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DRC: Aid agencies struggle to help the wounded and displaced after attacks
TitleDRC: Aid agencies struggle to help the wounded and displaced after attacks
Room 8 of Bukavu Hospital's operating centre is full. All the beds are occupied. Some patients are on mattresses laid out on the floor. With amputated limbs, bullet wounds, open machete wounds, serious burns - all 26 occupants, including children, are victims of the latest attack by the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FLDR), one of the armed groups tearing apart eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).
"It's a miracle from God that we find ourselves here," says one of the victims, Mr. Bulambu. He is describing an attack that took place in early January in Muyulu, a village in the east of Shabunda, South Kivu.
This year, the UN is asking for US$719 million to fund programmes needed to protect civilians as well as provide food, health care, shelter, clean water and sanitation to millions of people affected by armed conflict, insecurity and diseases. Across the country, about 1.64 million people remain displaced.
Humanitarian agencies estimate that more than 60,000 people have been displaced over the past two months alone. Limited access and general insecurity caused by armed groups have prevented a major aid operation. Despite the difficulties of a full evaluation, aid agencies are preparing to respond to needs, including plans to deal with the rising risk of diarrhoea in reception areas due to limited clean water and poor sanitation.
One evening, he says, gunshots rang out—the universal sign that an assault was coming. A few minutes later the village was attacked: people were stabbed to death, houses burned and pillaged. Those who survived sought refuge where they could, notably in Nzovu village, around 30 kilometres away. After being admitted to the Nzovu health centre, Mr. Bulambu and other wounded people were evacuated to Bukavu.
In another room in the hospital's operating centre, there are more wounded people. They have been there for two months, after an alleged FDLR attack in Shabunda. One person's lips had been cut off and another had lost an arm.
In this region, where most roads are in a serious state of disrepair and communications are difficult, the number of attacks by armed groups has increased since November 2011. There was one vicious attack on New Year's Eve and another on 4 January 2012.
South Kivu faces a complex humanitarian situation with a rising number of internally displaced persons (IDPs), insecurity due to armed groups' attacks and poor infrastructure. More than half a million people are currently displaced in the province.
In 2011, 69 security incidents against aid workers were reported, one of which was fatal and cost the lives of five people from the NGO Ebenezer. Cholera is endemic, and since the beginning of the year the authorities have faced a new outbreak.
The main desire of displaced people is to leave host families and makeshift IDP sites, and to get back to their fields—the primary source of income for most Congolese. But their return depends on better protection by the Congolese Government.
"Our fields are far from the village, and we can't go to them because of the FDLR. How will we live if we don't have security? We won't go home until the authorities have solved the problem of the FDLR," says Mr. Bulambu.
More>> 2012 Humanitarian Appeal - Rdc-Humanitaire (DRC Web Portal)


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They're here — no ifs, and or butts about it. "Pull My Finger," perhaps the flatulence poster child program that was rejected by Apple three months ago as unfitting, is now available in the company's App Store, along with other similar whoopie cushion-like applications.
"Pull My Finger," as well as "Fart Machine," "iPooted" and "Flatulence" all made their debut Dec. 12. Another program, "iWarnU," was posted Dec. 2.
It's not clear whether Apple has loosened up (so to speak) on standards for software developers, who must get their programs approved by the company first before they can be placed in the App Store. The store, launched in July, lets iPhone owners download applications, or "apps" with a few clicks on the iPhone itself. Some programs are free; others paid.
The company did not respond to requests for comments. Hard to know whether this is breaking (sorry, readers; last one) news or not. What does seem to be happening is a relaxing of tighter standards that originally prevented programs like "Pull My Finger" from being among the thousands of programs in the App Store.
"I have not heard of any changes, but it does seem that more developers are having an easier time getting apps in the store," said Michael Gartenberg, vice president of mobile strategy at Jupitermedia.
Taste was at issue
It was not easy for Air-O-Matic, the company that created "Pull My Finger," whose rejection was shared publicly early in the fall.
"It was definitely a matter of taste," said Sam Magdalein of Air-O-Matic. "I'd gotten an original e-mail from Apple saying no because the program was of limited utility.
"That didn't make much sense at the time, because they had all sorts of apps that were of limited utility. So, I contacted them and they said it actually was because they thought some people would find it offensive, and they didn't want to have anything like that in the store."
Magdalein said he continued to pursue approval with Apple, going "back and forth" with the company the last few months. Air-O-Matic already has another program in the App Store, "Sticky Notes," for quick reminders on the iPhone.
"Pull" wasn't his idea; it was a partner's, Magdalein said, "because I'm really, really not a bathroom humor kind of guy." But Magdalein felt "Pull" was a "harmless little prank app" that merited inclusion in the App Store.
He got a call Dec. 11, he said, from "an Apple team member who was really nice and real apologetic about the problem," and said that "Pull," a 99-cent program with 18 different sounds, would be posted immediately.
The Apple rep, Magdalein said, told him that "they never really wanted to reject the application at the beginning, but they had to kind of be careful as the store was just getting started.
"They were ironing out details, trying to find out where these apps were going to fit, and what kind of place they were going to have in the store, so they wanted to go the safe route at first."
One okay, another not
That may have been the reason Apple didn't allow "Pull" and others like it into the App Store until now. But if that's so, it's not clear why another program, "iFart Mobile," — with an obvious name — made it into the App Store Oct. 14, and yet another, "Whoopie Cushion," remains locked out.
DoApp, the developer of "Whoopie Cushion," has eight other programs that are already in the App Store, including "Punch-O-Meter," a virtual punching challenge and "React," a "kid-friendly game of dexterity and accuracy," according to Wade Beavers of DoApp.
His company submitted "Whoopie Cushion" to Apple in July, and the program was "denied because of its content," he said in an e-mail interview.
Apple told DoApp that "'Whoopie Cushion" "cannot be posted to the App Store because it contains content that does not comply with Community Standards," which means programs that have "any obscene, pornographic, offensive or defamatory content or materials of any kind (text, graphics, images, photographs, etc.) or other content or materials that in Apple's reasonable judgment may be found objectionable by iPhone or iPod touch users."
"Bodily noises," Apple's missive said, "are not universally acceptable behavior."
DoApp has "been continuously resubmitting since," Beavers said. "Conversing with Apple is difficult. We submit e-mails and usually don't hear back except for a form letter."
How about 'Cut One'?
Of the thousands of programs now in the App Store, the largest single category is games (the flatulence programs are in the "entertainment" category).
Web site Gizmodo noted recently that the first game rated for those 17 and older, also known as "M-rated," is now in the App Store. It's called "Amateur Surgeon," a $4.99 game that "puts your wildest surgery fantasies in the palm of your unwashed, unqualified hand."
Perhaps the only thing that might beat that would be an iPhone program called "Cut One," about a serial slasher who farts. In any event, with the addition of these kinds of programs, Apple may be moving to a more open policy, although it is not universal yet. Magdalein of Air-O-Matic is encouraged.
"People were really worried that Apple was going to close down the iPhone and be really restrictive about what they let in the store; they were rejecting all these apps," he said.
"One of the great things that's bigger than our little joke application getting in is that it shows that Apple is moving in the right direction. It shows they're moving toward being more open and trying to work with developers to get them into the store, rather than just closing off things they might have a problem with.
"That's really good news for people who use iPhones and for developers."
© 2013 msnbc.com Reprints

subset: commoncrawl


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My niece told me about a game that her friend's mom used to set up to get her kids more interested in reading.
She would scatter letters around the room. Each letter had a price on it.
"Easier" letters like E might be worth a penny or five cents, whereas "harder" letters like Q or Z might be worth a quarter.
(Are you seeing where this is going?)
The kids would run around the room, collecting the letters; they would then put them together into words or phrases.
Then they'd add up the "money" they'd earned and… cash them in, using their parents as the bankers.
My niece said the game succeeded in making her friend much more interested in words and in reading.
And, presumably, in banking.
Here's another case in which a mom successfully bribed her daughter into reading.


text:
Creating and Deploying Stateless Session Beans and CMP Entity Beans
From the very beginning, I would like to notify you that this article is unusual. I believe we should call it a "manual," not an "article." In this document, we will provide the instructions needed to create a very simple (but still working) stateless session bean, a simple CMP (Container Managed Persistence) entity bean, then deploy everything on a JBoss application server. Because we are creating an entity bean, we will need a persistence store—a database. In our case, it will be MySQL database server. This article will explain how to "teach" JBoss to support CMP on MySQL.
On this initial point, I am eager to warn you that you have to be familiar with J2EE programming, you need to know the basics of EJB programming, you need at least to understand that JBoss is an application server, and that MySQL is a database server. If you have some troubles with these nuances, I suggest that you to skip reading this article and come back only when you feel yourself ready. In general, this article is created to explain how to apply your knowledge of EJB into "real life," and how to create some working stuff. But, this article will not teach you all these technologies.
And at last, to finish with the preparatory part, I will list all the software that is required for us, so we will be able to check up on material given on practice in our article. We will require JBoss 3.2.3 application server (it comes with Tomcat 4.1, so we do not need separated a Web container), MySQL 4.0.16 database server, Apache Ant 1.6.2—a Java-based build tool, and of course any simpliest text editor to copy and paste source code from this article. All software is free; you can download it easily from the companies' official Web sites. Before we will start, make sure you have downloaded everything and properly installed and configured all paths (PATH and CLASSPATH variables). This process is beyond the scope of our article, so we are leaving all these requirements to you.
First, our task will be creating Ant's build.xml, a so-called "make file," which will have all rules and instructions on how to compile, pack, and deploy all our stuff. Here it is; put it in the root directory, where you will be placing all code:
<project name="teste" default="ear"> <!-- define our environment --> <property name="jboss.home" value="C:\jboss-3.2.3"/> <property name="jboss.server.dir" value="${jboss.home}\server\default"/> <property name="jboss.deploy.dir" value="${jboss.server.dir}\deploy"/> <property name="source.dir" value="src"/> <property name="classes.dir" value="classes"/> <property name="app.ear" value="${ant.project.name}.ear"/> <property name="app.war" value="${ant.project.name}.war"/> <property name="app.ejb.jar" value="${ant.project.name}-ejb.jar"/> <!-- ---------------------- --> <path id="compile.class.path"> <pathelement location="${jboss.server.dir}\lib\jboss-j2ee.jar"/> </path> <target name="all" depends="clean,ear,deploy"/> <target name="compile"> <mkdir dir="${classes.dir}"/> <javac srcdir="${source.dir}" destdir="${classes.dir}" classpathref="compile.class.path" debug="yes"/> <copy todir="${classes.dir}"> <fileset dir="${source.dir}"> <include name="META-INF/**"/> </fileset> </copy> </target> <target name="jar" depends="compile"> <jar jarfile="${app.ejb.jar}"> <fileset dir="${classes.dir}"> <include name="META-INF/jbosscmp-jdbc.xml"/> <include name="META-INF/ejb-jar.xml"/> <include name="META-INF/jboss.xml"/> <include name="META-INF/mysql-ds.xml"/> <include name="**/*.class"/> </fileset> </jar> </target> <target name="war"> <jar jarfile="${app.war}"> <fileset dir="${source.dir}"> <include name="WEB-INF/web.xml"/> <include name="*.jsp"/> </fileset> </jar> </target> <target name="ear" depends="jar,war"> <jar jarfile="${app.ear}"> <fileset dir="${classes.dir}"> <include name="META-INF/application.xml"/> <include name="${app.ejb.jar}"/> </fileset> <fileset dir="."> <include name="${app.ejb.jar}"/> <include name="${app.war}"/> </fileset> </jar> </target> <target name="deploy"> <copy file="${app.ear}" todir="${jboss.deploy.dir}"/> </target> <target name="undeploy"> <delete file="${jboss.deploy.dir}/${app.ear}" quiet="true"/> </target> <target name="clean"> <delete includeEmptyDirs="true" quiet="true"> <fileset dir="."> <include name="*.jar"/> <include name="*.war"/> <include name="*.ear"/> </fileset> <fileset dir="${classes.dir}"/> </delete> </target> </project>
Just create this file, save it, and forget about it for now. Honestly speaking, you can forget about it at all. As rough as it sounds, you do not necessarily need to be an Ant guru and keep all the structures of an XML configuration file in your head to use all the advantages of the Ant build tool. I do not remember them because I already have skeleton of build.xml and I use it almost all the time. Of course, when I require some other features, I just open Ant's documentation, look for the functions that I need, and use them. That's all. I suggest that you do the same if you do not have the time or desire to learn everything from the very beginning.
Page 1 of 3
This article was originally published on September 9, 2004


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We're delighted to be back in our real-life groups (where local guidance allows). If your local group isn't able to run as normal right now, you'll be sure of a warm welcome in one of our temporary virtual groups. In some circumstances, where local guidance allows, we're running a combination of venue and virtual, where you'll weigh in at your venue then attend a virtual group session.
Ready to join
Slimming World?
If you're thinking of joining us, don't miss out! Contact your local Consultant to book into one of our new member sessions today and get everything you need for a fab first week and much much more!
Your Consultant is
East Cowes Town Hall
York Avenue
East Cowes
Isle Of Wight
07813 635202
my real-life group is open, please contact me to book your place
If you're thinking of joining us don't miss out! Please call your Consultant to book into one of our new member sessions or to pre-book your place in group. You'll get everything you need for a fab first week. Your first new member session will last around 45 minutes.


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MINOT – Selectmen have authorized Road Manager Arlan Saunders to scale back this summer's paving program and have given Saunders permission to contact the two low bidders to determine what effect the reduced work might have on their responses.
The problem, Saunders explained stems from the high cost of asphalt, the cost per ton for which is up about 20 percent higher than the estimate he had used in preparing his budget.
Last year, asphalt was in the mid $30-per-ton range. Saunders said he budgeted $42 a ton and the average price contractors gave was $50.
"We'll be taking a couple hundred tons away. I want the contractors to be comfortable with the change," said Saunders.
Saunders noted that the two low bidders, Commercial Paving at $236,860 and R.C. & Sons at $237,977, were within a half of a percent of each other on a project that calls for reclaiming nearly 30,000 cubic yards of pavement and putting down 4,785 tons of asphalt.
Saunders said he can cut the amount of asphalt needed by reducing the layer put down on Old Garfield Road from two-and-a-half to two inches. This would save about 200 tons of asphalt and bring the paving program within budget.
Saunders also told selectmen that he expects cooperative work agreements with Hebron and Mechanic Falls to prove mutually beneficial this summer.
"We have a blossoming relationship with Mechanic Falls, a good two-way street," said Saunders.
He noted that Minot has already done some grading in Mechanic Falls.
"We have some more to do in a couple of weeks and they will either assist us with some of our ditching or possibly let us use their loader to push the shoulder box later this summer," said Saunders. The box is used to smooth road shoulders after paving.
Saunders also said he plans to ditch about 1,900 feet on Greenwood Mountain Road in Hebron the beginning of May in return for Hebron's truck hauling for Minot the following week.
Town Administrator Rhonda Irish reported that the recreation committee is organizing community work days for the weekends of May 13 and 20. Irish said the goal is to develop a soccer field in the town's new recreation area east of the school, leveling and readying it for planting by spreading a couple thousand cubic yards of loam.
The hope is that if the field grasses in and everything goes well, it can be used for soccer this fall. In other business, selectmen accepted the terms in a letter from the Maine Bond Bank approving the town's request for a $229,997 five-year bond for the Fire Department's new tanker/pumper truck.
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VFW announces Veterans Day events


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text:
DDS ace photographer Gregory Davis was on hand for this year's edition of CHIKARA's annual, massive, King of Trios weekend. 2012's KOT was all about the Queens though, as seven Joshi came to CHIKARA and demolished preconceptions, gender barriers and, most enjoyably, Matt Classic. Tsubasa Kuragaki told me she's looking forward to returning to America again soon. Until then you can enjoy Greg's shots of three days of wrestling excellence. You can also order the shows via SmartMarkVideo.com.
[nggallery id=126]


text:
- Description
DetailsHayter 100-4767 now 114-7801
For new part number, Please use the link below, to find the new part number,
To see the new part number and price, please click here
- Reviews
Sorry, We are not accepting orders and enquiries at the moment, due to relocating to bigger premises.
All orders placed prior to our 2 weeks shut down, will be processed as normal.
Ordering temporarily suspended for 2 weeks
We apologise for the inconvenience.
Please Contact Us Via Email Only: email@example.com
All Prices are Inclusive of Vat @ 20%


text:
Pat Toro, Jr., the former president of the Vietnam Veterans of America (VVA) Chapter 32 in Queens and local law enforcement officer, lost a nearly year-long battle with Myelodysplastic syndrome last Thursday, a cancer found linked to the use of Agent Orange that affects the bone marrow that later led to leukemia. He was 65.
After service in the Vietnam War from 1969 to 1970 as a U.S. Marine, Toro returned home to serve as a correction and police officer and later became a criminal investigator for the Port Authority.
It was then when Toro began his focus on serving his fellow veterans. For more than 10 years he led VVA 32 until 2008, later taking on his most recent role as the New York State Southern District VVA and the Director at VVA National Board of Directors and its Government Affairs.
While president of the local chapter, Toro was instrumental in starting a program to give former veterans who died indigent proper burials with full honors at Calverton National Cemetery.
Current VVA Chapter 32 president Paul Narson has been a member of the group since 1989 and said he learned everything he knew about running the organization from Toro.
"Pat helped me with respect, honor, duty and our country, and he was always there to answer any questions I had," Narson said. "He was a tough leader, he liked to do things his way and he liked to do them fast and quick."
Borough President Melinda Katz released a statement following his passing to also honor his life and his battle for the veterans of Queens.
"I was deeply saddened to learn of the passing of Pat Toro," Katz said. "A Marine Corps veteran of the Vietnam War, Pat served his country with courage and valor. It was an honor to have known Pat Toro, and I can say with certainty that he will be remembered as a leader, a humanitarian, and an American hero."
Toro is survived by his wife Evelyn, son Michael, daughter Marie and his grandson.
His will be interred at Calverton National Cemetery.


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Revision [3270]
This is an old revision of RogueHunt5 made by JohnnyNeumonnic on 2008-12-26 21:30:22.
Rogue Hunt, Level 5
Last edited by JohnnyNeumonnic
Fri, 26 Dec 2008 21:30 EST
Fri, 26 Dec 2008 21:30 EST
Part 2 of 3(Part 2 of Rogue Spy, L5)
Faction: Drones
Mission type: Deadspace
Web/Scramble: None
Extras: (2) Energy Neutralizer Sentry IIIs
Damage dealt: All Kinds (Exp: 33%, Therm: 26%, Kin: 25%, EM: 16%)
Recommended damage dealing: EM/Thermal (Kin/Thermal for batteries/sentries)
Recommended ships: Completed in (1) Maelstrom w/ passive tank and (1) Maelstrom w/ Shield Transporter in 2 hours, but recommend more support.
Acceleration Gate into Deadspace.
Single Pocket
At gates destination, NPCs surround your warp-in point at distances between 15 – 25km with Missile Batteries at 55km. Full Room aggro upon warp-in.
Initial Group:
4 x Frigates (2 x Strain Barracude Alvi) orbits at 10 km
text..(2 x Strain Devilfish Alvi) orbits at 2 km
3 x Destroyers (Shatter Alvior) orbits at 3 km
3 x Cruisers (Atomizer Alvum) orbits at 19 km
4 x Battlecruisers (Siege Alvatis) orbits at 28 km
8 x Battleships (4 x Alvus Queen) orbits at 36 km
4 x Drone Cruise Missile Batteries
4 x Drone Heavy Missile Batteries
2 x Drone Energy Neutralizer Sentry IIIs
Subsequent Spawns:
Upon destruction of initial Frigates and/or Destroyers, there spawns:
3 x Frigates (Strain Hunter Alvi) orbits at 11 km
Upon destruction of initial Cruisers and/or Battlecruisers, there spawns:
3 x Cruisers (Strain Nuker Alvum) orbits at 17 km
As each initial Battleship is destroyed, there spawns:
1 x Battleship (Named Pilot Mission Target) Objective
6 x Battleships (Alvus Queen) orbits at 36 km
6 x Battleships (Alvus Queen) orbits at 36 km
Drone Bunkers: Dropped no loot
Infested Station Ruins (350,000 hp): Destruction was not attempted. Report what you find.
- Plan your tanks resistances and repair for 1718 hp/s of damage from initial agro. Dealt as: (Exp: 33%, Therm: 26%, Kin: 25%, EM: 16%)
- Use a passive tank. Or plan a capacitor that recharges or receives 80 Units/s.
- Lowering Incoming Damage: Missile Batteries are the only damage dealing group who won't spawn a replacement (who deals damage), so consider taking them out first to reduce incoming damage. Then take out the small, then medium ships. Their spawns are ultimately less in number than the group that preceded them.
- Mission is flagged complete when Named Pilot's Battleship is destroyed. (Inettria Volur or other name provided in mission briefing).


text: I got an e-mail from a listener (Neal Dalton, to be specific) about BS! Episode 112 and my comments on how I make NPCs. Well, who am I not to give our listeners what they request? After the break you can read my method of turning NPC creation over to your players.


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Gun Control Advocates Push on After Boston Marathon Bombings
Supporters and victims' families flock to Capitol Hill.
WASHINGTON, April 16, 2013 -- While the Boston Marathon bombings have put politics on hold for now in Washington, there's no break for gun control legislation as supporters and families of victims from the worst mass shootings in recent history descend on Capitol Hill to make their case.
Lawmakers today honored Gabe Zimmerman, an aide to former Rep. Gabrielle Giffords killed in the 2011 attack outside a supermarket in Tucson, Ariz.
This morning, a coalition of families of victims and survivors from the shootings in Newtown, Conn.; Tucson, Ariz.; and Virginia Tech arrived and observed a 32-second moment of silence at 9:38 a.m., timed to the moment the shooting erupted on the Virginia Tech campus in Blacksburg, Va., six years ago.
The 32 seconds matched the number of people killed in that shooting.
Read more: Mother of Sandy Hook Victim Delivers White House Weekly Address
"To see such violence continually occurring in this country and no action being taken on the federal level is frankly irresponsible and unacceptable," said Colin Goddard, who survived four gunshot wounds in the Virginia Tech attack and now lobbies with the Brady Campaign to Stop Gun Violence.
"The survivors of all these tragedies and all of the gun violence that happens in our schools, in our homes, in our neighborhoods, in our towns and in our communities continues unabated," said Lori Haas, whose daughter also survived the Virginia Tech shooting.
Read more: Senators Crack Impasse on Gun Background Checks
The moment of silence dovetailed with a name reading of victims of gun violence since the December shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn. A group that has met with members of Congress to lobby for reform of laws surrounding gun ownership read names continually for more than 32 hours last Wednesday outside the Capitol. It resumed the reading Monday as the Senate returned from recess and again today. The group said it would continue the readings until lawmakers voted on gun-control legislation.
The families and survivors were joined by former Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine, who was in office at the time of the Virginia Tech shooting.
Read more: Background Checks for Gun Buyers Win More Backing
The Senate has cleared a gun-control bill for a vote, but even with the compromise reached on background checks last week between Sens. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., and Pat Toomey, R-Pa., new gun-control measures face uncertain prospects in both the House and Senate.
Watch more: After: The Boston Marathon Bombings
The Senate bill is expected to include stiffer penalties for "straw purchasers," an extension of background checks to include guns bought at gun shows and online, and a new requirement that all states enter criminal and mental-health records into the National Instant Criminal Background Check System, the national background-check database maintained by the FBI to screen gun buyers.
Watch more: Bombing Aftermath Was 'Like a Stampede'
Senate Democrats, meanwhile, released a YouTube video revisiting the Virginia Tech shooting as part of the push for expanded background checks.
Capt. Mark Kelly, Giffords' husband, was in Washington, D.C., today to continue his meetings with lawmakers, to drum up support for the Senate's gun-control bill and to attend the dedication of a commemorative plaque and room in the Capitol Visitors Center for Zimmerman, Giffords' aide who was killed when Jared Loughner opened fire on Giffords and her constituents in a Tucson supermarket parking lot.
Watch more: Boston Reporter: Bombs Deliberately Planted for High Casualties
Gun control measures still stand a chance of passing, Kelly told reporters at a Christian Science Monitor breakfast this morning. Personal lobbying from gun-violence victims, he said, would be key.
"When you meet face to face with somebody who recently lost their 6- or 7-year-old child in a classroom from a man who unloaded 150 rounds in about five minutes, it's difficult to look that person in the face and say, 'Yeah, we're not going to do anything about that,'" Kelly said.
"The same goes for what happened to Gabby," Kelly continued. "Six of her constituents were murdered, 12 were injured, she was nearly assassinated two and a half years ago at a grocery store doing her job, and what did Congress do? What'd they do? They didn't do anything."
Next on Kelly's list was Sen. Jeff Flake, R-Ariz., who served with Giffords as a member of their state's House delegation. Flake announced last night on his Facebook page that he would oppose the Manchin-Toomey compromise to expand background checks.
"He is a friend of Gabby's. I don't think this is over with him," Kelly told reporters at this morning's breakfast. "When I explain to him in person why his concerns with this bill are unfounded, I think we can get him to come around."
If Flake votes against the bill, Kelly said his group, Americans for Responsible Solutions, would consider funding an opponent when Flake runs for re-election in 2018.
"Friendship is one thing," Kelly said. "Saving people's lives, especially first-graders', is another."


text:
Butler Co. highway renamed for fallen soldier
Route 177 now Sgt. David Luff Memorial Highway
The life of a fallen soldier will be permanently honored in Butler County.
Part of Route 177 was renamed for Sgt. David Luff Jr. Saturday.
A dedication ceremony took place with special recognition from the Patriot Guard.
Luff was killed in Iraq in November 2010.
Luff's parents said the memorial doesn't lessen their pain but it comforts them to know their son won't be forgotten.
"It's going to be here long after I'm gone and everyone will still remember him and what he's gone through and what he did," David Luff Sr. said.
The Hamilton High School graduate was 29 when he was killed.
"The reason we do this is so that young people, as they grow up, have real role models," State Sen. Bill Coley said.
Luff also left behind a wife and son who was born just days before he left for his second tour of duty. Luff was posthumously awarded the Bronze Star and Purple Heart.
"I hope that people that know him remember him fondly and are thankful and the people that don't know him take the time to find out who he was," Luff's widow, Katie said.


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Speaking of challenge, if you're up for a fun challenge that doesn't require you to leave your house and enters you in a giveaway to WIN a $200 Gift Card then read on.
The Stayfree Challenge Contest
In case you forgot, a while back, I participated in the Stayfree Challenge. At the time, I recalled watching the commercials where they poured blue dyed water onto pads and seeing how different the results were. I remember thinking how cool they were. Cool or not, I'm a visual person and so when I got the chance to try it out for myself, I was up for the challenge! I had lots of fun doing it and enjoyed getting the chance to try out the (new to me) vine app at the time. As I mentioned in my post, I wasn't surprised that Stayfree was the winner by far, however, it got me thinking about the science (or what I call "magic") behind the product.
And now it's your turn to be amazed.
I'm looking for 25 men or women that are interested in taking the Stayfree Challenge for themselves! You do not need a blog or know anything about the test that you will perform as clear instructions will be provided to you. In fact, you don't even need to leave your house because Stayfree will mail the kits directly to you at no cost.
If you're interested then this is what you need to do:
- Complete the Giveaways Tools form below and be sure to email me your mailing address*,
- If you are chosen, within two weeks of receiving the kit**, take the quick and easy challenge like I did.
- Within two weeks of receiving the kit, you must post a "review" on one or more of your social media accounts; Blog, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram or Pinterest. Your review must include the hashtag "#StayfreeChallengeContest" and a link to this blog post***.
- Provide me with the direct link to your social media share(s) of your review no later than Sunday, April 24, 2016.
And that's it! This is a great way to have some fun with science and your family and the bonus is winning a $200 Gift Card. So…
Do you want to participate in the Stayfree Challenge Contest?
Participate in the #StayfreeChallengeContest and Win a $200 Gift Card! CAN, 03/28 @zoojourneys #canwin #giveaway https://t.co/GPjRjoKiPC
— Journeys of The Zoo (@zoojourneys) March 15, 2016
* You will be required to email email@example.com and provide your full name, mailing address (no P.O. Boxes please) and your phone number. All this information will be provided to the Client in order to ship you out your kit.
** The kit will be mailed out on April 4, 2016. You should receive it by April 11.
*** Your "review" must be posted no later than Sunday, April 24, 2016 and the direct link(s) must be provided to me via email or the Giveaway Tools form if you want contest entries for them. Note that I will forward these on to the Client. Any reviews not received by this time will not be eligible to win the $200 gift card. The more social media accounts that you post on, the more chances to win. I will reopen the Giveaway Tools form after the kit is mailed out and you can earn up to 5 additional entries for sharing your "review" on your Blog, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and/or Pinterest.
|One person that meets the requirements listed above will be eligible to win a $200 Gift Card. Approximate prize value is $200CDN.
|Canada Only (excluding Quebec). Age 18+
|The application period will run from Monday, March 14 to Monday, March 28, 2016, inclusive.
|Included in the prize.
|Entry Method:
|Giveaway Tools Form.
|As a Stayfree Challenge Influencer Blogger Spokesperson, Journeys of The Zoo received compensation in order for us to facilitate this challenge.
|Selections will be made from March 29 to 31. Everyone that applies will be contacted via email whether they are selected or not. Thanks for your interest and support.
Everyone that is chosen to participate in this challenge agrees to let Journeys of The Zoo share and or post on our social media accounts, including our blog their review during the review period (from now until May 15, 2016). Content will remain the participants and proper credit will be given.
The potential winner will be required to successfully complete a skill testing question before they are deemed to be the winner.
I will draw the winner on Monday, April 25, 2016.
If more than 25 people apply, I will choose, at my own discretion 25 people to participate.
Note that individuals in Quebec can participate in the challenge, however, they are not eligible to receive the prize.
People can apply for this challenge on multiple blogs however can only be selected for one. Any one not selected for my challenge, will have the chance to allow me to submit your name to another blog that has openings.


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The market is expected to exhibit high growth in developed economies such as the U.S. and Europe over the forecast period. The rapid increase in the number of patients suffering from depression is expected to be one of the main driving forces for the estimated growth, which can be attributed to elevating stress levels, unhealthy lifestyle, and social imbalances. In the U.S. and Europe, various regulations pertaining to drug approval and patents, as well as commercial issues, such as restriction on the sale of antidepressants without prescription are the major restraints which are expected to negatively impact market growth. Rise in various medical disorders due to increase in stress levels and unhealthy lifestyle in Asia Pacific and the Middle East is expected to lead to market expansion.
The acceptability of various drugs is expected to increase due to growing public awareness regarding depression and associated disorders. This is expected to result in increasing drug penetration.
Depression drugs, as the name suggests, are primarily used for the treatment of depression, and also known as antidepressants. These drugs are also used in the treatment of a wide range of medical conditions such as anxiety disorders, neuropathic pain, eating disorders, chronic pain and obsessive compulsive disorder. The depression drug market includes a wide range of drugs, and can be segmented on the basis of key product types, which are Tricyclic antidepressants (TCAs), Serotonin norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs), Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), Monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs), and atypical antidepressants.
Some of the key vendors operating in this market include Bristol-Myers Squibb, Eli Lilly, GlaxoSmithKline, Lundbeck, Forest Laboratories and others.
This research report analyzes this market depending on its market segments, major geographies, and current market trends. Geographies analyzed under this research report include
North America
Asia Pacific
Rest of the World
This report provides comprehensive analysis of
Market growth drivers
Factors limiting market growth
Current market trends
Market structure
Market projections for upcoming years
This report is a complete study of current trends in the market, industry growth drivers, and restraints. It provides market projections for the coming years. It includes analysis of recent developments in technology, Porter's five force model analysis and detailed profiles of top industry players. The report also includes a review of micro and macro factors essential for the existing market players and new entrants along with detailed value chain analysis.
Browse All Market Research Report : http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/
Reasons for Buying this Report
This report provides pin-point analysis for changing competitive dynamics
It provides a forward looking perspective on different factors driving or restraining market growth
It provides a technological growth map over time to understand the industry growth rate
It provides a seven-year forecast assessed on the basis of how the market is predicted to grow
It helps in understanding the key product segments and their future
It provides pin point analysis of changing competition dynamics and keeps you ahead of competitors
It helps in making informed business decisions by having complete insights of market and by making in-depth analysis of market segments
It provides distinctive graphics and exemplified SWOT analysis of major market segments


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The renovations to the Osgoode Hall Law School building were not quite finished in time for the start of the new school year, but close enough for us to move back in and reclaim it. After two years in temporary digs scattered about the York campus, it's a joy for us all to be together again in one place. And what a place! The overwhelming impression for me is of light and space. Those of you familiar with the brutalist, bricked-in Osgoode of old will appreciate that this is an enormous and welcome change. I snapped a few photos (above) so that you can see for yourself.
Of course it wasn't just the opportunity to photograph the new Osgoode against a blue sky backdrop that brought me up to school on a sunny Friday afternoon in what for me is a sabbatical year. It was the celebration of the publication of new books by two of my colleagues: Copyright, Communication and Culture: Towards a Relational Theory of Copyright Law by Carys Craig, and a second edition of Intellectual Property Law: Copyrights, Patents, Trade-marks by David Vaver. Both authors spoke eloquently about their books to whet our appetites for reading them.
Carys Craig riffed on the cover image of her book to convey something of its content. It's a book that squarely takes aim at the dominant conception of copyright as private property. In it, she argues that this conception misrepresents authorship and the process of cultural creation in ways which, when translated into law, lead to the stifling rather than the stimulation of creativity and expression. She proposes instead a relational theory to underpin a copyright law that would better serve our social and cultural values. I haven't done her presentation justice with that brief description. I tried to take careful notes but soon gave up as pretty much everything she said seemed worth writing down. Of course, this bodes very well for the book! Suffice it to say that it promises to be a most thought-provoking book and I'm very keen to read it.
David Vaver spoke a bit about what's new in the second edition of his authoritative text. The attention paid to intellectual property by the Supreme Court of Canada in the fifteen years that have elapsed since the first edition was published necessitated significant expansion. But he devoted most of his speaking time to making a case for the importance and relevance of intellectual property law to other fields of law. He was preaching to the converted where I'm concerned (my advanced torts course covers all of the points of intersection between IP and torts that he mentioned), but the case he made was a convincing one by any measure. And he nicely tied the two themes of this post together for me with his opening gambit. We may think that we're in a building right now, he said, but in fact we're in a copyrightable architectural work. And what of the renovations? Might the modifications to the Osgoode building violate the moral rights of the original architect? An entertaining and enlightening afternoon all round.
Today's book launch was just the first of many events to be held at Osgoode this year that are apt to be of interest to devotees of law and the arts. I will report on them here, and offer up a bit of advance notice as well for the benefit of those of you in the Toronto area who may wish to attend. We'd love to have you come visit us in our lovely, newly renovated building!


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The bullshit continues to flow from NBC's mouths as they attempt to justify slicing an entire portion of Friday's London Olympics opening ceremony from their tape-delayed broadcast. That portion included a tribute featuring two dead U.S. servicemen and a requiem for victims of the 7/7 terror attacks.
NBC's still denying the excised "Abide With Me" performance was about terror victims:
But it wasn't meant to be a tribute. It was disappointing to see that misconception spread.
Oh, yes the "misconception" that spread due to Reuters reporting it after a press conference with the choreographer. I can see how people might be confused.
But by far the most ludicrous claim by NBC is that cutting the segment was necessary in order to fit the broadcast into a set time schedule. As you can see above, NBC would have saved time if they'd simply aired the segment as it happened—two minutes and 14 seconds, to be precise. On the live broadcast, 7:14 elapses from the end of David Beckham appearing on a speedboat to the start of the parade of nations. NBC's broadcast took 9:28 to get from Becks to the same point.
For sure, a good six minutes of that 9:28 was commercials (the other three and a half minutes were a Ryan Seacrest interview of Michael Phelps). Obviously we don't begrudge NBC showing commercials—they are a business, after all—but given that NBC's claim all along has been that their editing was "tailored for an American audience," why not run the ads during random nations' parade? Or, perhaps, during the portions of the ceremony where French was spoken? That would still be shitty, but it would at least be consistent with their alleged editorial viewpoint. It's not like Meredith Vieira was providing insightful commentary to the parade anyway.
That, or they could have aired the whole thing and informed affiliates their late local news would be very, very late. NBC allocated four hours to broadcasting one of the world's great and rare spectacles; they give more than five to the NFL every autumn Sunday night.
PREVIOUSLY: Here's The Opening Ceremony Tribute To Terrorism Victims NBC Doesn't Want You To See
Opening Ceremony Choreographer "Disheartened And Disappointed" NBC Cut His Entire Performance Out Of Their Broadcast
NBC Responds: We Removed The Opening Ceremony Memorial To Terrorism Victims Because The Tribute Wasn't About America
NBC Also Edited Out A Tribute Featuring Two Dead U.S. Servicemen From Their Opening Ceremony Broadcast
For a handy master schedule of every Olympic event, click here.


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Nichole Mercer doesn't do much. School and then home....
Beautiful Monster291449490
- by hazzahstyles19
- Rating:
- Published: 28 Jan 2014
- Updated: 16 Jan 2015
- Status: In Progress
Amelia was an feisty innocent girl until a dark figure came into her normal, safe life, turning it upside down and inside out...
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High-Voltage Applications
X-FAB's modular processes offer designers the right fit for a wide range of power-management applications -- from the 5V standard to specialized high-voltage analog/mixed-signal functions up to several hundred volts. For example, X-FAB supports automotive applications that typically range up to 45V, as well as drivers for piezo-electric actuators that require support for up to several hundred volts. X-FAB's high-voltage capability also is used in power converters for AC LED lighting, converting the line voltage directly to the LED supply voltage. X-FAB also supports digital controllers with non-volatile memory (NVM) and lithium-ion battery stack control. Different kinds of primitive devices and process components allow easy adoption for special application requirements.


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DENVER (AP) The fans behind the south end zone who earlier had a great view of Peyton Manning's heart-skipping effort to tackle cornerback Brandon Flowers held up their index fingers as the final seconds ticked away on Denver's 38-3 rout of the Kansas City Chiefs.
``We're No. 1!''
It was an appropriate salute for two franchises whose fortunes couldn't have been more different this year.
With their biggest win ever over their AFC West rival, the Broncos (13-3) on Sunday secured the top seed in the AFC playoffs for the first time since John Elway was leading touchdown drives instead of cheers from his luxury suite.
The Chiefs (2-14), well, they own the top pick in the NFL draft now.
Manning guided Denver to its 11th straight win and made sure the only trip the Broncos will have to make on their road to a championship would be to New Orleans for the Super Bowl. They'll open the playoffs at home the weekend of Jan. 12 against Baltimore, Cincinnati or Manning's old team, the Colts.
``I threw it OK today, I guess,'' said the ever-modest Manning, who completed 23 of 29 passes for 304 yards and a 144.8 passer rating.
He was within 41 yards of his career high when he donned a cap for the fourth quarter, yet another NFL record in his pocket - this marked his 73rd three-touchdown game, surpassing the record held by Brett Favre.
Before he threw any of them, though, Manning had to race downfield to try to deny Flowers a touchdown after the Chiefs cornerback scooped up rookie Ronnie Hillman's fumble at the Kansas City 24 in the first quarter.
He didn't get there, but he did slow him down enough to make Flowers cut back, and tight end Joel Dreessen dragged him down at the 12. After that, the Chiefs settled for a field goal and then watched the Broncos score the next 31 points.
``Me, I'm telling him to get out of the way,'' Champ Bailey said, echoing the sentiments of Broncos fans everywhere. ``But the competitive nature of him is telling him to make the tackle. He stuck his neck out there.''
His four-time surgically-repaired neck.
``I didn't get the tackle?'' Manning deadpanned. ``Dreessen hit him? That's perfect. . I knew if I at least made them cut back, I thought somebody would be in there. I thought I got a hand on him though. Maybe a half? Can I get a half? Can we check with that? I thought I got a piece of him.''
He'll have to be satisfied with a season for the ages - at 36, coming off a year's forced sabbatical, Manning put up numbers that were better than the average of the four years he won MVP honors. He finished the season with 4,659 yards, 37 touchdowns and a 105.8 passer rating, all second-best of his 15-year career, putting him in line for a fifth MVP award.
``What he has done, to be coming off that type of rehab, that type of injury, at his position, in a new city, with a new team, I think it's unprecedented,'' coach John Fox said after his 100th win. ``Historical would be the word I'd use.''
Asked if he was a year ahead of where he thought he'd be in his comeback, Manning said, ``I guess you could say that. I just didn't know. I still think there are still things we can improve on. I still think there still are things that just take time, that you just can't get done in a year.''
Manning threw two touchdown passes to Eric Decker and one to Demaryius Thomas. Each had a one-handed TD grab that gave the Broncos some otherworldly highlights to go with their home-field advantage throughout the playoffs.
This was the second straight Sunday Manning used a grey-and-orange glove to prepare for the cold, playoff weather he could face at home the next two games.
``You know, for wearing it for the first time in my entire football career, I guess you could say it's been OK the past two weeks,'' Manning said.
Thanks to Houston's 28-16 loss to Indianapolis before the Broncos kicked off, Denver will be the top seed for the sixth time. The Broncos made the Super Bowl four of the previous five times.
Though the Chiefs gave the Broncos as tough a tussle as anyone during their 11-game winning streak - in a 17-9 loss last month - this wasn't expected to be much of a game, and it wasn't.
``It's been a gratifying regular season,'' Manning said. ``I will admit that. It is certainly more than I expected.''
On the other end of the spectrum are the Chiefs, who finished with 119 yards of offense a week after running for 352 yards in what might have been coach Romeo Crennel's farewell.
Injuries and ineffective play derailed a team predicted to finish near the top of the AFC West before the season. They also faced adversity off the field as well, when Jovan Belcher killed his girlfriend before committing suicide at the team's practice facility on Dec. 1.
``I think the season finally caught up to these guys and I think it showed on the field,'' Crennel said.
NOTES: Chiefs RB Jamaal Charles ran for 53 yards to finish with 1,509. ... The Broncos swept six games in the division for the first time since 1998 - the last time they won the Super Bowl. ... Broncos S Rahim Moore got his first career sack and Miller had one to extend his team single season record to 18 1/2. ... Hillman wasn't seen against after his fumble. Lance Ball replaced him as Knowshon Moreno's backup and led the team with 66 yards on 15 carries. ... Broncos QB Brock Osweiler threw his first NFL passes and finished 2 for 4 for 12 yards. ``I'm not here just to hand off,'' he said.
Online:http://pro32.ap.org/poll andhttp://twitter.com/AP-NFL
Follow Arnie Stapleton on Twitter:http://twitter.com/arniestapleton


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Last Updated: 20 Jan 2015
Author: (external edit)
This is a list of pages that seem to link back to the current page.
Nothing was found.
By day, I'm the CEO/CTO of ExaVault and Everbooked, both startups in the SF Bay Area. I love to ski, hike and I occasionally take a Cessna up for a spin. For more, see my website.


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ALTHOUGH the protocol of conference signed by Mr. Secretary Fish and the Spanish minister November 29, 1873, and the supplementary agreement between the same parties of December 8, the decision of the Executive as to the real ownership announced December 22, and the total loss of the vessel at sea while on her way to an American port, have subdued or even destroyed the intense popular excitement which so suddenly arose about the Virginius case, and which, but for the calm wisdom and moderation that guided both the governments at Washington and at Madrid, might have driven the two nations into an unhappy war, yet the case itself involves questions of public law of the highest interest to us and to all maritime countries, — questions which, depending upon analogies rather than upon any positive precepts of international jurisprudence, cannot be considered as yet definitively settled, and which may, therefore, arise again to vex the deliberations of cabinets and to disturb the tempers of peoples. It is a matter of supreme importance to the United States that the particular doctrines upon which this and all similar international disputes must rest, should be established on a sure basis, both of equitable principle and of statesmanlike policy. While every citizen, regarding the flag as the symbol of national independence and sovereignty, should properly resent a wrongful act towards it as an insult to his country, yet he should be taught to regard the unlawful and fraudulent use of that flag as a far graver insult than any mere proceeding of external violence or interruption. Since we Americans have asserted, and, by means of the three rules contained in the Treaty of Washington and the decision at Geneva thereon have partially established the broad principle of neutral responsibility and active neutral duty towards the combatants in a war which may be maritime, and since, by the long extent of our coast and the nature of the foreign population which collects in our principal seaports, we are peculiarly exposed to unlawful and clandestine invasions of our status as a neutral power, it would seem to be the first duty of the government to adopt such rules as will prevent the fraudulent use of our flag, and to enforce these rules in such a manner as to show that our practice is to be in conformity with our theory. This course is not only demanded by abstract justice, but is in accordance with the dictates of mere expediency. From these considerations it is proper, now that the popular excitement of the day has passed, to review the Virginius case in a calm and judicial manner, to ascertain, if possible, the doctrines of the public law which govern it, or, if it be found that no such doctrines have as yet been authoritatively established, to indicate the rules which ought to be accepted by the United States as at once just and politic. The discussion will be separated into three principal heads : first, a historical sketch of the Virginius ; second, a very brief statement of the diplomatic correspondence in reference to her seizure; and third, an examination of the legal questions which arise in the case.
1 An article discussing some of the legal questions in this case upon the facts as then disclosed was prepared for our January number; but the important develop ments which were made in December required that the paper should be entirely re-written, and the brief time which intervened rendered that impossible for the January number. We are now enabled to give an exhaustive résumé of the facts, and a careful discussion of the law.
TIME OF HER CAPTURE BY THE SPANISH MAN-OF-WAR. The narrative which follows is condensed from the depositions and exhibits found in the " Message of the President containing the correspondence and documents relative to the capture of the steamer Virginius and proceedings subsequent thereto," transmitted to Congress January 5, 1874.1 The evidence of the facts which are detailed is found in the custom-house papers relative to the registry of the steamer and her clearance from New York in 1870; the testimony of two Venezuelan prisoners taken at Havana in November, 1871, by a Spanish magistrate, in presence of the American and the Venezuelan consuls; the ex parte affidavits of Captain Francis E. Shepperd (May 2, 1872), and of two seamen (December, 1870), and certain depositions made at New York in November and December, 1873, before a United States commissioner. This latter inquiry was by arrangement conducted by counsel representing the Spanish minister, and by
1 430 Cong. 1st Sess. H. of R. Ex. Doc. No. 30.
the United States District Attorney, representing the State Department, the cross-examination being careful and searching. The witnesses on this occasion were Francis E. Shepperd, Francis Bowen, and Charles Smith, successively masters of the Virginius after her departure from New York in 1870; Edward Greenwood, her first assistant-engineer; five of her seamen or firemen; and lastly, Adolfo de Varona, a leading member of the Cuban junta at New York. There is no reason to doubt the truthfulness of the statements made by these persons; they sustain and corroborate each other even in regard to minute particulars; they were testifying against their own interest, for they disclosed acts done by themselves in violation of United States statutes. In respect to Varona, some more particular observations will be necessary in the proper place. Having thus described the official sources from which the account of the Virginius and her operations is obtained, it will not be important to verify each fact in the narrative by a special reference to the page of the congressional document where the evidence of it is to be found.
The Virgin was originally an English-built blockade-runner, captured during the war, and in 1866 was at New Orleans, the property of the United States. Having been sold to one M. T. Steele, she again in 1867 reverted to the United States by reason of Steele's failure to pay the purchase price. In 1870 she was lying at Washington. She was there sold and conveyed to John F. Patterson for the sum of $9800, the bill of sale being executed by E. C. Banfield, Solicitor of the Treasury, on the 27th of August, 1870. It does not clearly appear whether this price was in the first instance paid by the Cuban junta, so that coming originally from them it merely passed through the hands of Patterson as a conduit, or whether it was advanced by Patterson or Roberts, with whom he acted, and was refunded to him by the Cubans. There can be no doubt, however, that the purchase and conveyance were from the outset made on behalf of this Cuban association, and in pursuance of a prearranged agreement. Who was Patterson ? Marshall O. Roberts and J. K. Roberts were largely interested in the Florida railroad, and in a line of steamers running in connection therewith. Patterson had been in their employ, sometimes as a personal agent of M. O. Roberts, and sometimes as a subordinate official of the railroad. J. K. Roberts was associated with Patterson in the purchasing, repair
ing, and clearing of the Virginius, and it was for a while a matter of doubt in which of their names the title should be taken. In September, 1870, this Roberts employed Captain Shepperd as commander to take the newly purchased steamer from Washington to New York, which he did during that month. At this time, or immediately after her arrival in New York, Roberts told Captain Shepperd that he had bought the vessel on account of certain Cubans, among whom were José Maria Mora and Gen. Manuel Quesada, that these Cubans had furnished the money to pay the purchase price and for the repairs afterwards made upon her. About two weeks after her arrival in New York Roberts again informed Captain Shepperd that the steamer was owned by the Cubans, and was to be used by them in their enterprise, and inquired if he would be willing to take command of her for that purpose. The captain naturally desired to communicate directly with the principals, and an arrangement was made for his immediate introduction to them. That evening, at the house of Mora, an interview took place, Roberts, Patterson, Mora, Quesada, Varona, and a number of other Cubans, being present. Mora and Quesada declared that they were owners of the Virginius. An arrangement was there perfected by which Shepperd was made her master, to act, however, under Quesada's directions, and she was to proceed directly to Curaçoa, but her ultimate object was to be the transporting of arms, munitions of war, and soldiers to the island of Cuba in aid of the insurgents thereon. In the mean time repairs were made, an outfit furnished, and a crew engaged, under the ostensible direction of J. K. Roberts and Patterson, each of these gentlemen disbursing the necessary money for those purposes. The vessel, then called the Virginius, was registered in the name of John F. Patterson as owner, he making the necessary oaths as to his sole interest; but an informality exists in the preliminary official papers which it is proper to point out, as it may affect even the prima facie validity of the registry. The United States statutes 1 require that " previous to the registry of any vessel or ship, the husband, or acting and managing owner, together with the master thereof, and one or more sureties, shall become bound to the United States in the sum of $2000," upon a certain condition which it is unnecessary
1 1 Brightly's Digest, p. 825, 8 7; 1 U. S. Stat. at Large, p. 287, § 7.
to state. The bond actually given in pursuance of this requirement, and dated September 26, 1870, is executed by Patterson and Shepperd alone without any sureties. On the 4th of October, 1870, the steamer cleared from New York, and the necessary official documents were executed by the master, showing that she was bound for Curaçoa. The ship's company consisted of about thirty men, H. Marquis being the chief engineer and Edward Greenwood the first assistant. The cargo, as appeared by the manifest, consisted of 170 barrels of bread, valued at $680, two boxes of saddlery, $400, and four boxes of clothing, $350. No insurance was effected either upon the ship or the cargo. Leaving the bay on the 5th of October, the same afternoon, when a few miles below Sandy Hook, she met a steam-tug,
— the Virginia Seymour, - and took on board from the latter about twenty Cubans, among whom were Gen. M. Quesada, Adolfo Varona, Eloy Camacho, and Domingo Mora, and also a few boxes containing arms, ammunition, and military accoutrements. The tug returning, the Virginius, with her completed cargo and passenger list, pursued her way towards Curaçoa. Captain Shepperd testifies that during the entire voyage he acted under the directions of Gen. Quesada, communicated to him by Varona, and that from first to last he regarded and treated these persons and their associates as the actual owners, and as having complete control over the vessel's movements. At one time, before reaching their destination, a merchant ship being in sight, Quesada proposed to the captain to raise the Cuban [insurgent] flag, and to capture the vessel if she should turn out to be Spanish. The worthy captain declined doing this himself, but with a true thrift suggested that it would be a very easy matter for them to overpower him, and tie him in his cabin, and then make the capture on their own responsibility. This ingenious scheme was frustrated, however, by the discovery that the vessel in sight was British. The Virginius reached Curaçoa on the 15th of October. On the next Tuesday the schooner Billy Butts arrived from New York, and on the afternoon of the next day stood out to sea again. The same night the Virginius followed, overtook the schooner, and towed her to Buen Ayre, an island about thirty miles distant. The cargo of the Billy Butts was immediately transferred to the steamer. This cargo consisted of several hundred cases of shot, shell, and ammunition, more than 100 cases


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Collection Items
MapGalbraith's railway mail service maps, Michigan. One of eight large-scale pictorial maps of midwestern states showing routes and post offices of the Railway Mail Service. Designed by Chicago railway mail clerk Frank H. Galbraith to help employees of the Railway Mail Service quickly locate counties and post offices. The maps were rented for practicing or prospective workers who numbered over 6,000 and traveled over a million miles a year on...
- Contributor: United States. Railway Mail Service - Galbraith, Frank H.
- Date: 1897
MapMap of Michigan showing the Toledo, Ann Arbor, & North Michigan Railway and connecting lines. Shows drainage, cities and towns, townships, counties, and the railroad lines in red. Includes descriptive text on traffic connections.
- Contributor: G.W. & C. Colton & Co. - Toledo, Ann Arbor, and North Michigan Railway Company
- Date: 1886
MapRailroad map of Michigan prepared for the commissioner of railroads. Shows drainage, cities and towns, and railroads in color.
- Contributor: G.W. & C. Colton & Co.
- Date: 1876
MapOfficial map of Michigan, railroad, township and sectional, prepared under the direction of the commissioner of railroads. Detailed state map including drainage, cities and towns, and the railroad network. Census information, with miles of line by county, at left margin of map.
- Contributor: Cram & Stebbins
- Date: 1885
MapRailroads in Michigan, with steamboat routes on the Great Lakes. Drawn and engraved for Doggett's railroad guide & gazetteer. Shows main line from Detroit to Kalamazoo and from Munroe to Hillsdale.
- Contributor: Doggett, John
- Date: 1848
MapSkeleton map, showing the position and connections of the Michigan Southern Rail Road (from Toledo to Chicago) with the several great rail road routes to the Atlantic seaboard and New York City ... Outline map of the northeastern United States showing railroads in operation, under construction, and under proposal. Chartered in 1846 and consolidated April 1855 with the Northern Indiana Railroad under the name Michigan Southern and Northern Indiana Railroad.
- Contributor: Jervis, John - Jervis, John (John Bloomfield) - Michigan Southern Railroad
- Date: 1850
MapMap of the northwestern states. Shewing [sic] what proportion lies north of the parallel of South Bend of Lake Michigan. It will be seen at a glance, that the unbroken line of ... Outline map of the north-central United States showing the canals and the railroad network and naming the Michigan Central and the Michigan Southern Railway. John B. Jervis was chief engineer on the Mohawk & Hudson Railroad in 1831.
- Contributor: Jervis, John - Jervis, John (John Bloomfield)
- Date: 1850
MapA map showing the route of the proposed rail road from the Copper and Iron Mining District of Lake Superior to connect with rail roads built or being constructed in the state ... Outline map of eastern Wisconsin, and parts of Illinois and Michigan, showing major drainage, township lines, large cities, and the railroads.
- Contributor: Endicott, Francis - W. Endicott & Co.
- Date: 1855
MapChapman's rail road map of Ohio, Indiana, Michigan, Illinois, Missouri, Minnesota, & Wisconsin. Outline map showing the railroad network and stations along the rail lines. [From published bibliography]
- Contributor: Chapman, Silas
- Date: 1859
MapProposed route for a rail road from Copper Harbor, to Fond Du Lac, Winnebego. Outline map centered on Green Bay showing the area between Detroit, Mich. and Fond du Lac, Wis. Contemplated and proposed railroad routes are shown.
- Date: 1853
MapGuide through Ohio, Michigan, Indiana, Illinois, Missouri, Wisconsin & Iowa; by J. Calvin Smith, engraved by S. Stiles, Sherman & Smith. Detailed township map of the midwestern states showing drainage, cities and towns, canals, stage roads, and railroads.
- Contributor: Smith, J. Calvin - Smith, J. Calvin (John Calvin)
- Date: 1844
MapMap showing the location of the Chicago & Northwestern Railway with its branches & connections through Illinois, Iowa, Nebraska, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Michigan. Map of the midwestern states showing relief by hachures, drainage, cities and towns, township and county boundaries, and the completed, proposed, and under-construction railroads.
- Contributor: Chicago & Northwestern Railway. Land Department - Chicago and North Western Railway Company
- Date: 1869
MapColton's county & township rail road map of Ohio, Indiana, & Michigan, with parts of adjoining states & Canada; printed by Lang & Laing, 1859. Detailed township and county map of the midwestern states showing drainage, cities and towns, and the railroad network.
- Contributor: Colton, G. Woolworth (George Woolworth) - Colton, G. Woolworth
- Date: 1860
MapMap of the projected railway from Harrisburg to Pittsburg [sic], with proposed extension to Cleveland, Wooster, Sandusky, Toledo, Cincinnati; Michigan City, Chicago, Galena, Rock Island, St. Louis, &a; in connection with the ... Covers area between Massachusetts and Virginia and west to the Mississippi River. Shows "finished" and "proposed" railroads. A mileage chart entitled "Rail Road Routes from Seaboard to the Interior" appears at lower right of map. Harrisburg to Pittsburgh Railroad is part of the Pennsylvania Railroad. See entry 517.
- Contributor: Harrisburg to Pittsburgh Railroad
- Date: 184?
MapInternational rail road guide of the Great Central Route. Shows railroad lines in the north-central and northeastern United States connecting with the Michigan Central and New York Central Railroads.
- Contributor: Tunis, W. E. - Great Central Railway (U.S.)
- Date: 1855
MapMap of the Great Central Route and its connections, the most central, attractive, direct and reliable thoroughfare between the eastern and western states. Outline map of the north-central and northeastern states indicating larger cities, county boundaries, and railroad network emphasizing the Michigan Central Railroad and the Great Western Railway.
- Contributor: Great Central Railway (U.S.) - Noble, C. E.
- Date: 1856
MapMap of the Milwaukee & Superior Rail Road and its connections. Map of Wisconsin and parts of Illinois and Michigan showing drainage, county boundaries, larger cities, and the railroad network. The main line is in red, and the Milwaukee and Chicago Railroad is in blue.
- Contributor: Milwaukee and Superior Railroad Company - Nesbitt (Geo. F.) & Company
- Date: 1857
MapMap showing the Grand Rapids & Indiana Railroad, and its connections. Advertising map covering Michigan and vicinity. Shows drainage, cities and towns, railroad land grant, and the railroad network emphasizing the main line. Information on bond sale by Winslow, Lanier & Co., N.Y., on the verso. Under construction by Continental Improvement Company, George W. Cass, President.
- Contributor: G.W. & C. Colton & Co. - Grand Rapids and Indiana Railroad Company
- Date: 1871
MapA map of a part of the southern & western states showing the contemplated route of the New Orleans & Ohio Railroad and the Central Railroad of Illinois, also the route of ... The map covers an area from Lake Michigan to the Mississippi delta, and from Columbus, Ohio, to Little Rock, Ark. It shows Ft. Massac and "Capitol City" in southern Illinois and northern Kentucky as sites selected by the U.S. for the "Western Armory," and the probable future site for the seat of government of the United States or Western District of Columbia. Chartered January...
- Contributor: McBean, William - Mobile and Ohio Railroad Company - Illinois Central Railroad Company - New Orleans and Ohio Railroad
- Date: 1850
MapMap of the state of Indiana compiled from the United States surveys by S. D. King, Washington City; exhibiting the sections & fractional sections; the situation & boundaries of counties; the location ... Detailed map showing drainage, cities and towns, townships, counties, canals, roads, and railroads.
- Contributor: King, S. D.
- Date: 1852


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I have been working on a program for a little while now. Now that I got my GUI stuff figured out (had no idea what I was doing when I started) I am working on getting the rest of my game together. Right now I am working on the collision detection subroutines, and have basically come down to two ways to do it, and am wondering which would be the better way to go.
The first way I started was with a pixel object, which many put together would create other objects within the game. The variables are an int[] array to keep track of location in window, and a ton of boolean variables such as isSolid, isPlayer, etc.... Then with each image I was going to assign each pixel for what it is supposed to represent in game. This would lead to a pixel precise collision detection, but then again, it also leads to the program passing around huge arrays of pixel[], the most basic of which would be comprised of 2500 pixels.
The other idea was to create a hitbox object, which was simply a set of coordinates which represent the size of the object in game. It would work much the same way but it would only have to pass around an array of 4 int variables at the cost of being less precise.
I would hate to put a lot of work in the pixel based system only to find out later that it bogs down the program too much and have to switch to hitbox anyway. I would like to be more precise if I could.


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Smoothie-making is a great way for kids to experiment with creating their own recipes. Adding ingredients and tasting as we go is the part my kids like the most. We almost always end up with a delicious smoothie! My 10-year-old is excited to share her favorite smoothie recipe with you – a rich and filling chocolate peanut butter banana smoothie.
Ingredients for Chocolate Peanut Butter Banana Smoothie:
- 2 cups milk of your choice (we used unsweetened vanilla almond milk)
- 2-4 Tablespoons of peanut butter, preferably natural with no added sugar
- 1 frozen banana
- 2-3 Tablespoons of cocoa powder
- 1-2 Tablespoons of maple syrup (sweeten to taste)
The only advance work this recipe needs is freezing bananas ahead of time. I usually buy an extra bunch of bananas, let them get super-ripe for maximum sweetness, and then freeze in halves. If you don't have a super-powerful blender, slice your bananas before freezing for easier blending.
Add all your ingredients to the blender and blend till smooth. Taste, and make any adjustments. I thought our smoothie was sweet enough with 1 Tablespoon of maple syrup, but my 10-year-old thought 2 Tablespoons would be even better. We went with her sweet tooth this time!
For a thicker smoothie, add more frozen banana, or reduce the milk a bit, maybe 1/2 cup less.
Makes about 3 cups of smoothie, which is 2 generous servings, or 3-4 smaller servings.
I can usually sneak one of these optional nutrition boosters into this chocolate smoothie without any complaints from the kids:
- 1 Tablespoon chia seeds
- 1 Tablespoon ground flax seed
- a handful of baby spinach
- 1/2 – 1 teaspoon of black strap molasses
- blendfresh dried fruit, veggies, and proteins
Do you and your kids enjoy concocting smoothie recipes at home? Share your favorite ingredients in the comments!
Happy cooking!
Want to know how to get 50-70% off your fancy blender? Check out Blendfresh! When you sign up you get big discounts on Blendtec appliances and these really yummy fresh dried fruits and vegetables to use in your smoothies and baking!