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Soros-Hand in Middle East Strategy of Tension is Sign of New World Order's Offshore Corporate Cartel, Not Leftist Agitators
Aaron Dykes & Alex Jones
February 12, 2011
Alex Jones breaks down the real factors behind Egypt's uprising in a special video report where he rebuffs the theories of Glenn Beck, who tries to link the Muslim Brotherhood to radical socialism in the United States. While George Soros has significant influence over these mid-east events, he alone is not the ringmaster in the global game of chess. He is, rather, among those in control of an offshore globalist corporate cartel that dominates the finance of all nations and seeks influence over their domestic affairs.
For Beck, current events in Egypt are occurring as a result of their connection to his pet-list of far-Left idealogues, like Van Jones, and a host of organizations and unions allegedly linked to Soros. While many of these connections are legitimate, Beck obscures altogether the long history of Pentagon intervention in foreign politics. The CIA and U.S. military have, for decades, sponsored and created radical Islamic factions, including the Muslim Brotherhood, the Taliban and more.
What is really underway is a complex series of destabilization efforts all across the Middle East region, and perhaps the making of a wider war. Unlike Sen. Joseph McCarthy, whose pursuit of Communist infiltrators in the U.S. government was based upon real evidence but skewed to appear hysterical and exaggerated, Glenn Beck's relentless "outing" of Communist influence in modern U.S. and foreign affairs tends to smokescreen the coordinated actions, covert and otherwise, of monopoly capitalists toying with the nations of the world on their "grand chessboard" map.
Glenn Beck is right to warn of a "New World Order," but wrong to nod to Soros as its captain. Its operators include the most wealthy and dominant bloodlines and their strategic managers. Geo-politics looms large in the scope of perpetual war and rising unrest in the Middle East. Control over the region, along with Central Asia, is believed to be essential for global domination. This aspiring New World Order will divide these nations in order to conquer them, even as they consolidate the major regions under a larger world government.
What really goes on behind the scenes, by those really in power, is staggering to comprehend, without the knowledge that true imperialists always seek to play both sides. Those who think world events are governed by emotion-driven blowback alone might think again; there is more going on. Under the direction of Wall Street, the United States has financed, built and stabilized our greatest enemies, including Nazi Germany, Communist China and Soviet Russia. Sophisticated technology, including nuclear, biological and chemical weapons were transferred to "enemy" states through diplomatic and intelligence channels, with little need for true espionage. Smaller and more tumultuous territories were later given these weapons and technologies as well.
Anthony Sutton: Wall Street and the Bolshevik Revolution
Anthony Sutton: Western Technology and Soviet Economic Development
Anthony Sutton: National Suicide: Military Aid to the Soviet Union
Maoist China backed by West: The Boxer Rebellion
Smedley Butler: War is a Racket
"The Great Game" – 19th Century competition between British and Russian interests. In the 20th and 21st Centuries, this game continues, though modified by updated factors, in the quest for the new world order endgame via Central Asia lands (yes, the chess reference is deliberate).
Post-WWII redistribution of the territorial "pie" divided the world for a new era. Anglo-American & Western nations became the "First World," the Soviet sphere, behind the Iron Curtain, became the "Second World." Many former colonial areas in Latin America, Africa and Asia became the "emerging" and "developing" "Third World."
Spykman's Rimland (pictured above), coined during WWII by "godfather of containment" Nicholas Spykman, clearly illustrates the centralized pressures surrounding the crescent shaped swath dividing the First and Second World– from the Europe mainland, to Northern Africa and the Middle East nations, to lower and eastern Asia.
For many reasons, including the struggle for control of resources and dominance over the geo-political arena, this band of lands is destined to remain contentious. For those whose creed is "Ordo Ab Chao," the chaos of war-torn regions means divisive energy from which to leverage political power.
The master geo-politicians like Zbigniew Brzezinski and Henry Kissinger, working on behalf of the combined offshore global banking cartels, openly brag about their exploits on the "Grand Chessboard." Through the Hegelian dialectic, our times are shaped by divisions over race, creed and nationality. Tension and conflict hold up the rule of corporate and military interests.
Literally hundreds of Third World governments have been over-turned by revolutions, assassinations, and staged coups under the guise of Cold War tensions fueled by the black ops warfare of the CIA/KGB factions.
Bitter disputes like those between Arab states and Israel or India and Pakistan assured those pulling the strings that the only stable governments and strong leaders that would emerge in the Spykman's Rimland 'arc of instability' would be those controlled from behind the scenes. Even then, charismatic heads of state and petty dictators alike have always been dispensable.
Carroll Quigley: The Anglo-American Establishment
Caroll Quigley: Tragedy & Hope
Arnold Toynbee: Acquaintances (See T.E. Lawrence, Nehru, et al.)
T.E. Lawrence (aka Lawrence of Arabia): Seven Pillars of Wisdom
On Toynbee – Arnold Toynbee: Pro-Arab or Pro-Zionist?
Arab and Muslim groups have alternately been both allies and enemies to the West. The contradictions between the distinctions of friend and foe underscore the larger picture, the real story behind the wars and fight for global domination over resources, energy, politics and culture. Here are some of the most compelling bits of evidence that point towards a grand deception in the Middle East and long-term stratagem for perpetual conflict in the region:
• Uncertainty over the current uprising in Egypt is underscored by the Western roots of the looming revolution. The London Telegraph's original headline, "America's secret backing for rebel leaders behind Egyptian uprising" tells a story indeed.
• Iranian Prime Minister Mohammed Mossadegh was removed via a CIA destabilization coup in 1953 known as Operation Ajax [see Terrorstorm]. Mossadegh, who was educated in the West and had a moderate, secular rule, had defied the oil companies in attempt to nationalize energy profits.
• The Muslim Brotherhood, now pivotal in Egyptian political turmoil, has been Western sponsored for decades. The CIA and other intelligence agencies partnered with the Brotherhood in opposing Nasser, who died in 1970. Similarly, Israeli, British and U.S. intelligence proved to be behind the formation and leadership of Hamas, considered an anti-Western terrorist organization.
• The United States Department of Education and State Department sponsored pro-jihadist textbooks sent to Afghanistan to radicalize children to grow up and fight the Soviet menace. The books remained a scandal when they proved to have influenced a generation of fighters that would be associated with the Taliban and al Qaeda.
•In 1979, then National Security Advisor Zbigniew Brzezinski and the contingent of U.S. backers saw these Afghans as "freedom fighters." By the late 90s, they became more widely regarded as terrorists, who, by 2001, would grow to 'hate our freedoms.'
• Brzezinski admitted in a 1998 interview with Nouvel Observateur that he had sponsored the Afghan warriors at least six months before the Soviet invasion, and remained "proud" of his role, quipping "What is more important in world history? The Taliban or the collapse of the Soviet empire? Some agitated Moslems or the liberation of Central Europe and the end of the cold war?"
• The United States partnered with Saddam Hussein during the Iran-Iraq War during which over a million people were killed. The later wars/invasions under Bush, Sr., and Bush, Jr., were both waged with personal zeal against Hussein, who was patently armed and put into power by the West before he became a top enemy.
• The Clash of Civilizations thesis carved out by Samuel Huntington frames the geo-political debate of the 21st Century around divisive cultural and religious differences, citing the likelihood of widespread ideological conflict between massive regions, as in the likes of Western culture pitted against the Muslim world.
• Al Qaeda and Osama bin Laden would be blamed for the bombing of the U.S.S. Cole and the 9/11 attacks. An examination of the real evidence behind America's public enemy number one reveals that bin Laden was a U.S. asset known by the code name "Tim Osman."
•Many of the alleged hijackers would be issued Visas to travel to the U.S. despite appearing on watchlists; their entry was approved by higher-ups and later became a scandal. Evidence put forward by FBI whistleblower and translator Sibel Edmonds indicates that the real 9/11 operation involved a ring of international intelligence including the U.S., the U.K., Israel, Turkey and others.
More on 9/11:
Michael Springman on Alex Jones TV: CIA Ordered Visas for 15 of 19 Hijackers in Jeddah
9/11 Encyclopedia: Michael Springman
Newsweek: Alleged Hijackers May Have Trained at U.S. Bases
Sibel Edmonds: FBI Whistleblower exposes foreign intelligence ring behind 9/11
• Anwar al-Awlaki, who has emerged as the post-9/11 terrorist ringleader allegedly responsible for the Fort Hood shooter, the Underwear Bomber, the Time Square hoax-bomb and other smaller-scale attacks, was revealed as a Pentagon asset. Declassified documents show he dined at the Pentagon in the months following 9/11 as an invited guest at an event sponsored by the office of the Secretary of Defense.
• The attempted 2009 Christmas Day bombing of a Detroit-bound flight was blamed on one Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, who was subsequently arrested and now faces trial. The official terrorist incident story fell apart, however, when fellow passengers and Detroit-based attorneys, Kurt and Lori Haskell, witnessed a "sharp-dressed man" escorting the accused terrorist onto the flight without a passport. Despite the FBI's initial story that Abdulmutallab acted alone without other incident, the Haskell's also indicated seeing other suspects after landing and other suspicious individuals during and after the incident on board the flight. The Haskell's story maintained credibility. Later testimony from Patrick F. Kennedy, Undersecretary of State for Management, revealed that an 'unnamed agency' objected to revoking Abdulmutallab's visa, allegedly in order to pursue a wider case in the terror network. The incident helped bring in naked body scanners in airports and contributed to re-invigorating the phony War on Terror.
Kurt Haskell on Alex Jones TV: FBI Protecting Bomber's Accomplice
Kurt Haskell Exclusive: Christmas Day Bomber Assisted by U.S. State Dept.
Tarpley – State Department Admits: Detroit Christmas Bomber Was Deliberately Allowed to Keep US Entry Visa, Board His Flight
BOMBSHELL: Evidence Clearly Indicates Staged Attack on Detroit Flight
Senator Joseph McCarthy: Communists in Government, or Red Scare?
Telegram from Senator Joseph McCarthy to President Harry S. Truman (& Response)
VIDEO – McCarthy-Army Hearings
The Emergency Election Sale is now live! Get 30% to 60% off our most popular products today!


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I'd like to start this post by saying thank you to all my readers for the great feedback on my October 8 blog, "Advice for the NexGen Advisor: Be Yourself." I've received hundreds of emails and stories from both young advisors and seasoned ones: thank you for sharing your own stories with me.
I also received feedback from many of my own clients, which has raised some additional thoughts on the same topic. One of my owner-advisors captured the general sentiment when he emailed: "As you know, I've struggled with being true to myself, and still do. What you do for me is to validate my thought process and help me work with my insecurities." This advisor is talking about an often-overlooked aspect of learning to be ourselves: recognizing and working with our own shortcomings. In my experience, this is the hardest aspect of becoming a better advisor—and a better business owner—but it is also usually the key to success.
As it turns out, the things we're insecure about often really are our weakest areas. Ironically, though, when we give in to our fears of inadequacy and try to ignore or deny our shortcomings, we give them more power than they should really have, thus greatly reducing our chances of success. On the other hand, if we can get advisors to face the things they aren't good at, they can almost always get better at them, work around them or find another solution for the problem.
Typically, the areas where owner-advisors need work include micromanaging, a quick temper, a need for all their employees to like them and obsessive perfectionism. While each of these challenges comes with its own consequences (respectively: low employee motivation, dampened employee initiative, missed learning opportunities and a loss of employee respect), these and most other owner issues can be overcome by simply recognizing the problem and looking for a solution.
For many firm owners, the "Aha!" moment comes when they accept the fact that nobody is good at everything, and that a firm's success comes from maximizing everyone's talents while minimizing the ill effects of their shortcomings. Admitting the things they are not good at not only makes finding a solution possible, it also enables their employees (and/or partners) to help with the solution. In fact, in many cases, the employees will prove to be the best source of workable ideas—and of providing the help that makes success possible.
For instance, I have one advisor/owner who opens each firm meeting by saying: "Now, as you all know, I'm not a good manager…" With that said, the employees then proceed to work together to find the right management solution for every challenge that arises. Facing and acknowledging their shortcomings makes owner-advisors better firm leaders, and better "bosses": they almost always become more tolerant of the shortcomings of their employees, and better able to find realistic solutions. And by creating a true team corporate culture, they make their employees better, too.

subset: commoncrawl


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Never mind if you're not a fan of the Ancient Rome. The numerous films, shows and books must have sparked some interest. Answer the Call of the Colosseum and witness the battle of wills, mind and body over the other gladiators. Get a thumbs up sign from the Emperor and stay alive to win the game's lovely prize of 5,000 coins from the dark haired princess.
Call of the Colosseum symbols
The majestic Colosseum is seen in the background as the beautiful imagery of the ancient Rome flows down the 5 reels. Delicate Roman architecture is seen on the layout as the 25 payline plays host to the artefacts of the old Roman Empire.
The centre of attraction, the Colosseum is filled with people baying for the Gladiator's blood. Escaping from the speeding chariots, shields, helmets and sandals that are strewn inside the sand pit, you must battle the other prisoners, to be granted your life. The Emperor and the black haired princess will decide your fate as they feast on grapes and other delicacies. Gold and silver coins, money satchel and snarling tigers are the other symbols seen on the reels.
Cechy gry
Dziczy: The Emperor of the Call of the Colosseum is your brusque and true autocrat. He will trample over the other symbols and replace them and in the process create more winning paylines. He will appear only on the middle three rows. But he is not influential during the free spins.
Rozpraszacze: The scattered Shield will protect you from any of the bad effects that the Colosseum will throw up in your face, by appearing anywhere on the reels. It will pay the scatter wins up to 100 times the total wagered bets.
Speaking of free spins, you can trigger the 10 free spins and have all the wins doubled, when 3 or more of the Shields appear on the reels. If the Emperor finds your gameplay worthy, he will give a Thumps Up and grant your life for at least 3 more free spins.
If it's a Thumps Down, then you are mauled by the snarling tiger and leave the Colosseum with your wins. He will not let you re-trigger the free spins.
Funkcja hazardowa: If you figure on escaping from the Call of the Colosseum, then a large dose of luck is required. Guess the correct card colour or the card suit and double or quadruple all of your wins respectively.
Min./maks. Zakład na obrót (£ / $ / €): 0.01 – 2.0
Jackpoty (£ / $ / €): 5,000 coins (base game)
Closing Thoughts
The Call of the Colosseum gra wrzutowa makes it possible for you to take a time trip back to the ancient Rome. Swing by and let the flow of adrenaline push you to your limits while playing this game while on the move.


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10 November, 2010 | (01 hr)
Sign In to access this Webcast
Many senior executives believe their company is not getting enough value from its satisfaction/loyalty programs. The programs fall short in incremental knowledge, with no new learning over time and a questionable relationship to real loyalty. In many cases performance has reached a plateau, with a very weak association to financial performance and no proof of a solid return-on-investment. Changing the suppliers who run these programs is usually painful and helps only briefly, if at all.
As companies emerge from the recession and assess the value of these programs, they are looking for ways to reduce costs and increase value. There are straightforward ways to revitalize these mature programs and take them to the next level. It just requires a new way of thinking about what these programs are being asked to do today relative to what they were originally intended to do. Learn how companies are reassessing and rethinking their strategies in this new environment.
Curt Carlson
The Stakeholder Management Area of Expertise (AoE) focuses on research and consulting in areas related to customer satisfaction, employee engagement, and corporate reputation. Returning to TNS after three years at another firm, Carlson is responsible for supporting strategy development and AoE gr...Full Bio
Jerry Olszewski
As Chief Client Officer, Jerry is responsible for ensuring an exceptional experience in every aspect of a client's interaction with Ketchum. He is a member of the firm's Executive Committee and was previously responsible for establishing and managing Ketchum's business in Eur...Full Bio
David Reyes-Guerra
David Reyes-Guerra is Vice President and Chief Marketing Offi cer of The Conference Board.
As a writer, photojournalist, and branding expert, he has directed a variety of programs in a 30-year career spanning corporate positioning and brand identity, marketing communications, investor and...Full Bio


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3 (8 ounce) cans almond paste, broken into small pieces
1-1/2 cups sugar
1 cup powdered sugar
4 egg whites
1 cup pine nuts, coarsely chopped
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Beat together almond paste, sugar, powdered sugar and egg whites until well combined. Stir in pine nuts (dough will be sticky; don't worry). Drop dough by rounded teaspoons on greased or parchment-lined cookie sheets. Bake for about 15 minutes. Slide parchment paper onto wire rack for cooling. Remove cookies from parchment when completely cool.


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From the Editor in Chief
Professor Hank Shugart
of the University of Virginia on the future of Environmental Science.
Read more ›
Editorial Board Members
Richard Betts
University of Exeter
Robert Bindschadler
Morgan State University
Otis Brown
The Rosenstiel School
Artemio Cerda
University of Valencia
Marc Dourojeanni
Universidad Nacional Agraria
Lora Fleming
European Centre of Environment and Human Health
Kevin Gaston
University of Exeter
Richard Hazlett
Pomona College
Ignacio Iturbe
Princeton University
Dr. C.L. Kwa
William Berry Lyons
Ohio State University
Yadvinder Malhi
University of Oxford
Louisa Molina
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Will Steffen
Australian National University


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F.A. Davis is the author of 'Pkg: Understanding Medical-Surgical Nursing 4e (with FREE Student Workbook 4e) & Tabers 21st', published 2010 under ISBN 9780803627352 and ISBN 0803627351.[read more]
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Start working on your touchdown dance …
Eagle's wide receiver DeSean Jackson
As an infant, Donovan was diagnosed with a critical hematologic disorder.
Doctors told his parents their son would never be able to play sports, but Donovan has beaten the odds and is living an active life, including playing football.
The 10-year-old from Georgia loves the game and has been known to emulate the end zone moves of his favorite player, the Philadelphia Eagles' DeSean Jackson. When the boy wishes to meet Jackson, he receives a message from the wide receiver that includes this suggestion, "Start working on your touchdown dance 'cause you're going to need it once you're up here in Philly."
At first it's all hard to believe, but Donovan is soon at Eagles' headquarters and outfitted in team gear. He runs plays with the team and gets a chance to perform a celebratory dance in the end zone. His "ridiculously fun day" includes a trip with Jackson to a recording studio to "spit some rhymes."
This story makes me feel
Your miles can help grant a wish for a local child.
June 25, 2012 - 11:25 AM
like how he never gave up the idea of playing spots and now he can play even football -- keep on going and i believe that you can play even more sports in the feature :)
August 29, 2013 - 9:58 AM
very inspiring stories- - wonderful things you do to make these special people so HAPPY!!!
September 16, 2013 - 7:33 AM
hematologic disorder
I wish to be a coach for the Philadelphia Eagles
heart transplant
I wish to meet the Green Bay Packers
acute lymphoblastic leukemia
I wish to meet Mark Sanchez
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Wildlife Worries Cause Solar-Project Reassessment
Regulators are having second thoughts about approving new solar projects due to growing evidence tower-and-mirror solar technology is killing birds. WSJ's Cassandra Sweet reports on digits. Photo: BrightSource Energy Inc.
This transcript has been automatically generated and may not be 100% accurate.
... alliance Boots draws a walk and Digits ... adjoining solar power project opening this week in the California desert ... is the first of its kind in may be among the last ... that's because of growing evidence that the technology is killing birds ... the USDA's Cassandra Sweet George's from summonses go to get with the story welcomed the center of ... I ... so this is off high irony alert this environmentally of friendly technology solar power ... looks like it may be actually hurting the environment wildlife what's going on ... oh well this is the aam ... the first of its kind ... and very large solar power plant using this technology that ... uses thousands of the town ... nearest to focus sunlight onto these tall towers ... and the towers have for you areas with water and and and that water heats up ... that to create steam ... to drive power generators and so ... and ... there were internal reviews done on this project before it was permitted ... by the state can agreed to by federal regulators ... um ... but as what's kind of come to the attention of some of ... the federal biologists to set the intense heat it's generated around these towers are called power towers ... and they could be burning of wild birds that fly through it ... and so they're they're taking a closer look at that ... so it looks like this is having a pretty serious impact on the company I'm reading your story that ... there's a second power plant in one of the old ... debts are common among Boeing is the third one that they put on hold ... as a result of this and this one are given the research that goes into these ... plants before their belt with the environment ... impact studies ... Danny this risk come up during those reports are with the just completed supplies ... I think some of that is certainly some other risks were known but untill of this project and so the first project the Ivan Pottstown Solar Electric to ... its station in the name of it that until the project got up and running ... I think iam regulators who weren't entirely sure and maybe the company's core entirely sure can of you know what the impact would be on wildlife ... and it can also vary depending on where the project is located in you know ... whether it's near and ten of the migratory bird fly away things like that so aam ... especially when you have a first of a kind ... lady then said that such a large scale and you know it's certainly ... a feat of engineering ... but also it appears that said there are some ... problems with the impact on birds that ... have people didn't see before ... so what's the status of this study on how long will it take for the government to investigate this in in the meantime ... what happens this plant is the sole operators they haven't taken offline ... no the plant is you know it's got all the approvals it needs to operate its actually it started operating to believe it the end of December ... and the so it's completely ... you know um within the the ... within its permit to operate its totally legal they don't have to do anything different except ... a federal and state regulators are overseeing a two-year study ... of ... the project's impact on Peretz so that just started up I believe like around last November's so ... and so they'll spend two years of watching to see you know kind of how many ... dead birds sickened by saying you know what's killing them aam and see if there's anything that they can do to continue operating the projects ... and to you know reduce the impact on the currents ... well hope little further out a way of ... to save the birds and keep the power of the green power plants and time thanks for joining us appreciate it ... thank you ... why that's ah that's it for digits if you want to learn more about green technology another cool tech things check out WSJ dot com ... for our new website WS J D thanks ...


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This document is an excerpt from the EUR-Lex website
Energy efficiency of office equipment: The Energy Star Programme (EU - US)
Energy efficiency of office equipment: The Energy Star Programme (EU - US)
Energy efficiency of office equipment: The Energy Star Programme (EU - US)
This summary has been archived and will not be updated, because the summarised document is no longer in force or does not reflect the current situation.
Energy efficiency of office equipment: The Energy Star Programme (EU - US)
The voluntary "Energy Star" energy efficiency programme adopted jointly with the United States promotes the manufacturing of energy-efficient office equipment. The Energy Star label enables consumers to identify low energy consumption appliances which play a part in ensuring security of energy supply and environmental protection.
Council Decision 2006/1005/EC of 18 December 2006 concerning the conclusion of the Agreement between the Government of the United States of America and the European Community on the coordination of energy-efficiency labelling programmes for office equipment [Official Journal L 381 of 28.12.2006].
Agreement between the Government of the United States of America and the European Community on the coordination of energy-efficiency labelling programmes for office equipment [Official Journal L 381 of 28.12.2006].
The European Union (EU) and the United States of America (US) signed a new Energy Star * agreement on 28 December 2006, the aim of which is for manufacturers to voluntarily apply agreed specifications to measure the energy performance of office equipment.
The agreement was signed for a period of five years.
The "Energy Star"® label can be used for office equipment meeting these specifications, so that consumers can easily identify low-energy appliances. They are: computers, computer monitors, photocopiers, printers, digital duplicators, faxes, franking machines, multifunction devices and scanners.
The previous Energy Star agreement remains applicable only to computers until 31 December 2007 at the latest.
The new technical specifications for computers contain provisions on the active mode, unlike the previous agreement, which only took account of the standby mode.
Voluntary participation of manufacturers
Manufacturers, retailers and dealers of office equipment may join the Energy Star programme and use the "Energy Star® * " label. Equipment labelled as such must meet the agreed specifications (Annex C) and may be tested by the manufacturer or by independent test laboratories.
Programme management and monitoring
The US and the EU each have a managing body for the programme: the US has the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the EU has the European Community Energy Star Board (ECESB), set up in 2003 (see below under "Related Acts").
The agreement sets out guidelines for the correct use of the Energy Star name and label.
The Commission - via the managing body - is responsible within the EU for testing office equipment carrying this label or checking that it meets the requirements.
If the product fails to meet the requirements, the ECESB:
Amending and ending the agreement
Either the EU or the US may amend the programme of the managing bodies by common agreement. This includes amending technical specifications or including a new type of product if it becomes more energy efficient.
The agreement may also be ended by giving three months' notice in writing to the other party. If the agreement is ended, the EU may no longer use the label "Energy Star®".
Community decision-making
The Community decision-making process is used to establish the internal procedures needed to ensure the agreement operates smoothly.
This decision authorises the Commission to regularly adapt and reassess the technical specifications. The Commission is supported by a Community advisory committee made up of national representatives and all stakeholders.
The first Energy Star agreement was signed with the US in 2001 for a 5-year period. This agreement renews the former agreement, with some changes made:
Key terms used in the act
Entry into force - Date of expiry
Deadline for transposition in the Member States
Official Journal
Decision 2006/1005/EC
OJ L 381 of 28.12.2006
Commission Communication to the Council and the European Parliament on the implementation of the Energy Star programme in the Community for the period 2001-2005 [Official Journal L 381 of 28.12. 2007].
The communication states that the technical specifications contained in the previous agreement targeted the low power mode of office equipment on standby, when energy consumption of appliances in active mode is rising. Appliances are now more powerful and are kept in active mode for longer, due to the increasing use of Internet applications. The new agreement takes on board the importance of the active mode.
Commission Decision 2003/168/EC of 11 March 2003 establishing the European Community Energy Star Board [Official Journal L 67 of 12.03.2003]. This decision establishes the European Community Energy Star Board (ECESB) and includes a list of the national representatives in the Annex.
This board manages the Energy Star programme by regularly consulting Member States and manufacturers, national energy agencies and consumer organisations. The ECESB has also been involved in revising technical specifications.
Commission Decision 2003/367/EC of 15 May 2003 establishing the rules of procedure of the European Community Energy Star Board [Official Journal L 125 of 21.05.2003].
For more information on the Energy Star programme, please see the website set up by the Commission, which sets out the benefits of it for consumers, companies and the public sector.
Last updated: 13.04.2007


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You are here: Home ‹ Board index ‹ General Discussion ‹ Off Topic
2017 Oscars
Here is where you discuss everything under the sun, just keep it clean.
15 posts • Page 1 of 1
2017 Oscars
oh dear.........lol............any thoughts ?
Re: 2017 Oscars
There aren't enough LOLs in the world..
What a boo-boo.
Re: 2017 Oscars
I think everybody and their grandmother thought La La Land was gonna win Best Picture, but talk about egg all over your face. I like that Beatty made his defense. That's what you call a trooper. I gotta say that it is the funniest Oscars telecast I've ever seen especially with Kimmel's Damon-bashing!
Re: 2017 Oscars
Lala Land is insanely overrated.
That's another thing that annoys me about the Oscars - they're so predictable.
The real gems just go unnoticed.
Re: 2017 Oscars
Yes! There was no way Moonlight was not going to win! Except for two technical categories and Viola Davis (though she was too obvious) all my predictions were spot-on! So yeah, that Lalaland moment was pure gold.
Re: 2017 Oscars
There's too much cronyism and back patting in Hollyweird now......it's rife with corruption and nepotism. The BAFTA's aren't much better though.......
There are so many films which are much better than the award winners which go unrecognised......and i don't think politics should be dragged into it.
Personally i'd rather go to the dentist than see LA LA Land ....but i would recommend Hidden Figures.
Re: 2017 Oscars
Totally agree. It's all meaningless.
It's a popularity contest now; who can campaign the hardest and kiss the most arse.
And agree that the BAFTAs are the same..
It's aaaaaaaaaaalllll bullshit.
Re: 2017 Oscars
i am totally bias
i loved la la land hit home to my heart and soul and i think that it should have won
great movie, great music and great story made me cry and listen to the soundtack a million times. i think it was no mistake and that the freeky thing happened cuz god was saying that they should have givin it to la la land, thats how i inturpet that whole scenario
sin ar rio sin ari ari ario sinario scinario, what ever the hell you spell it
its a sin it didnt win there you go
la la land
if at all things seem or appear to fail, just remember that 'LOVE WINS"
Re: 2017 Oscars
Now im going to have to
See Lala land
Sfter your review
Title is a little odd
Re: 2017 Oscars
I watched Manchester by the sea today. Casey Affleck was excellent but i couldn't help thinking of Jim playing the leading role. That would fit him perfectly.
Re: 2017 Oscars
i love that la la land saying\
its perfect for hollywood california, to call hollywood la la land
cuz if you think about the dreamers and fantasizers its like
your day dreaming so your in la la land all the time
when you see the movie you'll see why
its called la la land
i used to be accused of being in la la land all the time by my parents
day dreaming and fantasizing
and i also visioned while watching the movie, that Jim played the part of ryan gosling and then i fantasized the main characters were me and Jim carreys
thats la la land ay
if at all things seem or appear to fail, just remember that 'LOVE WINS"
Re: 2017 Oscars
lol........i have a pathological loathing of (1980's +) musicals...........seriously, i'd rather go to the dentist.... ......i could live in the cinema to watch anything BUT modern musicals.......lol.......the old Hollywood ones i can just about stomach....but that's because i love the old Hollywood glamour/style.
Re: 2017 Oscars
I do love The Sound of Music..
Re: 2017 Oscars
You have to admit though
Looking back at some of
The 80's styles and dancing
Was pretty fun and funny
Re: 2017 Oscars
this ceremony was better then previos year but not much
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text: Roasted pineapple Alan Richardson /Houghton Mifflin Harcourt hide caption toggle caption Alan Richardson /Houghton Mifflin Harcourt A Boozy Parisian Pineapple That Tastes Like The Holidays November 28, 2014 Dorie Greenspan struggled to recreate a friend's sweet dessert, but he just wouldn't divulge his secret. "It's nothing," he said. "It's so simple." Turns out, it is simple — once you have the recipe. A Boozy Parisian Pineapple That Tastes Like The Holidays Listen · 3:09 3:09 Toggle more options Download Embed Embed <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/366327332/367244358" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player"> Transcript


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About Weiss Research
Weiss Research, Inc., founded in 1971 and a subsidiary of industry-leading Weiss Group, is one of the largest, most reputable sources of global investment information. It has a long history of providing research and analysis designed to empower investors with information and tools to make more informed, independent decisions. In addition, over the last 14 years, Martin Weiss and Weiss Research have continually dedicated their time and resources to public service efforts, including Congressional testimony, constructive proposals for reforms in the securities industry, proposals for standards of practice and advocacy for accurate accounting and sound fiscal policy.
Weiss Research's publications are some of the most widely read investment newsletters in the U.S. The company's highly acclaimed, daily flagship e-newsletter, Money and Markets, contains unbiased market commentary you just won't get from Wall Street. It currently publishes a variety of investment newsletters and trading services including Martin Weiss' Safe Money Report and Larry Edelson's Real Wealth Report. It is a founding member of the Financial Publishers Association as well as a member of NEPA and DMA.
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An Open House for Affordable Modernism*
Editorial Rating:
Average Rating: ( 7 votes)
Our love for modernist housing is being rekindled as many more people deliberately depart from traditional housing. People want homes that are distinguished by their openness and livability through the use of innovative design, materials and construction methods. And they want modern homes whose cost is comparable to more traditional housing available in their community.
Affordable modernism need not be an oxymoron! Small, entrepreneurial companies eager to address this emerging market are offering modern housing products. However, the market remains small, and it can be difficult for consumers to find housing that matches their desires. Similarly, it is hard for developers and others in the housing industry to evaluate consumer demand for modernist housing. There is no one best place to find them all online: modern housing designers or developments, consumers or communities.
LiveModern is a service that helps connect the public interested in modern housing to a range of providers, including architects, developers, builders, lenders, and realtors, among others. Our goal is to make modernism more accessible. LiveModern looks forward to a future in which modernist housing is widely available because it is affordable to a majority of home buyers, and it is easy to find in their community.
To realize our mission and vision, LiveModern will initially focus on three broad strategies:
- conduct outreach to and education for consumers to introduce them to the options for modern housing, thereby demonstrating to producers the size of the market for affordable modernism;
- develop a cooperative marketing infrastructure, including conducting market research about consumer demand, for producers of modernist housing; and
- link LiveModern members to each other in geographically-defined markets, connecting modern home buyers to producers—designers, developers, contractors and realtors, among others.
All of these strategies will reinforce each other, thus continually expanding the market for producers as well as consumers. In the implementation of each of these strategies, LiveModern will exemplify the values that distinguish successful communities of interest in emerging markets: transparency, accountability, openness, fairness, cooperation and civility.
The principle benefit for consumers and producers alike is that they will be able to find each other through LiveModern. For example, a family interested in building a modern house will be able to more easily find an architect, a stock plan, or a prefab to suit their needs. As the LiveModern community grows and becomes more diverse, consumers with similar interests in a geographic market will be able to organize demand for a modernist housing development, while architects or manufacturers will be able to work with local developers to meet localized demand.
LiveModern is a community of consumers and producers of modern housing dedicated to this mission and vision, as well as strategies and values. Membership is free and open to anyone who is interested in modernist housing.
Welcome to our Open House, and help make our new community a place you'd want to live by joining the LiveModern community. Be sure to invite your friends and neighbors. Feel free link to this invitation in any appropriate forum. And click on the button below if you want to comment on our approach to making modernism affordable. (You must be a registered member of the LiveModern community to add a comment.)
* This statement was developed in July and August 2003 by participants in the National Modernist Housing Network discussion forum originally hosted by Dwell Magazine. LiveModern opened its doors on September 19, 2003. (Unfortunately, Dwell did not archive the original discussion.)


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I receive emails quite regularly from people who are making well over $100,000 per year and yet are struggling to make ends meet. It doesn't take much poking around on other personal finance websites to see that same story repeated many times over.
For a long time, I struggled to understand why this was happening. When Sarah and I were truly struggling with our finances, our combined income was substantially below $100,000 per year. I would simply think to myself that if our income were doubled back in our overspending days, we would have had plenty of resources to keep things afloat.
Here's the problem: that daydream simply isn't reality.
If I'm honest with myself about what we would have done with doubled income back then, the real picture would have involved a larger apartment, nicer cars, more gadgets, and more meals eaten out on the town.
It's a nice fantasy to pretend that I would have had more financial success with a higher income, but it's just that – a fantasy.
The truth is that unless you're paying attention, your spending can quickly expand to fill up your income – and sometimes more. As those spending choices become routine, it is really easy to become blinded to their real impact on your situation, especially when the individual purchases appear to be small ones.
So what can you do if you're making six figures and you're still struggling to survive?
First, put a firm monthly cap on your non-essential spending. You have to pay the bills, obviously, and you have to put food in the fridge and gas in the tank, but almost all of your spending beyond that is non-essential. For the next month, put a tight cap on that spending.
For example, at the start of the month, simply say, "I'm spending only $500 this month on non-essential items." That money must cover eating out, entertainment expenses, concert tickets, books, video games – whatever it is that you buy each month. If you have regular bills that are purely for entertainment purposes, such as a Netflix account or a World of Warcraft subscription, those bills come out of that $500.
Do that for one month. During that month, you're going to have to make some choices about what's actually important to you and what's not really important. You'll have to decide whether to spend $50 on a nice meal at a restaurant or use it for a concert ticket. Even more important, you'll likely find yourself near the bottom of that stack of money before the end of the month, meaning that you'll have to figure out how to stretch that last $20 over the last week of the month.
It is really easy to not realize that you're spending money on something non-essential and not include that expense in your $500 limit. Be conscious of what you're trying to do and keep an eye on every single purchase.
Those are valuable things to figure out. They are the core of budgeting, and budgeting, in whatever form people use, is really the key to controlling your spending.
Anyway, at the end of that month, you're going to likely have some significant left-over cash. Use that cash to start an emergency fund. You should strive to have a month's worth of living expenses (at least) in a savings account at all times so that if an emergency strikes, you can survive for a while. Many people eventually strive to have several months of emergency expenses.
Some people find the first month of "capped" non-essential spending very difficult. Others find it relatively easy. For some, tools such as Mint can help make this process easier than it might otherwise be.
Either way, the important thing to keep in mind is that it's all about making better decisions. What you're trying to do is reassess all of those little spending decisions that you make along the natural course of your life and ask yourself whether or not they're really worthwhile. Some of them are worthwhile. Others don't add enough to your life to make up for the reduction in savings or debt repayment.
Everyone's life is different. The things you think are important enough to keep spending money on are likely to be different than what I would choose.
The big thing we have in common, though, is that some of our spending choices are more important to us than others. Figuring out which ones are less important and discarding them is, in my opinion, the most important step people with a high income who are struggling to make ends meet need to take.


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Mihira Bhoja I
Ruler of the Rajput dynasty
Mihira Bhoja I (or Bhoja I) (836 – 885 CE) was the Gurjar ruler of the Gurjar Prathiar dynasty of India. He succeeded his father Ramabhadra. In his ruling time parihar dynasty was at its zenith and peak of prosperity. He was undoubtebly one of the outstanding political figure of India in ninth century and ranks with Dhruva and dhampala as a great general and empire builder.
- The king of Gurjars maintain numerous faces and no other Indian prince has so fine a cavalry. He has great riches and his camels and horses are numerous. There is no country in India more safe from robbers'"
- Words by Salaiman an arab invader who visited India during the emperor's reign.History of Ancient India: Earliest Times to 1000 A. D..
- It is evident that Bhoja had the reputation of a strong ruler, able to maintain peace in his kingdom and defend it against Muslim aggression and left this task as a sacred legacy to his succession. He was undoubtedly one of the outstanding political figure of India in ninth century and ranks with Dhruva and Dharmpala as a great general and empire builder.
- According to historian Dr. R. C. Majumdar History of Ancient India: Earliest Times to 1000 A. D..
- In Hind there is a Malik (king) who is called Al-juzar (Gujar). Such is awdl (justice) in his kingdom, if the gold is dropped in the way, there is no danger of its being picked up and stolen away by any body. His kingdom is very vast. Arab traders go to him, he makes ahsan (favour) to them, purchases merchandise from them; the purchase and sale are carried in gold coin called tatri, When the Arabs request him to provide a body guard, he says, there is no thief in my kingdom. If there is any incident or loss to your goods, merchandise and money I stand surety. Come to me, I will pay the compensation.
- According to the Arab invaders who was Bhoja's enemy;Ibne Rustah. Kitsbul Alaq Al-Nafisa Part 4.


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A reader called Nadia sent in this link the other day with a simple, succinct note: "This is too much… sharing."
I know nothing about Nadia, whether she's a mom or child-free, single or married, 18 or 80. Don't know, doesn't matter. We can all agree that finding out how Vanessa Minnillo told her husband she's pregnant is not exactly a cultural milestone.
And the celebrities you actually want to know about never tell the details: Of course I'd be interested in how Brad and Ange found out they are expecting twins. But no, we don't get the Brange. We don't even get anything good, really, from someone like Jennifer Garner (who masterfully makes it looks like she shows you every detail of her parenting life, but actually shows nothing). Instead, we get Jenna van Oy (throwback, Six from Blossom) and Marla Sokoloff (did you know she used to date James Franco?) as celebrity mom bloggers on PEOPLE.
It's like the question "What came first, the chicken or the egg?" but instead of chickens and eggs we have gender reveal parties and bump selfies. Do gossip followers demand this info, or do we just read it because it's available, and then come to expect it? Compared to Megan Fox's 8 centimeters, sharing a story like Vanessa's is actually quite innocuous. Drew Barrymore's husband Will Kopelman also shared how he found out about her pregnancy on Oprah's Next Chapter (click here to see).
Drew. Oh Drew. I, we, know a lot about Olive. How she was named (from Drew reading a baby book), what she dressed up as for Halloween (a lobster in a pot), how she will be raised with structure, schedules, always be picked up from school, and Drew also just shared -- on The View of course, in an episode airing Friday -- that she's going to raise Olive in the Jewish faith. Great, fantastic. At this point I know more about Olive than I do my own kid.
And here's the thing: I like Drew Barrymore. A lot! But when she tells Oprah she cried for 2 months about Olive having her photo taken by the paparazzi, while never acknowledging that she SOLD her baby photos to PEOPLE, and is walking through every step of her early motherhood with us on national television, it's a bit of a "Bitch, please" situation.
We applaud Drew (and celebrities like her) for sharing, we reward them for sharing, and it doesn't seem like any of them could ever be told they talk about their kid... too much.
In real life though, we all know that annoying mom who can't talk about ANYTHING else. No one will call her on it because then they look like a child-hating bitch (if they don't have kids) or a cold and selfish parent (if they do), but no one wants to be stuck next to the capital "M" Mom at a dinner party. You know, the one who talks about potty training and soccer schedules and how she doesn't have time to go the gym/get her hair done/get her nails done/sleep in/read/watch TV/go on vacation because she has a kid? Like you could be preparing to climb Mt. Kilimanjaro, writing your thesis and working 14 hours a day while she listlessly nods and tells you how it must be nice to have so much time on your hands. We eye-roll these women in real life, so why do we celebrate the benevolent, mom-makes-the-world-go-'round mentality in famous women? Is this what we're choosing off the gossip buffet, or is it a more of a prix fixe menu: if you love Celebrity X, you must also love their baby (talk). No substitutions.


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About this e-book
Should you modernize with Hadoop? If your goal is to catch, process and analyze more data at dramatically lower costs, the answer is yes. In this e-book, we interview two Hadoop early adopters and two Hadoop implementers to learn how businesses are managing their big data and how analytics projects are evolving with Hadoop. We also provide tips for big data management and share survey results to give a broader picture of Hadoop users. We hope this e-book gives you the information you need to understand the trends, benefits and best practices for Hadoop.
About SAS
SAS is the leader in analytics. Through innovative software and services, SAS empowers and inspires customers around the world to transform data into intelligence. SAS gives you THE POWER TO KNOW®.
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Clinton: Northern Ireland peace requires vigilance
Extremists still scheming to spoil Northern Ireland's fragile peace can be beaten through a commitment to political sacrifice, compromise and vigilance, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said Friday as she visited a Belfast torn by rising sectarian passions and death threats.
Clinton stood shoulder to shoulder with the leaders of Northern Ireland's 5-year-old unity government to denounce this week's violence and intimidation fueled by arguments over flying the British flag.
"Peace does take sacrifice and compromise and vigilance, day after day. We've seen that again this week, that the work is not complete, because we have seen violence break out again," said Clinton, flanked by First Minister Peter Robinson, a British Protestant, and Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness, an Irish Catholic and former Irish Republican Army commander.
"All parties need to confront the remaining challenges of sectarian division peacefully and together," she said.
Yet even as Clinton spoke, police in Northern Ireland's second-largest city Londonderry announced they had seized an armor-piercing rocket system used to blast passing police patrols, who still use armor-plated Land Rovers.
The weapon was found in a car rammed by police Thursday night in an IRA power base in the predominantly Catholic city 80 miles (130 kilometers) northwest of Belfast. Police arrested three suspected members of an IRA splinter gang in the car and a fourth man nearby.
The city's police commander, Chief Superintendent Stephen Martin, said he was "delighted that we have been able to take (the weapon) out of circulation before it was used for its deadly purpose."
IRA die-hards, who are rooted in the toughest Catholic districts, continue to plot attacks in defiance of the mainstream IRA's 2005 decision to renounce violence and disarm following a failed three-decade campaign to force Northern Ireland out of the United Kingdom.
At the other extreme of Northern Ireland opinion, Protestants opposed to any compromise with the Catholic minority have mounted a series of illegal, violent protests this week against Belfast City Council's vote Monday to stop flying the British flag year-round, a policy in force for the past century.
Much of the Protestant anger has focused on Alliance, a small mixed-religion party that seeks to promote compromise between the two camps. It sided in the vote with Catholic politicians, who wanted the flag completely removed but agreed to let it fly 18 days a year.
Alliance's sole member of the British Parliament, Naomi Long, said police told her not to sleep in her home overnight or to go to her office Friday. The warning followed arson attacks on two Alliance offices Wednesday and a paint bomb attack on the home of two other Alliance politicians early Thursday. Protestant militants also tried to storm Belfast City Hall on Monday night following the flag vote; 15 policemen and an Associated Press photographer were wounded.
Long, who met Clinton as part of a multi-party delegation of female politicians, said she wouldn't be forced from her home or work. "I trust to God for my safety and security," she said. "I will not allow this to stop me."
At their joint news conference, Robinson and McGuinness lauded Clinton and her husband for their exceptional two-decade commitment to brokering peace in Northern Ireland, a land of 1.7 million people, and ending four decades of conflict that have claimed 3,700 lives.
"We do know that there are people on the extremes of (British) loyalism, and people on the extremes of (Irish) republicanism, who wish to plunge us back to the past. We're going to resist that with every fiber of our being," said McGuinness, a longtime senior figure in the dominant IRA faction, the Provisionals, which killed nearly 1,800 people from its 1969 foundation to its 1997 cease-fire.
He, Robinson and Clinton all condemned the threat to Long.
But their appeal for calm appeared to fall on deaf ears as Protestant hard-liners mounted several more illegal road blocks across Belfast on Friday night, snarling rush-hour traffic.
After dark, one conflict zone on Donegall Road in south-central Belfast descended into a full-blown riot after youths attacked a van that tried to force its way through the crowd. Riot police deployed mobile water cannons against hundreds of teens and young men, many of whom used hoods and scarves to conceal their faces from police cameras. Rioters there also hijacked and set fire to at least one vehicle.
Police braced for potentially worse trouble Saturday as protesters vowed to take their angry demonstrations into downtown Belfast on one of the busiest Christmas shopping days.
During her Belfast visit, Clinton also visited its major new tourist attraction, a 100 million pound ($160 million) dockside center devoted to the Titanic, the ill-fated luxury liner built in the city a century ago.
Alliance Party, https://allianceparty.org/
Shawn Pogatchnik reported from Dublin.


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Abstract and Keywords
Although it has received less scholarly attention than firearms, microbes, domestic animals and plants, market economy, and statecraft, alphabetic reading and writing was crucial in the European conquest and colonization of the Americas from the late 15th century on. Unlike the agrarian empires the Spaniards encountered in the Andes and the Mexican highlands, the Portuguese frontier advanced upon tribal peoples who relied exclusively on oral language, such as the Tupi of Atlantic Brazil. These were semi-sedentary horticultural villagers whose entire socio-ecology (myths and knowledge, territoriality, subsistence strategies, etc.) was conditioned by the face-to-faceness and fugacity of spoken words. In turn, their Portuguese colonizers—for a while rivaled by the French, who enjoyed short periods of stable settlement through the early 17th century—were urban-based, oceangoing merchants, bureaucrats, soldiers, and religious missionaries whose organization strictly depended on the durability and transferability of written texts. Even if most of the Portuguese who came to Brazil in the 16th century were themselves illiterate, colonization as a social enterprise framed their actions according to prescribed roles set down in writing (both handwriting and printed script). Thus, the Portuguese colonization of Brazilian native lands and human populations can be interpreted from the point of view of the imposition of an alphabetically organized way of life. Two major dimensions of this "letterscaping" can be discerned as to its impact on Amerindian bodies (human and nonhuman) and modes of understanding. Although the 16th century was only the introductory act in that drama, its historical record shows the basic outlines of the alphabetic colonization that would play out through the early 19th century: native decimation and enslavement, territory usurpation by sesmaria grants, forest recovery in former native croplands (then resignified as "virgin forest"), loss of native ecological knowledge not recorded in writing, disempowerment of native cultural attunement to the wild soundscape, among other processes.
Keywords: alphabetic literacy, Portuguese colonialism, Tupi peoples, orality, Brazilian coastal forests, 16th century
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Reinventing Herself as a Home Stager
Former stay-at-home mom finds her dream career: Rearranging decor for houses going up for sale
Catherine Silverman's life has gone through many stages: world traveler, press secretary, stay-at-home mom, interior designer. But it wasn't until she was in her late 50s that she found a career that proved to be a perfect fit.
In 2004, Silverman began working as a "home stager," someone who arranges furniture and decor in a way that makes a for-sale house more appealing to potential buyers. Her business has been a resounding success: In the course of seven years, she has gone from doing three or four jobs a year to three or four a month. Working in the Washington, D.C., area, Silverman, 64, stages for every type of home, from small condos to expensive mansions. She talked to "Your Life Calling" about her road to reinvention and about advice she has for others looking to try something new.
Q: You say that moving around a lot as a kid helped you prepare for your career as a home stager. How so?
A: My father is a journalist, and we lived all over the world. And every time we moved, within a very short time, the house looked like our home because my mother would make it so. Obviously she purchased different things at different times in each of the countries, but there was a core mass of furniture that she had that she used every time. She just made do with what she had. It was important for me to see that you can do something, make something look good, and you can do it quickly. In some ways, that's a lot more creative because you have to work with what you've got.
Q: You spent some time in the '70s working as John Glenn's press secretary. What was it like working on Capitol Hill?
A: I loved it. My job was very creative, and it was also very exciting to be working for someone who was not only a great boss and an excellent senator, but a famous American.
When you're working as a press secretary, you have a deadline. You have to get the press release out, or you have to get the interview scheduled and done. To some people, working under the pressure of a deadline is stressful and difficult, but for me it's extremely stimulating.
Q: Fast forward a bit: After 10 years on the Hill, you decided to stay home and raise your three children. What were you doing in your downtime?
A: I'd always been interested in interior design, and as the kids would go off to school in the daytime, I had a decent chunk of time to pursue that. In the beginning it was a lot of fun, but I soon found that it was not satisfying for me because there was no closure. There was a beginning, but there was no end! And that got to be very draining and exhausting, and because I couldn't do it full time, I really didn't feel comfortable taking on a lot of clients. A lot of people wanted someone who was at their beck and call, which I totally understand. But then out of the blue, a real estate friend called me in and asked me to stage her house.
Q: Had you ever heard of home staging before that?
A: No! But I tried it. I brought some furniture in — and then the house sold in three days. And I thought to myself, "OK, now I know what was missing in this interim period." For the first time in a long time, I had the same kind of positive feelings that I'd had when I was working up on Capitol Hill. They gave me a job, I had a deadline and I did it. The house had to get on the market by a certain day, I had to get the stuff in on a certain day, I did it, it sold and it was very exciting.
Q: What's the hardest part of being a stager?
A: For me, sometimes the hardest thing is to convince people that they really do need to let go of the house and not to take offense, for example, if the house doesn't look anything like the way it looked when they lived there. The hardest thing about putting your house on the market is to make the psychological break with the house. So as a stager, that can sometimes be very difficult. You have to be careful not to offend people.
The business part of it is also a challenge. As far as the inventory goes, if you don't have enough furniture in storage somewhere, you won't be able to take on enough jobs. And then people will say, "Oh well, I guess I just have to hire somebody else." If you have too much, your storage costs get to be too high. In the beginning it's a constant juggling act. At some point you have to say, "The business is going to stay about the size that it is now." You're going to have to accept the fact that you can't take on seven jobs or something, otherwise you need more personnel. I can only be one person, and in order to give the attention to detail that I think is so important in these jobs, I have to limit myself.
Q: I'd imagine this job requires a ton of physical stamina, right?
A: That's exactly right. You go downstairs, you meet the movers, you walk up and down the stairs several times — and if you're tired, that's just too bad, because the house is going on the market tomorrow and the clock is ticking! When I have restrictions on time, I also find myself doing a lot more of the heavy lifting — literally. Helping the movers unload the truck, because we've got to get it done before the photographer comes.
Q: But you seem to love it just the same. Would you say that this job feels like "work"?
A: Yes and no. Every job has scut work involved. In this job, the paperwork is enormous — and that's complete scut work to me. To some people that might be the best part of the job, but to me it's not. But because I keep my eye on what the finished product is going to be, I'm able to put one foot in front of the other and just get it done. Because in the end I know I'll look back at the whole project and say, "OK, that was challenging, but I did it."
Q: What's your advice to people looking to reinvent their lives or careers, but don't know where to start?
A: The most important thing is to look inside of yourself and figure out what makes you happy. Sometimes you just need to be as introspective as possible and figure out what it is that, when you're doing it, you're happy about the fact that you're doing it. Because as I say, chances are, if you like to do it, you're going to be pretty good at it. And even if you're not good yet, you enjoy it so much that you're willing to put a lot of time and effort into becoming good at it, because it's something that you already like to do.
It's not necessarily obvious in the beginning, so you may have to have a few false starts. For me, it wasn't so much what I wanted to do — it's that I knew what I didn't want to do. Narrow it down. That's just as important.
Q: Any specific advice for aspiring stagers?
A: Chances are if you're thinking of becoming a stager, you probably already have a knack for decorating.
If you want to see if you can translate this knack into something a little bit more professional, I would go to somebody that I knew who was planning to put their house on the market, and ask them if they'd let you try staging it for free. Rearrange the furniture —– bring in some pillows, lamps, flowers and do some other things, just to see if it's something you can do and something you enjoy doing. You don't want to invest any money until you know that this is going to be something you enjoy. In the beginning, try to get a couple of people to let you do it for free, and see what happens.
Q: What's next for you?
A: I certainly don't see myself adding any more employees. The business has grown to the point that I do need a lot more help than I used to, and I don't want to lose the control over the individual projects. I would not be able to devote the attention to detail that I really feel is so necessary. So I think that for the time being, I can probably keep on along with the way I'm doing things. When I get to be in my 80s, will I be doing this? Probably not. But for the foreseeable future, I can't imagine doing anything else.
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This goes back a long way - circa 2003. I wrote an MS Access application using the XpressSideBar Menu system from DevX. This worked great. The database served its purpose and was retired years ago. It now needs to be resurrected but the install package no longer works as we've since upgraded from XP to Win 7 and Office 97 to 2007. Is there a newer version of this product available anywhere?
The error I get is: "There Is No Object In This Control"
Any help is appreciated.


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|Letter from Mary Jones to Cromwell Anson Jones, 1873 April 18
|Creator (HOT)
|April 18, 1873
|Subject.Name (LCNAF)
|Subject.Name (HOT)
|Genre (AAT)
|Type (DCMI)
|Original Item Location
|ID 1970-003, Box 1, Folder 42
|ArchivesSpace URI
|Original Collection
|Mary (Mrs. Anson) Jones Letters
|Digital Collection
|Mrs. Anson Jones Letters
|Digital Collection URL
|Special Collections, University of Houston Libraries
|Repository URL
|Use and Reproduction
|No Copyright - United States
|Head Quarters April 18th,/73 My Darling Son Your two favors of March 9th and 16th reached me a few days since, was glad to hear from you, as I had longed to know how you enjoyed your visit to Aus -tin. I regret you did not call on Mr Raymonds family Mrs Walker her sister Mrs Johnson both are sister[s] of Mrs R. I am glad for too you have had some rest from study & business, and that your health has been benefited No doubt you have done well to sell out the Clear Creek interest if you retained our interest in sales alre ady made which will be paid some day and our share will save some of the sacrifice we have had to bear in this unfortunate investment Mr Sydnor told me to retain these interests as as he had done so he had done so in the sale of his inter est. I wrote you on the substance of a conver sation I had with him at the Burg after I saw you last January & beside left a message with Jennie fearing the letter might not reach you in time ------------------------------------------------------ or perhaps not at all. I think as you do the sale to Coning is the thing that could be done glad however you did not sell the 738 acre tract for $250 and too we may keep it an other thirty years & not get more Mr Rund erwood told me that it was a poor low prairie tract of land & but little timber upon it I do not remember whether he said he had seen it himself Well of course you have heard of the little stranger though not from a Grandmothers pen, but I will not venture a description but leave you to judge for yourself. Sallie was getting along finely until today week, had an attack some thing like Bilious Cholic & for several days was quite sick, now however she is rapidly im proving Baby keeps well. I have had a bu sy time and not through yet. At this time my health is quite good, but I am awfully tired when night comes. The "Age" comes to me regularly, beside other papers which are very acceptable I assure you in this dead region of the earth. I have not had time to even write you particularly as I wish to, will have the more to tell you I hope soon. I hear a bright future is predicted for you. My heart bounds with joy when I hear you so highly spoken of. You will never know dear child how high my --------------------------------------------------------------- hopes are for you, now the depth of love pride & anxiety I feel realy I am too impatient too anx ious yet I manage to keep all my feelings pretty much to myself. Years ago when you were young & after your fathers decease my constant anxiety was fear that I might die & leave you to the care of no one knows who, and that you might be neglected and mistrea ted, this was a bitter source of anxiety to me then; and now that you are grown, and I find myself still looking around for some cause of anxiety on your account I check the feeling and try to feel thankful that I was spared to protect & care for you while unable to take care of yourself The more so is this my duty ---------------------------------------------- when my aching heart is made to beat with joy at hearing your praise so universally spoken of all seem to hold you in very high estimation. I am compensated if I can continue to see you advance successfully in your business. we have a good garden milk & butter & Gaston has a crop of ten acres mostly in corn & other "Truck" come to see me when you can all want to see you As ever you loving Mother Mary Jones give much move to Mrs Bryan Mollie Eddie & the little girls Mrs Scranton Ditto. We will have Grapes Peaches & some plums do write me some occ asionally Forgive all errors as I am entertained while writing by Baby fretting
|Page 1
|Format (IMT)
|File Name


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The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) found inspiration for its gadgets in U.K. author Ian Fleming's world-famous "James Bond" series, according to new research by a U.K. university.
Gadgets such as the poison-tipped dagger shoe in "From Russia With Love" and the tracking device featured in "Goldfinger" were developed by the CIA in the 1950s, the University of Warwick revealed this week.
According to declassified documents and interviews cited in the study, the devices were made soon after Allen Dulles, director of the CIA between 1953 and 1961, became friends with Fleming, a spy fiction writer who worked for British intelligence during the Second World War.
(Read More: This Is Like the 'Cold War': Europe Fumes Over US Spying)
"Dulles himself claimed in the 1960s that he had met Fleming at a dinner party at the London offices of MI6 [London's international intelligence service] and was, effectively, spellbound by this meeting," Dr Christopher Moran, assistant professor of U.S. national security at the University of Warwick, told CNBC.
"It was soon after this that he instructed his technicians and staff to try to replicate the gadgets."


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IGN's Jessica Chobot recently went topless for charity, allowing a Sony artist to give a cast of her chest a "God of War" paint job.
The plaster result will be on display at the God of War III art show at Gnomon Gallery before going up for auction to benefit the Keep-A-Breast foundation.
Sadly, I suspect that most of you just read "topless" yadayadayadayada.


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Set up Touch ID
Before you can set up Touch ID, you need to create a passcode for your device.* Then follow these steps:
- Make sure that the Home button and your finger are clean and dry.
- Tap Settings > Touch ID & Passcode, then enter your passcode.
- Tap Add a Fingerprint and hold your device as you normally would when touching the Home button.
- Touch the Home button with your finger—but don't press. Hold it there until you feel a quick vibration, or until you're asked to lift your finger.
- Continue to lift and rest your finger slowly, making small adjustments to the position of your finger each time.
- The next screen asks you to adjust your grip. Hold your device as you normally would when unlocking it, and touch the Home button with the outer areas of your fingertip, instead of the center portion that you scanned first.
If you have trouble enrolling one finger, try another. Still need help setting up Touch ID?
Use Touch ID to unlock your iPhone or make purchases
After you set up Touch ID, you can use Touch ID to unlock your iPhone. Just press the Home button using the finger you registered with Touch ID.
Make purchases with Touch ID
You can use Touch ID instead of your Apple ID password to make purchases in the iTunes Store, App Store, and Apple Books. Just follow these steps:
- Make sure iTunes & App Store is turned on under Settings > Touch ID & Passcode. If you can't turn it on, you might need to sign in with your Apple ID in Settings > iTunes & App Store.
- Open the iTunes Store, App Store, or Apple Books.
- Tap something to buy. You'll see a Touch ID prompt.
- To make a purchase, lightly touch the Home button.
Use Touch ID for Apple Pay
With an iPhone 6 or iPhone 6 Plus or later, you can use Touch ID to make Apple Pay purchases in stores, within apps, and on websites in Safari. You can also use Touch ID on your iPhone to complete website purchases from your Mac. If you have an iPad Pro, iPad Air 2 or iPad Mini 3 or later, you can use Touch ID for Apple Pay purchases within apps and on websites in Safari.
Need help using Touch ID?
Manage your Touch ID settings
Go to Settings > Touch ID & Passcode to manage these settings:
- Turn Touch ID on or off for Passcode, iTunes & App Store, or Apple Pay.
- Enroll up to five fingerprints. Each new print might make fingerprint recognition take slightly longer.
- Tap a fingerprint to rename it.
- Swipe to delete a fingerprint.
- Identify a fingerprint in the list by touching the Home button. The matching print in the list will be highlighted briefly.
Press the Home button using Touch ID to unlock your device. To unlock your device using Touch ID without pressing the Home button, go to Settings > General > Accessibility > Home Button and turn on Rest Finger to Open.
* You can use Touch ID with an iPhone 5s or later, iPad (5th generation and later), iPad Pro, iPad Air 2 or later, and iPad mini 3 or later.


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The "new normal" for Phoenix is likely a prolonged era of deleveraging as the market absorbs these distressed assets. For Arizona property owners, the decline in real estate values has not always translated into a commensurate drop in taxes, however. This has occurred for three reasons..."
As 2012 begins, the real estate collapse ravaging Phoenix continues. Phoenix real estate prices have fallen from their height in early 2008 by 28 percent for retail, 52 percent for industrial and 71 percent for office, according to Navigant Capital Advisors, a Chicago-based investment bank. Phoenix ranks No. 7 on Real Capital Markets' list of the most distressed U.S. markets for commercial real estate.
The city's delinquency rate for commercial mortgage-backed securities (CMBS) loans is the third-highest in the nation, accounting for 3.6 percent of total U.S. CMBS delinquencies. And Phoenix's delinquency count is expected to increase next year.
The "new normal" for Phoenix is likely a prolonged era of deleveraging as the market absorbs these distressed assets. For Arizona property owners, the decline in real estate values has not always translated into a commensurate drop in taxes, however. This has occurred for three reasons.
First, the general decline in assessed property values has not kept pace with the actual decline in asset prices. Second, even though taxable property values have dropped, Maricopa County, where Phoenix is located, has increased its property tax rates: for fiscal 2011, tax rates increased by 18 percent from the previous year.
The third and final reason stems from Arizona's unique system of calculating property tax liability from two statutory values — a full cash value and a limited property value. A property's full cash value can decline while its limited property value, determined statutorily, increases, causing an escalation in tax liability.
Taxpayers must be diligent to ensure they are paying no more than their fair share of taxes. Consider the following points before deciding whether an appeal may be beneficial.
Start early
Arizona's property tax system is complex, difficult to navigate, and requires perseverance. Tax year 2013 property tax notices will be mailed in February 2012. The system entails multiple forms and filing deadlines which, if missed, will result in a taxpayer losing appeal rights.
The process will conclude in October 2012 with State Board of Equalization hearings. Owners should start planning now to challenge their 2013 tax assessments. To do so, they should pay close attention to how their properties are assessed.
Mass appraisal?
To determine if a property has been overvalued, it is important to understand that assessors use computer-based statistical models to derive value. These models have several limitations that can result in a property being over-valued.
First, the assessor's valuation of an individual property is only as accurate as the data and assumptions used in the statistical model to generate a value for a given submarket. The value created by a mass appraisal system may not account for the specific characteristics of a property, which may make it less valuable than predicted by the mass appraisal model.
Second, the mass appraisal system is dependent on correct, complete, and current property data. Oftentimes, the data that assessors use is not only incorrect but outdated by as much as six to eight months, which can inflate assessments. Part of the reason for outdated data is the existence of statutory cut-off dates for collecting data.
Valuation approach
While appraisers use three generally accepted approaches to value - the cost approach, the sales comparison approach, and the income capitalization approach - the appropriate valuation method depends on the property type. In Maricopa County, assessors value 70 percent of commercial properties using the cost approach, which measures the current replacement cost of the improvements minus depreciation, plus the value of the site. But the application of the cost approach in real estate transactions is limited and is rarely used by investors to determine market value.
In a depressed real estate market, the use of the cost approach typically results in an assessment that exceeds market value unless all forms of depreciation, especially obsolescence, are deducted.
Market value vs. property tax value
Even if an owner believes the assessor's valuation is reasonable based on his/her understanding of market value in the business world, the property may still be overvalued. Market value as commonly understood differs from property tax value in two key respects. First, Arizona law requires assessors to determine full cash value based on a property's current use, rather than its highest and best use. In many instances these two value concepts produce radically different values.
Second, market value for property tax purposes is limited to the value of the real estate. Arizona law prohibits the inclusion of personal and intangible property in the assessor's valuation.
Limiting assessments to real property is crucial to lowering the taxes of businesses such as hotels, assisted living facilities, and shopping centers and malls, which derive significant income from personal property and intangibles.
Because of the many deadlines, procedures, and valuation methods used, owners should begin reviewing their property tax values now to maximize their chances for success.


text:
Opinion: Missing George W. Bush Yet?
Wonder Land columnist Dan Henninger on why autocrats like Putin win when the U.S. "leads from behind." Photo credit: Getty Images.
This transcript has been automatically generated and may not be 100% accurate.
... I ... the ... Concerto I'm Mary Kissel ... the bomb us as in the states will not intervene militarily in Ukraine ... and then guess what ... get pulls its troops out of the region and retreats ... Insulet's tired of defending democracies ... I've got Wonderland Columnist and Henninger joining me now ... I can look ... into the freedom and ten ... we miss George of the above ... well we should be measuring missing that aspect of George Bush up but the freedom agenda was not really something ... that he dreamed up it was dreamed up a long time ago and ... let's understand what is happening here Mary letter Q has thrown down the gauntlet to the last ... he is challenging us by saying that he is going to run authoritarian model of government that's truly what is happening in Ukraine with its wonderful ninety seven percent of the boat just like that ... in the days of Bresnan Commander FOP ... and the West has this democratic systems that opposes against that which you would like to have ... happened in Ukraine ... democracy is about the natural order of things Mary that has to be defended that was after all the point of World War two do you think that most Americans want us to have troops in Ukraine is the isolation history ... in American history that the president simply reflecting well we're not quite suggesting that there should be up U S troops in Ukraine ... but ... then ... you've got to understand what good is doing ... the authoritarian governments especially a big one like this or ... that or did in World War two ... they are all were moving the air centric vocal in the idea that the United States remain isolated inside our content and not be taught ... by those forces is open for guests who was explaining to stand out because the president as the bully Pope that he's not saying anything ... I he's acting had barely been hit on more sanctions on Russia itself was a good start in US politics today ... well nobody really I mean John McCain presence of Marco Rubio but I think it has to be a will but more full throated by the adults in Washington are their insults and wash and I think there are adults but I think that they are a little bit intimidated by some of these polls that say the American people don't wanna get involved ... we should recognize for Brock Obama is doing it's the same ... process to deal with those three Macy's gradual is things he waits for the other side to react tube will step forward ... and then Obama will ratcheted up he is again leading from behind these ... kind of behind the curve of the best ... rather than really getting out and going on all fence in pushing ... in a big rally where this is the best and to an economic war to live to a real war with ease ... I don't see a real war but I think it may be leading to up a significant economic struggle with Russia and cute and and I think possibly ... that the Europeans and United States are probably gonna have been willing to take some degree of economic hit ... if they're going to push back against what he has a mind to do in the key word there being deaf is second to push back against him in the