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Encore: War on Women
Aired November 28, 2008 - 19:00:00 ET
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) JANE VELEZ MITCHELL, HOST (voice-over): Tonight, an ISSUES special investigation. The war on women. Thousands of women are brutalized and murdered every year. Some just disappear and are never seen again. We`ll look at several controversial cases where a trail has gone cold. Natalee Holloway, the pretty 18-year-old who vanished in Aruba. Now, the prime suspect is back in the picture. Joran Van Der Sloot caught on tape in a sex sting that could finally put him behind bars. We`ll break down the case. Also, the search continues for the killer of this popular Arkansas anchorwoman. Police have found DNA at the murder scene but have no idea who or where the killer is. We`ll talk to Ann Pressly`s close friend to see where this case is heading. And police respond to a roaring house fire in Pennsylvania, only to discover the body of an infant and the mother gone. We`ll join forces with America`s Most Wanted in the search for answers. An ISSUES special investigation starts now. (END VIDEOTAPE) VELEZ MITCHELL: Welcome to this ISSUES special investigation. For the next hour, I will bring you the very latest in some of America`s most shocking, unsolved crimes against women. On this program, we promise to shine a light on these cases. We call it the war on women, because that`s precisely what it is. Domestic violence is the leading cause of injury to women. Up to 95 percent of domestic abuse victims are female. More than 1,000 women are killed by an intimate partner each year. And perhaps most disturbing, 73 percent of all domestic violence goes unreported. So tonight, we will open up some cold case files in the war on women. We`ll try to find out what happened, why it happened, and what you can do to help. I won`t let stories like this go away until violence against women goes away. That`s our goal. So first, let`s remember Natalee Holloway. She disappeared on May 30, 2005, during a high school graduation trip to the Caribbean island of Aruba. She was last seen by her classmates in a car outside a nightclub with three men: Joran Van Der Sloot and two other local men, the Kalpoe brothers. They initially said they dropped Holloway off at her hotel and never saw her again. Then, the story changed, multiple times. They were arrested more than once on suspicion of involvement in Holloway`s disappearance, but each time they were released without charge due to lack of evidence. Holloway`s body has never been found. Aruban authorities believe she is dead. Meantime, in February of this year, after the case had been closed, stunning undercover video footage caught former suspect Joran Van Der Sloot saying that Holloway died on the morning of May 30 and that he disposed of her body with a friend`s help. Van Der Sloot has since recanted the so- called confession, and Aruban officials refused to charge him. Joining me with details on where that case stands today, my dear friend, Ed Miller, correspondent for "America`s Most Wanted." Ed, great to see you. Van Der Sloot back in the headlines this week in another undercover camera sting. If we had any doubt that this guy was a sleaze, this story confirms it. Fill us in on some of the details of this really bizarre hidden camera sting out of Bangkok. ED MILLER, "AMERICA`S MOST WANTED": Well, first of all, we should point out that this has absolutely nothing to do with Natalee Holloway, these latest claims against Van Der Sloot. What it really does, it goes toward his character. And in essence, he is caught on tape arranging for Thai women to be smuggled into the Netherlands as prostitutes. He says we`ll promise them that they can come over to the Netherlands as models, but once they get there, they`ll become prostitutes. So what this is, is his involvement -- and cash does change hands on the tape -- his involvement in a sex slave smuggling ring, which is rather shocking when you think about what he is accused of or has been accused of in terms of Natalee. VELEZ MITCHELL: Now Ed, authorities are apparently translating this documentary to try to determine whether he broke any laws that they can file charges against, but some who have seen the entire two hours say, "Hey, he always uses models, dancers. `You`re going to come over and be a model. You`re going to dance for ten hours.`" Apparently, he may not use the word "prostitution." Is that a loophole? MILLER: Absolutely. But you know, there is another thing on that tape that maybe they haven`t gotten to yet, is that he certainly indicates that there will be some forging of documents, that he will get them there under false pretenses in terms of this -- these documents. Again, this has so much to do with your theme against -- of war against women because again, we`re talking about how he feels about women. Let me just take you back to Natalee for just one second. Not on undercover tapes but after the original Natalee Holloway investigation was finished, he did interviews, public television interviews that were seen all over the world in which he said she was there, Natalee was there for him to have sex with. That he says she was there. She begged him -- his words -- to have sex with her and then he was to discard her. And he openly said that, that that was his feeling about it, that she... VELEZ MITCHELL: That was his M.O. I mean, he has complete and utter contempt for women. He would prowl the nightclubs in Aruba and lure these women. And now, he`s sort of luring women in another format, but essentially the same spirit. MILLER: Yes. It goes back to the character. The other thing is you have to ask yourself where does a young man like this get money for an airline ticket... VELEZ MITCHELL: Oh, yes. MILLER: ... to fly all the way from the Netherlands to Thailand? If his dad -- if Dad is funding this, wouldn`t you say, "Hey, son, the American Express bill came in. What`s this rather expensive ticket to Thailand? What`s going on? VELEZ MITCHELL: I hear you, Ed. Stay right there because I want to bring in my fantastic panel for tonight: Wendy Murphy, a former prosecutor, author of "And Justice for Some" and law professor at the New England School of Law; and Jami Floyd, host of In Session. Jami, let`s start with you. Would it be fair to say this really isn`t the Holloway case, your classic cold case, in that there was this bizarre hidden-camera confession. And even though Joran recanted it, a lot of people believe it`s true, that she did die in his arms and that he disposed of the body with the help of somebody else. JAMI FLOYD, HOST, "BEST DEFENSE": Well, I think it`s very important when it says that this is not about -- the latest revelations are not about Natalee Holloway. And yes, I`m over at In Session, but my show is called "Best Defense." And so I`m defense minded. And that`s why this war on women, this is tough stuff for me, Jane, because obviously, I`m a feminist. I`ve worked with battered women in domestic violence shelters. I understand and agree that there is a war on women, but there`s also a war on our Constitution. And Joran has not been charged in the Natalee Holloway case. At the same time, there is a sex trade of multi-million-dollar proportions in this world. And we don`t address it as much as we talk about drugs and guns, the other two international crimes of multi-million and -billion-dollar proportions. It is very common for young women to be lured from their home lands with promises of modeling, with promises of dancing, and then to be turned, against their will, most often, to prostitution. So I`m not saying that Joran is guilty of this, and nor do I think it`s related to Natalee Holloway, necessarily, if at all. But it is so wonderful that you`re talking about it, because we don`t talk about it enough in this country. VELEZ MITCHELL: I agree. We do not talk about it enough. And you know, as you were talking about Joran, I have to say, we have an open invitation for Joran Van Der Sloot or his father or their attorneys to come on this program and tell their side of the story. We have reached out to Joe Tacopina, the attorney for Joran Van Der Sloot, and have not gotten a comment. But we want to hear both sides of the story, so you are invited if you want to say whatever you want to say. We`re here to hear it. Now, you know, what I find fascinating, Wendy Murphy, is that Jami Floyd pointed out, you know, he deserves the presumption of innocence and said that he hasn`t been charged? My question is why hasn`t he been charged? He confessed on tape. They caught it on tape. And before you answer that, here`s exactly what Dutch reporter Peter De Vries got from Van Der Sloot earlier this year on hidden camera about the Holloway case. This appeared on "Good Morning America." Listen to this. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) JORAN VAN DER SLOOT, ARRESTED FOR SEX TRAFFICKING: (SPEAKING IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE) GRAPHIC: Joran: Patrick, I had absolutely no bad feelings about it. I have not lost one night of sleep over it. (END VIDEO CLIP) VELEZ MITCHELL: We`re dealing with various languages here, from what they speak in Aruba to the Netherlands to Thailand, but in that case, he did tell De Vries on hidden camera, De Vries` people, that Natalee died in his arms. And he even said something like, "I was shaking the" -- "B" word -- "trying to see what happened, and I couldn`t believe this was happening." So given that, if this case were happening in the United States, would he Joran Van Der Sloot be charged right now? WENDY MURPHY, LAW PROFESSOR, NEW ENGLAND SCHOOL OF LAW: Yes. You know, what a nice guy. "I was shaking the `B` word." Oh, my God. You know, this is a guy who has been so arrogant about it that you think somebody might say, even if we`re going to lose, let`s just go forward, because you don`t want to send a message that women`s lives are so devalued that an arrogant guy like this should be able to flaunt it and walk around free, as if he`s been spitting on the sidewalk. Look, you know, there`s a confession. I don`t care if somebody wants to say, "Well, it`s not a real confession, and then he recanted." It`s a confession. And if that were the only thing we had, I`d still be pushing. But we have what I call a confession plus in this case. And you`ve ticked off some of the evidence, Jane. Plus multiple inconsistent statements. And he was the last one seen with her. If that isn`t a strong case, I don`t know what is. But here`s the point. We don`t value women enough in this country or in any other country. And when you talk about an American women`s life here, that`s bad enough. An American women`s life in a foreign country? Ed Miller, everybody`s saying there`s no connection between these two cases. I happen to disagree. The commonality is his contempt for women and how he treats women. Now, I don`t know why the Aruban authorities can`t see his latest behavior and either say, you know, this is part of a pattern of behavior toward women or perhaps the Thai authorities charge him and put pressure on him to spill the beans about the first case and say, if you want to spend the rest of your life in a Thai prison, don`t say anything, but if you want to go back to Holland, talk. FLOYD: I`m troubled by a few things. First of all -- and again, I do agree that the lives of women are not valued, certainly, in many other countries. I don`t want to single out countries, but in many other countries, we need to export our values about women as equals and our democratic values about women as full participants to those countries. However, in this country, we have 1 in 100 Americans in prison. There is no lack of prosecution in this country. And Wendy Murphy knows it. We don`t... MURPHY: What? FLOYD: Wait. Let me finish. Wendy Murphy said... MURPHY: Don`t put those words in my mouth. That was a false statement. FLOYD: Wendy Murphy, you just said that we don`t value the lives of women in other countries. MURPHY: We don`t. In this country and in others. FLOYD: And in this country. And that`s what I`m saying. We have 1 in 100 people in prison. There is no lack of prosecuting people in this country. VELEZ MITCHELL: I agree with you there. I agree with you there. We`re prosecuting people on all sorts of things. (CROSSTALK) VELEZ MITCHELL: When one person really calls out to be prosecuted, we go... FLOYD: Please let me finish my point. I waited kindly and respectfully for you, Wendy Murphy. You said that, even if you knew you would lose, you would bring this case. That is not our system of justice. MURPHY: Yes, it is. FLOYD: Prosecutors are not supposed to use their prosecution power as a bully pulpit on issues that we all care about, including issues related to women. (CROSSTALK) VELEZ MITCHELL: Ladies, I have to leave it there because guess what? We have to go to commercial break. I will let you respond in a second. But the point is that we do have to look at this. And I love the fact that all of us women are so passionate about waging this war on women and doing it in the right way. Coming up, the latest on the search for the killer of Arkansas TV anchor Ann Pressly. And in Pennsylvania, a single mom goes missing. Her house is burned down, her infant son inside. You won`t believe the gruesome scene and what they found out. Oh, it`s awful. Coming up. (COMMERCIAL BREAK) VELEZ MITCHELL: Popular Arkansas TV anchor Ann Pressly found October at 4:30 a.m. on Monday, October 20, 2008. It was a half hour before she was due to appear on local CNN affiliate KATV`s morning program. Pressly was bludgeoned beyond recognition. The bones in her face were broken. Her left hand was broken. Her upper body was pulverized. Pressly was hospitalized, never regaining consciousness, and died five days later. Little Rock police say robbery is the suspected motive. Her purse was discovered missing, and her credit cards may have been used several miles away. As of today, her killer remains a mystery and at large. Joining me is Wally Hall. He`s a reporter with the "Arkansas Democrat-Gazette." He`s an acquaintance of Ann`s. Wally, I understand your daughter and Ann went to high school together. Ann was a year older. You often ran into Ann, reporting in the field. First of all, thanks for being with us. I know this has to be very difficult. But paint a picture for those who have never had the opportunity to meet her. We certainly know she wasn`t running with the wrong crowd. That`s for sure. WALLY HALL, REPORTER, "ARKANSAS DEMOCRAT-GAZETTE": No offense to anybody in the industry, but she did not come across as a TV personality. She came across as the girl next door. She could be in a room with 500 people, and she would make you feel like you were the only one she was interested in talking to. VELEZ MITCHELL: Now, she was apparently just a very, very careful, well-behaved, well-groomed, hard-working, no-trouble kind of gal. She lived in a very good neighborhood near a country club where, as you said, stealing a lawn ornament is considered a big deal. So it`s very unlikely that this would be a random case in this neighborhood, and yet that`s what police are indicating, a random robbery. Do you buy it? HALL: I think they`re giving out all the information. I`ll be honest with you, Jane. I can explain the nuances of the spread offense, but an investigation into this kind, I don`t know. This is just -- you know, this was devastating to her parents, but it was a real tragedy to the entire city and community and all those who knew her. She was just a truly, truly special young lady. VELEZ MITCHELL: Now, of course, she was horrifically beaten, and people do describe her as a fighter. Her left hand was broken. Do you think she put up a struggle? HALL: I hope she beat that guy as hard as she could. VELEZ MITCHELL: And one last question. In terms of the Arkansas state fair, you have a theory, or a possible theory, anyway, that hey, you know, the fair was in town, and that brings a whole new crowd of people. What are your thoughts on that? HALL: Well, it had been a big weekend for her. She had debuted in the movie "W." And also, she`d been working out at the state fair that whole last week, all the television stations out there. And it just happened to be leaving town the same day that she was -- that she was attacked. VELEZ MITCHELL: Well, let`s hope that the authorities follow up that lead. That sounds like very good detective work on your part. Our hearts go out to this entire community. Thank you so much, Wally, for taking the time to speak with us today. HALL: Jane, I have to say something real quick. VELEZ MITCHELL: Sure. HALL: I really appreciate, as the father of an only child, a daughter, I appreciate the attention you`re bringing to this violence on women. VELEZ MITCHELL: Thank you, sir. Thank you for saying that, because the first thing we have to do when we want to change something is state our goal. OK? And our goal has to be stopping the violence. Until we articulate that and say this is what we`re aiming for, we`re not going to improve. So that`s what we`re doing here at the very least, is saying we as a society have a goal to stop the violence against women. Thank you so much, Wally. Now, the one thing the police have revealed in the tragic murder of Ann Pressly is that the killer is a man and some are saying the intensity of this attack suggests that this was personal, that perhaps Ann knew her murderer. Back with me, our fantastic panel: we have Wendy Murphy, former prosecutor and author of "And Justice for Some"; and we also have Michelle Sigona from "America`s Most Wanted." Also, Jamie Floyd, host of "Best Defense." Michelle, we`re going to start with you. Police have implied this is a random robbery. Can that really be the whole story, given the horrific brutalization? MICHELLE SIGONA, "AMERICAN`S MOST WANTED": You know, at this point, it`s really difficult until we know who the suspect or the suspects are. You know, we don`t know if there was one person or two people, but police have definitely confirmed to us that when they got there on the scene, that her back door was open. Now, whether Ann left that unlocked, or whether the suspect left out of the back door, we don`t know or not. You know, we don`t know if that person`s familiar with the area or if they have been following her. It`s really hard to tell. But I can tell you that, in a small town like that and in this neighborhood, where no other robberies have been apparent, there have been no other attacks like this that we know of and that police have come forward with, you know, because I`ve asked these questions specifically. I can only at this point seem to be ramp up (ph). VELEZ MITCHELL: Jami Floyd, your analysis of this case? FLOYD: Well, we do know that most women, when they meet a violent end like this, meet it at the hands of someone they know. Random attacks do happen, but if you look at the FBI statistics, they`re extraordinarily rare against women, against children, really against any victims. So I think it`s very important to allow the authorities to do a proper investigation without too much speculation, because we do know that too much media speculation can get in the way of effective turnout. VELEZ MITCHELL: Wendy, we have just two seconds. What do you think? Random or somebody newer? MURPHY: It`s certainly rageful, so maybe it`s random, but this person hated women. So can I say something about this? VELEZ MITCHELL: When we come right back. I want to get you -- there`s so much to talk about and we have more in just a moment. (COMMERCIAL BREAK) VELEZ MITCHELL: More analysis from my wonderful panel tonight in just a moment, but first, immediately after hearing about Ann Pressly, I thought about the possibility that a stalker may be involved. That occurred to me. Stalkers do crazy, violent things sometimes. Remember the recent story of a stalker who killed herself outside Paula Abdul`s house? There is a long history of women in the spotlight and dangerous stalkers. Here with more insight into the mind of stalkers, Rhonda Saunders, a former criminal prosecutor and an expert in the area of stalking and domestic violence. Thanks so much for joining us. You know, police haven`t said anything about stalking in this case, but since they don`t know who did it, and they seem to be sort of at a loss, how can they possibly say that it is or isn`t the stalker at this point? RHONDA B. SAUNDERS, FORMER PROSECUTOR: I think at first, that there was speculation that it could be a stalker. And you have to consider that when you have anyone, someone who is in the public eye. And you don`t have to be a celebrity like Madonna or Steven Spielberg or Gwyneth Paltrow in order to get a stalker. You have someone who is seen on television every single night. You have fans. And then you have fanatics who focus on that person. They begin to feel that they know the person. They have a relationship with the person. And that love or adoration can often turn to hatred. And once, the people may want to harm that celebrity. VELEZ MITCHELL: Well, a couple of thoughts here. Police apparently said that they checked out one guy, who had been sort of a mild stalker, sending e-mails, that he has been cleared. However, as an anchor/reporter, and I was an anchor/reporter in local markets for many years, you go out and you meet so many people. You interact with so many people over the course of a week. I mean, they have to cast a really wide net, because who knows what she said to any one person or what they may have said to her that could have triggered something like a stalking. SAUNDERS: And there`s another dynamic working here, also. We`re talking about violence against women. Yes, she was a celebrity in her state as a newscaster, but stalkers also go after ex-partners, people who they want to have a relationship with. In fact, the celebrity stalking is only maybe 1, 2 percent of the cases we see. The majority of the cases we see involve domestic violence. Whether it`s in a marriage, whether it`s in just a relationship, boyfriend/girlfriend relationship. And when the woman decides that she wants out of the relationship, what we`ve seen is that it can turn to violence. VELEZ MITCHELL: She apparently was not in any kind of serious relationship. I want to pint out that there have been some famous stalking cases involving females. For example, Teresa Saldana, she was an actress who was in "Raging Bull," and she was stalked and repeatedly stabbed. Thank God this woman survived. But unfortunately, Rebecca Schaeffer, an actress on a popular sit-com, was stalked and murdered by an obsessed fan in 1989. You know, obviously Ann Pressly was good-looking. She was charismatic. All the qualities that lead to stalking. SAUNDERS: Absolutely. That Rebecca Schafer case, that was so sad, because she had this fan who focused on her. His name was Robert Bardo. And he believed that she was communicating with him. So when he received an autographed picture, he thought that she had sent it personally. VELEZ MITCHELL: Well, you know what? We`re out of time, but I just want to say that you give us some really good information. There`s a lot of sickos out there, and we have to be on alert. Thank you, Rhonda. If you have any information that could help Little Rock police find and arrest Ann Pressly`s killer, whoever this person or persons are, call Crimestoppers tip line, 501-371-INFO. Forty-eight-thousand-dollar reward. (COMMERCIAL BREAK) JANE VELEZ-MITCHELL, HEADLINE NEWS ANCHOR: A fire broke out at a Pennsylvania home of 33-year-old single mom Joey Offutt in the early morning hours of July 12, 2007. When the smoke cleared, the remains of Offutt`s six-week-old-son were discovered in the burned ruins of the home and Offutt was missing. Her car found abandoned. Four days later, several miles away police now know that not only was Offutt missing from her home, but that nobody had seen or heard from her for several days before the fire. Authorities believe the fire was the work of an arsonist. Aft still missing at this hour and police suspect foul play. Of course, at this point there are few leads. Michelle Sigona from America`s Most Wanted has the details on this case. Michelle, this is just one of the thousands of cases of women who go missing under mysterious circumstances. MICHELLE SIGONA, AMERICA`S MOST WANTED: You`ve got that right Jane. VELEZ-MITCHELL: Yes. SIGONA: That`s great that you are addressing this especially for women tonight, so we are all grateful for that. But this case in particular is out of Sykes, Pennsylvania and the arson fire what I learned from the investigators actually happened on July 12th, 2007. But the last sighting of Joey Offutt was actually July 5th, 2007 from a local youth pastor. And at that point, she was with her, her youngest son, only six-weeks-old, his name is Alexis. Excuse me his name was Alexis and she also has two other children, a toddler and another 8-year-old girl who were actually visiting grandparents at the time in Virginia. VELEZ-MITCHELL: Tell us about this horrific connection to some meat with maggots in it and what it says about the case. SIGONA: Absolutely, this is very interesting in going out there in working in this case. And a lot of times, as you know, you`ve worked hundreds or maybe thousands of these cases. When you get out there in the field, you start to find out more little nuggets about the case that you can throw out there to the viewers. And what I learned was that there was a package of meat that was left on the counter. And that forensics technicians came in and there was maggots all over the meat and thankfully the meat did not actually burned up on the fire. And they tested the maggots and they were able to tell from the maggots that the meat was placed on the counter sometime around July the 5th. The way that the meat was placed, it looked like something startled the person, or they had a major change of plans because it was half open like they were getting ready to prepare and put it down pretty quickly. VELEZ-MITCHELL: Yes, well this really turns my stomach because the implication or correct me if I`m wrong that it would seem to me that the implication could be that something untoward happened to the mother on that date and then this child could have been in that home for days before the fire was set. I mean, I don`t even want to think about the possibility that this child was left there to die. SIGONA: I know. It`s absolutely horrific. Six weeks old and you know what? Thank goodness, I mean, I tell you. Everything happens for a reason. These firefighters were out there after they knocked down this fire; one of the places that the fire was set was in the bathroom. And that`s where the baby was found. But the baby was at the bottom of a bathtub. And the firefighter said that when they were in the room, with the fire investigator all of a sudden, something fell down from the ceiling and the water separated and they looked down and that`s when they saw this -- well, they didn`t know if it was a baby. They didn`t know really what it was, they thought it was a pet at first. But thank goodness that happened. VELEZ-MITCHELL: Is there any way they can tell how this child died? In other words was it killed before and then was just left there, for the arson fire or whether it died during the fire? Which is far more frightening in the sense. SIGONA: Well, we do know for sure that this baby was in fact killed before the arson fire. VELEZ-MITCHELL: We do? SIGONA: We do know that, how? We don`t know. Investigators certainly did not push him but they did say that the child was in fact either -- died on its own or murdered or whatever the case maybe before the arson fire was set. VELEZ-MITCHELL: All right, well, this is a fascinating and gruesome and just horrific case. I want to fold in once more, the rest of our really fabulous panel, Wendy Murphy, a former prosecutor and author of "And Justice for Some" and Jami Floyd, host of "Best Defense". Wendy, we have arson, we have the murder of a child and we have a missing mom. What does this all add up to you in your mind? WENDY MURPHY, FORMER PROSECUTOR: Well, first question, where`s the baby`s daddy? I`m sure that they`ve done some DNA tests. I`m sure they have people there concerned about. There`s no question this was not random. Obviously, the effort was made to destroy this poor little baby. Was it because of child support concerns? Where was this woman`s car found? At some other place where she lived, somebody drove the car there. Somehow, her car got to another location and now she`s missing. There`s so many important questions to ask. But look, I want to say something in general about violence against women. One of the reasons women are dying in huge numbers in this country is that we treat it like a cheap crime. Men know they can get away with beating the hell out of a woman because this is going to be handled in traffic court. Men know they can rape women because less than two percent of rapists spend even one day behind bars. This is an epidemic. VELEZ-MITCHELL: Absolutely. MURPHY: They disrespect woman, and these kinds of cases, the fact that they`re unsolved is a reflection of the nature of the epidemic and the lack of respect. You know what we need to be calling this starting tonight and on your show I`m going to say this every time I`m on, this is a hate crime. VELEZ-MITCHELL: Yes. MURPHY: It is a civil rights violation. VELEZ-MITCHELL: Right on. MURPHY: And let`s start calling it that. VELEZ-MITCHELL: I agree. You discriminate on the bases of race and gender. So killing a woman because she`s a woman I think should be considered a hate crime. And we`re going to get to that in a second at the end of our broadcast. We`re going to this, let it fly and everybody give their opinions about what the solutions are. But I want to get back to this case, Jami Floyd. The car that was found in another town was neatly backed into the parking spot. The family of the missing mom says she would never do that. She`s also known to have gone on the Internet and made friends with people on Internet whom she sometimes met afterwards. JAMI FLOYD, HOST, "BEST DEFENSE": Yes, well listen, there are very important lessons in all of these stories you`ve covered tonight, Jane. This one, of course as well for us as women and for our daughters; that they start to make their way in the world. Making friends on the Internet, if you`re a mom with little kids, and going out and meeting those folks, I`m sorry ill advised and that is not to blame the victim but we have to try and learn from our mistakes. Now, we don`t know that she is dead, the mom. We don`t know if she is somehow involved. We have to be very careful about speculating, about fathers of babies. Or ex-boyfriends or even someone she may have met on the Internet. VELEZ-MITCHELL: Absolutely. FLOYD: But this is one of the most bizarre mysteries that we`ve seen recently with all the twist and turns just as they get started. So I think there`s a whole lot more that has to come out and it sounds from what I`ve read and heard as though despite what Wendy says, the authorities are taking it very, very seriously down there even though the mom may have been victimized, as well as children who are victimized too often in our country. VELEZ-MITCHELL: Now, we`ve been talking about the dead, Michelle Sigona, of America`s Most Wanted, you interviewed the on again, off again, boyfriend, the father of the dead baby. He has his own theory as to what happened. Let`s listen. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What do you think happened? UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You know there was talk of post partum depression on herself, but if an accident happened, where`s Joey now? For her to be -- (END VIDEO CLIP) VELEZ-MITCHELL: Now, Michelle, he`s not considered a suspect. He has been reportedly cooperating with the authorities. What do we know about him and his relationship with the missing mom? SIGONA: Well, here`s what I can tell you, they do have two children together. They also have a toddler who he has custody of right now. The oldest child is actually from a previous relationship and the grandmother has custody of that little girl. But basically, they were still together, but they were living in separate homes. He lived not too far away from where Joey Offutt`s home was. So he had a pretty good relationship, especially with the children. I can tell you that the weekend before 4th of July, so as we know July 5th is the last date that Joey Offutt was seen. The weekend before, which took place about June 30th, that Alexis -- baby Alexis and also Joey Offutt all got in the car and they took the girls down to visit the grandmother and came back. So there was a fight for sure we do know on July 3rd, an argument, I can`t really say a fight, there was an argument. And he called her from what he tells me the next day to apologize, but after that, he didn`t have any contact with her and so he filed a missing person`s report on July 12th which was the same day that the fire was started. VELEZ-MITCHELL: Now, we want to stress, this man is not considered a suspect. SIGONA: That`s right, no suspects. VELEZ-MITCHELL: There are no suspects at this time. And theoretically Jami, this is a missing person`s case so theoretically, the mother could be alive. FLOYD: Yes. VELEZ-MITCHELL: And something unfortunately could have happened to the child. And she could have left and decided to drop the car and come back and maybe set the fire. FLOYD: Yes. VELEZ-MITCHELL: I`m not saying that happened but hypothetically, it`s something that the police have to consider. FLOYD: All things are possible. It`s certainly a missing person`s case as to the missing mother. And I`m deeply troubled by the fact that we have three children, with three different custody situations. That tells me something right there, women need to start to take charge of their lives, get organized and don`t get so consumed in a relationships with men that you don`t think safely and that you don`t think clearly. But it is only missing persons as to her. We do have the dead child and then there`s a real question about what happened to that child and who is responsible. VELEZ-MITCHELL: This is just one of so many cases. Wendy Murphy, according to the National Crime Information Center`s missing person files, the number of missing women up until September 1st, 2008 is mind-boggling, 54,505 active cases. That just blows my mind. MURPHY: Well, it should and it should not just blow your mind it should make you crazy, angry, outraged. And it should make everybody watching this program, do something about it. Look, I know we can speculate about the fact that she might have disappeared or run away. And my eyes glazed over listening to all the defense theories in Scott Peterson`s case and all the nonsense about how it was the woman`s fault. I got a different message. I don`t care if she has 12 babies with five husbands and was doing naked cartwheels down the middle of Main Street. Nobody has a right to beat, much less kill, another human being. So let`s be clear about the message tonight, shall we? I don`t care what she did. I don`t care if she was not moral and upstanding and a nice girl. FLOYD: We don`t know she`s dead, Wendy Murphy. I want to remind you very clearly of the run away bride. That poor groom who had simply been left at the altar, had been convicted and hung before the woman had been found and lo and behold, -- MURPHY: That`s not true. FLOYD: She was alive. MURPHY: That`s not true. FLOYD: It is certainly true. VELEZ-MITCHELL: This is not a war on men. This is not a war on men. MURPHY: I condemn her. VELEZ-MITCHELL: There are many men who protect women and take care of women. FLOYD: Maybe not for you Jane. VELEZ-MITCHELL: But what we are doing is looking at this issue. And I think you`re both right. I think that, we have to say that there`s no excuse for violence against women, but we also have to give women some tips to protect themselves. And acknowledge of course, that there are many good and wonderful men who protect women, who investigate cases when women are tragically murdered. So all of you ladies stay right there, we have so much more to talk about. We`re going to bust this whole issue wide open. Just a reminder, anybody with information on Joey Offutt, pleas call 1(877)440-Joey or just contact the Pennsylvania State Police. They need your help. We`re going to talk about violence against women in just a second. Solutions, should we march on Washington? (COMMERCIAL BREAK) VELEZ-MITCHELL: We`re talking about the epidemic of violence against women in this country. I call it a war on women because that`s precisely what it is. I`m joined once again by my fantastic panel for this hour. Wendy Murphya former prosecutor, author of "And Justice for Some" and law professor at New England Law of Boston; Jami Floyd, host of "Best Defense and Michelle Sigona of "America`s Most Wanted." We`ve kind of been debating here what the solution is to this epidemic of violence against women. Wendy Murphy, I am inspired by the women of Northern Ireland who decided many years ago and they wanted to end the violence there after a baby was shot during the course of some sectarian violence. And people scoffed at them and said, oh, please, you women are not going to achieve anything. And they banded together and they stated their intention and they did reduce sectarian violence. And what they said was the most important part of that process was stating the intention. In other words, saying, enough we are not going to take this anymore. MURPHY: Right. VELEZ-MITCHELL: And I think that`s what we have to say with this violence against women. This horrific violence, rape and murder, enough, we are not going to take it anymore whether we have to march on Washington, whether we have to contact our Representatives and demand hearings, something has to be done. MURPHY: And I vote for you. I`m so inspired and I`m so glad that you just said it in that way. We have to rise up, which is the quintessential American thing to do. When horrible acts of violence are being perpetrated against a targeted group of citizens, rising up is what we are supposed to do as Americans and we haven`t done that. As women, including men but on behalf of women, we haven`t done that ever. 30 years ago, we had a law reform movement it was worth a whole lot of nothing; consciousness raising yes, law reform, no. We still have the same low rates of reporting when it comes to rape and domestic violence. And it is embarrassing. VELEZ-MITCHELL: Jami Floyd, I want to bring in other solutions, too. When I look at this problem, I think start early. Start with peaceful conflict resolution in the schools. How many times have you and I both covered a case where somebody is sent to anger management; too late they`ve already exhibited the fatal anger. FLOYD: In prison. VELEZ-MITCHELL: Yes, exactly. FLYOD: It does a whole of good. I guess it helps. It helped inside the prison population. Look, first of all, I agree with Wendy. Greater and not always still we, a greater accountability from prosecutors, I`m all for that especially as a defense attorney. I also think that we spend inordinate sums of money in this war on drugs. That is what consumes most of our criminal justice system while violence against women does go too often, ignored. So we`ve got sort of an inverse problem. We care about drugs in the schools, but we don`t care as much about violence or violence against women in schools and then beyond. And I agree with you, I think it starts very early and I think we need to teach our daughters to think not like victims, to not allow themselves to be victimized, to speak up when other young girls are being victimized. And it does start in their schools then it`s just about teaching girls, it`s about teaching boys to respect women. VELEZ-MITCHELL: Exactly. FLOYD: About teaching boys to be feminist as well. VELEZ-MITCHELL: Michelle Sigona, every time I have suggested something like group therapy in the schools, in the public school, so kids can learn how to deal with their emotions, -- SIGONA: Oh, yes. VELEZ-MITCHELL: And learn, why am I so angry, and what can I do with this anger in an intelligent way, I`m called a flake. SIGONA: Here`s the thing, Jane. I think what a great idea would be is to get out there obviously, into the schools, not just educating the young women youth, but also the young male youth. And the different problems that exist out there and a lot of times, they`re learning from their parents. So they`re -- a lot of times, women are involved, they`re moms are involved in these domestic violence situations. Their dads are a part of it. This is all that they know when they`re growing up. And this is all that they trickle and that they with them throughout they`re adulthood. So if we can get out there and we can get them young; and we can get them involved in programs and get them education and make a rally. And to go out there inch and have an assembly for them and to not make it fun, but to make it appealing to them. Then we can educate them on a different level and starting at a younger age. VELEZ-MITCHELL: But I mean, how do we implement this, Wendy? We`re talking about doing things on the local level in schools; we`re talking about national efforts. And perhaps going to Washington and demanding Congressional hearings on violence against women. It`s a lot of talk, but how do we actually turn this into action, especially in this post-feminist age when so many women who maybe decades ago would mobilize and actually go on a protest march, they`re too busy making money or trying to survive or trying to take care of their kids to really do anything like this in an activist sense. MURPHY: No, it`s true, it`s true. I have five kids. I`m often too busy to be an activist. But I think the time has come when we have to make that choice. Let`s not cook and clean for a while, let`s march on Washington and that would be a fair choice and a good way to get started. I think one of the things we have to do is call it what it is and as you said, measure it well. Joe Biden did this in the early `90s to support the Violence against Women Act. He produced some pretty shocking data and some things came from that. I think it`s time to do new measurements. And it`s also really important and I emphasize this again, and this is going to sound irreverent, we have to call it what it is; a hate crime, a civil rights violation. VELEZ-MITCHELL: Yes. MURPHY: If a Muslim woman gets raped, we call it a hate crime. If a white woman gets raped, we call it bad sex. We need to knock that off. VELEZ-MITCHELL: Well, Jami, jump in there. JAMI: Well, I want to weigh in on the Violence against Women Act. I want to recognize that that was a tremendous step forward when Joe Biden and others enacted, and it was a real push to get it enacted, the Violence against Women Act. But to draw the analogy to civil rights -- and I think that is part of what Wendy is trying to do -- I think we have to recognize, and it gets back to Jane, your proposal, that the law can only do so much. If you put in legislation, yes, that is important, and we have seen that with civil rights. But think about how much school segregation we still have. Think about all of the problems we still have. And so we really have to start at the ground level. VELEZ-MITCHELL: That music says please stay right there. We`re going to have some final thoughts when we come right back; fabulous insights. Thank you. (COMMERCIAL BREAK) VELEZ-MITCHELL: Some final thoughts now from my fantastic panel. Michelle Sigona with "America`s Most Wanted." We imprison more people in this country than any other country in the world and as Jami Floyd pointed out, a lot of this is for drug crimes and indeed nonviolent drug offenses. But yet the crimes against women don`t seem to be addressed. There is something out of balance with this system. SIGONA, "AMERICA`S MOST WANTED": There is something out of balance, and especially -- especially with all of the cases that we see against women. I mean, just one this week. The missing woman out of Wisconsin. And, you know, just last night, her -- excuse me -- ex-husband was actually just named a person of interest. I mean, we have that case. We have the Stacy Peterson case, we have the Lisa Stebbock case out of Chicago. The list just goes on and on and on. And it seems like -- thank goodness, you are putting a spotlight on this issue and we are able to keep bringing these issues out there and bringing these cases out there. And hopefully the more attention we draw and put towards it, Jane, especially you yourself; hopefully the more attention and the more workshops and the more programs we can get out there for women and educate them. VELEZ-MITCHELL: Well, Jami, we can`t prosecute this problem away. Again, we`re locking up so many, so many people and yet the violence isn`t going down, necessarily. FLOYD: Yes, I think a lot of it is cultural; you can`t legislate cultural change. We have got to change the way we think about women. We have to think -- change the way women are portrayed in the media, in our music, in movies and film, on television. All of that has to change over time. We have to remember, also, and teach our daughters, that it wasn`t very long ago that women were property in this country; and as -- in this country, as were children. And women didn`t even have the right to vote until this century. So -- VELEZ-MITCHELL: Yes. FLOYD: We have to really realize how far we have come. But we have to recognize how far we still have to go. VELEZ-MITCHELL: I agree with you. We need to have a feminization of the post-feminist generation. Wendy, you have about 20 seconds; I`ll give you the final word on this. MURPHY: Walk and serve is a good moral kick in the fanny so we do have to start with law and hold law accountable when it fails women disproportionately by treating robbery as a more serious offense than rape and battering. That`s the first line of defense. And let`s talk about the value of personal autonomy, bodily integrity, fundamental human rights; this is what we`re talking about at the most basic level. VELEZ-MITCHELL: We are out of time. But we`re going to do another show and talk about all these issues that you fabulous women have brought up. Thank you and thank you for joining me on this very important discussion on this crucial issue. You know, there`s lots of people talking on TV. Too few of them are saying anything that helps you and me make sense of the world. I`m trying to change that by keeping it real. I`m Jane Velez Mitchell. Have a great night and join us every week night at 7:00 p.m. Eastern. Goodbye. END


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District 60 House race shapes up as test of liberal credentials
Click below to see tables for this story,
Now that the primary is over, the race for the District 60 state Senate seat in some respects is a contest to see which of the two men still standing is the greenest.
DFL Rep. Scott Dibble will compete in the Nov. 5 general election with Green Party candidate Nick Granath. Senate District 60 represents Bryn Mawr, Lowry Hill, Lowry Hill East, East Isles, Kenwood, CIDNA, West Calhoun, ECCO, CARAG, East Harriet, Linden Hills, Tangletown, Fulton and parts of Lyndale, Kingfield and Lynnhurst.
The Republicans and Independence Party, meanwhile, did not field candidates for the seat being vacated by retiring DFL Sen. Myron Orfield.
Granath acknowledges he and Dibble, an avowed liberal, share many basic positions, especially on the environment, civil rights and economic justice. Granath said it's really a question of who is willing to go the distance to fulfill a truly "green" agenda.
["Dibble] has done good work," Granath said. "Is he greener? Yeah, that's great. But is he willing to go to these places? I haven't seen him do that, and I haven't seen him represent that he's going to do that."
Granath also noted that Dibble is looking to make the switch to the Senate after only one term as the District 60B state representative.
"I think one of the most important questions you can ask Scott Dibble," Granath said, "is why does he deserve a promotion?"
Dibble, 37, has likened his first two years in office to his first two years in college. And as a student of politics, he said, he's done fine.
"As a freshman in the minority, the way you craft and push legislation is to sign on as coauthor, walking halls, building relationships, adding to the ideas and doing the work with your colleagues," Dibble said. "I think I've been extremely successful in that capacity."
Dibble's record
In Dibble's nearly two years in the House, he has issued 22 pieces of legislation as chief author. None of them has passed. He has had better luck with some of the 160 bills he's co-signed, including one that limited telemarketing solicitations. But he has fared poorly when his name is out front. DFL primary opponent Rick Roche tried to make that an issue, saying it is indicative of failure. Dibble beat Roche 85 percent to 15 percent.
A pair of Republicans, asked for their assessment, said it's too early to say much about Dibble.
"It would be the same thing whether we're talking about a Democrat or a Republican," said Sarah Janacek, a GOP lobbyist and co-editor of the Politics in Minnesota newsletter. "There's just not enough time in one term to get anything accomplished."
Bob Gunther, a GOP House member from Fairmont who has signed on with Dibble on two pieces of legislation, agreed to some extent. But Gunther insisted that Dibble's failure to pass his own bills was not due to Republican control of the House; many of Dibble's bills just didn't have enough support.
"This isn't a case of the big, bad Republicans not giving him a hearing," Gunther said.
"I'm not surprised [Gunther] answered that way," Dibble said. "He's in the majority party and of course they're going to claim that they're extremely fair. But they're not. … I got very few hearings on my bills."
Dibble said his status as an overtly gay legislator has helped impinge on his ability to get some legislation through the gates.
In one case, he said he crafted a bill to reduce violence in school -- a measure aimed at all kids but with particular relevance for young gays. Dibble said he did the virtually all the work, but opted not to put his name on the final bill for fear of Republican backlash.
"To put my name on that legislation would have attracted all kinds of unnecessary, over-the-top opposition," he said.
He won't need to work so much behind the scenes when he is elected to the Senate, Dibble predicted, where DFLers currently enjoy an eight-vote majority.
"I can serve as the lead author [on bills] and have a reasonable expectation to receive a hearing and a reasonable shot to convince the majority of my colleagues to vote in the affirmative," he said.
The greening of Granath
Dibble's opponent is a former Plymouth City Councilmember who beat a heavily favored Republican opponent by a mere six votes back in the early 1990s. He's hoping to repeat the feat.
Granath, 40, was born in Minnetonka to an attorney father and a mother who sometimes taught school. He followed his father's footsteps into labor law, though as an attorney he represents labor's side of the table while his dad used to represent management.
"Dad is a conservative Republican," Granath said. "We have some pretty interesting conversations."
The Greens have not endorsed Granath because he waited too long to see who might run, said state party chair Cameron Gordon. An endorsement still could happen at the next party meeting in October, he said.
Gordon said Granath is a particularly valuable Green candidate because he knows how to campaign and already has proven he can be elected. "That's pretty rare in this party," he said.
Granath said he joined the party nearly two years ago, after the 2000 presidential election fiasco.
"That was the time in recent memory when the failures of the Democratic Party, in terms of its continual drift to the right to accommodate the Republicans and its failure to provide even a loyal opposition, became so obvious that it became possible to lose to a candidate like Bush," he said.
If elected, Granath said he wouldn't limit his sights to District 60. For instance, Granath wants to enact state laws to help reverse the melting of the polar ice caps.
Everything, Granath said, is connected.
"You can't have freedom without justice and you can't have economy without ecology," Granath said. "To me, this is what is relevant to District 60, and this is what I tell people when I'm door-knocking."
Granath knows he is an underdog, but he has a wider scope. He said he considers himself "a foot soldier" in the Green Party's effort to create a sea change in the body politic, by giving a new voice to liberal issues that the Democrats have abandoned.
"Until the public sees candidates out there talking about this and presenting these options, I don't know that the focus that's necessary to take place is going to happen," Granath said. "If everybody sits back in their garage and hugs their SUV, we're not going to get there."

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Many of you know the famous message game.
You have to guess, on which date message 500.000 gets posted!
You can see the current number of messages on the Index page http://www.kiteforum.com" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; almost on the bottom of the page in the "Who is online" section: Our users have posted a total of 4xxxxx articles.
The winner wins a brand new 2008 complete kite (the winner can choose the type and size) sponsored by Nobile Kiteboarding http://www.nobilekiteboarding.com" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
- one guess per user (don't create any additional user names!)
- no editing of your guess message allowed! Otherwise you will be disqualified
- the game closes after message 490.000, so no more guessing possible after this message
- if there are more than one user with the same guess, we will ask one specific question about the products on a given date and time on the forum, and the first user with the right guess posting the correct answer will win the kite! Same if no one had the correct date, the closest one will win. If several, more or less away from the date, we will do the question as above mentioned.
- only guesses as reply to this thread count
- the date and time is forum time, which is CET. Central Europe Time, e.g. Paris, Berlin, Stockholm, Rome
- guessing a time too will not count, only the date
- please don't discuss or comment in this thread (if needed, open a new thread), any postings without date will be removed
- anyone trying to cheat by posting more than normal to make a date happen earlier will be disqualified.
Good luck for everyone!
About the prize:
555 Versatile SLE Performance
Who is it for?
Free-riders looking to boost their confidence with maximum versatility, huge wind range and direct bar sheeting with out the classic bow draw backs of heavy bar pressure, vague steering and poor unhooked performance. The Nobile 555 also features incredibly simple re-launch, superb ease of use and 4 line Hybrid simplicity to ensure your peace of mind in all conditions.
Why did we make it?
Massive wind range allowing a two (or even one) kite quiver is a goal for us all, but until now achieving this meant too many compromises. Our goal was to make a high de-power, easy to use kite that that still had good performance, but did not feature any of the drawbacks of some of the bow kites on the market.
How did we do it?
We kept the same Natural Arc we developed for the NHP. However, to enhance the range of the 555 we used a 4 line SLE (Supported Leading Edge) Hybrid configuration. With careful placement of the bridle attachment points and some modification to its normal configuration we created a kite that delivers outstanding power range, clean and precise handling and fast, easy re-launch. Huge air comes as standard with the 555 along with unparalleled, direct, confidence inspiring handling – the perfect blend for free-ride use.
Key Points
4 line simplicity
Huge range…….awesome power yet massive de-power
Intuitive, fast re-launch
Huge lift and hang time
Controlled turning with a comfortable blend between axial and pivotal movement
Super stable gusty wind performance
Natural Arc Shaping with SLE Hybrid form.
Light yet still direct bar pressure (no pulleys)
FULCRUM Quick release
SMART pump inflation
20m+5m line configuration
NHP 666 (Nobile High Performance)
Who is it for?
Unhooked riding, new or old school freestyle and riders that still like the classic C shape feeling but want real levels of de-power. If you still yearn for the feeling of a classic C, but value the benefits the flatter kites have to offer, you will feel instantly at home on the NHP kite.
Why did we make it?
We started with a concept, why can't we have a kite that features all the good parts of a C shape ;fast, direct and axial turning with positive, but not hard bar pressure, great unhooked performance and fantastic lift, yet still exhibiting the benefits of a flatter kite with massive de-power, great ease of use and gust proof power delivery? With this goal in mind the NHP (Nobile High Performance) 666 was born.
How did we do it?
Even from a distance you can see this kite is different, 5 line performance is enhanced with multiple leading edge attachments and our Natural arc technology. The split lead line attachments allow the centre of effort of the kite to move forwards when de-powering offering near bow levels of de-power. However, by keeping the no pulley, direct rear line attachments the bar pressure is not only light, but incredibly responsive with constant feedback. If you still yearn for the feeling of a classic C, but value the benefits the flatter kites have to offer, you will feel instantly at home on the NHP. By designing every size individually, adjusting the attachment points and arc geometry for each size we created a constant feel across the range not often found in other brand ranges.
Key Points
Fast, direct bar feel
Massive de-power range
Axial turning for better kite looping and freestyle performance
Hybrid levels of stability and ease of use
5th line security and re-launch assistance
Natural Arc shaping with enhanced 5th line configuration
FULCRUM Quick release
SMART pump inflation
20m+5m line configuration


text:
The Zyxel VMG3312-T20A integrates an IEEE 802.11 b/g/n access point and a 10/100 Ethernet switch for Local Area Network (LAN) access. It can act as a concentrator or power hub to distribute contents between different devices connected inside the LAN wired and wirelessly. We've also enhanced the WiFi ability to ensure a quality user experience.
Additionally, it comes with the multiple-WAN function suitable for future FTTH deployments with optimized CAPEX.
Users could also leverage the USB interface on the Zyxel VMG3312-T20A for file sharing or pair with a 3G USB dongle for mobile connectivity.


text:
ATV Control Centre
The main function of the Automated Transfer Vehicle Control Centre (ATV-CC) was to operate Automated Transfer Vehicles (ATV).
In the elegant, modern 'Fermat Building' of the Toulouse space centre, the French space agency CNES, under a contract signed with ESA in 2003, developed and operated, a complex space control centre specialised in handling ATV missions in orbit.
Under the authority of ESA, ATV-CC was responsible for the preparation and validation of the monitoring and control tools used by the 30 mission control staff during a flight. The Control Centre was also responsible for carrying out the programmed mission plans and, if needed, to implement any changes.
Additionally the Centre was in charge of the orbitography, the localisation of ATV and monitoring its approach to the International Space Station. This is a challenging task, requiring a very high degree of technical skill.
Among the different flight control and piloting capabilities, ATV-CC also directed the undocking of ATV from the International Space Station. The Control Centre could command an operation to keep ATV in the vicinity of the International Space Station for up to eight weeks and, if needed, even perform a re-docking.
An ATV mission required complex interactions and shared responsibilities between space organisations throughout the world.
ATV-CC worked with the Guiana Space Centre, in charge of launch and deployment of ATVs. For rendezvous, docking and departure, ATV-CC worked in close coordination with the Mission Control Centres in Moscow and Houston.
All ATV ground control commands were issued from Toulouse. For example, in case of a major malfunction during rendezvous, ATV-CC, as well as the Space Station crew, could initiate a Collision Avoidance Manoeuvre to move the 20-tonne spaceship away from the Station before attempting another rendezvous the next day.
To allow continuous coordination with the other control centres and to remain in constant contact with ATV during a mission ATV-CC relied on the the Interconnection Ground Subnetwork, which is based at the German Space Operations Centre, at Oberpfaffenhofen in Germany. ATV-CC was directly linked to the Columbus Control Centre, that also played the role of the central node of the communications network with ESA's partners.


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Mayor's Office
Lincoln Water System (LWS) customers are encouraged to complete a survey to help identify plumbing cross connections in their homes and businesses that could pose a hazard to the public water supply. The State requires all water utilities to conduct the survey every five years. Surveys have been mailed to customers in some parts of southeast Lincoln based on billing cycle. When the survey is received, it can also be completed online at lincoln.ne.gov (keyword: plumbing survey).
Examples of potential cross connections in homes and businesses include private wells, automatic lawn irrigation systems, hoses submerged in a sink or container, swimming pools, hot tubs or other boiler-type heating systems. If the plumbing connection is not protected with a backflow device, contamination could enter the plumbing system and public water supply if the water system loses pressure. A loss of pressure can occur during a water main break or when large amounts of water are used to fight a fire.
"The self-inspection survey is very important in educating and informing water utility customers about the hazards of unprotected cross connections," said Doug Woodbeck, Field Services Manager for the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services. "Having a large majority of the water customers complete the survey is a fundamental element of a community's cross connection control program to protect public health."
Steve Owen, LWS Superintendent of Water Distribution, said that in the past, surveys were mailed to all customers as part of their water and sewer bill. "Five years ago, we had few surveys returned, and we think customers did not notice them in their bills," Owen said. "We hope that sending them out in a separate mailing will increase the number of surveys returned and help us better protect Lincoln's drinking water system." Owen said the survey takes less than five minutes to complete, and a postage paid return envelope is included in the mailing.
Owen said water utilities, plumbing codes, plumbing contractors and regulatory authorities have all practiced good backflow prevention for many years, and plumbing systems are normally installed in a safe manner by licensed contractors. Where needed, backflow devices are installed as part of Lincoln's Plumbing and Water Service Codes.
"A customer may alter a plumbing system or unknowingly add a source of contamination in their home or business that creates an unprotected cross connection," said Bob Siemsen, the City's Chief Plumbing Inspector. "The self-inspection survey can help identify these connections so that a proper backflow device can be installed. Each customer has a responsibility to keep their connection to the community water system safe for everyone."
Owen said commercial water customers have a higher potential for unprotected cross connections. LWS has licensed technicians who routinely inspect commercial properties for potential cross connections and ensure that proper backflow protection is installed, tested and operating. Owen said LWS relies heavily on the self-inspection process and return of surveys because it would be impractical to have staff inspect homes and smaller commercial properties.


text:
Call USA Toll Free: 1-888-308-6123
Our hand-picked Italian vacation rentals offer every comfort within the best locations in Italy. Whether your preference is city, country or coast we have properties that will make your vacation dreams come true. The perfect location, the perfect rental, the perfect stay - Italy Perfect.


text:
Everyone knows you can do a burnout in a 1,100 horsepower twin turbo Chevy. But can you do a burnout in a 1,100 horsepower twin turbo Chevy pulling a trailer?
This question was asked and answered a the very wonderful Hot Rod Drag Week, which is run on a number of strips and requires every car to drive on the road from one track to another.
It means that you see huge horsepower drag cars on public roads, sometimes pulling their own spare parts and tires around. And since everyone involved is a hot rodder, of course somebody does a burnout with a trailer attached.
The chute on the trailer is a nice touch.
(Hat tip to John Hennessey, of all people!)


text:
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Pi Beta Phi Tassel Key Fob - Alexandra Co. a1086
This Pi Beta Phi Tassel Keychain comes in your Sororities' colors and with 2 charms - one with the Pi Beta Phi Greek Letters and the other with your Mascot.
Keychain Details: length is approx. 6.75-inch long.
Rush service is available for 15% of the total, this service can be selected during checkout.
Style #: a1086


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SAN FRANCISCO -- A growing number of people think Facebook, other social networks, connected device makers--and potentially the entire internet of things market itself--are (or soon will be) too invasive into personal data privacy for their own good. This topic was one of many on everybody's minds at this week's RSA Security 2017 conference at Moscone Center.
Here is one example: Recently in my own Facebook News Feed, the social network sent me a note that asked: "Were you at Portola Valley Theatre Conservatory? Answering this will not post anything to your site."
Whoa, wait just a minute. What is the point of wanting to know where I was yesterday? Yes, I've given Facebook permission to know my location, but I don't remember telling anybody that it was okay to track me from yesterday. By the way, I don't want Facebook to know where I'm going tomorrow, either. Is that coming next, using some predictive algorithm?
Facebook Verifying Location Algorithms
Before we go any further: Yes, I had given Facebook permission to know where I am, as I have with Google and others. The tradeoffs seemed okay with me, as they are for millions of other folks. So I'm aware that my location information was being used in various ways. I was just surprised, to say the least, at this use case.
Before I turned off my location option, I asked Facebook to explain why it did this.
"We're always looking for ways to give people a more relevant experience on Facebook based on where they are. For people who have location history enabled, we may ask for help to verify places where we think they've visited. People can see or manage their location history in their activity log," a spokesperson from the social network told me.
I mentioned this concern to an expert in security and data privacy.
"Looks like they wanted you to validate their algorithm, so they can creep on you better in the future," Darin Andersen told eWEEK, tongue only slightly in cheek.
Further reading
Ever-Encroaching Technology on Personal Information
Andersen is founder and CEO of Authenticated Reality and Chairman of CyberTECH Network, a national advocacy group for cyber-security innovation that includes the federal and state governments, the military, the startup community, venture capital companies and established security vendors. CyberTECH Network is affiliated with Cyber Maryland, a major Washington, D.C. cyber-security advocacy group. In his spare time, Andersen also runs two startup incubators, CyberHive and iHive, in San Diego.
Andersen is concerned, as most people are, of the ever-encroaching way in which IT--in all its forms--is pushing aside personal data privacy. In fact, it is quite possible that there is no such thing as personal data privacy anymore--especially when it comes to video. Cameras are so cheap and being made so tiny, and networks are becoming so pervasive, that they can be bought and placed anywhere and operated at little cost. Video streams? Plenty of room in the cloud for all that content.
"We've moved from an age of surveillance to unfiltered footage of each of our lives," Andersen said. "It's like 'The Truman Story,' but we know that we're in the story, which is different from Truman. But everybody else is monitoring us, and we're monitoring them. This is not Orwellian, because in my view, if I read (George) Orwell right--the idea that Big Brother is watching--that idea applies itself nicely to China. The watchers are watching the watchers. This is not Orwellian, it's something else. It's equally creepy, but not in an Orwellian way."


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Sarah Palin this week mistakenly called a democratically-elected president of a foreign state a dictator. In response, Hugo Chavez, who was in 2006 re-elected by a convincing 60% of voters, evoked Jesus, remarking, "Forgive her, for she knows not what she says.".
So now you know the story: Chavez is not a dictator, he's the popularly-elected leader of Venezuala. Palin didn't know even this most basic fact about Venezuala, and yet felt qualified to threaten that country with sanctions.
The Associated Press' version of this story does not once point out that Venezuala is a democracy. Without this significant piece of context, Palin's innacurate assertion that Chavez is a dictator goes unchallenged.
The gaffe of Palin's may be unclear to many readers, and the dismissive nature of Chavez' comments may seem unfairly condecending and out of line without any clarifying statements.
Here's the story, as it appears at this moment, (archived in full for purposes of criticism/critique):
Venezuela's Chavez: Palin a pitiful 'beauty queen'
By RACHEL JONES
CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez called vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin a "poor thing" who didn't know what she was saying when she called him a dictator.
Friday's verbal attack was the latest in long history of creative insults by Chavez — but was not unprovoked.
In an interview with the U.S. Spanish-language network Univision aired Tuesday, Palin remarked that "through negotiations or sanctions, if necessary, we can pressure dictators like Hugo Chavez to make it clear that they cannot mess with the United States whenever they feel like it."
Speaking at an event to inaugurate a thermoelectric plant, Chavez said he had heard of Palin's remarks.
"The poor thing, you have to feel sorry for her," he said with a dismissive wave of his hand. Palin, he said, is "a beauty queen that they've put in the role of a figurine."
Chavez said one must do as Christ did: "Forgive her, for she knows not what she says."
Republican presidential candidate John McCain's choice of Palin as his running mate surprised the nation and prompted questions about her qualifications to serve as vice president. The McCain campaign had no comment on Chavez' comment.
Palin, the governor of Alaska, says she would take the lead as vice president in energy policy, overall government reform and working with families who have special-needs children.
This article will almost certainly be syndicated by hundreds, if not thousands of news organisations around the world.
If such careless journalism had occured on a blog or other social media, an early commentor would almost certainly point out the complete lack of context.
Unfortunately, the Associated Press' traditional publishing model leaves time-consuming details like accuracy or clarification at the door. Readers are not provided with so much as an email address to offer comments or express concern.
The article will be read unchallenged and unedited by thousands around the world.
Participatory Media: 1
Centralised Media: 0


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Pi Gamma Mu
International Honor Society in Social Sciences
New York Tau Chapter, Pace University
Mission: Pi Gamma Mu recognizes undergraduate and graduate students who have distinguished themselves as scholars of the social sciences-those academic disciplines concerned principally with human behavior. Pi Gamma Mu considers the following fields to be included among the social sciences: anthropology, criminal justice, economics, geography, history, international relations, political science, psychology, and sociology.
Requirements: Pi Gamma Mu recognizes undergraduates who have completed 60 credits (at least 20 of which must have been earned at Pace University), at least 24 credits in the social sciences, and at least 12 upper-division credits in social science. A QPA of 3.0, and a QPA of 3.2 in the social sciences are minimum requirements. The student must not have obtained an "F" or "WF" in any course in the social sciences.
Membership: The international initiation fee is $40. Privileges for a lifetime membership-gold-plated key pin, certificate worth framing, item for your resume, furtherance of professional career, advancement in government service rating, opportunity to compete for a scholarship for the first and second year in graduate school, invitation to regional meetings and triennial conventions, one-year trial subscription to International Social Science Review and Pi Gamma Mu Newsletter.
New York Tau Chapter compiles and publishes Current Global Issues, an annual collection of talks by guest speakers, and brings out Political Science Lexicon, updated periodically, which compares professional definitions of key terms in the discipline.
To join, apply to either New York Tau sponsor.
New York City Sponsor
Pleasantville Sponsor
Chapter Mentor
|Linda Quest, PhD
11th Floor, Room 1102
Pace University
41 Park Row
New York, NY 10038
(212) 346-1455
(212) 346-1467
|Gregory Julian, PhD
Choate House, Room 159
Pace University
861 Bedford Road
Pleasantville, NY 10570
(914) 773-3959
(914) 773-3785
|Edward Tseng, PhD
California Lutheran University
1353 Morrow Circle
Thousand Oaks, CA 91362


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The Machine Stops
November 18th, 2009
One hundred years ago this month, E.M. Forster published a short story that describes a world uncannily like the one we live in today. Social networking, video blogging, a blighted environment, and even "the button that produces literature." In case you're wondering, it doesn't end well.
"The Machine Stops" is E.M. Forster's first and only experiment in science fiction — "a counterblast to one of the heavens of H.G. Wells," as Forster himself described the story which he first published in the November 1909 issue of the Oxford and Cambridge Review.
Sometime in a far-off future, the atmosphere and surface of the Earth have been poisoned and can no longer sustain life. People live entirely underground in vast catacomb cities of artificial air and light, rarely venturing from their identical rooms to meet or travel anywhere. A vast global mechanism called simply "the machine" mediates all human activity. The machine has enabled miraculous advances in travel, communication, economic production and the furtherment of knowledge, all of which are wholly entrusted to its mechanisms. Although various committees oversee its maintenance, the machine is capable of extending and repairing itself, and no one person fully understands the duties of another, nor the system as a whole.
A young man named Kuno has begun questioning the machine and tentatively exploring the forbidden surface of the Earth, learning to use his muscles, reacquainting himself with nature and trusting in direct experience for the first time in generations. His mother Vashti strongly disapproves.
This may sound like some bizarre sequel to "The Matrix" or Terry Gilliam's "Brazil," but no. We're talking E.M. Forster in 1909, a writer who is best remembered today for period novels such as A Passage to India and Room with a View.
Here Kuno and and his mother Vashti have just finished a strained conversation via the cinematophote, as the videoconference features of the machine are called:
His image in the blue plate faded.
He had isolated himself.
For a moment Vashti felt lonely.
Then she generated the light, and the sight of her room, flooded with radiance and studded with electric buttons, revived her. There were buttons and switches everywhere – buttons to call for food, for music, for clothing. There was the hot-bath button, by pressure of which a basin of (imitation) marble rose out of the floor, filled to the brim with a warm deodorized liquid. There was the cold-bath button. There was the button that produced literature. And there were of course the buttons by which she communicated with her friends. The room, though it contained nothing, was in touch with all that she cared for in the world.
Vashti's next move was to turn off the isolation switch, and all the accumulations of the last three minutes burst upon her. The room was filled with the noise of bells, and speaking-tubes. What was the new food like? Could she recommend it? Has she had any ideas lately? Might one tell her one's own ideas? Would she make an engagement to visit the public nurseries at an early date? – say this day next month.
To most of these questions she replied with irritation – a growing quality in that accelerated age.
Later in the story, Vashti undertakes a rare journey by automated train and air-ship to see her son Kuno face to face.
Of course it was perfectly easy. The car approached and in it she found armchairs exactly like her own. When she signaled, it stopped, and she tottered into the lift. One other passenger was in the lift, the first fellow creature she had seen face to face for months. Few travelled in these days, for, thanks to the advance of science, the earth was exactly alike all over. Rapid intercourse, from which the previous civilization had hoped so much, had ended by defeating itself. What was the good of going to Peking when it was just like Shrewsbury? Why return to Shrewsbury when it would all be like Peking?
The air-ship service was a relic from the former age. It was kept up, because it was easier to keep it up than to stop it or to diminish it, but it now far exceeded the wants of the population…. as Vashti saw the vast flank of the ship, stained with exposure to the outer air, her horror of direct experience returned. It was not quite like the air-ship in the cinematophote. For one thing it smelt–not strongly or unpleasantly, but it did smell, and with her eyes shut she should have known that a new thing was close to her…Inside, her anxiety increased. The arrangements were old-fashioned and rough. There was even a female attendant, to whom she would have to announce her wants during the voyage. Of course a revolving platform ran the length of the boat, but she was expected to walk from it to her cabin. Some cabins were better than others, and she did not get the best. She thought the attendant had been unfair, and spasms of rage shook her.
I'm reminded here of that YouTube hit from about a year ago, "Everything is amazing and nobody's happy." The comedian Louis C.K., appearing on the Conan show, evoked the simpler days of rotary phones and pre-ATM banking. How is it, he wondered, when we're flying in an airplane or using high speed data connections, that we get impatient when the signal takes a little to long to fly through space. "Could you give it a second," he asked, "to get back from space?" He said that if this complex system is coming apart, a little bit, that could be a good thing. "Maybe we need some time, where we're going around with a donkey with pots and pans clanging around on the sides." Based on the viral sharing of that clip, millions of people seemed to agree.
But back in the days when people were just starting to have telephones installed in their homes , E.M. Forster was looking forward and what he saw was similar in many ways, and in others, much more bleak. Besides the technical details, he also describes how people change in response. Everyone has become complacent, dependent, spoiled and vaguely irritable. But while Louis C.K. wonders why this amazingly convenient and miraculous world is wasted on such a spoiled generation, Forster saw the spoiling as a direct result of the convenience and dependency it creates. And instead of a gradual process of coming back around to our senses, Forster depicted the whole complex apparatus as literally falling down on our heads.
"The Machine Stops" was never a big hit with the critics. A reviewer named Edwin Muir found the work "unconvincing," another named Edward Shanks pronounced it inferior to the work of H.G. Wells. In Lionel Trilling's 1965 critical study of Forster, "The Machine Stops" is only mentioned in passing as a "counter-Wellesian fantasy of the future," and Trilling generally treats Forster's short stories as interesting only as sketches and indexes to the themes of his longer works.
But over time, the story gained an increasing cult following. The poet Edith Sitwell wrote in 1928 that the story "made me feel as though I had come out of a dark tunnel in which I had always lived, into an immense open space, and were seeing things living for the first time. I believe it is the most tremendous short story of our generation." "The Machine Stops" became a viral hit in the text-heavy days of the early internet, as sys admins and other ubergeeks would upload the text to university servers, often with a note marvelling at the fact that it was written back in the days of the telephone and telegraph, before there were radios, televisions, commercial air travel, computers or the internet.
More recent phenomena like social networking, blogging and Google's mission to make the world's information organized and accessible have only served to further vindicate Forster's strange vision. The artificial intelligence behind the computer HAL in 2001 A Space Odyssey, created forty years ago, seems as quaint today as personal rocket ships. But we may find it harder to shrug off this hundred year-old specter of a brute mechanism that owes its power to the fact that everyone must use it for just about everything they do.
Towards the end of the 12,000-word story we see the machine falter, with only the faintest symptoms at first, then fall apart and collapse entirely. Even the subtle ways that the machine begins to fail will ring true to anyone who has ever used Windows software. The music delivered by the machine is disfigured by odd sighs and sounds, which people gradually accept as part of the music, until the deodorized bath water begins to smell and the artificial air grows murky and foul.
The moralizing in "The Machine Stops" is often heavy handed, to be sure. Freedom, courage, nature and bonding with your fellow humans = Good. Mechanization, conformity and derivative ideas = Bad. Still it's a fairly ingenious parable that can simultaneously appeal to luddites and computer geeks, to idealists, reactionaries and aspiring Unibombers alike.
We spend alot of time these days thinking about technology, sustainability and the future of the planet. We're alternately optimistic and terrified by social and environmental change, mutating media and mountains of data and what it all really means. It's an oddly comforting experience to step back 100 years and realize that things were already looking pretty grim and complicated back then. It was not the kinder, simpler era that our nostalgia would like to make of it.
Personally, I confess I'm consoled by the idea that the machine stops. I'm more with Louis C.K. on this one than E.M. Forster. Perhaps not a cataclysmic stopping, something more periodic and self regulating. We're taking the machine down for some unscheduled maintenance. The donkeys with the pots and pans on their backs, that sort of thing. If the stopping doesn't destroy us, it just might save our lives.
You can read the complete story here: "The Machine Stops"
Photo Credit: The ElectriClerk was inspired by the retro-futuristic machines in the movie Brazil by Terry Gilliam.
The Machine Stops by E.M. Forster
March 4th, 2009
This post has been updated and moved, in honor of the 100th Anniversary of "The Machine Stops," by E.M. Forster, first published in the Oxford and Cambridge Review in November 1909.
You can read the new post here: The Machine Stops: the Blog
You can read the full text Forsters story here: The Machine Stops: the Story


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Hugh McCulloch
1st Comptroller of the Currency
Dates Served: May 9, 1863 - March 8, 1865
Home State: Indiana
Hugh McCulloch, president of the State Bank of Indiana, was appointed the first Comptroller of the Currency by President Lincoln. McCulloch, once a foe of national banking legislation, organized the agency and launched the national banking system. During McCulloch's 22 months in office, 868 national banks were chartered and no failures occurred. The first Comptroller recommended major changes in the banking law. The resulting National Banking Act of 1864 remains the foundation of the national banking system. McCulloch resigned to become Lincoln's Secretary of Treasury. He also served as Secretary of Treasury under President Arthur.


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Nu Skin Company History
Blake Roney, Sandie Tillotson and Steve Lund decided to build a company that would combine innovative personal care products with ingredients that subscribed to the philosophy of "all of the good, none of the bad" and a generous business opportunity that would attract high-calibre salespeople.
It did not take long for people to discover the difference of Nu Skin®'s unique business opportunity and one-of-a-kind products. In fact, the first product order was so popular that it was sold out in a matter of hours. People loved the products so much that many even brought their own bottles and jars for the founders to fill with the unique formulas using an ordinary spoon.
Since that time, Nu Skin® has demonstrated a distinctively different approach to business. It began with an innovative concept of premium quality products and a uniquely compelling global business opportunity.
Combined with the immovable commitment of the Distributor leaders, this exceptional business model has shaped the company into a more than US$1 billion enterprise that still remains true to its core values.
Today, Nu Skin® is differentiated by its ability to demonstrate that they truly have the best people, product, culture and opportunity in the direct sales, skin care and wellness industries. As one of the premier anti-ageing companies, Nu Skin® sets the standard.


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Dr. Gregory L. Matloff, a NASA researcher and City Tech physics professor, believes Apophis' surface could be heated, which would throw the monster asteroid off course and spare widespread destruction on Earth.
NASA estimates the rock - 1,100 feet in diameter, and roughly 900 feet tal l- would have an impact 68,000 greater than the atom bomb dropped on Hiroshima.
Of course, the odds that the asteroid will hit Earth are slim.
"An Apophis impact is very unlikely," said Matloff, considering the asteroid's "close" pass of the Earth, in scientific terms, will still be made at an estimated distance of 22,600 miles. But the possibility exists that Apophis could alter direction or fragment, sending smaller chunks hurtling towards Earth.
"A collision with an object of this size traveling at an estimated 30,000 to 40,000 miles per hour would be catastrophic," Matloff said.
In 2007, Matloff and a team of NASA researchers investigated ways to deflect or explode dangerous space debris known as Near Earth Objects (NEO). Matloff thinks altering their trajectory is the way to go.
To do so, Matloff and his team theorized, would require heating Apophis' surface (with a beam-emitting solar reflector) to create a jet stream that would push the asteroid off course and preferably out of harm's way.
But how hot do you heat an asteroid?
"A beam that penetrates too deeply would need simply heat the asteroid," Matloff explained. "But a beam that penetrates just the right amount - perhaps about a tenth of a millimeter - would create a steerable jet and achieve the purpose of deflecting the asteroid."
Matloff and a group of City Tech students in Brooklyn have spent the past year doing heat experiments on meteor samples provided by the American Museum of Natural History to find the right temperature.
"To my knowledge this is the first experimental measurement" of its kind, said Matloff, who presented a paper on the work at the 73rd annual meeting of the Meteoritical Society. It may represent the first step, but at least somebody has undertaken the challenge.


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ITC Says Apple Didn't Violate Samsung's Patents
Apple has prevailed over Samsung in another of the two companies' legal battles. In a preliminary ruling issued Friday, an International Trade Commission judge found that Apple has not violated the four patents that Samsung asserted against it in 2011, denying the Korean company's request for a sales ban on allegedly infringing products. The ruling will be reviewed by the full commission in January. Yet another blow to Samsung, which suffered a sweeping courtoom loss to Apple in August.


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The Crystals: On the Lunar Surface
For the first time, you will be able to form a party entirely of your choosing. Because of this, the strategy applied to any and all battles you enter from this point onward is impossible to predict. In other words, you are responsible for your own destiny! Nonetheless, you should have enough experience to understand the wisest ways to approach fights.
For example, think about battle strategy. If encountered a magic-immune foe—like puddings—you would only be able to use magic against them, and so, a party full of strict bruisers will be useless. Should there be lower level and fragile people in your party, they should be on the back line, so they take fewer hits and less damage overall. Ideally, a complete party of your weakest characters could gain Experience Points and grow stronger, but will they be able to defeat anything on their own?
You should always use whatever de-buff, enhancement, and curative spells are available to you. This will keep your enemies limping, and your companions in tip-top shape. Further, you will need a protector. Will you take Cecil's Cover, Golbez's Taunt, or both?
These and many other variables should all be considered while forming your group. Fortunately, you can experiment to your heart's content by returning to the Lunar Whale and changing things up at any time. Speaking of that spaceship, it contains three things of note: your aforementioned allies, a Save Point in the lower decks, and the exits by the upper bow. When you are ready, walk out onto the Lunar Surface.
Beyond that, there are other ways to keep your party members in good health. While exploring the dungeon, keep plenty of Emergency Exits by your side. During and in-between battles, recover your Hit Points and eliminate negative statuses with items rather than magic, which lets you save the latter for when you really need it. As always, de-buff the heck out of your foes, too!
Right outside the Lunar Whale, there's a holographic salesman. Though their weapon supply only consists of shuriken, you may buy practically all of the useful perishables. Restock if you must, then head out.
From the Lunar Whale, set off toward the west, and you'll soon find the large, dark, sickly crater, which is surrounded by an O-shaped plateau, and a rocky mountain range. Enter the cave at the bottom, and the teleporter inside will take you to the familiar Subterrane. Descend to its deepest depths, and open all of the re-filled Treasure Chests you come across. To record your progress, use an Emergency Exit and make a mad dash for the Lunar Whale, unless you're near one of the Subterrane's own Save Points.
As you pass through the dungeon, you will come across foes reborn—bosses from the original Final Fantasy IV, to be precise—every time you reach a Crystal Pad. The first one you will encounter will be waiting in the third room down, and it's Baigan.
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Of all the Acer products we supply, our range of AcerNote Light laptop chargers is the most popular. The AcerNote Light range of laptops is targeted towards the retail end-user market and hence the demand for the full range of AcerNote Light laptop adapters is very high. Customers of Laptop Power UK will be glad to know that all our listed products are guaranteed to be in stock, with next day delivery throughout the UK being available. If you are desperate for your product to be delivered quickly, our company can be relied upon to deliver the very best service. You will find yourself with the correct Acer AcerNote Light charger in your hands ready to use in a matter of no time!
Be careful to use our website search functions to ensure that you select the correct laptop model number of your machine. This will ensure that the correct product will turn up and you won't be disappointed. Customers require replacement AcerNote Light laptop power supply for many different reasons. Some customers have misplaced their previous item by leaving it on the train or in a hotel room for example. Other people have damaged the tip or cable on their AcerNote Light laptop adapter. Whatever the reason for needing a replacement product, Laptop Power UK take all the stress and hassle out of sourcing an original quality product at a cost effective price.
All the Acer laptop chargers supplied by Laptop Power UK have the strictest safety certification standards on the market. All our products are CE approved, RoHS compliant and UL tested. It is this focus on safety standards and quality that has ensured Laptop Power UK is the UK's largest supplier of Acer Aspire adapters to the country's schools and colleges. If you have any technical questions regarding our product range we will be glad to assist either via telephone or email.


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Cymbidium Orchid Stalk | Pendant Necklace
Regular price £53.99
Unit price
Tax included.
In the language of flowers, the purple cymbidium orchid stands for royalty, admiration, respect
Whether you are an avid jewelry collector or are looking for accessories to spruce up your current collection, this pendant charm is the best add-on. Without stressing about storage or environmental waste, hook this pendant charm to your chain necklace, bracelet, anklet, or even the butterfly clasp of your stud earrings. Express your creativity by mixing and matching Feltto's range of designs. You are no longer limited to one style for one occasion.
Material: Sanitised recycled felt fabric, cotton embroidery threads
Dimensions [cm]: 3.5 x 2.0 x 5.5
Drop Length [cm]: 6.7


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News — Hummewell MO
We Are Proud To Announce Our Online Cremation Service Area in Mid Missouri
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Million Taylor Funeral Home has been proud to serve the Moberly, Higbee, and surrounding communities for nearly 69 years and is now proud to announce the following: We have launched an expansion of services including becoming the original online provider of cremation & funeral services and merchandise in the Mid Missouri area which now includes a 40 mile area around the Moberly and surrounding communities. We started our online store to provide an affordable alternative to traditional cremation & funeral pricing. Our convenient online arrangement process provides a practical approach to arranging cremation services. All the necessary arrangements for cremation can now be handled online...