text:
Supremes docket income tax challenge
Colorado man's challenge to IRS says wages don't count
The government calls those who argue the income tax has no legal foundation "tax protesters" and labels their arguments "frivolous." And usually judges toss their arguments out of court, assess them court costs on top of taxes, interest and penalties, and sometimes even threaten them if they file further cases.
But now the U.S. Supreme Court – the nine judges who sit on the bench in Washington by virtue of their selection by presidents and confirmation by the U.S. Senate – has docketed exactly that type of case.
The results? Who knows, considering the radical arguments offered by the pro se plaintiff, Jeffrey Thomas Maehr, a Colorado chiropractor who has been involved in a number of business ventures, including PureHealthSystems.com.
Among Maehr's contentions is that while the government has the legal authority to tax, the Internal Revenue Service has used "unlawful, unconstitutional, unfair and biased" manipulations to assess income taxes on that which is not income – essentially salaries and wages.
Basing his argument on 10 years' worth of research into tax law, he concludes that salaries and wages are the result of the mutual agreement among participants to exchange labor for money – and that's not income.
Income, he said, is the increased value of an asset, such as interest on money in a bank account, which can be subjected to income tax.
He told WND his arguments repeatedly have been tossed from courthouses – in his case, nine times over the years – and he's anxious to see what the Supreme Court justices may decide.
In his petition to the court, he said, "The gravity of these fundamental law questions have never been properly adjudicated, and the evidence in fact available proves without a doubt that the taxation scheme being implemented against petitioner, and all Americans, is fundamentally and profoundly unlawful, unconstitutional, unfair and biased, and is evidence of ongoing, willful, deliberate, and unconscionable fraud."
WND contacted the office of the U.S. Solicitor General, listed on the Supreme Court website as the defense counsel for the IRS, and office staff who answered the phone refused to comment. WND was transferred to an office for the U.S. attorney general, where officials also declined to comment.
Maehr says information about the case is at the Foundation for Truth in Law.
Officials with the Supreme Court said while the case has been docketed, and a response from the IRS already has been scheduled, the justices still must hold a conference on the case to determine whether, in fact, they will review the arguments.
Maehr wrote in his petition for judicial review that he's been the victim of administrative bludgeoning used by the IRS to quell citizens with objections as well as questions.
"Petitioner was denied due process, over and over again. Petitioner's evidence was dismissed without consideration. Petitioner was unlawfully assessed outside lawful means. Petitioner's evidence that 'income' is not wages or payment for labor is clearly supported by court precedent. Petition was mistreated, and the courts unlawfully ruled without regard to respondent's standing to be acting against him," he said.
"Respondent is taxing outside clear constitutional parameters, presumptively labeling he, and all Americans as 'taxpayers,' apart from any mechanism of law. Respondent is wantonly promoting the mandatory filing of the 1040 form which is clearly in violation of the Paperwork Reduction Act. Respondent has not produced the law with the IR Code which makes petitioner or any American 'personally' liable for filing the 1040 form, let alone other 'requirements.'"
A copy of a ruling from the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Denver, before judges Michael Murphy, Bobby Baldock and Harris Hartz, was included in Maehr's filing. It appears to support Maehr's argument, because the judges, without responding to his questions and challenges to the constitutionality of the issue, labeled the claims "frivolous" and claimed Maehr's petition "contains no valid challenges."
Maehr's arguments cite a wide range of historical court and congressional statements regarding taxes. For example, Blacks Law Dictionary calls income tax "a tax on the yearly profits arising from property, professions, trades and offices."
Maehr argues wages are not "profits"; they are simply the result of an exchange of labor for money. Pointing out that businesses routinely pay taxes on "profits," he noted taxes are not assessed on the expenses of the business.
Simply, the labor of an individual is the "expense" required to obtain the money, so it is not "profit." To determine otherwise would be to subject corporations such as Wal-Mart to "income taxes" on 100 percent of their cash register receipts, he argues.
The court itself said an 1883 case, "It has been well said that, the property which every man has in his own labor, as it is the original foundation of all other property, so it is the most sacred and inviolable."
In 1969, the court ruled: "Whatever may constitute income, therefore, must have the essential feature of gain to the recipient. This was true when the 16th amendment became effective. … If there is no gain, there is no income. … [Income] is not synonymous with receipts."
And a 1946 case stated, "Reasonable compensation for labor or services rendered is not profit."
"The elements of this case involve respondent/IRS administrative functions being implemented under color of law," Maehr wrote. "In 2003, petitioner began requesting answers to constitutional questions regarding respondent's positions in application of its taxation process, but which, since 2003, have been completely ignored and labeled as 'frivolous' and he was told that if he wanted any answers, it would have to be found 'in the courts.'
"The essential, foundational, original intent of Congress regarding 'income' taxation and tax authority has been slowly perverted over the decades with actions under color of law," Maehr continued. "The original intent was known long ago, and supported by this honorable court, but which have been twisted to mean something completely different today. Despite the quoted cases by respondent in response to petition, claiming arguments were only 'frivolous,' none of these cited court cases have ever had evidence in fact entered into the record, or presented as evidence to refute petitioner's, or anyone else's, lawful challenges to 'prove' them 'frivolous' outside hearsay and presumption."
Among the specific questions raised: Is income tax a direct or indirect tax? What defined "income" when the income tax was adopted? What is the constitutional status of the IRS, and when do the IRS administrative procedures violate due process?
"The logical question to ask is, if petitioner is violating any laws … why is he NOT charged with criminal actions? Why is respondent taking the circuitous route using 'administrative' ploys, summons, and alleged 'deficiency' notices? The answer is because it has deceived the courts, and knows it has accomplices in committing this easy fraud using them, and it knows it cannot bring criminal charges against petition due to the record created by petition proving no such 'failure' would stand up in court, but would expose the 'income' taxation scam."
The Supreme Court said the government's response is due Oct. 11.
Maehr told WND that the IRS bases its existence on the "premise that the 16th Amendment allows direct unapportioned taxes on people, which it does not."
The fight is over the fact that when one individual exchanges a $10 bill for two $5 bills from another person, there is no "profit." Substituting labor for either side of that agreement also does not create "profit," he said.
It's actually not the first time the challenge has been in court. WND reported in 2007 when the Internal Revenue Service lost a lawyer's challenge in front of a jury to prove a constitutional foundation for the nation's income tax.
At the time, lawyer Tom Cryer told WND after a jury acquitted him of two criminal tax counts that the IRS was a "fraud, backed up by intimidation and extortion and by the sheer force of taking peoples property and hard-earned money without any lawful authorization whatsoever."
Cryer, who has since died, told WND that the simple truth is income is not necessarily any money that comes to a person, but a rather category such as profit and interest.
He said the free exchange of labor for compensation has been upheld as a right by the Supreme Court, but that doesn't necessarily make the compensation income.
He said at the time if ever such an argument were to be presented widely, there could be huge changes required in the way the federal government operates.
"The Founding Fathers intentionally restricted the taxing powers of the new federal government as a measure of restraint on its size. By exceeding that limited taxing authority the federal government has been able to obtain resources beyond its intended reach, and that money has enabled the federal government to exceed its authority," he said.
The jury in U.S. District Court in Louisiana voted 12-0 to find Cryer, of Shreveport, not guilty of failure to file income taxes for two years. He had been indicted in 2006 on charges of failing to pay $73,000 to the IRS in 2000 and 2001.
At the time, spokesman Robert Marvin in Washington's IRS office told WND the Internal Revenue Code provides for taxation on salaries or wages, but when pressed for a specific citation or constitutional provision, he said, "I can't comment."


text:
Basic Info
Model NO.: OB3658
Shape: Round
Style: Fashion
Weight: 5gram
Gender: Women
Specification: SGS report
HS Code: 7117190000
Material: Alloy
Plating: Gold
Color: Gold
Basic Material: Environmental Copper
Trademark: Xuping Jewelry
Origin: Made in China
Product Description
|Sales time:
|Environmental Copper
|Main stone:
|Synthetic CZ
Product Photos
1. Basic information
1) Fashionable and high-end
2) Our jewelry pass SGS test
3) To check the quality before every machining process
4) The products will be double checked before the final packing
5) Packaging: OPP bag and export carton
6) New arrivals are coming everyday
2. Jewelry material:
1). Environment Friendly basic material
The basic material we adopt is environmental copper, no chemical composition of heavy metals.
2). Inset with sparkling cubic zirconia
Cubic zirconia, the imitation diamond, is same apparent as diamond, but without the price tag.
3). Hypoallergenic electroplate
OB jewelry is plated with genuine gold, rejecting nickel in the plating to greatly minimize allergic phenomena. (Notes: Hypoallergenic electroplate ≠ Not allergy. Allergy may be caused by varieties of metal elements. Hypoallergenic electroplate can only deduce allergic phenomena, but can't guarantee 100% no allergy. )
3. Our services:
1) Send inquire to us, we will reply you as soon as possible
2) If you need samples, we can offer you free samples, but you need to pay the shipping cost.
3) Online customer service is during 9am-10pm, for Beijing time
4) Excellent after-sales services
4. Our Advantages
1) Around 20 years experience in fashion jewelry
2) Thousands items available
3) Eco-friendly material; Comply with Europe standard, etc.
4) Strictly Quality-control System
5)10000000 pcs monthly production capacity
6)Have our own factory, and many stores
7)Many agents over the world
8)Custom-made jewelries for customers provided that there are big buying needs
About our company
Log in our official website: www.objewelry.cn
( you can make an order online)
Member price
You need to register an account with your email.
Minimum quantity
Each item has its own minimum quantity, such as 3 pcs, 6pcs, 12 pcs, ect.
Packing ways
Jewelry packing:1 piece/ one opp bag
Transportation packing: carton
Payment methods
Paypal, Western Union, Moneygram, T/T
Shipping methods
Delivery time
3-5 days by TNT;EMS;FEDEX;DHL;UPS
5-7 days by EMS
Shipping cost
|Different shipping methods have different price, actually they are very cheap .Note: if your purchasing power is over 500usd, then you can enjoy the free freight.
OB Jewelry is a famous brand in imitation jewelry and combining with development, production, wholesale and online shopping. The products include rings, pendants, earrings, bracelets, necklaces, anklets, bangles, Jewelry sets and so on. The material of our products is copper Alloy, which surface is rhodium-plated or gold-plated. The auxiliary material is high-quality artificial zircon and other gemstones. We are insisting on making imitation jewelry. The more concentration we do, the more professional we are. Our products are worthy of being trusted, and it exactly does. Nowadays, due to the high quality and excellent brand, our products are popular with customers all over the world.
How to keep Copper Jewelry
1). It may be easily eroded if jewelry coating is in long-term touch with sweat.
2). Often use cotton cloth to polish jewelry to maintain clean and bright.
3). Engaged in heavy manual work or taking a bath, it is recommended to remove jewelry.
4). Please stop wearing jewelry immediately when there is a skin allergy.
5). When not wearing, please seal jewelry for preservation after using cotton or tissue to clear moisture and dirt.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Kisses from Katie wrecked me. I knew a little bit of her story, so I thought I was prepared to hear her heart-wrenching story of life in a third-world country. I was wrong. If you have a soul inside of you, you cannot encounter stories of poor, neglected and abused children fending for themselves in Uganda and not have your heart ripped out a little bit.
Katie Davis is a 24-year-old who grew up in Brentwood, TN with a life typical of many Christian girls raised in America. Yet she willingly gave up her "good life" to sacrifice herself for the poor and the orphaned living in Jinja, Uganda. Here's a bit of her story in her own words:
"Slowly but surely I began to realize the truth: I had loved and admired and worshiped Jesus without doing what he said . . . So I quit my life. Originally, my quitting was to be temporary, lasting just one year before I went to college and returned to normal, American teenager life. But after that year, which I spent in Uganda, returning to 'normal' wasn't possible. I had seen what life was about and I could not pretend I didn't know. So I quit my life again, and for good this time . . . I have a joy and a peace that are unimaginable and can come only from a place better than this earth. I cannot fathom being happier. Jesus wrecked my life, shattered it to pieces, and put it back together more beautifully" (xviii).
This book is her story, her journey from her "normal" American upbringing to moving to Uganda, adopting thirteen precious daughters to raise as her own, and starting a non-profit that is bringing hope and healing to thousands of people. Never intended to be a professionally written narrative or deep theological treatise, Kisses from Katie captures the essence of her journey through story, vignettes of her life that show both the deepest hurts of the human experience and the deepest love of a gracious Heavenly Father.
Through her experiences with third-world disease, poverty, starvation and neglect, the veil of first-world ignorance will be forever ripped from your eyes. In a country (America) where suffering equals only having one fast-food restaurant to choose from, Katie's real-world experience in Uganda is a sucker punch to the gut. While we're busy keeping up with the latest elimination from American Idol, millions of precious children are simply fighting to stay alive. Here's how Katie describes her first conversation with one of her new daughters, five-year-old Joyce, "What struck me most about that first [conversation] with Joyce was what she said to me: 'Thank you for food, Mommy. Today I am still alive.' My heart stopped. This little girl, at five years old, is simply thankful to have something to eat so she can stay alive" (87).
Numerous stories like that will rip your heart out with compassion and compel you to do something with the excess that you've been blessed with. Through all of the trials that Katie has gone through, she continues to inspire with her unadulterated faith in God: "God teaches me, and Masese (a village she works in) teaches me, this: Resurrection is real. Life is more powerful than death. Light can pierce darkness. I may never see the end of horrendous situations on this earth, so instead of trying to fix the situations here and now, I will focus on helping these people come to heaven with me" (192).
1. Real Christianity is more than just church attendance and another Bible study. The end result of our faith is not another church service or more Bible knowledge. It's loving God with all our heart and loving our neighbor as ourselves. Katie Davis is a beautiful picture of what it means to live out your faith in its purest form. More than simply attend more church or read another Christian book, Katie decided to live out her faith. How uncommon, yet how life-changing.
2. If you want to touch God's heart, work with the poor and abused. If you look throughout the Old and New Testament, God continually shows his heart for the poor and oppressed. He constantly calls us as believers to show love to those he loves. If you want to work with those closest to God's heart, get out of the finely manicured suburbs and go work with the poor and neglected.
3. I'm thankful for those who sacrifice their resources to make a real difference in the world. Katie's non-profit ministry, Amazima Ministries, works to provide meals, education and many other needs for those who desperately need it. I'm also extremely thankful to be a sponsor for Children of Hope, a ministry helping Haitian refugee children living in the Dominican Republic get an education and a shot at life.
4. Everyone needs to go on an overseas mission trip. If you've never experienced life outside of the United States, then you live in a bubble. There is a tremendous world of need out there. There are millions of American Christians who can be the arms and feet of Jesus to a suffering world. But we'll never know what's out there until we go. Find a quality mission-sending organization and go overseas. It changed Katie's life. It changed my life. It will change your life.
5. I want to be a part of a church that meets the needs of the poor and hurting. Who are the lost, the oppressed, the hurting, the neglected in your town? What is your church doing to love them and share the hope of Christ with them?
6. If you never meet Katie Davis in this life, here's how you can find her in heaven: look for the really huge mansion up on the hill with the best view. Her rewards will be massive in heaven one day. She deserves it. Look for her on Mother Theresa's street.


text:
I really can't resist a nice lipstick…maybe it's because if you find a great one, it's an instant perker-uper, maybe that's why I can always be tempted by a new colour or formula.
When it comes to Asian brands, the general consensus is that they are glossy, sheer and with sometimes creamy. Even when a lipstick has a word in it's title like 'deep' implying rich colour, the lipstick may still be very much a sheer!
These Innisfree Creamy Tint Lipsticks caught my eye immediately – I have a soft spot for Innisfree anyway, seeing as they are a eco-friendly Korean brand. The products from Innisfree omit certain additives (such as parabens, tac, animal products, dyes, mineral oil,scent) – which additives depends on the product. This lipstick is 3 free, as it has no Benzophenone, Talc or Animal products).
These lipsticks are sold as being extremely pigmented, leaving a tint on the lips. They are supposed to be hydrating too but leave a semi-matte finish. It can be blended with your base to make a blush.
I chose two shades in the end – a hot blue based pink (no. 2) and a rich orange coral (no. 9). I have since ordered no. 6 (a nude pink) and no. 5 (a true red). Here is the full range (as of 04/2013):
The lipsticks come in quite plain cream plastic packaging. It's nothing to write home about but it fits into the eco-friendly feel of the brand.
The base of the lipstick represents the shade in the barrel. You can't pull this off as you won't be able to get it back on.
As soon as I got these lipsticks out I was like WOAH. SUNGLASSES. These are really bright, like little sticks of painting blocks…or something. They are shimmer free, they are just completely pure colour.
1 layer swatches. Pretty pigmented. Another layer adds even more rich pigment. The colours are very bright and vibrant as in the barrel.
I was impressed that these lipsticks are actually as pigmented as advertised – in an Asian lipstick? About time!
Texture wise – this lipstick is indeed nice and creamy. It's not uber melt creamy like say YSL Rouge Volupte which just melts on the lips – it's harder than that, but it is still nevertheless really rich and not difficult to apply. I find the texture is similar to that of a high quality matte lipstick as opposed to a cream.
At the moment I can't think of any similar formula I have…I am sure there is something but nothing else really comes to mind. My lips were pretty dry when I tried these and though they weren't really drying, they did cling to any flaky bits I had.
The 09 Dandelion Coral:
02 Cocktail Pink – is a very very very bright blue pink. Very nice! Love it:
To give you an idea of the kind of stain that is left I got this after 4 hours of wear:
This is the most pigmented Asian lipstick I have tried and whilst I don't think it is quite as moisturising as they say, it's not drying and there's such a lot of pigment in each stick! The colours are also real pick me up bright hues that just add some happiness to a dull day.
I really like these, and I have ordered 2 more shades already! They also make a 'tint' version of this which I will review very shortly!
*Purchased from eBay for about £8 each


text:
Burj al Arab Hotel
Use of this object is restricted to the UNT Community. Off-campus users must log in to view.
Creation Information
Contact Us
Mapped Locations
Burj al Arab Hotel, physical object, 1994/1999; Wheat Ridge, Colorado. (https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc51899/: accessed August 21, 2019), University of North Texas Libraries, Digital Library, https://digital.library.unt.edu; crediting UNT College of Visual Arts + Design.


text: Tasteless "politically incorrect" dark, offensive, & twisted humor of all types is welcome here. You are welcome to be as crude as you like while you enjoy your stay in here. But most importantly, be inventive, and don't forget the humor part of your submission! There is humor to find in just about any subject matter, no matter how fu%ked up it is.


text:
Samantha Tyler
Samantha Tyler's Details
Samantha Tyler's Likes
I am a very happy person too charming, I love meeting new people know about their amazing cultures, making friends is something that I really love, traveling is one of my favorite jobbies, you can enjoy an excellent company find pleasant conversations because I am a person authenticates and I take the time to meet you, give yourself the opportunity to meet me and you will live unforgettable experiences, and I will take you to a world of fantasies that you will not want to go
My Fantasies
We were at an office party when suddenly, a colleague who worked inside the same company began to talk to me . the truth is that I had a few extra drinks and with my man radar activated I followed the game. At first everything was an innocent flirt until it was time to have sex. At first, nothing great, it was more, it was half fome the matter, but I decided to give it a try until I touched the sensitive fiber of the young . a small suggestion to do something more piggy but this will leave it to your imagination
My Obsessions & Desires
los esclavos, cosquillas , show de pies nalgadas, azotes
Additional Info
I love exploring my sexuality, diversity of tastes and fetishes, sensuality and eroticism is something that lights me with me you can take all your fantasies to another level
Special Info
reading is one of my hobbies and favorite activities I love reading about personal growth, finances, exercising in the gym every day to be fit and healthy, meditation is my passion
My Fetishes
Feet, Humiliation, Paddling/Spanking/Whips, Role Play/Costumes, Slaves, Sugar Daddy, Teasing, Voyeurism
My Sex Toys
Role-Playing Scenarios
Boss / Secretary, Dirty Talk, Master / Slave, Service Worker/Housewife, Student/Teacher
Samantha Tyler's Awards
My Recent ReviewsMore Reviews Post Review
My Schedule
Please change the timezone to your locale by choosing your location from the drop-down menu.
Virtual Gifts Received More
|Gift Info
|February 19, 2019
50 Credit Interactive Paid Show Tip
Purchased for 50 credits.
|View Details
|February 19, 2019
10 Credit Interactive Open Room Tip
Purchased for 10 credits.
|View Details
|February 16, 2019
Custom Interactive Open Room Tip
Purchased for 51 credits.
|View Details
|February 16, 2019
10 Credit Interactive Open Room Tip
Purchased for 10 credits.
|View Details
|February 16, 2019
10 Credit Interactive Open Room Tip
Purchased for 10 credits.
|View Details


text:
AirPedia Reader
Free text reader with built-in access to AirPedia mobile books library and advanced reading function...Read more
Free text reader with built-in access to AirPedia mobile books library and advanced reading function...Read more
FBReader app is a handy program for reading books that supports the following formats: ePub, fb2, plucker, oeb, OpenReader, html, plain text, txt, Palmdoc, tcr, chm, rtf, etc...Read more
iSiloX converts content to the iSilo document format for reading with iSilo. What's New in This Release: Version 5.18 adds the following new features: · Added support for generating registration codes keyed to the device ID. · Added support for generating 18-character extended registration codes. Version 5...Read more
Worldreader Books - Read thousands of books on your phone for free. A library in your pocket. Content sourced from Worldreader local authors and Project Gutenberg book library. Also comes with fast free access to Facebook, Twitter, Google search, translate, free SMS, Messenger, chat, email and many more apps...Read more
Mieru is a flexible manga and comic book viewer...Read more
FBReader (Symbian) - FBReader is an e-book reader for the Symbian platform. It is a clone of the FBReader book reader written in Java. What's New in This Release: · Feedbooks.com catalog works · Custom OPDS catalog support · UI improvements What's New in 0.99...Read more
The program for reading electronic books in a format txt...Read more
SymbianBible (S60 5th Edition) - SymbianBible is a bible reader for Symbian phones...Read more
What if - What if super-heroes come to India? What if the world is run by software guys? A comic series of implausible and crazy imaginations that spring forth from one bizarre question - WHAT IF!!! Enjoy reading!!! Contact publisher for issues found in content:http://nextwavemultimedia.com/html/contactus.html | info@nextwavemultimedia...Read more
BooKu-Maker - Make ebooks viewable with BooKu Reader. · It supports picture formats, including jpg, gif, png. · It adopts ebook model, making the making simple. · It offers txt import. · It automatically creates cover and catalog, supporting multipage catalog. · It offers automatic paging, when the contents are too much...Read more


text:
Science Friday® is produced by the Science Friday Initiative, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.
Science Friday® and SciFri® are registered service marks of Science Friday, Inc. Site design by Pentagram; engineering by Mediapolis.
In a new four-part television special based on his best-selling book, physicist Brian Greene takes on the nature of time and space, multiverses, and other hard-to-wrap-your-mind-around concepts in cosmology. Greene talks with guest host John Dankosky about the new series.


text:
Wow! What a terrific week of creations for this week's sketch. Thank you to all who played along with us! Your cards were lovely and I enjoyed looking into your blogs! This week the design team has chosen such delightful cards as their cut above choices! It was really was a challenge to choose this week!!
The Cut Above Winners for this week are:
Ann's Choice - Carrie Gaskin - Artistic Avenger
I can never say enough about Carrie Gaskin's cards. I am a huge fan of her vintage style, and this card is a perfect example of her work. Starting with the vintage color combination of Bravo Burgundy, River Rock, Early Espresso and Not Quite Navy, detail after wonderful detail strengthen the vintage theme. The Twill Tape, the manifest stamped onto Newsprint Designer Series Paper, the collage of images, the perfect sentiment...what more can I say! Congratulations, Carrie! You are my Cut Above!
LeAnne's Choice - Terry Blais of Goin' Over the Edge
Jen's Choice - Stacey Schafer - Stacey's Stamping StageI absolutely love the colors that Stacey has chosen for her son's birthday card. The different shades of blue and orange are just perfect for little boys! The distressed edges of the designer paper along with that big button and cog are perfect accents. All of the stamps and elements she's chosen go together so perfectly, I'm sure her son will love it. Congrats, Stacey!
Jaydee's choice: Cam
I love the colors in Cam's card. They are really summery and fun. Perfect for the image. I also loved the way she scrunched the polka dot ribbon and tied the ribbon to the embossed layer. The double tab layer with the green and white was such a great idea. This card made me happy, and warm, just looking at it! Congratulations, Cam.
Anne Marie's Choice: Susan Joyce of Cat's Ink-Corporated
Susan's stunning poppy card jumped out at me immediately when I saw it! I love the bold image and the gorgeous color combo. I also really liked the cut out poppy overlapping the ribbon, the stamped background and the tiny bits of sparkle in the centers of the flowers. Such beautiful details that made this card a true stand-out to me. Congratulations, Susan on being my pick for A Cut Above!
And the Headliner for my sketch is:
Lauri Ingram of Paperville
Not only were the colours she chose beautiful, I loved the ribbon treatment that Lauri used on this card! She also used the stamping off technique and I loved the flowers mixed with the En Francais background stamp. The vintage brad was the perfect finishing touch for this lovely card! Congratulations Lauri!
Join us tomorrow for our next challenge which is a fun theme challenge hosted by LeAnne.
Thank you to everyone who gave my sketch a whirl!


text:
Pitching to the left
Democratic candidates for president try to appeal to an ideological audience that pays attention to early campaigns, but will that hurt the candidates in the longer term?
Democratic candidates for president try to appeal to an ideological audience that pays attention to early campaigns, but will that hurt the candidates in the longer term?
Historic Christian colleges like Nyack College are facing financial crises that are forcing big changes. Some haven't survived
Former New York public-school student Alex Lenderman, one of the world's top chess players, mastered the game and embraced the Christian faith in the process
State constitutional roadblocks to school choice grew out of anti-Catholic hostility and the myth of educational neutrality
Andrée Seu Peterson / Janie B. Cheaney / Joel Belz / Marvin Olasky / Mindy Belz / The Editors /
Medicine / Lifestyle / Sports / Health / Science / Religion / Technology / Business / Money / Politics / Law / Media
Metro Minute / Snapshots of China / Sophia's World / Whirled Views /
Music / Documentary / Movies / Children's Books / Books / Q&A
Quick Takes / Quotables / Human Race / News
Culture Books
Michael Gerson grew up in Illinois, graduating from Westminster Christian Academy in St. Louis and Wheaton College outside Chicago. He wrote speeches and articles for evangelicals such as Chuck Colson and Indiana Senator Dan Coats. He worked for President George W. Bush as chief speechwriter and then policy advisor from 1999 through 2006. He has a lovely wife and two cute children.
Public service in Gerson's case really was service. Long, long hours. A heart attack at age 39 in December 2004. Putting up with secular liberals who believe, as Gerson writes in his new book, Heroic Conservatism (HarperOne, 2007), "that religion is a private eccentricity or secret vice" and that "religious people should shut up." Putting up with mainline conservatives such as Jeffrey Hart who sneered at Gerson's "form of religious expression, with its roots in the camp revival."
Gerson writes that he often received tepid support within the White House: "The vision of compassion and freedom that seemed so clear in speeches and in the president's mind was sometimes poorly implemented. And some who served in the administration did not share the vision at all." One of the generally untold stories of the Bush administration is the hostility to evangelicals among some of its high-ranking members.
The sense that the United States is at war, but we refuse to admit it, suffuses Heroic Conservatism. Gerson writes that "America is called to confront a new totalitarian threat to human liberty-the political ideology of radical Islam, given form and power in outlaw regimes and terrorist networks." He sees the crucial role of leadership, yet "the gap between the frightening reality of this war and the indifference of the public and political class is wide and dangerous."
Gerson, who now writes a Washington Post column, sees some GOP leaders as part of that political class. Note the word temporary in the following sentence: "The Republican Party has been at least a temporary home for people like me because of its openness to religious influence and its unapologetic assertion of American ideals."
Gerson learned in Washington how temporary political friendships can be. One fellow Bush speechwriter, Matthew Scully, accused Gerson of egotism in taking sole credit for Bush speeches that were collaborative efforts, and sometimes portraying himself as a lone speechwriting hero.
Gerson touched on that wound but talked mainly about his vision of politics and the world during a question-and-answer session with students, professors, and me at The King's College, New York City. Here are edited excerpts from the discussion.
WORLD: What is heroic conservatism?
GERSON: I was looking for a term that would encompass the idea of taking universal human rights and dignity seriously here and abroad. I'm a conservative, I believe in free markets. But I also believe in an active role in fighting poverty and disease abroad. I'm a very strong social conservative. But I also, as a part of that, believe that there needs to be an active effort to combat poverty, hopelessness in the United States.
WORLD: If you call this heroic conservatism, are other forms of conservatism cowardly conservatism?
GERSON: Yeah, well, pretty much. (Laughs) No, it's just drawing a distinction.
STUDENT: Heroic conservatism seems opposed to libertarianism.
GERSON: It's the standard debate about whether unrestricted markets lead to just social outcomes. . . . [Some people] have a natural disaster and their whole lives are destroyed because they have no cushion. There is no safety net.
PROFESSOR: A jaw-dropping hit piece in The Atlantic basically called you a plagiarizer, a liar. What's your reaction to that and how has your reputation been damaged by that?
GERSON: It's not pleasant, but it's not an unknown Washington experience. As a Christian how do you respond to these things? You have a friend for seven years who's been taking notes on you and puts the worst thing you ever did and I think distorts some things-and you had no idea. That's a very difficult thing.
STUDENT: How do you deal with individual problems of the poor?
GERSON: Some people have problems like addiction, homelessness, and other things, which are deeply complicated social problems that have to do with psychological problems. Some have radical disconnection from family and other sources of community. For those people you can't just say markets are going to work.
WORLD: Can't markets work for health care?
GERSON: We have a market health-care system that doesn't work for poor people. They go to hospital emergency rooms. I want to reform that. I'd want to make it much more individual-based, and subsidize individuals to purchase their own health insurance.
WORLD: But one reason the current system doesn't work is because the tax structure allows deductions in certain ways for businesses and not individuals. Is the problem the market system or the lack of a market?
GERSON: The reforms to pursue would subsidize the individuals to buy their own health care. You'd make a refundable kind of tax credit-something like that. But if you were to just remove government entirely, you wouldn't get a just outcome in health care. It's expensive. Poor people would just get health care in emergency rooms. Government-run health-care systems are disastrous, particularly when it comes to innovation. You need a predominantly private health-care system, but you also need an ethic of common provision, as some people aren't going to be able to afford this.
WORLD: So a conservatism that respects mixed-up reality.
GERSON: This is consistent with a conservatism that takes real circumstances seriously. It's not rigidly ideological like libertarianism is. I find much libertarian thought to be utopian, and that's not the way that markets and individuals work. To me the proper mix is to essentially have predominantly private market-oriented systems that also make a provision for those who have particular challenges.
PROFESSOR: The New York Times magazine had an article about shifting definitions in evangelicalism and how quickly it's falling apart . . .
GERSON: The Times as usual wants to cover it as a "crack-up" when in fact there's at least some maturity in it. . . . Evangelicals are still pro-life and pro-family. I haven't found much disagreement on that, but a belief that there has to be a broadening of your conception of social justice and it has to include economic and racial justice at home, not through coercive government means but through some means.
An amazing number of people have been engaged in African issues. That is also a reflection of one of the large unreported historical trends of our time, the movement of the center of gravity of Christianity to the global south. I find people in the evangelical community exhausted with Iraq just like the rest of Americans. But I don't find them turning to pacifism. I don't find a lot of people turning to the religious left.
PROFESSOR: Let's say your ideas for heroic conservatism become the consensus view of the conservative movement. What do you think the movement has to accomplish in order to actually have its message heard?
GERSON: I believe in rhetoric. I love the history of American political rhetoric, but one lesson I brought out of government is that sometimes there is a limit to the power of words. Americans eventually respond to the situation on the ground. The media pounce on you when you're down. They go after the weak.
WORLD: Many students here are good writers. Do you recommend speechwriting? How did you get into it?
GERSON: I actually always recommend Capitol Hill as the best place to get an introduction to American politics. I worked for Sen. Dan Coats. Capitol Hill is a great place to learn a variety of issues and to be a writer, because it allowed me not to be a health-care expert (which is fairly narrow) but to deal with international and domestic issues and to get a good grounding in American politics.
The ability to write is a rare ability in America. It is not generally taught to lawyers, and there are a lot of lawyers on Capitol Hill. Congressional offices are always looking for someone with the ability to write.
-For some excerpts on foreign policy from the Gerson interview, please go to WorldontheWeb.com


text:
August 10, 2001
Los Angeles — UCLA Anderson's Real Estate Center will present a strategic economic and demographic overview of Southern California's multi-family housing market during its third annual conference on Thursday, Sept. 13, from 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. at UCLA Anderson.
Highlighted by the premiere forecast on the Los Angeles multi-family housing market, the Multi-Family Housing Forecast Conference brings together research and practice, providing participants with the latest information upon which to base critical business decisions. Industry and community leaders, government officials, property owners, developers and managers, capital and service providers, and academics will examine the opportunities and challenges facing those who own, build, develop, manage or invest in multi-family housing.
"The future vitality of Southern California's economy is heavily dependent on the availability of housing," said John Long, managing partner of Highridge Partners and chairman of the UCLA Real Estate Center. "The focus of this conference is to provide a forum for the presentation of real-time data and ideas to promote the development of multi-family housing in Los Angeles."
The event will feature a keynote address by Legacy Partners Chairman and CEO C. Preston Butcher on "Meeting California's Housing Challenge Through Private Initiative."
Stephen Cauley, associate director of the UCLA Real Estate Center, where he teaches real estate investment, will offer a leading indicator forecast designed to provide qualitative data on which to base strategic buy, sell, develop and hold decisions. Topics will include:
Market economic and demographic drivers that will impact demand for Los Angeles apartments.
Forecast for the region's rents, prices and capitalization rates.
Forecast implications for the financial and social viability of the Southern California economy.
Cauley's presentation will be followed by a panel discussion on the forecast's implications on public policy and private development. Moderated by Roger Vincent, commercial real estate editor of the Los Angeles Times, the panel will include Larry Kosmont, president and CEO of The Kosmont Companies; Laurie Lustig Bower, senior vice president of CB Richard Ellis; and Mark Pisano, executive director of the Southern California Association of Governments.
Michael F. Keeley, president of Ridgeford Partners LLC, will moderate a second panel discussion entitled "Crossfire -- Finding Common Ground in the Housing Crisis." The panel will feature private multi-family housing developers and advocates for affordable housing debating ways to address the housing shortage.
In addition, industry experts will lead break-out sessions on the following topics: "Chasing the Money," which will look at ideas for accessing debt and equity financing for apartments and condominiums; "Deals and Data," which will examine niche opportunities for multi-family housing, based on Los Angeles and Orange County sub-market research by CB Ellis; and "The New Nimbyism," which will deal with the myths and realities of the no-growth movement and strategies to move the development process forward.
Panel moderators are Scott L. Bottles, managing director, Real Estate Merchant Banking, Wells Fargo Bank; Robert J. Gardner, senior vice president, Robert Charles Lesser & Co.; and Benjamin M. Reznik, Esq., partner, Jeffer, Mangels, Butler & Marmaro LLP.
CB Richard Ellis, Deloitte & Touche, Highridge Partners and Pircher, Nichols & Meeks are sustaining sponsors of the conference. Contributing sponsors are Allen, Matkins, Leck, Gamble & Mallory LLP; Ernst & Young LLP; Fidelity National Title Company; GMAC Commercial Mortgage; George Smith Partners, Inc.; and Haverford Capital.
For reservations or further information about the conference, panels or how to register, contact The UCLA Real Estate Center, (310) 206-9424 or visit the center's Web site, located at www.anderson.ucla.edu/research/realestate.
The UCLA Real Estate Center at UCLA Anderson is led by Chairman John Long, Director Walter Torous and Associate Director Stephen Cauley. Its mission is to undertake an aggressive program of research, education and professional development within the real estate industry.


text:
Population Action International
Population Action International works to ensure that every person has the right and access to sexual and reproductive health, so that humanity and the natural environment can exist in balance and fewer people live in poverty.
PAI fosters the development of U.S. and international policy on urgent population and reproductive health issues through an integrated program of research, advocacy and communications. PAI seeks to make clear the linkages between population, reproductive health, the environment and development. Serving as a bridge between the academic and policymaking communities, PAI disseminates strategic, action-oriented research publications; participates in and sponsors conferences, meetings and seminars; and works to educate and inform policymakers and international colleagues in related fields.
For more information, visit our web site at http://www.populationaction.org


text:
According to Marc Berman of the NY Post, former Knicks draftee and Atlanta Hawks coach Mike Woodson will interview for the Knicks Defensive Assistant position this week.
"Mike Woodson, former Hawks head coach, is expected to be in New York this week interviewing with Knicks head coach Mike D'Antoni to become his defensive assistant coach, according to a person familiar with the situation."
Woodson is not particularly known as a "defensive genius" but he was a good coach in Atlanta and is a former player. I believe he will be open to a 1 year contract because he was, like Lawrence Frank, rumored for multiple head coaching jobs this offseason and will be rumored for many more next offseason. I think this would be a fantastic hire if we could make it. However that is a big if. For starters, Woodson is also being considered for the vacant Minnesota Timberwolves head coaching position. Woodson also has the same agent, Joe Glass, that represents ex Knick coach Larry Brown. Brown and Glass did not have a good relationship with Dolan and management while Brown was the coach and that relationship only got worse when Brown was fired and his contract situation had to be sorted out by the NBA. Who knows if Dolan will even agree to let Woodson be hired if he in fact is D'Antoni's choice. There are many question marks around this hire but I think if we could get Woodson we would improve greatly next season.
[Image via AJC]
Follow @tarmosino


text:
I have been to more weddings in the last 6 months than I have in my entire life. It seems that getting married is big right now! Which is fine by me - love a good wedding I do! So when Object asked me earlier this year if I wanted to be part of an exhibition called BLUE, where each artist was asked to make some work responding to a saying or a phrase containing the word blue, I jumped at the chance to get some of this marriage business out of my system and into some work - and to knock off a few overdue wedding presents at the same time! So working with the phrase Something Old Something New Something Borrowed Something Blue I've been playing around with some pieces that are a bit of a mixture of all that. Here's a sneak peak of what i've come up with for starters.
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
Something old something new....
Posted by Mel Robson at 12:04 PM
5 comments:
- cookingwithgas said...
I like the one with all the crossed off days.
I would need one with 38 years worth.
That would take front and back I bet!
Lovely idea and great gifts.
- June 3, 2010 at 3:16:00 AM GMT+10
- Connie said...
Hi Mel
I love your work. I've been reading your blog for a little while. What a great idea for a wedding gift.
- June 3, 2010 at 4:00:00 AM GMT+10
- CASS said...
wow these are just lovely! the love and to serve platter is my fav. how are the spoons going?
- June 3, 2010 at 8:36:00 AM GMT+10
- Mel Robson said...
Thanks everyone.
Cookingwithgas...you just gave me a great idea! An anniversary gift rather than a wedding one!
Cass - So many spoons so little time! Hope yours are turning out well! I'm looking forward to seeing what you come up with.
- June 3, 2010 at 1:01:00 PM GMT+10
- KyAEA said...
These are fantastic. I'm in love with your sense of restraint and design.
- June 23, 2010 at 11:48:00 AM GMT+10
Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)


text:
Marine and Transportation
The Wages of the Sea, Ground, and Air
The maritime business is a high-profile industry with ever-present potential for catastrophic losses. Transportation issues affect nearly every enterprise around the world, but can present particular financial and operational challenges to firms in this industry. Rising fuel costs, employee shortage and retention issues, credit risks, marketplace competition, these and other exposures can have a severe impact on a company's bottom line and impede its overall success.
Whatever and wherever the possible risk, Crawford has experienced professionals to provide solutions and the ability to quickly deploy them to the site of the incident.
Worldwide Scope and Precision Expertise
With a dedicated global Marine and Transportation team of experts, our services range from simple cargo surveys, loss control analysis, adjustment of ocean or inland marine claims, and full third-party administration (TPA) services with centralized claims intake, to complicated hull and machinery liability attendances.
Whatever the scale of the service required, our clients can be assured of a professional approach, delivered by highly qualified personnel with the required experience and qualifications to deliver an effective marine and transportation claims solution. Our staff includes ex-seagoing mariners and engineers, cargo experts, naval architects, specialists in ocean, inland and motor truck cargo, specialists in subrogation and recovery, and many more expert disciplines.
The Marine and Transportation group has focused expertise on the key components of a comprehensive insurance loss program including:
- Aviation liability Property Damage & Bodily Injury
- Aviation machinery
- Construction, civil, and port
- General average
- Logistics and cargo liability
- Marine cargo
- Marine hull and machinery
- Motor cargo liability
- Protection and indemnity
- Small craft claims less than 60 metres
- Subrogation and recovery
- Super yachts worldwide
- Trip and tow management
- Wind park offshore
Rob Hawes ACII
Head of Marine
E: email@example.com


text:
Legendary broadcaster Al Michaels arrested on DUI charges
NBC's Al Michaels, one of was the most iconic broadcasters in sports history, was arrested Friday night in Santa Monica, Calif. and charged with misdemeanor DUI, according to multiple reports.
CNN reports the 68-year-old Michaels was taken into custody shortly before 10 p.m. and spent about five hours in the Santa Monica City Jail. A police representative said Michaels cooperated and was released on his own recognizance Saturday morning.
The arrest was first reported by TMZ.com.
Michaels has been the play-by-play announcer for NBC's popular "Sunday Night Football" since 2006. Before that, he spent nearly three decades with ABC Sports; for much of that time, he was the play-by-play man for "Monday Night Football."
In addition to his NFL work, Michaels has called a variety of other sports. He was in the broadcast booth for the earthquake-interrupted Game 3 of the 1989 World Series and, most famously, made history with his "Do you believe in miracles? YES!" call when the U.S. hockey team defeated the Russians at the 1980 Winter Olympics.
Michaels is scheduled to appear June 26 at Los Angeles Municipal Court, CNN reports.
Photo Gallery: Athletes who have been charged with DUI


text:
Our Mission
Habitat for Humanity of Northwest Louisiana(HFHNWLA) is a non-profit, ecumenical Christian organization dedicated to eliminating poverty housing and homelessness in Northwest Louisiana, and to make decent shelter a matter of conscience and action.
Latest News
Through volunteer labor and tax-deductible donations of money and materials, Habitat builds simple, decent houses with the help of the homeowner families. Habitat houses are sold to partner families at no profit, financed with affordable, no-interest loans. The homeowners' monthly mortgage payments go into an account that is used to support Habitat's mission.
Habitat is not a give-away program. Each homeowner family invests hundreds of hours of their own labor - sweat equity - to the ...
In 1990, the Valencia Park neighborhood in Shreveport was an eyesore. Decaying houses sat next to empty, weed-infested lots on pothole-covered streets. Drug dealers used long-abandoned houses for commerce while senior citizens were hidden behind locked doors. While the neighborhood had its share of concerned citizens, they were outnumbered by drug dealers, renters and absentee landlords that simply didn't care.
Some did what they could to clean the area up, but tearing down houses and repaving ...


text:
ThemeForest Visia One Page Portfolio Joomla Template 5908689
Site Template \ CMS Theme \ Joomla \ Creative
Joomla \ Portfolio \ Template \ Module \ Plugin \ Preview \ Support \ Included
CMS Theme - Visia One Page Portfolio Joomla Template 5908689 by erwin_schro @ ThemeForest
Site Template \ CMS Theme \ Joomla \ Creative
Impressive one-page parallax portfolio.
Visia is a fully responsive and retina ready one / multi pages portfolio Joomla template. It offers stunning design, really great compatibility and comes with super support.
New! Joomla 3.3.3 version ready!
- An additional homepage layout with fullscreen slider – Preview
- 404 page – Preview
- Coming Soon page – Preview
- Offline page
- Blog page – Preview
- 6 Add-ons Modules
- AJAX portfolio with Project gallery and Portfolio filters
- Latest News/Featured Articles with/without image thumbnails
- Milestone Counter
- eMail List Subscription Form
- Ajax Contact Form
- Image Slider
- Flickr Photostream
- Shortcodes support using RokCandy plugin
- Portfolio Items using core content component
- Fully responsive
- Smooth scrolling
- Retina ready
- Gorgeous design
- Parallax effects
- Cool animations
- Easy to setup
- Active navigation highlights on scroll
- 10 social icons
- 10 color skins
- 12 services icons
- Built with maximum Error Reporting
- Browser-based template documentation included
- Layered PSD files included
- Quickstart package Joomla 3.3.3 file included
Visia is not using any full-blown template framework to keep it simple and easy to setup for most users.
We have provided 10 color skins or preset styles for you to choose from the Visia Template Parameters at the admin backend.
These skins are: Aqua Blue, Gray, Grape, Grass, Jeans, Lavender, Mint Green, Rose Pink, Ruby Red and SunFlower Yellow
Preview image/video assets are for demonstration purposes only and are not included in the download package.
Font used is Open Sans from Google Font library.
More details on can be read from the template documentation.
New Features
- Added value module: HTML5 full screen local video module
- Joomla 3.3 version
Need Support? Leave me a message through my contact form
First and foremost, thanks for purchasing one of our files, we appreciate it! Support covers getting setup, trouble using any features, and bug fixes.
Regretfully we cannot provide support for modifications or 3rd party plugins. Make your way into my contact form with your Item Purchase Code.
Where to find your "Item Purchase Code"
Credits and Sources
- RokCandy plugin
- jQueryEasy plugin
- LoadModuleIntoArticle Plugin
- Ajax Interface
- jQueryEasy plugin
- Royal-Preloader
- Parallax
- Appear
- Easing
- bxSlider
- Vegas
- Isabela Rodrigues (image resources)
- Needoptic (image resources)
- Preview image/video assets are for demonstration purposes only and are not included in the download package.
Thank you !
July 25, 2014
- Template update to Joomla 3.3.x compatible, Joomla 2.5.x package no longer available / supported
- VisiaContact form updated with more parameters
Dec 25, 2013
- fixed: thumbnail images not proportional in Visia portfolio module in mobile display resolutions.
Dec 12, 2013
- Update documentation: setting for Joomla 3.2.x have been added.
- Some template files and module files for Joomla 3.2 also been updated.
- Menu in mobile resolutions fixed by installing 3rd party plugin. It's been set up in quickstart package.
Nov 25, 2013
Fixed some typo error in the documentation regarding how to set up menu
v. 1.0.1 – Nov 8, 2013
- added Joomla 3.1.x version
- fixed component.php error, update error.php, offline.php
- fixed syntax error in /templates/visia/html/com_content/featured/default_item.php on line 198
- fixed: missing user1-4 and portfolio module positions in templateDetails.xml
- fixed: featured article layout / content module override loose styling
- fixed: Flickr module missing ul tag
v. 1.0 – Oct, 28 2013
- initial release
Last Update: 26 July 14; High Resolution: Yes; Compatible Browsers: IE8, IE9, IE10, Firefox, Safari, Opera, Chrome; Software Version: Joomla 3.3.x; ThemeForest Files Included: Layered PSD, PHP Files, CSS Files, JS Files; Columns: 4+; Documentation: Well Documented; Layout: Responsive.
Meetup | Conference & Event Joomla Template; EIGHT - Template for Photographers & Creatives; Attica - One page Restaurant Joomla Template; Thread - Multipurpose One Page Joomla Template; Akin - Creative One Page Joomla Template; Biography - One Page Portfolio Joomla Template; Neue App Landing Page Joomla Template.
Keywords: ajax contact form, ajax portfolio, creative, gallery, minimal, one page, parallax, portfolio, shortcodes, simple modern.


text:
UCSC chancellor discusses community relations, desal and the future at meeting
By Cathy Kelly
Santa Cruz Sentinel, 2/10/13
SCOTTS VALLEY -- UC Santa Cruz Chancellor George Blumenthal spoke of university successes and challenges to higher education in California during a talk Sunday in front of the League of Women Voters of Santa Cruz County.
Blumenthal was the featured speaker at the league's annual Valentine's Day Luncheon, an event which helps fund the group's voter services work. The event was held this year at the Hilton hotel in Scotts Valley.
Answering a question from the audience, Blumenthal said he doesn't believe he will be offered the job as president of the UC system after current president Mark Yudof retires in August.
But he said he believes it is a critical time for good leadership, as higher education is at a critical juncture in California due to changes in funding, demographics, online learning, competition from other countries and new business models.
"The next five years will be crucial; we'll define higher education for years to come," he said. "It's a defining moment."
Blumenthal fielded other questions about the increasing number of non-resident students admitted and the dearth of highly qualified workers able to fill jobs needed in Silicon Valley and elsewhere.
League member Sue Becker asked him to talk about expansion, city water challenges and consideration of a possible desalination plant.
Blumenthal said the UC system is mandated to serve the top 12.5 percent of state students and that UCSC is one of the few campuses in the system that has room to grow.
"In the last few years, we haven't kept up," he said.
He said the city would have water problems in dry years even if the university did not exist. He said UCSC uses 6 percent of the water used in the city and that water use on campus has dropped 22 percent over the past 10 years.
Blumenthal said the university was not driving exploration of desalination.
"It's a legitimate issue," he said. "But in my view, as we grow, we won't use more water. We'll use what we have more efficiently."
Becker, after the meeting, said she had still wonders about water use and growth.
"I'm not sure about all that, but we need the university," she said.
A teacher in the audience, Lisa Dilles, said she sees many benefits from local schools being able to work with UCSC.
Blumenthal mentioned that the university's Cal Teach program encourages science and engineering students to teach.
He voiced a strong opinion about school district funding for the lower grades in California, saying the practice of districts having to give pink slips to teachers in the spring and rescinding them a few months later is something that must be changed.
"That's lunacy, I wouldn't put up with that," he said.
Blumenthal stressed connections between the university and surrounding community and mentioned accomplishments by professors and students, telling the group they should be proud of their neighbors.
Answering a question from former Mayor Emily Reilly, he said UCSC is committed to supporting the arts. He said new Dean of the Arts David Yager has been wonderful and dreams of a creating new community arts institute.
He also said UCSC is a liberal arts university and committed to those disciplines and that he expects a new doctoral program in Latin American and Latino Studies will receive national attention.
He said years of cutbacks to the university's budget remain a problem, but that he is optimistic about the university's future.
Jan Karwin of the League of Women Voters said the event went well.
"It was very informative," she said. "We appreciate all the information about the university."


text:
China Orb, online Chinese to English dictionary with nearly 1 million entries and plenty of excellent examples. The pin yin and pronunciation sound of Chinese wrods are provided. China Orb includes a lot of Chinese professional terms in many industries such as Medicine, Chemistry, Mechanism, Electricity, Computer, Economy, Law, Architecture. If you can not find satisfying translation elsewhere,try China Orb Chinese to English dictionary.
China Orb, online English to Chinese dictionary with more than 1 million entries and plenty of excellent examples. China Orb includes a lot of English professional terms in many industries such as Medicine, Chemistry, Mechanism, Electricity, Computer, Economy, Law, Architecture. If you can not find satisfying translation elsewhere,try China Orb English to Chinese dictionary.
Contact us
Life is beautiful !
Gorgeous Chinese apparel
Worldwide Shipping
但是还有很多省钱的机会和空间 ...
Chinese-English Dictionary
Chinese-English Translation
English-Chinese Dictionary
English-Chinese Translation
English-Chinese Dictionary
as whole dictionary field
at start of dictionary field
at end of dictionary field
Life is wonderful
China Fashion
the wheels of life
Show more nearby words
Show less nearby words
the upper ten thousand
the upper ten thousands
the use of gradient centrifugation
the use of lethal substance
the use of reflectant materials in agriculture
The Validity of Arbitral Awards
The Veritas
the very
the very same
the vicar of Bray
the villain of the piece
The Virginius
the viscus of storing blood
The Vortigern
the wall surrounding the ovary
the washing away of soil by moving water
the way
the Way of the Cross
the way of the world
the weaker sex
The weakest goes to the wall
the wealth of the nations
the week
the week after next
the West Indies
the wheels of life
the while
the whirl of society
the white of the eye
the white rose of innocence
the whole bag of tricks
the whole continent
the whole day
the whole shoot
the whole way
the wild
the wild men
The wish is father to the thought
the withholding agent
the withholding income tax return
the woman's reason
the wooden spoon
the work of a moment
the work of cultivating soil
the works of God
The World Bank Loan
The World Food Programme Voyage Charter Party
The world is but a little place
the world loss of cropland
the world's end
the world-wide navigational warning service
the wheels of life
China Orb © 2009


text:
Oman Population: 3,355,26256 VISITORS FROM HERE!
« Previous Country | Next Country » Back to Flag Counter Overview
|The inhabitants of the area of Oman have long prospered from Indian Ocean trade. In the late 18th century, the nascent sultanate in Muscat signed the first in a series of friendship treaties with Britain. Over time, Oman's dependence on British political and military advisors increased, although the Sultanate never became a British colony. In 1970, QABOOS bin Said Al-Said overthrew his father, and has since ruled as sultan, but he has not designated a successor. His extensive modernization program has opened the country to the outside world, while preserving the longstanding close ties with the UK and US. Oman's moderate, independent foreign policy has sought to maintain good relations with its neighbors and to avoid external entanglements. Inspired by the popular uprisings that swept the Middle East and North Africa beginning in January 2011, some Omanis staged demonstrations, calling for more jobs and economic benefits and an end to corruption. In response to those protester demands, QABOOS in 2011 pledged to implement economic and political reforms, such as granting legislative and regulatory powers to the Majlis al-Shura and increasing unemployment benefits. Additionally, in August 2012, the Sultan announced a royal directive mandating the speedy implementation of a national job creation plan for thousands of public and private sector Omani jobs. As part of the government's efforts to decentralize authority and allow greater citizen participation in local governance, Oman successfully conducted its first municipal council elections in December 2012. Announced by the Sultan in 2011, the municipal councils have the power to advise the Royal Court on the needs of local districts across Oman's 11 governorates. The Sultan returned to Oman in March 2015 after eight months in Germany, where he received medical treatment. He has since appeared publicly on a few occasions.
Consists of Oman proper and two northern exclaves, Musandam and Al Madhah; the former is a peninsula that occupies a strategic location adjacent to the Strait of Hormuz, a vital transit point for world crude oil
|Middle East, bordering the Arabian Sea, Gulf of Oman, and Persian Gulf, between Yemen and the UAE
|Geographic coordinates:
| total: 309,500 sq km
land: 309,500 sq km
water: 0 sq km
Size comparison: twice the size of Georgia; slightly smaller than Kansas
|Land Boundaries:
|total: 1,561 km border countries (3): Saudi Arabia 658 km, UAE 609 km, Yemen 294 km
|2,092 km
|Maritime claims:
| territorial sea: 12 nm
contiguous zone: 24 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
|dry desert; hot, humid along coast; hot, dry interior; strong southwest summer monsoon (May to September) in far south
|central desert plain, rugged mountains in north and south
|Elevation extremes:
|Natural resources:
|petroleum, copper, asbestos, some marble, limestone, chromium, gypsum, natural gas
|Land use:
| agricultural land: 4.7% arable land 0.1%; permanent crops 0.1%; permanent pasture 4.5% forest: 0%
other: 95.3% (2011 est.)
|Irrigated land:
|590 sq km (2012)
|Natural hazards:
|summer winds often raise large sandstorms and dust storms in interior; periodic droughts
|Current Environment Issues:
|rising soil salinity; beach pollution from oil spills; limited natural freshwater resources
|International Environment Agreements:
| party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Whaling
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
|^Back to Top
| noun: Omani(s)
adjective: Omani
|Ethnic groups:
|Arab, Baluchi, South Asian (Indian, Pakistani, Sri Lankan, Bangladeshi), African
|Arabic (official), English, Baluchi, Urdu, Indian dialects
| Muslim (official; majority are Ibadhi, lesser numbers of Sunni and Shia) 85.9%, Christian 6.5%, Hindu 5.5%, Buddhist 0.8%, Jewish
note: approximately 75% of Omani citizens, who compose almost 70% of the country's total population, are Ibadhi Muslims; the Omani government does not keep statistics on religious affiliation (2013)
|3,355,262 (July 2016 est.) note: immigrants make up over 40% of the total population, according to UN data (2015)
|Age structure:
| 0-14 years: 30.14% (male 518,600/female 492,782)
15-24 years: 19.11% (male 336,310/female 304,871)
25-54 years: 43.41% (male 843,531/female 613,004)
55-64 years: 3.91% (male 69,904/female 61,248)
65 years and over: 3.43% (male 56,816/female 58,196) (2016 est.)
|Dependency ratios:
| total dependency ratio: 30%
youth dependency ratio: 26.7%
elderly dependency ratio: 3.4%
potential support ratio: 29.8% (2015 est.)
|Median age:
| total: 25.4 years
male: 26.5 years
female: 24 years (2016 est.)
|Population growth rate:
|2.05% (2016 est.)
|Birth rate:
|24.3 births/1,000 population (2016 est.)
|Death rate:
|3.3 deaths/1,000 population (2016 est.)
|Net migration rate:
|-0.4 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2016 est.)
| urban population: 77.6% of total population (2015)
rate of urbanization: 8.54% annual rate of change (2010-15 est.)
|Major urban areas - population:
|MUSCAT (capital) 838,000 (2015)
|Sex ratio:
| at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
0-14 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
15-24 years: 1.1 male(s)/female
25-54 years: 1.38 male(s)/female
55-64 years: 1.14 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.99 male(s)/female
total population: 1.19 male(s)/female (2016 est.)
|Maternal mortality rate:
|17 deaths/100,000 live births (2015 est.)
|Infant mortality rate:
| total: 13.2 deaths/1,000 live births male: 13.5 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 12.8 deaths/1,000 live births (2016 est.)
|Life expectancy at birth:
| total population: 75.5 years male: 73.5 years
female: 77.5 years (2016 est.)
|Total fertility rate:
|2.84 children born/woman (2016 est.)
|Contraceptive prevalence rate:
|24.4% (2007/08)
|Health expenditures:
|3.6% of GDP (2014)
|Physicians density:
|2.43 physicians/1,000 population (2012)
|Hospital bed density:
|1.7 beds/1,000 population (2012)
|Drinking water source:
| improved:
urban: 95.5% of population
rural: 86.1% of population
total: 93.4% of population
urban: 4.5% of population
rural: 13.9% of population
total: 6.6% of population (2015 est.)
|Sanitation facility access:
| improved:
urban: 97.3% of population
rural: 94.7% of population
total: 96.7% of population
urban: 2.7% of population
rural: 5.3% of population
total: 3.3% of population (2015 est.)
|HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
|0.16% (2014 est.)
|HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
|2,400 (2014 est.)
|HIV/AIDS - deaths:
|less than 100 (2014 est.)
|Obesity - adult prevalence rate:
|26.5% (2014)
|Children under the age of 5 years underweight:
|9.7% (2014)
|Education expenditures:
|5% of GDP (2013)
| definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 91.1%
male: 93.6%
female: 85.6% (2015 est.)
|School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):
| total: 14 years male: 14 years
female: 14 years (2011)
|^Back to Top
|Country name:
| conventional long form: Sultanate of Oman
conventional short form: Oman
local long form: Saltanat Uman
local short form: Uman
former: Sultanate of Muscat and Oman
etymology: the origin of the name is uncertain, but it apparently dates back at least 2,000 years since an "Omana" is mentioned by Pliny the Elder (1st century A.D.) and an "Omanon" by Ptolemy (2nd century A.D.)
|Government type:
|absolute monarchy
| name: Muscat
geographic coordinates: 23 37 N, 58 35 E
time difference: UTC+4 (9 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)
|Administrative divisions:
|11 governorates (muhafazat, singular - muhafazat); Ad Dakhiliyah, Al Buraymi, Al Wusta, Az Zahirah, Janub al Batinah (Al Batinah South), Janub ash Sharqiyah (Ash Sharqiyah South), Masqat (Muscat), Musandam, Shamal al Batinah (Al Batinah North), Shamal ash Sharqiyah (Ash Sharqiyah North), Zufar (Dhofar)
|1650 (expulsion of the Portuguese)
|National holiday:
|Birthday of Sultan QABOOS, 18 November (1940)
|1996 (the Basic Law of the Sultanate of Oman serves as the constitution); amended by royal decree in 2011 (2016)
|Legal system:
|mixed legal system of Anglo-Saxon law and Islamic law
|21 years of age; universal; note - members of the military and security forces by law cannot vote
|Executive branch:
| chief of state: Sultan and Prime Minister QABOOS bin Said Al-Said (sultan since 23 July 1970 and prime minister since 23 July 1972); note - the monarch is both chief of state and head of government
head of government: Sultan and Prime Minister QABOOS bin Said Al-Said (sultan since 23 July 1970 and prime minister since 23 July 1972)
cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the monarch elections/appointments: members of the Ruling Family Council determine a successor from the sultan's extended family; if the Council cannot form a consensus within 3 days of the sultan's death or incapacitation, the Defense Council will relay a predetermined heir as chosen by the sultan
|Legislative branch:
| description: bicameral Council of Oman or Majlis Oman consists of the Council of State or Majlis al-Dawla (85 seats including the chairman; members appointed by the sultan from among former government officials and prominent educators, businessmen, and citizens) and the Consultative Council or Majlis al-Shura (85 seats; members directly elected in single- and two-seat constituencies by simple majority popular vote to serve renewable 4-year terms); note - following political reforms in 2011, legislation from the Consultative Council is submitted to the Council of State for review by the Royal Court
elections: Consultative Assembly - last held on 25 October 2015 (next to be held in October 2019)
election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - NA; note - organized political parties in Oman are legally banned
|Judicial branch:
| highest court(s): Supreme Court (consists of 5 judges) judge selection and term of office: judges nominated by the 9-member Supreme Judicial Council (chaired by the monarch) and appointed by the monarch; judges appointed for life
subordinate courts: Courts of Appeal; Administrative Court; Courts of First Instance; sharia courts; magistrates' courts; military courts
|Political parties and leaders:
|none; note - organized political parties are legally banned in Oman, and loyalties tend to form around tribal affiliations
|Political pressure groups and leaders:
|International organization participation:
|ABEDA, AFESD, AMF, CAEU, FAO, G-77, GCC, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC (NGOs), IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, LAS, MIGA, NAM, OIC, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU (NGOs), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
|National symbol(s):
|khanjar dagger superimposed on two crossed swords; national colors: red, white, green
|National anthem:
| name: "Nashid as-Salaam as-Sultani" (The Sultan's Anthem)
lyrics/music: Rashid bin Uzayyiz al KHUSAIDI/James Frederick MILLS, arranged by Bernard EBBINGHAUS
note: adopted 1932; new lyrics written after QABOOS bin Said al Said gained power in 1970; first performed by the band of a British ship as a salute to the Sultan during a 1932 visit to Muscat; the bandmaster of the HMS Hawkins was asked to write a salutation to the Sultan on the occasion of his ship visit
|Diplomatic representation in the US:
| chief of mission: Ambassador Hunaina bint Sultan bin Ahmad al-MUGHAIRI (since 9 November 2005)
chancery: 2535 Belmont Road, NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 387-1980
|Diplomatic representation from the US:
| chief of mission: Ambassador Marc J. SIEVERS (since 7 January 2016)
embassy: Jamait Ad Duwal Al Arabiyya Street, Al Khuwair area, Muscat
mailing address: P.O. Box 202, P.C. 115, Madinat Al Sultan Qaboos, Muscat
telephone: [968] 24-643-400
|^Back to Top
Oman is heavily dependent on its dwindling oil resources, which generate 84% of government revenue. In 2015, low global oil prices drove Oman's budget deficit to $6.5 billion, or nearly 11% of GDP. Oman has limited foreign assets and is issuing debt to cover its deficit. Oman is using enhanced oil recovery techniques to boost production and has actively pursued a development plan that focuses on diversification, industrialization, and privatization, with the objective of reducing the oil sector's contribution to GDP from 46% at present to 9% by 2020. Tourism and gas-based industries are key components of the government's diversification strategy. Muscat also is focused on creating more jobs to employ the rising number of Omanis entering the workforce. Increases in social welfare benefits, however, particularly since the Arab Spring, dating to 2011, have challenged the government's ability to effectively balance its budget, as oil prices decline. Omani officials intend to reduce social entitlements to cut the deficit but have faced stiff public opposition to spending cuts, hindering their implementation.
|GDP (purchasing power parity):
| GDP (purchasing power parity): $173.1 billion (2016 est.) $170 billion (2015 est.) $164.6 billion (2014 est.)
note: data are in 2016 dollars
|GDP (official exchange rate):
|GDP (official exchange rate): $59.68 billion (2015 est.)
|GDP - real growth rate:
|1.8% (2016 est.) 3.3% (2015 est.) 2.9% (2014 est.)
|GDP - per capita (PPP):
| GDP - per capita (PPP): $43,700 (2016 est.) $44,300 (2015 est.) $44,300 (2014 est.)
note: data are in 2016 dollars
|Gross national saving:
|9.7% of GDP (2016 est.) 11.5% of GDP (2015 est.) 27.7% of GDP (2014 est.)
|GDP - composition, by end use:
| household consumption: 41%
government consumption: 28.4%
investment in fixed capital: 37%
investment in inventories: -4.7%
exports of goods and services: 49.4%
imports of goods and services: -51.1% (2016 est.)
|GDP - composition, by sector of origin:
| household consumption: 41%
government consumption: 28.4%
investment in fixed capital: 37%
investment in inventories: -4.7%
exports of goods and services: 49.4%
imports of goods and services: -51.1% (2016 est.)
|Agriculture - products:
|dates, limes, bananas, alfalfa, vegetables; camels, cattle; fish
|crude oil production and refining, natural and liquefied natural gas (LNG) production; construction, cement, copper, steel, chemicals, optic fiber
|Industrial production growth rate:
|1.5% (2016 est.)
|Labor force:
|968,800 note: about 60% of the labor force is non-national (2007 est.)
|Labor force - by occupation:
| agriculture: NA%
industry: NA%
services: NA%
|Unemployment rate:
|15% (2004 est.)
|Population below poverty line:
|Household income or consumption by percentage share:
| lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%
| revenues: $20.26 billion
expenditures: $31.55 billion (2016 est.)
|Taxes and other revenues:
|34% of GDP (2016 est.)
|Public debt:
|18.5% of GDP (2016 est.) 8.3% of GDP (2015 est.)
|Fiscal year:
|calendar year
|Inflation rate (consumer prices):
|Inflation rate (consumer prices): 2% (2016 est.) 0.1% (2015 est.)
|Current account balance:
|-$12.71 billion (2016 est.) -$11.23 billion (2015 est.)
|$30.39 billion (2016 est.) $34.43 billion (2015 est.)
|Exports - commodities:
|petroleum, reexports, fish, metals, textiles
|Exports - partners:
|China 35.4%, UAE 15.3%, South Korea 6.8%, Saudi Arabia 5.8%, Pakistan 4.2% (2015)
|$25.78 billion (2016 est.) $28.27 billion (2015 est.)
|Imports - commodities:
|machinery and transport equipment, manufactured goods, food, livestock, lubricants
|Imports - partners:
|UAE 29.7%, Japan 10.2%, US 7.5%, China 6.7%, India 6.3% (2015)
|Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
|$14.54 billion (31 December 2016 est.) $17.54 billion (31 December 2015 est.)
|Debt - external:
|$20.85 billion (31 December 2016 est.) $12.94 billion (31 December 2015 est.)
|Stock of direct foreign investment - at home:
|Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad:
|Market value of publicly traded shares:
|$41.12 billion (31 December 2015 est.) $37.83 billion (31 December 2014 est.) $36.77 billion (31 December 2013 est.)
|Exchange rates:
|Omani rials (OMR) per US dollar - 0.3845 (2016 est.) 0.3845 (2015 est.) 0.3845 (2014 est.) 0.3845 (2013 est.) 0.3845 (2012 est.)
|^Back to Top
|Electricity - production:
|28 billion kWh (2014 est.)
|Electricity - consumption:
|25 billion kWh (2014 est.)
|Electricity - exports:
|0 kWh (2013 est.)
|Electricity - imports:
|0 kWh (2013 est.)
|Electricity - installed generating capacity:
|8.2 million kW (2014 est.)
|Electricity - from fossil fuels:
|100% of total installed capacity (2012 est.)
|Electricity - from nuclear fuels:
|0% of total installed capacity (2012 est.)
|Electricity - from hydroelectric plants:
|0% of total installed capacity (2012 est.)
|Electricity - from other renewable sources:
|0% of total installed capacity (2012 est.)
|Crude oil - production:
|982,000 bbl/day (2015 est.)
|Crude oil - exports:
|806,000 bbl/day (2013 est.)
|Crude oil - imports:
|7,060 bbl/day (2013 est.)
|Crude oil - proved reserves:
|5.3 billion bbl (1 January 2016 es)
|Refined petroleum products - production:
|158,600 bbl/day (2013 est.)
|Refined petroleum products - consumption:
|160,000 bbl/day (2014 est.)
|Refined petroleum products - exports:
|33,450 bbl/day (2013 est.)
|Refined petroleum products - imports:
|14,810 bbl/day (2013 est.)
|Natural gas - production:
|30.9 billion cu m (2014 est.)
|Natural gas - consumption:
|22.6 billion cu m (2014 est.)
|Natural gas - exports:
|10.27 billion cu m (2014 est.)
|Natural gas - imports:
|1.97 billion cu m (2014 est.)
|Natural gas - proved reserves:
|688.1 billion cu m (1 January 2016 es)
|Carbon dioxide emissions from consumption of energy:
|69 million Mt (2013 est.)
|^Back to Top
|Cellular Phones in use:
|total: 6.647 million subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 202 (July 2015 est.)
|Telephone system:
| general assessment: modern system consisting of open-wire, microwave, and radiotelephone communication stations; limited coaxial cable; domestic satellite system with 8 earth stations
domestic: fixed-line and mobile-cellular subscribership both increasing with fixed-line phone service gradually being introduced to remote villages using wireless local loop systems
international: country code - 968; the Fiber-Optic Link Around the Globe (FLAG) and the SEA-ME-WE-3 submarine cable provide connectivity to Asia, the Middle East, and Europe; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Indian Ocean), 1 Arabsat (2015)
|Broadcast media:
|1 state-run TV broadcaster; TV stations transmitting from Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Yemen available via satellite TV; state-run radio operates multiple stations; first private radio station began operating in 2007 and 2 additional stations now operating (2007)
|Internet country code:
|Internet users:
|total: 2.438 million percent of population: 74.2% (July 2015 est.)
|^Back to Top
|132 (2013)
|Airports (paved runways):
| total 13
over 3,047 m: 7
2,438 to 3,047 m: 5
914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2013)
|Airports (unpaved runways):
| total 119
over 3,047 m: 2
2,438 to 3,047 m: 7
1,524 to 2,437 m: 51
914 to 1,523 m: 33
under 914 m: 26 (2013)
|3 (2013)
|condensate 106 km; gas 4,224 km; oil 3,558 km; oil/gas/water 33 km; refined products 264 km (2013)
| total 60,230 km
paved: 29,685 km (includes 1,943 km of expressways)
unpaved: 30,545 km (2012)
|Merchant marine:
| total 5
by type: chemical tanker 1, passenger 1, passenger/cargo 3
registered in other countries: 15 (Malta 5, Panama 10) (2010)
|Ports and terminals:
|major seaport(s): Mina' Qabus, Salalah, Suhar container port(s) (TEUs): Salalah (3,200,000) LNG terminal(s) (export): Qalhat
|^Back to Top
|Military branches:
|Sultan's Armed Forces (SAF): Royal Army of Oman, Royal Navy of Oman, Royal Air Force of Oman (al-Quwwat al-Jawwiya al-Sultanat Oman) (2013)
|Military service age and obligation:
|18-30 years of age for voluntary military service; no conscription (2012)
|Military expenditures:
|12.75% of GDP (2016) 14.58% of GDP (2015) 11.8% of GDP (2014) 15% of GDP (2013) 8.61% of GDP (2012)
|^Back to Top
|Transnational Issues
|Disputes - International:
|boundary agreement reportedly signed and ratified with UAE in 2003 for entire border, including Oman's Musandam Peninsula and Al Madhah exclave, but details of the alignment have not been made public
|Refugees and internally displaced persons:
|refugees (country of origin): 5,000 (Yemen) (2016)
|^Back to Top
« Previous Country | Next Country » Back to Flag Counter Overview
Source: CIA - The World Factbook


text:
Regional Chevrolet Bolt forum for the British Columbia, Alberta, Northwest Territory, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec, Newfoundland, New Brunswick, and Nova Scotia provinces.
Use this control to limit the display of threads to those newer than the specified time frame.
Allows you to choose the data by which the thread list will be sorted.
Order threads in...
Note: when sorting by date, 'descending order' will show the newest results first.
Forum Rules


text:
2231 Banff Trail, Calgary, AB, Canada, T2M 4L2
Phone: (403) 289-1921 Fax: (403) 282-2149
Supports Green Practices
"Supports Green Initiatives" designates a hotel's participation in an optional environmental program that includes the use of energy-efficient lighting, guestroom towel/linen re-use, and on-premise recycling. "Supports Green Initiatives" does not represent an official certification of any kind.
Join free while you book
There is no catch. Join for free, and get access to exclusive perks!
Access to exclusive promotions and low, member-only pricing
10 points per dollar that add up fast... for free nights, gift cards or your dream getaway
Instant extra rewards for your weekday travel
Exclusive flexible rate for Choice Privileges members when you book direct at ChoiceHotels.ca or through the Choice Hotels Mobile App. Valid at most International and U.S. Choice Hotels locations. Must be or become a Choice Privileges member prior to making the booking. Discount rate is non-transferable or redeemable for cash, cannot be used for future stays or existing reservations and may not be combined with other promotions, offers or discounts. Unless otherwise stated, quoted rates are per room, per night, based on single/double occupancy and do not include taxes, gratuities or incidental charges. Early departure fees, deposit and cancellation restrictions may apply and will vary by hotel. Not valid at vacation rental properties.
Located in the heart of Calgary, the Econo Lodge® Inn & Suites University provides easy access to many local attractions, including the University of Calgary, Calgary Tower and the Calgary Zoo. It's just minutes from Canada Olympic Park, McMahon Stadium, Children's Hospital, Market Mall and the Saddledome, and only steps away from local restaurants, shopping and Banff Trail C-Train Station.
One of the city's biggest events is the world famous annual Calgary Exhibition & Stampede. The hotel is also a great place to stay while enjoying local hiking, mountain biking, skiing and much more.
At this Econo Lodge hotel all guest rooms come equipped with microwaves, refrigerators, hair dryers, coffee makers, irons and ironing boards. Some rooms have desks. Non-smoking and handicap accessible rooms are available. After a long day of work or play guests are invited to relax in the hotel's indoor heated pool and hot tub.
Photos displayed in the photo gallery are of the new Main Tower building with interior entrance. The Courtyard building, with exterior entrance, has older-style rooms.
Guests of this Calgary hotel enjoy value-packed amenities including:
Check-In Time: 15:00 Check-Out Time: 11:00 Guest Rooms: 82


text:
|2007-08-03, 11:02
|Link #1
Lost in my dreams...
Join Date: Jun 2006
Age: 33
Character discussion - Makoto
The purpose of this thread is to provide a place to discuss all things Makoto related.
To keep the discussion enjoyable for all School Days fans, please follow the guidelines below and stay on-topic!
Note: Please don't use this for the specific episode / chapter / game talk, there are other threads for that stuff.
Thread Guidelines
Spoiler Policy
Warning: It will be tempting to discuss the surprising endings from the game. Let's save such things for discussion in the thread for the game. Let's just say that some of the endings can be nasty and not say another word!
Due to the heavy nature of possible game spoilers we have decided to disallow any further posting of game spoilers in this thread, even under spoiler tags. Read the following rule for clarification:
Any spoiler/hints/discussion, even under the spoiler tags, from the game/manga that leads to the revealtion of any future events to the anime will be deleted from here on. Furthermore, the poster will also earn a ban to empasize the point that no spoiler will be tolerated in this thread.
You are still invited to use spoiler tags if you feel the need to.
|2007-08-03, 14:29
|Link #2
Senior Member
Join Date: Dec 2006
Thanks Skyfall, those threads I thought was really necesary
Well, Makoto isn't the best chracter. He's the most hated ~ he do all the things he want, as be Kotonoha's boyfriend and be Sekai's lover. But he don't mind about if Sekai's heart (or Kotonoha's heart) is hurter. Sex, sex n' sex is all is in his head. From episode 3 and more he's the most hated, why? becouse he wants girls, girls and girls but if he want other girl he ya don't mind about the other girls' heart.
A few days ago, we and a friend was watching one of the episodes, she said to me "He's like Takayuki" [Takayuki Narumi, Kiminozo] and I get up of the chair and say her, "MAKOTO ISN'T AS HE!" I have reasons,
|2007-08-03, 15:53
|Link #3
Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: In line to confess his sins.
Age: 31
I started out with an open mind, and thought that he would be the typical male lead for a romance series. After the two first episodes I figured he was an alright guy, just a little pushy, but I still cheered for him.
After I'd watched a few more episodes, I really started to *hate* him. This is in fact pretty rare, there are very few characters I actually hate, I dislike many, many annoy me, but I hardly ever hate them.
I think it's because I quickly developed feelings of affection towards both Kotonoha and Sekai, they're both very appealing and cute in their own way.
It just seemed to me that Makoto had no respect whatsoever for his Kotonoha.
- He's extremely pushy, he pretty much demands sexual contact.
- He doesn't try to see things from her point of view at all, even though he must know how shy she is.
- He's basically cheating on her (even he's not stupid enough to know that Sekai also likes him)
- He talks about her behind her back, to the other woman he's involved with, none the less.
I've only seen up to episode 4 at the moment, so my feelings might change after I've watched more of the show, but I doubt I'll ever grow to like Matoko again.
I guess I'm just fed up with the typical guy attitude, sex before everything, if he truly likes her, he would respect the fact that she needs time. Just being with her should bring him happiness, did he truly care for her.
Well, that's my take on it anyways. Cheers.
|2007-08-03, 18:47
|Link #4
Join Date: Jun 2007
Stop hating Makoto. He is a dumb ass, but so what?
Quick summary:
He is an immature kid.
He realizes that he can get boners thus he gets boner frequently.
Chick in his school has big bewbs.
He likes her.
She likes him back.
His best friend sets him and the girl up.
He is happy as fuck.
His best friend kisses him. He is confused.
His inexperienced shows on his date.
He continues to be a douche by feeling up on her among other shit.
Still clueless as fuck.
Finds out that his relationship is not right. He does not understand why (obviously they are not compatible).
Best friend acts extremely hurt.
Not completely understanding why she is hurt, wanting to see her, and having a feel that seeing her would be the right thing.
They met up. Her bewbs are busting, because of the rain.
He realizes his mistake and declares he likes her.
They get horny. They do it.
That is the sum of the past 5 episodes. Give the kid a break. Most guys his age do not know how to act/behave around girls. Now add the fact he has 2 hot chicks wanting him. Add the fact that they constantly make out with him. Take all that and you get a confused, horny, little douche, who lets the smaller of his heads make the decisions.
|2007-08-03, 19:27
|Link #5
~ You're dead ^__^* ~
Graphic Designer
mate you really need to stop saying that she "has big bewbs" as it is giving me the fcking creeps >.> you are beginning to sound like the makoto type yourself ~
its understandable that he is an immature brat virgin (okey before cause he got lucky...) who doesnt know crap about the world...this is NO excuse for him as a human being to do wrong...
its like saying a kid who killed someone shouldnt get punished because "they dont know anything yet" ~ kids dont normally go out and kill so it must be due to other influences (cough parents cough)
get this simple fact right ~ being clueless is not an excuse so i can hate him all i want *cheers* (besides this is all personal opinion so theres no point telling people to stop hating him...)
|2007-08-03, 21:39
|Link #6
Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: In line to confess his sins.
Age: 31
He's old enough to understand any and all of the things I dislike him for doing.
Why should I give him any breaks at all? The very, very least he could do is not get involved with 2 girls at once. What would be even closer to human decency would be to treat them with some respect, but this is of course merely a pipedream at the moment.
The "recipe" you listed, though I agree that we'd end up with a confused, horny douche, doesn't take into consideration that he would have to have been a douche to begin with as well, he's not a victim of circumstance.
|2007-08-03, 22:49
|Link #7
Join Date: Oct 2006
Eh well his basic core character is abit flawed and what compounds the problem is noone is stopping him...Hell his environment is actually fostering his screwed up view on women. Sekai's behaving like his barometer of sorts on how he can treat women and unfortunately shes letting him get away with anything he wants with only a minimum amount of resistance.
I have a feelings the poor idiot is going to be the type that will learn his lessons the hard way for better or worse...
|2007-08-04, 08:55
|Link #8
Shadow Priest
Makoto's main fault imo is rushing Kotonoha. Other than going for Sekai before breaking up with Kotonoha that is, but Sekai can be blamed for that as well.
I don't think he's using Sekai only for sex. He obviously likes her more than Kotonoha, and his thoughts in episode 5 with the Sekai replays means that he obviously feels for her and is greatly affected by her actions. If all he thought about was sex, then he would've been affected more by Kotonoha's actions this ep, however he was obviously extremely bored of her.
Though a lot of people seem to hate this guy, I think he's one of the best characters in the series (in terms of making this show one of the most watched shows this season). Flawed characters are way more interesting than perfect characters. Contraversy is always interesting.
|2007-08-04, 21:27
|Link #9
Like I said in another topic, being stupid is not an excuse for him to get away with the things he does, but rather the reason he's hated. "He's in high school" isn't an excuse; thank god people in HS didn't act like that.
Spoiler for Episode 5:
|2007-08-04, 22:10
|Link #10
Senior Member
Join Date: Dec 2006
^ Agreee, Kotonoha don't deserve that.
I was playing at StepMania as always, I put the OP of the game, that was the first time I really get the song. "Plastic lies" (I take it as the lies are he like Kotonoha and he love Sekai), "Paper/Plastic Heart" don't remember what was, Paper or Plastic ( I take the quote as one of the girls heart will be hurted, and I'm scared it will be Kotonoha's heart.)
>< Do you get it?
|2007-08-05, 07:52
|Link #12
Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: In line to confess his sins.
Age: 31
|2007-08-06, 00:35
|Link #15
Dancing with the Sky
When I first heard about this series and read all the information about him, I thought that he was just like any other anime male lead in a series, you know trying to hook up with the hot chicks, and try to scored with them. But when I started to look at the Anime and understand his character, the more I think that is the reason why that everybody hates him(he is become a legend, in a very wrong way). Not only he is playing with the girl that he original like heart but every other girl that likes him or cares for him like his friend and Setsuna.
Spoiler for :
He is the Legend know as Motoko, there is nobody that can come close to his status as a worthless piece of trash that was ever created. I look at alot of Anime in my lifetime and I see some of bad Anime characters but he takes the cake for the worst.
|2007-08-06, 04:00
|Link #16
Graphic Designer
Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: Princeton University
I agree, for a guy to be like Makoto is an ultimate failure in life. I mean, this guy goes for girls just for their physical attributes but not for "love" as he puts it himself. Even though Sekai did tempt him, I would say it's ultimately his own fault for choosing to "ride 2 boats at the same time", if you know what I mean
Oww my poor Kotonoha
|2007-08-06, 07:19
|Link #18
Shadow Priest
If my girlfriend cheated on me with my best friend, I would hate the best friend as much as the girlfriend. Especially when the best friend made the first move - that is betrayal of the first order.
Makoto could have chosen to ride 2 boats at the same time, but one of those boats knows it is cheating on the other boat, and knows how hurt the other boat will be when it finds out - but did it anyway.
Also in Makoto's book, he doesn't like the other boat anymore anyway. I think by episode 5 he has fallen out of infatuation ( I won't say love) with Kotonoha.
|2007-08-06, 07:33
|Link #19
Nick of Time~
I seem to understand where all that hatred for Makoto came from, somehow.
Judging from the latest episode, though, I would agree with the fact that both Makoto and Sekai are to be blamed for what has happened (if you consider it cheating on Kotonoha, which I do). It is indeed true Makoto can't control his own hormones and carnal impulses, but the fact of the matter is despite having a higher level of restraint, Sekai did initiate the thought of the possibility of attraction with Makoto with that kiss.
What's the man to do? Control himself, damn it.
What's the woman to do? Either just withhold you feelings and support him fully or go after him already, even before he hooked up with Kotonoha.
Well, I guess the conflict here is the charm of their relationships.
|2007-08-06, 07:40
|Link #20
ISML Technical Staff
Graphic Designer
Spoiler for Canvas 2 ~Niji-iro no Sketch~ for comparison purposes:
If you've read my posts in the general discussion thread then you would know that I hated episode two because of that date where Makoto just wants some action. Now I don't really mind, so maybe I'm getting used to his pervertedness. It's bound to happen.
|Thread Tools