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"Friend or Foe," Ensign, Nov. 1983, 23
Friend or Foe
Since the beginning of humanity, man has divided his world into two camps, friends and foes, with the purpose of gratifying his pride and ambition and exercising power, dominion, or compulsion over the other camp.
Military leaders have canonized the expression "friend or foe" and have devised different ways to quickly identify who was who. Early biblical stories tell us about this selection process. At the end of a battle, the Ephraimites were trying to escape through the passages of the Jordan. Unfortunately, these escape routes were already occupied by their enemies, the Gileadites, who had to know who was friend or foe. They asked the fugitives: "Art thou an Ephraimite? If he said, Nay;
"Then said they unto him, Say now Shibboleth: and he said Sibboleth: for he could not frame to pronounce it right." (Judg. 12:5–6.)
And that mispronunciation meant death. Forty-two thousand perished that day. Apparently the process was very successful and did not leave room for misunderstanding.
There are not many alternatives to answer the question "Friend or foe?" It is simply one or the other. You may, of course, try to pretend to be a friend because of fear of losing your life, but the end result is almost always the same. We will see that there is an analogy between this selection process used by the natural man and the selection process of finding the potentially divine man.
Since the beginning of humanity, history has recorded that one of the deviations of man has been and still is to create artificial divisions and to fight holy wars because of racial, religious, cultural, or political differences and to justify these crimes against humanity in the name of the Lord.
Today, in our very complex world, we may well be reminded of the true message that comes from Christ himself to avoid constant battles and a final holocaust when he declared: "Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them who despitefully use you and persecute you." (3 Ne. 12:44.)
However, the essential personal question that we need to consider is whether our relationship with deity will be that of friend or foe. If well understood, because of its eternal implications, this relationship can bring eternal life; if misunderstood, misused, misapplied, misconceived, or misrepresented, it can bring mortal as well as spiritual death.
A warning is given us by James:
"From whence come wars and fightings among you? come they not hence, even of your lusts that war in your members?"
"Ye lust, and have not: ye kill, and desire to have, and cannot obtain: ye fight and war, yet ye have not, because ye ask not.
"Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts.
"Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God." (James 4:1–4.)
What is an enemy to God? A scripture defines it concisely:
"For the natural man is an enemy to God, and has been from the fall of Adam, and will be, forever and ever." (Mosiah 3:19.)
One might wonder, after listening to this very strong statement, if man can abandon this carnal nature and this belief that earth is his final resource, providing food, shelter, comfort, pleasure, games, and even gods. Can he discover, by faith, that it is our Heavenly Father who constitutes the eternal resource when he knows how to cultivate this friendship?
"For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God." (Eph. 2:8.)
What then is a true friend of God?
President David O. McKay explained the process: "That man is most truly great who is most Christlike.
"What you sincerely in your heart think of Christ will determine what you are, will largely determine what your acts will be." (in Conference Report, Apr. 1951, p. 93.)
"By choosing [Jesus Christ] as our ideal, we create within ourselves a desire to be like him, to have fellowship with him." (in Conference Report, Apr. 1951, p. 98.)
To become a friend of God is possible because of the Mediator, the Prince of Peace, Jesus Christ, the Son of God. Let us now consider additional teachings of the prophet Benjamin:
"For the natural man is an enemy to God, and has been from the fall of Adam, and will be, forever and ever, unless he yields to the enticings of the Holy Spirit, and putteth off the natural man and becometh a saint through the atonement of Christ the Lord, and becometh as a child, submissive, meek, humble, patient, full of love, willing to submit to all things which the Lord seeth fit to inflict upon him, even as a child doth submit to his father." (Mosiah 3:19; italics added.)
One of the real purposes of life is to become a friend of the Mediator, our Savior and Redeemer, and not only understand his mission but also support it and then qualify to be called his friend, his disciple, and to enter into the presence of his Father.
"I give unto you these sayings that you may understand and know how to worship, and know what you worship, that you may come unto the Father in my name, and in due time receive of his fulness." (D&C 93:19.)
Prophets and Apostles testify of the importance of Christ being our friend. The testimony of President Spencer W. Kimball last year in general conference touched my heart when he concluded his address by testifying: "I know that Jesus Christ is the Son of the living God and that He was crucified for the sins of the world. He is my friend, my Savior, my Lord, and my God. With all my heart I pray that the Saints may keep His commandments, have His Spirit to be with them, and gain an eternal inheritance with Him in celestial glory." (Ensign, Nov. 1982, p. 6.)
To be able to say "He is our friend" means that we need to qualify as his friends, to have the same purposes, to be advocates and strong defenders of his cause.
We can learn a great lesson from the friendship of David and Jonathan, which was based on a covenant to be faithful to the Lord. Let me share some excerpts of the qualities of that friendship.
"The soul of Jonathan was knit with the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as his own soul." (1 Sam. 18:1.)
"Jonathan spake good of David unto Saul his father." (1 Sam. 19:4.)
"And Jonathan said to David, Go in peace, forasmuch as we have sworn both of us in the name of the Lord, saying, The Lord be between me and thee, and between my seed and thy seed for ever." (1 Sam. 20:42.)
As individuals, and especially teenagers, what kinds of friends do we select, adopt, confide in, and visit with? Are we strong enough to refuse to be a friend of the world and its representatives? Are we strong enough to accept friendship with Christ? Is to be a friend to be complacent and surrender to lower standards, or is it to maintain Christlike standards and defend them? Do we consider mutual friendship as a way to maintain and develop the foundation of our testimony of Christ? "Feast upon the words of Christ; for behold, the words of Christ will tell you all things what ye should do." (2 Ne. 32:3.) The conditions are set; the model is given. Then why not become his disciple by being his witness? Why entertain the constant dilemma of your mind? Be committed to be his friend!
We find the same challenge with teaching our children to build an eternal association of friendship and love. "But I have commanded you to bring up your children in light and truth." (D&C 93:40.) Do we treat our sons and daughters as children of God? Do we teach by example? Do we pray with them? Do we attend church with them? Do we have family home evening regularly? Our spiritual progress and qualifying to become friends with Christ and his Father depend on how faithfully we live the gospel in our homes and how diligently we impart the teachings to our children.
"Ye will not suffer your children that they go hungry, or naked; neither will ye suffer that they transgress the laws of God, and fight and quarrel one with another, and serve the devil, … he being an enemy to all righteousness." (Mosiah 4:14.)
Our challenge is to choose the right, to declare that we are friends of our Heavenly Father. The covenant that we made through baptism is a contract to become a friend of God.
Abraham "was called the Friend of God." (James 2:23.) Prophets and Apostles down through the dispensations have been friends of God. If you have not done so previously, now is the time to become friends of God. We have the knowledge of the scriptures, the testimonies of the prophets. I know that my Redeemer lives. I want to call him my friend; I want to be called his friend. May we all qualify to be his disciples, his friends, I pray in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.


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Is ethanol GM corn a disaster waiting to happen?
By Ken Roseboro
Published: October 3, 2013
Category: GMO Contamination
Grain supplier says Syngenta's Enogen GMO corn threatens food processors, corn markets, and farmers' rights to grow non-GMO
As a supplier of non-GMO and organic grains, Lynn Clarkson has enough challenges keeping his corn and soybeans from being contaminated by genetically modified crops. But Clarkson, president of Clarkson Grain, says a new GM corn from Syngenta adds a whole new set of threats to his business, farmers, and customers—and he is angry. "I think it is potentially the most market disruptive seed being commercialized," he says.
"Contamination from Enogen would be devastating"
Clarkson is talking about Enogen, a corn developed by Syngenta to aid in the production of ethanol. Enogen is genetically engineered to contain high levels of a heat-resistant enzyme that breaks down starches in corn into sugars, the first step in the conversion of corn to ethanol.
Syngenta developed Enogen to tap into the growing demand for ethanol; about 40% of US corn production goes to make ethanol.
The problem is that Enogen could mix with corn grown for food and break down its starches, which would lead to crumbly corn chips and soggy cereals and corn bread.
"This will ruin corn for milling," says Clarkson, who sells non-GMO and organic corn to food processors and millers. "The ethanol industry is happy but other industries are seriously undermined by this corn."
"Getting contamination from Enogen in corn for the tortilla industry would be devastating," said Jerry Strissel, a corn breeder who worked at Syngenta for 20 years and who now breeds non-GMO corn for food use.
"Bailing wire and duct tape" GMO regulations
Enogen was approved for commercial production in 2011 by the US Department of Agriculture despite opposition from the North American Millers Association (NAMA), which represents 43 major food companies including General Mills and ConAgra Mills.
Clarkson agreed with NAMA. "I think the USDA should have considered the market disruption that could be caused and denied approval."
At a biotechnology conference in Iowa in 2011, Jim Bair, NAMA vice president, criticized the US government's regulations of GM crops, saying they had been "cobbled together with bailing wire and duct tape."
Furthermore, the Center for Food Safety said the enzyme found in the GM corn was not assessed for potential negative effects on human health and the environment.
The European Union has rejected Syngenta's application to market Enogen corn. The European Food Safety Authority said Syngenta failed to provide sufficient information to ensure that the seeds were safe.
"Watching the situation closely"
According to Jack Bernens, who heads Enogen marketing and stakeholder relations at Syngenta, the Enogen corn is being produced in a "closed production" system.
"Growers must adhere to a robust production system with specific stewardship requirements that were designed to minimize the potential for cross pollination at full adoption of Enogen corn," Bernens says.
The closed production system comprises contracting farmers to grow Enogen and training them in stewardship practices to minimize contamination, traceability of all grain, fields, bins, and trucks, and delivery to ethanol plants that are in different regions than food processing facilities, among others. Syngenta provides both GMO "strip" and PCR tests to detect Enogen.
Syngenta has also established an Enogen Advisory Council, which includes farmers, and individuals from NAMA and farm and food organizations to discuss stewardship issues and provide updates on Enogen.
Bair says his organization "takes Syngenta at its word" that its closed production system will work but says "we are watching the situation closely."
One kernel in 10,000 could ruin corn processing
But industry observers point to past GMO contamination incidents—such as StarLink corn in 2000 or Liberty Link Rice in 2006, which caused million dollar losses in food recalls and lost export markets—to show that preventing GMO crops from going where they shouldn't is difficult, if not impossible.
"Even with the most stringent precautions, the wind will blow and standards will slip," said Margaret Mellon, senior scientist at the Union of Concerned Scientists.
It would only take one kernel of Enogen GM corn mixed with 10,000 kernels of food corn to ruin the food processing abilities of food corn, according to NAMA.
"Enogen's contamination of other corns ruins those corns for making grits for corn flakes at levels of 0.01% and for making tortillas and tortilla chips, at 0.25%," Clarkson says.
He also says Syngenta's recommended buffer of 30 feet separating Enogen corn and conventional corn is inadequate. "Are you joking? I would need a mile, certainly a half mile contamination zone."
Clarkson isn't alone in his contamination fears. "I definitely share concerns regarding the possible commingling or cross-contamination to our food-grade varieties," says Rodrigo Ariceaga, CEO of Minsa, a leading producer of corn masa flour.
If a food company were to find Enogen corn mixed with food corn, Clarkson predicts they would sue. "I would expect the suit to be against Syngenta and perhaps the USDA and/or the FDA," he says.
As acreage increases so does likelihood of contamination
As acreage of Enogen corn increases so does the threat that the GM corn will contaminate food corn.
According to Clarkson, 5,000 acres of Enogen was grown in Kansas and Nebraska in 2012. That increased to 60,000 acres this year with many of those acres in Iowa. So far, 11 ethanol plants in those three states have signed agreements to use Enogen.
Syngenta aims to have Enogen corn grown on 2.5 million acres, which would produce four billion bushels of the GM corn.
Strissel sees potential problems. "You get to a point where it could be hard to manage it because of the magnitude of the system," he says. "The potential for problems grow as the acreage increases. You get up to 2.5 million acres and that's a whole different regulation than 5,000 acres."
"Liberty to grow and liberty to not be contaminated"
Clarkson says increasing acreage of Enogen will infringe on farmers' rights to grow food corn, making it a property rights issue. "Farmers should have the liberty to grow and the liberty to not be contaminated. Syngenta's 2.5 million acres will cut a large swath across the Midwest, determining the market fate of many more acres than their 2.5 million. This will make it impossible for farmers in Enogen production areas to market corn to starch markets; markets that do not want an enzyme eating away their starch."
Clarkson has already seen a problem. One of his contract farmers in Nebraska discovered that Enogen was being grown in his area. The farmer called Syngenta to find out where the GM corn was being grown but the biotech company refused to say. "They are not being responsible to the farm community," Clarkson said.
According to Bernens, Syngenta can't disclose specific grower information due to privacy requirements. But he did say: "The two fields were about 10 miles apart, which is well beyond any published distance recommendations for pollen isolation."
He also said Syngenta is committed to open communication and working with companies like Clarkson's to "determine mutual steps that can be taken to alleviate concerns about cross pollination."
"They must be confident they can handle this, but they haven't convinced the rest of the world they can do this," Strissel says.
Clarkson isn't reassured. "I have no confidence that Syngenta will be able to contain its GMO trait."
© Copyright The Organic & Non-GMO Report, October 2013

subset: commoncrawl


text: Cedar Falls Fire Rescue, The United States Fire Administration and the National Fire Protection Association recommend following these safety tips to prevent winter home fires: • Stay in the kitchen when you are frying, grilling, or broiling food. If you leave the kitchen for even a short period, turn off the stove.• Space heaters need space; keep anything that can burn at least three feet away from each heater.• Check electrical cords often and replace cracked or damaged electrical or extension cords. Do not try to repair them. • Never use your oven or stovetop to heat your home. They are not designed for this purpose and can be a fire hazard. In addition, carbon monoxide (CO) gas might kill people and pets.• Do not put your live Christmas tree up too early or leave it up for longer than two weeks. Keep the tree stand filled with water at all times.• Avoid using lighted candles. If you must use candles, place them in sturdy candleholders that won't burn.• If you smoke, use only fire-safe cigarettes and smoke outside.


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Create a Website Account - Manage notification subscriptions, save form progress and more.
Nothing signifies neglect more than a street lined with empty, overgrown lots and poorly maintained homes. The Code Enforcement Division mitigates the negative effects that vacant, abandoned and blighted properties have upon our community and property values. The Code Enforcement Division enforces sections of the City Code of Ordinances, Florida State Statutes, Florida Building Code and the National Electric Code pertaining to property maintenance and public safety. By doing so, the Code Enforcement Division plays a vital role in promoting, protecting and improving the health, safety and welfare of our citizens.
The broken windows theory introduced by social scientists James Q. Wilson and George L. Kelling in 1982 suggests untended property is a visual cue for diminished social control and attracts additional vandalism and other criminal acts. Consider a building with a single broken window; if the window is not repaired, the tendency is for vandals to break a few more windows. Eventually they may break into the building and become squatters, or worse. The same can be said for overgrown properties, inoperative vehicles, graffiti, blighted houses and other signs of neglect that contribute to the break down of a community. By addressing "broken windows", the Code Enforcement Division greatly reduces the negative impact that unmaintained properties have on our community.
Crime Prevention through Environmental Design (CPTED) is a multifaceted approach to deterring criminal behavior through environmental design. By altering the physical aspects of our community we can influence decisions that precede criminal acts. For instance, eliminating overgrowth on vacant properties will enhance visibility which will ultimately eliminate a potential hiding spot for criminals. CPTED guidelines are also put to use in parking lots. City Codes that require landscaping to be trimmed and require parking lots to be lit significantly increase visibility which will deter criminal activity.
Our office hours are Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. You may reach our office by phone at (772)467-3720. During those hours you may also visit our office on the 2nd floor of City Hall at 100 N US Hwy 1, Fort Pierce, FL 34950.
All complaints will be investigated regardless of the location of the violation within the City or the nature of the complaint. A clear description of the violation and location are necessary for an officer to conduct an investigation. A call back name and telephone number is helpful but is not necessary.
You may place a complaint at any time by submitting online via See Click Fix.


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Advanced Search
Sanbolic will soon announce support for Microsoft's Hyper-V virtualization product.
The Watertown, Mass., company offers volume management software and a clustered file system -- both of which complement Microsoft's Windows Server and upcoming virtualization stack, says Bill Stevenson, executive chairman of the company.
Sanbolic's special sauce is that its software lets servers see and access disks at the same time.
"Any type of application using Microsoft servers or workstations can benefit from that shared access to SAN data," Stevenson said.
"For many applications, like Web servers where you have active content from multiple sources and traffic variations, we can provide a single pool of active content. All content and Web servers can access the data concurrently so there's no need for replication across the various devices . You can add capacity immediately by adding Web servers," he noted.
The tandem of Sanbolic's LaScala volume management and Melio, the clustered file system, are usually both installed in cases where you're looking for shared file access, says Mark Crescenzi, CEO of Prismworks Technology, Inc., a Hummelstown, Penn.-based solution provider.
"Traditionally you have disks presented and even in a clustered environment usually one node accesses [the disks] at a time. Even in an active-active environment, one node is primary and fails over to a secondary. What Sanbolic does is allow multiple nodes to access files at the same time; it really puts the network in the storage area network."
Microsoft's Hyper-V will be available with several Windows Server 2008 SKUs and as a standalone server. Windows Server 2008 is due early next year and the finished version of Hyper-V within 180 days of that. A week ago, Microsoft launched the first public beta of Hyper-V.
About the Author
Barbara Darrow is Industry Editor for Redmond Developer News, Redmond magazine and Redmond Channel Partner. She has covered technology and business issues for 20 years.
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Lyrics Depot is your source of lyrics to Let Me Tell You Something by T.I.. Please check back for more T.I. lyrics.
Let Me Tell You Something Lyrics
Artist: T.I.
Album: Trap Muzik
[Intro] (T.I.)
Want to be your man, please...tell you why
(I know what y'all thinking)
Doop doop doop doop doop doop
(First he can't be my man, now he want to be my man)
(I wish this nigga make his mind up)
Can't live my life...tell you why
(All my niggaz man we gonna have be 21 bout this shit you know)
Oh baby, oh baby
(We gonna step out the track for one sec, one sec)
[Verse 1]
Now what I got to say, seal with a kiss
Know I can't be your man why I feel like this
What I need with a woman when I live like this
Different chicks running in and out the crib like this
Maybe five, maybe six, seven, eight'll be enough
Plus the twins make ten but for you I give it up
Set times to the side just for us to live it up
Walking out a rav farm, purple label linen ???
It's hard for me to discuss what I had vision for us
Lots of trust, and a crib worth a couple million plus
So what if I got a pass, labelled a dirt bag
By the minute, hearts I broken and women I hurt bad
Might I add Christian Dior and fur jackets
A part of the pack, but still far from a marriage
It's easy to lose balance when hearts just start carin
With the attractions apparent, its hard to stop starin
Hey baby let me tell you sumthin, come here I need to tell you sumthin
(Tell you why)
Hey shorty let me tell you sumthin, wanna talk need to tell you sumthin
(doop doop doop doop doop doop doop)
Lil mama let me tell you sumthin, I wanna tell you sumthin
(Cant live my life...without you)
Hey baby let me tell you sumthin, Shorty I've been meanin to tell you sumthin
(Oh baby, oh baby)
[Verse 2]
If I can get a little bit of your time, shorty
I got some shit I want to get out my mind, and I know
You get enough of niggaz hollerin ya fine (hey
ask...ask ya friend man, man I got this)
Introductions seem to bug you, them partnas of mine
My bad, I know you think I'm probably lyin
Then imma stop to conversate, relates all of ya time...man
Look, but half of that shit is all in ya mind
Say you should follow your heart and I'm follow my mind
But anyway, when I see yo' face
Im thinking three or four days in Montego Bay
At the Half Moon, but I know she gon' say
I already have too many hoes, I know
But if I had you, all the dough I'd blow
On eleven karat pink stones trillion row
I wanna be the reason why you showing ya teeth
Without a worry in the world when you rollig with me
{*Roger Troutman's - "I Want To Be Your Man" plays*}
T.I. Lyrics
T.I. Trap Muzik Lyrics
More T.I. Music Lyrics:
T.I. - Act III: T.I. vs T.I.P. The Confrontation Lyrics
T.I. - ASAP Lyrics
T.I. - Big Things Poppin' (Do It) Lyrics
T.I. - Dope Boyz Lyrics
T.I. - Hands Up Lyrics
T.I. - Respect This Hustle Lyrics
T.I. - What Happened Lyrics
T.I. - You Know Who Lyrics


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Under the Clean Air Act, EPA is required to carry out a periodic review and revision, as appropriate, of the air quality criteria and the primary and secondary standards for six criteria air pollutants, which include oxides of nitrogen, oxides of sulfur, and particulate matter. Secondary standards set limits to protect public welfare, including protection against decreased visibility, damage to animals, crops, vegetation, and buildings.As part of the NAAQS review process, EPA's Office of Air and Radiation has requested CASAC advice on its draft Risk and Exposure Assessment Planning Document. for the Review of the Secondary (Welfare-based) National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) for Oxides of Nitrogen, Oxides of Sulfur, and Particulate Matter.
On this page:
See EPA's PDF page to learn more about PDF files.
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Bible Font
A textured edge enhances this traditional, calligraphic font featuring many swash alternative letters and additional flourishes. Word settings look as though they have been rendered by hand. Perfect for use on certificates, diplomas, citations, greeting cards as well as many broader applications. Created by noted graphic designer Richard Bradley. This calligraphic font is supplemented by Bible Script Flourishes, a second font that is included on the Bible Script FONTEK disk. These flourishes can be used as decorative elements in your document. ©1979 Letraset


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My Mom's Beef Stew
So, I'm really sorry about slacking on the blog. You might remember we experienced a similar slow-down, reduced to a trickle and then nothing at all, while I was studying for my oral exams. Well, this dissertation is harder, and I'm more obsessed and worried and scared about it. So I'm not cooking much. (My 2 hot-plate kitchen doesn't help!) But I still eat, and sometimes other people cook.
My mom, for example. A few months back, for example, when it was still actually cold and I tore myself away from Paris to visit my family in Colorado. Whenever I go home during the winter, I always request this stew. This is the greatest beef stew I have ever had. The kind of recipe that's been perfect through years of use, slight tweaks here, and subtle substitutions there. It started out as a newspaper clipping, but my mom has, by now, made it her own. I've made other beef stews, but none compare to this one. When I post my mom's recipes here, I tend to leave them exactly as she wrote them, since I know I'll want a record of them just as they were passed down, complete with parenthetical asides (you can see where I get that from!).
My Mom's Beef Stew
1/2+ Cup of Flour
3 pounds beef sirloin, Cut into 1-1/2 inch cubes
4+ Tablespoons olive oil
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
2 Large yellow onions, thinly sliced (quarters)
2-4 Carrots, peeled and thinly sliced
2 Cups+ Beef Stock (I use "Better Than Bouillon" Beef Base) (because I have a big pot, I use 4 Cups)
1 Cup Dry red wine (burgundy, Cabernet sauvignon
1/4 Cup (small can) tomato paste
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 -2+ Bay Leaf
4 fresh parsley sprigs (or parsley flakes)
1/2 teaspoon dried sage, crumbled
5-6 new red potatoes, Cut into 1-1/2 inch cubes
1/2 tsp Salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground pepper
1 tblsp finely chopped fresh parsley (or parsley flakes)
Spread the flour on a large plate. Coat the beef with the flour and shake off the excess. In a large heavy nonstick pot (I use LeCreuset Dutch Oven) over medium-high heat, warm four tablespoons of the olive oil. Working in batches if necessary, add the beef (I add more oo and more beef) and brown evenly on all sides, 5-7 minutes. Using tongs or a slotted spoon, transfer the beef to a plate.
Add the vinegar to the pot and deglaze over medium-high heat by stirring to dislodge any browned bits (hopefully, you'll have lots of browned bits because this adds flavor) from the pot bottom. Add the remaining one tablespoon oil and the yellow onions and cook over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until nicely browned, about 15 minutes.
Add the carrots to the pot and saute until slightly softened, about 3 minutes. Then add the beef stock, wine, tomato paste, garlic, bay leaf, parsley and sage and the potatoes.
Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the meat and potatoes are almost tender, 1-1/2 - 1-3/4 hours


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Maurice Jones-Drew refuses to apologize to Jay Cutler for questioning his toughness on Twitter after the quarterback left the NFC title game hurt. And you know what -- good for MJD. You should not have to apologize for what you said. Having a player stand by his Twitter remarks is rather refreshing.
I mean, he could have gone the easy route and claimed "my Twitter account was hacked," but no, he didn't back down.
Besides, there are plenty of people who should be offering up apologies for things that are much more egregious than anything MJD ever said.
But since this is an NFL column (most of the time), I will not be able to mention that Curt Schilling should apologize for faking the bloody sock, Paul Pierce should apologize for being wheeled out of the 2008 NBA Finals, only to return, and John Cena should apologize just on general principle.
Of course, many of you will likely say I should apologize for these Pick Six articles, but keep waiting for that.
And without further ado ...
6. 2000 New Orleans Saints
Long before the Saints became America's darlings, they knocked off St. Louis in the 2000 playoffs, ruining what could have been the best Super Bowl matchup of the decade -- St. Louis FC vs. the Ravens. Oh, and the 1998 Falcons might want to give an apology, too.
5. Kurt Warner
Warner has provided us with some of the greatest NFL moments over the past 10 years, but he also has indirectly led to some of the worst, namely the Derek Anderson era in Arizona. Thus killing the fantasy value of Larry Fitzgerald. And for what, Kurt? So you could selfishly spend time with your family and keep your faculties? Bah.
4. Reggie Bush
What should Bush apologize for? The free house? Kim Kardashian? No. How about foolishly lateralling to an unsuspecting teammate after a long run in the 2006 Rose Bowl, that cost USC the game. Not that it mattered, because USC would have forfeited that anyway. But would the Titans have drafted Vince Young if Texas lost?
3. John Elway
Do the Baltimore Colts end up moving if Elway plays there? Debatable. But Elway is responsible for Mike Shanahan -- scourge of fantasy football. Shanahan has lived off his Elway-led titles, despite a post-Elway career that rivals David Duchovny post "The X-Files." And who suffers? Your fantasy team.
2. Rex Grossman and Rodney Harrison
If either one of you two guys could have made a play, the Manning family would still be searching for its first Super Bowl ring. I blame Rex less because he cannot help it that he's not good at his job. That would be akin to blaming my dog for not understanding the space-time continuum. Harrison, though, how did you not break up that pass to David Tyree?
How many of you believe Adam Rank should apologize for all of these Pick Six columns? Hit him up via Twitter or via Facebook. Be sure to catch the latest on the Dave Dameshek Football Program.


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Looking at the Corruption Perceptions Index 2012, it's clear that corruption is a major threat facing humanity. Corruption destroys lives and communities, and undermines countries and institutions. It generates popular anger that threatens to further destabilise societies and exacerbate violent conflicts.
The Corruption Perceptions Index scores countries on a scale from 0 (highly corrupt) to 100 (very clean). While no country has a perfect score, two-thirds of countries score below 50, indicating a serious corruption problem.
Corruption translates into human suffering, with poor families being extorted for bribes to see doctors or to get access to clean drinking water. It leads to failure in the delivery of basic services like education or healthcare. It derails the building of essential infrastructure, as corrupt leaders skim funds.
Corruption amounts to a dirty tax, and the poor and most vulnerable are its primary victims.
So, how do we counter the effects of public sector corruption?
Governments need to integrate anti-corruption actions into all aspects of decision-making. They must prioritise better rules on lobbying and political financing, make public spending and contracting more transparent, and make public bodies more accountable.
After a year with a global focus on corruption, we expected more governments to take a tougher stance against the abuse of power. The Corruption Perceptions Index results demonstrate that there are still many societies and governments that need to give a much higher priority to this issue.
Full table and rankings
The Corruption Perceptions Index ranks countries and territories based on how corrupt their public sector is perceived to be. A country or territory's score indicates the perceived level of public sector corruption on a scale of 0 - 100, where 0 means that a country is perceived as highly corrupt and 100 means it is perceived as very clean. A country's rank indicates its position relative to the other countries and territories included in the index. This year's index includes 176 countries and territories.
In the table above, CI refers to Confidence Interval. The confidence interval reflects some of the uncertainty associated with a country's CPI score. It is calculated by looking at the range of scores given by all the data used to calculate that country's score, such that a wider interval reflects a wider variation in the data for that country. For more information on the CPI data, download our data set.
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PALERMO, Sicily – Top-seeded Sara Errani cruised past Barbora Zahlavova Strycova 6-1, 6-3 on Sunday to win the Italiacom Open.
Errani dominated from the start and needed only 75 minutes to beat the eighth-seeded Czech player for her fourth title of the year.
"It wasn't completely easy, as it might seem from the result," Errani said. "Zahlavova Strycova is a very difficult player. If you don't keep your game up you risk being entrapped by her tennis. In fact if you let your guard down, you won't get out of it.
"At several times during the second set, I tensed up a bit. Then, towards the end of the match, as soon as I was back in front, I loosened up and was able to win the match and the tournament."
Errani, runner-up at the French Open this year, dropped a total of 20 games in five matches en route to reclaiming the trophy she won in 2008.
Her other victories this year were in Budapest, Barcelona and Acapulco. Errani, ranked No. 9 in the world, is the first Italian to win four tournaments in a season.
"It's a magical time for me," the 25-year-old said. "However, I don't aim for records; I only think about playing and improving, without looking at the numbers.
"Today, during the match, I didn't think much about the fact that I would be winning a fourth tournament this season. I only did so, a bit, before the match. On court, I only thought about playing."
Errani will play in next week's Swedish Open in Bastad before focusing on the Olympics in London.
She is then aiming to qualify for the season-ending WTA Championships for the top eight players of the year.
"It's a difficult aim but I'll do my utmost to achieve it," Errani said.


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Okay, I admit it. I'm a computer addict. Personally, I don't think this is a problem. I view it as more of a personality trait. Nevertheless, the hours I'm awake in my apartment and the hours during the day that my computer is on are roughly equal. And so when the university I work for announced it was having a lunch time seminar about computer addiction, my curiosity was piqued.
Granted, I didn't really want to attend. After all, it was being held during my lunch hour when I normally surf the net. I'm too busy then to go to some stupid computer addiction seminar. I've got web sites to check out and e-mail to send. But then I thought about the bigger picture. Maybe the seminar would be good for me, I thought. Maybe I could learn how to depend less on my computer. And, hey, I could always goof off later in the day and surf the net then.
The day before, I called to register. "That's great. I'll sign you right up." The woman said. "By the way, we have an e-mail list to notify people about our other self-help seminars. Would you like to be placed on that?"
"Hell yes!" I thought. "Give me all the e-mail you've got. I'm a computer addict."
It certainly seemed an ominous start to my computer addiction treatment. The same people also offer drug addiction seminars. I wonder what they must be like. "Great. We'll sign you right up. By the way, we just got a new shipment of heroin. Would you like to try some?"
When I eventually arrived at the seminar, only five people were there. Either this meant that few on campus were affected by the problem, or it was a sign that most employees were wired to the net for lunch and couldn't break away from their computers. I'm still not sure.
The seminar mainly consisted of a speech by a doctor who was a computer addiction specialist. This doctor began by reviewing typical stories of children whose grades had dropped from playing computer games too much, about marriages destroyed by affairs started in Internet chat rooms, and about people whose lives were ruined by "inappropriate use of the computer." I assume she meant pornography by this, but I was never entirely sure. In fact, she threw the word "inappropriate" around so much that I felt like I was at a presidential press conference.
Then, she discussed some of the symptoms of computer addiction which include:
Lying to family members, co-workers, fellow students, therapists, and others about the amount of time spent on the computer. "Look, you're wrong! I was only on my computer 22 hours yesterday, not 23. Jeez!"
Engaging in computer activities to experience pleasure, gratification, or relief. "Aaaargh! Minesweeper!"
Feeling preoccupied with computers by thinking about the experience, planning a return to the computer or buying the newest or latest hardware or software. "Hey, thanks for the info about computer addiction, Doc, but I was wondering if you think I should upgrade to a 450 processor now or wait a few months."
Needing to spend more and more time or money on computer activities in order to change moods. "Uh, oh, I lost my Prozac. Somebody turn my computer on quick!"
Showing physical signs, such as carpal tunnel syndrome, backaches, dry eyes, neglect of personal hygiene or eating irregularities. "Um, personal hygiene?"
Next, she actually said, "If you're interested, there's more information on my web site." No, this wasn't working at all.
"Hi, Doctor, I just can't stop myself from going on the Internet. I think about the net all time. What can I do?"
"Well, have you checked out my web site?"
To her credit, she didn't actually give out the web address during the seminar, but that night I entered her name into a search engine. (It's not like I have a problem or anything.) It turns out she even has her own domain name -- computeraddiction.com. I'm not joking. It's just a text- based site with almost no links. Frankly, it's a bit disappointing, because you'd think that being surrounded by computer addicts all day would have at least improved her HTML skills.
As for solutions, she doesn't advice abstaining from computers completely. She feels that would be impossible since computers play such a prevalent role in our lives. Instead, one must gradually reduce one's dependency on the computer. How do you do this? Well, she didn't exactly say. I guess that's probably revealed once the check clears.
At any rate, I'd like to write more about this important subject, but I can't. I have to go play Minesweeper now. I'm sure you understand.


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Health warning continues after bug is found in water supply
United Utilities urged residents to boil their drinking water after traces of the bug cryptosporidium – a microscopic parasite which can cause stomach cramps and diarrhoea - was found at Franklaw Water treatment plant in Catterall, near Garstang yesterday.
Last night, supermarket shelves were being cleared of bottled water following the find.
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Hide AdOne staff member at Asda in Fulwood said he'd never seen the shelves so empty as customers rushed to fill up.
Shopper Lynda Garburr, 46, from in Catterall, had a trolley loaded to the brim with bottled water for the children at a holiday club she runs at Harris Primary School in Fulwood.
She said: "The children have to be safe, that is why we are buying all this water,
"I've noticed quite a few people unpacking loads of water from trolleys into cars outside."
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide AdLeona Worth, 45, Fulwood, Preston, said: "I am very concerned I have two young children. I have only just heard about it on the news. I am panicking because I have been drinking water all day.
"I've never heard of this before. I'm a concerned parent."
Carly Whittam, from Woodplumpton, said: "I have been off sick with a virus. I have been in bed all week. I'm concerned that this the water is what has caused it because I've been feeling worse again today.
"We won't be letting the kids drink water."
Low traces of the bug was discovered during routine tests at the water treatment plant and the water company is now running further tests.
Manager of Duk-Pond restaurant in Cross Street, Preston, Andrea Mellon said the fact the Lancashire Evening Post had to inform her about the health warning was 'scary'.
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Hide AdShe said: "It could have serious implications for a lot of businesses if they do not know about it. We have put notices all around the building, I hope people have used the same safety procedures to ensure customer safety. Nobody wants to be sick."
People can continue to use tap water without boiling for general domestic purposes such as bathing, flushing toilets or washing clothes.
A care home manager from Kirkham who did not wish to be named said she was boiling four pans of water to ensure all of the elderly residents could brush their teeth safely.
People at most risk for infection are young children, animal handlers, travellers and close contacts of infected people like family members and day care workers.
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Hide AdWhen the story broke yesterday afternoon hundreds of people posted comments online.
Reader Dave Ashton criticised the slow release of information and claimed that some people were warned before others.
Customers with concerns can contact 03456 723 723. The latest updates will be available at unitedutilities.com and on Twitter @unitedutilities
For more on the water contamination in Lancashire visit the links below:


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High gas prices are affecting buses too, and Hawaii is taking note. Hawaii has the highest energy prices in the US and hybrids provide great efficiency as well as reducing pollution. Last year they purchased ten General Motors hybrid diesel electric buses, now they're planning to bring dozens more of them to Honolulu. The buses are getting even better mileage than they anticipated.
The buses have a 75-passenger capacity, offer 90 percent cleaner emissions than conventional diesel buses and can accelerate 50 percent faster. The buses, at $749,000 each, are about $150,000 more than regular buses, but the fuel savings justify the cost.
Hawaii is not the first place to use hybrid buses. New York City Transit, starting their program in 2000, currently has 180 hybrid diesel electric buses in operation and will have 325 buses on the street by the end of 2005. The hybrids are the Orion VII (Orion Bus Industries of Mississauga, Ontario) diesel hybrid electric buses. The buses feature BAE SYSTEMS' HybriDrive™ propulsion system and Cummins' ISB5.9 liter engine. NYCT is purchasing a total of 325 Orion VIIs for delivery in 2004 and 2005.
Hybrids are not the only way NYC is reducing pollution. Since 2000 all of the NYC buses have run on low sulfur fuel to reduce emissions. More than 2550 diesel engines have been equipped with particulate filters which reduce particulate emissions by as much as 95%. NYC Transit currently operates more than 400 CNG buses and will have 481 in service by the end of 2005.
"City plans to bring in more hybrid buses" , KHON2, 9/8/05
"City unveils new hybrid buses", Stability.com, 10/22/04
The clean fuel bus program, NYC Transit and the Environment


text: E-NEWS Monthly - February 2015 Heart of America Council Digital Newsletter Stay up-to-date with the latest council news and events with E-NEWS Monthly. Be the first to find out what's happening in our local Scouting communities and get access to special Scout offers. Read More Feb 11, 2015 Categories: Council President Cub Scout Eagle Scout Reception Eagle Scouts ENEWS Infographic Scout Day at the K


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Tooth decay is directly related to carbohydrate consumption and the two largest changes in dental health worldwide have been the adoption of agriculture and the rise of sugar consumption in the greatly expanding cities of the 19th century. This is strongly reflected in human remains from archaeological sites.
Up until the rise of cultivated, starch-rich crops, dental caries (decay) was extremely rare. Amongst early agriculturalists, it was more frequent but was in particular a disease of the very worn teeth of older people. In cities after the industrial revolution a softer diet mean much less wear and the rise of sugar caused caries rates to soar. Many more children and younger adults started to show the condition which took on a character much more like that of the 20th century.
These changes can be found in many parts of the world and make the rate and pattern of dental caries, together with tooth wear, a very useful tool for investigating dietary change. This project involves collaborations in Peru, Turkey and Portugal.
Related outputs
- Wasterlain, S.N., Hillson, S. & Cunha, E. (2009). Dental caries in a Portuguese identified skeletal sample from the late 19th and early 20th centuries. American Journal of Physical Anthropology, 140, pp. 64-79.
- Wasterlain, S.N., Cunha, E. & Hillson, S. EarlyView published online. Periodontal disease in a Portuguese identified skeletal sample from the late nineteenth and early Twentieth Centuries. American Journal of Physical Anthropology.
- Hillson, S., Kolp-Godoy Allende, M & Guillen, S (2009) Diet, culture change, dental disease and tooth wear in prehistoric southern Peru. American Journal of Physical Anthropology, pp. 150-151. Conference presentation.
- Hillson, S.W. (2007). The current state of dental decay. In: Irish, J.D. & Nelson, G. (Eds), Technique and Application in Dental Anthropology. Cambridge Studies in Biological and Evolutionary Anthropology. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, pp. 111-136.
- Trinkaus, E., Hillson, S.W., Franciscus, R.G. & Holliday, T.W. (2005). Skeletal and dental paleopathology. In: Trinkaus, E. & Svoboda, J. (Eds), Early Modern Human evolution in Central Europe. Human Evolution Series. Oxford: Oxford University Press, pp. 419-458.
- Hillson, S.W. (2004). Mummies and health in the ancient Ilo valley. Archaeology International, 7 , pp. 44-47.


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This article is more than 1 year old
We read WiReD, so you don't have to
It's out. But is it any good?
There was a surprise in the goodie bag for attendees of WiReD UK's launch party. Alongside a copy of the launch issue and a Windows game, was a small bottle of Thunderbird - the fortified wine beloved of students and park bench alcoholics.
Actually - I made the last bit up. There was no Thunderbird. But you'll need something similar - or maybe stronger - to anaesthetise your synapses after trying to read WiReD. After a 12 year absence, the magazine that purports to tell us the future returns to the country that invented the bouncing bomb, the hovercraft, television and the computer.
So, er ... is it any good?
Well I can think of three or four great reasons why it really should be. The media doesn't do science, and is terrified of technical subjects. The nearest a Hampstead or Islington-based newspaper features editor will get to an engineer is meeting the gas repair man. They consider the vacuous Malcolm Gladwell to be a mysterious, fascinating and wise figure from over the water. Nor do we have, in Britain, a magazine of ideas - just dull collections of position papers written by wonks, for wonks. In Britain we've never had the equivalent of a Harper's or a New Yorker - something with a cracking 15,000 word article that you can read in the bath.
Secondly, this is a time when almost everything is up for grabs. Big ideas in science are furiously contested, and established ideological adversaries are finding strange things in common.
And finally, WiReD has always done optimism quite well - which for all its flippancy and nuttiness, is its redeeming feature. Take Global Warming, for example. Let's suppose it's true, said WiReD: there's no Thermageddon, just a set of technical challenges that don't involve drastic lifestyle or behaviour modification.
WiReD (US) at its best
In other words - the world is far more interesting than we're told, and there's a gap in the market.
What WiReD gives us instead is 177 pages of relentless infonuggets. The techno trivia submerges both the features and the ads. It starts with the specially commissioned cover, which imagines a futuristic London, with WiReD-sponsored blimps hovering over the city. It predicts "buildings are routinely fitted with turbines and solar panels" and "local trips are taken on an elevated transport network". No, really? The bloke who invented Twitter predicts "I think we'll be bigger than Blogger" in a 150 word interview. Pages are filled with bite-sized futurology predictions which are just as bland - the prediction that we'll find ET in less than twenty years comes from a marketing consultant called Faith Popcorn. (I'm not making this up).
Alain de Botton writes about a day spent driving diggers at the Diggerland theme park. He files just 250 words, and I hope I'm not spoiling it for you when I report the philosopher's key discovery: "It's fascinating to sit at the controls of a digger such as the JCB 3CX... The strength of the digger's arm is awesome".
Who knew?
On to the features, where there's an good idea done well - quant pioneer David X Li, whose mathematical formula powered the last financial bubble. That should have been twice or three times as long. There's a good idea done badly - how Anthony Rose rescued the BBC iPlayer. This should be a cracking tale of a techie who tamed a bureaucracy, but it isn't done justice - you'll learn a lot more from Rose his own words [PDF, 840kb]. And there's a completely wacky feature about "Lifecasting"- in which people record every calorie and particle of food eaten, and every minute of activity in their lives, before posting it on the web. Do you know anyone who does this?
Then there's the four page photo feature of close-ups of a supercomputer's circuitry - and everything's alright again. You wonder - was this published because the pictures are interesting art? (They're not - one page would do).
The choice of experts reflects a media person's idea of cutting edge science - if they'd been cyrogenically frozen in about 1993. You've got neuroscience, represented by Susan Greenfield, and sociobiology, thanks to former Northern Crock chairman Matt Ridley, nephew of former cabinet minister Lord Nicholas and a Dawkins fanatic. Neither is best-placed to explain why neuroscience and sociobiology have been flops.
(Place bets on Stephen Fry "guest editing" in the near future).
So there, give or take a token music article, you have it. WiReD seems to have acquired a few more handicaps than it had when it closed in 1997. Back then digital networks were quite new. We weren't sure if cack-handed politicians would try to close the whole thing down, egged on by a sensationalist press. Now it's the press and the politicians who occupy the utopian highlands of what was once WiReD country - whether it's Andrew Gowers burbling about the economic potential of Web 2.0, or the Daily Telegraph Twittering.
So the quest for big ideas means embracing daft ones. Enter Chris Anderson, with The Long Tail and Freetardonomics.
This leaves WiReD in a peculiar time warp - in both tone and content. What should be absorbing - maybe even mind-blowing - looks tentative, defensive and nervous. The editorial execs - who seem to be passing through here, between jobs - appear to take no interest in science or technology. Without the confidence of the original, it looks like a small blog given a big budget.
I'd love to report otherwise, but at this rate, WiReD UK is going to inspire a whole generation of British schoolchildren ... to become chartered accountants. ®


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Each year 2.5 million children die worldwide because they do not receive life-saving vaccinations at the appropriate time.
Anil Jain, Michigan State University professor, is developing a fingerprint-based recognition method to track vaccination schedules for infants and toddlers, which will increase immunization coverage and save lives.
To increase coverage, the vaccines must be recorded and tracked. The traditional tracking method is for parents to keep a paper document. But in developing countries, keeping track of a baby's vaccine schedule on paper is largely ineffective, Jain said.
"Paper documents are easily lost or destroyed," he said. "Our initial study has shown that fingerprints of infants and toddlers have great potential to accurately record immunizations. You can lose a paper document, but not your fingerprints."
Jain and his team traveled to rural health facilities in Benin, West Africa, to test the new fingerprint recognition system. They used an optical fingerprint reader to scan the thumbs and index fingers of babies and toddlers. From this scanned data, a schedule will be created and become a part of the vaccine registry system.
Once the electronic registry is in place, health care workers simply re-scan the child's fingers to view the vaccination schedule. They know who has been vaccinated, for what diseases and when additional booster shots are needed.
These new electronic registry systems will help overcome the lack and loss of information, which is the primary problem in the vaccine delivery system in third world nations, Jain said.
Collecting fingerprints from fidgety infants is not easy. Another challenge is their small fingerprint patterns have low contrast between ridges and valleys.
"The process can still be improved but we have shown its feasibility," Jain said. "We will continue to work on refining the fingerprint matching software and finding the best reader to capture fingerprints of young children, which will be of immense global value. We also plan to conduct a longitudinal study to ensure that fingerprints of babies can be successfully matched over time."
There will be other benefits in addition to tracking vaccinations, said Mark Thomas, executive director of VaxTrac, a nonprofit organization supporting Jain's research.
"Solving the puzzle of fingerprinting young children will have far-reaching implications beyond health care, including the development of civil registries, government benefits' tracking and education recordkeeping," Thomas said.
The research paper can be accessed here: http://www.cse.msu.edu/rgroups/biometrics/Publications/Fingerprint/JainCaoArora_RecognizingInfantsandToddlersusingFingerprints_IJCB14.pdf
Story Source:
Materials provided by Michigan State University. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.
Cite This Page:


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i feel quite lucky to get a sneak peek into all these amazing parties around the city.. alisha put together the cutest circus party for her sons 1st birthday and scissors.paper.cake worked with her for the additional touches. alisha does some cake decorating herself so i designed a cake to suit the rest of the sweets and she did an amzing job bringing it to life- it looked so fantastic-i wish i got to make it!! here are some of the cute details:
and here are some extra photos of the party courtesy of alisha:
and for some more inspiration see my carnival party post here!


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Turkey Payment Survey 2019: better picture in payment term but companies remain cautions regarding economic prospects
Right after the recession that the economy went into during the second half of 2018 the private sector remains mixed in terms of the economic outlook.
Payment terms: shorter terms reflect preference for liquidity
The deterioration of cash flow has slowed down and fewer companies expressed tougher conditions while making their payments. Nowadays, the average payment term offered by Turkish companies to their clients stood nearly at 85 days in the domestic market and at 69 days in export markets (vs 108 days in 2017).
Still, the average payment period remains long on an international scale. Companies are gradually changing their terms of payment to their customers. In Turkey only 40% of companies request to their export clients that payments to be made within 60 days. This falls even lower at 33% in domestic market.
Key factors pushing companies to sell with term are mentioned as the liquidity squeeze of domestic clients and competition on the export markets. Credit continues to remain as an issue for the Turkish corporate sector despite recent improvement.
Regarding the future payment experience, companies seem to have a more cautious view. Indeed, 46% of surveyed companies expect payment terms to lengthen in the domestic market in 2020, while 45% of companies expect longer terms in export markets. These ratios are however very close for those who expect payment terms to remain flat on the domestic (45%) and export market (44%).
Companies remain cautions regarding economic prospects, especially in paper, pharmaceutical, metal and construction sectors
In the past two years, payment delays have declined for Turkish companies. It averages 41 days in the domestic market and 58 days in export sales.
In case that the receivables cannot be collected in the domestic market, 40% cover the loss from the own resources while 28% take banking loans. More than a third of companies (37%) request to their customers a down payment. For Turkish companies, the use of credit insurance is not an automatic process even its action is well-known of a majority (62%). Only 26% use it against potential non-payment by their customers.
Despite recent economic recovery, many companies (44%) still expect economic conditions will deteriorate in Turkey in 2020. Paper, pharmaceutical, metals, construction are among the most pessimistic sectors. Tougher conditions to access to financing and narrower domestic demand are considered among the factors which would weigh on the payment capacity of the companies. Despite these challenges, willingness to do new investments in 2020 remains high for some sectors such as pharmaceutical and agri-food. On the export side, automotive companies look comparatively more cautious with nearly 20% reporting lower export revenues expectations for 2020, above the survey average of 9%.
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We use to do our shopping on the first week of December.
We use to do our shopping on the first week of December.
The best time of year to start Christmas shopping is anytime you see something that would be a good gift for someone so that would be between Dec. 26th through the following Dec. 24th. I feel comfortable buying a Christmas gift for myself starting about this time of year, i.e., if I see something I want and dont need, I buy it and put it under my name on my Christmas gift budget.
I'm Dreaming of a White Christmas
I started about a week ago! Bought my grand-niece a very cute little backpack. She's not yet 3 and I think she'll love it. It's a pink poodle with a zippered pocket and back straps - just her size!
I'm Dreaming of a White Christmas
You can never tell when to shop. I am shopping for presents since September. It's because it is hard to find a gift worth giving.
i do all my shopping on christmas eve!
I started in June. We have 4 kids to buy for plus others. If I don't start early, I'll never get it done. Also it helps on the finances that way!
As soon as you can..
For me,the shopping is all part of the Christmas build up, it adds an air of excitement rushing around town with the decorations up etc with others doing likewise, i wouldn't like to miss out on that. Therefore i usually start doing my shopping October onwards and usually complete by December 20th...
Food shopping usually complete by about the 23RD.
I'm a guy, so probably a few days before! Haha.


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One of the problems with TOP's format is that excellent comments that come in late are often missed by most readers, even if I post them as "Featured Comments." For instance, check out Maxim Muir's new Featured Comment on the post "Vintage Prints" from last Thursday.
Maxim was a formidable darkroom expert who was the real authority behind author Steve Anchell's best-selling The Darkroom Cookbook. Maxim provided many of the formulae and vetted much of the material; he ought to have been credited as "technical editor" of that book, if not co-author, but I don't think he was. At least not in the first edition.


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Skype is investigating a tool published recently on Pastebin that captures the last-known IP address of the VoIP service's users.
"This is an ongoing, industry-wide issue faced by all peer-to-peer software companies," Adrian Asher, Skype's director of product security, told TechNewsWorld. "We are committed to the safety and security of our customers and we are taking measures to help protect them."
This particular flaw was discussed in a paper presented by an international team of researchers in November at the Internet Measurement Conference 2011 in Berlin.
The flaw could lead to serious attacks, warned Randy Abrams, a security consultant.
"There's a lot more at risk than simply IP disclosure," Abrams told TechNewsWorld. "The ability to redirect to another Web page implies the ability to frame someone for accessing child pornography, among other non-trivial attacks, for example."
It's Tool Time!
The tool exploits a patched version of Skype 5.5. Skype's flaw lets anyone see another person's vCard and get that person's real user IP address and the IP address of the internal network card on that person's PC.
A vCard is a file format standard for electronic business cards.
More information about the target, such as the city and country where he or she is located, and the Internet service provider the target is using, can be obtained by going to a Whois service.
Whois is used to get information on registered users or assignees of domain names and IP address blocks, among other things.
Findings of the Research Team
The researchers stated that the flaw could let Voice over IP (VoIP) phone systems, including Skype, be exploited by third parties to ascertain users' identities, locations and digital files. The flaw can be exploited by a sophisticated hacker of high school age, they said.
Tracking Skype accounts and combining this with commercial geo-location services let the researchers construct a detailed account of a user's daily activities even if the user had not accessed Skype for 72 hours.
By repeatedly calling targets over Skype and terminating the calls regularly, perhaps hourly, attackers could find out the locations and movements of any Skype user over weeks or months without the targets' knowledge, the researchers said. They could discover which digital files targets downloaded by combining this attack with tracking targets' activities on popular peer-to-peer file sharing systems such as BitTorrent.
Linking data obtained from VoIP systems through the flaw to personal information from social media sites would let marketers create profiles on large numbers of people, the researchers said. They estimate it will cost a marketer only about US$500 a week to track 10,000 users.
The researchers notified both Skype and Microsoft, which purchased Skype last year, of their findings.
Hitting Gamers and Mobile Devices
Skype service is now available on the Windows Phone and the PlayStation Vita, and this may open up new areas of attack.
"The potential of abuse on these platforms needs to be carefully reviewed," Abrams warned. "The problem itself may well exist in other undiscovered areas, as programming logic errors are commonly repeated."
The Art of VoIP Self-Defense
The researchers suggested various tactics VoIP service providers can use to protect users.
One approach is for the designer of the VoIP signaling protocol to ensure that a user's IP address is not revealed to callers unless the user accepts the call. If a user blocks all calls from people not on their contact list then anyone not on that list won't be able to determine the user's IP address. The researchers recommend this solution for all VoIP applications. Think of this as Caller ID in reverse.
Users may also want to block people on their contact list from getting their IP address. To do this, the researchers suggested VoIP service providers pass all calls through relays. This will attach the IP address of the relay to the data. However, this solution increases VoIP traffic and slows P2P communication.


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One gripe leveled at consumer electronics companies is the rate at which their technologies become obsolete, often by design.
While that's great for selling new products, it encourages people to throw out products with plenty of life left, causing a global electronic waste problem.
Korea's Samsung Electronics hopes to differentiate itself in the fiercely competitive high definition TV marketplace by incorporating the ability to upgrade into their design.
If a customer buys a premium-level TV, they can simply attach Samsung's "Evolution Kit" in a slot in the back. That makes a 2012 TV operate like a 2013 Smart TV – with faster processing capabilities, new voice control options, the ability to run multiple channels simultaneously, and enough computer memory to handle the latest high-definition programming.
"The Evolution Kit is a truly innovative concept from Samsung that allows consumers to enjoy the latest features and services every year without without having to purchase a brand new TV," says Robert King, vice president, Consumer Electronics, Samsung UK and Ireland.
It will likely cost less than $500 when it becomes commercially available this March, but that's much less than buying a new television … and it gives Samsung another sale.
Here's video about the Evolution Kit:
The electronics industry is making recycling a priority these days, with a a goal to recycle 1 billion pounds a year by 2016. Since major companies joined to promote recycling a couple of years ago, it's jumped 53%.
In 2011, leading companies such as Best Buy, Panasonic, Sony and Toshiba America collected 460 million pounds of gadgets, up from 300 million pounds the previous year.
The US government has also taken steps to address electronics waste.


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One of scarred Chestnut trees, remains of a wood on the Waterloo battlefield where French troops died in their thousands outside the walls of Hougoumont Farm, on 25th March 2017, at Waterloo, Belgium. The trees trunks are still pockmarked by musket fire with holes still embedded in the bark. The chateau became an epicentre of fighting in the Battle as it was one of the first places where British and other allied forces faced Napoleon's Army. 12,000 allied troops defending 14,000 French. The Battle of Waterloo was fought on 18 June 1815. A French army under Napoleon Bonaparte was defeated by two of the armies of the Seventh Coalition: an Anglo-led Allied army under the command of the Duke of Wellington, and a Prussian army under the command of Gebhard Leberecht von Blücher, resulting in 41,000 casualties.
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