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We are pleased to welcome you to China Auto Logistics Inc. (NasdaqGM:CALI). The company has grown strongly and steadily for more than fifteen years to achieve sales in 2010 of $257,681,456 and become a leading growth company in China's rapidly expanding Internet industry and its world leading automobile market. Specifically,
- www.cali.com.cn is the leading broad spectrum automobile portal in China, serving auto buyers, dealers and drivers of domestic and imported autos nationwide.
- Our www.at188.com is China's only website focused on imported auto buyers and dealers - - the fastest growing segment in the industry.
- Our rapidly growing www.at160.com and www.goodcar.cn websites are among the most popular in China with first time buyers of domestic autos and drivers.
- From our roots as an auto trader, we have grown to become China's largest wholesaler of imported luxury vehicles with a network of 3000 dealers nationwide.
- We operate the largest imported auto mall in Tianjin.
- Our growing range of auto-related services, from inventory financing for auto dealers to web-based advertising, are the core businesses fueling the rapid growth on our bottom line.
We are proud of our growth and excited about our future. Further, we take pride in the transparency we provide to all stakeholders and invite you to view and study our fully accessible filings, reports and news announcements with the links provided on this site. Our management and its representatives in the U.S also are always available to respond to your inquiries.
Thank you!


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Support Continues to Climb for Social Security Fairness Act!
Update on NEA's Campaign To Eliminate GPO/WEP
March 2, 2007
The Latest News:
Support Continues to Climb for Social Security Fairness Act!
The House version of the Social Security Fairness Act (H.R. 82), which would completely repeal the Government Pension Offset and Windfall Elimination Provision, has now garnered the support of 237 bipartisan cosponsors. The latest additions are Representatives:
Altmire (D-PA), Bachus (R-AL), Bonner (R-AL), Boyda (D-KS), Robert Brady (D-PA), Carter (R-TX), Cleaver (D-MO), Cramer (D-AL), David Davis (R-TN), Fortuno (R-PR), Hare (D-IL), Hayes (R-NC), Hirono (D-HI), Jindal (R-LA), Hank Johnson (D-GA), Peter King (R-NY), Kirk (R-IL), LaTourette (R-OH), John Lewis (D-GA), Lipinski (D-IL), McCaul (R-TX), McIntyre (D-NC), Christopher Murphy (D-CT) Patrick Murphy (D-PA), Tim Murphy (R-PA), Murtha (D-PA), Norton (D-DC), Pascrell (D-NJ), Regula (R-OH), Rodriguez (D-TX), Mike Rogers (R-AL), Pete Sessions (R-TX), Towns (D-NY), Wamp (R-TN), Watson (D-CA), Westmoreland (R-GA), and Whitfield (R-KY).
The Senate version of the Social Security Fairness Act (S.206) now has 20 bipartisan cosponsors. The latest additions are Senators:
Kennedy (D-MA), Menendez (D-NJ), Sanders (I-VT), Stabenow (D-MI), and Whitehouse (D-RI).
See the complete list of House and Senate cosponsors.
Ongoing Action Needed:
- Thank Members who have cosponsored the bill and remind them that we need them to continue to advocate for movement of this important legislation.
- Urge all other Members of Congress to add their names as cosponsors to H.R. 82/S. 206

subset: commoncrawl


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My company's users use a website that features advertising from specific sponsors. The ads are all directly related to the content of the page and the situation in which the user is viewing the page -- a situation which they paid for. We frequently use a lot of background advertising, but the UX team is curious about its effects on user experience.
Does anyone knows of good, recent research on online advertising and its effects on user experience that includes background advertising? Books, blog posts, or papers are all welcome. It seems that most of the articles out there are still focused on banner and pop-up ads.
And yeah, we'll probably do our own user testing in the near future. We'd still like to see if there is any outside research, best practices, or recommendations.


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It's getting close to the New Year. A new year - a new monthly photo challenge for January!
Follow me on Instagram at StephRichy to see my daily photo. Let me know if you're taking the challenge - I'd love to see your photos too! I'll be using the hashtag #sbphotochallenge. Please join me & we can share our photos with one another!
Here's January's Photo Challenge:
Thanks for reading. If you like what you see here on Silver Boxes, I'd love it if you would become a follower on Google Friend Connect, subscribe by email (sign up on the right sidebar),
And please leave a comment when you do so I know who my new friends are! :)
Have a wonderful New Year!


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The same folks who brought you the Pleo robot dinosaur have decided to put their expertise with automatons into designing a pillow that provides a good night's sleep, no matter what position your body ends up in.
While you can buy pillows that cater to people who either sleep on their side or their back, Innvo Labs' new prototype works for both thanks to a set of inflatable air chambers on the inside. Sleepers toss and turn on a pressure sensitive thin mat placed under their shoulders, and as they change position in the middle of the night the intelliPillow automatically adjusts to cradle their head in the most comfortable way.
The continual inflating and deflating of the air chambers is done slowly so as not to jar the sleeper awake, while the 37dB pump—which sits a couple of feet away from the bed—is quiet enough to not disturb even the lightest of dozers. Unfortunately the intelliPillow won't be available until 2013 at the earliest, and will cost around $250 to $300. It's hard to put a price tag on a good night's sleep, but I'm pretty sure it's a little cheaper than that. [Popular Science]
Photos: Popsci/Susannah F. Locke


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WASHINGTON -- The watchdog arm of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is canceling several projects and scaling back others as a result of staff cutbacks that are expected to hit about 20%.
The HHS Office of Inspector General (OIG), the office tasked with rooting out waste, fraud, and abuse in federal health programs, instituted a hiring freeze last year and has offered two rounds of buyouts to employees this year. The office expects to lower its staff by almost 400 people from its high of nearly 1,800 last year.
On the brink of full implementation of the Affordable Care Act, the office is warning the lack of oversight comes at a time when fraud and abuse is on the rise in some areas.
"Last year alone we closed 1,200 fraud complaints due to lack of resources," Gary Cantrell, deputy inspector general for investigations, told MedPage Today in a statement. "As our numbers continue to decline, our ability to protect seniors and vulnerable populations from fraud declines as well.
"In cities with Health Care Fraud Prevention and Enforcement Action Team (HEAT) strike forces, we have 25% fewer staff dedicated to HEAT cases," Cantrell said. "As we continue losing staff, our ability to sustain these efforts and address emerging fraud trends will be significantly diminished."
Some of the work the OIG won't be able to conduct as planned include:
- Determining the impact of hospital drug shortages on patient safety and quality
- Investigating nursing homes' use of atypical antipsychotic drugs
- Reviewing beneficiary appeals requests and denials for services or payments
- Auditing the protections of human research subjects
- Reviewing off-label promotion of drugs given Medicare Part D payments of more than $3 billion for unapproved uses from 2006 to 2010
- Overseeing security risks at selected national stockpiles for pharmaceuticals
In addition to canceling projects, the OIG is scaling back its audit of the authenticity of Medicare payments to high-risk hospitals and its review of safety at skilled nursing and inpatient rehab facilities.
Projects' potential impact, suspected vulnerabilities, and cost are weighted to determine if they're still being conducted or not, a spokesman said.
The reasons for the OIG staff reductions are multifaceted.
The office is facing a roughly 8% cut in appropriations because of the sequester like all nondefense spending this year. However, it has a number of other funding sources that are running dry, the office explained.
For example, the Medicaid fraud funding hasn't been appropriated by lawmakers since 2009, and the office has exhausted what it can use. The $25 million per year of funding from the the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005 is also coming to an end, as is stimulus funding from 2009.
The OIG said preventing and fighting healthcare fraud and abuse remains a priority, but investigators at HHS, the OIG, and Justice Department are challenged by the lack of money.
Cantrell highlighted these concerns in a recent hearing before the Senate Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee on curbing prescription drug abuse in Medicare.
"This mission is challenged by the declining resources that OIG has to bring to bear at a time when Part D fraud, waste, and abuse and prescription drug diversion cases are on the rise," Cantrell told lawmakers. "While our Part D investigative caseload has almost quadrupled over the past 5 years, we are in the process of reducing our staff by about 20% as a result of expiring funding sources, compounded by the effects of sequestration."


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Aleppo Dark Musk Soap
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Product Description
The Aleppo Laurel Soap is considered the grandfather of all soaps and has its roots in the Levant region of which Aleppo is the main city. Soap makers have been crafting this soap for centuries with the ancient recipe of olive oil and Laurier. The soap is cold pressed and different from any other by its total preservation of the natural properties of the oils used in the composition of the soap.
Dark Musk Fragrance


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-- The 11 cars that make up ABC's "Whistle-Stop Express" are a technological marvel -- stuffed with satellite dishes, high-end television equipment, servers bringing rolling WiFi access, and plenty of really expensive contraptions that do I know not what.
And car No. 11 -- the caboose -- carries ghosts and whispers that connect the train with political history.
It's the Pennsylvania 120 -- something that meant absolutely nothing to me before this trip, either.
But to train buffs, this is the Hope diamond -- one of the most storied and expensive pieces of Americana.
Built in 1928, the car carried every president from Herbert Hoover to Lyndon Johnson. Rat Packers Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, and Peter Lawford once chartered it.
Perhaps most famously, the car carried Robert F. Kennedy's body from Los Angeles to Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia in 1968, in a journey that drew millions of mourning Americans along the tracks.
A great article in Cigar Aficionado, from 1998, tells you everything you need to know about the train and its owner, Bennett Levin.
From the outside, the most striking feature is the observation deck -- one can imagine a politician's wave to curious crowds, back in the era of whistle-stop campaigning.
Inside, it feels and smells like the Roaring '20s -- rich walnut, etched glass, red velour couches, walls decorated by paintings of trains. (Walking through, I felt like I would open a door onto the poker room from "The Sting.")
Not a bad way to see the country.


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New Lifeline for Home Buyers
The Obama administration wants to create a mortgage market that is more forgiving to borrowers who lost their homes due to the recession -- an effort that could widen the pool of potential homeowners. Nick Timiraos reports on the News Hub. Photo: Getty Images.
This transcript has been automatically generated and may not be 100% accurate.
... the ... the Obama administration wants to act and widen the pool of possible of mine has ... with bomb this be ten miles from the real estate ... office on the site thank you ... very much ... next thing ... is is a fascinating ... story so when in the pool of what the of bomb Upromise what exactly is the sincerest went to ... well to store their concern that credit standards with virtual extra in a bubble but the pendulum has swung too far the other way and I'm kind of states dark or too tight ... but they don't have too many leverage for they can ... go when Citibank's we really want to be more prone to making loans to ... people more creditworthy ... so what they've done here is they've said it ... normally their op come as a penalty box you have to go into if you've had a foreclosure or short sale of bankruptcy they must shortsellers white you you you you sold the house ... aam for less than the movie just twelve at the bank has taken on the ten that's right ... normally you hafta wait around three years in some cases five years before ... he'll be eligible for a mortgage from Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac the government backed ... mortgage companies or for federal agencies ... here they're taking and the Federal housing Administration ... and they're saying instead of three or so ... it'll be one year that we have to wait ... as long as you can prove that you ... had a foreclosure or short sale or bankruptcy because of the sharp loss or reduction ... in your hours that was beyond her control content ... returning to a head we've been down this road before where we happily sons ... will the standards of landing capitalism's and I got a lot of people and whether the no money down for supplemented ... Jeddah and a ninja loans in the blink of no till now last that's the that's definitely a concern but I think what most ... folks in the industry will point to read now ... our ... first goes no talk loans for you can just make up your income ... that's gone nowhere doors were gone he would FHA loans to still have to prove that you have the money and to make the loan payment ... and banks are not eager to go back to ... where we just were seven years ago ... that the reason why this can change may not actually make that much of the differences because the ... base rate now are very concerned ... that these loans of the mortgages to fall when I come back to ... the FHA is from SU them ... this and push these loans back and and so actually of ... lenders to say when lenders were saying with his policy changes that ... we don't really think will come from making these loans even if you allow them because of all the other things that are happening right now in the industry so if you want us to lend more ... there than enough to give us some certainty were going to need to ... know that we are trimming its sued ... Over or you know every little thing that goes beyond it's


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Anthrax? The F.B.I. Yawns
New York Times
Anthrax? The F.B.I. Yawns
By NICHOLAS D. KRISTOF
Published: July 2, 2002
The F.B.I.'s bumbling before 9/11 is water under the bridge. But the bureau's lackadaisical ineptitude in pursuing the anthrax killer continues to threaten America's national security by permitting him to strike again or, more likely, to flee to Iran or North Korea.
Almost everyone who has encountered the F.B.I. anthrax investigation is aghast at the bureau's lethargy. Some in the biodefense community think they know a likely culprit, whom I'll call Mr. Z. Although the bureau has polygraphed Mr. Z, searched his home twice and interviewed him four times, it has not placed him under surveillance or asked its outside handwriting expert to compare his writing to that on the anthrax letters.
This is part of a larger pattern. Astonishingly, the F.B.I. allowed the destruction of anthrax stocks at Iowa State University, losing what might have been valuable genetic clues. Then it waited until December to open the intact anthrax envelope it found. The F.B.I. didn't obtain anthrax strains from various labs for comparison until March, and the testing is still not complete. The bureau did not systematically polygraph scientists at two suspect labs, Fort Detrick, Md., and Dugway Proving Ground in Utah, until a month ago.
Perhaps it's a cheap shot for an armchair detective to whine about the caution of dedicated and exceptionally hard-working investigators. Yet months pass and the bureau continues to act like, well, a bureaucracy, plodding along in slow motion. People in the biodefense field first gave Mr. Z's name to the bureau as a suspect in October, and I wrote about him elliptically in a column on May 24.
He denies any wrongdoing, and his friends are heartsick at suspicions directed against a man they regard as a patriot. Some of his polygraphs show evasion, I hear, although that may be because of his temperament.
If Mr. Z were an Arab national, he would have been imprisoned long ago. But he is a true-blue American with close ties to the U.S. Defense Department, the C.I.A. and the American biodefense program. On the other hand, he was once caught with a girlfriend in a biohazard ''hot suite'' at Fort Detrick, surrounded only by blushing germs.
With many experts buzzing about Mr. Z behind his back, it's time for the F.B.I. to make a move: either it should go after him more aggressively, sifting thoroughly through his past and picking up loose threads, or it should seek to exculpate him and remove this cloud of suspicion.
Whoever sent the anthrax probably had no intention of killing people; the letters warned recipients to take antibiotics. My guess is that the goal was to help America by raising preparedness against biological attacks in the future.
So it seems fair to ask the F.B.I. a few questions:
Do you know how many identities and passports Mr. Z has and are you monitoring his international travel? I have found at least one alias for him, and he has continued to travel abroad on government assignments, even to Central Asia.
Why was his top security clearance suspended in August, less than a month before the anthrax attacks began? This move left him infuriated. Are the C.I.A. and military intelligence agencies cooperating fully with the investigation?
Have you searched the isolated residence that he had access to last fall? The F.B.I. has known about this building, and knows that Mr. Z gave Cipro to people who visited it. This property and many others are legally registered in the name of a friend of Mr. Z, but may be safe houses operated by American intelligence.
Have you examined whether Mr. Z has connections to the biggest anthrax outbreak among humans ever recorded, the one that sickened more than 10,000 black farmers in Zimbabwe in 1978-80? There is evidence that the anthrax was released by the white Rhodesian Army fighting against black guerrillas, and Mr. Z has claimed that he participated in the white army's much-feared Selous Scouts. Could rogue elements of the American military have backed the Rhodesian Army in anthrax and cholera attacks against blacks? Mr. Z's r


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Search within featured Health & Medicine items
You Searched ForStart Over You searched for: Creator N.W. Ayer & Son Remove constraint Creator: N.W. Ayer & Son Format Text Remove constraint Format: Text Genre Advertisements Remove constraint Genre: Advertisements Subject Beckman Instruments, inc. Remove constraint Subject: Beckman Instruments, inc. Subject Medical laboratory equipment industry Remove constraint Subject: Medical laboratory equipment industry
Beckman is everywhere in the hospital.
- 1974
Advertisement for the many Beckman Instruments products that are used in hospital and health services, including glucose analyzers, liquid scintillation counters, spectrophotometers, and oxygen analyzers (among many…


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Saturday's Philip H. Iselin Stakes (G3) drew an evenly-matched field of eight colts and geldings, all attempting to take home the winner's share of the $250,000 purse.
This weekend's running of the Iselin will be the 77th renewal of the race that dates all the way back to 1884 when it was originally called the Monmouth Handicap.
The historic race has featured a number of the sport's most recognizable names including the likes of Kelso, Forego, Spectacular Bid, Alysheba, Serena's Song, Skip Away and Ghostzapper.
Scheduled as the 10th race on a 12-race program, the Iselin will feature the return of 2009 victor Chirac who will be making his first start for trainer Pat McBurney on Saturday. The full field, from the rail out, with rider assignments is:
1. Dueling Alex (Michael Luzzi)
2. Chirac (Channing Hill)
3. Where's Sterling (Paco Lopez)
4. Alma D'Oro (Joe Bravo)
5. Ponzi Scheme (Jose Valdivia, Jr.)
6. Southern Ridge (Carlos Marquez, Jr.)
7. Pleasant Prince (Elvis Trujillo)
8. Cactus Charlie (Shannon Uske)


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Great white shark near Atlantic City caught on video by fishermen who had their boat bitten (video)
ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. -- A group of men have returned from a fishing trip off the New Jersey coast with new appreciation of the food chain.
They were about 30 miles southeast of Atlantic City on Sunday when they videotaped a great white shark circling their 28-foot boat for about 10 minutes
Rob Pompilio tells NBC10 in Philadelphia it was unspeakable and unlike anything he's ever seen. He believes the shark was at least 14-feet long.
The video shows the shark checking things out and seemingly ignoring bait on a line.
Pompilio says the shark came up, grabbed the boat and left some scratch marks with its sharp teeth before swimming away.


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Since 1986, LACMA's annual Collectors Committee Gala has resulted in numerous important acquisitions in all areas of the museum's collection. This weekend the Collectors Committee added nine more. For the event, Collectors Committee members create a pool for acquisitions funds and then use those funds to vote for artworks presented by LACMA curators earlier in the day. In the final tally, LACMA raised more than $3.2 million—a record for the event—toward seven artworks. On top of that, Collectors Committee sponsor JPMorgan made a gift of two more works from the JPMorgan Chase Art Collection: a photograph by Robert Frank, St. Francis and Gas Station, and City Hall—Los Angeles, from his iconic series The Americans; and a portfolio of seventy-five mixed-media works on paper made by Ed Ruscha in 1969, Stains.
Here's a rundown of the artworks acquired over the weekend:
The first African sculpture to be acquired in Collectors Committee history is a Mother and Child Figure for the Gwan Association is one of the oldest surviving wood sculptures from Africa. The figure embodies continuity of generations and represents the strength and resilience of motherhood. This important acquisition marks the launching of LACMA's new African art gallery and related educational and outreach programming. The gallery's inaugural exhibition will be Shaping Power: Luba Masterworks from the Royal Museum for Central Africa, on view from July 7, 2013 to January 5, 2014.
This wood sculpture of a Shinto deity features three crystal eyes and retains its original colors and surface from the late twelfth century; it is the oldest and finest sculpture of its type in existence.
A rare Korean cast iron Buddha sculpture from the tenth century Goryeo dynasty depicts the historical Buddha Shakyamuni's Enlightenment at Bodha Gaya in India; this acquisition makes this the largest example of Goryeo Buddhist sculpture outside of Asia.
This large-scale model of James Turrell's ongoing project, Roden Crater is made from plaster as well as elements from the crater itself and includes details of the geologic contours, textures, and colors of the Arizona site in relation to the exterior of artist's planned transformations. It will be on view as part of James Turrell: A Retrospective, opening May 26, 2013 and running through April 6, 2014.
Thomas Demand's Control Room shows the interior of the Daiichi power plant in Fukushima following the East Japan earthquake and tsunami in 2011, based on a cell-phone snapshot, recreated by the artist as a full-size paper model, and then photographed.
Woman behind Mashrabiya I, by Egyptian-German artist Susan Hefuna, depicts the elusive silhouette of a woman in full hejab behind a mashrabiya, a latticed wood window screen characteristic of traditional Islamic architecture. Hefuna's use of the mashrabiya not only reflects her own personal East-West dichotomy, but also serves as a reminder that our visual perceptions are often culturally encoded.
Scott Tennent


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Economy of Space :
Carlos Illana, Radiance Product Manager, GMV, Spanish
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text:
Secreto de cerdo iberico a la plancha
16,50 €
Our Raptor theme is fully responsive and runs on twitters bootstrap, making sure your site works perfect on every device.
With over 16 shortcodes you can quickly and easily generate all the detail, content and much more for your website.
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Get your business website up and running with our slick design for woo commerce. Easily sell your products online.


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[blip.tv http://blip.tv/play/gZITgoHSVAI%2Em4v%5D
For our latest installment of HDNet Fights Video Vault, we head to Canada for a Sept. 10 fight between recent UFC signee Antonio McKee and fellow lightweight Luciano Azevedo.
Looking to improve upon his 14-fight undefeated (13-0-1) streak – and hoping to gain some notoriety – the wrestling-oriented McKee promised to retire from MMA if he didn't end his fight with a stoppage victory.
Would the 40-year-old, who went to a decision in 17 of his previous 19 fights, deliver?
Each week HDNet and MMAjunkie.com release a new and exclusive fight
from the ever-growing HDNet Fights video library. Stunning knockouts,
slick submissions, shocking finishes and legendary brawls are the norm
for this weekly feature. And McKee vs. Azevedo is no exception.
McKee (24-3-2 at the time), who joined the Canada-based MFC after a run in the now-defunct IFL, largely has flown under the radar during his 11-year career. Despite wins over Edwin Dewees, Toby Imada, Marcus Aurelio, Carlos Prater and other notables, he had garnered little attention from the world's biggest promotions. But with so much attention directed at his MFC 26 fight and retirement promise, the Las Vegas-based fighter knew a win over Azevedo (16-8), a one-time PRIDE fighter, could open new doors.
Would McKee deliver on his promise, or would Azevedo send him into retirement?
Check out the embedded clip for the answer.
Each week MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) and HDNet Fights (www.hdnetfights.com) team up for "HDNet Fights Video Vault," which offers a new and unique video from the organization's ever-growing fight library. The weekly feature is a continuation of a long-standing partnership between MMAjunkie.com and HDNet. For more information on HDNet, which broadcasts more MMA events than any other TV outlet, visit www.hd.net.


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I understand that many of the readers of this AMOEBLOG may not dwell in New York City or be anywhere even close to the East Coast, but the issue that is planned to be protested today (Thursday, August 2nd) in NYC -- fighting the possible ban on our freedom to take photographs in public places in New York City -- is something that seriously affects all of our civil liberties.
Here's the deal with this latest possible ban (bear in mind it may not even happen or may not be enforced even if it is made law) as reported recently by the New York Times and by a New York City politically charged group called NYC 911 Truth. They say that the proposed banning would essentially mean that any non-insured still photographer or filmer, solo and more specifically a team of camera operators, would be targeted by this proposed ban that calls for a requirement of a one million dollar liability insurance policy in addition to a permit for various photography and filming actions that occurs for more then 10 minutes.
Reportedly the city claims it is only enforcing and "adjusting" old permit laws, to justify these actions. The police department has stated it will begin enforcing the laws, as of today August 2nd. Hence the planned protests for today, which are scheduled for protesters to begin gathering at 4:30PM today (Thursday August 2nd) at City Hall, downtown New York City to challenge the Mayor Bloomberg-enduced ban on filming and photography.
If indeed this ban were to fully go into effect (and even in these crazy post 9/11 paranoid times seems unlikely, but possible), the implications would be very great and far-reaching. For example, at one NYC Critical Mass gathering I attended some time back (like in SF, also held on last Friday of the month) there were countless cyclists (unfairly in my opinion) arrested by the ever-vigilant NYPD, who packed them into the backs of Paddy Wagons and hauled their asses off to jail.


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Glo Spa The Queensway3 out of 5
781 The Queensway
Etobicoke, Ontario
Etobicoke, Ontario
Welcome to Glo Spa - The Queensway
Glo Spa is an elegant home away from home, serving the community and has been in business in the Etobicoke area for over 20 years. Our focus and mission is to provide the highest level of quality services to our customers at all times. We are completely results oriented, we analyze and treat our clients based on their specific needs. Our professional staff is here to assist you and ensure that you leave our spa feeling wonderful on the inside and looking radiant on the outside.
- Complimentary Beverages
- Complimentary Parking
- Robes
- Slippers
- Snacks
- Tea
- Glo Minerals Makeup
- Http://Glospa.Webs.Com/Hom...
- Jewelery


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Night-time is falling on the louvre.
It's been a lazy afternoon.
We walk to the house, the air is clear,
The water's still moving in the pool.
You say one word.
The same one sound.
Thing it makes
Again. the world go 'round.
One word; you'll see
We fight. you can't win -
We're in the same place
A game. but not the same spin.
Let it all if it fades away,
Fade away. i don't mind.
We were miles away, we were miles away,
We were miles and miles away.
Remember this oil by augustus john?
These are the ones i found in rome.
There are few things i keep for long.
When does your plane leave for cologne?
I recall one word -
The train - i saw -
People danced that's all it took
Again. to turn them around.
One world strange world,
We're in. no sound.
We'll find the same things
The same thing. are everywhere around.
Never mind... you'll see,
With time, with time
We'll dance again. we'll dance again.
If it all fades away... let it all fade dancing away.
All the sounds i heard one word,
On a summer night, i found,
And the quiet words that's all it took
We exchanged. i felt to turn him around.
She was pulling back she watched.
To emphasize - he sighs.
I was falling he waits for
Into mona lisa's eyes. a touch of her eyes.
And she turned, and then
And she turned, she turns away.
She was far away. she won't let him
She was miles away. touch her any more today.
She was miles away.
She was so many miles away.


text:
OTTAWA - The Canadian Army is trying to hold on to its intelligence-gathering capability and its ability to disrupt spying in the face of budget strain, say internal National Defence documents.
A briefing note prepared for the country's top soldier shows the army has pushed the military's chief of intelligence to permanently staff "high-readiness" intelligence positions within brigades and all-source intelligence centres that could be called upon to deploy overseas.
The documents, obtained by The Canadian Press under access to information laws, also show the army is anxious to protect its network of human sources and operatives, known as HUMINT, and to better resource its counter-intelligence abilities.
With the end of the war in Afghanistan and a shrinking defence budget, there is a fear those disciplines could face "degradation."
The army's budget by itself has shrunk by 22 per cent.
Indeed, during an appearance recently before the Senate security and defence committee army commander Lt.-Gen. Peter Devlin said he's invested 1,500 regular force positions in "enablers" such as intelligence, counter-improvised explosive device research, helicopters and unmanned aerial vehicles, among other things.
How much of that involves modernized intelligence wasn't made clear, but the documents show it is a pressing concern.
"Recent operational experience has reinforced the conviction that deployed land forces in particular (censored) depend on a sophisticated (human intelligence) network that draws from all sources," said the April 8, 2011 briefing.
The army found itself hobbled at the beginning of the Kandahar mission in 2005, by the absence of that sophisticated ground network of sources, and by its lack of experience in interrogating prisoners.
Documents released last year show the agents of the Canadian Security Intelligence Service were brought in early in the war to help in the questioning of Taliban fighters, a practise that ended as army officers gained more experience.
Both NATO and the Canadian military claim to have been surprised by a resurgent Taliban onslaught in the spring of 2006. As the war was winding down for Canada last summer, retired general Walt Natynczyk — the chief of defence staff at the time — said intelligence is never an exact science.
"We're not the only ones to have gone through this kind of discovery because intelligence is never perfect," Natynczyk said in his final interview with The Canadian Press.
"Our guys worked very, very hard with intelligence, but the fact is you cannot assess all of the factors, or understand all of the ingredients that go into a counter-insurgency."
The briefing for Devlin said other armies are learning the "hard-won lessons from operations in the Balkans, Northern Ireland, Kosovo, Iraq and Afghanistan" and have already "developed highly effective field (human intelligence) capabilities."
The Canadian military's counter-intelligence section is a joint branch that investigates threats and possible security breaches. The memo suggests the army wants to develop its own, separate lower level capability, one similar to the U.S. Marine Corps.
The Canadian navy has also gone through similar soul-searching when it comes to intelligence.
Since 2010 it has been engaged in a major overhaul that, at one point, suggested placing more intelligence officers on ships deployed overseas, but budget restraint has slowed that effort.


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I fight these battles that don't matter. I think everyone does it, to some extreme or another. I find myself more and more fighting them with the twins.
It's not because I want to be in charge. It's not because I want them to obey me (I do).
I'm realizing now, that it's because I'm fighting the battle I CAN fight, as the one I want to fight I'm powerless against.
It's a management lesson that definitely applies to parenting. Managers under pressure, stress and strain tend to freak out and act like lunatics over the small, insignificant things they CAN control when other BIGGER things start exploding around them.
For instance, I was once part of a company that had a huge project (if you worked there you know it as THE MOVE). We were supposed to move our warehouse, from one place to another over the course of three days. After three weeks and Armageddon raining down on us to the point of mental collapse of everyone involved, the president of the company walked through my department and literally freaked out because someone had a coat hanging on the back of their chair. Employees were not allowed to drape their coats on the backs of their chairs.
HE FREAKED OUT about how we all knew the rules and he had never better see this again. I really liked him then and now, and was lucky at that time to have enough tenure in leadership to recognize what was happening, and just say "ok" and let it go. I was also lucky enough to be good enough friends with him to taunt him mercilessly about it a couple of years later.
As a parent, I just caught myself fighting with an 8 year old autistic boy who was screaming OPEN DOOR OPEN DOOR. Why? Because there was a spare sippy cup behind the door. He didn't need it. He didn't really want a drink he just wanted the cup. It's sitting on the floor beside me right now. For about five minutes, I held fast to "By god NO I AM NOT OPENING THAT DOOR YOU ARE NOT MAKING ME OPEN THAT DOOR" as I finished up getting clean post bath clothes together.
The cup was something I could control.
I can't control autism. It controls me. But I find myself more and more making these bad choices, fighting the wrong things, because autism won every single round without even entering the ring.
So I shut my mouth and took his hand and walked over to the door, while he looked up at me wild eyed - certain he was in BIG trouble. I opened the door, let him get the cup and then asked him what he wanted to watch on TV.
I have to do better than that. I lost the war. I should stop fighting the battles that don't matter.
Monday, July 23, 2012
Posted by Gidge Uriza at 7:23 PM
Labels: autism, leadership, parenting
1 comments:
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- Tue Jul 24, 01:39:00 AM


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Would you guys that have experience and classified "classical music" post how you did it please?
do you have no folders and read music as you chose to save it?
Do you have one folder per composer?
Do you have one folder per composer + subfolders : one for sonatas, one for cantatas, one for concerto, and so on?
Anything else I do not see? (god forbid)
...and thank you ...sincerely.


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By Michael Pollick
Airport leaders in Punta Gorda, Naples and other cities facing the loss of air traffic control service are threatening to sue to keep the government from shuttering towers beginning early next month.
On Tuesday, the Punta Gorda Airport Authority board approved plans to join airports nationwide that are planning federal litigation, said Gary Quill, the airport's executive director.
The City of Naples Airport Authority also said it has "initiated legal action" to try and stop the Federal Aviation Administration from following through on a plan to shutter 149 contract traffic towers nationwide.
"In this case, the agency ignored safety and failed even to look at the question of what the safety implications would be of closing a massive number of towers around the country," said Peter Kirsch, an attorney representing Punta Gorda, Naples and other airports in the pending litigation.
Kirsch and others said a lawsuit against the FAA, stemming from $85 billion in mandated "sequestration" budget cuts, could be filed as early as Friday.
Some of the 149 air traffic control towers set to be closed nationwide are scheduled to go dark on April 7.
Punta Gorda Airport's tower, which ensures the safety of commercial flights by Allegiant Air as well as flights by private pilots, is slated to close April 21.
Allegiant has said it will likely continue flying past that date, however, because its pilots are trained to land and take off without the assistance of a tower.
Punta Gorda averages 140 flights monthly during tower hours, though Allegiant also has flights before and after tower hours.
The lawsuit is expected to allege that the FAA's plan to close towers is "arbitrary and capricious and in violation of the agency's basic mandate to look first at safety before making any other decisions."
The FAA, which declined to comment on the pending lawsuit, estimated it would save $33 million in the current fiscal year by eliminating service to the towers.
"It appears that there are going to be several airports in Florida that are going to be involved," Bill Johnson, executive director of the Florida Airport Council, said of the pending litigation.
His group held a conference call with Florida airports on Monday during which the lawsuit was discussed.
Allegiant Air, which began service to Punta Gorda Airport in anticipation of its $4 million tower's opening in February 2012, now serves 11 cities from the airport.
"During the height of the season, some of the cities go up to four times a week," said Quill.
Naples Municipal Airport handles 87,000 charter and other flights a year, said spokeswoman Laurel Smith.
"It is a very busy airport, one square mile surrounded by city," Smith said.
About 100 of the airports to be affected — including Punta Gorda — are run by Robinson Aviation Inc. of Oklahoma City, Okla.
"We are scrambling very hard to keep people employed," Robinson Aviation president Charlie Dove said.
The company employs more than 500 controllers, mostly former or retired military or FAA personnel.
"I think many of the airports facing closure are working with their local boards and airport authorities to see if they could possibly fund it as a non-fed tower," Dove said.
RVA's contracted control tower operations typically cost $450,000 to $600,000 per year, Dove said.
One such airport is Northeast Florida Regional, in St. Augustine.
In a 3-2 vote, the airport board there decided to spent about $50,000 out of reserves to extend the operation of its tower at least a month after the FAA funding runs out, according to published reports.
The Florida towers scheduled to lose FAA funding are:
April 7: New Smyrna Beach, North Perry, Leesburg, Ormond Beach and Titusville;
April 21: Page Tower in Fort Myers, Lakeland, Ocala, Punta Gorda and Whitted in St. Petersburg;
May 5: Naples, Boca Raton, St. Augustine and Stuart.
"In this case, the agency ignored safety and failed even to look at the question of what the safety implications would be of closing a massive number of towers around the country."
– Peter Kirsch, an attorney representing the airports


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El Salvador, officially the Republic of El Salvador, is the smallest and the most densely populated country in Central America.
El Salvador's capital and largest city is San Salvador. As of 2016, the country had a population of approximately 6.34 million, consisting largely of Mestizos of European and Indigenous American descent. Despite having little level land, it traditionally was an agricultural country, heavily dependent upon coffee exports. By the end of the 20th century, however, the service sector had come to dominate the economy. The capital is San Salvador.
From the late 1970s to the early 1990s, El Salvador was the focus of international attention, owing to its civil war
and to external involvement in its internal conflicts. The war, which pitted a militarily and politically capable left-wing insurgency against the U.S.-backed Salvadoran Armed Forces, was caused by decades of repressive,military-dominated rule and profound social inequality.
Following the United Nations-mediated 1992 peace accords,which contained fundamental provisions for El Salvador's democratization (including the removal of the military from political affairs),the country began to recover from years of political and economic turmoil, only to be devastated by Hurricane Mitch in 1998 and by a major earthquake in 2001.Skyrocketing crime, faltering economic growth, and persistent social inequality have further hampered full postwar reconstruction.
The Pipil (descendants of the Aztecs), the predominant tribe in the region prior to the Spanish conquest, named their
territory and capital Cuscatlán, meaning "Land of the Jewel"; the name is still sometimes applied to El Salvador today.
The mixing of the Pipil and other tribes with European settlers is reflected in the modern-day ethnic composition of the country. El Salvadorans are known for their industriousness, and the country has produced several internationally acclaimed artists, including poet Roque Dalton.
El Salvador is bounded by Honduras to the north and east, by the Pacific Ocean to the south, and by Guatemala to the northwest. Its territory is situated wholly on the western side of the isthmus, and it is therefore the only Central American country that lacks a Caribbean coast. The entire territory of El Salvador is located on the Central American volcanic axis, which determines the major geographic regions of the country.
Relief in El Salvador is dominated by the central highlands, consisting largely of a west-east line of volcanoes (some of which are still active) crossing the centre of the country. This volcanic range includes 20 cones, from the westernmost Izalco Volcano (6,447 feet [1,965 metres]), through those of San Salvador (6,430 feet [1,960 metres]) and San Miguel (6,988 feet [2,130 metres]), to that of Conchagua (4,078 feet [1,243 metres]) in the extreme east.
These volcanoes are separated by a series of basins (commonly referred to as El Salvador's central plain), lying at elevations of between 3,500 and 5,000 feet (1,000 and 1,500 metres), whose fertile soils, derived from volcanic ash, lava, and alluvium, have for centuries supported the cultivation of crops. To the south, where the central highlands give way to the Pacific coast, is a narrow coastal plain with average elevations of between 100 and 500 feet (30 and 150 metres).
Two principal river systems and their associated tributaries drain the major part of the country. Most important is the Lempa, which enters El Salvador from Guatemala in the northwestern corner of the country and flows eastward for 80 miles (130 km) across the interior plain to form part of the border with Honduras before turning sharply south to run 65 miles (105 km) through the central highlands and across the coastal plain to its mouth on the Pacific.
The Lempa was navigable for several miles inland prior to the construction of two major hydroelectric installations on its middle reaches in the mid-1950s. The eastern part of the country is drained by the Rio Grande de San Miguel system.
A series of short north-south streams drain directly from the central highlands to the Pacific. Flooded volcanic craters constitute the country's largest bodies of water: Lakes Coatepeque (15 square miles [39 square km]), Ilopango (40 square miles [100 square km]), and Olomega (20 square miles [52 square km]).
Less than one-fifth of El Salvador's soils are suitable for agriculture. The central plain and interior valleys have mostly volcanic soils that are relatively fertile but that are also vulnerable to erosion.
The southern coast has level, fertile alluvial soils, deposited by the numerous small rivers draining from the central highlands. Combined with high year-round temperatures and abundant rainfall, they provide favourable conditions for plant growth and agriculture.
The climate of El Salvador is tropical but is moderated by elevation in the interior; in general it is warm rather than hot, varying between the high 50s and low 70s F (about 15 and 23 °C). Heavy rains, known as the temporales, fall in the winter season, from May to October.
The dry summer season lasts from November to April. There is considerable climatic variation in the different regions. The Pacific lowlands and low areas in the middle Lempa River valley have mean monthly temperatures between the high 70s and mid-80s F (about 25 and 29 °C).
In San Salvador, the capital, which is 2,238 feet (682 metres) above sea level, the maximum monthly mean temperature is in the mid-90s F (about 34 °C), in March, and the lowest monthly mean is in the low 60s F (about 17 °C), in January. In the mountains, above 4,800 feet (1,460 metres), mean monthly temperatures vary between the low 60s and low 70s F (about 17 and 22 °C).
Annual precipitation on the Pacific lowlands averages about 65 to 70 inches (about 1,700 mm); on the southern and northern mountain ranges, at elevations between 2,000 and 3,500 feet (600 and 1,060 metres), the average is between 70 and 100 inches (1,800 and 2,500 mm); the higher mountains receive a little more. Annual precipitation recorded in the deeper valleys and surrounding plateaulike areas is between about 45 and 60 inches (1,100 and 1,500 mm).
Plant and animal life
The higher mountain regions have temperate grasslands and the remnants of deciduous oak and pine forests. On the central plain and in the valleys, small deciduous trees, bushes, and subtropical grasslands are found. The coastal plain and the lower slopes of the southern mountains are covered with either savanna (parklike grassland) or deciduous forests. Among the many species of trees is the balsa, known for its beauty and soft perfume. Also particularly beautiful is the maquilishuat, the pink-tufted national tree of El Salvador. The izote is the national flower.
Because of the amount of land under cultivation, El Salvador is considerably less rich in animal life than most Central American countries. Rodents, reptiles, and insects of many kinds, however, are common. There is a wide variety of birdlife, which includes wild duck, the white and the royal heron, the urraca (which has a blue breast and a gray head and is known for its call, resembling a scoffing laugh), the blue jay, and many more, some of which have fine plumage. A wide variety of fish, as well as turtles and alligators, inhabit the streams, lakes, and rivers.
Ethnic groups
The intermarriage of Spanish settlers with the indigenous population of the region has resulted in a largely ethnically homogeneous people. Almost nine-tenths of the population is mestizo (people of mixed Indian and European ancestry); the remainder consists of Indians (including the Izalco and, from the village of Panchimalco, the Pancho), people of European ancestry, and other small groups.
Spanish is the official language of El Salvador. During the precolonial epoch various Indian dialects were spoken, the most important of these being Nahuatl, spoken in the central region of the country, and Poton, spoken in the east.
After the initial conquest, Spanish became the official language, and the Indian dialects slowly fell into disuse. A government effort was made to preserve Nahuatl, but it proved unsuccessful.
About four-fifths of Salvadorans profess the Roman Catholic religion. Since the 1990s Evangelical Protestantism has made inroads, particularly among the poor. About one-tenth of the population are Pentecostals. There are also smaller groups who practice other faiths.
Settlement patterns
More than three-fourths of the Salvadoran population lives in the intermontane basins of the central highlands. For millennia before the Spanish conquest, these areas supported large communities of Indians dependent on the cultivation of crops, such as corn (maize), beans, and squash. The ruins at Chalchuapa, Sihuatán, and Cara Sucia are the legacy of their communities.
The major Spanish colonial settlements, which became the country's principal cities, were also situated in these central basins and include Santa Ana, Ahuachapán, San Salvador, San Vicente, and San Miguel. This concentration of population was perpetuated during the colonial period by the commercial production of indigo and sugar on private estates, owned by a few wealthy families, alongside the continuing subsistence farming of peasants.
From the 19th century these basins and their surrounding slopes provided an ideal environment for the cultivation of coffee, which became the basis of the national economy.
In the 20th century, urban growth and industrialization increased the concentration in the highland centre of the country. San Salvador grew rapidly in the 20th century and absorbed many surrounding settlements; its major conurbation now stretches continuously from Nueva San Salvador in the west to Lake Ilopango in the east and contains about one-fourth of the total population. In the east, San Miguel, located on the slope of the volcano San Miguel, is a thriving city where Spanish colonial and modern architecture merge.
The city of Santa Ana is the commercial centre of western El Salvador. At the start of the 21st century about two-thirds of the national population lived in urban areas. This distribution of population has been exacerbated by the effects of natural disasters; most of these cities have been subject to one or more destructive earthquakes. Moreover, the overpopulation in the central highlands has resulted in out-migration to the coastal plain, which since 1945 has been transformed by extensive cotton farming and cattle breeding.
Another region that suffers from overpopulation, the northern highlands has experienced severe deforestation and soil degradation as well. The majority of the people who live there are subsistence farmers.
Demographic trends
Severe economic conditions complicated by the civil war that began in 1981 caused dramatic changes in El Salvador's demographics.
It is estimated that about one-fifth of the population left the country, departing in about equal numbers for neighbouring countries and the United States. Most of the emigrants have not returned to their homeland (though there has been an increase in the number of deportations of undocumented Salvadorans from the United States since the early 2000s).
Among the remaining population there was massive displacement characterized by a general movement of people from the conflict zones in the north and east to the central cities.
The emigration of many young Salvadorans has brought an accompanying decline in the rate of natural increase. At the beginning of the 21st century, El Salvador had a low rate of natural increase. Nevertheless, overcrowding remains a severe problem.
El Salvador's economy was predominantly agricultural until industry rapidly expanded in the 1960s and '70s. Despite its traditional concentration on agriculture, the country is not self-sufficient and must import food.
At the root of this problem is the disproportionate distribution of land, which favours commercial crops and leaves many peasants landless and unable to grow subsistence crops.
During the civil war years, in the 1980s and the early 1990s, the U.S. government supplied El Salvador with large amounts of military and economic aid in order to counter the leftist parties and guerrilla units that had formed in response to the actions of the governing junta. A decade after it began, the war had destroyed the country's economy and infrastructure, and neither side was winning.
It was not until after the signing of the peace accords in 1992 that El Salvador's economy began to recover from the effects of war. By the mid-1990s El Salvador had expanded its service industry, and in the early 2000s it increased its amount of agricultural exports and number of reconstruction projects.
In 2004 El Salvador signed a free-trade agreement with the United States that further boosted its export income. However, in the late 1990s, these accomplishments had been offset by high oil prices, natural disasters, and a decline in the number of maquiladoras (manufacturing plants that import and assemble duty-free components for export).
These factors prevented El Salvador from paying off its external debt, and the country continues to rely partly on foreign aid. On the other hand, remittances from an estimated more than one million Salvadorans living in the United States have played an increasingly important role in the Salvadoran economy since the end of the country's civil war.
Agriculture, forestry, and fishing
The most important agricultural products in El Salvador are coffee, cotton, corn (maize), and sugarcane. Several species of palm and coconut trees grow in the coastal zone, and there are many varieties of tropical fruit, such as coconut, tamarind, melon, watermelon, and mango.
Nontraditional agricultural products (e.g., jalapeño peppers, marigolds, okra, and pineapple) have increased in importance since the early 2000s. Nevertheless, coffee alone still accounts for a substantial part of the value of total agricultural production. Cattle raising is also an important activity.
Valuable wood is obtained from the cedar, mahogany, laurel, nispero, and madrecacao trees and is used for the manufacture of furniture. The trunk of the balsa tree yields excellent lumber as well as resin that is used in the manufacture of antiseptics and medicinal gums. It is also used for fuel.
Commercial fishing, regulated by the government, has added to the country's export earnings. Most of the fish caught commercially or for sport come from offshore waters and coastal lagoons; they consist chiefly of crustaceans (including lobster and shrimp), mullet, snappers, jacks, groupers, sharks, and anchovies.
Resources and power
There is no mineral exploitation of significance in El Salvador. The main power sources, meeting most of the country's needs, are the hydroelectric projects on the Lempa River 35 miles (56 km) northeast of San Salvador, which are administered by a government agency.
In the mid-20th century, there was a steadily increasing investment in industry, stimulated by the Central American Common Market. Industrial plants were set up throughout the country, and existing facilities were expanded, helped by government incentives, an advanced banking system, and development credits from abroad.
Manufacturing underwent a serious decline beginning in 1979, a result primarily of civil unrest and political instability. Following the civil war, manufacturing increased beyond the level of prewar output, and by the early 21st century it accounted for more than one-fifth of the country's gross domestic product (GDP).
Manufactures include beverages, canned foods, organic fertilizers, cement, chemical products, pharmaceuticals, cigarettes, shoes, cotton textiles, leather goods, petroleum products, and electronics.
n 1980 the country's commercial banks and its export-marketing agencies were nationalized. By the early 1990s this trend had been reversed, and a comprehensive privatization program was implemented, which continued through the early 2000s. In 2001 El Salvador adopted the U.S. dollar as its national currency.
More than one-fifth of El Salvador's imports are used for reexport (mostly apparel produced in maquiladoras). Among other imports are machinery parts, foodstuffs, petroleum, and chemical products. El Salvador's main trading partner is the United States. Other partners include El Salvador's Central American neighbours—particularly Guatemala, Costa Rica, Honduras, and Nicaragua—and China. El Salvador entered into the Central America-Dominican Republic Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA-DR) with the United States in 2004.
Continue next page : A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE REPUBLIC OF EL SALVADOR
SUPPORT MISSION VISIT TO EL SALVADOR .All donations are tax deductible: Donate here


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A week of standing strong for students, for members and for public schools
Four days included decisions on evaluation and accountability, political support and special guests
CHICAGO - July 05, 2011 -
Delegates to the National Education Association's (NEA) Representative Assembly (RA) made several major decisions that will guide the organization into the future. RA delegates made decisions that demonstrated the Association's commitment to quality education for all students and to leading school transformation and the professionalization of teaching.
Today, the assembly heard from five local affiliates—from throughout the country—who are successfully transforming struggling public schools through NEA's Priority Schools Campaign. These inspiring stories of union-led school improvement were a sampling of the work that continues through the campaign, which is keenly focused on building communities of support to help students succeed.
The Priority Schools Campaign, in combination with yesterday's groundbreaking decision to adopt a policy statement regarding teacher evaluation, reflect the very real desire of teachers and other school employees to be fully engaged in the national education policy debate and in on-the-ground action to improve schools.
Delegates also voted overwhelmingly to support President Obama for a second term, making NEA the first union to recommend the President for next year's election.
"Our members have stated loud and clear that they will no longer allow the voice of teachers and educators to be silenced and marginalized," said NEA President Dennis Van Roekel. Van Roekel, along with NEA Vice President Lily Eskelsen, was re-elected for a second three-year term.
Michelle Shearer, the nation's Teacher of the Year, reiterated those sentiments when she addressed the crowd earlier today. During her speech, Shearer encouraged educators to steer the conversation about public education in a positive direction. The Ijamsville, Md. teacher told delegates they should ask critics "Why is it that half of all teachers leave the profession within the first five years if we have such easy and cushy jobs?"
Shearer was among several special guests addressing the 2011 RA. The body also heard from Education Support Professional (ESP) of the Year Ernest "Jameel" Williams, a bus driver from North Carolina; America's Greatest Education Governor, Gov. Steve Beshear of Kentucky and Wisconsin Sen. Mark Miller who accepted NEA's Friend of Education award. The Friend of Education award was presented to the "Wisconsin 14"—the 14 Democratic senators who left the state to avoid voting on the so-called 'Budget Repair Bill.'
Vice President Joe Biden received resounding applause when he addressed delegates, telling them, "We should be listening to you, not lecturing at you. We should be embracing you, not pushing you away. You are not the problem."
RA delegates ended their stay in the Windy City, offering heartfelt appreciation to retiring NEA Executive Director John Wilson. Wilson has led the national organization's staff for 10 years, and will retire on September 1, 2011.
For comprehensive coverage of the RA, please visit educationvotes.org or nea.org. Follow us on twitter at www.twitter.com/NEAMedia
# # #
The National Education Association is the nation's largest professional employee organization, representing 3.2 million elementary and secondary teachers, higher education faculty, education support professionals, school administrators, retired educators and students preparing to become teachers.
CONTACT: Laila Hirschfeld (202) 822-7823, firstname.lastname@example.com


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Home Gift Guides Utilikey from Swiss Tech- The Perfect Gift?


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It seems the letter by the president of Emmanuel Christian Seminary about Rollston has been made public(?) and has been written about in an article posted by Inside Higher Ed:
The president of a Tennessee seminary told a tenured professor that his views were offending prospective students and possible donors and that he should look for work elsewhere.
The trouble began when Christopher Rollston, a professor of Old Testament and Semitic Studies at Emmanuel Christian Seminary, a graduate seminary affiliated with the Restoration Movement, wrote an opinion article for The Huffington Post's religion section about the marginal status of women in the Bible. "To embrace the dominant biblical view of women would be to embrace the marginalization of women," Rollston wrote. "And sacralizing patriarchy is just wrong."
The article led to a very public disagreement with another member of Emmanuel's faculty and a letter of rebuke from the seminary's president, Michael Sweeney, who issued a less-than-veiled threat to Rollston: stop taking liberal positions that alienate donors and prospective students, or find another place to work.
via Seminary threatens to discipline professor for offending prospective students, donors | Inside Higher Ed.
This is quite revealing. The matter is not about whether or not Rollston has done his job (he has) or whether or not he has violated the confession of faith (he hasn't), or about whether his interpretation of the Bible is wrong (it isn't), but about money. That's right everyone. Dr. Blowers and the president of Emmanuel have threatened Rollston's job because donors (who, as I said in my article on Bible and Interpretation, care nothing for the accuracy of statements made by professors but have vested agendas and interests elsewhere) are uncomfortable with the idea of giving money to an institution which has a faculty member whose views are that the marginalization of women in the Bible are wrong.
Facts are irrelevant so long as donors are happy. This is the message that Emmanuel has presented to its faculty, staff, and student body. When I asked the question in my article:
"How do we want to educate students in the field of Biblical Studies?"
Emmanuel answered, swift and true: 'In a manner that makes our donors happy.' In other words, ECS bows down to fundamentalism rather than the facts when their donors are fundamentalists. Tenure doesn't matter, the careful education of their students doesn't matter. Fall in line with what *our donors believe* or else face the consequences. That is essentially what Emmanuel has said to Christopher Rollston. And that is what they are saying to every other member of their faculty and staff and all future student bodies (as well as the current one).
So where does that leave the reputation of Dr. Blowers? I'm curious since he was aware of the disciplinary action (in fact, he claims to have been a part of it–using the 'royal 'we") and of course the reasons for it–as the Chair of the Area Chairs would be privy to such reasons and for allowing the action to occur. What is perhaps most revealing is the way Dr. Blowers' has been trying to skirt over this by completely avoiding it, stating instead that the issue was with Rollston's interpretation (which everyone with two eyes and a brain could see was completely bunk). Now the facts are out there. Indeed, it seems as though my 'cheap seats' turned out to be just fine; I just needed a pair of binoculars to cut out all the excess (and by that I mean, all of the trash that was being thrown around from the front row of the stadium which, as it seems, was an attempt to obscure everyone's view of the real goings on).
UPDATE! Bob Cargill writes:
In documents obtained by Inside Higher Ed, it appears that Emmanuel Christian Seminary President, Dr. Michael Sweeney, began the termination process of the tenured Rollston, in part, because of the acute financial crisis presently being experienced at Emmanuel, and the potential of a "six-figure" donation that could bail out the seminary, but from a donor who does not personally like Rollston. In this way, the school could kill two birds with one stone: ridding the faculty of a tenured professor to make way for a donation from a potential donor who does not like Rollston, and saving the money from the endowed chair and salary line Rollston presently earns.
That Emmanuel's president would list multiple economic reasons (the potential of a donation, trouble recruiting tuition-paying students, etc.) for the termination of Dr. Rollston – in the notice of termination to Rollston – is scandalous in itself.
And he aptly concludes:
An institution simply cannot fire a tenured professor who broke no rules (and who happens to be the most credible scholar at Emmanuel) just because the institution wants a donation. Tenure is designed to protect freedom of thought. If Emmanuel wants to fire its professors for thinking outside of Emmanuel's predetermined theological constraints, why offer tenure in the first place?
In my professional opinion, Emmanuel has committed a grievous violation of academic integrity, and one that will not only cost them financially, but one that will ruin the reputation of the institution for years to come.
Also Jim Davila updated his post:
It appears that Emmanuel Christian Seminary finds itself in a difficult position. Naturally, they want a good relationship with trustees, affiliated institutions, and donors. But at the same time, dismissing someone from a tenured academic post is no small matter. The larger academic world is watching, and whatever decision they make could have an effect on their wider academic reputation and their future efforts to recruit high-quality academic staff.
Jim West writes (in his normal manner):
Congratulations Mr Blowers, you and your ilk have managed to destroy a school and turn it into a gathering of greedy televangelists telling the ignorant flock what it desperately wishes to hear just to make a buck.
Filed under: Belief | Tagged: Christopher Rollston, Emmanuel Christian Seminary, Paul Blowers, tenure | 5 Comments »


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Dropout Rate
Percentage of students removed from a local roster before the end of a school term.
This graph shows the percentage of students who are removed from the local enrollment roster before the end of a school term. District and state percentages are included for comparison. Dropouts include students in grades 9-12 whose names have been removed for any reason, including moved not known to be continuing, transfer to GED-program, and aged out. The percentage does not include death, extended illness, graduation/completion of a program of studies, transfer to another public/private/home school, or expulsion.
To see dropout rates by demographic groups, click on By Demographics.
The most significant disadvantage high school dropouts face is lower expected income. Without a high school diploma, a person will find enrolling in a college or trade school to be difficult or even impossible. The increased likelihood of low income, along with the lowered possibility of higher education and career opportunities, tends to make high school dropouts more susceptible to crime, substance abuse, and other characteristics of poverty.
Districts that are successful in lowering the dropout rate usually follow a program of identifying the potential at-risk students, implementing interventions, and changing any factors that can be controlled at the school level.


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To be a sustainable fashion platform with a net-positive impact for people and the planet
Whether you're looking for annual or interim reports, you can download our financial publications here.
Here, you will find press releases, exciting stories and background information from the world of Zalando.
Streetwear meets sophistication in the new collection unique to the Zalando Fashion Store


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S-Cape 2.0 Furniture Style Queen Adjustable Base
Holiday Bonus: Free Curbside Delivery + Extended Warranty + Call For An Even Lower Sale Price
There Are Many Reasons To Purchase Your Adjustable Beds From HighLine Sleep
Why Our Customers Love HighLine Sleep
Fast, Free Shipping Direct From Leggett & Platt
Most Comprehensive Extended Warranty From
Fortegra Which Includes Parts & In Home Labor
3rd Generation Family Owned & Operated
Authorized & Exclusive Leggett & Platt Dealer
Low Price Guarantee
Rated A+ & Accredited By The Better Business Bureau
Call 365 Days - 10am til 10pm
It has always been our goal to maintain our reputation for providing the highest quality customer service. Whether it's a question about a delivery that's in progress, or questions about a product that you're interested in purchasing we want to assure you that we're available when you need us.
As a 3rd generation family-owned and operated company you can trust that we have the experience and the integrity to make sure that your purchase from us is one that you'll feel good about.
Why Leggett & Platt Is The Best Adjustable Base That Money Can Buy
Leggett and Platt is a Fortune 500 company that has been in business since the 1880s. With over 30 years experience making adjustable beds, they're the industry recognized leader for quality and customer service.
Aside from Leggett & Platt, who makes their bases in Georgetown, KY almost all adjustable beds are imported from China. If you have a warranty claim or the base needs service, are you going to receive the same level of customer service as you would from one of Leggett & Platt's 600 service technicians? If the importer or manufacturer goes out of business, you will not be able to get replacement parts for repairs or warranty claims.
Why Our Leggett & Platt Bases Ship Directly To You From Leggett & Platt
Because we are an Exclusive and Authorized Leggett & Platt Dealer, our orders are shipped directly from Leggett & Platt. By having your order ship directly from Leggett & Platt, you are assured of getting the latest available software and components.
Why Our White Glove Delivery Is More Efficient & Better Than Installation
During our Holiday Promo, White-Glove Delivery is included with all orders. Instead of the bases shipping directly to your home via curbside delivery with a freight company, the beds are shipped to the local white glove delivery agent. Our 2-person White-Glove Delivery team will arrive at your home with your complete order. They will set up your beds inside of your bedroom.
Some companies who offer installation still ship their bases to customer's home with a freight company. When the bases arrive, it's their customers who have to carry the bases inside. At a later time, an Installation person is sent out to set up the beds. This defeats the purpose of White Glove Delivery because the adjustable bases are heavy and the customer has already carried them inside by the time the Installation person has arrived for the 2nd appointment.
Why We Also Include The SureSleep 10 Year Extended Warranty From Fortegra
During our Holiday Promo, as an added benefit to our customers we are including the SureSleep Protection plan from Fortegra. Leggett & Platt's Factory Warranty is a 25 Year Limited Warranty which offers full coverage and In-Home Labor and Parts for the first year. For the next two years, Leggett & Platt offers full coverage on parts but no Labor. The remainder of their warranty offers pro-rated coverage on parts.
The 10 Year SureSleep Policy from Fortegra offers the most extensive coverage because Fortegra extends In-Home Labor and Parts so that you're fully covered for the first 10 years. Fortegra uses Factory Parts that are purchased directly from Leggett & Platt.
Leggett & Platt S-Cape 2.0 Furniture Adjustable Base Features
• Full-Body Dual Massage with Wave
• Furniture Style Base with Wallhugger Technology
• Zero Gravity Button Plus Two Custom Programmable Positions
• Back-Lit Wireless Remote with Safety Lock Feature, Snore Button, and Flat Button
• 850lb Lift Capacity
• Under-Bed Light


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Chunky hoops
These popular, chunky sterling silver hoops for the bold and beautiful in all of us. Extremely reliable design that works on any outfit.
- 925 sterling silver
- 18k gold / 18k rose gold vermeil
- Non-refundable
- Sold as a pair
: Comes in a cute little package ready for gifting
Shipping from United Kingdom
UK l FREE
Europe £8.5 l FREE for orders over £100
Rest of the world £10 l FREE for orders over £150
FREE Returns within 14 days of delivery. Pierced earrings and sale items cannot be returned.
Please see our Delivery & Returns page for more information.
Like all precious things, it is recommended that you look after your jewellery properly to enjoy its beauty for a longer time.
• Remove your jewellery when you shower, swim or exercise as it can speed up the tarnishing process and dulling of crystals.
• Avoid contact with chemicals such as perfume, creams and makeup.
• Store in our original boxes or in a zip lock bag.
Please see our Materials & Care page for more information.


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Twentieth Century Fox has added three more superheroes to "X-Men Origins: Wolverine," with Ryan Reynolds set to play Deadpool, "Friday Night Lights" regular Taylor Kitsch to star as Gambit and hip-hop artist will.i.am joining the cast as John Wraith.
Liev Schreiber, Danny Huston and Lynn Collins round out the cast as Victor Creed/Sabretooth, Col. William Stryker and Kayla Silver Fox, respectively.
Hugh Jackman reprises the role of Wolverine in the "X-Men" spinoff that Gavin Hood is lensing in New Zealand, Australia and New Orleans. Pic bows May 1, 2009.
David Benioff penned the script, which would reveal the origins of the Wolverine character and introduce other mutants not yet seen in the "X-Men" franchise.
Marvel has been eyeing the possibility of casting Reynolds as Deadpool, an assassin with self-healing powers, for some time with the idea of spinning off the character into his own film series should the character prove popular among moviegoers.
Fox and Marvel have also long wanted to add the card-throwing character of Gambit to the "X-Men" franchise but could never find a way to give him enough screen time among the many other mutants that have appeared in each film.
Black Eyed Peas frontman will.i.am will play Wraith, a mutant who has the power to teleport, and is another test subject of the Weapon X program that created Wolverine and other mercenaries. It would be his first film role.
Lauren Shuler Donner and Ralph Winter are producing with Jackman and his Seed Prods. producing partner John Palermo. Marvel's Kevin Feige exec produces.


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The Silverlight examples you've seen so far can be used in a basic, stand-alone website or in an ASP.NET web application. If you want to use them in an ASP.NET website, you simply need to add the Silverlight files to your website folder or web project. You copy the same files that you copy when deploying a Silverlight application_everything except the source code files.
Unfortunately, the ASP.NET development process and the Silverlight development process aren't yet integrated in Visual Studio. As a result, you'll need to compile your Silverlight project separately and copy the compiled assembly by hand. (You can't simply add a reference to the compiled assembly, because Visual Studio will place the referenced assembly in the Bin folder, so it's accessible to your ASP.NET server-side code, which isn't what you want. Instead, you need to place it in the ClientBin folder, which is where your HTML entry page expects to find it.)
This approach allows you to place Silverlight and ASP.NET pages side-by-side on the same website; but they aren't in any way integrated. You can navigate from one page to another (for example, use a link to send a user from an ASP.NET web form to a Silverlight entry page), but there's no interaction between the server-side and client-side code. In many situations, this design is completely reasonable, because the Silverlight application represents a distinct "applet" that's available in your website. In other scenarios, you might want to share part of your data model, or integrate server-side processing and client-side processing as part of a single task.
ASP.NET Futures
The ASP.NET Futures release includes two ASP.NET web controls that render Silverlight content: Xaml and Media (which are described in the following sections). Both of these controls are placed in an assembly named Microsoft.Web.Preview.dll, which you can find in a directory with a name like
c:\Program Files\Microsoft ASP.NET\ASP.NET Futures July 2007\v1.2.61025\3.5.
In order to use the Xaml and Media controls, you need a reference to the Microsoft.Web.Preview.dll assembly. You also need to register a control tag prefix for the Microsoft.Web.Preview.UI.Controls namespace (which is where the Xaml control is located). Here's the Register directive that you can add to a web page (just after the Page directive) to use the familiar asp tag prefix with the new ASP.NET Futures controls:
<%@ Register Assembly="Microsoft.Web.Preview" Namespace="Microsoft.Web.Preview.UI.Controls" TagPrefix="asp" %>
Alternatively, you can register the control prefix in your web.config file so that it automatically applies to all pages:
<?xml version="1.0"?> <configuration> ... <system.web> <pages> <controls> <add tagPrefix="asp" namespace="Microsoft.Web.Preview.UI.Controls" assembly="Microsoft.Web.Preview" /> ... </controls> </pages> ... </system.web> ... </configuration>
Rather than adding the assembly reference and editing the web.config file by hand, you can use a Visual Studio website template. Choose File -> New -> Web Site and select ASP.NET Futures Web Site.
When you take this approach, you'll end up with many more new settings in the web.config file, which are added to enable other ASP.NET Futures features that aren't related to Silverlight. Once you've finished these configuration steps, you're ready to place the Xaml and Media controls in a web page. You'll need to type the markup for these controls by hand, as they won't appear in the Toolbox. (You could add them to the Toolbox, but it's probably not worth the effort considering that there are likely to be newer builds of ASP.NET Futures in the near future.)
The Xaml Control
As you learned earlier, the HTML entry page creates a Silverlight content region using a <div> placeholder and a small snippet of JavaScript code. There's no reason you can't duplicate the same approach to place a Silverlight content region in an ASP.NET web form. However, there's a shortcut that you can use. Rather than creating the <div≫ tag and adding the JavaScript code by hand, you can use the Xaml control.
The Xaml control uses essentially the same technique as the HTML entry page you saw earlier. It renders a <div> tag and adds the JavaScript (using an instance of the ScriptManager control. The advantage is that you specify the XAML page you want to use (and configure a few additional details) using properties on the server side. That gives you a slightly simpler model to work with, and an easy way to vary these details dynamically (for example, choose a different XAML page based on server-side information, like the identity of the current user).
Here's the ASP.NET markup you'd use to show a XAML file named Page.xaml:
<form id="form1" runat="server"> <asp:ScriptManager ID="ScriptManager1" runat="server" /> <asp:Xaml XamlUrl="~/Page.xaml" runat="server"></asp:Xaml> </form>
You also need to add the XAML page to your website. Unfortunately, the current build of ASP.NET Futures doesn't include a XAML template for Silverlight 1.1 content. Instead, it includes a XAML template for Silverlight 1.0 content, complete with a JavaScript code-behind file. (This choice was made for compatibility with Silverlight 1.0, which doesn't support client-side C# and the scaled-down CLR.) The easiest way to use Silverlight 1.1 content with the Xaml control is to create your XAML pages in a dedicated Silverlight project. You can then copy the XAML files and the ClientBin folder to your ASP.NET website. This extra work isn't the result of a technical limitation -- it's simply a limitation of pre-release software.


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- Animals B76371 B76371 Wallpaper Border is 7 inches high and 15 feet long (4.57 meters)
- Collection name: Animal Wallpaper Borders
- Pattern repeat 20.88 inches.
- This wall border will be great for any outdoor interior. Rustic lodge patterned themes are a great way to bring a breeze of the morning forest into your home.
- Decorate your room with this delightful wallpaper collection, and bring cabin touch to your home.
Backing: prepasted
Material: vinyl coated
Easy to apply and easy to remove
Colors: Brown
Keywords: animals, b76371, wild, cats, Animal, wall border, Wallpaper Border


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Improving America's health one graduate at a time
We are training the next generation of leaders in food, bioprocessing, and nutrition science. Our students gain the necessary knowledge and skills for improving food quality, safety, and food-related public policy, as well as a comprehensive understanding of nutrition and nutrition-related behaviors. Graduates of our programs go on to successful careers in both the public and private sectors, including positions in business and industry, government and non-profit agencies, universities and healthcare organizations.
Food Science is the study of the physical, biological, and chemical makeup of food and the concepts underlying food processing.
Bioprocessing Science is a broad term encompassing the research, development, manufacturing, and commercialization of products prepared from or used by biological systems, including food, feed, biopharmaceutical, and cosmetics.
Nutrition Science studies how nutrients and other food components affect heath, and how individuals and communities make nutrition-related decisions.
Providing professional support for individuals, businesses, and communities.
Our team of chemists, engineers, microbiologists, and nutritionists regularly partner with entrepreneurs and public health officials on product development and policy initiatives. The department is ready to consult with individuals, businesses, and government agencies on a wide variety of issues as a vital resource for improving the health and well-being of communities.
We provide technical assistance, food analysis, and make nutrition labels for food products. Learn More
Our pilot plants and technical service labs have helped hundreds of partners with technical problems. Learn More
We teach workshops for professionals who want to expand their skillsets and knowledge. Learn More
Read about our community outreach programs. Learn More
FBNS News & Events
Dr. Dana Hanson Named AMSA Distinguished Extension-Industry Service Award Winner
The American Meat Science Association (AMSA) announces that Dr. Dana Hanson is
Dr. Rodolphe Barrangou elected to the National Academy of Science
Dr. Rodolphe Barrangou has been elected to the National Academy of Science.
'Drill Instructor Without the Yelling:' Food Science's Keith Harris
Dr. Keith Harris uses a teaching style inspired by his experience in
Dr. K.P. Sandeep Named FBNS Department Head at NC State
Dr. K.P. Sandeep has officially been named head of NC State University's
Barrangou Wins NAS Prize in Food and Agriculture Sciences
Dr. Rodolphe Barrangou, the Todd R. Klaenhammer Distinguished Scholar in Probiotics Research,


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COVID-19 updates
Quality CareFind out why Mayo Clinic is the right place for your health care. Make an appointment.
Meet the StaffFind a directory of doctors and departments at all Mayo Clinic campuses. Visit now.
Research and Clinical TrialsSee how Mayo Clinic research and clinical trials advance the science of medicine and improve patient care. Explore now.
Visit Our SchoolsEducators at Mayo Clinic train tomorrow's leaders to deliver compassionate, high-value, safe patient care. Choose a degree.
Professional ServicesExplore Mayo Clinic's many resources and see jobs available for medical professionals. Get updates.
Philanthropy at Mayo ClinicYour support accelerates powerful innovations in patient care, research and education. Give today.
Subscribe to Housecall
Our general interest e-newsletter keeps you up to date on a wide variety of health topics.
Equal measures of green beans, bell peppers or other favorite vegetables can be substituted in this quick and easy recipe.
Bring a large saucepan 3/4 full of water to a boil. Add the cauliflower and broccoli and return to a boil. Cook until the vegetables are tender-crisp, about 1 minute. Drain the vegetables and then plunge them into a bowl of ice water to stop the cooking. Drain again and set aside. In a small bowl, stir together the oyster sauce, water and chili paste. Set aside.
In a large, heavy nonstick frying pan, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the ginger and garlic and saute for 30 seconds. Don't let the garlic brown. Add the carrot and saute for 1 minute. Add the cauliflower and broccoli and stir until just tender, about 2 minutes. Add the oyster sauce mixture and toss until the sauce is evenly distributed and the mixture is heated through, about 1 minute.
Transfer to a warmed serving dish and garnish with the green onion. Serve immediately.
This recipe is one of 150 recipes collected in "The New Mayo Clinic Cookbook," published by Mayo Clinic Health Information and Oxmoor House, and winner of a James Beard award.
Mayo Clinic does not endorse companies or products. Advertising revenue supports our not-for-profit mission.
Check out these best-sellers and special offers on books and newsletters from Mayo Clinic.
Any use of this site constitutes your agreement to the Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy linked below.
Mayo Clinic is a nonprofit organization and proceeds from Web advertising help support our mission. Mayo Clinic does not endorse any of the third party products and services advertised.
A single copy of these materials may be reprinted for noncommercial personal use only. "Mayo," "Mayo Clinic," "MayoClinic.org," "Mayo Clinic Healthy Living," and the triple-shield Mayo Clinic logo are trademarks of Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research.


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When I used to work in corporate America we used to have team building exercises during our meetings. These exercises were considered to be so important by upper management that they were mandated into every meeting. The goal was to bring the teams together so that they executed the plans with a sense of purpose; the team would rise or fall as a collective.
In my experience the team building exercises usually consisted of golf, bowling, or another event that was a "team event" in name only. The sports chosen were usually embraced by an enthusiastic few leaving the others bored and unengaged. The end result was a shared experience, but not one that built a strong team ready to seize opportunities and overcome obstacles. Instead a team in name only was built.
The Secret Trait To Successful Business Teams
Successful teams – in sports, business, the military, etc. – share one common trait or gene: they care about the other teammates' success. Individuals who are part of successful teams know that their goals, desires, and dreams can only be achieved if they help the rest of team meet succeed. Everyone possess this gene/trait inside of himself or herself, it just has to be tapped.
How successful teams achieve this bond is through a shared collective experience. This collective experience is one that demonstrates to the other teammates the strengths and weaknesses of the individual members. Typically everyone starts at the same level of knowledge – there are no ringers – and the team faces unknown challenges that they must work together to overcome. In the military it is the initial training and common shared misery of the mud, lack of sleep, and obstacle course.
3 Ways You Can Tap The Common Experience Gene
In business your team most likely is not going to go running through mud or climbing over obstacles to get their shared experience. Then again… why not?
Golf does not build a successful team. In fact most individual skills – while learned and/or experienced in a group setting – do not build successful teams. Only events that make individuals work together, learn together, and overcome obstacles together will build stronger teams.
So the next time you are planning a team building exercise for your business meeting, why not give these a try:
- Learn A New Skill. Whatever you choose as the new skill should have practical applications and if done improperly real consequences. A great one is learning how cook as a group, which involves communication, delegation, teamwork, chain of command, and listening skills. Sure you might have a budding gourmet chef in your team, but the reality is that most people only know the basics. The goal is to cook a meal for everyone. Get it right and you've got good food. Get it wrong and well…
- Overcome A Problem With Many Possible Answers. These exercises usually have a stated goal and limited resources to achieve it. While there might be one best solution, there are many other solutions that could possibly work. A particular exercise I enjoyed was building a boat out of cardboard and duct tape. To be successful the boat had to pass a strength test on dry land first and then go around a buoy and back in the water: all under a time pressure. Teams that prioritized tasks, discussed possible designs, and staffed their boats correctly made it. Others that did not sank.
- Scavenger Hunt. Break your team into smaller groups making sure to split apart any cliques you may have. What makes this a great exercise is the element of time pressure, getting everything correct on the list, and great stories everyone will have when they return about their successes and failures during their hunt. If built correctly a great scavenger hunt will have goals that will force everyone to stretch him or herself to achieve them.
Put Down The Clubs And Build Teams
What is great about the exercises above is they require your teams to work together to succeed. One person alone cannot do everything. Success means that everyone has to work together as a team.
While you may learn more about the three other chaps in your foursome on the golf course, in the end it is the individual who must swing the club or make the putt. It does not take a team to overcome the sand trap. Therefore the opportunity to build that common bond, to unlock the gene that brings teams together, is never to be had on the golf course.
What are some other events you have done that help build stronger teams?


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I think we're all familiar with this question; Rouen's Epiphanie tournament is the answer.
Every January, after a tough summer tournament-season, fires are rekindled with a heart-warming trip to the beautiful, cobbled town of northern France. Gifts are shared and a few games of polo are played, but mostly it's an opportunity to catch up with buddies and shoot the shit.
Josh made this video which captures the atmosphere perfectly.
Rouen, we love you!


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Please post your introductions, questions, problems or suggestions here regarding either the Thailand-UK forums or website.
27th Oct 2020, 07:16
Useful tips to help you get the most out of the Forum plus news on any changes. Only Admin & Moderators are able to post here.
7th Jul 2020, 13:03
An area to discuss the allocation of Premium Membership funds for donation to Thai related charities.
17th May 2020, 11:36


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Clive Gregson's 'Very English Record'
May 4th, 1995 | by Gerry Galipault
Late 1993 was the winter of Clive Gregson's discontent. The folk-steeped British singer-songwriter was living in Minneapolis and suffering from [&hellip
May 4th, 1995 | by Gerry Galipault
Late 1993 was the winter of Clive Gregson's discontent. The folk-steeped British singer-songwriter was living in Minneapolis and suffering from [&hellip
Entertainment Weekly names Pause & Play one of "the 100 greatest Web sites"
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The Darjeeling Limited
Jump to navigation Jump to search
The Darjeeling Limited is a 2007 drama-comedy film directed by Wes Anderson.
|This film article is a stub. You can help Wikiquote by expanding it.
- I love the way this country smells. I'll never forget it. It's kind of spicy.
- I'll take the bottom bunk because I'm the oldest and my ankle's fractured.
- Did you just fuck that Indian girl?
- Ah, bon soir. S'il vous plait, je voudrais un verre de lait au chocolat et une soupe de oignon et un sandwich avec... How do you say grilled cheese? [mumbled French on from the phone] Merci, exactement, merci beaucoup.
- (While Francis and Peter are fighting) Stop including me!
- We haven't located us yet.
- "Maybe we could express ourselves more fully when we say it without words."
- Jack: [on the phone with Jack's Ex-Girlfriend] Where are you?
- Jack's Ex-Girlfriend: I'm here.
- Jack: I didn't say you could come here.
- Jack's Ex-Girlfriend: Can I come there?
- [long pause]
- Jack: Okay.
- Jack's Ex-Girlfriend: How long have you had this hotel room?
- Jack:: I don't know.
- Jack's Ex-Girlfriend: More than a week?
- Jack: More than a week.
- Jack's Ex-Girlfriend: More than a month?
- Jack: More than a month.
- Jack's Ex-Girlfriend: How much does it cost?
- Jack: I think around... 750 million Euros, or something.
- Jack's Ex-Girlfriend: Are you running away from me?
- Jack: I thought I already did.
- Jack's Ex-Girlfriend: Whatever happens in the end, I don't want to lose you as a friend.
- Jack: I promise, I will never be your friend. No matter what. Ever.
- Jack's Ex-Girlfriend: If we fuck, I'm going to feel like shit in the morning.
- Jack: That's okay with me.
- Jack's Ex-Girlfriend: I love you. I never hurt you you on purpose.
- Jack: I don't care.