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Dear Vanessa,
I get, basically, the health and ethical reasons we're told not to eat meat. But at least chickens and cows don't have to be sprayed with fertilizers and pesticides. Are there any real environmental reasons not to eat meat?
— Chris in New Hampshire
Dear Chris,
In case last week's litany wasn't enough (climate change, water shortages and pollution, land degradation, deforestation and loss of biodiversity) to assure you of the very real environmental repercussions of eating meat, I've got a few more for you.
Large-scale, factory-style meat production — referred to by the industry as CAFO or Confined Animal Feeding Operation — is the modern practice of cramming huge numbers of animals together and feeding them an imported diet of grain.
As Wendell Berry and Michael Pollan both eloquently relate, CAFOs take a working, self-sustaining system (the traditional diversified farm) and create instead a mass of deadly new problems.
One of those is a problem of waste: turning what would-be fertilizer (manure on the farm) into pollution (manure in a CAFO). What was once home-grown fertility becomes a major health and environmental threat as huge concentrations of manure and urine radiate from CAFOs into surrounding water, air and soil. Imagine: Every year, CAFOs in the U.S. produce three times as much waste as our country's entire human population. That's 575 billion pounds of parasite, bacteria, virus, pesticide, antibiotic, antibiotic-resistant pathogen, nitrate and hormone-infested manure every year.
The flip-side of the waste problem is one of fertility: farmers now import chemical fertilizers to fill the void of animals being exported to CAFOs. How absurd that these animals stand — crowded into sheds, cages or lots, usually deep in their own manure — waiting for feed to be shipped to them from distant fields (where they could be grazing) at great environmental expense. And that the fields, in turn, are treated with pesticides and fossil fuel-based fertilizers because there are no animals in rotation to fertilize them. There goes the self-sustaining farm.
There are also multiple and intricately bound problems of consumption. The best farms generally require the least amount of inputs (resources from outside the farm). I think of CAFOs as artificial farms, unable to survive without endless resuscitation. Like the bodies within them, CAFOs require a constant inflow of support. Artificially cheap corn, artificially cheap energy, externalized costs (they don't, as a rule, pay for damage to local economies, human health or the environment), pesticides and antibiotics (to artificially keep animals alive until slaughter), and water (yes, artificially cheap) are just some elements of the life-support systems needed to keep CAFOs functioning — or rather, malfunctioning.
(Insert here litany about economics of CAFOs … if this were not an environmental column.)
You mention health reasons to avoid meat: I'm guessing you're referring to any number of diet-related theories about fat and whatnot. The health concerns I write about here refer to the repercussions of how we produce meat calories, not to any inherent adverse or beneficial effects of eating natural meat — in other words, health issues that are environmental issues. Remember, for example, the 2006 E. coli outbreak, when water fouled by agricultural animal waste was sprayed on spinach? Unfortunately, E. coli is just one of the nasty microbes found more often, and in greater concentration in CAFOs than on small farms. (Check out 5 Nasty Microbes Linked to Factory Farming)
And, unfortunately, exposure to microbes is just one of the menacing health problems associated with CAFOs. Inherently, CAFOs demand expansive use of pesticides, herbicides and antibiotics, and each come with their own health threats. Globally, the two crops with the highest percentage of herbicide sales are the two crops that makeup the bulk of animal feed: corn and soy.
"Seventy percent of the volume of herbicides used in agriculture can be attributed to animal feed production in the form of soybean and corn," according to the U.N.'s Food and Agriculture Organization. Global agriculture also uses 3 million tons of pesticides each year. Over 1,600 chemicals are used in the manufacture of pesticides and most have not been seriously tested (if at all) for toxic effects on humans. I've written previously about some of the potential effects of pesticide exposure, which include poisoning, negative impacts on the immune, reproductive and nervous systems, and an increased risk of cancer.
The routine administration of antibiotics to CAFO animals — whether they are sick or not — is, well, routine. The Union of Concerned Scientists estimates 70 percent of the antibiotic consumption in the U.S. is fed to non-diseased livestock to promote growth and counter the health risks of CAFO life. The Animal Health Institute, a trade association representing drug manufacturers, puts the figure below 30 percent. The unmitigated administration of antibiotics, and widespread use of antimicrobials in general, contribute to the increase of antibiotic-resistant bacteria. A 2003 joint report by the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE), and the World Health Organization (WHO) addresses this severe global health threat. An introduction to antimicrobial use in animal agriculture, along with a long list of articles on the subject can be found in the University of Chicago Press Journals.
The ramifications of CAFO-produced beef on human health stand out when compared to other CAFO-produced meats. That's because cattle can do something very few animals can do: digest grass. This special skill, made possible by a complex digestive system, also means the ruminants cannot easily digest corn — a major problem when corn is the main ingredient of all meals served in CAFOs. Without antibiotics, CAFOs' bovine inmates are unlikely to live long enough to be slaughtered. Even with antibiotics, and corn's prized capacity to fatten quickly, grain-fed cattle generally require growth hormones to get them big enough to slaughter before they die from disease. What a life.
The hormones, antibiotics and corn-based fat that is passed on to consumers and an unwitting environment add heart disease, cancer, diabetes, reproductive and genital abnormalities, and super-germs to the list of "real environmental reasons not to eat meat."
Antibiotics in the form of beef … flu in the form of pork … starvation in the form of meat? The majority of corn and soy grown in the world feeds animals, not humans. More grain — two to six times as much — is needed to produce the same amount of calories from livestock (meat) as from the grain itself. Make that as much as 10 times more when it comes to U.S. grain-fed beef. GoVeg.com quotes calculations that "the world's cattle alone consume a quantity of food equal to the needs of 8.7 billion people — more than the entire human population on Earth."
David Pimentel, professor of ecology in Cornell University's College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, estimates 41 million tons of plant protein is fed to U.S. livestock to produce about 7 million tons of animal protein for human consumption.
Food First's Frances Moore Lappé asks people to imagine sitting down to an eight-ounce steak, and then, "imagine the room filled with 45 to 50 people with empty bowls ... For the feed cost of your steak, each of their bowls could be filled with a full cup of cooked cereal grains."
Chew on that, and let me know what you think.
Stay green, eat greens,
P.S. I keep getting asked, so, for the record, I eat meat. I also smoked for years (many years), and supported smoking bans while sucking down a pack-and-a-half (or three) a day. I eat meat and I advocate that we limit, or halt, our meat consumption. I think I am serving the planet and my family better by occasionally eating elk that I killed, or a pastured pig from a local sustainable farm, than indulging in nutrient-deficient, irradiated, pesticide and herbicide-sprayed heads of lettuce cultivated by underpaid laborers in dangerous conditions and shipped 2000 refrigerated miles. Location, method and quantity are my main guides in navigating the contentious realms of food. But that's just me.


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Last January Facebook played an integral role in millions finding new freedom. This January Facebook is preparing to make millions for thousands.
The Menlo Park-based social-networking company is reportedly getting close to its initial public offering, which will create at least 1,000 new millionaires with the company.'
The Wall Street Journal reports that Facebook could file its paperwork to go public as early as next Wednesday.
Mark Zuckerberg and company have heated up speculation that Facebook is getting ready to go public this week by blocking approval of company shares sold in the secondary market.
Facebook is also facing a federal mandate that will require the social network to begin disclosing financial information by April.
The company is expected to seek an IPO valued somewhere between $75 billion to $100 billion and raise as much as $10 billion, which will easily make it the most valuable IPO in years.
The size of the IPO also long ago sparked a war on Wall Street between financial firms tripping over themselves to get the honor -- and the millions of dollars -- to lead the management of the company's IPO.
Morgan Stanely is largely expected to lead the IPO with Goldman Sachs nipping at their heals.
Whoever lands the deal will not only collect millions in fees but it will also gain prominence in a field where other startups -- albeit smaller -- are expected to follow suit.
Facebook Could File IPO Next Week: Report
Last January Facebook played an integral role in millions finding new freedom. This January Facebook is preparing to make millions for thousands.

subset: commoncrawl


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Wendy Noder has not received any gifts yet
A belated welcome aboard! =) Hope you're doing well today...
Good morning Wendy. My apologies for my tardy response. South Africa is a supposedly Christian country however, as with all politicians worldwide, there is little evidence of it in the behaviour of the government. Very sad with a huge amount of corruption and an idiot like Zuma and the ANC who make Bush and Blair seem honest. I didn't think that was possible! Supposedly secular but religion hanging in the background particularly with the usual respect our culture argument when it suits them. I have no problem with some Christian values but find that Christians are the least likely to exercise them. Hypocrisy rules and South Africa is unfortunately no different. Welcome to the site and thanks for making contact. I hope you are checking out Mr Deity which is superb. A DVD set that I would like to get my hands on but unfortunately with the level of thefts in South Africa at the Post Office that is easier said than done. Ciao for now Christopher
Welcome, Wendy. Sounds as if you live in the best of all possible worlds. There are a few horses in Ocala.
Welcome, Wendy! Glad you could join us. :D
Please consider joining a group to meet people and talk about anything that's on your mind, Hang With Friends. You might also like Are You Experienced?, Women Atheists, Female Atheists, and possibly Feminist Atheists.
I also recommend Eco-Logical and Climate Concerns, since the climate is changing so drastically. Florida is especially vulnerable.
After you've searched for topics of interest in "Groups" above and in the "Forums", don't forget to look at recent activity which hides along the right margin of the page all the way at the bottom.
Hi Wendy
Welcome to this world of rationality, truth and peace, where common sense and science lead to freethinking wisdom in atheism.
We invite you to join the busy group "ORIGINS: Universe, Astronomy, Life, Earth, Humans, Religion, Gods, Atheism, Evolution, Darwin..." with 700 discussion topics and 3600 members.
© 2020 Atheist Nexus. All rights reserved. Admin: The Nexus Group. Powered by


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A corporate governance watchdog group says that Facebook chief executive Mark Zuckerberg holds too much power at the social network.
International Shareholder Services released a research note about the social network's intial public offering saying that Zuckerberg's voting power doesn't size up with his economic interest, according to Forbes. Essentially, Zuckerberg owns a 28.4 percent stake in the company, yet has voting control over 57.1 percent of Class B shares. From Forbes:
The major problem is about moral hazard, or incentives. By curtailing shareholder rights and board accountability, and specifically by splitting share class with drastic differences in voting power, Facebook risks creating two distinct shareholder bases with divergent interests. This, in turn, may and probably will (according to ISS) fuel proxy contests and boardroom/family struggles that ultimately will screw common shareholders.
U.S. & World
The ISS is saying that this means regular shareholders have little or no control over Facebook's actions. So if shareholders decide that Facebook is heading off a cliff -- well, too bad, because Zuckerberg just outvoted you -- they have no power to make any changes, despite their own money funding the company.
No one, including the ISS, is saying Zuckerberg shouldn't be CEO, but it does point out that if Zuckerberg wants to take the company into a radical direction, such as selling user information directly to advertisers or totally curtailing any user information to advertisers, shareholder concerns don't matter. Those wanting to buy Facebook shares should keep that in mind -- you are bound by Zuckerberg's whims. Let's hope he's a benevolent dictator and not a despot.


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U.S. Patent No. 6,701,348 and 6,694,353
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We have decided to move our London show in June next year BACK to the BRIXTON ACADEMY and give you show you were supposed to fucking get...
If you're an angry person, then you know what it means when there's a fury inside you that simmers just below the surface. For me it's a rage that can fill my mouth...
Robb Flynn describes it as "three minutes and 45 seconds of unadulterated, neanderthal rage. Fuck everyone!"
Please welcome Matt Alston and Wacław "Vogg" Kiełtyka to the Machine Head family.
Let Freedom Ring With A Shotgun Blast! It is with great excitement that MACHINE HEAD announce the second EU leg of their 25 Year Anniversary tour for the band's classic debut, 'Burn My Eyes'...
You tried to spit in the eye of a dead man's face.
Attacked the ways of a man not yet in his grave.
/Aesthetics of Hate, 2007
Shows in database:
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Venue: House Of Blues
Venue: Fox Theater
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Venue: Gothic Theathre
TakeMyScars.com - A Place Dedicated to the Mighty Machine Head!


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We believe in outstanding customer relations, prompt and polite service and unbeatable prices. We know that once you work with our outstanding team, you'll always want to call us first for all of your cleaning needs.


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George Zimmerman Found Not Guilty In Trayvon Martin Murder Trial
After a heated trial and intense jury deliberations all closely followed by the entire nation, George Zimmerman was found not guilty of the second degree murder of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin on July 13.
A story that began with George Zimmerman, 29, tragically and controversially shooting and killing Trayvon Martin, 17, has finally come to an end, as George was found not guilty by a jury of six women on July 13.
George Zimmerman Found Not Guilty
The jury deliberated for over 16 hours total before arriving at their decision.
George's family stood tensely in the Florida courtroom as the lead juror read the decision. Martin's family was not in the courtroom. After the verdict was read, Zimmerman smiled and shook his lawyers' hands, according to CNN.
The jury basically had three choices: to find Zimmerman guilty of second degree murder, guilty of manslaughter, or not guilty of all charges. To convict Zimmerman of second degree murder, the jury would have had to find that the killing was "done from ill will, hatred, spite or an evil intent," according to CNN.
Evidently, the jury believed there was not enough proof to support that charge.
Jury Deliberates Through The Weekend In Trayvon Martin Case
Perhaps sensing the urgency of this trial, the jury decided to deliberate over the weekend to come to a swift decision. They had already been discussing the case for three and a half hours before taking a night recess on July 12, according to CNN.
"All of us are depending on you to make a wise and legal decision," the judge frankly stated.
Since this trial commenced, it has been clear that the verdict would be divisive and could possibly stir public unrest. As a precaution, authorities in Seminole County had prepared for violent reactions.
"As Americans, we entrust our fellow citizens with a solemn duty," Seminole County Sheriff Donald Eslinger said shortly after the jury was dismissed. "At times, as individuals, we may not agree with this verdict. But as communities within our country, we respect the rule of law."
We can only hope that no one will make more violence out of an already violent case, but it is good to hear that authorities are prepared just in case.
George, a neighborhood watch guard, shot and killed Trayon in what he claimed was self-defense on February 26, 2012.
It is such a tragic case, and the only thing we can take solace in is that the justice system has done its duty, and hopefully we can all move on now that a verdict has been reached.
WATCH: George Zimmerman Trial — Closing Arguments
— Andrew Gruttadaro


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Liberals seek health-care access for illegals
By Stephen Dinan at The Washington Times
Fearful that they're losing ground on immigration and health care, a group of House Democrats is pushing back and arguing that any health care bill should extend to all legal immigrants and allow illegal immigrants some access.
The Democrats, trying to stiffen their party's spines on the contentious issue, say it's unfair to bar illegal immigrants from paying their own way in a government-sponsored exchange. Legal immigrants, they say, regardless of how long they've been in the United States, should be able to get government-subsidized health care if they meet the other eligibility requirements.
"Legal permanent residents should be able to purchase their plans, and they should also be eligible for subsidies if they need it. Undocumented, if they can afford it, should be able to buy their own private plans. It keeps them out of the emergency room," said Rep. Michael M. Honda, California Democrat and chairman of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus.
Mr. Honda was joined by more than 20 of his colleagues in two letters laying out the demands.
Coverage for immigrants is one of the thorniest issues in the health care debate, and one many Democratic leaders would like to avoid. But immigrant rights groups and the Democrats who sent the letters say they have to take a stand now.
President Obama has said he does not want health care proposals to cover illegal immigrants. The bill drawn up by Sen. Max Baucus, Montana Democrat and chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, excludes illegal immigrants from his proposed health care exchange.
Mr. Honda and his allies, though, say illegal immigrants should be allowed to pay for insurance if they can afford it, even if it comes through a government-established exchange.


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Hockey fanatics know that NHL action is often best served in person, but when you can't be at the rink, a true to the game simulation can be the next best thing.
Historically, hockey video games have been some of the best offerings within the sports game genre and each year for the past decade, two options have emerged before the puck drops on the regular season. This season, one is a third line grinder and the other a reliable All-Star.
NHL 10 from EA Sports is the consistent All-Star. It ranks among the best of most all sports games. It doesn't rely on flash, but instead, focuses each season on making a few solid additions to its roster of features. This year, a more realistic depiction of what takes place along the boards and a first-person view of what goes down after the gloves are dropped headline the list.
U.S. & World
The speed of the game is mostly accurate and the physics of how the puck moves around the ice has been well accounted for, and if anything, the game's precision can result in some grind it out, low-scoring games.
On the flipside, is NHL 2K10 from 2K Sports and the authenticity of the venues depicted, along with the overall ease of use are some of the game's better attributes. While 2K10 is pushing hard by marketing its disc with a cover athlete like NHL superstar Alex Ovechkin of the Washington Capitals, in the end, hockey is a sport where fundamentals are king and winning means knowing what it takes to get the job done.
In a head-to-head shootout, the EA game has to be the favorite. It's simply more refined.


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Lamar Odom and Khloe Kardashian are legally married, at least that's what the LA Lakers star told the media at today's team press day.
"It was real," Lamar, 29, told reporters on Tuesday, according to the Los Angeles Times, about his nuptials to the reality star.
VIEW THE PHOTOS: Khloe Kardashian
Reports have surfaced on the Web since Lamar and the reality star's wedding on Sunday, suggesting the nuptials were less than legally binding. However, Khloe's publicist told Access it absolutely is "legal."
"It's crazy how perception works in America when you're looking at things from the outside," Lamar continued. "'It might be off, it might be on.' But anybody that was there will tell you that it was a beautiful event and it was real."
VIEW THE PHOTOS: Love Connection: Celebs & Athletes
Lamar also shot down rumors that he married the 25-year-old celeb as part of a publicity stunt.
"I don't need that. I get enough with the Lakers," he said, according to the Associated Press. "I do well for myself."
The basketball star insisted sometimes love you find fast, can last.
VIEW THE PHOTOS: Keepin' Up With Kim Kardashian
"There's people who've been married for 25 years and they get divorced," he continued. "There's people who get married overnight and the next thing you know they've been married 25 years."
The wedding will be featured on "Keeping Up With the Kardashians" on November 8 on E!.
Related Content from AccessHollywood.com:
PLAY IT NOW: AH Nation: Do You Think Khloe Kardashian & Lamar Odom Will Last? (September 28, 2009)
PLAY IT NOW: Guests Arrive At Khloe Kardashian & Lamar Odom's Wedding (September 27, 2009)
MORE ACCESS ON THESE TOPICS: Khloe Kardashian - Lamar Odom - Celebrities - Rumors - Reality TV


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The Penguin That Taught Me to Eat Humble PieBlog Post: January 25, 2013
Great, if sad, story. Thanks for sharing! We have also been hit by the Penguin, though we still think incorrectly so. Our servers are being seen as a link farm, but having (over many years) created sites for free for hundreds of "celebrities" and they use them themselves and having them link back to us and share content with our portal was hard work and is good content. Having it all on few and the same servers probably was a mistake. But we are digging ourselves out.
One more thing we have learned in the process and I would say also goes for any e-commerce business:
Build a strong customer base and assets that you can rely on! I see a lot of our partners and advertisers having stopped building email databases etc. and instead rely on Facebook and Twitter as an asset. Based on the Penguin and the latest changes at Facebook: Control your own assets and own them. Don`t make yourself dependent from the giants.
Our newsletter has proven invaluable to keep traffic up. We have slightly increased sending rate, but by producing good content and genuine offers we have it in our hands to drive 15 - 25% of our traffic ourselves.
Good luck for recovering!


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Water from the swollen Mississippi River poured over a century-old levee today, flooding 12,000 acres of corn and soybeans despite farmers' frantic efforts to shore up the structure. Downstream, officials with the Port of New Orleans said the Coast Guard could close the river to ships as early as Monday, halting traffic on one of the world's busiest commercial waterways.
After swamping low-lying neighborhoods in Memphis, Tenn., earlier this week, the rising water is bringing misery to farms and small waterfront communities in Mississippi, Louisiana and Arkansas. The Corps of Engineers is considering whether to open the Morganza spillway, which would flood thousands of homes and acres of farmland along a 100-mile stretch in Louisiana but take the pressure off levees and help to protect Baton Rouge, New Orleans and the oil refineries in between. A decision is expected in the next several days.
In Bunche's Bend, in the northeastern corner of Louisiana, there was heartbreak in the voice of farmer Ted Schneider, 50, as he watched the muddy river creep into his 2,800 acres of soybeans.
"It's kind of discouraging to look out here and think about all that work and money and know it is all going to be gone in a few days," said Schneider, who has farmed the land since 1984.
Maintenance on the levee was abandoned years ago after a higher levee was built farther back, leaving a sliver of farmland in between vulnerable. Officials are confident that levee will hold, but that's small comfort to the farmers whose land is flooding.
About 40 of them worked in recent days to stack 1,800 sandbags along the older levee's weakest points, but their efforts were no match for the river, which crested higher than originally forecast.
Farther south, other communities were keeping a close watch on their levees and taking action to shore up potential trouble spots. Sandbags were being placed along a portion of New Orleans' French Quarter riverfront, though the city isn't expecting a major impact from the flood.
Chris Bonura, a spokesman for the Port of New Orleans, said the Coast Guard plans to close a 190-mile stretch of river from Baton Rouge to the Gulf of Mexico when the water reaches the 18-foot level at a gauge in Carrollton, which could happen by Monday.
The mouth of the Mississippi would become crowded with ships with nowhere else to go, though some might be diverted to other ports.
Barges headed south from the nation's heartland to the Port of South Louisiana at Reserve, upriver from New Orleans, would be unable to reach grain elevators. Massive ships that carry U.S. corn, soybeans and other crops out of the country would be unable to move. Shipments of Venezuelan heavy crude oil that come in by tanker to a refinery in Chalmette would be locked out of the river, though most refineries on the river are fed by pipelines.
In the poverty-stricken Mississippi Delta, meanwhile, people waited uneasily to see how high the water would get. About 600 homes in the Delta have flooded in the past several days as the water has risen toward some of the highest levels on record.
"It's getting scary," said Rita Harris, 43, who lives in a tiny wooden house in the shadow of the levee in Rena Lara, a town of about 500. "They won't let you go up there to look at the water."
The flood crest is expected to push past the Delta by late next week.
Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour urged people to get out if they think there is even a chance their homes will flood. Tributaries are also backing up because the Mississippi is so high there is no place for the water to go. He said there is no reason to believe a levee on the Yazoo River would fail, but if it did, water would flow over small towns.
"More than anything else, save your life and don't put at risk other people who might have to come in and save your lives," he said.
In Hollandale, one of the small rural towns in the Delta the governor warned might flood if the levee breaks, 62-year-old nursing home worker Geraldine Jackson fretted about what to do if she and her husband have to leave their red-brick house, where pieces of the roof have broken off and the white trim is peeling.
"I have relatives, but all my relatives live in the Delta, and the water's going to get them too," she said. "I'm just real messed up."
Swollen by weeks of heavy rain and snowmelt, the Mississippi River has been breaking high-water records that have stood since the 1920s and '30s. It is projected to crest at Vicksburg on May 19 and shatter the mark set there during the cataclysmic Great Flood of 1927. The crest is expected to reach New Orleans on May 23.
Even after the peak passes, water levels will remain high for weeks, and it could take months for flooded homes to dry out.
In southeast Missouri, where floodwaters were receding, residents of hard-hit towns were getting their first look at the damage.
The Southeast Missourian reported Thursday that streets in the town of Morehouse, where about 280 homes were damaged, were lined with piles of ruined couches, beds, clothing and carpeting. The stench of mold filled the air.
"Everything was ruined. Even if it didn't get wet, it got mold on it," said Melissa Massey, whose home had five inches of water in it for five days. "Mold is growing up the walls right now."


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We're different because we get it — a good partner needs to understand your business to be effective. You need a digital marketing partner to watch your back when your focus is elsewhere.
Every marketing plan needs a digital strategy. Sagetree provides strategic guidance to ensure your business hits its goals and we enable brands to engage audiences at a higher level.
Branding is about compelling stories. It's about emotion. It's about resonance. A good brand is synonymous with culture and we can help blend your brand and culture.
Sagetree provides expertise in solving problems through visual creativity. We are an experienced, cross disciplined team that can deliver impact on demand.
We have code in our DNA, after all we started as a development firm. This gives us unique insight when planning campaigns and extensive depth as a long-term partner.


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Allstars Casting talent agency represents some of Liverpool's most talented actors and models including children, teenagers and adults.
Drama classes, acting workshops and modelling/ catwalk/ runways sessions, Regularly available.
EXTRAS supplied for Film and TV work
Situated on Hope St. At the heart of Liverpool's cultural quarter.
Supplying artistes for TV Film and Theatre and offering training for performance or auditions,for children, teenagers and adults.
Winner of numerous gold medals at the Liverpool Performing Arts Festival.
Allstars have been delivering classes to young people for several years.


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joeboxer35 necesitaba un nuevo diseño de banner publicitario y lanzó un concurso de diseño en 99designs.
Un ganador ha sido elegido entre 28 diseños de 7 diseñadores freelance.
RealAdventures, SureRentals, CaptainRV
We are looking for a series of imge ads to promote and attract visitors to our travel websites.
For this project, there are three related websites:
RealAdventures.com - an adventure travel, accommodations & unique vacation site.
SureRentals.com - a site focused on vacation rentals, beach houses, ski houses, cabins, etc.
CaptainRV.com - a motor home rental and RV campground directory site.
Our target audience is affluent, 35-65, college educated, 60% female.
Additional demographics: 60% US & Canada, 20% Europe
We will need ads in the following IAB sizes: 728x90, 160x600, 300x250 and 125x125
* Please use the logo in the ad design
* Ads should incorporate the logo colors for the background, text and icon colors
* RealAdventures
- Tagline: "Life's An Adventure, Live It"
- Call To Action: "Plan Your Next Adventure" or "Book Today"
- Bullets:
* Bike tours & hiking
* Kayaking & rafting
* Eco Tours & dude ranches
* Sailing & scuba diving
* Sure Rentals
- Tagline: "Your Home Away From Home"
- Call To Action: "Find Your Vacation Rental" or "Book Today"
- Bullets:
* Cheaper & better than hotels
* Weekly or monthly rates
* Ski houses & beach rentals
* Log cabins & retreats
* Captain RV
- Tagline: "Roadtrip & RV Motor Home Rental"
- Call To Action: "Book Your RV" or "Book Today"
- Bullets:
* Campervans to luxury motor homes
* One-way rentals
* Comfortable & affordable
* Tour the country
The ads will most likely run in the left column of the sites. For each ad, we will need the following ad sizes:
The websites are:
RealAdventures- Incredible Vacations & Great Getaways
SureRentals - Your Home Away From Home
CaptainRV - Roadtrip & RV Rental Guide
Have fun with the button ad and feel free to get creative... good luck!!


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Nationwide Survey Finds a Disconnect Between How Teenage Girls Portray Themselves Online and in Person
The increased exposure to social media puts teenage girls in a confusing situation where a girl's image is not always what it seems, as nearly 74% of girls believe other girls their age use social networking sites to make themselves "cooler than they really are," according to a national survey released by Girl Scouts of the USA.
The nationwide survey, which included more than 1,000 girls ages 14 through 17, finds that girls downplay several positive characteristics of themselves online, most prominently their intelligence, kindness, and efforts to be a positive influence. In person, girls say they come across as smart (82%), kind (76%), and a good influence (59%), whereas online, girls consider themselves fun (54%), funny (52%), and social (48%). Girls with low self-esteem are more likely to admit their social networking image doesn't match their in-person image (33% vs. 18% of girls with high self- esteem) and are also more likely to claim that the image they portray online is sexy (22% vs. 14%) and crazy (35% vs. 28%).
"Adults and teens alike need greater understanding about the ways girls represent themselves and communicate on social networking sites," said Kimberlee Salmond, senior researcher at the Girl Scout Research Institute. "If girls are portraying themselves differently online than they are in person, this can impact their identity, sense of self, and relationships."
The Girl Scout survey also sheds light on the fact that a majority of girls understand their emotional safety and reputations are at risk online, yet 50% admit to not always being as careful as they should be online. Sixty-eight percent of girls have had a negative experience on a social networking site, such as having someone gossip about them or being bullied. Furthermore, many girls are concerned that they won't get into their college of choice (42%), will miss a job opportunity (40%), and will get into trouble with parents and teachers (40%).
In contrast, the vast majority of girls prefer face-to-face communication. Ninety-two percent would give up all of their social networking friends if it meant keeping their best friend. The study also finds that social networking provides an avenue for girls to maintain better relationships and feel more connected to causes they care about. Fifty-six percent of girls agree that social networking helps them feel closer to their friends, and 36% think that social networks have increased the quality of their relationships. Fifty-two percent of girls have gotten involved in a cause they care about through a social network.
Girl Scouts of the USA
Josh Ackley 212.852.8038


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Meaghan Moxley
Class of 2011
Major/Minor: Psychology, Behavioral Neuroscience, Pre-Med /Biology
Meaghan is in her second year of medical school at University of Maryland.
When Meaghan Moxley '11 began her college search, she narrowed her options to schools with strong programs in neuroscience — a unique combination of biology and psychology — and premedical studies. Rather than a larger research university, Meaghan preferred the more personalized education at a liberal arts school like Washington College.
"It was one of the only colleges I looked at with an established program combining bio and psych. The classes were well-developed, unlike some schools whose neuroscience programs were still in an experimental phase," she remembers.
After she was accepted to WC, Meaghan was encouraged to apply for a Hodson Science Fellowship, awarded to incoming freshmen to fund student-faculty collaborative research during the summer after their sophomore or junior year. "I found out I got the fellowship before I registered. Knowing I'd be able to have that opportunity was one of my deciding factors in choosing Washington College," Meaghan says.
Meaghan used the fellowship, as well as grants from the science research foundation Sigma Xi and the College's Douglass Cater Society of Junior Fellows, to team up with Dr. Mike Kerchner, her behavioral neuroscience advisor, on a project to develop a new protocol for clinical substance addiction research in an animal model.
"Dr. Kerchner gently pushed me to explore and step outside my comfort zone in the lab. He has been instrumental in my growth as a researcher and a scientist," she said.
Meaghan was also awarded a grant from the Cater Society to attend the 2009 Annual Meeting of the Society for Neuroscience in Chicago, where she conferred with other scientists before beginning her own project.
"You can only learn so much from a journal article; a lot of simple things get left out. Being able to actually talk to the investigators is really important," Meaghan says.
She spent the summer before her senior year on campus, working on a new protocol for her research about nicotine consumption and its effects on the endocrine system.
"There are certain factors you don't think about until you really start delving into the research, like the complexities of control for certain variables. It's a challenge to create a protocol that takes all that into account, still answers the question you want to ask, and fits within time and budget constraints," Meaghan says.
Her senior thesis will build on her summer research. "My goal has always been to find a way to use everything I've learned — from biology, psychology, even an English class that improved my writing style. I've been working towards my thesis all summer, so it should be the culmination of all my studies and research."
She is confident that her courses and experiences at Washington College prepared her for the rigors of medical school. "I've learned not just academic material and scientific facts, but also how to approach problems and work through them, when to push a little more and when to redirect," she notes.
Meaghan has relied on the support of faculty, especially Dr. Kerchner and Dr. Kate Verville, chair of the premedical committee, while working on her research and her medical school applications.
"Knowing that they're more than willing to help is so comforting. Dr. Verville even took the time to go over several drafts of my personal statement for my medical school applications over the summer — I can't imagine having to go through the application process without her," Meaghan says. "That level of dedication from the faculty is so important and it's something I really value. It sets you up to be the best med school candidate you can be."
Meaghan is a member of the Class of 2015 University of Maryland School of Medicine.
Campus Involvement
- Major: Psychology
- Focus: Behavioral Neuroscience and Pre-Med
- Minor: Biology
- Recipient of the Eugene B. Casey Award
awarded to a senior woman voted by the faculty to be outstanding in the qualities of scholarship, character, leadership and campus citizenship.
- Peer Mentor
- President: Douglass Cater Society of Junior Fellows, Student Advisory Board
- Psi Chi (Psychology Honor Society)
- Campus Christian Fellowship
- Girl's Bible Study
- Volunteer at H.H. Garnett Elementary School
Hometown? Churchville, MD
High School? John Carroll School
Favorite Class at WC? Dr. Kerchner's Learning class involved highly relevant concepts that were conveyed both through real life applications and an on-going lab that became more complex with our increased understanding of the material. I love classes that allow me to apply what I'm learning as I go, and this was definitely one of them!
Recommended Professor? Dr. Verville, because she teaches incredibly interesting material in a way that is accessible to everyone.
Most Memorable Experience as a First-Year Student? Getting out on the water for the first time as a novice rower.
If I Could be An Animal, I'd be… A hummingbird — not only can they fly, they can hover in mid-air!
One Thing You Shouldn't Forget to Pack? Rain boots


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Bloomberg View columnist William Cohan and Democratic strategist Julian Epstein discuss why Mitt Romney is still fumbling for answers over his 2011 tax return – despite their Friday release – and whether he'll ever be able to explain how he pays for his proposed, across-the-board tax cuts.
DENVER -- Mitt Romney today attempted to shift focus to what he called President Barack Obama's lack of leadership in the Middle East, as world leaders began to gather in New York City for the opening of the United Nations General Assembly.
The Romney campaign this afternoon offered a series of interviews with major U.S. TV networks, in which Romney hammered Obama for referring to a series of flare-ups in the Middle East as "bumps in the road."
In Colorado, Mitt Romney insisted to NBC News that he'll win. The Obama campaign, meanwhile, has unveiled a new TV ad tying Romney's tax returns with his comments about the 47 percent. NBC's Chuck Todd reports.
"When the president was speaking about 'bumps in the road' he was talking about the developments in the Middle East, and that includes an assassination. It includes a Muslim Brotherhood individual becoming president of Egypt. It includes Syria being in tumult," Romney told NBC's Peter Alexander. "It includes Iran being on the cusp of nuclear capability. It includes Pakistan being in commotion."
Mitt Romney will stump in Colorado on Monday and then travel to Ohio via bus tour all ahead of next week's first debate. The Daily Rundown's Chuck Todd reports.
Romney continued, "There are extraordinary events going on in the Middle East, and considering those events, either one of them or all of them collectively, as bumps in the road shows a person who has a very different perspective about world affairs than the perspective I have. I think this is a time for America to exert leadership and this is not something that we are doing in the Middle East ... ."
Romney was referring to an answer Obama gave in an interview which aired last night on CBS News' "60 Minutes," in which the president defended his support for emerging governments in the Middle East as a result of the Arab spring.
Charles Dharapak / AP
Republican presidential candidate, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney boards his plane in Denver, Monday, Sept. 24, 2012.
Kroft: Have the events that took place in the Middle East, the recent events in the Middle East given you any pause about your support for the governments that have come to power following the Arab Spring?
Obama: Well, I'd said even at the time that this is going to be a rocky path. The question presumes that somehow we could have stopped this wave of change. I think it was absolutely the right thing for us to do to align ourselves with democracy, universal rights, a notion that people have to be able to participate in their own governance. But I was pretty certain and continue to be pretty certain that there are going to be bumps in the road because, you know, in a lot of these places, the one organizing principle has been Islam. The one part of society that hasn't been controlled completely by the government. There are strains of extremism, and anti-Americanism, and anti-Western sentiment. And, you know, can be tapped into by demagogues. There will probably be some times where we bump up against some of these countries and have strong disagreements, but I do think that over the long term we are more likely to get a Middle East and North Africa that is more peaceful, more prosperous and more aligned with our interests.
The Romney campaign seized on those comments -- in an attempt to chip away at the president's approval rating on foreign affairs, which slid in the last NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll to 49 percent.
(However, a series of NBC/WSJ/Marist polls in the battleground states of Colorado, Iowa, and Wisconsin show Obama enjoying a double-digit lead over Romney when it comes to who would better handle foreign policy.)
NBC's Peter Alexander spoke with Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney in Denver about the upcoming debates, world affairs, and if it is possible to change the tone in Washington.
The Obama White House fired back on Romney, arguing that it was "offensive" to suggest that the president was minimizing the deaths of four Americans in Libya, including the U.S. ambassador there.
"That assertion is both desperate and offensive," White House Press Secretary Jay Carney said. "The president was referring to the transformations in the region, to this process that has -- only began less than two years ago, as we saw in Tunisia, and continues to this day, with remarkable transformations occurring in countries around the region."
Also in the interview, NBC's Alexander pressed Romney on the current polling that shows him trailing Obama.
Romney remained defiant.
"I'm very pleased with the fact that we have a campaign that is taking our message to the people across America, and look --- we're gonna win," Romney said. "There is no question in my mind. We're gonna win."
NBC's Jordan Frasier contributed to this article.


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SPRINGFIELD, Ill. - Gov. Pat Quinn wants the state's attorney general to appeal a federal court ruling that Illinois' concealed carry ban is unconstitutional. An appeal would put the matter before the U.S. Supreme Court.
Quinn said Wednesday an appeal is Illinois' "only hope" to keep the ban.
Illinois is the only state with such a ban.
Gun-rights advocates have argued the prohibition violates the U.S. Constitution's Second Amendment.
In December, a three-judge panel of the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals struck down Illinois' ban and gave lawmakers until June 8 to legalize the concealed carry of firearms.
Attorney General Lisa Madigan disagrees with Quinn. She told reporters Wednesday she wants to see what lawmakers will do before considering an appeal.
Both Quinn and Madigan support an assault weapons ban, as well.


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By Hilary Whiteman, CNN
HONG KONG (CNN) — It's likely someone from Hong Kong has just beaten you to this story.
The city was found to have the highest peak connection speed of just over 54 megabytes per second during the third quarter of 2012, according to analysis by Akamai Technologies.
It's the first time speeds have shot past 50 Mbps and if the global trend continues, it's just going to get faster. While there was a slight drop in pace over the quarter, over the year average peak speeds surged 36%.
In the peak speed stakes, Hong Kong is followed by South Korea (48.8 Mbps), Japan (42.2 Mbps), Latvia (37.5 Mbps) and Romania (37.4 Mbps).
The United States straggled in in 14th with 29.6 Mbps. The U.S. state with the fastest connection is still Delaware with a swift 10.9 Mbps, although the District of Columbia is catching up.
For the fastest average connection speeds in Europe, head over to Switzerland (8.7 Mbps), which just beats the Netherlands (8.5 Mbps) to second, while the Czech Republic (7.7 Mbps) is in third.
The place NOT to be for speedy downloads is China. Despite a 21% jump in connection speed during the quarter, the country's average peak connection reached just 7.1 Mbps. That makes it the slowest in Asia and gives it a lowly global rank of 123.
For consistency, South Korea was the best place to log on, boasting the highest average connection speed of 14.2 Mbps. Japan came second at 10.7 Mbps and Hong Kong third with a surprisingly sluggish 8.9 Mbps.
The State of the Internet Report also revealed the top sources of Internet attacks, as well as the most common targets.
Once again, China was found to be the single largest source of attack traffic — 33% — during the quarter. Attacks from the country doubled during the period, a statistic the report described as "somewhat surprising."
The United States and Russia came next in the top three. In all, the top 10 countries were responsible for almost three quarters of global attacks.
Akamai releases its report every quarter, based on information gathered from 680 million unique IP addresses connected to its cloud platform.


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The LE1 chair is part of the LE1 furniture range made from English sustainably sourced timbers.
Using this as a boundary, it has been made with strong contrasting woods to show off the natural characteristics of the materials. Form is a very important facet of the range emphasising the qualities of each wood, but also playing an integral role in the structure and stability.
Currently available with Ash legs and back supports and Cherry seat and back rest or Fumed Oak legs and back support and Cherry seat and back rest.
The chair has been made with new methods of manufacture, finished by hand and treated with a hardwax oil, which gives a natural, low lustre finish.
Seat Height 450mm
Complements the LE1 dining table and bench.
Due to the unique nature of these timbers, variations in grain may occur
Innovation is at the heart of our design process: we borrow from established practises of mass production, dissecting and reinventing them to offer something new and personal which celebrates the innate qualities of these woods.


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Cars safer than guns
A letter in the Herald Tribune stated that a car can be a weapon too; thousands of children are killed on the highways each year; and people making bad choices are the blame, not their vehicles. The point was to equate cars with guns.
However, over recent decades highway deaths have declined while gun deaths have increased. Automobiles have been made safer by requiring seat belts and air bags, and by manufacturing impact-absorbing front ends.
There are statutes in place requiring all vehicles to be registered and all drivers to be licensed after passing tests. Drivers convicted of driving under the influence routinely have their licenses suspended. There are seat-belt laws and, increasingly, laws against texting while driving.
What gun-regulation advocates are calling for is to make guns safer by outlawing assault weapons and high-capacity magazines, and to provide greater safety on the part of those who use guns. What's right for cars is right for guns.
Bruce R. Dayton
We are the problem
The Sandy Hook school shooting was a tragedy of unbelievable magnitude. It is also a tragedy that would not have been prevented by any of the current proposals because the lady who bought the guns was a law-abiding, record-free individual who would qualify for gun ownership after all the new rules are passed.
Was she naive or stupid? It would seem so because the weapons should not have been within her son's reach. Was she helplessly caught in a hell on earth with a child desperately needing help and no help was available? It is easy to imagine so. Were there plenty of opportunities for the mother, educators, other family members and professionals to sound an alarm? That is generally the case.
What troubles me about the 23 executive orders and the request for congressional action is that none of these would have or will stop troubled, angry, disconnected people from committing atrocities and we are only kidding ourselves if we believe we can make enough laws to protect society.
Our problems are much deeper than any laws can fix. We need intact families, we need God back in our country, we need to practice personal responsibility, and we need to care about one another. The solution is inside of each of us and all the posturing by the president won't solve a thing.
Cristine A. White
The next mass killing
The NRA is right: Firearms do not kill people; people kill people. A firearm is just a tool and, like most other tools, firearms are designed for specific purposes. For example, pistols are for close-quarter self-defense, some rifles are designed for target shooting, some for small game, some for large game. The hottest current seller is the civilian copy of the so-called "assault" rifle. With its rapid fire and large-capacity clip, this rifle is designed to inflict maximum knockdown in a minimum amount of time, and it has proven to be very effective.
That said, let's look ahead.
There are approximately 360 million people in the United States; let's suppose only 1 percent have access to assault rifles; that's 3.6 million people. Now let's suppose only 1 percent of those people have actually obtained one or more of these rifles; that's 36,000 people. Now suppose of those owners only 1 percent are mentally unstable enough to use their rifle for its intended purpose; this means there could be 360 potential mass killers residing in the U.S. In any circle of law enforcement or Homeland Security, this constitutes a substantial terrorist cell.
My suggestion is to those individuals who are very opposed to or very defensive of the Second Amendment: Stop wasting your time and resources debating gun-control issues and start spending time and money preparing Americans to deal with the next mass killing at the hand of Americans.
C.R. Bob Houston
Amendment is required
Regarding the Jan. 17 editorial "Change the gun laws": There really is only one legitimate way to accomplish that. Not only does the Constitution not contain any provision for congressional control of firearms, it also declares that the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed.
The Constitution lays out two ways you can modify it: one initiated by Congress and one by state legislatures (see Article V). If popular sentiment is to change the gun laws, then follow one or the other path to modify or remove the Second Amendment, and add an item to Article I, Section 8. If there is insufficient support, then attempting to change gun laws any other way is illegitimate and in violation of the highest law of the land.
George Alan Esworthy
It might be too late
As a Canadian, perhaps my opinion counts less, but a letter writer's commentary in Tuesday's paper is the most intelligent and succinct on the Second Amendment that I have read of late.
I know there is a very significant faction of Americans who will never agree with the very thought that the Second Amendment should be amended from what was intended 230 years ago, but I would like to think that there is also a significant faction that do agree.
Unfortunately with 300 million-plus firearms in circulation, a number that apparently is growing rapidly after threats of increasing controls, I believe that the country is beyond the point of no return. The rest of us just shake our heads in disbelief every time this comes up.
Colin Grant
Sunday's letters
Cars safer than guns


text: ightweight feel, for a flexible type of user Relying on advanced computing system, so that film frame to achieve low drag. High strength, and to meet the needs of the different style of play. Can provide consistent with the different players racket, because the aerodynamic design based. Measured by mass, for different play features. LI NING WINDSTORM 660 FEATURES: "M"PCF(Multi-Layered Polymer Carbon Fibers): Reinforcing Technology Handcrafted multi-layered carbon producing multi-directional strength. Provides strength & durability at key stress points. "H"DF (High Density Foam) : Shock Absorption High tech and light weight shock absorption materials fill racket head cavities Lightweight, high-tech shock absorption materials within racquet frames that minimizes arm strain at impact. "U"HB (Ultrafine High Tensile Biometric): High Flex Point Racket shaft flexes closer to the racket head to produce improved smash and drop shot performance. With an optimized shaft performance, this technology provides low wind resistance with high-flexibility & strength for superior smashing! TB.NANO (TB Nano Powertec) : Nanometer Technology Enhanced nano technology bonds carbon fibres to resin to increase the raw material strength by 20% Original Li-Ning TB Nano Material Science and Technology creates a more stable and finer racket. More Powerful "sweet spot". WING STABILIZER: Aviation Technology with Introducing aviation Technology design that releases the metal performance memory and improves control an strokes. The inter-field application of aviation technology on Li-Ning products. The frame from 3 & 9 o'clock zones made of ultra elastic 3G titanium alloy, which resists shake and vibration. The distinguished feature of metal memory will control the frame restoration precisely at the moment of deformation and to restrain the shake resulting from vibration waves. The anti-tarsion performance of strokes is improved under high tension conditions and brings about a quick exact and stable second stroke. 3D BRAID POWERTEC: Continuous multi-layer and multi-dimensional carbon fiber weaving method. Seamless, light, rigid & durable. HIGH TENSILE SLIM SHAFT: Engineered with variable shaft diameters. Allows for greater torsion to enhance hitting power while releasing frame to restore more quickly. TI TANIUM EXTRA ELASTIC TECHNOLOGY: on core aviation principles, anti deformation and increased stability of frame. TAPER SHAFT: Engineered with variable shaft diameters: wider at the bottom and tapered at the top. Allows for greater torsion to enhance hitting power while releasing frame to restore more quickly. ULTRA-CARBON: Made of ultra strong material, the racquet has optimum rigidity to bear higher tension for exact and steady strokes. Made of rigid carbon fibers allowing for higher string tension. Risk of frame deformation is also minimized. AEROTEC-BEAM SYSTEM: Aerodynamic design with low air resistance and high tensile strength. DYNAMIC-OPTIMUM FRAME: Improved racquet mechanical structure for more efficient attack and defense. Increased "sweet spot" for improved hitting velocity with wider string area to increase bounce strength.


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Man Charged in Four NJ Bank Robberies
An alert off-duty detective has helped catch an alleged serial bank robber.
David Carroccia faces four counts of bank robbery and one count of attempted bank robbery.
Citing court records, the Daily Record of Parsippany reports an off-duty Mount Olive detective spotted the Warren resident's Mitsubishi Galant on Route 78 that matched a description of the getaway car.
The 28-year-old Carroccia was caught on surveillance pictures dressed in a suit jacket and tie and wearing a hat. He is being held on $500,000 bail.
The suspect's mother tells the newspaper her son recently finished computer school and told her had recently landed a job in New York that was supposed to start this week.
He's accused of robbing banks in Parsippany, Mount Olive and Lincoln Park.
(Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)


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Entering his sixth season in Major League Soccer, Chicago Fire defender Tim Ward has been around longer than most realize. Hailing from Waukesha, Wisconsin, Ward celebrated his 23rd birthday on Sunday in Guadalajara, Mexico during the second leg of the Fire's 2010 preseason tour.
Ward's career has been one marked with injuries and a lack of club stability. His 2009 campaign was cut short after breaking a toe in his left foot and as he walks into his second year with the Fire, the former U.S. youth international is looking forward to a 2010 season with a new manager and a new approach to fitness.
"It's been a tough preseason with a new coach and new training philosophies," said Ward from Guadalajara. "That doesn't mean that the work we've done so far hasn't been useful. Specifically, "el Profe's" approach to conditioning involves the ball a lot more than any other fitness coach I've worked with. It makes training more enjoyable and I think it's been much more effective for our group as a whole."
A full back who is comfortable on either side of the backline, Ward was part of U.S. Soccer's residency program in Bradenton, Florida from 2002-04, before spending one year at Saint Louis University. Following his freshman season, Ward signed a Generation adidas contract with MLS, eventually being selected 12th overall by the MetroStars in the 2005 SuperDraft.
Acquitting himself well as an 18-year-old rookie, the wing back earned a starting role early in the season and was named to the 2005 U.S. World Youth Championship team before picking up an injury that kept him from participating in the tournament. He returned to the lineup in July, playing a total of 13 matches that year before being traded to the Columbus Crew in the offseason.
With the experience of coming into the league at a tender age, Ward has tried to impart some influence over the rookies who are coming into their first season.
"Your first year as a professional, especially the preseason, is very difficult," remarked the defender. "Guys are on the road for months at a time and everything happens very quickly -- it's a shock to the player's system at first. Now that I've been through it a number of times, I try to make the younger guys feel more comfortable, helping the guys know what works and what doesn't and how to approach training and warm-up matches."
During his time in Columbus, Ward appeared in 17 matches across two seasons and was again named to the US World Youth Championship team that participated in Canada. Injury free this time, Ward played in three matches during the tournament, including the 2-1 upset over Brazil, helping the team to the quarterfinals here they bowed out to Austria, 2-1 in extra time.
"That 2007 team had a ton of good players - guys like Freddy Adu, Jozy Altidore, Michael Bradley and Danny Szetela -- we were strong all over the field. It was really disappointing to go out in the quarterfinals because we felt we had the talent to win the entire thing, which would have special to do so close to home. Things happen though and you have to move on."
Returning to Columbus, Ward saw spot playing time and was traded in the close season to the Colorado Rapids. Spending 2008 in Denver, the Wisconsinite failed to see the pitch in first team matches and was waived by the Rapids at the end of the season, eventually being picked up by the Fire in March 2009.
Looking to prove himself again, Ward regrouped last season and appeared in 25 matches across all competitions for the first team, before picking up the aforementioned toe injury, which eventually ended his season.
"I was anxious over the offseason to get back to playing. My fitness has improved everyday during preseason and I think I've put in two solid performances in our friendlies the last month. Going forward I feel very good about my role in the team and looking forward to the season."
Head coach Carlos de los Cobos has played Ward on the right side of defense in both preseason matches against the Arizona Sahuaros and Chivas de Guadalajara and while he's been on in the field, the Fire haven't conceded a goal. The full back is the type of guy who just wantsto play and help his team in whatever position he's needed.
"I've played all across the backline and even feel comfortable in a defensive midfield role," said Ward. "I think my versatility is one of my strengths and if it helps us get over the Eastern Conference bump in the road and into MLS Cup, I'm happy to play wherever the manager needs me to be."
Ward will be needed this Wednesday, March 3 when the Fire make their Guadalajara curtain call in a friendly with F.C. Atlas, at the club's Atlas Colomos training facility. The match will mark the end of the Fire's preseason stint in Mexico as the team will head to Jackson, MS on March 4.


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A blend of modern and classical influences fill the Laura Lee Isabela Foyer Chandelier with old world splendor.
Additional Info:
Laura Lee Designs creates hand-forged iron lighting that combines old world European artisanship with modern sensibilities. Gothic, French, Mediterranean, and classical influences abound in these magnificent designs. Perfect for entryways, this foyer chandelier from the Isabela Collection features captivating ironwork enclosing three resin enshrouded "candles". For more light, use candelabra bulbs up to 60 watts (not included).


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Atmel has announced maXStylus, an active stylus solution for tablets and smartphones. Combined with Atmel's maXTouch solutions, the maXStylus family offers simultaneous touch and stylus functionality.
Referred to as multiSense functionality, this feature enables advanced gesturing such as zooming in/out while writing and scrolling; page flipping while scrolling; and selecting a tool or content. The maXStylus family is designed to provide precise, high-resolution writing experience with a narrow 1mm tip, accuracy and linearity of +/- 0.25mm, advanced gesturing, palm rejection and pressure sensing capability with 256 pressure levels.
The family also supports dual mechanical buttons for customizable features tailored for the end customer. The Atmel mXTS100 is the first solution sampling in this family and works with the maXTouch E series and future maXTouch solutions, the vendor said.
Traditional solutions today require two separate sensors to enable both stylus and finger touch functionality. With Atmel maXStylus solutions, OEMs can use just one sensor to implement both a stylus and touch simultaneously to simplify system design and reduce overall system cost. The new family also reduces the overall time-to-market for adding touch and stylus features to a design using maXTouch technology.
The maXStylus family also leverages Atmel's eco-system and software partners. As a co-engineering partner to Microsoft, the mXTS100 supports Windows 8 and the recently launched Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich.
The Atmel mXTS100 is sampling to lead customers in November 2011. Production quantities are expected to ship in the first quarter of the company's fiscal 2012.


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Jay Dent
Jay Dent's play takes a look at the spiritual warfare that happens in everyday life.
Long Beach State University graduating senior, theater major and playwright, Jay Dent is launching a production that is sure to inspire and inform while entertain. Her new play "Adapting Faith Through Doubt" is a play about lifting the veil on the everyday challenges and trials people encounter in life.
"It's an adaptation because it's nothing like the Broadway show or the movie," said Dent. "I have 13 actors and 25 cast and crew members.
"Most of them have volunteered to help me, which was a blessing on its own.
"I'm using light/shadow theater to show demonic possession and spiritual warfare. What I'm really trying to show is the counter act between what is being said and what is actually real."
The idea for the play came through an assignment and a dream, which Dent took as a sign that this play had to be produced.
"Last year, [we] had to pick a play that we've read and pitch it to the class as if we were a Broadway production company," said Dent. "I literally went to sleep and God gave it to me in a dream.
"I went to class and pitched it to my class and it the midst of talking, my professor just starts clapping while I'm talking and she said 'This is genius.'" The play would also serve as her thesis and she knew "this was it."
Dent would go forward with her play, but it wasn't without its own set of 'spiritual' challenges. She would encounter a plethora of roadblocks but was determined to see the vision God blessed her with to the end.
"I submitted [the play] to be produced in the theater department in November but the student committee did not accept it," said Dent. "The majority of students who were chosen were their friends and we're seeing a lot of the same faces, only one African American was chosen; there wasn't a lot of diversity."
This was only the beginning of Dent's challenges as she would encounter more hills and valleys in realizing her production.
"When I put my flyers out for people to audition for me, one time a person moved it," said Dent. "Then when I moved it—they were all just gone.
"They tore all my flyers down and it was insulting because it costs money to print stuff. So, I put flyers up again—and they were torn down.
"I had to have my auditions in the laundry room with sewing machines, washers and dryers." Even through all that adversity, Dent found inspiration through the Lord and pressed on.
"Jesus was born in a manger— [Adapting Faith Through Doubt] is going to be born out of a laundry room," said Dent. "I just stayed positive."
Dent forged ahead and pitched her idea to the university student union and they loved it. They would book the venue for her play, gave her budget and helped to advertise her play throughout the university. She is also getting a marquee and movie box in the student union.
"It went from being in a small theater class room to a campus-wide event," said Dent. "That closed door allowed me to have bigger and greater."
Dent shared a couple words about her play that apply not only to the trials and tribulations she went through in getting her play off the ground but what we all go through and that we have a choice.
"Jealousy, lust, hatred, doubt, fear—all of those are spirits the enemy uses to bring us down," said Dent. "We can either nurture them or we can destroy them—but it is a choice.
"This is God's production," said Dent. "It's not really mine."
Jay Dent's " Adapting Faith Through Doubt" is FREE and playing at the USU Beach Auditorium Thursday, May 1 at 7pm, Friday May 2 at 12pm and Saturday, May 3 at 7pm. USU Beach Auditorium is located at 1250 Bellflower Blvd in Long Beach, CA 90815.
For more information, please call (562) 985-4181 or firstname.lastname@example.com


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The 2011 Infiniti M37 and M56 replace the 2010 M35 and M45. The difference in name reflects switches to a 3.7-liter V-6 and a 5.6-liter V-8, both of which provide more power, as you'd expect. Many other upgrades come with this complete redesign.
Though beautifully styled inside and outside, the redesigned 2011 Infiniti M sport sedan is frustrated by some quirks and glitches, and it's not as affordable as it used to be.
The M comes in three versions: the M37, M56 and an all-new hybrid version, the M35h. The gas-only versions are rear-wheel drive but offer optional all-wheel drive (designated by the "x" suffix). Unlike some competitors, including the BMW 5 Series and Acura TL, the M sedan doesn't offer a manual transmission. We tested the M37x and both the M56 and M56x, but did not drive the M35h.
Transmission Misbehavior
Though the car impresses, its sport-sedan billing leads me to start with my main complaint: The seven-speed automatic transmission has a chronic case of indecision. Stomp on the accelerator from a standstill, and all is well. Ditto for normal, sedate driving. But when the time comes to pass or get moving more quickly once you're already in motion, the car bogs down as the transmission hunts for a gear.
In this regard, Infiniti's earlier five-speed automatic was better. This pattern is all too familiar: Automakers make the change to higher gear counts for their automatic transmissions — for all of the undeniable benefits — and then the immediacy of the accelerator response suffers, an unacceptable and unnecessary tradeoff.
I cited similar frustrations with the competing BMW 535i's new eight-speed automatic, but the problem is more pronounced in the M37. Further, BMW's V-8 version, the 550i, performed much better, while the M56 exhibits the M37's same bad habits.
Unless you're content to take over shifting responsibility using the transmission's manual mode and gear selector (or shift paddles that come with the optional Sport Package), the best mitigation is the Sport mode on the center console's Infiniti Drive Mode Select knob. Along with making the accelerator pedal more sensitive, it makes the transmission hold onto lower gears longer, cutting down on the delay. But that also serves to decrease the M56's mileage, an already unimpressive 16/23 mpg city/highway with all-wheel drive or 16/25 mpg without. The M37x is rated 17/24 mpg, and the M37 is 18/26 mpg. The M35h hybrid gets an estimated 27/32 mpg.
|Midsize Luxury Sedan MPG*
| City,
| Highway,
| Combined,
|2011 Infiniti M37
|18 (17)
|26 (24)
|21 (20)
|2011 BMW 535i
|20 (19)
|30 (29)
|24 (23)
|2012 Audi A6
|25 (19)
|33 (28)
|28 (22)
|2011 Mercedes-Benz E350
|17 (17)
|24 (24)
|20 (19)
|2011 Infiniti M56
|2011 BMW 550i
|2011 Mercedes-Benz E550
| *Automatic transmissions
Source: EPA
To help drivers maximize mileage, IDMS also includes an Eco mode, along with Normal and Snow. Eco does the opposite of Sport. I found it most attractive when using the adaptive cruise control, because it kept the car from surging forward aggressively if the car ahead of me moved out of the lane. It also eliminated the system's tendency to slow or brake too aggressively when the lead car slowed. Unfortunately, on a highway trip in winter, the system failed completely because the bumper-mounted laser sensor became caked with ice, prompting a "Clean Sensor" alert on the instrument panel. This also meant the optional Forward Collision Warning had become disabled. When the sensor fails, you don't simply lose the adaptive operation; the cruise control quits altogether.
This might have been a rare and unlikely occurrence, but it's one I've never experienced with the more common radar-based active cruise control most brands employ.
Take the V-6
In what is becoming a common refrain, I'm pleased to report that you don't need a V-8 in this car. Between the M37's robust 330-horsepower V-6 and seven-speed transmission, it's more than quick enough, even for a luxury buyer. If you still want more power, perhaps to offset the added weight of all-wheel drive, the V-8 provides exhilarating performance and wonderful exhaust sound when running full-tilt.
Though the all-wheel drive helps get all the power to the road, the M56x isn't the best choice for performance driving. It's the most nose-heavy of all the variants, and you feel it when going into turns, even though the system sends a majority of power to the rear wheels when you pour on the power. In my experience, the M37x was a little more disappointing because it seemed like the front and rear axles weren't on speaking terms, resulting in repeated fore/aft weight shifts. If you want top performance, stick with the rear-wheel drive and the optional Sport Package with either engine.
The Sport Package adds 20-inch wheels with summer performance tires, a firm sport suspension, four-wheel active steering, upgraded brakes, steering-wheel shift paddles and some interior upgrades. On the M56, it also includes a bevy of non-performance features. As I said of the smaller Infiniti G37, the x versions are mainly suited for inclement weather, which they handle ably.
The M sedan handles well overall; I prefer it to the Mercedes E-Class. The new generation is softer in some ways than the original M, and while some people think this took away from the previous generation's drivability, the majority seem to experience it as refinement rather than isolation. Despite the increased comfort, there's still plenty of road feel, and body roll remains in check. The steering is sporty without being overly heavy, and the brakes are great, offering fine, linear control.
The ride quality is a nice compromise between comfort and sport, especially with the smaller wheels and higher-profile tires, but it bears noting that Infiniti doesn't offer an adaptive suspension as some competitors do, usually to even better effect.
In the Cabin
The M is appropriately roomy for a car of its size, and it has nice, comfortable seats. It has more front legroom than its main competitors and is otherwise on par in terms of interior dimensions. Two adults can find adequate room in the backseat, though the center floor hump is high and would make a third passenger unhappy — all too common in this class.
All of our editors raved about the new cabin, which combines contemporary design with some traditional, high-quality materials. Proper buttons replace the rubbery pads on the steering wheel. My sole aesthetic complaint is that Infiniti abandoned the semi-gloss wood trim I liked on the previous generation. Even worse, the optional "silver-powdered white ash" wood trim, with its glistening finish, doesn't work for me at all. One of our staffers said the silvery sheen made it look like meat that had gone bad — an observation as astute as it is unsettling.
Ergo No-Go
The M has its share of ergonomic foibles. There are too many buttons down by the driver's left knee, out of sight, including one for the optional heated steering wheel. Do you want to accidentally turn off a safety feature like the electronic stability system or blind spot warning system because you can't see what you're pushing? The power seat controls are difficult to reach when the door is closed, though the driver's memory buttons are up high on the doors, so once those settings are stored, that might be a non-issue for an owner.
The heated and/or cooled seats are controlled by knobs on the center console whose tiny indicator lights are invisible during daylight.
Finally, the optional navigation system has a touch-screen, which I always appreciate for inputting addresses and such, but the display in the center of the dashboard is positioned more for visibility than for reachability. Better for use while driving, the controller knob is only slightly closer; it would be better positioned low on the console where the driver's hand comes to rest, but that's where the IDMS knob is.
Some of the options also annoy. The Eco Pedal, an enhancement to the Eco mode, makes the accelerator resist when you push on it, ostensibly to remind you to drive conservatively. There are two selectable levels and an Off option, which I dove for like a sea lion after a squid.
Also offered is a full complement of available advanced safety features you don't need if you drive responsibly (blind spot warning, lane departure warning, keeping monkeys as pets warning … .). I defeated these, too. Ditto for the optional "Forest Air system with Advanced Auto Recirculation, Breeze Mode, Plasmacluster Air Purifier and Grape Polyphenol filter," which I would mock, but some fruit hangs too low, even for me. Most occupant reactions amounted to questioning if it were doing anything or finding it as annoying as an oscillating fan.
Taken together, all of these features make the M sedan seem like quite the nag. I'd like to see Infiniti provide more control over the features that matter and provide fewer features we're compelled to control — or disable entirely. Having said that, I commend the M sedan for retaining the tried-and-true mechanical PRND shifter and a turn -signal stalk that stays where you put it until it's done its job. In these regards, BMW has left the reservation … and then nuked it from orbit.
The Infiniti M sedan's airbags include the frontal pair, front-seat-mounted side-impact airbags and side curtains that protect front and rear occupants. Antilock brakes and an electronic stability system are standard. See all the M sedan's features here.
In addition to the aforementioned active-safety features, the M includes an effective backup camera, but the company reserves its excellent Around View Monitor — which gives an amazing overhead view of the vehicle — for its SUVs. BMW offers a similar system on its cars.
M Sedan in the Market
Infiniti's sport sedans have succeeded as a low-cost alternative to BMWs, though the advantage isn't what it once was. In 2010, before the redesign, the M35 six-cylinder version was merely $150 cheaper than BMW's 528i, but it was almost $5,500 more affordable than the comparably powered 535i. For 2011, the gap dropped to around $3,000. Standard features did and still do favor the Infiniti, though, most notably its parking assist, keyless access and standard leather seats versus the 535i's vinyl.
Things even out a bit with the V-8s, with the M56 saving between $1,550 and $1,750 over the 550i, depending on the driveline. The less-powerful M45 cost $8,450 less than the 550i in 2010.
Now more powerful than the 550i, the M56 is a worthy competitor in many ways, but the transmission is a shortcoming that sullies the M sedan's claim to sport stardom.
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