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This time, though, they swear they can make the website work. The Minnesota board that runs the state-based ObamaCare operation unveiled a $39.8 million operating budget for the year that includes the kind of money that usually could create a multitude of web portals from scratch. The additional $12.5 million for web-portal reconstruction and call-center improvements come on top of tens of millions already spent by the state and federal governments on the health-insurance system:
MNsure wants to spend an additional $12.5 million this year to continue repairs to its website and call center, officials said Wednesday, as they unveiled plans for a balanced budget in 2015.
During a meeting Wednesday in St. Paul, the MNsure board approved a $39.8 million budget for next year that will be balanced if the federal government lets MNsure change the timing for when it can spend $5 million in grants.
Federal approval is likely, said Scott Leitz, interim chief executive officer at MNsure, because the state is seeking flexibility – not more money. But if federal officials object, MNsure will make spending cuts so it doesn't need more funds from the Legislature, Leitz said.
Meanwhile, MNsure also is seeking federal approval to change its plans for spending grant funds this year, which would allow an additional $10 million for information technology (IT) and $2.5 million for better customer service operations.
How much has Minnesota already spent on the MNSure exchange? Close to $150 million. How many people have signed up? Well, that's a difficult question to answer. The official figure is 115,000 people "using" MNSure, but that's split between Medicaid and private insurance … the latter of which only amounts to 33,000 sign-ups. Enrollments are a different matter, and no one seems to have the figures for actual, paid insurance enrollments or the demographics of those additions to the risk pool.
By the way, the cost per private-insurance sign-up — since Medicaid programs could have enrolled people without the exchange — comes to close to $5,000 each. Even with the Medicaid figures included, it comes to $1,413 per sign-up, and that doesn't include the subsidies that some will receive.
MNSure says they expect a flood of enrollments this month, though:
MNsure expects a surge in activity this month as consumers rush to beat a March 31 deadline for obtaining coverage to comply with the federal health law. The health exchange has launched a new awareness campaign connected with the deadline, Leitz said, adding that more than 850 enrollment events have been planned across the state.
People who don't have coverage could be required to pay a penalty that's 1 percent of their yearly household income, or $95 per person per year – whichever amount is higher.
Except, of course, that now they won't pay a penalty, thanks to the latest unilateral change in ObamaCare from the White House. Besides, people motivated to beat that deadline would have signed up a long time before now, probably at the beginning of the year — especially if they lost their insurance thanks to the ObamaCare changes.
Don't blame Republicans for this debacle either, Jim Geraghty says:
Again, this is all occurring under a Democratic governor, so the usual implausible excuse that "Republican obstructionism" is at fault simply doesn't apply here.
When Gov. Mark Dayton took office in 2011 he charged ahead, in part by setting up an exchange task force.
Problems, though, were already taking root.
The group wasn't thinking deeply enough about the technological nuts and bolts of the project, and that the same was true of the state employees leading the effort, said task force member Dannette Coleman, chief for individual and family business for the Medica health plan.
One cannot help but wonder if the governor looked hard at the looming problems of the exchange, or whether he just averted his eyes because he was so invested, politically and emotionally, in the notion that they had to work.
That's true of Democrats across the board … and look how well it's working out for them this year.


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this week we've been having issues with our broadband connection
our modem/router is a NetComm NB6Plus4Wn with latest firmware
sometime last week i got woken to say the net wasnt working, so i turned the router off for 30 seconds then turned it back on, all was fine.
then it happened again, having to get up and reset the router; twice in some cases to get it working.
before having to reset the router, the power/adsl/ppp lights were all green
i've had to reset it the last three days
i've tried other DNS server as suggested on another forum, and using google DNS servers it worked for 3 days or so but then it lost connection even though all 3 lights were green
reverted to auto get the DNS servers for now
prior to this the router has been rock solid for the year we've had the device
Can i assume this is related to this thread i was notified about??

subset: commoncrawl


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The Whole Story with Jesse Sorensen DVD-R
Want it quicker? Download this video (click here)
The Whole Story with Jesse Sorensen
Hosted by Mike Johnson
Jesse Sorensen was living his dream of being a pro wrestler on national TV at the young age of 22. Then one day Jesse is laid out at ringside on PPV wondering if we was ever join going to walk again. Through the support of his family and friends Jesse was able to get back on his feet. After beating the odds Jesse was primed for a come back to Impact Wrestling.
Unfortunately that wasn't to be because of his untimely release from TNA. The social media backlash was overwhelmingly negative towards Dixie Carter & TNA. During all this time Jesse as been relatively quiet, until now.
Jesse sits down with PWInsider's Mike Johnson and discusses his injury, his rehab, his return, his release and what promises were made and broken. In this interview you're not going to get just some of the story you're going to get The Whole Story with Jesse Sorensen.
Aprox. Running Time: 2 hrs 20 mins
Average Customer Review: Not yet rated
Write an online review and share your thoughts with others.


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Hey guys, I am starting a search on google now but I wanted quick help on how i can find out users currently logged on. This is in an AD environment with multiple subnets. However here are few constraints:
I cannot use windows event logs or session manager to see who is logged on.
My question is very specific, I need to know if there is any software / utility (preferably utility & free) that I can use to find out which user is logged on in multiple machines around 5000.
Thanks in advance.


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5 reasons Hong Kong shopping is better than ever
Hong Kong has the best shops in Asia.
Though I'm a native of the city, I'm not biased -- it's statistically proven.
In Global Blue's first "Global Shopper Index" for the Asia Pacific region, Hong Kong bested other major cities including Shanghai, Kuala Lumpur and Singapore, to top the list as the city with the best shopping.
Next time you're in town, check out the following places and reasons why the service, setting and stuff on sale in Hong Kong are all worth bragging about.
1. Money buys cool - LAB Concept
To bump bags with Hong Kong's funky fashionistas, step inside LAB Concept.
The art-meets-fashion emporium is a showcase of Hong Kong's fashion forward prowess.
A young and edgy list of coveted international brands can be found in the more than 6,000 square meters of space, with special sections for beauty and shoes.
Expect Dot-Drop luggage, Amika haircare, Alice and Olivia and Scotch & Soda. Beauty consultants not affiliated with brands are available for skin-care consultations that involve no hard-selling.
Other high-end Hong Kong shopping experiences can be had at Lane Crawford, JOYCE and I.T.
LAB is at Queensway Plaza, Admiralty www.labconcepthk.com
Lane Crawford, see all store locations at www.lanecrawford.com
JOYCE, see all store locations at www.joyce.com
I.T., see all store locations at www.ithk.com
Also on CNN: Best Hong Kong souvenirs and where to get them
2. Custom tailoring has come full circle - The Armoury, Moustache
Hong Kong was once full of expert Shanghainese tailors who could do a quick turnaround on decent suits.
These days, the masters have retired and people don't appreciate custom tailoring as much when they can pick up fast fashion.
A handful of boutiques are bucking the trend, bringing back custom tailoring to Hong Kong for a new generation of the sartorially-obsessed.
The Armoury is exemplary with its tightly curated range of mostly European menswear and accessories. Come here for the suit with the perfect fit or that pair of boardroom-appropriate-yet-eye-catching cuff links.
Everything about The Armoury is classic and grown up, from its location in the elegant colonial-era Pedder Building to its selection of Fox Umbrellas with whangee handles. See co-founder Alan See's website for their Euro-dandy-in-Asia feel.
For its custom tailor partnership, The Armoury works with WW Chan, a reputable Hong Kong tailor, as well as European stitchers. Prices begin at US$1,300.
Alternatively, there's Moustache, a small tailoring shop in Soho that specializes in flattering cuts with idiosyncratic details personalized to each customer.
The Armoury, 307 Pedder Building, 12 Pedder St., Central, +852 2804 6991, thearmoury.com
Moustache, 31 Aberdeen St., Sheung Wan, +852 2541 1955, www.moustachehongkong.com
3. Chic Cathay clichés abound - Shanghai Tang
Traditional Chinese clothing is borderline costume, but some places get it right and offer all the beauty and quality of traditional design without turning us into a Halloween disaster.
Shanghai Tang is the ambassador of modern Chinese chic. Founded in Hong Kong in 1994, the brand is known for its use of bright colors and Chinese silhouettes.
It's flamboyant but wearable, and unmistakably Chinese.
The three-story flagship store in Hong Kong is a mansion of old China aesthetics brought into the 21st century. The shop also offers custom tailoring service and a range of homeware.
If Shanghai Tang is a little too bold, there's Fang Fong, where the Chinese touches are subtle.
Hong Kong-bred Wu Lai-fan also does custom tailoring at her shops.
You can always go all the way and throw back to the 1950s with a full-on cheongsam made at Linva. The tailors reputedly dressed Maggie Cheung in her iconic dresses in Wong Kar-wai's "In the Mood for Love."
Shanghai Tang Hong Kong flagship, 1 Duddell St., Central, +852 +852 2525 7333, www.shanghaitang.com
Fang Fong, 69A Peel St., Central, +852 3105 5557; B3, 160 Electric Road, North Point, +852 2857 2057, www.facebook.com
Linva, 38 Cochrane St., Central, +852 2544 2456
4. Hong Kong's indie crowd has its own shop - Daydream Nation
Daydream Nation is the place to see the work of up-and-coming local designers and getting a feel for Hong Kong's indie culture.
The fashion label has adopted the second floor of the Hong Kong Arts Centre as its home, transforming it with circus-themed props and decor.
The clothes are whimsical, slightly theatrical, the accessories are trend-setting and statement-making -- last year's grand feather collars are a fab example.
Daydream Nation also sell their friends' creations at the shop, and their friends are all of Hong Kong's hot young creatives. Look out for leather goods from Fungus Workshop, ZOEE accessories, bags by Hoiming and a selection of albums from Hong Kong's best indie bands.
Parties and art events are an expected by-product of this indie hub. The Daydream Nation Facebook page has details on upcoming events.
Other shops where you can find edgy Hong Kong design include Voulez Vous, Triple Major and Heaven Please.
Daydream Nation, 2/F, Hong Kong Arts Centre, 2 Harbour Road, Wanchai, HK +852 2817 6313 www.daydream-nation.com
Voulez Vous, 26 Yiu Wah St., Causeway Bay, +852 2806 2616
Triple-Major Habitat @ Signed-by, 43 Tung St., Sheung Wan www.triple-major.com
Heaven Please, 2B Po Foo Building, 1 Foo Ming St., Causeway Bay +852 2311 9533 Heaven Please on Facebook
5. Curated craftsmanship is hot - Kapok
The brains behind the curated collection at Kapok is Arnault Castel, a Frenchman with impeccable taste. His boutiques bring the world's fashion-insider labels to our doorstep.
Castel falls in love with the best (but not necessarily best known) fashion, accessories and publications, then brings them to his Hong Kong stores. The shops are filled with products that emphasize craftsmanship, quality and creativity.
Items come from everywhere -- Denmark to the United States to our own backyard.
The latest products are Marie Turnor clutches, Junghans watches and Miansai bracelets.
Kapok also collaborates with designers on products, such as the Makr Carry Goods rucksack.
The two shops are located in the Star Street neighborhood, a solid place for food, fashion and people watching.
Its neighbors include the Monocle shop, Club Monaco's menswear boutique (the world's third) and Wudai-Shiguo.
Kapok, 5 St. Francis Yard, Wanchai, +852 2549 9254; 3 Sun St., Wanchai, +852 2520 0114, www.ka-pok.com
Did we miss your favorite boutique, atelier or designer label emporium? Let us know in the comments below.


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UNCW Holds Off Monarchs, 6-3
By ODU Athletics
March 30, 2013
NORFOLK, VA-- The UNC Wilmington (19-8/6-1) Seahawks defeated the Old Dominion Baseball Monarchs (13-12/4-7), 6-3 Saturday afternoon behind the pitching of righthanded starter Jordan Ramsey.
Rightfielder Tyler Molinaro started the Seahawks three-run second inning off with a one-out solo homer over the rightfield wall, his fifth of the season. UNCW scored three more runs in the fourth as Terence Connelly singled home Drew Farber, and later designated hitter Hunter Ridge knocked in two runs for a 6-0 Seahawk lead.
ODU Junior secondbaseman Brian Bashara (Norfolk, VA.) led off the fifth with a single and would later score the Monarchs first run after a UNCW error.
The Monarchs mounted a rally in the ninth as Tyler Urps (Wilton, CA.) reached after being hit with a pitch. Freshman centerfielder Connor Myers (Middletown, MD.) then doubled to left. A Seahawk error on junior rightfielder Ben Verlander's (Maidens, VA.) grounder brought home Urps. ODU freshman pinch hitter P.J. Higgins (Wallingford, CT.) singled home Myers to make it 6-3, but reliever Kelly Secrest got the next out to end the game.
Eight different Monarchs had one hit on the day for ODU while Drew Farber led UNCW with three hits, followed by Hunter Ridge and Terence Connelly with two each.
Ramsey pitched seven innings for the Seahawks, giving up one run, two walks and striking out sixth for his fourth win of the season. He now has a 1.46 ERA which is second in the CAA.
The two teams play the third and final game of the series Sunday at 1 p.m. at the ODU Bud Metheny Baseball Complex.
UNCW- Ramsey, Livengood(8), Secrest(9) and Farber ODU - Yarbrough, Alexander(7) and Kowalczyk
HR: UNCW - Molinaro (5) WP: Ramsey(4-2) LP: Yarbrough (1-3) save: Secrest(2)


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The Creature NU Fine Art Collectible • Limited Edition of only 10,000 Worldwide!
The Creature NU! Special Limited Edition "TAO" from the Rainbow Series. Black is the perfect color to represent everything that does and doesn't exist, and then some—the Tao. Only 10,000 Worldwide. 5 inches tall. Made in USA from laser-cut pine / painted, stainless steel inlays—individually painted, hand-assembled, and signed by the artist. Comes beautifully gift-wrapped in sustainable box/ribbon with Certificate of Authenticity.
Because the artist Metrov is collected worldwide by fine art aficionados, including celebs like Mick Jagger, and Robert Zemeckis (Academy Award winning writer-director-producer of FORREST GUMP), these unique artworks are destined to become valuable, limited edition, collector's items. Get yours while they last!
An international symbol of Sustainability, the Creature NU is a Champion of Youth everywhere. By displaying the NU logo or NU product, you show the world you're doing your part to insure future generations are able to meet their needs without compromising ours.
The Creature NU Fine Art Collectible • Limited Edition of only 10,000 Worldwide!
|.75 lbs
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Rangers host Devils to begin longest homestand of season
(SportsNetwork.com) - The New York Rangers hope to begin their longest home stretch of the season on a positive note when they welcome the struggling New Jersey Devils for Saturday's Metropolitan Division battle at Madison Square Garden.
The Blueshirts began the 2013-14 season on a nine-game road trip from Oct. 3-26 while the Garden was undergoing major renovations. New York went 3-6-0 on that swing, but hopes to do much better during this homestand of the same length. However, the Rangers are just 5-6-0 as the host this season compared to a 10-8-0 mark on the road.
This homestand will run through the Christmas break, as the Rangers aren't scheduled to play another road game until they visit Washington on Dec. 27.
The Devils have won both meetings against the Rangers this season, notching a 4-0 home win on Oct. 19 before recording a 3-2 regulation decision at MSG on Nov. 12. New York had won four in a row on home ice in this series before last month's loss to the Devils.
With 30 points, the Rangers are tied with Washington for third place in the Metro Division, while the Devils are two points behind in a tie with Philadelphia.
New York enters Saturday having won two of its last three games and the club is coming off Thursday's 3-1 win in Buffalo. Henrik Lundqvist made 27 saves to help anchor the victory at First Niagara Center.
The Rangers No. 1 goalie almost turned in a shutout on Thursday, but a stickhandling miscue led to a late goal for the Sabres. Lundqvist, after agreeing to a seven-year contract extension on Wednesday, was working on his third shutout of the season when his failed clear led to a Tyler Ennis goal with 2:06 remaining in the third period.
Rick Nash, Brad Richards and Mats Zuccarello scored for the Rangers.
"There wasn't a lot of room," said Vigneault. "They play a really solid defensive game and we made them pay in the first period with a controlled breakout."
The Rangers, who will host Washington tomorrow evening, have lost four of their last five home games.
New Jersey will try to halt a three-game slide when it kicks off a three-game road trip on Saturday. The Devils were in action Friday night against visiting Detroit and dropped a 3-1 decision to lose for the sixth time in eight outings.
The Devils only managed to send 11 shots on net in last night's loss against the Red Wings and Jimmy Howard stopped 10 of them to hold New Jersey to one goal. It was the lowest shot total of the season for the Devils.
Andy Greene scored the only goal of the game for New Jersey, while Cory Schneider allowed all three goals on 21 shots.
"We did some good things moving the puck but we just couldn't get any shots through on net," said Schneider. "If we could have got that second one it would have been big, but they played tough."
Martin Brodeur will get the start in net for the Devils on Saturday. The future Hall of Famer is 48-30-5 with 15 ties and a superb 2.13 goals against average in 98 career games against the Rangers.
Lundqvist also has terrific career numbers against the Devils, going 28-14-5 with a 1.84 GAA in 47 lifetime tilts in this series.


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A Day In The Life Of B.E.T's 106 & Parks Dj Prostyle! (Meets Up With Celebs Daddy Yankee, Wayne Wonder, Rick Ross, Fat Joe & More) [14 Min Documentary]
This a documentary basically documenting a day in the life of B.E.T's 106 & Parks Dj Prostyle. We follow him through Orlando, Fl as he meets up with his celebrity friends Daddy Yankee, Wayne Wonder, Rick Ross, Fat Joe, & Reggaeton Artist Jowell Y Randy, Alexis Y Fido and De La Ghetto for his Birthday bash at club Destiny. Shout out to Wuz Good
Please click the "Report" button below if the video on this page is not working properly.
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- Pierce mod on primary shows 20 energy gain in the damage preview if you hit 2 targets. Correctly gives 10 energy on shot.
- Three turn ult mod has no damage preview numbers for the third turn.
- [Wiskerz] Cryo core detonates once [per phase] instead of once per turn
Maybe bugs:
- Cold snap is effected by cover, which seems inconsistent.
- It's slightly awkward that there are no 1 cost mods on Cold Snap.
- Overall energy gain feels on the low side, between the shield not giving energy and the AoE only gaining 6 per target. (Lockwood gains 8 per target in a AoE, with similar mods). Also energy gain on primary is slightly low if cryo cores aren't popping, but that's to be expected.
- Cryo Core could explode in a 2 space range so that the AoE actually feels relevant, it's extremely rare that two enemies are adjacent next to each other.
- I sort of wish that Arctic Blast and/or Polar Vortex applied Cryo Core, with the ability's damage reduced to compensate.
- Following the above, I'd be interested to see a version of the kit where Cryo Cores dealt more damage and everything else in his kit dealt less.


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I applaud the logic behind Toshiba's self-erasing drives, which uses encryption to recognise which machine it's in. If taken out and used in another PC, the encryption keys destroy the data, and voila, no one can see all those photos and video you've meticulously stored away.
Only problem is, what happens if you forget you own a self-erasing drive? They range in capacity from 160GB to 640GB. [Toshiba via ComputerWorld via Wired]


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The Central Connecticut volleyball team topped Robert Morris 3-1 in the Northeast Conference Tournament Semifinals on Saturday afternoon to advance to the NEC Championship and face LIU Brooklyn. The two teams will play on Sunday at 3 p.m. at LIU Brooklyn with a trip to the NCAA Tournament at stake.
Central advances to the NEC Final for the first time since the 2003 season. With the victory they are now 18-12 overall on the season. LIU Brooklyn swept the Blue Devils this season, but the last match in New Britain went to five sets. The Blackbirds topped St. Francis (PA) in the other semifinal on the day, and have not lost in conference play this season.
Seniors Emily Cochran and Blaike King both posted 19 kills to lead the Blue Devils to victory. Freshman Makenna Lommori contributed the assist on 45 of Central's 60 kills in the match.
Fittingly, the final three points of the match were consecutive kills by King, Lommori and Cochran. Lommori assisted on the kills by King and Cochran.
The Blue Devils jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the match behind a 25-23 first set victory and a 25-17 second set win.
In the first set, King posted five kills and Cochran and junior Veronkia Ban each recorded four. CCSU also had four blocks in the set, including three by senior Jamie Rademacher.
In the second set, Cochran, Ban and King were again the leading hitters, but this time Cochran posted five kills and King and Ban each had three.
Robert Morris captured the third set by a score of 25-13, which set up and exciting final game.
The Blue Devils captured an exciting fourth set by a score of 25-21. The two teams traded points and were frequently within a point throughout the set, but Central was able to pull away for the victory. Lommori contributed 17 assists as CCSU posted 20 kills in the final set to earn the victory. King (8) and Cochran (6) led the team on attack in the final set.
Senior Allyson Porter posted 25 digs to lead the defense. Cochran (18) and Schumacher (10) also contributed to the defense with double-digit digs.
The Blue Devils had six blocks in the match with Rademacher contributing four.
Lommori finished with 45 assists, six kills, seven digs and three blocks. She also reached 1,000 assists for the season with her 27th assist of the game.
Fans that can not attend the match can watch live on NECFrontRow.com.


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Most anime is some form of coming of age story. Heck, a large chunk of literature is about growing up. From Journey to The West (Dragon Ball those in the know) to Guilty Crown to Catcher in the Rye, it's all about how a boy (or a girl. Anime likes to tell this story about girls a bit, too) learns to accept himself and then change the world. Tsuritama, surprisingly, manages to... See full review
I really, really meant to review Bakemonogatari way back when it aired, since the show seemed to captivate the anisphere. Here's the thing: I was never quite sure what I watched. To me, the show was overly complex when it didn't need to be, a continual tease, and only "intelligent" in the way two teenagers up late talking about life can be. But I held my tongue. I could never form a set of arguments that satisfied me. ... See full review
Working!! nearly wore out its welcome when it first aired. As the season wound down, the emphasis on Takanashi and Inami's relationship began to consume all the screen time, reducing the fun and episodic slice of life series to a monotonously dysfunctional romance. So. Should we watch a second season when the first seemed to run out of steam? OF COURSE. With the two "leads" at a sort of developmental detente, Working'!! explodes in a bunch of... See full review
Some of you fondly remember being a twelve year old anime fan. Back then the foundations of incredible storytelling--compelling plot twists, subtle characterization, and good acting--seemed of little import. What mattered most was whether the battles were awesome and the characters looked cool. For those of you deeply in touch with this younger self and a few hours to kill, run along and watch Sacred Seven. The rest of you, stick around a bit before you decide how to spend your time. Sacred Seven works by... See full review
4-koma adapatations are probably among my favorite anime. Their predictable pacing relaxes me, and the humor can range from raunchy (Doujin Work) to deliberately strange (Azumanga Daioh). Of these, ones set in high school seem to pop up again and again, threatening to make the genre grow stale. And then, there's Hidamari Sketch. SHAFT's work stands from the crowd out by marrying simple... See full review
Thanks to Lucky Star and Azumanga Daioh, it seems at times that "slice-of-life" is synononamous with high school. However, titles that buck that trend like Doujin Work and Muteki Kanban Musume demonstrate that the world at large holds just as many laughs and it's into this tradition that Working!! falls. This series follows ... See full review
With its self-contained plot, small cast, and punchy finale, the first half of Denpa Onna to Seshun Otoko plays out like a clever OVA. After moving to the big city to live with his aunt, Makoto Niwa juggles a flirtation-filled school life with the thorny problem of his deluded cousin, Erio (she thinks she's an alien and spends all her time wearing a futon). As he slowly... See full review
In the spring of 2010, Kimi ni Todoke charmed many viewers with its floral visuals and stunning performance by Mamiko Noto as Sawako Kuronuma. Like a rarefied picture of high school romance, the series drew out the bittersweet anticipation that comes from not knowing how your crush feels about you, and turned it into a kind of delightful torture--for viewers who were into that kind of thing... See full review
There is a place in everyone's diet for comfort food. Whether it be a functional fantasy OVA like Ruin Explorers or a serviceable moe comedy like Kanamemo, not everything produced can or intends to touch greatness. Kage Kara Mamoru slides easily into this general bin, forfeiting any minor ambitions in order to become a security blanket of competence. And for the most part, it... See full review
It's no secret that I like silly slice of life anime. Generally the less plot on display, the happier I am. So, when I fired up Shinryaku! Ika-musume, I knew there was a significant chance that I'd at least like the show. But this little anime's potent mix of outlandish situations and well-placed narrative fake-outs surprised even me. Shinryaku! Ika-musume starts with an absurd premise: a squid-girl rises from the ocean intent on enslaving humanity armed only with an imperious attitude and ten... See full review
Remember when you were little and your parents left you alone in the house? You got out that giant mixing bowl and threw ALL of your favorite foods into it: pizza bites, pretzels, ice cream, chocolate and strawberry syrup, whipped cream, and cookie dough. Face it, it tasted awful. That, ladies and gentlemen is kind of what Tantei Opera Milky Holmes is--an ill-considered, pandering clusterfuck of moe. Tantei Opera Milky Holmes is an excuse to name some high school students after famous fictional detectives... See full review
Back in the late '90's, I approached anime purchases as an exciting gamble. Armed only with a fistfull of cash earned from long hours as a soccer referee and unbounded enthusiasm, I would go to the video store and buy something, based only on attractiveness of its box art. In this magical time filled with VHS tapes and blissful ignorance, Iria: Zeiram the Animation by chance, drawn in by is short length and comely heroine. While not a masterpiece of storytelling, animation, or sound, it does everything a good OVA... See full review
THIS IS A REVIEW OF THE SECOND SEASON. AS SUCH, IT WILL CONTAIN SOME SPOILERS FOR SEASON ONE. You have been warned. Awhile ago, I reviewed Sekirei's first season as mediocre but entertaining. Its cocktail of boobs, action, foreshadowing, and boobs failed to live up to its potential, but I could see a strong possibility for improvement on the horizon. Luckily, the 2010 sequel, ... See full review
I first learned about Detroit Metal City via an ANN review of the manga. The purile, no-holds-barred, and vulgar work proved to be a comedic gem, and so when KiraRin goaded me into reviewing the Studio 4C OVA spinoff, I needed little convincing. Though the animation offers little that fans familiar with the manga won't recognize, the direction and soundtrack enhance the material admirably. True to its heavy metal spirit, the concert (OVA) does not deviate in content from the album (the manga) and the result is... See full review
Nearly everyone who watched anime in the era when you had to buy it from your local video store has dropped shows for financial reasons. Or because it wasn't available. Or because you forgot to continue buying it. Either way, the age of the internet (and a 9-5 job) allows you and I to return to those shows that you never got around to seeing through. Of the anime on my list that fits this bill, Shamanic Princess stood out, since I remember having no idea what it was really about beyond cool magical battles in the dark. So, when I returned to... See full review
My experience with Studio 4C had been--at the time--fleeting, but I can clearly remember seeing a preview for Tweeny Witches at Sakura-con in 2009. Despite the off-putting English language title, I did feel my heart beat faster and my imagination pique as the sequence rolled. The rich setting and fantastic characters implied a vast, sweeping narrative set in an engaging locale, which suited my escapist anime predilections perfectly; so when fellow reviewer therik asked me to give it as a spin before... See full review
It's easy to dismiss Go Nagai out-of-hand. His work is puerile, his characterization non-existent, and his art sloppy, but anyone can achieve these lows of quality. Nagai, on the other hand, frustrates, enrages, and offends because when a viewer takes time to consider his work he can see where his stories might have legs--had not their author been too obsessed with breasts, stupid expressions, and wanton violence. Encouraged to give him a second shot by an apologetic review of the Devilman manga, I fired up Hanappe... See full review
I have a deep affection for stupid, ecchi shows. Ninja Nonsense and Penguin Musume Heart rank among my favorite diversions and I'll watch a good, nudity-filled Xebec series any day of the week. Anime with no pretensions that provides amusing, modesty-driven humor forms an enjoyable staple in any male anime fan's diet. Riding high on the moderate success of Ladies Versus Butlers, I checked out ... See full review
Cassie and I have similar taste in anime, which I find remarkable due to the fact that her list FAR outclasses mine and her favorite genre is shounen while mine is moe slice-of-life. But, when therik's incessant pestering had us buddy-grouping Manabi Straight, our near-uniform reaction to the title could only mean one thing: Joint review. What follows is part conversation, part essay, and all good. Cassie: It feels... See full review
Despite my Y chromosome, I have a thing for shoujo. Raised on Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman and The Cutting Edge, I love watching chemistry develop between two paramours from either furtive affection or outright antagonism into burning romance. Such a predilection stands behind my decision to watch Spring 2010's Kimi ni Todoke, a delicate flower of a high school love-story told through Production I.G.'s crisp visuals and astute sound direction. And, while the solid technical aspects and... See full review
It's nearly impossible to be an anime fan and avoid lolicon, as the medium as a whole is obsessed with youth sexuality. Though I've seen Kyou no Go no Ni and Kanamemo, I felt it was high time to try out the lurid and colorful world of more directly pandering shows, and so fired up Chokotto Sister. While I did not find a dark and twisted new fetish, I was beguiled by the adorable girl, her tantalizing, blank notebook, and her gaggle of entertaining... See full review
Skin and parody go hand-in-hand. As the US porn industry knows, the fastest way to make a good send-up of a famous movie or popular genre is to strip everyone naked, add some corny dialogue and milk the associations (among other things). Of late, we've seen Seitokai no Ichizon parody every popular anime of the last decade and Ladies Versus Butlers making fun of itself, so how could a satire of a classic show like Ultraman fail? Well, Ultimate Girls demonstrates that... See full review
Let's talk for a moment about pacing. Pacing is the rate at which a story progresses; the speed at which the plot develops can make or break any narrative effort, but appears to me to be an acute issue in anime. The deft, non-linear approach of Higurashi no Naku Koro ni keeps its viewers on the edge of their seats. Conversely, the plodding half-formed yarn of Aoi Hana withers when almost nothing happens (even by the statue-speed standards of yuri romance, that anime fails). Of all anime, ... See full review
Watch enough good anime and you start to ask more from it as a medium, and then the malaise sets in. If it doesn't look as good as Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children, sound like Nodame Cantabile, and touch you like La Maison en Petit Cubes, then there's no point in watching it whatsoever. Sound familiar? Let me offer you a re-calibrating balm: Toriko. If you don't find this one-shot animation funny, walk... See full review
I had thought that Kanokon ~Manatsu no Daishunikusai~ would be the most lackluster anime that I'd see during 2009. Given that Kouta and Chizuru graced our screens in November, that assertion seemed likely to hold. Oh, how wrong I was. After the delicious melancholy of Blue Drop, I fired up Itsudatte My Santa! looking for something short and funny with a slight zest of holiday cheer. Unfortunately, however, it proved too long on stupid and... See full review
Story Watching Strawberry Panic!, Aoi Hana, and Blue Drop can lead you to think that shoujo-ai anime is serious business. Fortunately, Kasimasi: Girl Meets Girl demonstrates that an intriguing romance stories spring out of a stupid premises and unoriginal gags just as easily. Behind the gender-bending antics and zany ... See full review
I enjoyed the original Kanokon series. Coming to it right after Penguin Musume Heart and Sekirei, my reaction at the time was "Teehee! Ecchi is funny!" So, I figured that the 2009 OVA, Kanokon ~Manatsu no Daishanikusai~ would be another harmless and cheap source of perverted laughs. Not so. Short on quality fan-service and filled with dull ... See full review
Every so often, you stumble upon an anime that tries very hard to ruin itself: School Days, for example, almost runs for too many episodes; Code Geass takes a turn for the overly-complicated in the end of its first season; and Shakugan no Shana allows Kazumi to open her mouth. In all these cases, the foundations of the show prevent its failings from overwhelming the experience. 2009's Pandora Hearts falls... See full review
Disclaimer: This is not a site review. If you're reading one of these, it's unlikely I'll ever write a site review for this anime. Probably because I don't want to pick it apart. ^_^I'll be honest. I saw Mnemosyne, because VivisQueen felt obligated to mention the large amounts of sex in her review. That said, I enjoyed the whole experience heartily. After the lackluster first episode, the OVA gains momentum until the final installment ends in a comparatively unimpressive manner. Maybe if there had been seven entries instead of six, the conclusion wouldn't have felt as rushed and confusing.Story... See full review
Disclaimer: This is not a site review. If you're reading one of these, it's unlikely I'll ever write a site review for this anime. Probably because I don't want to pick it apart. ^_^Saki's problem lies with its blatant imperfections. Up to around episode 15, this show is amazing. The spectacular animation and amusing characters mitigate the sometimes sluggish pacing, the mahjong sits center-stage at nearly all times in the show, and Rie Kugimiya is voice acting. What more can you ask for?However, when the action wanders away from the board into a land where the animation budget clearly isn't as high... See full review


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QUEBEC - Quebec's new government wants to conduct its own review of a proposed oil pipeline project in addition to the federal one.
Alexandre Cloutier, the Parti Quebecois minister for Canadian intergovernmental affairs and minister responsible for "sovereigntist governance," says Quebec wants to ensure the suggested Enbridge pipeline follows its laws and regulations.
The pipeline would reverse the flow of a link already in operation between Montreal and North Westover, Ont. Instead of transporting imported oil into the country, the flow would be reversed to send domestic oil from Western Canada to consumers in Central Canada.
"There will be consultations in Quebec," Cloutier said Wednesday. "The people who are directly involved will be consulted. We will make sure that the environmental regulations and Quebec laws are applied."
The project is being reviewed by the National Energy Board.
In the longer term, Cloutier said the Harper government's plans to decrease the federal role in environmental assessments, outlined in the last budget, could create a void that Quebec might fill.
"The federal government, when it decides to pull out, leaves a vacant space that the Quebec government can decide to take or not, depending on financial and regulatory implications and even in terms of providing public service," Cloutier explained.
"However, it is our wish, our DNA, that every field of jurisdiction be occupied by Quebec."
Environment Minister Daniel Breton, who has concerns about oil spills, said Quebec wants more information on the Enbridge project before deciding to approve it.
"We are in charge of our territory, we must have our say," he said. "It's as simple as that."
Breton said he wants Quebec to participate in hearings by the National Energy Board on the matter. Breton criticized the previous provincial Liberal government for not being more involved in the file, saying they dismissed it because it wasn't their jurisdiction.
"We're going to deal with it because it's a question of protecting the environment on our territory."
Breton said no decision has been made on which provincial agency will be responsible for the consulation but Natural Resources Minister Martine Ouellet said Quebec will pay close attention to the deliberations of the National Energy Board.
"We will have to analyze the impact of the project," she said. "We do not have all the information we need to look at the economic impact, the environmental impacts."
Interim Liberal Leader Jean-Marc Fournier said he's fine with the idea of more environmental monitoring. But he said he hopes the PQ government hasn't already decided against the project.
Also on HuffPost


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Two reporters set out in two Detroit neighborhoods to gasuge the meaning and importants of race in the campaign for the White House.
The Classic Creations barber shop sits empty, surrounded by drunks and shuttered storefronts just two blocks from the manicured lawns of Grosse Pointe Park. The contrast isn't lost on LaVar Anthony, a young barber who speaks in riddles of race, class and politics.
"What's already understood," he says without looking up from his Ebony magazine, "don't need to be explained."THE CLICK BOX
Here's where to learn
more about the issues in the presidential campaign.
Election map based
on latest polls The debates Associated Press
Democratic Party
Republican Party
Politicker.com League of Women Voters
McCain campaign
Obama campaign
MassVote Real Clear Politics Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement Project Vote Smart
Rock the Vote
But when it comes to race, what is understood? And what is misunderstood?
And how can it be that in 2008 – 143 years after slavery was abolished, decades after the civil rights movement – an AP-Yahoo News poll could find that racial misgivings could cost Sen. Barack Obama the election?
In search of explanations, two Associated Press reporters – one black, one white – listened to people of both races along Detroit's divides: Alter Road, which separates the city from the tony Grosse Pointes near Lake St. Clair, and 8 Mile Road, the vast northern border between a mostly black Detroit and its mostly white suburbs.
They found people of both races living just blocks apart who nonetheless spoke of each other like strangers. There was suspicion, contempt – and yet, for many, a desperate hope that Obama's candidacy might be the final step in America's long path to racial equality. For whites, their support of Democratic economic policies forces them to confront their racial prejudices.
It is here you meet decent people with much in common – both sides of 8 Mile Road are populated by blue-collar Democratic families. But many still can't get past their racial differences.
Whites say their neighbors consider blacks to be violent and solely responsible for problems in the black community.
Blacks say many of their own consider whites to be spoiled and condescending.
But nobody – well, hardly anybody – acknowledged their own prejudices. Both blacks and whites instead blamed "they," a vague and unaccountable surrogate for their own racial attitudes.
"They" are whites who say Obama is unqualified when they really mean he's black.
"They" are blacks who say all whites are bigots.
Anthony knows who "they" are.
"It's understood that there's still a lot of racism that goes on out there," the barber says with a nod out his window and a wisdom beyond his 30 years. "A lot of white people look down on blacks as being lazy or whatever."
Perched on a ragged leather barber chair closest to the door, his knees pulled to his chest, Anthony fixes his gaze on a white journalist visiting his shop. "The stereotype against whites is that they have all the advantages," he says. "They all look down on us. They're snobs."
Four of every 10 white Americans hold at least a partly negative view toward blacks, calling them "lazy," or "violent" or blaming them for the ills of black America, according to the AP-Yahoo poll. Such surveys draw criticism from whites who say the numbers are exaggerated and from blacks who say the numbers are too low.
Let others argue about the math. Listen while the people of Detroit explain.
"My kids have been called nigger babies. ... That was from a white family," says Cherlonda Hampton, a black woman shopping at an outdoor mall on 8 Mile Road.
A petite mother of nine who looks half her 37 years, Hampton says she was harassed by whites while living in suburban Detroit. Feces were smeared on her car. A dead bird was left on a tire. When her child was bitten by a white classmate, the white principal didn't seem to care.
After a year, Hampton returned to her segregated Detroit neighborhood.
This is an apt place to talk about race in America. Detroit's population peaked at nearly 2 million in the 1950s and has been on the decline ever since, dropping to less than 1 million in the latest Census figures. Although racial tension isn't the only cause, the 1967 race riots hastened Detroit's decline and mandatory school busing a decade later stoked unrest.
Coleman A. Young, the city's first black mayor and a racially polarizing figure, said before his 1997 death, "No other city in America, no other city in the Western world has lost the population at that rate. And what's at the root cause of that loss? Economics and race. Or should I say, race and economics?"
White working-class Detroiters fled the city in droves, many to Macomb County and its working-class suburbs north of 8 Mile Road. Detroit's white-flighters were among the first to be dubbed "Reagan Democrats" – socially conservative, economically progressive, mostly Catholic voters who abandoned the Democratic Party for the GOP, in part because Republicans exploited their racial fears.
Their children and grandchildren are just as politically independent – swing voters in a swing county that both Obama and Republican John McCain hope to carry en route to winning Michigan.
And, like the Reagan Democrats of a generation ago, whites in Macomb County today aren't sure whether to vote their pocketbooks or their prejudices.
"I work at a grocery store and I know a lot of people who are not going to vote for (Obama) because of the racial thing," says Colleen Mullins, a white woman who lives with her husband Daniel in a black neighborhood south of 8 Mile Road.
"I'm hoping Obama wins because he's for the middle class," says Mark Coccia, 48, outside a suburban post office just north of Detroit. He's white, a laid-off factory worker and lifelong Democrat who's about to declare bankruptcy.
An American flag cracks in the wind as Coccia explains that he agrees with Obama's politics and admires the Illinois Democrat. But Coccia can't move beyond race.
"They can't blame the white man," he says of blacks. "Their own color sold them into slavery."
Coccia takes a seat at a picnic table and opines that McCain will die in office if elected and leave a woman, Sarah Palin, as president. "That," he says, "is not right."
Still, he may not back Obama.
"What kind of choice do guys like me have? A black guy or a woman," Coccia says. "It's a lesser of two evils."
He laughs, then turns serious – though it is never clear how serious he was all along.
"If Obama was a white candidate and gave the same convention speech," McCain wouldn't stand a chance. "But people are going to judge by the color of his skin."
"Not me, mind you," Coccia hastens to add, "But they will."
There's that pesky "they." You can talk for hours about "they" and "them" along 8 Mile Road. Though race relations are nowhere near as bad as they were in the 1960s, a white person can live for years in the suburbs without ever coming in contact with a black and, conversely, a Detroiter can grow up in the city without getting to know a white suburbanite.
Here, it's unfamiliarity that can breed contempt – or at least misunderstanding.
It would be a mistake to dismiss Coccia as a "bigot" or "redneck." Such labels turn him into a cartoon, somehow taking the edge off his racial views.
He exists, and so do his views, and they're shared by countless blacks and whites.
"They're everywhere," says Scott Flatt, 37, after stopping his bike just north of 8 Mile Road in Eastpointe to talk about blacks. "But I don't mind blacks as much as some of my neighbors. They're bigots."
Richard Mosely, a 35-year-old engineer working just west of Alter Road in Detroit, sets aside his blueprints to discuss the sentiments of fellow blacks. "They think whites are punks," he says. "I don't, necessarily."
Blacks are more generous in their description of whites than whites are of blacks, according to the AP-Yahoo News poll, but the two races see racial discrimination in starkly different terms.
When asked "how much discrimination against blacks" exists, just 10 percent of whites said "a lot" and 45 percent said "some."
Among blacks, 57 percent said "a lot" and all but a fraction of the rest said "some."
Two blocks from Anthony's barber shop in Detroit, James Turnbull of Grosse Pointe Park takes a break from his morning gardening to show off his prized blooms to a black journalist. Before long, the conversation turns to race, class and politics, subjects the 71-year-old white man encountered as a young man working in poor, black neighborhoods in the Jim Crow South.
While repossessing a family's kitchen appliances, "I would have a, pardon the expression, pickanniny on one arm," he recalls.
In one breath, Turnbull politely uses that long-passe pejorative for a black child. In the next, he says he's been around black politics for a long time and worked for former Detroit Mayor Dennis Archer, who is black. He believes the poll results showing white Democrats are letting their prejudices affect their vote.
"It does surprise me that they admitted it," he says.
Separated by a short walk – from Anthony's barber shop to Turnbull's blooms – are two ways of life: Porsches north of Alter Road, busy bus stops to the south; canopied awnings decorating storefronts to the north; bars and steel sliding doors protecting shops to south; white and black drivers pumping gas across the street from one another at unofficially segregated stations.
Not that Turnbull minds. "You live here, you don't see it," he says.
But he does notice a group of young, black men walking west on Jefferson, headed out of the Grosse Pointes into Detroit.
"You see them?" he points. "Some folks would look at them and say, 'There go three potential gang members. They've got the black do-rags. Their pants are sagging. They don't look like your neighborhood kid here."'
But to him?
Turnbull wipes the soil from soiled hands and thinks for a minute. "I would hope that I would see just a bunch of kids."


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Tegan_S necesitaba un nuevo diseño de impreso o envases y lanzó un concurso de diseño en 99designs.
Un ganador ha sido elegido entre 44 diseños de 7 diseñadores freelance.
Greedy Steed
We sell hay nets that are used to feed hay to horses and ponies.
Our existing target audience, and the one we are targeting with this ad, is predominantly female. We operate in the Australian and New Zealand markets only.
The target audience will be for horse/pony owners that have difficulty keeping the weight off their equine. Our specific products increase the time taken for the horse to consume their feed (essentially we aim to relieve boredom for horses on restricted rations)
An A5 double sided brochure with the front side to be used as the product label and the back side to be instructions.
The text for the instruction side is in the file Instructions.pdf (this is not a layout - just content)
The text for the product label side is in the file Product Label.pdf (this is not a layout - just content)
We have uploaded our Logo as svg and ai formats. We would like the logo to be on both sides of the brochure please.
The product photo is in the file br_black_5_hanging.png this just needs to be on the label side.
The label side will also need to have a space for a barcode 40mm wide x 27 mm high.
We will require the original "vector based" source files in SVG format as well as the orginal format of the application used to create it (e.g. Adobe Illistrator ai format).
Font file must be supplied.
We are flexible with the use of colour and imagery, feel free to be creative!
We also have a contest running for banner ads - http://99designs.com/banner-ad-desi…-ads-47371


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Microsoft Taiwan has launched several new wireless mice in Taiwan including the Wireless Mobile Mouse 3000 and 6000, Wireless Mouse 5000 and Arc Mouse, according to the company.
The Wireless Mobile Mouse 6000 and Wireless Mouse 5000 feature Microsoft's exclusive BlueTrack technology, which provides more accuracy.
Microsoft Wireless Mouse 5000 mouse
Photo: Terry Ku, Digitimes, July 2009


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Take the fastest car GM's ever built, slap on a famous Dodge Charger paint job. The result? The General Lee Corvette ZR1. It ran in last week's Gold Rush Rally and it's everything a Duke boy could ever want.
[gallery 5568676]
No, this doesn't make any sense and no, the doors are not welded shut, but this General Lee could most definitely outrun Sheriff Rosco P. Coltrane. It's certainly one of the best, if not at all historically accurate General Lees ever. The 638 HP supercharged bright orange monster was painted up for this year's Gold Rush Rally, a five day rich boy's race from Seattle to Las Vegas. The 'Vette's so ridiculous we can't help but love it, sort of like taking the life's best things and tossing them into a mixer. A pizza and margarita smoothie doesn't sound too appetizing, but this ZR1 definitely hits the spot. (Thanks for the tip green28)


text: The Holden landfill on River Street will be open one Saturday each summer month for composting: July 21, August 18 and September 22, 7 a.m.- 1:30 p.m. No commercial loads; only cars, pick-ups and small trailers. Proof of residency required. Loose leaves, grass clippings and small amounts of brush with a diameter greater than one inch and less than six inches will be accepted. No roots, stumps, bushes or briars. Brush must be separated from leaves and grass clippings, and delivered to the chipping area. Residents must empty bags and containers of clippings and leaves, and take the containers home.


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With the Conneticut school shooting, one thing that seems to stick out is a focus on where our money is going.
People don't want to be seen as supporting assault weapons and are moving their money out of companies associated with them.
But it's not just investment money. Earlier this year, people were ceasing patronizing Chick-fil-A after controversial remarks by the company's president.
So my question is: how much do you know about where your money goes? Do you track it?
Vote in my poll below or let me know in the comments!


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Take the salmon out of lomi salmon and what do you have? No, this isn't a riddle, but a valid culinary question. Such a simple dish, hardly one that even requires a recipe, is tough to mess around with too much without accidentally chopping out its soul. Many an intrepid explorer, set on a mission of kitchen conquest, has pushed a simple, fool-proof concept far beyond its reasonable constraints- Myself included. How do you change something so radically and still be able to connect it back to the original dish? Sure, it will be tasty and satisfying, but you can hardly call a sandwich without peanut butter or jelly a PB & J, can you?
No matter how solidly set in stone some recipes may seem, there is always room for fresh interpretation. While wintering in Hawaii, there were plenty of opportunities to experiment with local ingredients and draw inspiration from the native cuisine. Lomi lomi salmon is about as classic Hawaiian as it gets, a staple found at any Luau worth its coconuts. Little more than salted salmon massaged with chopped tomatoes and onions, it compliments the starchier sides with its bright, salty flavors. Though it would seem impossible to veganize at first blush, the islands provide a natural alternative to any fishy components: Sea Asparagus.
Also known as samphire or glasswort, this sea vegetable is a tender green stalk very similar in appearance to tiny land-grown asparagus- Thus the obvious name. Absorbing the sea salt like a sponge, they can be quite salty if not thoroughly rinsed, and should never be salted no matter what you add to them. Slightly crunchy when raw or par-cooked, they're an exotic delight to someone accustomed to flat, gelatinous, or stringy sea vegetables like myself. They grow all over the world and can usually be found in gourmet markets, but naturally, they're cultivated right in the heart of Hawaii, making them more accessible to the city dwellers of Honolulu than most.
This recipe isn't my entirely own creation, but inspired by the serving suggestion printed on the very label for Olakai sea asparagus. The only farm on Oahu growing these spindly green stalks, they know better than anyone else on the island how to best honor this unique ingredient. I've only put a few small twists on their basic formula, making use of more local produce such as the adorable tiny currant tomatoes from Ho Farms and sweet Maui onions. The precise combination is one that I may not be able to repeat for quite some time, but as long as I can find sea asparagus, you can be sure that this salad will find its way to my table.
Lomi Sea Asparagus
4 Ounces Fresh Sea Asparagus
1 Ounce Sweet Onion, Diced
1 Tablespoon Avocado or Olive Oil
1 Tablespoon Lemon Juice
4 Ounces Currant Tomatoes (or Halved Cherry Tomatoes)
Snip off any brown ends on the sea asparagus before rinsing them thoroughly under hot water. Toss them in a bowl along with the diced onion, oil, and lemon juice. Massage the vegetables with your fingers for a minute or two, just to tenderize the stalks slightly. Add in the tomatoes, mix to distribute throughout the salad, and either chill for up to two days, or serve right away. Don't be tempted to add any salt, since the sea asparagus are already packed full of sodium.
Makes 2 – 3 Side Dish Servings


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San Francisco, CA– The Center for Gender & Refugee Studies (CGRS), directed by Professor Karen Musalo at UC Hastings College of the Law, has received a second grant from the Migration Program of the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation. This grant will fund a two-year, multinational project on child migration through Central America, Mexico, and the United States. The first grant, received in November 2012, supports a related CGRS project to examine the treatment of child migrants when they arrive in the United States.
The new project is called "Human Rights, Children, and Migration in Central and North America: Causes, Policies, Practices, and Challenges." On March 12, 2013, CGRS and its partners initiated this project by testifying at a hearing in Washington, DC held by the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR).
The hearing addressed multiple concerns regarding unaccompanied child migrants, thousands of whom flee their homes in Central America and Mexico each year. They are escaping physical abuse, trafficking, forced gang recruitment, and sexual abuse, or trying to reunite with parents living in Mexico or the U.S. They brave harrowing journeys during which they are prey to many kinds of exploitation and violence, and their numbers are growing exponentially.
The project will look at child welfare policies and the treatment of migrant children in each country, including interviewing child migrants, to develop national, regional, and international policy solutions to ensure protection for child migrants. As part of the project, CGRS will produce a report with recommendations for enshrining the best interests and rights of children in migration policies and for collaborating to advocate for national and regional policy reforms.
Recommendations will address ways to improve the migration, repatriation, and reintegration processes in Mexico, Honduras, Guatemala, and El Salvador as well as ways to improve the treatment of unaccompanied children at borders and within the countries throughout the region. The report will provide a blueprint for building a regional civil society network that enables sharing expertise and promoting a rights-based approach to policies and procedures regarding migrant children.
CGRS is co-directing this work with the Migration & Human Rights Program, Human Rights Center, Universidad Nacional de Lanús in Buenos Aires, Argentina, directed by Professor Pablo Ceriani. Partner organizations include Coalición Pro Defensa del Migrante, AC, A.C., Casa YMCA de Menores Migrantes, and Centro de Derechos Humanos Fray Matías de Córdova in Mexico; Asociación Pop No'j and Pastoral de Movilidad Humana in Guatemala; Casa Alianza in Honduras; and Universidad Centroamericana "José Simeón Cañas" in El Salvador.
"It is gratifying to receive support from the MacArthur Foundation for this important work," said CGRS Associate Director Lisa Frydman. "We are excited to be working with Professor Ceriani and a wonderful group of colleagues in Mexico and Central America to improve the plight of migrant children."
# # #
About the Center for Gender & Refugee Studies
The Center for Gender & Refugee Studies at the University of California Hastings College of the Law protects the fundamental human rights of refugee women, children, LGBT individuals, and others who flee persecution in their home countries. CGRS provides legal expertise and training; engages in impact litigation, policy development, research, and in-country fact-finding; and uses international human rights tools to advance refugees' human rights and address the root causes of their persecution.


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Taste of Place: Maple
Written onMarch 01 , 2011
This article originally ran in the Spring 2011 issue of Local Banquet, we're bringing it back again this sugaring season. Note that back in 2011 the grading system used different names - don't let the reference to a Grade B (now Grade A Dark Color Robust Flavor) confuse you, we're still talking about the same syrups and the same flavors.
There are people in Vermont who prefer fake maple syrup—not just people who are looking for something cheaper but who actually prefer the stuff made of corn syrup. There are other people in Vermont who don't talk to those fake syrup types. And there are Vermonters who stand by Grade B for all occasions and others who keep a little Fancy on hand.
The one thing that can be universally said is that we in Vermont take our maple flavor seriously. And yet, how much do we really know about that flavor? Maple enthusiasts are moving beyond the basics to explore nuances in taste that can help bring even more appreciation to our state's famous export.
Let's start with the basics. The first goal is to prevent "off flavors." Off flavors can develop for any number of reasons, from production problems to changes in the trees themselves (for example, if sap is taken while the trees are budding). Maple researchers in Quebec publish a flavoring wheel that categorizes tastes we don't want, including "soiled mop," "rancid grease," "mushroom," and "plastic wrapping." In Vermont, stringent producer-set standards for quality management are supported by inspection by the Vermont Agency of Agriculture, which keeps any hint of "silage" off our pancakes. Still, syrup picks up off flavors very quickly. Try storing some in a jar that once held pickles or peanut butter and after a week you will easily detect the lingering taste of that former ingredient.
Maple flavors also need to match their syrup grade. Grading containers that sort syrup by color are a common sight, but color is just one part of the criteria, which also include clarity, density and taste. Henry Marckres, chief maple inspector for the Vermont Agency of Agriculture, explains that flavor should parallel color: the lightest colored syrup, Fancy, should have the lightest maple flavor, moving through to "robust" and then "pronounced" maple flavor for the darkest Grade B. There are infinite and subtle taste variations, and practice is the only way to pick up on them. Henry, who may have tasted more syrup than anyone in Vermont, once sipped 932 samples (approximately half a gallon of syrup) in a single unpleasant day on the job.
Just as all producers taste carefully for any deviation from maple standards, some are now beginning to taste for nuances that we do want. While it's bad to have a hint of "cardboard," what about a hint of "caramel"? Quebec's flavor wheel also includes a range of positive variations that sugar maples create naturally: shades of vanilla, toffee, chicory, hazelnut, and baked apple. Maple producers and food enthusiasts are finding that distinct sugar bushes often yield distinct syrups—and you don't have to be a syrup sommelier to detect the differences. Amy Trubek, who teaches in the Department of Nutrition and Food Sciences at the University of Vermont, specializes in the "taste of place"—or flavors that reflect the unique regions where an item is produced, such as the Champagne region of France. During the past several years she has been considering the distinct flavors of Vermont's maple syrup and encouraging others to explore the complexity of maple taste that goes far beyond differences in grade.
"You don't know what you don't know…you can start fantastic new conversations with your customers by introducing them to the vanilla, floral, and earthy notes in your syrup," is what Amy tells producers.
Starksboro sugarmaker and nature writer John Elder, author of a book on sugaring in Vermont called The Frog Run, is an enthusiastic syrup taster who has been inspired by Amy's work. He says his syrup is "…a rich, creamy flavor, marked with vanilla…sometimes the Fancy has a more floral quality to it." He encourages visitors to his own sugarhouse to make comparisons of two syrups side by side and to describe what they're tasting. By naming what makes a producer's syrup distinctive, visitors are stating a reason to be loyal customers of his products year after year.
Sometimes differences in sugar bushes on a single property can create different product lines for a sugarmaker. Each spring, Tig Tillinghast of Tillinghast Maple in Thetford takes full advantage of differences his land can create: he separates out the sap from a particular stand of trees on an eastern ridge that gives a red-colored syrup with a vanilla taste. He gets a scant 50 gallons from that sap, but it all goes into glass bottles to retail as a premium product. (The "premium" comes from being different, not necessarily superior; distinctions in taste aren't meant to pit one quality Vermont syrup against another, but to point out the nuances within a high quality-product.) Tig particularly enjoys syrup from a producer a few miles away that is "put-hair-on-your-chest maple…not a subtle maple."
Vermont is already adept at making the connection between maple syrup and tourism. Marketing different syrups from different regions builds on this connection, giving people a reason to explore more locations and to buy more syrup from more producers. For his part, John Elder imagines how theVermont Maple Open House Weekend can become like the tours of Scotch distilleries in Scotland, during which visitors learn the distinctions between each brand. Discovering differences in flavor also gives new reason for Vermonters to get out and re-explore the syrups of their own region.
Of course, while we may taste for comparisons, most of us don't treat maple syrup as a sipping drink but as a recipe ingredient. Will we be able to taste the subtleties once the bottles get home? John is adamant that exploring the distinctive tastes of maple is key to recognizing its best uses in cooking. In his house, maple syrup isn't only poured on pancakes, "it's [also] a seasoning you add…to activate or release the flavors of a dish." Adding strong ingredients to "finish" a dish is a common trick of kitchen cooks, who may keep vinegars or cream on hand to brighten sauces, soups, or dressings. Maple syrup acts in the same way as those common flavor-enhancing ingredients.
Using the language of wine country to talk about a syrup's bouquet or the influences of different growing regions on flavor sounds odd to many of us who stand by the simple equation of "Vermont = maple." But in reality, Vermonters are already used to making distinctions in flavor. We use Grade B's pronounced qualities for strongly flavored dishes such as baked beans, and a light grade for drizzling syrup over vanilla ice cream. We know that the taste of a maple creemee is not as complex as the unadorned syrup, and we can spot fake syrup at 50 yards. It may not be such a great leap to now taste for shades of anise, peach, or cloves in our neighbors' syrups. In the heart of maple country, we are still distinguishing new tastes in our most distinguished product.


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Product Description 125 Bella Wakeboard:
The perfect beginning to a girls professional wakeboarding career. The Bella is a small board that has a grown up shape. Most all kids boards are designed to be very mellow even when the kid progresses and starts to take their riding to the next level. Not the Bella! We have built a shape that not only creates a stable platform on which to learn, but also will carry that small girl on her first big wake to wake jump. Not too small and not too big, the Bella will work years, not months. The Bella also has edge fins that help teach the beginner to hold their edge through the wake, a bolt on fin to teach body position and comes partnered with the patented Hinge boots. No other girls wakeboard has this much to offer. Girls, your time has come.


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Former Hollywood police officers blame city for resignations
Broward PBA: Hollywood officers bottom of pay scale in county
HOLLYWOOD, Fla. – The Hollywood Police Department is getting smaller, and veterans officers who have resigned blame the city.
In 2011, the city declared a state of financial urgency, allowing it to make across the board pay cuts and eliminate many of the departments' long-standing benefits.
The department is budgeted for 331 officers -- 20 positions are currently frozen, 25 officers quit last year, and 10 more resigned this week.
"We're at the bottom of the pay scale in Broward County and for us to get to the middle of the road, we would have to go up 24 percent," said Jeff Marano, the president of the Broward County Police Benevolent Association.
"The PBA leadership has decided over the course of the past couple of years that they were going to use politics, delay tactics, and intimidation to try to get what they want," said Raelynn Storey with the city of Hollywood.
"It comes down to being a valued employee," said Stephanie Szeto, who resigned from the Hollywood Police Department after 23 years with the agency.
Szeto recently joined the Broward Sheriff's Office.
"It's going to be a drastic change, going from being a sergeant supervising people to becoming a road patrol deputy again," she said.
Tony Adams resigned this week after 15 years with the department.
"When I came here, I signed a document that said I'll run toward gunfire, I'll run toward bullets, and I'll protect your presence so long as you maintain my future and protect my future -- and they didn't. They took it from me," he said.
The union said a reduced police force could mean crime increases and investigations suffer.
"It's almost like blackmail in a way where you're being held hostage in this budgetary process," said John Kavanaugh of Hollywood.
"If there's not enough police officers out in the community, what do we do for help?" said another Hollywood resident.
City officials said a new proposal would give the lowest-paid officers a 28 percent raise and a minimum increase of nearly 5 percent for officers across the board.
Sources told Local 10 Crime Specialist John Turchin up to 10 officers will resign by the end of the month.
The Broward PBA plans to demonstrate at Hollywood City Hall in two weeks.
Copyright 2013 by Local10.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.


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Forum Post: Income Inequality and Worker Self Directed Enterprises
Posted 7 years ago on Feb. 1, 2013, 4:37 p.m. EST by PeterKropotkin
from Oakland, CA
This content is user submitted and not an official statement
By Richard Wolff
In the United States as in many other capitalist countries, recent decades have seen a growing distance between higher and lower personal incomes. Income inequality and poverty levels have risen. Occasionally defended as necessary, natural, and even desirable by some, most citizens have expressed more or less dismay and opposition to ever-greater personal income inequality. They see that inequality as helping to cause the severe global crisis since 2007. They believe that it strains the implicit social compacts holding contemporary capitalist societies together. Finally, by the association of income inequality with capitalism as a system, rising inequality provokes questions about and criticisms of capitalism in general.
As has happened repeatedly in US history, criticisms of inequality evolve gradually into broad popular recognition of the problem. Poverty and economic inequality get rediscovered as major and urgent social issues. That rediscovery paves the way for proposals of major, new government programs meant to end poverty or rescue or revive the "middle class." Such programs recur across the history of capitalism everywhere, but they do not often succeed in significantly reversing the inequality. And when occasionally they do, the effect proves temporary as underlying tendencies rooted in the capitalist system resurface to resume growing inequality.
For example, during the Great Depression of the 1930s, a powerful social movement from below suddenly and sharply reduced personal income inequality that had grown across previous years. The alliance of the Congress of Industrial Organizations (CIO) and socialist and communist parties presented a powerful demand to the then president, Franklin D. Roosevelt (FDR). The alliance demanded the opposite of austerity, namely massive new federal outlays to offset the mass suffering from economic depression. FDR complied by establishing the Social Security System, the unemployment compensation system, and the federal jobs program from 1934 to 1941. Washington paid for those outlays by very high taxes on the highest personal incomes as well as upon corporate profits – as well as borrowing from corporations and the rich. One result was a reversal of income inequality that proved temporary. After the war ended in 1945, a renewed capitalism resumed its tendency toward greater income inequality to the present.
A key influence on the distribution of personal income in modern capitalist societies is how corporate boards of directors distribute enterprises' surplus or net revenues (sales receipts less direct production costs). Corporate boards of directors decide the salaries paid to managers and executives, and they decide whether to pay dividends to shareholders and what size dividends to pay. They also decide how much to invest in enterprise growth as well as other outlays of net revenues that impact share prices and thus shape the role of capital gains in the distribution of personal income. Since the 1970s, as real wages for most US workers stagnated, while labor productivity kept rising, corporations consequently realized rapidly rising surpluses or net revenues.
Major shareholders and their boards of directors used their positions within the capitalist organization of corporations to distribute large portions of their enterprises' surpluses as follows since the 1970s: (1) dividends paid to shareholders, (2) increasingly large "remuneration packages" paid to the upper layers of corporate managements, and (3) outlays for share buybacks, investments, and other uses that generated capital gains for shareholders. These three types of distributions from corporate surpluses represented income mostly for the top 5 per cent of individuals inside most capitalist countries.
The surplus-distribution decisions made by these corporate leaders were thus major determinants of the rising inequality of personal income in the US and elsewhere across recent decades. In other words, the capitalist structure of enterprises assigns to specific groups (major shareholders and boards of directors) the decisive power to determine dividends, managerial salaries, bonuses, and incentive payments, investments, and so on. If the resulting distribution of personal income displays extreme and/or unwanted inequality, one logical response would be to question the capitalist structure of enterprises and to examine how alternative enterprise structures might be at least less conducive to extreme personal income inequality.
However, that logical path was not followed for most of the post-1945 period. Because of the Cold War, anti-communist hysteria, and their combined legacies, it was not possible to question, criticize, challenge or debate capitalism in relation to alternative economic systems. To do so brought intense and immediate criticism that one was uneducated, stupid, and/or disloyal. This meant that for those who were critical of income inequality, the range of solutions they articulated or explored systematically excluded system change. It was simply not possible to examine how, for example, a transition from capitalist enterprises to WSDEs might impact personal income distributions.
However, precisely such a transition could make the personal distribution of income less unequal. If the workers in an enterprise together, collectively and democratically, decided on wages and salaries of all workers it is highly unlikely that they would replicate the capitalist pattern. They would not likely give a few top executives many millions while most workers lack the income to pay for their children's post-secondary educations. We know from the actual practice of WSDEs in the world today that their pay structures are far less unequal than those normally found in capitalist enterprises. The workers of the huge Mondragon Cooperative Corporation in northern Spain have long worked with a pay-scale (that their votes established) that limits the highest-paid among them to no more than 6.5 times the lowest-paid. That is a small fraction of the typical distance between the payments to the CEO of a large multinational corporation and its lowest-paid employee.
Even if members of a WSDE were to decide to permit share-holding (in exchange for capital investments from non-members), it is unlikely that they would distribute surpluses to shareholders in the manner of capitalism. After all, in WSDE's workers function as the board of directors rather than persons elected by the share-holders. The parallel argument applies to distributions of enterprise surpluses in ways generating gains in the prices of shares. Given the reduced power and influence of shareholding in WSDEs – as compared to capitalist enterprises – surplus distribution would less likely be directed to achieve capital gains.
The conclusion follows: a transition from capitalist enterprises to WSDEs is a basic structural change that can reduce or even (with suitable accompanying political and cultural changes) largely eliminate extreme or deep personal income inequalities. The long history of capitalism's failures to do that support the notion that system change is the better route to achieve that end.


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The District of Columbia Retirement Board (DCRB) offers several of its forms online for members of the District of Columbia Police Officers and Firefighters' Retirement Plan and the District of Columbia Teachers' Retirement Plan.
Currently, these forms must be filled in by hand and returned by mail, email, fax, or in person to the DCRB Member Services Center. Please note that some of the forms must be signed in the presence of a notary public. DCRB has a notary public who can notarize forms for you at no cost. If you would like the assistance of DCRB's notary public, please call the DCRB Member Services Center at one of the phone numbers below to schedule an appointment.
The DCRB Member Services Center may offer a selection of forms not available on our website. Web forms for members are included in the following categories:


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For my first posting for the Ancestor Anniversaries series it is for Thomas Larner's burial anniversary today in 1838 at Thame, Oxfordshire.
I feel a bit sad for Thomas because the only information I have for him is his marriage and his burial. He married Elizabeth Read who was born in 1784 at Lower Winchendon, Buckinghamshire and she is the granddaughter of my 6 x great grandfather Cozens Read who you see mentioned a lot in this blog and who I relate all the other ancestors to so I know who they belong to!!
Thomas and Elizabeth married at Thame, Oxfordshire on 23rd January 1815. I have not been able to find any children for them at all anywhere but have managed to follow Elizabeth after Thomas' death through the Censuses etc., so have a lot more info about her.
Thomas was born about 1782 (given his age at burial) and because there is a very large group of Larners in Thame and Thomas was both married and buried there, I am thinking that he may well be from Thame too. I need to look into this further particularly as after Thomas dies, Elizabeth is living with her parents in Larner's Lane, Thame so for some reason someone in his probable family has been honoured in the town with a street named after them.
But for Thomas, that's all I have. It's so sad, he lived his life, has gone and nothing else is known about him!! I hope over time that I can discover more about his life.


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DENVER (AP) — The Republican Party is expanding its Hispanic outreach in the Southwest, hoping to capitalize on the popularity of its two Hispanic governors in the region and win back a part of the country that has been trending Democratic.
The party is hiring six new staffers to work with Hispanic voters in Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico and Nevada. On the presidential level, three of those four states have shifted solidly into Democrats' column since 2004, fueled partly by Hispanic voters angered by some GOP politicians' stance on immigration.
The outreach effort is part of the Republican National Committee's effort to combat that drift and expand the GOP beyond its mostly white base by engaging with minority communities.
Some Republicans are particularly optimistic about the Southwest because the region boasts the nation's only two Hispanic governors, both popular Republicans — Susana Martinez in New Mexico and Brian Sandoval in Nevada.
But it also boasts former U.S. Rep. Tom Tancredo, an immigration firebrand who is considered the front-runner in a four-person primary for the Republican nomination for governor in Colorado. Many Republican leaders fear that a nominee like Tancredo could set the party back in its attempts to appeal to new voters.
The hires bring the number of states in which Republicans have paid staffers reaching out to Hispanics to 10. The staffers will speak to Hispanic voters regularly and attend community events and forums.
"Long-term, face-to-face contact between voters and volunteers from the same community is the best way to inform and motivate Hispanics voters to get to the polls," Sandoval said. "The RNC's effort is extremely important and a step in the right direction to help Republican candidates make gains in our communities."
(© Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)


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Here's some more information about the 41 (out of the 2,625 people flagged by the FL Secretary of State as being "potential noncitizens") who ended up being purged from the voter rolls.
Again, that's 41 registered voters the FL SOS was able to identify and purge as "potential noncitizens," out of some 11.2 million eligible citizens on Florida's voter rolls.
So, who are the 41 registered voters who were purged by the FL SOS (out of its list of 2,625 "potential noncitizens"). Of the 41 who were purged, the SOS had no record of 31 of them ever voting. Six 6 were registered in 2008 and 6 were registered in 2010 & 2011. Another 27 were registered to vote between 1990 & 2007. In fact, the FL SOS provided no information on the date when two of the suspected "noncitizens" it identified and subsequently purged where even registered to vote, much less ever voted, in the Sunshine State.
Of the 41 purged "potential noncitizens" identified by the FL SOS, 21 are at least 45 years old, 13 are women, and 21 are from Miami-Dade and Broward counties in south Florida.
Let's take a closer look at the racial/ethic breakdown of the 1,599 "potential noncitizens" residing in Miami-Dade who were among the 2,625 people targeted by FL SOS. Of those tagged as being a "potential noncitizen," 1,214 are Hispanic, 152 are black, 75 are white, and 27 are Asian.
In all, the FL SOS purged just 15 of the 2,625 "potential noncitizens" it identified as living in Miami-Dade county. That's 15 wrongly registered voters out of more than 1.2 million citizens who are registered to vote in the county.
Of the 75 whites & 27 Asians identified as "potential noncitizens" by FL SOS, none were purged from the rolls. Of the 15 who were purged, 2 are African American & 11 are Hispanic.