text:
Testimony Before the Committee on Agriculture
Vice Chairman
U.S. House of Representatives
December 8, 2011
Chairman Lucas, Ranking Member Peterson and Members of the Committee:
I am Steve Luparello, Vice Chairman of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, or FINRA. On behalf of FINRA, I would like to thank you for the opportunity to testify today.
When a firm like MF Global fails, there is always value in reviewing the events leading to that failure and examining where rules and processes might be improved. I commend the Committee for having this hearing to do just that. Clearly the continued impact of MF Global's failure on customers who cannot access their funds is of great concern, and every possible step should be taken to transfer and restore those accounts as quickly as possible.
Like many other financial firms today, MF Global's operations included multiple business lines, engaging multiple regulatory schemes and crossing national boundaries. We and the other regulators here today will explain our roles in overseeing the various parts of the firm. We all share the goal of restoring funds to customers. While FINRA's role in that process is limited at this stage, we are committed to continuing to provide assistance wherever we can.
FINRA is the largest independent regulator for all securities firms doing business in the United States, and, through its comprehensive regulatory oversight programs, regulates both the firms and professionals that sell securities in the United States and the U.S. securities markets. FINRA oversees approximately 4,500 brokerage firms, 163,000 branch offices and 636,000 registered securities representatives. FINRA touches virtually every aspect of the securities business—from registering industry participants to examining securities firms; writing rules and enforcing those rules and the federal securities laws; informing and educating the investing public; providing trade reporting and other industry utilities and administering the largest dispute resolution forum for investors and registered firms.
In 2010, FINRA brought 1,310 disciplinary actions, collected fines totaling $42.2 million and ordered the payment of almost $6.2 million in restitution to harmed investors. FINRA expelled 14 firms from the securities industry, barred 288 individuals and suspended 428 from association with FINRA-regulated firms. Last year, FINRA conducted approximately 2,600 cycle examinations and 7,300 cause examinations.
One of our regulatory programs that is particularly relevant to today's hearing is our financial and operational surveillance. Through this program, FINRA reviews FOCUS (Financial and Operational Combined Uniform Single) reports that broker-dealers file on a monthly basis as required by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). These reports detail a firm's financial and operational conditions and allow FINRA to closely monitor a firm's net capital position and profitability for signs of potential problems.
FINRA's activities are overseen by the SEC, which approves all FINRA rules and has oversight authority over FINRA operations.
Oversight of MF Global
Like many financial firms today that operate simultaneously in multiple channels, MF Global was not solely a broker-dealer, but also a futures commission merchant or FCM. As such, multiple government regulators and self-regulatory organizations (SROs), including FINRA, had a role in overseeing various parts of the firm's operations.
With respect to oversight of MF Global's financial and operational compliance, which is most relevant to today's hearing, FINRA shares oversight responsibilities with the Chicago Board Options Exchange (CBOE) and the SEC, especially in terms of the firm's compliance with the net capital rule. For broker-dealers that are members of multiple SROs, the SEC assigns a Designated Examining Authority, or DEA, to examine the firm's financial and operational programs, including the firm's compliance with the Commission's net capital and customer protection rules. For MF Global, that DEA is the CBOE. As such, CBOE conducted the regular examinations of the firm for capital compliance.
There are two primary SEC rules for which financial examinations evaluate compliance, the net capital and customer protection rules. The primary purpose of the SEC's net capital rule, 15c3-1, is to protect customers and creditors of a registered broker-dealer from monetary losses and delays that can occur if that broker-dealer fails. It requires firms to maintain sufficient liquid assets to satisfy customer and creditor claims. It accomplishes this by requiring brokerage firms to maintain net capital in excess of certain minimum amounts. A firm's net capital takes into account net worth, reduced by illiquid assets and various deductions to account for market and credit risk. This amount is measured against the minimum amount of net capital a firm is required to maintain, which depends on its size and business. The net capital rule is intended to provide an extra buffer of protection, beyond rules requiring segregation of customer funds, so that if a firm cannot continue business and needs to liquidate, resources will be available for them to do so.
The SEC's customer protection rule, 15c3-3, has two components, reserve formula computation and possession or control, and was designed to ensure the safety of customers' assets. The objective of the reserve formula computation is to protect the customer funds in the event the broker-dealer becomes financially insolvent. Possession or control requires that the broker-dealer obtain prompt possession or control of customers' fully paid for and excess margin securities, ensure that customers' assets held by a broker-dealer are properly safeguarded against unauthorized use and separate firm and customer related business.
Fewer than 20 FINRA-regulated broker-dealers have a DEA other than FINRA, but in those cases, we work closely and cooperatively with the DEA when questions or issues arise. Even when we are not the DEA for one of our regulated broker-dealers, FINRA monitors and analyzes the firm's FOCUS report filings and annual audited financial statements as part of our ongoing oversight of the firm. That was the case with MF Global.
While that monitoring focuses on a broad range of issues, it is particularly relevant to note that our financial surveillance team placed a heightened focus on exposure to European sovereign debt beginning in spring 2010. During April and May, our staff began surveying firms as to their positions in European sovereign debt as part of our ongoing monitoring of regulated firms.
In response to our outreach on this issue, MF Global indicated in late September 2010 that the firm did not have any such positions. We later learned that the firm began entering into transactions that carried European debt exposure in mid-September 2010. While the firm's response was consistent with GAAP accounting rules that repo-to-maturity (RTM) transactions are treated as a sale for accounting purposes, the lack of a complete response delayed us in detecting the firm's exposure.
MF Global's Exposure to European Sovereign Debt
In a routine review of MF Global's audited financial statements filed with FINRA on May 31 of this year, our staff raised questions about a footnote disclosure regarding the firm's RTM portfolio. RTMs are essentially transactions whereby the maturity date of a firm's bond position held in its inventory matches the maturity date of the repo. During the course of discussions with the firm, FINRA learned that a significant portion of that portfolio was collateralized by approximately $7.6 billion in European sovereign debt. According to U.S. GAAP, RTMs are afforded sale treatment and therefore not recognized on the balance sheet. Notwithstanding that accounting position, the firm remained subject to market and credit risk throughout the life of the repo.
Beginning in mid-June, FINRA had detailed discussions with the firm, in which CBOE also participated, regarding the proper treatment of the RTM portfolio and we asserted that not enough capital was reserved against the RTM. While the SEC has issued guidance clarifying that RTMs collateralized by U.S. Treasury debt do not require capital to be reserved, there is no such relief for RTMs collateralized by debt of non-U.S. governments. We researched whether the firm retained default risk on the positions, and concluded that it did. Our view was that while recording the RTMs as sales was consistent with GAAP, they should not be treated as such for purposes of the capital rule given the market and credit risk those positions carried. As a result, we asserted that capital needed to be reserved against the RTM.
FINRA and CBOE also had discussions with the SEC about our concerns that the firm was not holding capital against its RTM portfolio. The SEC agreed with our assertion that the firm should be holding capital against the positions. The firm fought this interpretation throughout the summer, appealing directly to the SEC, before eventually conceding in late August.
The firm infused additional capital and filed an amended July FOCUS report on August 31 to report a $150 million capital deficiency in July. The firm also provided notification, pursuant to SEC Rule 17a-11, of its capital deficiency to the SEC, CBOE and FINRA as well as to the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), pursuant to CFTC Rule 1.12. The net capital deficiency in the amended July FOCUS report was reported on the CFTC's website. In addition, on September 1, the firm amended its Form 10-Q filing with the SEC to identify the change in net capital treatment of the RTM portfolio.
In September, FINRA added MF Global to "alert reporting," a heightened monitoring process whereby we require firms to provide weekly information on net capital, inventory, profit and loss as well as reserve formula computations.
On October 19, the Intermarket Financial Surveillance Group (IFSG), which is comprised of securities and futures regulators and self-regulatory organizations, had its annual meeting. The IFSG was established in 1989 in order to enhance the coordination and monitoring efforts of both securities and commodities regulators. Through an information sharing agreement, SROs provide each other with financial surveillance data and related information on an as-needed basis. In addition, SRO representatives meet annually to discuss relevant capital and customer protection issues. Exposure to European sovereign debt was one of the topics at the October meeting and FINRA raised MF Global's positions during the discussions.
During the week of October 24, as MF Global's equity price declined and its credit rating was cut, FINRA increased the level of surveillance over the firm. We requested detailed information about the firm's balance sheet and liquidity; we received updates about the loss of lending counterparties and customers; and we spoke to clearing organizations about the margin required to settle trades. At the end of that week, FINRA was on site at the firm, with the SEC, as it became clear that MF Global was unlikely to continue to be a viable standalone business. Our primary goal was to gain an understanding of the custodial locations for customer securities and to work closely with potential acquirers in hopes of avoiding SIPC liquidation. As has been widely reported, the discrepancy discovered in the segregated funds on the futures side of the firm ended those discussions.
MF Global Bankruptcy and Liquidation Proceeding
On October 31, 2011, MF Global Holdings, Ltd. and MF Global, Inc. filed for bankruptcy and entered into SIPC liquidation. Since that time, FINRA has provided assistance as requested by the SEC and the trustee.
On November 4, 2011, FINRA assisted the trustee in alerting broker-dealer firms via email that the trustee was accepting proposals for the transfer of approximately 450 customer securities accounts of MF Global to another member of SIPC.
We have also assisted the trustee by providing information about other broker-dealers to which MF Global securities customer accounts may be transferred.
Proposed Rules to Enhance Financial Surveillance and Expedite the Return of Customer Funds and Securities in the Event of Liquidation
While FINRA believes that financial oversight rules of the SEC, combined with SIPC, create a good structure for protecting customer funds, firm failures provide opportunities for review and analysis of where improvements may be warranted. FINRA has proposed two rules that we believe would assist us in our work to monitor the financial status of firms. One of the proposals, approved by FINRA's Board in September of this year, would expedite the liquidation of a firm and most importantly, the transfer of customer assets. This rule is focused on enabling a more orderly resolution when a firm must cease operations. Specifically, it would require firms to contractually require their clearing banks and custodians to continue providing transaction feeds to the firm after the commencement of liquidation avoiding the recent reconciliation problems experienced by MF Global in its final days of business.
The rule would require the clearing agencies and custodians to provide read-only access to the firm's records to the regulators and SIPC, with the goal of providing a more timely transfer of customer assets. The rule would also require carrying or clearing firms regulated by FINRA to maintain and keep current certain records in a central location to facilitate a more rapid and orderly transfer of customer accounts to another broker-dealer as well as a more orderly liquidation in the event the firm can no longer continue to operate.
The other proposed rule, approved by FINRA's Board in July 2010, would require that FINRA-regulated firms file additional financial or operational schedules or reports as we deem necessary to supplement the FOCUS report. The rule would provide FINRA with the framework to request more specific information regarding, among other things, the generation of revenues and allocation of expenses by business segment or product line, the sources of trading gains and losses, the types and amounts of fees earned and the nature and extent of participation in securities offerings. As part of the rule filing, we have proposed a supplemental statement of income to the FOCUS reports, in order to capture more granular detail of a firm's revenue and expense information.
We are also working to develop an off balance sheet schedule, which could highlight exposures to regulators on a more timely basis.
We believe these proposals would enhance our ability to closely oversee the financial operations of firms we regulate and to more quickly and efficiently assist in transfers or liquidations when firms must close their doors.
FINRA will continue to work with our fellow regulators and Congress as the liquidation process for MF Global proceeds. We share your commitment to reviewing the events involved in the firm's collapse, relevant rules and coordination with other regulators to identify the lessons learned and potential policy or procedural adjustments that may be warranted.
We realize that it is critical to continually evaluate the customer protection regime to ensure that it is designed as well as it can be to ensure prompt restoration of customer funds in the event of a firm collapse. To that end, we would be glad to participate in a broader review, in coordination with the SEC, CFTC, self-regulatory organizations and others to provide an overall assessment of where current rules and processes may need enhancements.
Again, I appreciate the opportunity to testify today. I would be happy to answer any questions you may have.


text:
* Cheney's run renews concerns about party divisions
* In bid to take back Senate, party can afford few missteps
* Tension between party's establishment, Tea Party movement
By John Whitesides
WASHINGTON, July 18 (Reuters) - Liz Cheney's decision to challenge Wyoming U.S. Senator Mike Enzi in a Republican primary next year sets up the type of divisive, intraparty fight that Republican leaders vowed to avoid after the 2012 elections.
The move this week by Cheney, daughter of former Vice President Dick Cheney, is unlikely to open the door for a Democrat to win the Senate seat in Wyoming, which is heavily Republican.
But it is rekindling Republicans' concerns that party feuds could lead to a reprise of the 2010 and 2012 elections, when bitter Republican primary fights in several states produced weakened, gaffe-prone nominees who went on to lose winnable races to Democrats - and thwart Republicans' hopes of winning a majority in the Senate.
In next year's elections, Republicans will need a net gain of six seats to take control of the 100-member Senate. Most analysts expect the party to gain some seats - possibly enough to reclaim a majority - but say it cannot afford the types of missteps it has made in the past two elections.
The fields of candidates are still shaping up, but already there are signs of brewing Senate primary fights among Republicans in several states, including Iowa, Georgia and Alaska.
"The Republican path to success in the Senate is pretty narrow. If they lose one or two seats because of a difficult primary, that's a huge problem - and it's possible," said Jennifer Duffy, a Senate analyst for the nonpartisan Cook Political Report.
"They can't afford a lot of unforced errors," she added.
Many Republicans still have painful memories of the last two elections, when contentious primaries produced Senate nominees such as Todd Akin in Missouri, Richard Mourdock in Indiana, Sharron Angle in Nevada and Christine O'Donnell in Delaware.
Each rode the momentum of the conservative Tea Party movement to the Republican nomination, then withered amid campaign-trail missteps. Akin and Mourdock stumbled in 2012 by making controversial comments about rape.
During the 2010 campaign, Angle warned that Islamic law was taking hold in some U.S. cities, while O'Donnell - who previously had acknowledged dabbling in witchcraft - made a commercial to try to assure voters she was not a witch.
In the aftermath of the Republican losses last November, party leaders pledged to cut back on internal squabbling and focus on producing disciplined general election candidates.
Republican strategist Karl Rove announced a new political action committee, the Conservative Victory Project, that would back candidates deemed by party leaders to be the most "electable."
That drew criticism from Tea Party and other conservative groups, whose challenge to party leaders' authority is at the root of much of the tension within the Republican Party.
Cheney's announcement seemed to reinforce the message that some Republicans were not on board with the party's unification drive.
She implicitly criticized Enzi's sometimes accommodating style, saying on Tuesday that "we can no longer afford simply to go along to get along" - an echo of past party clashes between ideologically driven activists and more moderate party pragmatists.
"I think it's going to open a lot of fissures in the party," former Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele said on MSNBC. "I think this is an insurgent move by Cheney."
Republicans have some clear advantages heading into the 2014 campaign, including a playing field in which Democrats must defend 20 Senate seats to 14 for Republicans.
Democrats also are defending seven seats in states won by Republican Mitt Romney in the 2012 presidential election - Arkansas, Louisiana, Alaska, South Dakota, North Carolina, Montana and West Virginia.
But the prospect of ugly Republican nominating battles has given Democrats hope. In conservative Georgia, where Republican Senator Saxby Chambliss is retiring, several Republicans including three members of Congress - Paul Broun, Phil Gingrey and Jack Kingston - already have said they will seek the seat.
In politically divided Iowa, a few little-known Republican contenders are lining up to replace retiring Democratic Senator Tom Harkin. Democrats have rallied around U.S. Representative Bruce Braley as their candidate.
In Alaska, where Republicans are targeting Democratic Senator Mark Begich, Tea Party favorite Joe Miller is facing Lieutenant Governor Mead Treadwell in a race that could be complicated by the potential entry of another Republican: former Alaska Governor and 2008 vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin.
Palin said this month she was "considering" entering the race. Miller defeated Senator Lisa Murkowski in the 2010 Republican primary, only to lose to her in the general election after she mounted a write-in campaign.
Other states where competitive Republican primaries could develop include South Dakota - where former Governor Mike Rounds is running for retiring Democrat Tim Johnson's seat - and West Virginia, where conservatives are exploring a challenge to Republican Representative Shelley Moore Capito's bid for the Senate seat held by retiring Democrat Jay Rockefeller.
Two Republican senators who had been considered vulnerable to primary challenges - Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky and Lindsey Graham of South Carolina - do not have strong primary opponents, but could still get them, analysts say.
Both have drawn the ire of conservatives at times. As his party's leader in the Senate, McConnell has been accused of not pushing a strong enough conservative agenda, while Graham has been criticized for straying from the party line - most recently in backing a plan to overhaul the country's immigration system.
"There is definitely a lot of frustration in the (conservative) grassroots and a real hunger for new leadership in Washington and new blood and new energy in the Senate," said Matt Hoskins, executive director of the Senate Conservatives Fund. The "Super PAC," or political action committee, once was led by former Senator Jim DeMint of South Carolina, an early booster of the Tea Party movement.
Hoskins said the fund was exploring whether to back conservatives in several states, including potential challengers to McConnell and Graham.
"In Kentucky, Republicans would be better off with a different Republican candidate. Mitch McConnell is a very weak general election candidate," Hoskins said.
Polls indicate McConnell is vulnerable in Kentucky, but he has nearly $10 million in campaign funds for his race against Democratic challenger Alison Lundergan Grimes, the secretary of state. McConnell also has formed an alliance with fellow Kentucky Republican Senator Rand Paul, a Tea Party favorite.
Jonathan Collegio, a spokesman for Rove's PAC, said the party's losses in 2012 had reinforced the need for a more disciplined approach to elections.
That new caution was most evident this year in Iowa, where staunchly conservative Representative Steve King chose not to enter the Senate race after some Republicans expressed concern that his views were out of step with most voters in the state.
"There appears to be a broad recognition now that in order to win general elections, we need high-quality candidates who aren't just conservatives but are also good fundraisers and disciplined campaigners," Collegio said.
But Hoskins said his group was still looking for credible conservatives who could win general elections.
"We have primaries for a reason. Republican voters should have choices and there should be a healthy debate," Hoskins said. "Once you are elected, you aren't entitled to be there forever. It's not a lifetime entitlement." (Editing by David Lindsey and Peter Cooney)

subset: commoncrawl


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That was a solid win, but the real schedule starts this week. New York knocked off a Kyrie Irving-less Cleveland team 90-75. JR Smith and Carmelo Anthony carried the team on offense while the defense was strong as usual. Toney Douglas was resurrected from the depths of the underworld and gave the Knicks 10 "eh" minutes of play. He wasn't great, but he wasn't horrible. He was just "eh" tonight. The Knicks were good defensively and the Cavs were inept offensively. It was a game the Knicks should have won, and they won. Now, the real schedule starts. They play Indiana, Orlando and Chicago twice this week. New York has a lot to work to do, but they got off to a good start tonight.
Here are my notes from the game:
- It's about time, JR. In one of his best games as a Knick, JR Smith scored 20 points on 8/15 shooting. Instead of missing countless threes with reckless abandon, Smith played somewhat under control tonight. He shot 3/7 from downtown and gave the Knicks the offensive boost they need. Despite not having Stoudemire and Lin, this offense will be okay if they can get consistent play from Smith. I called out JR yesterday for being consistently bad and now he has to be consistently good. If he's not, the Knicks offense is in big trouble.
- Jorts was good tonight. Harrelson was really good tonight. I thought he defended well and he contributed on offense. He had a great dunk on the pick and roll and got to the free throw line 4 times, where he shot 6/8. He had a solid blocked shot and he grabbed 6 boards. The big country power forward is going to have to contribute in these last 13 games. His outside shooting hasn't been very good since he returned from injury, but he's still been solid defensively and rebounding. I know it was Cleveland, but I liked how he played tonight. We desperately need him to play like this going forward.
- It was good to see Toney Douglas again. I do like Toney a lot. He's a hard worker, good teammate and class act. I want him to succeed. Tonight, he saw his first real minutes since 1974. In 10 minutes, he scored 5 points and dished an assist. I thought he was okay on both ends of the court. He wasn't great on offense, missing both his 3's, and he wasn't great on defense, but I didn't think he was horrible. Part of Douglas' anonymity before Linsanity is that he was a detriment to the team. He wasn't a star tonight, but he didn't kill the team. Douglas has to continue to work his way back into the rotation with solid play. I think he can do it. If he starts shooting the 3 ball consistently and gives strong defensive effort, the Knicks will be far better than they were with Bibby as the backup.
- Thattakid Tyson! After disappearing last night against Atlanta, Chandler played far better tonight. He scored 14 points and grabbed 12 rebounds. His 3 blocked shots showcased his dominance over Semih Erden, Tristan Thompson and Samardo Samuels. The Knicks really need Chandler to dominate over these last 13 games. He's been the heart and soul of this team all season and that has to continue. New York's offense is not going to dominate without Stoudemire and Lin, so the Knicks will have to win defensively. Chandler is the leader of that defensive effort and he'll have to continue to lead this defense to victories.
- Another good game from Melo. Carmelo Anthony was efficient tonight, scoring 19 points on 7/14 shooting. He's been much better the past few games and he's needed to be. The Knicks need him to carry them to the playoffs and he's looked pretty good as of late. Melo can be the best scorer in this league when he decides to be. He looks motivated and assuming of the leadership role he's been forced into. Anthony can carry this team over the past 13 games. If he doesn't, the Knicks are doomed. Dramatic? Maybe. But that's not as dramatic as things will be if this team misses the playoffs. They need to make the playoffs and they need Anthony to carry them there.


text:
|2012-09-05, 23:58
|Link #21
The Dark Knight
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: From the deepest abyss in the world, where you think?
Age: 33
Since he was trained when he was very young then his skill levels should be very high. That was the whole point of Flit doing it in the first place. When Kio steps into the Gundam he would feel right at home and it'd be second nature to him. This was demonstrated when he took out that Vagan artillery without harming the city itself. Had Flit not trained Kio he could've made a reckless decision that could've caused lots of collateral damage (Ex. Kira using Strike's buster cannon to attack Ra but accidently blew a giant hole in the colony)
Heck generally speaking most gundam protagonists in Kio's age bracket are dumped into a war they dont' want to fight in but as time progresses they get better and better.
Kio on the other hand just seems to be getting worse and worse.
At the very least Kira in Freedom was able to stand up to tougher and tougher enemies even with his no-kill policy. Kio can't even do jack.
|2012-09-06, 00:02
|Link #22
Goat Herder
Join Date: Jun 2008
Age: 32
|2012-09-06, 00:42
|Link #23
The Dark Knight
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: From the deepest abyss in the world, where you think?
Age: 33
And if there's an issue with the discipline and mindset about pulling a trigger he's already done it anyways so I fail to see the point in that.
Plus, he himself made the choice to continue fighting which involves disabling the suits which really is still pulling the trigger. If he had an issue with pulling the trigger to begin with he shouldn't be in that suit at all. All he's doing is not killing them but disabling them.
My point being is that his experience plus training including his x-rounder powers should make him a very capable pilot in being able to "defend" himself properly yet he can't even do that against competent pilots. He should be improving not degrading.
And I don't understand the part about Kio not knowing the Vagans were human. I was under the impression since G1 it was common knowledge that they were colonists from Mars. Heck Ezcelant even showed his face and you can see that he's human as you can be.
Last edited by SoldierOfDarkness; 2012-09-06 at 00:54.
|2012-09-06, 02:51
|Link #24
Senior Member
Join Date: May 2007
Age: 33
Okay let me try this again because you're taking what I'm trying to say too literally.
Yes Kio is indeed a skilled pilot trained since his early childhood but he never had the mentality of a REAL solider who has been trained in how to properly conduct himself on the battle field. A REAL solider would be able to pick up a weapon and attack his/her opponents without thinking about it because that is what they're trained to do. Kio has never been properly trained and is obviously still mentally a child how doesn't fully understand how war really works.
Also what I mean by see the Vagan as human is simple. With the combination of Flint dehumanizing the Vagan and Kio lack of knowledge of them beyond what he has seen on the battle field led him to classify all Vagan as monster that need to be destroyed. Now Kio goes to the second moon and sees that they all aren't evil as his Grandpa led him to believe.
|2012-09-06, 08:59
|Link #26
Licensed Hunter-a-holic
Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: United Kingdom
Age: 30
Please explain this to me: why is one of, if not, the most advanced MS in the entire federation is given to a 13 yo child who had never been trained like a proper soldier, has no idea how to conduct himself like a real soldier on the battlefield, has expressed that even if it came to the point where the enemy will kill him if he still didn't fight back he would still not kill his enemy, still mentally a child who doesn't fully understand the situation he is in? Why isn't he taken away from the battlefield by his parents (he has those yeah? Two of them I think. I think he he even has an aunt and a Grandmother as well somewhere. Oh and a Grandfather ...) so that he won't end up killing himself with his idea of ''fighting his own way'' (which is no better than suicide) and the AGE FX given to a REAL soldier who had been properly trained, knows how to conduct himself on the battlefield and won't end up throwing his life away carelessly?
See, this is the problem with looking with the bigger picture and realizing that Kio is a child who has no clue what to do, because you then realize that it makes no sense for him to be in there in the first place. He is a child who has no idea of what do in this situation, has no reason to stay there, and can be taken out because he is not a soldier, but an underage kid who for some bizarre reason his mother didn't think of taking him with her away from all of this after learning about him being held as a prisoner of war with the nation they were in war with over half a century, or his Grandfather to push him away after hearing how he didn't want to follow orders, or for his father ... actually you know what, we already know that Asem doesn't give a rats ass what goes on with his family.
The entire thing is insane. Why is Kio allowed to do any of this?
|2012-09-06, 09:14
|Link #27
The Dark Knight
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: From the deepest abyss in the world, where you think?
Age: 33
That still doesn't explain why his skills have degraded. And again he himself made that decision to continue fighting his own way and if its as bad as you say it is he shouldn't be there in the first place. What did most gundam pilots do when it came down to those things? They simply refused to fight or even get in the damn suit.
ANd he's still pulling the damn trigger which involves him disabling suits, he's simply not looking to kill them so he clearly doesn't have an issue with that part.
We saw nothing of that sort. He met a sick girl and all of a sudden that justifies everything that the Vagans have done in the war? The fact that Ezcelant pointed out he thought Kio was his son doesn't help that either.
We didn't even see a single Vagan who was against the war to begin with or even question why they were fighting in the first place.
|2012-09-06, 11:55
|Link #28
Senior Member
Join Date: May 2007
Age: 33
A more complicated answer may be that the Earth Federation is short on man power because of all the fight happening on Earth. Also Flint is pulling most of the strings here so may be he believe Kio will come around.
I still wish the series expanded on this a little more.
His skills haven't degraded he's just not using them to kill anymore which shows that his perspectives have changed since he started this journey. He is still fighting yes but doing it in a way that minimizes the amount of deaths because after all he's been given a billion dollar war machine and told do with it as he pleases.
So with no one of higher authority stepping in to stop him of course he's of course going to us it the way he wants. I do hope that some time soon he realizes you can't save everyone. If he keeps going blindly down this path he's set it will lead him to his own destruction.
|2012-09-06, 15:15
|Link #29
Join Date: May 2012
Kio can go one on one with Legillis and then you say his skills degraded? And disabling units is much harder than killing one, considering the accuracy you need.
As for Kio being allowed in the battlefield, is because he can fight and pilot a Gundam. How he fights is another question.
|2012-09-08, 02:40
|Link #30
Licensed Hunter-a-holic
Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: United Kingdom
Age: 30
Which leads to the conclusion that the Asuno's are really just a bunch of a-holes in general who don't care about each other.
Yeah, what a family ...
So, why is the 13 yo who has no idea what to do and has resolved to throw his life away in order to not kill allowed on the battlefield?
|2012-09-08, 05:04
|Link #31
Join Date: May 2012
Kio's X-rounder power perhaps. Flit first believe that Kio might be the 'saviour' because of his advance x-rounder capabilities.
Again, you're thinking too much as this is not the first the first mecha anime (or Gundam series) with kids being involved in the war. Even the crew at Diva have kids.
|2012-09-08, 18:01
|Link #32
Licensed Hunter-a-holic
Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: United Kingdom
Age: 30
The kids ended up being given back to their parents though, and only stayed on the Diva due to them not being able to place them somewhere else ... for some reason.
Anyway, your right on one thing. I am giving this show more thought than I should be ...
|2012-09-09, 16:21
|Link #33
Senior Member
Join Date: Nov 2010
Cant understand how people say Kio is better than shin character wise , this emo no kill stupidity has to end .
The only thing he saved was zanald's ass , letting is team mates die
They almost killed banagher as a likable character in unicorn on episode 4 with behavior like this
|2012-09-09, 17:38
|Link #34
Join Date: May 2012
|2012-09-09, 18:04
|Link #35
Senior Member
Join Date: Feb 2008
Considering how short on X-Rounders the earth forces seems to be, (only 4 ever shown, Flit, Kio, Girard and Reina and the last two are dead) it's unlikely they could find a better match than Kio. And if they can't work the funnels properly than the FX is no powerful than the other units.
|2012-09-09, 18:30
|Link #36
Deploying Funnel Cakes
Join Date: Jan 2008
Kio, why get in the Gundam in the first place? Give it to grandpa and go home... you whiny little *blank.*
Flit thinks Kio is a savior 'cause he's old and Kio inherited his powers... duh. Flit is a more powerful, more experienced X-rounder.
Anyhow, Flit is going to end up saving the day. Flit is the main character of this series... it will start and end with him.
Flit might die...
|2012-09-10, 10:38
|Link #37
Puppet Master
Join Date: Feb 2007
Location: Behind You
Kio is a stronger X-Rounder than Flit, and pretty much everyone else in the show, with perhaps one exception:Ezelcant. For all we know he could even surpass him anyway because his potential is immense according to Flit.
|2012-09-16, 22:42
|Link #39
Join Date: May 2012
As much as I like AGE, I really feel bad for Kio. Not because he is a "whiny little kid who refuses to kill", but the development for his character on the last episodes isn't right or enough.
Even if he will be the star on the last episode, I think Kio needs a new generation to develop his character further, which won't happen (for now hopefully). I don't care if he still refuses to kill, but at least put what he says on action.
|2012-09-17, 18:15
|Link #40
Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2009
Location: Netherlands
Age: 29
|Thread Tools


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On January 14th, 2013 we had a casual meeting with many of our department website editors, the university Website Manager, and staff from the Office of University Relations. The two main topics discussed were about the recent Nicholls Website redesign and changes introduced during the recent WordPress 3.5 upgrade. To give more information for meeting attendees and editors that were unable to attend two articles have been written about our meeting topics.
Be sure to check out the Website Editor Checklist & Notes for useful information about maintaining content on the Nicholls websites. If you have additional questions you should contact the Website Manager, or leave a public comment below.


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It happened one time too many. For four years, A.J. Ellis had bounced up and down between the minors and the big club. Finally, right after the 2011 the All-Star break, Ellis could take it no more.
He was 30 when sent back to triple-A Albuquerque after the Dodgers activated Rod Barajas off the disabled list. Ellis felt he was ready and feared opportunity closing. He was the consummate team player, but he marched into Manager Don Mattingly's office.
"I was hot," Ellis said. "I told Donnie that he was making a bad decision. And this team was all about winning and this was definitely not the right decision."
Mattingly hardly took offense. He respected Ellis' fire and determination.
"I thought it was a turning point for him," Mattingly said. "It was the first time he said, 'Hey, I'm the one who belongs here.' That kind of tells you he believes in himself. It was a good sign."
After getting talked down by minor league catching coordinator Travis Barbary, Ellis calmed down and reported to Albuquerque.
Five weeks later the Dodgers designated struggling catcher Dioner Navarro for assignment and recalled Ellis. He's been up ever since.
In 2012 he was named their starting catcher. At age 31, Ellis had finally made it. He hit .270 last season, adding some surprising power (13 home runs, 52 runs batted in) while giving the Dodgers consistent defensive play behind the plate.
Now he's a veteran, if one in only his second full season.
"I don't know if I feel like a veteran major leaguer," he said. "One thing that's been nice about my struggle and fight to get here, I don't take this for granted.
"I don't want to ever feel like I've arrived or I've made it. As long as it took me to get here, I know how quickly it can all be taken away."
Ellis had minor knee surgery last off-season but returned to spring camp for the first time as the team's undisputed No.1 catcher. After nine seasons spent mostly in the minors, Ellis had arrived.
He said there never was a time when he seriously considered packing it in and selling life insurance.
"Fortunately, my wife [Cindy] wouldn't let me," he said. "She was always my biggest supporter. The one saying, 'You're going to make it.' "
This season his offensive numbers are slightly down (.246, three homers, 16 RBIs), though he spent two weeks on the disabled list with an oblique strain.
"Offensively it's been subpar," Ellis said. "I'm just not squaring the ball up like I did last year. There's definitely more in there. I have a high standard for myself. I want to be a contributor on this team on both sides of the ball."
Defensively he continues to grow. Aided by a pitching staff that takes pride in holding runners close, Ellis has thrown out 18 of 34 bases stealers. He's the only catcher with at least 430 innings who's thrown out over half of his runners (53%).
Ellis credits the tutelage of catching instructor Steve Yeager and bullpen catcher Rob Flippo for working on his technique and approach.
"He's better this year than he was last year," Yeager said. "He has a reputation of being a good game-caller. He has the respect of the pitching staff. He has the respect of his teammates. He goes out there and he goes as hard as he can every day. He's a leader."
Yeager credits Ellis' long battle to get here for shaping his worth ethic.
"I think that has a big deal to do with it," he said. "He waited a long time to get here and he's not going to go away easily. He's going to battle. He battled his whole minor league career to get here. And you can bet he's going to battle up here."


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NASHVILLE, Tenn. • The Cardinals search for an assistant hitting coach is expected to end soon with a member of the team's extended family ready to join Mike Matheny's staff.
The Cardinals will offer Bengie Molina the role of assistant hitting coach. The move will allow him to join, for the first time in their major-league careers, his younger brother Yadier on the same team. Molina, 38, last played in 2010, ending a career that included two Rawlings Gold Glove Awards.
Matheny and newly appointed hitting coach John Mabry have been conducting a search for a new assistant hitting coach since Mark McGwire moved to the Los Angeles Dodgers as their hitting coach. Mabry was promoted to his role, leaving the job he had last season vacant.
The Cardinals were one of the first teams to hire an assistant hitting coach, and several teams have followed the trend this season.
Any announcement on Molina will come after the Winter Meetings.
The Cardinals have had an extended search for a candidate that included both in-house coaches from the minor-league system and outside options.
Molina played more than 10 years in the majors, spending more of his career with the Giants and Angels. He and brother Jose Molina played together with the Angels, including on the 2002 club that won the World Series. Bengie Molina was a career .274 hitter with a .307 on-base percentage and a .411 slugging percentage. He hit 15 or more home runs in five consecutive seasons as a starting catcher, and his final three seasons as the primary catcher included at least 80 RBIs.


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Rotorua Group Tours - The Best On Offer
Looking for an unique experience for groups in Rotorua? Here are the most popular options available for staff team building or Christmas parties.
Looking for something fun, exciting, or unique for your group to do in Rotorua? A wide range of group activities are available for staff team building, Christmas parties, families reunions or just a day out with friends. Here are the most popular group activities which will show your group the best of Rotorua.
Explore the forests
Rotorua's forests are a real favourite with adventure seekers, particularly mountain bikers who travel from all over the world to experience Rotorua's 100km+ network of world class MTB trails. Those looking for a less strenuous group activity will want to check out Rotorua Canopy Tours. The three hour eco-adventure will have you zipping and zooming around their 1.2km network of zip lines, swing bridges and treetop platforms through untouched ancient New Zealand rainforest. Being a new experience for most people, Rotorua Canopy Tours is an adventure best shared with friends, team mates or colleagues.
Splashdown into the lakes
On and off the water you have so many options for fun and excitement at the many magnificent and beautiful lakes that surround the Rotorua region. The tranquillity of the lakes mean they are perfect for enjoying a group picnic or BBQ dinner right on the water edge.
Rotorua Duck Tours offers informative and fun daily tours through the city and out on to the lakes. They also offer customised group tours in Rotorua that will allow your group to see the best sights and sounds around town, there are even options to include a BBQ picnic on the edge of the lake.
Immerse into Maori culture
Traditional Maori culture is always proudly on display and enjoying a traditional Hangi meal is a must do experience for all visitors to Rotorua. A Maori cultural experience and meal is an excellent option for a group activity in Rotorua. Tamaki Maori Village make a traditional Maori cultural experience accessible and enjoyable for groups of all types and sizes. An evening here includes traditional song, dance, friendship, and great food. The added bonus of learning the Haka (a fearsome Maori war dance) will be something your group will remember forever.


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lcoyle760 on Family Tree Circles
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Looking for Frederick Williams in Spartanburg, SC
I'm looking for the father of Elial Williams born 1812 in Spartanburg, SC. I'm trying to prove that Frederick Williams is his father. He is listed as a neighbor in 1830 census. Any help would be appericated.
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Willow River LifeSmarts to compete in Atlanta
Willow River LifeSmarts members Hayley Johnson, Jacob Nikko, Adam Daoust, Aryn Jacobson and Summer Behrman were presented at the April 9 Willow River school board meeting. Willow River's LifeSmarts team placed first in the nation on a recent national competitive online test. LifeSmarts is a consumer and life skills competition. Lois Johnson, the coach for the team, said, "The competition tests are not easy. They must study, study, study."
Johnson said this is the fifth year in a row the team has gone to nationals for a total of six trips to that level. They compete in Atlanta, Georgia, April 20-23 against 39 other teams in both team and individual testing. The board congratulated the team.
School safety options
Superintendent Scott Anderson presented school safety opportunities available through the Pine County Sheriff's Office (PCSO), as put forward in a memorandum provided at a Pine County Collaborative meeting March 20. In the memorandum Sheriff Robin Cole suggested Pine County schools could share a School Resource Officer (SRO) with the cost being about $25,000 per school. The officer would be assigned to the area for the school year for four hours daily.
Anderson said this would be more about school security than it is about behaviors of the students. Anderson said, "We don't really need a four-hour officer."
Another option presented in the letter was the presence of a security officer with only the authority to make a citizen's arrest. Anderson went on to say it would be better to have an officer who could act on a problem than a security guard who could not.
A third option proposed by Cole in the memorandum was not discussed by the board — the arming of school employees.
Anderson mentioned he would ask for a quote on a buzzer release door for a public entrance, a school safety option currently being considered by the Hinckley school district. No decision was made.
Firewall, phone system needed
Technology coordinator Annette Zacharias recommended to the board the purchase of an AirWatch firewall from the Sage Technology group. Zacharias said, "It would allow the teachers to monitor applications used" in their classrooms and would create more restraint for the students. If a student varied from that classroom's plan it would give them a warning to leave that site before uninstalling it.
School board member Lisa Prachar said they should get "the end users involved" (teachers) in the decision of the firewall. Board chairman Greg Bennett said the technology committee should become involved in doing more research and to find out what other schools have used. The decision was made to review the current technology plan with the technology committee before committing to AirWatch.
Zacharias presented Internet protocol (IP) phone system quotes from Marco phone systems covering a range of payment options. Zacharias said, "They can't find parts for the current system because they don't make it anymore." Bennett asked what the life expectancy would be on the new system. Zacharias said it would be 10 years at least, but it may need minor upgrades. Zacharias said the phone system would fall under the current e-rate federal compensation plan. Business manager Jenny Nelson said the normal reimbursement rate is 70 percent-78 percent to schools and libraries for phones and Internet purchases. No final decision was made.
Staff changes considered
The board approved the retirements of teachers Thomas George and Lois Johnson effective June 3. With the retirement of Johnson, Anderson asked for ideas from the board on the Family and Consumer Science (FACS) position that would be vacated. Prachar said she would "like to keep that chain of curriculum" and board member Tia Grutkoski agreed.
Anderson also asked for an approval to advertise a half-time school counselor position. Anderson said even though it is not required, "This is an area we've been lacking. It is needed here." School board member Gerard Bennett said he would like more information on the need, and the request was tabled until the May meeting.
The board approved advertising for a part-time custodian for summer work, terminating teacher Jackie Hodnefield's contract at the end of the 2012-13 school year and accepting the resignation of groundskeeper Dave Jensen, effective immediately.
Secondary homeroom added 2013-14
Secondary principal Matt Hosmer reported, after asking students what would be the most beneficial for them, the school will be starting a new half-hour homeroom beginning next school year. Hosmer said this will create available advisory time for students at the beginning of the day. With the half-hour change added, Hosmer stated all class periods for grades 9-12 will align. Anderson said it would also shift lunch times. Hosmer added that strict guidelines will need to be developed for the use of homeroom.
Policies revised
The board recommended changes upon the first reading of three revised policies — Wellness, Student Transportation Safety and Transportation of Public School Students. Changes to the wellness policy included providing healthy snack options, limiting food and beverages as academic or behavior rewards and requiring administrative approval for fundraisers involving the sale of food. The transportation safety changes included a household limit of two addresses for transporting children to and from school and notification of bus route changes to be made by noon.
The transportation of public school student policy was revised to state district buses may not travel on private, minimum maintenance roads or where road conditions are deemed hazardous to student safety. An addition to the policy also allows for the district to limit its bus service when transporting students who live out of the district.
In other business, the honors online agreement with Lake Superior College for 2013-14 was approved.


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Upgrades occur for a number of reasons. Hardware or middleware software goes end of life. Going to a new operating system is another common upgrade. Applications need upgrading to provide new functionality. One aspect of upgrading is trying to understand how the "new" environment compares with the "old" environment. Standing up new hardware typically means faster CPU and more RAM. Additionally, new virtualization decisions (i.e. LPARs, VM, etc) may be under consideration as more environments move toward shared and/or cloud infrastructure and how that may impact performance..
A couple of years ago I wrote a comment line about using multiple cells in production. The article covers a common method for providing both high availability and/or continuous availability (i.e. no down time due to planned maintenance) in production environments. However, that isn't the only reason for using multiple cells. My next series of posts looks at using a similar strategy in non-production environments specifically around performance comparison for upgrades to hardware, middleware software or the application. In addition, I'll be investigating the ability to also compare infrastructural changes that may occur due to newer/better hardware capabilities.


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A rare collection of darkroom contact prints from Man Ray's archive will be on display — for the first time ever — in an exhibition slated to run from February 21st through March 28th at Atlas Gallery in London.
Once belonging to Man Ray's darkroom printer, Pierre Gassman, these prints reveal a subtlety that is often lost or overlooked in the prolific Surrealist's work. Seen in their earliest, un-manipulated form, these still lifes and early examples of Man Ray's portraiture evince a casual sensibility — a willingness to engage in trial and error — that feels, somehow, refreshingly at odds with the American-born modernist's more widely known, finished works.
A central figure in both the Dada and Surrealist movements, Man Ray (born Emmanuel Radnitzky in 1890 in Philadelphia) created portraits of his contemporaries — often hugely influential cultural figures — including James Joyce, Picasso, Ava Gardner and Coco Chanel. Some of those portraits will be on display, publicly, for the first time at the Atlas show.
Man Ray: Contacts is on display at Atlas Gallery in London through March 28th.


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Seahawks tight end Zach Miller will stick around in Seattle after agreeing to take a pay cut.
Miller, who could have been a cap casualty if he weren't willing to make some concessions, has agreed to cut his base pay in half this year. According to Danny O'Neil of 710 ESPN in Seattle, Miller's compensation will go from $6 million to $3 million. He will have the opportunity to make another $1 million in incentives, but this is a significant pay cut.
After playing four years with the Raiders, Miller initially signed what was advertised as a five-year, $34 million contract with the Seahawks before the 2011 season. Although he won't actually end up making $34 million, by agreeing to this pay cut, it appears that Miller will stick around in Seattle for the full five years of the deal.
Miller played in 14 regular-season games for the Seahawks last season, starting 12, and caught 33 passes for 387 yards and five touchdowns. He also started all three postseason games.


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Puzzle Levels
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Download a FREE Solution for your puzzles!
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Big Ben - 3D Jigsaw Puzzle
Product Information
|Put together the jigsaw puzzle.
|101-499 Pieces, 3D
|18.5 in x 9.8 in x 24.6 in / 47 cm x 25 cm x 62.5 cm
|Cardboard Box
|Total Pieces
Product Description
Puzzle Pieces: 116
Maker: CubicFun
Size When Completed:18.5 in x 9.8 in x 24.6 in / 47 cm x 25 cm x 62.5 cm
Big Ben is the nickname for the great bell of the clock in the clock tower of the Palace of Westminster. The nickname is often also used to refer to the clock and the tower.
The clock is the world's largest four-faced chiming clock and the third largest free-standing clock tower in the world. The clock tower is situated at the north-eastern end of the Houses of Parliament in Westminster, London. The Big Ben clock tower has been referred to incorrectly as St Stephen's Tower, which is a low tower above St Stephen's Entrance.
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April 9, 2012 3 Comments
To know that even one life has breathed easier because you have lived. This is to have succeeded. -Ralph Waldo Emerson
Easter Sunday, another chaotic shift. I held a woman's head gently as she vomited into a bucket, while her 80-year-old mother pulled her hair back from her face. I watched a family weep for not one but two losses, a mother and her daughter. The emergency room was packed. And tragedies always seem even sadder on a holiday.
In light of all this, I realize that I have reached a different vantage point this month. First was the climb, which began slowly in year one. Then I began to climb faster, and faster still, covering more and more mileage in year two. Efficiency, skills, technique – these I have developed and polished over the last three years. But now I have reached another, entirely new vantage point – the higher I climb, the more I see as I look out below me. The emergency room lies in a valley, and I watch the ever-changing landscape with vigilance, calm, and still a slight bit of fear – fear out of respect for what I know can happen here. I envision my patients all there in the valley, and surrounding each of them in my mind's eye are their illnesses, their perils, and the possible paths that we may tread down together over the next few hours.
The metaphor may seem abstract, but it is not. Each patient occupies a distinct territory in my mind – and the physical equipment surrounding each of them pertains to what I perceive their needs to be in the next few hours. The people around each of them are families and friends. And the boundaries separating these patients are minimal – mere curtains between one and the next. These patients and their families, strangers outside these walls – here, in this landscape, they have become neighbors. They hear and view the suffering of one another. They share a common path today.
As the guardian over this landscape, I watch my ever-changing valley over the course of my shift; I watch these patients' stories unfold. I can smell forest fires and hear distant thunder from miles away, and sometimes I can even predict their exact location and nature before they occur. Other times I am caught off guard, but only for a fraction of a second until I compose myself and begin to react. And although these are my grounds, I too – like my patients – have become part of the landscape.
My patients' suffering, the pathophysiology of disease, the hope of their families, and the waiting – all of these realities are entwined together in my mind as I watch this landscape unfold before me. It is a breathing, living being. And I am watching it all, but also sculpting it in my very palms – trying to change people's paths, trying to readjust things to make for a better picture, trying to create health from sickness. Trying to help people live. And I am doing this with the nurses, the technicians, the chaplains, the social workers. We are all doing it together. Creating and recreating a landscape. Trying to paint a more beautiful picture.
We only have a small hand in this, though. We can only offer our intellect, our sweat, our compassion, and our skills. But even this – how much does it really change people's paths? Less than we might hope.
Even so, I still hope. Maybe my presence, or spirit, or efforts – maybe they will make the difference. Maybe they will be just enough to change one destiny, to paint one or two strokes on this landscape that lies below me, to leave one sculpted mark on this world. Maybe one frail mother will keep her petals a little longer in the wind with my palm shielding her. Maybe the umbrella I cast beneath the clouds will save one small boy who lost his raincoat.
Maybe not. But maybe…. And it is the maybe that makes me keep coming back. It is this maybe that makes me not want to give up, in spite of how difficult and trying this journey has been. It is this maybe that makes me want, more than anything, to be an emergency room doctor.


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. This is an exciting one and I want to get right into it.
Tuesdays with Dorie has done me in again. And I loved every bite of it.
Let's be real, this Blueberry Nectarine Pie [that you're hopefully drooling over right now] is easily one of the best pies I've made and probably ever tasted. No joke. After making this, and devouring most of it by my lonesome [because I wouldn't share with anyone else], I realized how much I love pies. I mean, I've always known it. But this pie just solidified it. Sorry all you other treats.
Ha, I guess that's all I really have to say. And it's basically all you need to know. If you don't, at the bare minimum, at least bookmark/pin this recipe, you are doing your taste buds a disservice. And who would ever want to do that?
Well...I guess I could at least try to begin describing what it is that I can't stop talking about. And anyone who's been around in me in the last week knows I haven't stopped talking about this pie. Sorry friends.
Bumbleberry Pie post, then you know that I thought that crust was to die for. But this crust gives my former favorite recipe a run for its money [or butter...har, har]. This crust is so dang flakey it's ridiculous. A slight touch with the fork sends this buttery crust softly falling atop the blueberry-nectarine filling deliciousness that I could have eaten by the spoonful. Oh wait... I did that.
I mean really, who can deny a carby, buttery, flakey pie crust paired with a refreshingly juicy fruit filling? Because if you slap something like that in front of me, I have no chance. Willpower goes straight out the window. I'll thank my mom and her sweet tooth for that ☺
So by now you shouldn't need any prompting, but head on over to our hosts for this month, Manchego's Kitchen and That Skinny Chick Can Bake, for the Blueberry Nectarine Pie recipe. And also check out all of the other TWD participants posts about this lovely summery pie.
Thanks ladies for hosting, this is my favorite recipe thus far! .
- For those of you intimidated by pie crust making, this recipe is for you. You might be able to tell from my picture that I added a bit too much water to my crust and for whatever reason, I didn't feel like fixing it (i.e., adding in a bit more flour). So when I went to roll the crust, it completely stuck to the counter. I literally had to scrap the dough off and piece it into the pie pan. Not your most traditional method but it worked and the pie was still ah-mazing!


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Bead Reamer Tool
by Beadalon
Actually 3 tools in 1. Use this tool to enlarge, de-burr, and round-out bead holes. Three different tips are included to fit bead holes from the smallest up to 5.0 mm. Each tip is coasted with diamond dust for smooth, even reaming. Tips store conveniently inside the tool and attach to the front for sue. Handy spring clip enables you to carry tool in your pocket like a pen. Bead reamer measures 4 1/2 in. in length. Large tapered tip measures 3 1/2 in., small tapered tip measures 2 in., and edging tip measures 1 3/4 in.
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Trudy A. from Pueblo, CO says:
Great and easy to use, I use pearls for angel heads and need to have bigger hole, (have used on several bead types) this is quick and easy to use and such smooth, that you can make hole size you want...[more]
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Sofia Vergara is rarely seen in public without a pair of sexy pumps. If Vergara is breathing oxygen and within 100 yards of a working camera, odds are she's probably also wearing a sky-high pair of designer heels like these crystal-studded Christian Louboutin Decorapump Platforms. Sofia donned these at the premiere of Fading Gigolo in NYC. The Decoras were a seasonal offering from Louboutin and are no longer available. However, they're built on the Daffodile base, so if you love the silhouette of these heels, you can find a pair of leather Daffodiles.
Fading Gigolo is a John Turturro-directed film that stars Woody Allen as an accidental pimp. I feel that's really all any one needs to know about this film, but I suppose it's also worth mentioning that Sofia Vergara plays a woman who arranges a menage with the gigolo in question and her gal pal, played by Sharon Stone. Scintillating.


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Biotechnician is very similar to another occupation for which we have
a full profile.
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Food Science Technicians
Perform standardized qualitative and quantitative tests to determine physical or chemical properties of food or beverage products.
Assistant, Dairy and Food Laboratory
Baker, Test
Beer Brewer
Bench Technician
Bottle House Quality Control Technician
Brew Master
Butter Fat Tester
Cheese Tester
Confectionery Technologist
Cream Tester
Dairy Lab Technician
Dairy Technologist
Dairy Tester
Feed Mill Lab Technician
Food Analyst
Food Critic
Food Quality Technician
Food Science Technician
Food Taster
Food Technologist
Food Tester
Fruit Tester
Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point Coordinator (HACCP Coordinator)
Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point Technician (HACCP Technician)
Juice Standardizer
Juice Tester
Laboratory Analyst (Lab Analyst)
Laboratory Assistant (Lab Assistant)
Laboratory Auditor (Lab Auditor)
Laboratory Technician (Lab Technician)
Malt Specifications Control Assistant
Milk Tester
Operations Technician
Process Quality Technician
Processing Technician
Quality Analyst
Quality Assurance Analyst (QA Analyst)
Quality Assurance Inspector (QA Inspector)
Quality Assurance Laboratory Technician (QA Laboratory Technician)
Quality Assurance Manager (QA Manager)
Quality Assurance Supervisor (QA Supervisor)
Quality Assurance Technician (QA Technician)
Quality Control Analyst (QC Analyst)
Quality Control Manager (QC Manager)
Quality Control Technician (QC Technician)
Quality Technician
Research and Development Laboratory Technician (R & D Lab Technician)
Sensory Analyst
Taste Tester
Technical Services Analyst
Tester, Food Products
Yeast Culture Developer


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Harold Brent "Hal" Wallis (September 14, 1898 – October 5, 1986) was an American film producer. He is best remembered for producing Casablanca (1942), and other films for Warner Bros. featuring such film stars as Bette Davis and Errol Flynn. Later, for a long period, he was connected with Paramount Pictures and oversaw films featuring Dean Martin, Jerry Lewis, Elvis Presley, and John Wayne.
Harold Brent Wallis was born in 1898 in Chicago, Illinois, the son of Eva (née Blum) and Jacob Walinsky, Eastern European Jews, who changed their surname to Wallis.[1][2] His family moved in 1922 to Los Angeles, California, where he found work as part of the publicity department at Warner Bros. in 1923. Within a few years, Wallis became involved in the production end of the business and would eventually become head of production at Warners. In a career that spanned more than fifty years, he was involved with the production of more than 400 feature-length movies.
Among the significant movies he produced were Casablanca, Dark Victory, The Adventures of Robin Hood, The Maltese Falcon, Sergeant York, and Now, Voyager. He left Warners in 1944, after a clash with Jack Warner over Warner's acceptance of the Best Picture Oscar for Casablanca, to work as an independent producer, enjoying considerable success both commercially and critically. The first screenwriters he hired for his new enterprise were Ayn Rand and Lillian Hellman.[3] Among his financial hits were the Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis comedies, and several of Elvis Presley's movies.
He produced True Grit, for which John Wayne won the Academy Award for Best Actor of 1969, and its sequel. After moving to Universal Pictures he produced Mary, Queen of Scots (starring Vanessa Redgrave and Glenda Jackson) and Anne of the Thousand Days (starring Richard Burton and Genevieve Bujold). He received sixteen Academy Award nominations for Best Picture, winning for Casablanca in 1943. For his consistently high quality of motion picture production, he was twice honored with the Academy Awards' Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award. He was also nominated for seven Golden Globe awards, twice winning awards for Best Picture. In 1975, he received the Golden Globe Cecil B. DeMille Award for lifetime achievement in motion pictures. In 1980 he published his autobiography, Starmaker, co-written with Charles Higham.
Wallis was married twice, to actress Louise Fazenda from 1927 until her death in 1962, and to actress Martha Hyer from 1966 until his death in 1986.
Wallis died in 1986 of complications of diabetes in Rancho Mirage, California, at the age of eighty-eight. News of his passing was not released until after his private service was completed. U.S. President Ronald W. Reagan sent condolences to the Wallis family.[4] He is interred in a crypt at the Great Mausoleum at Forest Lawn Memorial Park Cemetery in Glendale, California.
Wallis was portrayed by actor Bill Lake in the 2002 CBS television film Martin and Lewis.
1938 and 1943 Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Awards
Template:Cecil B. DeMille Award 1952–1975
Template:GoldenGlobeBestMotionPictureDrama 1961-1980
Dirty Harry, Authority control, Charley Varrick, Jinxed!, Clint Eastwood


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How much energy does the world consume by each energy end-use sector?
The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) publishes projections for energy consumption for major energy end-use sectors (residential, commercial, industrial, and transportation) and the electric power sector by major type of fuel/energy source in the International Energy Outlook 2017 (IEO2017). The IEO2017 includes tables for the world, for country groups, for geographic regions, and for selected countries.
Learn more:
International Energy Outlook 2017
Tables of the International Energy Outlook 2017 (see Tables F1 to F19)
Last updated: July 24, 2018
Other FAQs about Electricity
- Can electric utility customers choose their electricity supplier?
- Does EIA have county-level energy production data?
- Does EIA have data on costs for electricity transmission and distribution?
- Does EIA have data on each power plant in the United States?
- Does EIA have energy consumption and price data for cities, counties, or by zip code?
- Does EIA have projections for energy production, consumption, and prices for individual states?
- Does EIA publish data on peak or hourly electricity generation, demand, and prices?
- Does EIA publish electric utility rate, tariff, and demand charge data?
- Does EIA publish electricity consumption and price data by state and by utility?
- Does EIA publish the location of electric power plants and transmission lines?
- How is electricity used in U.S. homes?
- How many nuclear power plants are in the United States, and where are they located?
- How many power plants are there in the United States?
- How many smart meters are installed in the United States, and who has them?
- How much coal, natural gas, or petroleum is used to generate a kilowatthour of electricity?
- How much does it cost to build different types of power plants in the United States?
- How much does it cost to generate electricity with different types of power plants?
- How much electricity does a nuclear power plant generate?
- How much electricity does an American home use?
- How much electricity is lost in electricity transmission and distribution in the United States?
- How much electricity is used for cooling in the United States?
- How much electricity is used for lighting in the United States?
- How much energy does the world consume by each energy end-use sector?
- How much of U.S. carbon dioxide emissions are associated with electricity generation?
- How much of U.S. energy consumption and electricity generation comes from renewable energy sources?
- How much of world energy consumption and production is from renewable energy?
- How old are U.S. nuclear power plants, and when was the newest one built?
- What is U.S. electricity generation by energy source?
- What is the difference between electricity generation capacity and electricity generation?
- What is the efficiency of different types of power plants?
- What is the outlook for home heating fuel prices this winter?
- What types and amounts of energy are produced in each state?


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Original, Exclusive Videos from AVweb |Reader-Submitted & Viral Videos
The way Rob Rollison figures it, most LSAs are overpriced, which is why he's marketing his nicely made Aerotrek airplanes at a base price under $70,000. Although most invoice for more than that, they still sell for less than $100,000. In this brief video, AVweb's Paul Bertorelli flies the Aerotrek 220 taildragger version and finds that it has great visibility, excellent climb performance and features you might not expect to find in a bargain airplane.
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Try disabling ad blockers and refreshing this page.
If that doesn't work, click here to download the video directly.


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I was talking to a few developers this week and they were telling me that they were really psyched about Flash Builder 4 but were waiting to upgrade. When I asked why, they explained that they were in the middle of Flex 3 projects and didn't want to transition to the new Flex 4 SDK until they completed the project. I realized that in all of our excitement about Flex 4 and the new Spark component model, that we neglected to let everyone know that 80% of the new features in Flash Builder 4 can help you immediately with your Flex 3 application development. Andrew Shorten just posted a great new article in the Flex Developer Center explaining how to set up Flash Builder 4 so you can continue working on your Flex 3 projects with no disruption while taking advantage of the great new features. This article is a one-stop-shop to learn all things about migration, including both tool and SDK. James Ward also posted a short video where you can see Flash Builder 4 in action working on a Flex 3 project.
Dave Gruber
Flash Builder and Flex Product Marketing Manager


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Irish American star Mark Wahlberg has signed on for a film adaptation of graphic novel series 'The Amory Wars'.
The "Ted" star will work alongside his producing partner Stephen Levinson for the adaption of the sci-fi series, reports Variety. The announcement was made at Comic-Con over the weekend.
In the past the pair have collaborated as executive producers on TV series Entourage and Boardwalk Empire and the film Contraband.'
The sci-fi comic book series are written by Coheed and Cambria frontman Claudio Sanchez and published by Evil Ink Comics. Sanchez originally created 'The Amory Wars' to help inspire the bands albums.
As well as his extensive acting career, Boston born Wahlberg has been the executive producer on a number of large scale YV series including 'How to make it in America' and "In Treatment".
Watch a description of The Amory Wars below:


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Arturo Fuente Cigars have become renowned for the quality and consistency they offer cigar smokers worldwide. Fuente considers themselves to be the pride of the Dominican Cigars using mainly Dominican tobacco in all of their blends. Highly popular Arturo Fuente lines include the Chateau Fuente, Hemingway Cigars, Flor Fina 858, Don Carlos cigars, the King and Queen B, and the most lauded cigar in their history, the all Domincan grown Fuente Fuente Opus X.
At the forefront of it all is the father and son team of Carlos and Carlito Fuente. The two tobacco men are seen together in all company marketing vehicles, displaying their unbridled passion for cigar making. Carlos's crowning achievement is the creation of the Opus X, a full bodied Dominican puro that he claims was his way of proving to the world that a full flavored, powerful, all-Domincan cigar could be made.
The legendary Arturo Fuente family history is one that might be easier to make into a film than to summarize in a series of paragraphs. Their story begins in 1887 Cuba, the year Arturo Fuente was born. From the time he was a child, his father taught him how to cultivate prime tobacco and make handmade cigars. Overcoming several setbacks over the years, the company continues to thrive, and today Arturo Fuente cigars are made in the Dominican Republic.
Some people might presume that the Fuente family was part of the post Cuban Revolution exile, but the family left Cuba in 1906. Resettling in Key West, Florida, Arturo found work as a cigar roller, and eventually the family moved to Ybor City in Tampa (at the time, the cigar capital of the world.) Then in 1912, as his reputation for making excellent cigars grew, the first cigars to bear the Fuente family name were produced. Until 1961 when the U.S. embargo went into effect, the cigars were made with imported Cuban tobacco. There was a six year period from 1924-1930 when damage from a fire destroyed the factory, but success continued then as it does today.
Almost as legendary as his father was Arturo's son, Carlos. Like his father, Carlos was born into the cigar business and learned every aspect of the trade. Years later, Don Arturo passed the business on to Carlos and when Carlos Fuente, Jr., was born, just like his father and grandfather, Carlos Jr. (a.k.a. "Carlito") learned the business. Since the 1990's cigar boom, Carlos Fuente, Jr. has been "the face" of Arturo Fuente cigars.
In 1980, production moved to the Dominican Republic, where began growing their own tobaccos at the family's private estate plantation, Chateau de la Fuente. It's there that Carlos and Carlito developed the company's most famous cigars, the Fuente Fuente OpusX selection. "OpusX" cigars were the first Arturo Fuente cigars to be made with an all-Dominican filler, binder and wrapper, and though it took years to develop this extraordinary leaf, until the Fuentes arrived, other cigar makers had no success growing quality wrapper leaf in the Dominican Republic. The Fuente Opus X proved that it could be done.
"We are a family business," said Carlos Fuente, Jr. "Our factories and our plantations comprise our family 'kitchen.' By staying in the kitchen, we're able to consistently produce outstanding tobacco leaves and rich flavored, perfectly balanced cigars that please cigar aficionados every time, everywhere. And because tobacco is in our blood, that is all my family and I ever aspired to achieve."
Whether it's the in your face power of the Opus X cigar, the rich smoothness of the Hemingways cigars, or the always tasty Chateau Fuente, Famous Smoke Shop carries the full line up of A Fuente cigars, and as always, our legendary service and super low prices cannot be beat!


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Tom Anderson Drop Top Deep Ocean Blue Burst #07-02-19A
In stock
Superb Drop Top with a beautiful Flame Top and the popular Even Taper neck!
An amazing spec Drop Top with an stunning Deep Blue Ocean Quilt Top with Swamp Ash back.
Born out of Tom's garage in mid 1980's Southern California, Anderson Guitarworks has since been producing what some have called, "The best guitars on the planet." From humble beginnings to our current state of the art facility, we stay dedicated to the tradition and progress of electric guitar design.
The process begins with the creation of the most precise and comfortable bodies and necks possible. We accomplish this by choosing only the finest and most beautiful woods from select lumber mills. Our design and manufacturing process utilizes the best of both old and new world craftsmanship. Ground breaking CAD technology is used to achieve the most exacting tolerances found in the guitar industry, while the fine detail woodwork and beautiful finish sanding are done by the hands of a master.
To best compliment and allow you to further fine tune the sound of your guitar, we offer many models of pickups. They are all designed and wound in our own pickup shop for optimum tone. And you could also call the excellence of our internal wiring a work of art. Our gorgeous paint jobs are done using a revolutionary new ultra violet light curing process that was pioneered here.
It allows the instruments full tonal potential to be uninhibited while setting a new level of beauty for our guitars.
The final process is the coming together of all these precision parts in just the right way to enable each and every guitar to achieve its maximum playability and sound. What does this all mean? It means a guitar of unparalleled quality, and no matter which model of you choose, you are getting that same level of excellence. Our models vary only in their look, wood choice and sonic character. We offer this variety so you can choose an instrument that will bring out your personal best!
- Colour: Deep Ocean Blue
- Top Wood: Quilt Maple
- Back Wood: Swamp Ash
- Number of Frets: 22 Heavy
- Scale Length: 25.5"
- Fretboard Wood: Ziricote
- Fretboard Inlays: Dots
- Nut Width: 1 11/16"
- Neck Wood: Maple
- Neck Shape: Even Taper
- Bridge Hardware: Vintage Tremolo
- Bass Pickup: HC1+
- Middle Pickup: SC2
- Treble Pickup: HC3
- Pickup Switching: 5-Way: 3 = M, N+B with Splitter
- Weight: 7lb 9oz
Additional Info
Deep Ocean Blue
Top Wood
Quilt Maple
Back Wood
Swamp Ash
Number of Frets
22 Heavy
Scale Length
Fretboard Wood
Fretboard Inlays
Nut Width
1 11/16"
Neck Wood
Neck Shape
Even Taper
Bridge Hardware
Vintage Tremolo
Bass Pickup
Middle Pickup
Treble Pickup
Pickup Switching
5-Way: 3 = M, N+B with Splitter
Additional Info
7lb 9oz
We have been hand-selecting, photographing, setting up and selling high end guitars for over 30 years. In this time we have always understood just how important it is to get the setup right. The best guitar in the world can feel very average if it's not setup properly. We have always made this a priority on every single guitar that leaves World Guitars.
Hi Jeff, The guitar landed just over an hour ago and is superb in every respect, including an immaculate setup job Many thanks for your service. I shall be heartily recommending you to all my guitar playing friends, of whom there are many! Best Regards as always
Dave Millington, UK


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HAVELOCK � Thanks to the Knights of Columbus, the Havelock Pregnancy Resource Center now has a new machine to help patients.
HAVELOCK � Thanks to the Knights of Columbus, the Havelock Pregnancy Resource Center now has a new machine to help patients.
Knights of Columbus No. 6648, along with the help of residents, businesses and the national Knights organization, donated $28,000 to the center for the purchase of an ultrasound machine.
�Thankfully, we�re at the point where we can give this check to the center so they can go get the machine that can help save lives,� Leo Munday of the Knights of Columbus said during a check presentation ceremony. �It�s all about pro-life for us as the Knights of Columbus.�
The fundraising effort started in the fall and included a dinner and silent auction as well as solicitation of businesses in and out of Havelock.
�What this does is help the center show these young mothers or any mother that what you have in you, whether it�s one day old or 20 weeks old, is a human life,� Munday said. �Hopefully by them seeing that ultrasound of their baby, they�ll make the right decision to keep it.�
John McCastle, a member of the center�s board, said 85 to 90 percent of women considering abortion who see the image of their fetus on an ultrasound decide against the procedure.
�It�s the most powerful tool and instrument the pro-life community has,� he said. �As a result of the faithful efforts and hard work of the Knights, this community will be able to declare and reveal the real value and the real truth of those unborn children to their parents.�
He said the Bible teaches that God has a plan and purpose for everyone.
�This is a great opportunity to be able to put into action a way for those who would be otherwise potentially aborted to live out God�s plan for their life,� he said.
Cindy Springston, executive director of the center, said the nonprofit center has seen an increase in its clients since March and believes the ultrasound will make a difference.
�It�s so incredible,� she said. �It is going to be such a valuable tool to the ladies who are coming in and making the decision. We�ll be able to give them an informed choice when they see that child on the ultrasound, so it�s just such an awesome thing.�
The ultrasound machine is expected to arrive at the center on Aug. 8, and after some training, will be ready for use.
Along with offering free pregnancy tests, the center also has items available for expectant mothers as well as babies, such as clothing, diapers and toys.
The center is located in Suite 18 of the East Professional Plaza at 925 East Main St.
For more information, call 444-4772, email firstname.lastname@example.com or go online to the center website at www.havelockprc.org.


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Whether you're running to the gym or cozying up on the couch, a hoodie or sweatshirt is always a favorite comfy piece. Ours come in a variety of styles and fits, from extra loose and drapey, to more fitted crew necks and zip-ups. Whatever the fit, you'll get guaranteed comfort with our sweatshirts!
During our back to school, fall and holiday seasons, our hoodies and sweatshirts are made from thicker fabrics like fleece to keep you extra warm in the colder months. In the spring and summer seasons, we use lighter fabrics and breezier styles like open cardigans to keep you cool even when you cover up.
Hoodies call for light layers underneath, and our huge selection of tanks and t-shirts gives you tons of options for something airy and soft under your sweatshirt. Our tank tops are always great for layering, and they come in super soft fabrics no matter the style. Tees are also easy layers, and ours come in different silhouettes like v-necks and crew necks so you can choose whether or not you want your top to peek through your sweatshirt.
When it comes to bottoms, leggings are always great to pair with hoodies and sweatshirts. When your top is looser fitting, it's fun to wear it with something tighter on the bottom, and leggings are that tight fit that we love. If you want a full lounging look, try our joggers. They come in multiple fits as well, one of which is a skinny fit that gives you that same tighter style on the bottom, but in a super soft sweatpant material.


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Ken Rich Sound Services and Warneck Research Bring Expertise to Vintage Keyboard Market
Known for decades to a long list of keyboard artists including Steely Dan's Donald Fagan, Tori Amos, Adam Macdougall (Black Crowes), Benmont Tench (Tom Petty), George Duke and many more as the primary name in vintage keyboard repair, restoration and maintenance, keyboard craftsman Ken Rich has now taken another step forward. Rich recently joined forces with engineer Tim Warneck of Warneck Research, the product development arm of full service vintage keyboard and amplifier repair and restoration company Keyboard Cottage LLC, to develop quality electronics and parts for the vintage keyboard market.
Rich and Warneck were originally introduced to each other by mutual friend Michael Smokowicz of Trek II Products. Extensive dialog between the two around Warneck's prototype design of a new Wurlitzer model 200 amplifier board ultimately led to the production of what many consider to be the finest EP 200 board in the marketplace today. Additional replacement electronics and enhancements for vintage Wurlitzer and Rhodes Electric Pianos that far surpass the capabilities and performance specs of the original equipment are currently available from Warneck Research, and a significant list of Rich/Warneck designed products is on the drawing board.
Both Rich and Warneck are quick to point out that while they are not business partners in a formal or legal sense, they are truly partners in their mutually shared desire to create quality products and quality electronics for musicians. Rich Sound Services and Warneck Engineering are independent and separate companies, working together to improve the quality of products and services offered in the vintage keyboard industry. The companies and their founders share similar strong beliefs about quality, integrity, and customer service.
"Instead of making up technology on the fly, I've been servicing musical instruments for over 33 years, and have worked and trained with the developers of these instruments since the time that they were state-of-the-art," notes Rich. " I believe no one is an island, and it takes a team of individuals who truly care about the artist and musician first and foremost and not look at them as just an avenue for making money."
"Ken and I are proud to start offering carefully researched and designed replacement parts and electronic enhancements for vintage keyboards", says Warneck. "We're working hard to prove that in the vintage keyboard market, there is a difference."
For more information, please contact Ken Rich Sound Services at 818.787.8465 or visit us online at http://kenrichsounds.com ; or Warneck Research (Keyboard Cottage, LLC) at 215.855.2698 or visit us online at www.keyboardcottage.com.