."
To place the gang-membership label on Mahoney for jurors, Mendelson used Mike Riley, a law-enforcement gang expert. The DA asked him a loaded, circular-logic, hypothetical question: If an active PEN1 member burglarized a bar, would that prove the burglar was an active gangster committing the crime for the benefit of a gang? Eisler objected. Jensen overruled him, and Riley stated the obvious.
When it was Eisler's turn to cross-examine Riley, he asked if it were possible for individuals tied to a gang—one an associate, the other a former member—to have stolen booze and food one night not for the benefit of a gang. The detective seemed befuddled and testified, "I have a feeling that this scenario is pretty much impossible to put together."
But Mendelson wasn't without his own powerful evidence. He chronicled numerous times the defendant visited the homes of a PEN1 "shot caller" and active members long after he claims he quit the gang. On other occasions, undercover cops saw the defendant in vehicles with active members. The DA, who was honored in 2012 by the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) for combating white-supremacist criminals, also said jail deputies recovered from a PEN1 inmate a 2008 roster of active gang members that included Mahoney.
The defendant dismisses Mendelson's evidence.
"[The record] reflects no gang activity whatsoever on petitioner's part [after 2002], only visiting with people in society who may have been active gang members," the appeal states. "There was nothing criminal here. . . . In sum, the totality of the circumstances in this case cries out for justice."
In late July, Mahoney's appeal landed in the Los Angeles courtroom of U.S. District Court Judge George H. Wu, a former prosecutor and state court judge appointed to the federal bench in 2007 by President George W. Bush. In coming months, the state Attorney General's office will critique the appeal, and a magistrate judge will make recommendations for Wu's consideration.
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Round 3 Preview
North Coffs v Coffs Swans
The next chapter of this cross-town rivalry will be played out at the Coffs Coast Leisure Park (opposite BCU Stadium), with North Coffs seeking to further their strong start to the season.
These traditional rivals have played out some classic contests over the years and neither coach will have to talk up their troops for this one. Expect a physical encounter, with the Roos favourites despite the Swans big win away from home last week.
The Kangaroos have been very quick out of the blocks, with the opposition playing catch-up to reach the high standard the side set over the off-season.
The experienced firm look like they have a new lease of life with a blend of recruited talent filling in the missing pieces from last year. The goals were shared last week in an impressive showing against the Tigers away from home. Sam Dawes and Brad Giri will again play an important role in dictating the flow of the match.
The Swans have been the only other side not to drop a game to date and will find their arch-rivals a much tougher proposition. Nick Millard and Blake Ford must stand up in the middle for the Swans to have a chance. Evan Duryea again is the X-factor and needs support in the forward line.
Dave Box has done a good job to date instilling some work ethic and urgency into a traditionally laid-back squad.
Both sides showcase an ability to rebound well off half-back. Tully Wollaston (Norths) and Rob Eddy (Swans) are accountable defenders but invariably the hard work comes out of the middle. The Swans were monstered in last yearâs Elimination Final in this area and will need to prove they have improved in this area to stop North Coffsâ run.
Grafton v Port Macquarie
Early form suggests these sides will sit either side of the top four come the end of the season. Grafton have a kind draw in playing their opening four matches at home, so this match holds extra weighting considering their winless start to 2009. The Tigers are a good shot if the 'Pies travel light.
They were competitive without threatening North Coffs last week but would be pleased with how their youngsters stood up under pressure.
Ryan Sheather enjoyed a strong game last week, with Luke Hayman and Dale Beaver looming as targets around the forward line.
A strong combination between Daniel Zacek and ruckman, Graeme Connolly will be pivotal to the side moving forward.
Port enjoyed a physical hitout against the Saints but fell short again away from home. Jesse Schmidt has kicked 14 goals in the opening two rounds and will again attract strong attention this weekend. The side will look for a more even contribution in this match and will start slight favourites.
Nambucca Valley v Sawtell/Toormina
The Saints engine kicked into gear last week with an improved showing and will be keen to keep the momentum going in its trip south to Macksville Park.
Todd Matthews hit form last week and will enjoy working off his brother Luke as the season progresses. Mark Couzens is an evergreen performer and is a core component of the Saints leadership group. Daniel Pritchardâs return made a noticeable difference in straightening the side up against Port Macquarie.
Nambucca Valley were valiant last week with Jimmy Angel inspirational across half-back. The effort is well embodied in the likes of midfield generals, Luke Benson and Monty Schmidt. Here though lies a side is full of negating players which in that lies a consistent deficiency in being able to put points on the board.
Sawtell have been blessed with other avenues to goal besides Ben Hooke and this will again prove a key component of their premiership defence.
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Could something like 'Making a Murderer' play out in Canada?
TORONTO – The controversial legal saga exposed in the popular Netflix documentary "Making a Murderer" could play out in Canada but much of the footage that made the series so compelling would never come to light here, some lawyers who have seen the show said.
The show, which was released last month and continues to fuel countless water-cooler debates, begins as Steven Avery is exonerated after spending 18 years in jail in rural Wisconsin.
The 10 hour-long episodes then follow him as he is charged, tried and eventually convicted for a murder he maintains he didn't commit, weaving together interviews with courtroom video and footage of police interrogations and news conferences.
READ MORE: Steven Avery of 'Making a Murderer' files appeal, says jury was tainted
While the series stirred outrage and disbelief in many who viewed it, similar cases can and have emerged in Canada, a lawyer with the Association in the Defence of the Wrongfully Convicted said.
Police tampering has played a role in some wrongful convictions, though it is far from the norm, said Amanda Carling, the organization's national legal education counsel.
"If (the series) is your main exposure to wrongful convictions, it would have you believe that wrongful convictions are caused primarily by people making decisions to get the wrong guy," she said.
"But that isn't how most of the cases go down," she said. "An equal if not much larger contributor is the stuff that happens because the policies and the training isn't in place to prevent those things from happening."
Inquiries into previous wrongful convictions have spurred policies meant to reduce the likelihood of error – including changes in the handling of police lineups and greater awareness of potential tunnel vision in investigations – but no system is fool-proof, she said.
The non-profit organization has exonerated 20 people and is currently working on 12 cases, but Carling said few have received as much attention – or sympathy – as the Avery case.
Part of the show's appeal stems from the gripping courtroom footage – none of which would be available in Canada under current rules, said Iain MacKinnon, a Toronto media lawyer.
"One of the most impressive things about the whole documentary is the wealth of court material that the filmmakers have because you could never make a documentary that detailed and that thorough in Canada," he said.
READ MORE: More than 300K sign petitions calling for the pardon of Making a Murderersubjects
"We have a certain degree of open justice and access to the courts in Canada … and one of the access points that we don't have that they did in the U.S. is that there's no television, there's no cameras allowed in the courtrooms."
"So we'll never get any video from any criminal case," he said. Journalists can obtain transcripts and audio recordings of court proceedings, but the sound can't be used for broadcast, MacKinnon said.
Anita Szigeti, the Toronto director of the Criminal Lawyers' Association, said the daily news conferences in which prosecutors and defence lawyers discussed the Avery case were "alien" to her.
"You would never see that here. We don't normally speak with the media while a matter is before court. It's just weird," she said.
It could also erode goodwill between the two sides, Szigeti said.
"Having to recap and speak to the media and try to put a positive spin on what you've accomplished for your client, I think it would foster a lot of animosity between opposing counsel and I think for that reason, it's pretty problematic," she said.
Overall, Canada's justice system, which is based on the British model, is "more cautious" when it comes to granting access, largely out of concern that the information could influence potential or sitting jurors, said MacKinnon, the media lawyer.
"I'm not saying that can't happen, and maybe the U.S. is on the other end of the extreme, but I think our court system can move a little more towards that paradigm or model than what we currently have, which is a lot of times the public is just left in the dark about a lot of information that happens in courts."
© 2016 The Canadian Press


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I recently spent the weekend in Greenville, Ohio at the Gathering at Garst. For this show I prepared three carving blanks and three finished bases so that I could demonstrate my process and be productive. I completed all three bird — this indigo bunting, an American Goldfinch, and a yellow warbler. the goldfinch sold at the show and was never photographed. I've included shots of the bunting here.
Archive for August 1st, 2011
Indigo Bunting
Posted in Art Shows, Craft Shows, tagged bird, bunting, carve, carving, Folk, greenville, ohio, primitive, wood on August 1, 2011| Leave a Comment »


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Steli Efti is the founder of Close.io and ElasticSales and he is the author of The Ultimate Startup Guide to Inbound Sales. This episode we talk about a wide range of things associated with lead generation and sales. Two topics that I see a lot of businesses struggle with.
Steli is one of the few people that can discuss this topic from any context and still stay on point which is a testament to depth of competence. Another one of the things that I really like about this interview is Stelies level of energy.
Notice that in our conversation still he explains that English was not even his first language when he got here 7to 8 years ago although he's quite well spoken now.
This is a another testament to how focused and dedicated he is with what he's doing.
Licence : All Rights Reserved


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I have to go on a trip for my job to the Long Beach Convention Center in a couple of weeks. There's a big meeting there I'm attending, and most of the moderately-priced hotels within walking distance are pretty well booked.
Would you care to recommend something, gentle DLers? I was thinking of staying on the Queen Mary, but even that's stretching the limit of what my college will pay for.
This is my first trip to SoCal, so I'd like to enjoy myself, but I don't want to raise any eyebrows with my travel voucher when I come back.


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Lithuanian airline Air Lituanica announced on August 26 it has started to accept payments in bitcoins for flight tickets purchases.
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One fine body…


text: En réponse à Ben Collins <email@example.com>: > The unstable chroot might not be as up-to-date as the buildd chroot. > > Is this a C++ package? No, it is C and OCaml: C compiles OCaml compilers and interpreters and then compilers compile OCaml sources. There is nothing more I can tell, I'm afraid. Thanks. Cheers, -------------- Jérôme Marant <firstname.lastname@example.com>


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Look, we know going back to school can be a drag. Of course we would rather have a year long summer vacay filled with sunshine and day drinking. Once class is back in session, gone are the days of lounging poolside and having your most challenging decision be what television show to binge watch on Netflix (OITNB, obviously). Despite your back-to-school blues, we have a little post-grad wisdom explaining why school rules over work. Don't get us wrong, we work at one of the coolest places around - who else has an adorable yorkie named Pebbles as their CEO? We still can't help feeling a little nostalgic of school days. Read on and discover why going back to school really isn't that bad:
Sleeping In: While we know the struggle of getting into the classes you need (many a tear has been shed over our laptops during registration), college gives you the freedom to choose your own schedule. Don't like waking up early? No problem, you can register for a later time or take online classes. Even days you wake up late it's still socially acceptable to wear pajamas to class. There's a reason lounge pants are our favorite thing right now, and it's mostly cause we're too lazy for real pants.
Post- College:
Free Gym Access & Time for the Gym: Not only do most colleges have a free gym for students with a variety of machines and drop-in fitness classes, as a student you actually have time to go to the gym. If we decide to skip a quick workout before work or on our lunch, we are lucky if we make it to the gym after work instead of deciding catching up on Game of Thrones is the priority.
Knowledge: If you're as lucky as the rest of us, college means you get to have some incredible professors and classes that can change your outlook or widen your scope on life. Reading books, having access to library archives, and learning how to ask questions and defend your opinions in class and on paper is what college is all about. We love to have a good time, make friends, and socialize, but it is hard to keep learning at the pace you were in college post-grad.
Vacations: Unless you work in education, things like a week off for spring break, a month off for winter break, and three months off for summer break are a thing of the past. We're trying to get a company-wide spring break, but HR isn't too hot on the idea. Fingers crossed!
Science Lab: Seriously. 'Cause when else do you get to play with Bunsen burners and learn about cute animals for credit? In the post-college world, the only time you get to study cute animals is when your coworker sends you a video of a hedgehog taking a bath.
Questionable Food: In college, your microwave is your best friend. You can cook all kinds of mac and cheese, Ramen, and whatever else the chef/evil genius lurking inside of you can come up with. Once you hit the office, you can't really get away with trying to craft a Nutella brownie in the microwave during your lunch hour and you have to come to terms that it's time for you to start preparing meals that require more than two ingredients.
Now that you're stoked about the fall semester, make sure you have everything for heading back to classes by checking out our lookbook, Masters of Style.
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"This is from The Essential Pasta Cookbook, and is one of our favourite pasta dishes!"
Rigatoni With Chorizo and Tomato
1 recipe photo
READY IN:40mins
Ingredients Nutrition
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 onion, sliced
- 250 g chorizo sausage, sliced
- 425 g crushed tomatoes
- 1⁄2 cup dry white wine
- 1 teaspoon chili, chopped
- 375 g rigatoni pasta
- 2 tablespoons fresh parsley
- 2 tablespoons parmesan cheese, freshly
- Heat oil in a frying pan. Add the onion and stir over low heat until tender.
- Add the sausage to th epan and cook, turning frequently, for 2-3 minutes. Add the tomato, wine, chili and salt and pepper to taste, and stir. Bring to the boil, reduce the heat and simmer for 15-20 minutes.
- While sauce i cooking, cook th erigatoni in a large pan of rapidly boiling salted water until al dente. Drain and return to the pan. Add the sauce to the hot pasta. Toss well to combine. Serve sprinkled with the combined fresh parsley and grated parmesan.


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LARGO — One owned a nursery school in Watertown, Conn. The other is a former science teacher from New Orleans.
Together, Pat Edmond and Peggy Mann are known as the "traveling naturalists" of the Friends of Largo Nature Parks.
Through their program, Nature in the Classroom, the pair aims to fulfill the mission of getting Pinellas County students in touch with Mother Nature.
From 2 to 5 p.m. Saturday, Edmond and Mann will present "Nature in the Classroom: A Teacher Open House'' at the George C. McGough Nature Park. Pinellas teachers can learn what the outreach program offers.
The Friends of Largo Nature Parks is a group of 15 volunteers who support the city's parks and environmental education. It was started last year when the city discussed closing the nature center at McGough Park because of budget cuts. The nature center is still open, although Largo is considering eliminating some of its programs.
"We formed a group and started working with city leaders, looking at how to improve revenue-vs.-expenditure issues," said Edmond, 64. "While we were at it, we launched what we called the Nature in the Classroom Initiative.''
The program offers teachers and their students a number of choices:
• A wildlife encounter with the nature center's animals, snakes and reptiles.
• A guided nature hike through the schoolyard, identifying plants and animals.
• For older students, an interactive program on watersheds, estuaries and coastal systems.
Edmond, president for the Friends of Largo Nature Parks, has been working with students since she became a Florida master naturalist six years ago.
Mann, a former elementary school science teacher, is the group's secretary. She moved here from Louisiana in 2009.
"You go to other places, and you barely have a park anymore, and you come here to Largo, and the parks are so beautiful and peaceful,'' said Mann, 57.
No matter how lean a family's finances, it's important to keep children engaged with nature and science, Mann said. She hopes her volunteering helps both children and adults recognize the area's natural treasures.
Here are four components of Nature in the Classroom that the naturalists will demonstrate Saturday:
• Using your senses (kindergarten through fifth grade): Naturalists lead students on an exploration of the outdoors, using sight, smell, hearing and touch. Wildlife encounters are guaranteed, along with lessons on ethics, safety, habitats and survival methods.
• Fiddler crab study (K-12): Students will study live fiddler crabs in their mud burrows and in containers that allow close, safe examination. They'll learn about feeding habits, predators, food web position, and the ethics of capture and release.
• Fluid Earth (grades 4-12): Students will learn about watersheds, estuaries and coastal systems. The naturalists will focus on environmental damage and prevention.
• Oceans of trash (K-12): Students will learn about the sources of marine debris and its environmental impact, prevention and cleanup.
Piper Castillo can be reached at email@example.com.


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As co-founder of the Marine Mammal Stranding Center in Brigantine, Director Bob Schoelkopf has watched animal populations increase, while it has been a struggle to keep up with the money needed to support New Jersey's sole facility authorized to rescue and care for marine mammals and sea turtles. The center opened 34 years ago in Atlantic City's Gardner's Basin but moved to Brigantine 28 years ago.
Q. What type of role does the Marine Mammal Stranding Center play in New Jersey?
A. The stranding center is important to New Jersey because we are the only (organization) in the state that is federally authorized to pick up these animals. They all are federally protected animals, marine mammals and sea turtles as well, so we respond to those animals to determine if they're injured, what's wrong with them, how can we recover those animals, rehabilitate them and turn them loose in the wild again. The dead animals, of course, we have to find out why they're dead. Were they hit by a boat? Were they shot by somebody? Were they caught in fishing line, or did they swallow hooks? This is all important information. It goes to the federal government for an overall picture of the health of the marine mammals and sea turtles in the world.
Q. Is that impact felt elsewhere along the East Coast?
A. We've done strandings from Maine all the way down to North Carolina and actually had animals sent to us from Florida for rehab, since Florida is not a known destination of seals, for the most part. So those facilities handle turtles and dolphins, (and they) had no idea what to do with seals, so they actually ship them to us so we can rehab them.
Q. What would be the impact if there were no stranding center?
A. The impact of not having us available here in New Jersey would be a lot of animals lying on the beach slowly dying or people deciding they would do their own thing and taking the animals home for treatment and then have them die. Actually, we're seeing more and more people trying to pick these animals up, especially baby seals, and then they get bitten and we're responsible now for holding that healthy seal in quarantine until that person recovers from the bite.
Q. What do you think your personal impact as the director of the stranding center has been in New Jersey and beyond?
A. I feel like I initiated a program that wasn't found in New Jersey before, as far as a rehab facility. But actually being around for 34 years, doing this, we've learned different methods of capture techniques. I invented a net that's used for seals, especially to keep them from hurting their mouth from biting the net or anything like that. It's a very simple tool that's now used worldwide. We've learned over those periods of time how best to recover those animals, how to rehab them, and our rehab numbers are over 90 percent. We're very pleased with that, and we've worked very hard to keep those numbers up so we can get a larger percentage back in the wild.
Q. In the 34 years the center has been in operation, what have been the biggest successes?
A. After 34 years, I think the success is the 90 percent recovery rate. The fact that we're able to teach so many people in the state to be our volunteers — they are our eyes, they go out on the beaches first. They call us when they see something. We have a stranding course that we teach so that they know what to do when they go on the beach, and that helps us out. Before we even leave the stranding center, we have photos of the animal, we have a history of that animal and we can see what's going on before we even respond.
Q. What have been the failures?
A. I think the biggest failure we've had is the fact that we don't have the room we really need to expand. The stranding numbers have gone up over the years, so we're fixed in our location, in the number of buildings that we can put up and the number of tanks. It's a challenge because we have to keep moving animals and, when they're healthy enough, getting them out, getting them oriented. So it's very trying during the winter months to keep this flow of animals going. We can't just release them. They have to be healthy first.
Q. How has the center's mission and scope changed since opening your doors?
A. The mission of the center has always been the same: to rescue, rehabilitate and release. The change comes in the number of animals that we've handled. We've done over 4,000 animals. We've had early days of six to seven animals a year to, right now, we're up to over 100 animals for nine months of the year. Last year, we finished with about 180 animals, so those numbers are always up there. There's always a challenge, and you can't tell a typical stranding is this or that because there is no typical stranding.
Q. What does the center hope to accomplish in the next five years?
A. Well, we'd like to make sure the center continues to operate (and) we have the funding coming in to do that operation. That's the most critical part for us right now because of the loss of donations over the past couple of years; it's critical to buy food and medicine. A lot of the facilities similar to ours are supported by universities or aquariums. We're solely supported by the sales from our gift shop here, and memberships and special fundraisers like the golf outing.
Q. Where does the center's funding come from, and what does your budget pay for?
A. Our budget is roughly $650,000 a year. That covers salaries, that covers $65,000 a year in insurance costs. We have two boats to insure, four vehicles, all the staff, workman's comp. All of this is consumed by us. As I said, the other facilities in other states are covered by universities or aquariums. They pick up on that cost. Facility costs here, it's all on us. So the membership, the sponsorship that we just received this spring by The Atlantic Club, helping us out with the big-screen TV donation and backing us with special fundraising opportunities there, that's a really big help to us and, of course, the golf outing. That's going to be needed for the food. Last year alone we spent $16,000 just on food for the animals, not to mention the medical costs, transportation costs, which is really going sky high, that (Ford) 550 (truck) we use for larger animals only gets seven miles to the gallon, so that is a quite costly part of our budget right now.
Q. How much of a challenge do proposed federal budget cuts play in keeping the center operating?
A. Well, as I mentioned, of the $100,000 we get from the budget we get from the federal grant, $65,000 of that is spent just on insurance, not to mention salaries for the veterinarian, travel expenses, equipment, maintenance and upkeep of the facility is far higher than what we see in that proposed budget cut coming up.
Q. Could those budget cuts cause a reduction in service?
A. We would say no because then we wouldn't be doing our mission to help rescue those animals. It may result in us laying off personnel, but at this time that's even worse because we need as many as we can get. In fact, we could use even more staff right now. We just don't have the money to pay for them.
Q. What are the biggest obstacles facing the center day to day?
A. Probably the financial outcome of the center. How we keep money coming every month is a challenge. We are very careful in how we spend the money, where we use it, where we look for grants and private donations and bequeathments, that helps us quite a bit. But we can never count on that, because we don't know when that's coming in or the number or volume of animals that are going to be alive versus dead.
Q. How big of a role do volunteers play in the center's mission?
A. Volunteers are the center. We need those people. They cover the entire coast of New Jersey. When an animal gets called in to us by the police department or the Coast Guard, we'll go through our volunteer list, call the people who live within 15 minutes of that stranding area. They respond, and they immediately get back to us by phone and with photos of the animals to expedite the recovery, so we know what equipment to take. Looking at the photo tells us if we even need to pick up the animal, how healthy it is. And without the volunteers, we wouldn't be able to operate with only four people on our payroll.
Q. One of the proposals for adding to the Atlantic City Tourism District has been to move the stranding center back to Gardner's Basin. What do you think about that proposal?
A. At this time, we just renewed our lease with the city of Brigantine and we're quite happy and the residents of Brigantine have been supporting us. We're hoping to add just a little bit more space here and update our equipment, so at this point in time, we're very happy being where we are.
Q. If you were to move to Gardner's Basin, what would be the costs and benefits versus staying in Brigantine?
A. Any move we make outside of Brigantine or to new property in Brigantine would have to be at least a $3 million cost in building. We build it as simply as possible to do the most important part of our job, which uses water, so we'd have to be close to the water for water supply. The only way we could do that is starting from the ground up, brand new, and that's a cost we can't afford right now.
Q. Does the center provide a home for research to be conducted? If so, what has been studied and learned? If not, would you like research capabilities to be added to the center's mission?
A. We're not a research facility. We're a rehabilitation facility. Research comes from what we produced in our data collection, what we find with these animals. If we find an animal with an unusual disease, that's all passed on to the researchers. That's not our job. Research is a primary function in other parts of the state. Right now we have enough problems doing rehabilitation. Doing research is not at the top of our priority list.
Contact Sarah Watson:
Follow @acpresssarah on Twitter


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This property has been removed by the agent. It may be let or temporarily removed from the market
Property Description
Letting information:
|Not Specified
|Added on Rightmove:
|10 July 2012 (1898 days ago)
Key features
- Spacious Family House
- Six bedrooms
- Excellent Condition
- Large Rear Garden
- Short walk to Streatham Common
Full description
A fantastic six bedroom family house to rent in Streatham. This spacious home offers spacious living areas, and six large bedrooms. The house is tastefully decorated throughout and is superbly located by Streatham Common. It is also well located for the surrounding Dulwich schools, and Streatham Station is under a mile away. Early viewing is highly recommended.
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Need Appliance Repair Help? Ask a Technician for Answers ASAP
Hello, Thank you for using this service, I will be helping you with your problem today
Is the noise inside the freezer or coming from behind where the compressor is ?
The noise is coming from behind
I've had this Refrigerator for a few years bought new and it has been loud since I purchased it. I can't be sure but I think it sounds like the comressor.


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When Kathi Cooper joined IBM Corp. in 1979, she immediately took advantage of the company's pension plan. However, more than a decade after her start date, IBM changed its pension from a defined-benefit plan to a "cash-balance" plan. After taking a good look at IBM's new system, Cooper felt ambushed.
While IBM's former system allowed Cooper to accrue interest at a faster rate because of her seniority with the company, the new plan gave all employees, regardless of age, an equal interest rate.
In 2003 Cooper filed a class action suit, alleging IBM's new plan violated ERISA by discriminating against older employees. The 140,000 employees in the class sought $1.4 billion in damages.
The Southern District of Illinois agreed that the shift violated ERISA, granting summary judgment for the plaintiffs. The decision spurred an outcry from the more than 15,000 plan sponsors that use cash-balance plans. Ten companies filed an amicus brief supporting IBM's appeal, fearing that if the decision was affirmed it would force them to exit the voluntary employer-maintained, defined-benefit system "through plan freezes and terminations."
However, on Aug. 7, those fears were ameliorated when the 7th Circuit reversed the lower court's ruling, finding that cash-balance plans are age-neutral. And on Aug. 17, President George W. Bush signed into law the Pension Protection Act of 2006 (PPA), which confirmed the court's reasoning.
Although the ruling comes as a relief to plan sponsors, the 900-page PPA creates some ambiguity on exactly what steps in-house counsel need to consider before adopting a cash-balance plan or converting a plan under the new rules.
A Bright Spot
Under IBM's traditional defined-pension plan, the company provided benefits in the form of a lifetime annuity and cash-balance accumulation, meaning that employees' benefits increased at a faster rate as they aged. The cash-balance plan differs in that all employees receive the same pay credit and interest rate regardless of age. Cooper and other employees found that this method gave younger employees an unfair advantage.
Chief District Judge G. Patrick Murphy found that simple mathematics supported the plaintiff's claims. Taking the example of an employee who retires at age 50 after 20 years or service, Murphy concluded that he would have a larger annual benefit at 65 than someone whose 20 years of service concluded with retirement at age 65 since the former receives 15 years more interest than the latter.
However, 7th Circuit Judge Frank Easterbrook found the district court erred by assuming that this discrepancy is not counterbalanced by the fact that older workers generally draw higher salaries.
"This is the very first time that a court of appeals has recognized affirmatively that a cash-balance retirement plan is age neutral," says Edward Bright, partner at Thacher Proffitt & Wood.
This comes as a relief to the many plan sponsors that have replaced their traditional pensions with cash-balance plans. According to Pension Benefit Guaranty Corp. (PBGC), the total number of PBGC-insured defined-benefit plans decreased from 114,000 in 1985 to fewer than 32,000 in 2004.
"Your costs are contained and there is less risk with a cash-balance plan," says Thomas Vasiljevich, shareholder at Ogletree, Deakins, Nash, Smoak & Steward. "A traditional defined-benefit plan is subject to market fluxuations. Cash-balance plans take away some of that uncertainty."
Another reason cash-balance plans rose in popularity was due to the workforce becoming more mobile. According to Lynn Dudley, vice president of the American Benefits Counsel--an advocacy group of employer-sponsored benefit programs--IBM's workforce underwent a dramatic shift. In the 1960s, employees typically worked for the company for a 30-year span, but by the late 1980s, workers stayed with the company for only about 10 years on average. Since most employees accrued the bulk of their benefits in the last few years of their career, younger employees didn't pay attention to their pension benefits and had little incentive to stay on board.
"Employers felt that they were spending a lot of money for something that their employees didn't care about," Bright says. "With a cash-balance plan there is always a lump sum of money in an account that the employee knows is his or hers. From the employer standpoint they could communicate a tangible value to all of their employees."
Although the ruling ensures employers that use cash-balance plans will not be sued for age discrimination, the decision only applies to the 7th Circuit. Experts warn that the 3rd and 9th Circuits are more receptive to the arguments put forth by Cooper and may view cash-balance plans as discriminatory.
"We won't be done with this issue until the Supreme Court has an opinion," Dudley says. "And I suspect that eventually we will get there."
The Future Of Pensions
Regardless of how the courts rule on the issue, the PPA may ultimately push more companies towards cash-balance plans by making defined-benefit plans more costly.
"One of the most significant changes of the PPA is that it imposes additional funding requirements on defined-benefit pension plans," says Robert Zitko, a partner at Kirkland & Ellis.
According to Zitko, it is unclear whether companies will rely on the PPA to convert traditional pension plans to cash-balance plans or whether the additional funding requirements under the PPA will cause companies to move away from defined-benefit pension plans altogether.
"I think the PPA is going to provide some sort of safe harbors," Vasiljevich says. "But, frankly, employers are scared off even though this legislation makes cash-balance plans safer, I think that a lot of employers are still risk adverse given the litigious climate out there."
The greatest risk lies for those who must convert their existing cash-balance plans to the new standards.
"For companies that already have cash-balance plans, in-house counsel need to pay attention to whether their current plan complies with the statute," Bright says.


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The Virginia Declaration of RightsJun. 1st, 2014 04:48 pm
Originally posted by tongodeon at The Virginia Declaration of Rights
I learned something interesting today. The Bill of Rights (1789) was based heavily on the Virginia Declaration of Rights (1776). The Second Amendment was derived from this section:
Section 13. That a well-regulated militia, composed of the body of the people, trained to arms, is the proper, natural, and safe defense of a free state; that standing armies, in time of peace, should be avoided as dangerous to liberty; and that in all cases the military should be under strict subordination to, and governed by, the civil power.
This is an angle that I haven't heard before, probably because it's not convenient to either side of the gun debate. The primary purpose of Section 13 (and possibly the Second Amendment) was not to facilitate the overthrow of a tyrannical government, it was to avoid the rise of that government in the first place by preventing standing armies. This also gives the phrase "well-regulated militia" a bit of a clearer meaning. In order to make sure that standing armies are unnecessary you don't simply ensure that every civilian had access to guns, they also had to be capable of fighting together as a well-regulated militia.


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KNUTSFOODIES, an innovative pilot 10-week food course for primary school children and young people, has been launched at The Welcome.
Childhood obesity is a growing problem across the country and latest figures show that 8.5 per cent of reception-age children and 19.9 per cent of Year 6 children in Central and Eastern Cheshire are classed as obese.
"It's a complex issue and many experts suspect that the rise in diabetes and obesity is linked with increased consumption of processed, refined foods, hidden sugars and sugary drinks, combined with plenty of evidence suggesting that 'home cooking' is on the wane – regardless of income," said programme designer Sarah Flannery.
"The Welcome has previously delivered a successful Little Cooks programme but Knutsfoodies will explore whether food education on its own simply isn't enough, through an integrated approach that considers real eating habits, accessible food and pester power – to see if young people can influence their parents/carers rather than vice versa," said Sarah.
The Welcome's Operations Manager, Marie Fox, said Knutsfoodies will address many issues and help educate children on the choices they are making.
"What we found, running the youth clubs, is that a lot of the kids have a lot of pop and fizzy drinks. That's why we are doing this, the kids are choosing things that are not good for them," said Marie.
"Knutsfoodies is a practical course designed to arm children with skills and knowledge to stay healthy through their childhood and adult life."
A key innovation is a unique partnership with Aldi, who are providing ingredients each week.
Marie added: "Thanks to Aldi Knutsford, the children are able to take home not just a recipe but the ingredients to cook a family meal each week – and build up a good store cupboard for future meals."
Knutsfoodies is funded by an Awards for All grant from The Big Lottery Fund.
The Big Lottery Fund, the largest distributor of National Lottery good cause funding, is responsible for giving out 40 per cent of the money raised for good causes by the National Lottery.
The Fund is committed to bringing real improvements to communities and the lives of people most in need and has been rolling out grants to health, education, environment and charitable causes across the UK. Since its inception in 2004 it has awarded close to £6bn.


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|Table 1: Significantly enriched KEGG biological pathways among top 0.1% candidate target genes of QSKL compositive compounds.
|A pathway is significantly enriched with candidate target genes when its corresponding upper-tailed value of hypergeometric cumulative distribution is smaller than 0.05. The pathways are ranked according to the order of the increasing values. The coverage for each pathway is referred to as the fraction of candidate target genes among all the pathway member genes.


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By Ryan Ekvall │ Wisconsin Reporter
MADISON — School bells ring, locker doors open and slam shut, parents breathe a sigh of relief and teachers say a silent prayer for patience as students fill the hallways and classrooms of schools vacated over summer recess.
This scene played out all over Wisconsin this week as hundreds of thousands of students head back to school.
The exception is in the 21 Milwaukee Public School buildings, which continue to stand vacant — save the few maintenance workers and electricians who walk the buildings — the way they have for more than a year, according to information obtained by Wisconsin Reporter. [correction: 17 of the 21 vacant MPS buildings have been vacant for more than one year.]
While some legislators lobby for additional funds for MPS, all that emptiness costs taxpayers around $1 million annually, and one state lawmaker believes MPS isn't parting with the buildings in order to box out choice schools.
In June 2011, Gov. Scott Walker signed a law that allowed the city of Milwaukee to sell or lease vacant school buildings held by MPS, which previously held a deed restriction, preventing the buildings from being used as schools that were not part of MPS. Under the law, MPS retains the authority to sell or lease its buildings, as well.
"Because it passed in June of last year, we thought heading into this school year these buildings would be available," said Jim Bender, president of School Choice, which promotes alternatives to the state's public education system. "I would have hoped — on a timeline basis — it would have been completed by now, but, then again, this is government."
Since June 2011, the city hasn't sold or leased a single vacant school building. Milwaukee Common Council President Willie Hines Jr., who strongly lobbied for the law change in the Legislature, did not return repeated calls seeking comment as to why the city has yet to act on its new authority.
MPS has sold two buildings for approximately $1.2 million each, according to MPS.
MPS spokesman Tony Tagliavia said more schools could be sold or used by charter schools.
"Four are currently on the market (Milwaukee School of Entrepreneurship, Carleton, Coggs, Central del Nino). We have letters of intent to purchase a number of other buildings beyond the four," Tagliavia wrote in an email to Wisconsin Reporter. He did not provide price information about these buildings.
"We have approved five new charter schools for 2013-14 that will be housed among the remaining buildings we still own. And lastly, we do own buildings that are no longer suitable for occupancy," Tagliavia wrote. He did not provide the locations of these buildings.
Tagliavia gave examples of several previously vacant school buildings — including the new Howard Avenue Montessori School and Golda Meir High School — reopening soon.
"We do not close buildings as a cost-saving effort; we have done it in the past to best match our student population with our facilities — specifically examining under-enrolled and/or underperforming buildings for closure," he emailed.
The new law requires funds from sold or leased buildings to be applied to the Milwaukee schools operations fund, which would ostensibly reduce the tax burden on Milwaukee residents. School officials did not indicate if the money from the two sold buildings went into this fund. [correction: Funds from buildings sold by the city must be applied towards the school operations fund. Funds from buildings sold by MPS are applied to the school construction fund.]
Milwaukee Public Schools spends the fourth most per pupil among large metropolitan areas in the country, at more than $14,000 per student, but lawmakers have lobbied for more.
State Sen. Chris Larson, D-Milwaukee, for example, recently chastised the current Republican-led biennial budget and School Choice programs for reducing state aid coming into MPS.
"We're hit pretty hard in Milwaukee. We have a funding flaw that hits my community in the public schools," he said at a Senate Education and Corrections Committee hearing last week.
Larson did not respond to requests for comment.
State Sen. Glenn Grothman, R-West Bend, said MPS should sell off its vacant buildings, rather than ask for more money.
"The teacher union-dominated Milwaukee school board is paying to maintain empty buildings and then has the nerve to ask the state for more money," Grothman told Wisconsin Reporter. "They don't get rid of them because they're afraid if they sell them somehow a choice school is going to buy them."
Bender said the city was creating a process to talk with parties interested in occupying the empty school buildings.
"There are certainly a number of (Choice) schools that have expansion in their short- or long-term plans," said Bender, noting vacated MPS schools as possible sites of expansion. "For some schools it depends on financing, retrofitting the building, zoning, if the building is up to code – there are specific building-by-building cases, which is why the sooner the better."
Contact Ryan Ekvall at [email protected]


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A pensioner suffering from dementia has missed two hospital appointments after late or inadequate transport was sent to collect her by ERS Medical.
Edna Saward, 67, of New Moor Close, Southminster was due to attend an appointment at Broomfield Hospital on June 23 at 1pm.
Richard Saward, 69, said: "She was ready and the transport never arrived.
"They didn't ring to let us know.
"They then left us a message saying they were going to be too late to get her to the appointment and they had rearranged an appointment for her."
Mrs Saward had another appointment at Broomfield Hospital on June 26 for which ERS Medical sent inadequate transport.
Mrs Saward missed two appointments in three days and without Mr Saward contacting Broomfield they may have found themselves taken off the appointment list.


text: I was thinking about the article in today's chron. about our LB injury issues. It's been said here many times that people would like to see us utilize the athleticism of Connor Barwin to contribute to that outside LB position. Is there any chance we go ahead and start giving him some reps there or are we too late in preseason to get that going. I would think it would help if we included him at the OLB position when we are blitzing everybody or something.


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In a previous post, I indicated what I consider the "dangerous" realisation that there is no top-down meaning; that our actions aren't found to be important by anyone (or One) other than ourselves. This idea destroyed and continues to destroy many ideas I embraced (and that I encounter). Based on this, one must ask what follows.
One might become nihilistic, depressed and/or commit suicide; one might also choose to deliberately ignore all the evidence and conjure up bizarre claims about energy and so on, inflating our solipsism to the point where we view our actions as – from a top-down, metaphysical perspective – meaningful. These are just two, quite extreme, ways people respond to what they realise is a meaningless (from a top-down perspective) existence.
Many of us grew up with the idea that "right" and "wrong" were synonyms for God's likes and dislikes. Pork and alcohol, premarital sex, praying regularly, clothing in special places, strange rituals, respecting one's elders: these were the types of ideas that fit the bracket of "morality" for me, when I was young and considered myself Muslim. Looking at that list now, one can see how utterly solipsistic it is. From dietary to fashion, the invocation of God had little to do with what I realise now actually morally matters: the wellbeing and reduction of unnecessary suffering of others. For my younger self – and for many others –we need not worry about the well-being of others because that is God's domain. What's the use of interfering, when life is dependent on how much love you've earned from God? If something bad happens, it is because you have upset God somehow: you haven't prayed correctly, bathed correctly, dressed correctly, respected correctly, thought correctly. Of course, "correctly" was a synonym for whatever God wants. Morality therefore became merely about how much or little you thought God loved you, followed by what you planned to do about it.
Written By: Tauriq Moosa continue to source article at bigthink.com


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Editor's Note: TheStreet ratings do not represent the views of TheStreet's staff or its contributors. Ratings are established by computer based on metrics for performance (which includes growth, stock performance, efficiency and valuation) and risk (volatility and solvency). Companies with poor cash flow or high debt levels tend to earn lower ratings in our model All three major indices are trading up today with the Dow Jones Industrial Average ( ^DJI) trading up 64 points (0.4%) at 14,866 as of Thursday, April 11, 2013, 12:55 PM ET. The NYSE advances/declines ratio sits at 1,808 issues advancing vs. 1,100 declining with 140 unchanged. The Basic Materials sector currently sits down 0.24 versus the S&P 500, which is up 0.4%. Top gainers within the sector include Occidental Petroleum Corporation ( OXY), up 3.7%, Southwestern Energy Company ( SWN), up 2.8%, PPG Industries ( PPG), up 2.3%, Total ( TOT), up 1.2% and Chevron ( CVX), up 0.9%. On the negative front, top decliners within the sector include Valero Energy Corporation ( VLO), down 4.12, HollyFrontier ( HFC), down 4.14, Marathon Petroleum ( MPC), down 3.72, Petroleo Brasileiro SA Petrobras ( PBR.A), down 1.89 and PetroChina ( PTR), down 0.97. TheStreet Ratings group would like to highlight 5 stocks pushing the sector higher today: 5. Barrick Gold Corporation ( ABX) is one of the companies pushing the Basic Materials sector higher today. As of noon trading, Barrick Gold Corporation is up $0.38 (1.53) to $24.84 on heavy volume Thus far, 15.0 million shares of Barrick Gold Corporation exchanged hands as compared to its average daily volume of 10.2 million shares. The stock has ranged in price between $24.30-$25.10 after having opened the day at $24.63 as compared to the previous trading day's close of $24.46. Barrick Gold Corporation engages in the production and sale of gold and copper. It is also involved in exploration and mine development activities. Barrick Gold Corporation has a market cap of $26.7 billion and is part of the metals & mining industry. Shares are down 30.1% year to date as of the close of trading on Wednesday. TheStreet Ratings rates Barrick Gold Corporation as a hold. The company's strengths can be seen in multiple areas, such as its revenue growth and good cash flow from operations. However, as a counter to these strengths, we also find weaknesses including feeble growth in the company's earnings per share, deteriorating net income and disappointing return on equity. Get the full Barrick Gold Corporation Ratings Report now. Exclusive Offer: Jim Cramer's 'go-to' small/mid-cap guru Bryan Ashenberg only buys stocks he thinks could return 50-100%. See his top picks for 14-days FREE.
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Non Lethal Options
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September 22, 2012, 09:14 PM
Join Date: September 4, 2012
Posts: 31
Being a former correctional officer I can fully agree with the OP. I have been sprayed multiple times during training and from the "side shots" during duty. For lack of better terms the stuff sucks and will definately ruin your day.
Probably the best on the market for personal defense is the FOX 5.3, I have seen grown men drop to their knees by being sprayed from it.
I personally used Freeze +P CS/OC spray (which is standard issue around here) amazing stuff and burns like hell...your face feels like its on fire, you can't see, feels like you have sand in your eyes, feels like you can't breath, and by no means can you focus.
CS/OC spray is definately a recommended alternative to lethal force.
Also the FOX Mean Green spray comes out lime green adding a psychological factor to it as well.
Pepper spray is also very affordable $15-$20 for a 2oz can (best size since you can fit it in your pocket. However be sure to check with localn laws because I know in some places (like Florida) you have to get a CCW to carry pepper spray.
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Michel Fabrizio fights back from a low of 11th place to pick up a podium in his first race for Red Devils Roma Aprilia at Phillip Island.
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Michel Fabrizio notched up his 35th career WSBK podium at Phillip Island as he proved he could translate his impressive single lap pace on the Red Devils Roma Aprilia into a similarly strong race performance.
The most experienced rider in the WSBK field, who has scored at least one podium per season since making his series debut back in 2006, Fabrizio looked to have ruled himself out of contention in race one when a poor start from the front row dropped him to 11th at the end of the opening lap.
Nonetheless, the Italian would pick his way up the order again, setting the fastest lap of the race on the way to catching second place man Eugene Laverty. Engaging in a late race dice with the Irishman on the factory Aprilia, Fabrizio briefly nosed ahead only to be re-passed two corners from the finish line.
Similarly, Fabrizio was in contention for the podium in race two, but after losing touch with the lead group in the early stages, his fight back would fall just short as he settled for fourth behind Marco Melandri.
His best weekend points' haul since Kyalami in 2010 (where he also scored his last WSBK win), Fabrizio was happy to have been on the pace throughout the weekend.
"We are going back to Italy with two important results. The whole team has worked very well and I would like to reward their efforts with a second podium after the one obtained in race one. Unfortunately I did not succeed, but the result of this first round of the Championship is undoubtedly positive. We must now continue in this way, because I think we have the possibilities.
"The next race will be in Aragon, where I tried the RSV4 for the first time immediately starting strong. It should be another advantageous track for Aprilia and we aim to be with the leading group, because this is a championship that rewards constant results."
A landmark weekend for the Red Devils Roma team, which made its debut at the start of the 2012 season, manager Andrea Petricca was delighted to be winning a maiden podium in its first race with Aprilia machinery.
"We have obtained two exceptional results," he said. "We are happy because we have worked so hard and the two races of today have rewarded us. Michel was amazing, going strong from the first round of free practices until the last lap of race two.
"In race two he could get a second podium but the fourth place is still a good result. We are leaving Australia with Michel's third place in the riders' standings and the determination to continue in this way."


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Rockwell Collins provided AIN with more details of the avionics for the Brazilian KC-390 military transport. The avionics company believes that Embraer's recent choice represents a strategic win, since it is the first military application of the Pro Line Fusion suite.
Pro Line Fusion is based on an integrated modular avionics architecture, built around common computing modules which host applications software for flight management and a variety of other functions. Since unveiling the system four years ago, Rockwell Collins has been selected for various upcoming business and regional jets as well as the Bombardier C Series narrowbody airliner.
Mike Jones, Rockwell Collins senior director for tanker and transport solutions, noted that Embraer's previous selection of Pro Line Fusion for the Legacy 450/500 midsize business jet "helped shape the eventual KC-390 avionics requirement." Nevertheless, Embraer still held a competition, and the selection of Pro Line Fusion "was by no means a shoe-in."
A main difference for the military flight deck will be to make it night-vision imaging system (NVIS) compatible, Jones said. The KC-390 will have five 15-inch-diagonal, high-resolution liquid crystal displays, an integrated flight information management system with electronic charts and "point-and-click" access, a flight management system with graphical flight planning capability and automated database management. The transport will be equipped for required navigation performance (RNP) 0.3 procedures–the ability to stay within 0.3 nautical miles left or right of centerline on approach.
Jones said Embraer is competing the requirement for head-up displays separately. Rockwell Collins's Brazilian subsidiary will participate in the Pro Line Fusion integration, as will other Brazilian companies as part of an industrial offset agreement. The companies were in the process of defining military functionalities of the avionics system, which will be certified in parallel with a planned, civil freighter version of the KC-390, Jones said. He declined to specify upcoming milestones other than the planned first flight of the transport in 2014.
Embraer and the Brazilian government launched the KC-390 in April 2009 as a replacement for Brazilian air force C-130s, and have signed Argentina, Chile, Colombia, the Czech Republic and Portugal as strategic partners for potentially hundreds of aircraft. The Brazilian air force thus far has committed to 28.