text:
Companies such as Lyft and Uber are changing the way Americans hail a cab. But the smartphone-driven transportation services come with a risk many riders may not think about.
Ride-sharing has become a convenient alternative to hailing a taxicab. A person fires up an app on their smartphone and it locates the nearest ride. But the practice also comes with unseen dangers – specifically, who is responsible for the costs associated with injuries and damages in an accident.
Drivers working for transportation network companies (TNCs), such as Lyft and Uber, typically do so under their own personal insurance policies. Most of those don't cover commercial activities, however, leaving the TNCs' "excess" contingent liability coverage to cover the gap. But drivers and their passengers can still be on the hook for unexpected costs, if claims on a TNC's insurance are denied.
The ride-sharing companies have developed strict lines when they consider one of their drivers to be "working," and therefore covered under excess liability policies. Lyft changed its policy to provide primary coverage from the point a driver accepts a ride request until the time the ride has ended in its app, according to Chelsea Wilson, public policy communications manager for Lyft.
But the different standards being used have caused confusion for the insurance industry, passengers and riders, resulting in some states introducing legislation to regulate coverage levels and paint a clearer picture for all parties involved.
Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper recently signed a law that outlines the rules by which TNCs must operate in the state. Colorado mandates background checks for drivers using publicly-available data and requires ride-share drivers to carry primary insurance during the "gap period" when soliciting a fare, according to the Denver Post. In addition, the TNCs will have to obtain permits from the Colorado Public Utilities Commission to operate, and have at least $1 million in liability insurance.
Illinois has a bill pending where the TNCs would have to carry the same liability insurance as taxis do, capping-off at $350,000 for each accident. Coverage from the TNC also applies from the moment a driver logs into the ride-sharing app, until they logged off, eliminating part of the risk when drivers are seeking rides. That bill is being considered by Gov. Pat Quinn.
But while the legislation to clarify ride-sharing insurance questions looks like progress, representatives from the insurance and taxicab industries still have major concerns with what lawmakers are doing.
Bob Passmore, senior director, Personal Lines Policy, with the Property Casualty Insurers Association of America (PCI), felt the Illinois legislation has the right coverage by kicking in whenever a driver logs into a TNC's mobile app to seek a passenger. But he's still concerned that a number of coverage gaps exist that aren't being addressed.
For example, if someone looking for a ride spots a driver from Uber or Lyft and hails them down without using the company's app, and the driver is not logged into the company's system, it could pose insurance coverage problems if an accident occurs. Those "under-the-table" rides are common, according to Dave Sutton, spokesperson of "Who's Driving You?" a public-safety initiative involving ride-sharing launched by the Taxicab, Limousine & Paratransit Association (TLPA).
"If I'm a ride-sharing driver, and I see somebody on the street and they see my Uber logo, if I pick them up, I'm going to get the money," Sutton said. "It'd have to be cash, but I'm not going to have to pay Uber, so I'll make more."
Passmore added that the preference of insurance companies is that drivers purchase a commercial policy, or obtain something that provides them with 24x7 coverage. He also felt the term "app-on, app-off," in regard to when a particular insurance level applies isn't sufficient, because whenever a driver is looking for a passenger, the nature of their activities and of the risk presented by it have significantly changed.
"You can understand why it is important these people have coverage when they are making themselves available, because their behavior changes," Passmore said. "They are trying to get in position to get a ride, just like a taxi."
Government Technology reached out to Uber for comment on the issue, but did not receive a response by press time.
The three major TNCs in operation -- Uber, Lyft and Sidecar – all started and are based in San Francisco. So it's not a surprise that the Golden State is also working on legislation to address the insurance coverage concerns.
California Assemblywoman Susan Bonilla, D-Concord, introduced AB 2293 earlier this year, creating tougher insurance requirements for ride-sharing companies. As proposed, the measure establishes three separate time periods that make up TNC services and sets forth specific insurance needs for each.
"Period One" runs from the time a driver logs onto the TNC's application and continues up until a match with a rider is secured. The period also covers the time from when a matched person exits the private passenger vehicle until the driver either logs off the system or accepts another rider match.
"Period Two" pertains to the time a driver accepts a match on the TNC's app until the driver picks up that specific passenger. "Period Three" covers the actual ride being given until the passenger's exit.
AB 2293 also mandates that a TNC will maintain an insurance policy that assumes all liability for Periods Two and Three. A total of $750,000 in coverage in some combination between the TNC and the driver's personal coverage is needed during Period One.
The bill was introduced in part as a reaction to an accident on New Year's Eve, when six-year-old Sofia Kuang was killed in San Francisco by an Uber driver looking for passengers. The driver -- Syed Muzzafar -- didn't have a commercial insurance policy, and because his personal policy didn't cover commercial activity. But at the time of the accident, Muzzafar had already dropped off his last passenger.
As a result, Uber claimed he wasn't on its system and not "driving" for the company at the time he struck Kuang. Therefore, Uber's excess insurance policy wouldn't cover costs associated with the Kuang family's injuries and Sofia's death.
"While Uber is touting itself as the future of transportation, it has thrown transportation back into the wild-west era by trying to walk away from problems its drivers cause from the time the app is turned on until there is a match," said Christopher Dolan, attorney for the Liu family, in a statement. "Here's a company worth billions of dollars that would put the burden of paying for the harm caused to the Liu family on the San Francisco taxpayers."
While a hearing is set to discuss the bill further in August, both Passmore and Sutton weren't convinced the measure would adequately address the insurance gap problem. Sutton said the TLPA doesn't support AB 2293 because it doesn't address the "street hailing" that goes on when a TNC's app is shut-off or the rider doesn't login.
Passmore explained that the insurance companies understand the dilemma lawmakers, the TNCs and the taxicab industry are struggling with – whether the TNCs are technology or transportation companies and where they fit in the established regulatory framework. But PCI's primary concern is making sure the insurance rules are clear so people get paid when something bad happens.
"However you look at it, these drivers are engaged in a commercial activity," Passmore said. "They're carrying people in exchange for compensation. Regardless of how long … that's a significant change in the risk that their vehicle habits present, as compared to someone who just uses it for commuting and doing normal personal errands."
The solution could be any easy fix in the future, however. Instead of legislating rules that dictate when and how much coverage a TNC carries, a driver's personal insurance policies could be modified to permit commercial activities up to a certain level, in exchange for a higher premium.
MetLife and Lyft announced a partnership in May to work on solutions that will expand insurance coverage for ride-sharing companies and drivers. Details aren't available yet, but Passmore believes the doors are open to having an endorsement option on a driver's personal policy to cover ride-sharing work.
"I know Uber and Lyft have made no bones about it that they've outreached to different companies to see if something can be developed in that way," Passmore said. "As of now, I've not heard that anything is being offered."
Editor's Note: This story has been updated to clarify when Lyft's insurance is considered the primary coverage of a driver's vehicle.
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This website is provided by VISIT-X B.V., Krijn Taconiskade 424, NL-1087 HW Amsterdam (hereinafter: "VISIT-X").
The services of VISIT-X are intended to bring visitors to the website (hereinafter referred to as "users" or "you") and providers of content and services (hereinafter referred to as "providers") into contact with each other and to offer various means – in some cases subject to payment – of exchange. The exchange of erotic content will also be tolerated.
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The provider is responsible for his own content in the directory and on his own VXPage.
The contents and services offered consist mainly of paid video chats, the sale of recorded videos and images and the exchange of personal messages, including virtual gifts.
VISIT-X also offers its own content and services on its websites.
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3) The VISIT-X Client Card may be loaded by the User using the payment methods made available by VISIT-X in each case on the website up to an amount capped at 150.00 € in each case. Under the user section, the User can view his/her current balance. Without prejudice to clause 4.6, repayment of the balance is excluded.
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5) The balance on the VISIT-X Client Card may be drawn on for a period of three years as of the end of the year in which the User acquired the balance by loading his/her VISIT-X Client Card. The balance shall be forfeited once this time limit has expired.
6) In the event of the User's access being blocked by VISIT-X in accordance with clause 2.5, VISIT-X, at User's request in text form (e.g. e-mail), shall pay out to the User any balance remaining on the VISIT X Client Card, after presentation of ID, cashlessly into an account of the User kept with a credit institution in the SEPA area provided that no legal grounds against such payment exist. The User shall furnish VISIT-X with a right of pledge in the payment claims accruing to the User under this section. The pledge shall be furnished as security for all existing and future claims, including contingent claims, to which VISIT-X has against the User under this Agreement. VISIT-X accepts the furnishing of the pledge.
1) In addition to the customer card, VISIT-X also offers the purchase of vouchers. Vouchers are valid for video chat minutes, video purchases, personal messages, etc. either for only one or a group of providers.
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3) Subscriptions are concluded for an indefinite period and can be terminated at any time, at the latest one day before the end of the current billing period, and without giving reasons. The User may terminate the contract on the Platform independently or in text form (e.g. e-mail). If a cancellation is not made, the respective subscription is automatically extended by a further billing period.
VISIT-X and providers can offer services to the user via Messenger. Therefore it is necessary to create the phone number displayed on the platform as a contact and to send a message with the content "START" to this number via the Messenger app. These services can be terminated at any time without giving reasons by sending the message "STOP" to the corresponding phone number.
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The User has an obligation to conduct himself/herself in a lawful manner.
Particularly in connection with the use of the Service, the User shall not
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The User is prohibited from exchanging personal data with the Provider to use or disclose the same for making contact with the Providers by other means.
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In all other respects, liability, for whatever legal reason, is excluded both vis-à-vis the Operator and its employees and vis-à-vis legal representatives, vicarious agents or agents.
11.2 Subject to clause 11.1, the operator is not liable for data loss and data changes, transmission errors, representation errors, data delays, actions of other users contrary to contract or for circumstances that fall within the sphere of responsibility of third parties or were caused by force majeure. Furthermore, the operator is not liable for the limitation initiated by the user within the meaning of section 6.4. Use of the platforms requires that the user has a terminal that meets the technical requirements of the desired services. The Operator assumes no liability or warranty for the functional capability and compatibility of the User's terminal devices and systems. Therefore, the Operator does not assume any liability for the accessibility, graphic, content or technical design and functionality of the platforms. The operator is also not liable for delays and interruptions of the services, as well as impairments, restrictions or performance obstacles, which are based on circumstances outside his area of responsibility. The operator assumes no guarantee for uninterrupted availability and the establishment of connections at any time and the constant maintenance of a certain data throughput or data execution via a certain network.
11.3 The limitations of liability in this clause 11 do not apply insofar as the Operator is compulsorily liable by law.
When processing personal data of the User, VISIT-X undertakes to comply with the applicable data protection provisions.
VISIT-X may amend these General Terms and Conditions at any time. VISIT-X shall notify the User of the amended General Terms and Conditions after the User's login on the website. The amendments shall take effect unless an objection in text form reaches VISIT-X no later than four weeks from User's receipt of the notification. Upon notification of the amendments, VISIT-X shall inform the User separately of the consequences of failure to object.
You are entitled to revoke the contract on the purchase of the VIP package, the loading of the VISIT-X Client Card and/or on the purchase of content pursuant to clause 3.3 within fourteen days without stating any grounds. The revocation period is fourteen days from the date when the contract is entered into.
To exercise your right of revocation, you must inform us VISIT-X B.V., Krijn Taconiskade 424, NL-1087 HW Amsterdam, E-Mail: firstname.lastname@example.com, Phone: 00 800 300 000 77) by means of a clear notice (e.g. letter sent by post, fax or e-mail) about your decision to revoke such contract. For this purpose you may use the attached sample revocation form, which however is not required. (link to sample revocation form)
To observe the revocation period, it is sufficient for you to send the notice on the exercise of the revocation right before expiry of the revocation period.
Consequences of revocation
If you revoke this Agreement, we are required to refund you all payments we have received from you, including the delivery costs (with the exception of any additional costs arising from your choice of a type of delivery other than the favourable standard delivery option offered by us), without undue delay and no later than within fourteen days from the date when the notice on your revocation of this Agreement has reached us. For such refund, we shall use the same means of payment used by you in the original transaction, unless expressly agreed otherwise with you; under no circumstances shall we charge you any fees for such refund.
If you have requested that a service should commence during the revocation period, you shall pay us a reasonable amount equal to the proportion of the services already provided up to the time when you inform us of the exercise of the revocation right in respect of this Agreement as compared with the total scope of the services contemplated under the Agreement.
End of instruction on right of revocation
1) For out-of-court settlement of disputes, consumers have the option of online settlement of disputes by the European Commission (hereinafter referred to as "OS") via the OS platform for online purchase and service contracts. This can be accessed via the following link:http://ec.europa.eu/consumers/odr/.
2) VISIT-X is not prepared and not obliged to participate in a dispute settlement procedure in front of a Dispute Resolution Board.
1) By clicking on the service offered by the Provider, the User accepts the Provider's General Terms and Conditions of Use below (Contractual Conclusion). Contractual Conclusion shall take place directly between the User and the Provider. VISIT X shall act exclusively as the broker and messenger.
2) The offering by the Provider via the Service is not a legally binding offer. The Provider shall be free to choose his/her contractual partners as well as to choose and define the contents of his/her services.

subset: commoncrawl


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Residential Fire Injury Prevention Program
In 1989, data from the Injury Prevention Burn Surveillance System indicated that south Oklahoma City had the highest rate of house fire-related injuries in the state of Oklahoma. Injuries were plotted on an Oklahoma City map; 45 percent of the injuries occurred in a four-zip code area in south Oklahoma City where only 16 percent of the population lived. Consequently, the area was targeted for a smoke alarm giveaway program.
The Injury Prevention Service implemented the program in 1990 in collaboration with the Oklahoma City Fire Department, Oklahoma County Chapter of the American Red Cross, and City-County Health Department of Oklahoma County. More than 500 volunteers from numerous state and local agencies, businesses, civic organizations, churches, and schools helped distribute more than 10,000 smoke alarms in the targeted area. Through the program, approximately 80 percent of the estimated homes in the area without a smoke alarm received one.
Four years following the program, the injury rate per 100 residential fires decreased 73 percent in the target area compared to a 31 percent increase in the injury rate in the rest of Oklahoma City. It is calculated that more than 60 injuries and deaths were prevented in this area during the 5 years after the program was implemented. Cost-benefit analysis suggests that for every $1 spent on this program over $20 was saved in prevented costs associated with injury reduction.
Using the south Oklahoma City project as a basis, the Injury Prevention Service implemented similar projects in other communities with high rates of residential fire injuries. Since 1994, nearly 60,000 smoke alarms were distributed in more than 50 communities.
Beginning in 2006, the Injury Prevention Service received additional federal funding to continue this program for another five years.
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A Council of Governments (COG) is a Joint Powers Authority (JPA) that provides a network for local governments and other agencies to identify and address common community problems. A COG may be comprised of a volunteer Board of Directors representing all areas of the community including elected leaders, educators, business, social services, water quality and many others. In addition to the authority that is created through their member cities and counties, a Council of Governments such as SCAG carries out state and federal statutory duties. While the exact combination of duties varies from region to region, two of the more formal roles include serving as the Regional Transportation Planning Agency under state law and as the federal Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO).
A "CTC" could be one of two types of transportation commissions. First, there are the County Transportation Commissions that are responsible for planning and building (and operating in some cases) transportation projects for the respective county. The CTCs in the SCAG region are the Imperial County Transportation Commission (ICTC), the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (LACMTA), the Orange County Transportation Authority (OCTA), the Riverside County Transportation Commission (RCTC), the San Bernardino Associated Governments (SANBAG) and the Ventura County Transportation Commission (VCTC). "CTC" also stands for the California Transportation Commission, which is responsible for reviewing statewide transportation activities and approving the State Transportation Improvement Program.
The SCAG Federal Transportation Improvement Program is a listing of proposed transportation projects to be funded through a variety of federal, state and local sources over the next six years. SCAG receives lists of proposed projects from the county transportation commissions. SCAG assembles the project list and conducts air quality, financial and "highway gap" analysis. Federal and state laws require that the FTIP be consistent with the Regional Transportation Plan/Sustainable Communities Strategy (RTP/SCS) and meet air quality requirements. All transportation projects that are federally or state funded, or have an air quality impact must be included in the FTIP. The FTIP, which is updated every two years, works much like a Capital Improvement Program in a city or county.
Joint Powers Authorities (JPAs) are formed by any two or more governmental entities (federal, state or local) to provide a common service. Many are financing tools that let governmental agencies pool their scarce resources. Some run programs jointly.
A Metropolitan Planning Organization is mandated by the federal government to develop plans for transportation, growth management, hazardous waste management and air quality. An MPO must have a "continuing, cooperative and comprehensive" transportation planning process that results in plans and programs consistent with the comprehensively planned development of its corresponding urbanized area. Only one MPO is designated for each urbanized area.
Each fiscal year (July 1-June 30), SCAG establishes an Overall Work Program that details the agency's planning and budgetary priorities for the next fiscal year. SCAG's federal and state funding partners — Federal Highway Administration, Federal Transit Administration and California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) — must approve SCAG's OWP each year before it can take effect.
The Regional Comprehensive Plan is similar to a General Plan for the region and is in fact intended to function as a voluntary guidebook to assist cities and counties in developing General and Specific plans. To that end, the RCP includes nine chapters: energy, air quality, water, open space, solid waste, transportation, economy, land use and housing and education, each with specific goals and outcomes designed to help set the path toward a more sustainable region. The RCP includes "best practices" and innovative new ideas that individual jurisdictions can include in their own plans.
The Regional Housing Needs Assessment is a state-mandated planning effort conducted by SCAG. It is completed every eight years and serves as the starting point for the local housing element update process. SCAG, along with its subregions, determines each jurisdiction's "fair share" of the region's housing need. Local governments, in turn, plan to accommodate that housing need by preparing individual housing elements.
Federal and state laws require SCAG to prepare a long-range Regional Transportation Plan every four years. The RTP combines transportation policies and projects to:
The RTP presents a 20-year transportation vision for the region and provides a long-term investment framework for addressing the region's transportation and related challenges. The RTP addresses all modes of transportation including highway and transit projects, as well as high-speed regional transport. Projects must be included in the RTP to be eligible for state and federal funding.
An RTPA is a Regional Transportation Planning Agency. It is a state designation for agencies (e.g., a local transportation commission, a statutorily created RTPA or Council of Governments) required to develop Regional Transportation Plans (RTPs) for their respective area. Sixteen of California's 43 RTPAs are also MPOs, including SCAG.
The Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act, known as MAP-21, is the newly enacted, successor surface transportation law to SAFETEA-LU that authorizes the nation's transportation and infrastructure programs through fiscal year 2014 at $101 billion. Significant beneficial provisions of the bill include an increase in the percentage of funds that must be returned individually to the states from which they were collected to 95% under MAP-21, up from 92% under SAFETEA-LU. Additionally, MAP-21 contains a dedicated national freight title that for the first time establishes a national strategy to efficiently move goods to benefit the nation's economy and spur economic growth and turnaround. Finally, the bill contains many laudable project acceleration provisions that will significantly reduce the time to achieve transportation project delivery without diminishing needed environmental review.
The Sustainable Communities and Climate Protection Act (SB 375, Steinberg) requires the development of regional reduction targets for greenhouse gas emissions in long-range regional planning for land use, housing and transportation. The legislation requires SCAG to direct the development of a Sustainable Communities Strategy (SCS) for the region in conjunction with the development of the RTP. If the state-determined targets cannot be identified and met through the SCS, an Alternative Planning Strategy (APS) can be developed and employed in its place. Unique to the SCAG region is the stipulation that subregions can choose to create their own subregional SCS/APS. SB 375 aims to reduce Vehicle Miles Traveled (VMT) per capita by encouraging sustainable development for the future. The development of the RTP/SCS depends on meaningful collaboration with local governments and stakeholders. SCAG has and will continue to develop the RTP/SCS by partnering with subregions, counties, cities, CTCs and other local and regional stakeholders through an interactive and bottom up process.


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Sony Boosts PS4 Sales Estimates After E3 Response
After a positive reception at E3, Sony has increased its internal sales estimates for the PlayStation 4, stressing the importance of upcoming games in drumming up excitement.
This transcript has been automatically generated and may not be 100% accurate.
... I ... he ... mm ... mm ... after positive reception in the street ... Sony has increased internal sales estimates for the PlayStation four ... spokesperson Jennifer team is quick to stress the importance of upcoming software titles in drumming of excitement ... I knew I mean I mean I think partly on the side ... they've got every kind of going south off but didn't announce my ... first day gain in the euro per person feeding into the second time at the open world action adventure game and if he doesn't really capture what the adults would really look and feel like in ... the teacher's real-time I teams that I ... think what's on the brink of St ... we bought a tight match with his enemy ... action flap are married the love that I ... find the right ... yes we're also boosting tree sharing features and social media can do ... about that that Dr lad with a complete ... rethink game ... that really I think that you have the ability ... to connect the group planned to get Ericsson Racing team ... the review is to broadcast ... I guess I was there ... with that ... with two good friends ... PS I this is like three ... times for release this holiday season ... gets worse price of three hundred and ninety nine dollars ... one hundred dollars less than X box one ... another key difference between councils gets four when the urge to share a few days ... but perhaps the biggest difference to the ... tribal council is how their companies that position ... priests are called the Xbox One ... and all in one and a team says ... Sony's focus is more an hour ... why is it that that it was Bell for dinner at ... the cross racing and on about ... which means is that emerge to


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The UK version of Google's payments service Google Checkout has been foundering for two days, and is currently completely offline, with no explanation from the company.
Frustrated merchants complain on Google's own forums that the login page is delivering a 404 error.
US users are also reporting problems on Twitter.
The dominant search engine launched its payments service in 2006 in a direct attack on PayPal.
"I too have been having this problem for a couple of days," said "InToKnit" in a typical gripe today.
"As far as I know unlike Paypal they have no technical support via the phone and we just have to hope someone is doing something. If it carries on today I shall remove Google Checkout as an option for payment until it's fixed."
Some users claimed Google had told them it had fixed the glitch.
A Google spokesman said he would look into the ongoing problems. ®


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TORONTO - The Toronto stock market sold off Wednesday as worries about the pace of global growth raised concerns about demand for commodities and sent prices for energy and metals lower.
The S&P/TSX composite index lost 172.64 points or 1.42 per cent to 11,947.29, the market's first close below the 11,000-mark since November 15.
"This clearly reflects a move to pricing in slower growth. The risk of deflation is back on the table (and) the effectiveness of central bank intervention is being questioned more," said Wes Mills, chief investment officer for Scotia Asset Management.
The Canadian dollar lost 0.58 of a cent to 97.41 cents US as the Bank of Canada announced it was leaving its key rate unchanged amid continued economic weakness. The central bank also cut its 2013 economic growth forecast to 1.5 per cent from an earlier estimate of two per cent.
An earnings disappointment from Bank of America and sliding resource stocks also punished New York markets.
The Dow Jones industrials fell 138.19 points to 14,618.59, the Nasdaq composite index dropped 59.96 points to 3,204.67 and the S&P 500 index lost 22.56 points to 1,552.01.
U.S. indexes moved off the worst levels of the session mid-afternoon after the U.S. Federal Reserve's latest economic snapshot for late February and March showed economic activity expanded at a moderate pace. The central bank added that real estate construction is improving markedly in most districts.
The dismal showing on markets followed a sharp selloff Monday, triggered by lower than expected growth data from China.
And it led analysts to think that the American markets are in the midst of a retracement that some thought inevitable after the sharp gains of the year so far sent the Dow and S&P 500 indexes up well over 10 per cent year to date.
The Toronto market hasn't fared nearly so well, up about 3.5 per cent year to date earlier this month and now down for the year by about the same amount. However, a full-scale retracement isn't expected.
"To have a serious correction (on the TSX), we have to start thinking about a rollover into another recession," Mills said.
"Growth has clearly slowed but we're nowhere close to pricing in a recession."
Oil and copper prices retreated a day after the International Monetary Fund lowered it global economic growth projections. The IMF cut its forecast for global growth to 3.3 per cent this year from its forecast in January of 3.5 per cent. The IMF predicts that government spending cuts will slow U.S. growth and keep the euro currency alliance in recession.
The base metals component led decliners, down 7.34 per cent as copper, viewed as an economic bellwether, slid 12 cents to US$3.19 a pound. Worries about how lower commodities will impact corporate profits sent Teck Resources (TSX:TCK.B) fell $1.33 to C$25.42 while First Quantum Minerals (TSX:FM) declined $1.60 to $15.43.
Both oil and copper sustained steep declines on Monday after data showed that the Chinese economy grew at a 7.7 per cent rate in the most recent quarter, crushing hopes for growth of around eight per cent.
That prompted some private sector economists to cut their full-year growth forecasts for the world's second-biggest economy, although they remained at a still robust level of just under eight per cent. The World Bank reduced its growth outlook this week from 8.4 per cent to 8.3 per cent.
Further prospects for a sluggish recovery sent the May crude contract on the New York Mercantile Exchange down $2.04 to US$86.68 a barrel and the energy sector slid 2.57 per cent. Suncor Energy (TSX:SU) shed 43 cents to C$27.98 and Cenovus Energy (TSX:CVE) was down 73 cents at $28.71.
The gold sector was down about 4.3 per cent as bullion prices failed to find traction after a modest gain on Tuesday. The June contract on the Nymex declined $4.70 to US$1,382.70 an ounce. Barrick Gold Corp. (TSX:ABX) fell $1.07 or 5.56 per cent to $18.17. Barrick's stock price has plunged by a third since April 5, partly because of falling gold prices but also after a Chilean court last week ordered a halt to construction of the miner's $8 billion Pascua-Lama project on environmental concerns.
Iamgold (TSX:IMG) faded 26 cents to C$4.80.
Gold tumbled $140 on Monday to its lowest level in more than two years.
There have been a few reasons advanced for the steep drop in gold prices that started last week, including the prospect of troubled eurozone countries selling off part of their gold reserves to tackle debt problems.
But it wasn't just resource stocks giving back gains — blue chips also sold off with the financials sector down 0.8 per cent. Scotiabank (TSX:BNS) gave back 87 cents to $56.83.
In the U.S., Bank of America's profit soared to $2.3 billion or 20 cents a share in the first quarter, up nearly seven times from a year ago. However, that still missed expectations by two cents per share and Bank of America shares lost 4.72 per cent to US$11.70.
The industrials component backed away 1.46 per cent as Canadian Pacific Railway (TSX:CP) dropped $1.92 to $121.92.
In New York, shares of Apple Inc. dropped 5.5 per cent to US$402.80 after earlier going as low as $398.11, the lowest level since Dec. 2011 after a supplier hinted at a slowdown in iPhone and iPad production.
The decline means Apple has, for now, lost its position as the world's most valuable publicly traded company to Exxon Mobil Corp., which has a market capitalization a few billion dollars above Apple's $380 billion price tag.
The TSX Venture Exchange gave back 36.40 to 923.60.


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Sounds good.
I picked up one of their 4th of july sale kits that include the bulgy barrel, and wow are they good. Kits have gone up in price, and copes follows so they don't screw themselves, but seeing how perfectly de-milled this kit was, it made the extra money spent (when compared to the good days) seem like it was spent wisely.
I don't have a single old rivet to grind or punch out. And the parts all look very good. And along the lines of shipping speed, the kit was on my doorstep 2 days after I clicked "buy." That's great stuff right there.


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Howdy All
Sally, Marilyn and I hiked up Vivian and went XC up the Dobbs ridge to San Gorgonio yesterday. As reported by Sam Page and Lilbitmo, some !@#$%^&* had left pink tape on rocks, trees and even dirt all the way up to Dobbs. We removed every marker that we found. At one point, Sally said wryly -- "Wait -- where's the tape? Do we stay on the ridge backbone or slide down the steep slope on the right or left side?"
Made it to Dobbs in a bit over three hours, feeling like Good Samaritans after removing the obnoxious tape. As we headed by the second Dobbs to climb the ridge that intersects the trail, I fell and landed hard on my left wrist. Of course I fell into rocks, so my left knee, elbow and other areas lost skin. Once I stopped moving, I felt that kind of intense pain where you have to just sit for a moment and assess.
The wrist immediately started to swell and become very painful. We put bandages on the bloddiest areas, which immediately fell off due to blood and sweat. Marilyn and Sally loaned me bandanas for a sling and we stowed a pole. We added a bandana snow compress and made our way up the ridge to intersect the ridge trail towards San Gorgonio.
When we reached Vivian junction, Marilyn and Sally thought we would forgo the peak and descend -- hell no! I wasn't missing out on the summit after being so close. As usual, it was quite windy on the ridge. We hunkered down in the summit rocks, enjoyed feeding the critters at the summit and had a wee bit o' Scotch.
On our way down, met a nice trail runner coming up. Turns out, she broke her elbow and nose falling on her first Skyline -- talk about coincidence. About a half mile from Vivian creek, we ran into a hker and his yellow lab Charlie -- the dog was laying in the middle of the trail and wouldn't budge. The hiker had called the Ranger Station -- their suspected Charlie had altitude sickness and told the hiker to get the 110 lb dog down Charlie needed water also, but the hiker was completely out and the trail was dry.
Sally and Marilyn poured Gatorade into a gallon Ziplock bag, Charlie happily lapped up. We then hiked behind them to keep Charlie going until we reached Vivian creek. At this point, Charlie could rest and drink, so we parted ways. Charlie's dad felt terrible -- he'd hiked this route with Charlie many times and taken him on 1.5 to 2 hour walks each day. I couldn't fault Charlie's dad as he was trying to do everything he could and didn't leave the dog to die like the guy in Colorado.
It was a great relief to reach Marilyn's vehicle and have dinner at El Mexicano. I didn't sleep well last night but got into my orthopedic group this morning. I have a bad sprain with a possible compression fracture of my radius. Treatment is a wrist brace and RICE. Good news, as I still plan to hike the JMT starting July 17. Now if the pain would just subside a bit...
Miles of smiles,


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Today came the exciting and unexpected news of Windows Phone Mango's Release To Manufacturing (RTM). The Windows Phone team has completed the release and handed it to mobile operators and handset makers to start testing the latest update to Microsoft's mobile operating system reboot.
Windows Phone Mango has several hundred new features which have been covered at various places across the web, including some of the v1 annoyances it has resolved for me personally. Here I want to make a few comments on what still remains to be added. Granted, these are smaller in some ways than the gap that Mango closed, it is still worth talking about what Windows Phone lacks in terms of features and functionality already available in (or announced for) iOS and/or Android.
- VPN functionality: Windows Phone still does not support connecting to a Virtual Private Network (VPN), typically used to connect devices to corporate networks from outside the company. iOS offers native VPN support as well as support for VPN client apps.
- At-rest encryption: Encryption of the storage on the device is a huge issue for corporate IT departments in being able to support a mobile device. As smartphones get more and more capable of performing computer-like tasks, and as they start storing more and more company data, they also become a huge liability in case the phones get lost or stolen. At-rest encryption protects the data on the device in such cases. Microsoft has said that the isolated storage on the device is only available to the specific app and that is how they quasi-protect the data, but I don't think IT departments think that is enough. iOS for example, has encryption built into newer devices since iOS4.
- Complete backup/restore: As part of the recent NoDo update, Windows Phone introduced phone backup, but it is crippled in that only Zune desktop can execute it, and it cannot really be triggered manually (on demand). iOS (iTunes) on the other hand, does provide a way to backup and restore on demand.
- Multiple Windows Live ID's per phone: Windows Phone links the device to a Windows Live ID which you enter during setup. This is the ID used to connect to the Marketplace for purchasing apps and other content, but more importantly, it is also the ID used to access other in-built platform services like Zune Pass music subscription and Windows Live-connected services like Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and obviously, Windows Live Messenger and Facebook chat. What if I want to share my purchased apps with my wife but we want to have our own Windows Live-connected services on our phones? It is impossible today without sharing a Live ID, but SkyDrive, IM, Facebook, Twitter, etc. are services which don't translate well with a shared Live ID. On the other hand, iOS/iTunes allows you to use a different ID to purchase apps/content from the store, than from the one you associate with the device. So I envision that in Windows Phone you still enter a Windows Live ID at setup, which will tie the ID to all your platform services like SkyDrive, IM, Facebook, Twitter, etc., but when it comes time to purchase apps or content, you can choose which ID to use.
- DLNA, Play To: When Windows Phone launched, DLNA capability was used by LG as a differentiator for their phones. Now that the initial launch dust has settled, it is about time Windows Phone included DLNA/Play To feature across the OS. This will be a good response to AirPlay which is one of the few really magical technologies that have come out of Apple. If I could beam my recently captured photos/videos from my Windows Phone to the TV via the XBOX or a TV-connected Windows 7 PC, it would be awesome.
- [Updated 7/29/2011] Voice commands for Music/Zune: How could I miss this one? One feature that seems to be missing from Mango is the ability to use the excellent voice commands for Music playback (including of course podcasts), including controls like pause, play, stop and skip. I hope at least this one is a surprise feature in RTM which we have not seen in the beta builds.
Do you have anything else you would add to this list? Let me know!


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Vatican Rejects Allegations Against Pope and More
What's News: The Vatican speaks out about allegations against Pope Francis. Inventors rushing to get patent applications filed before new changes go into effect. Carnival Corp announces plans to spend $800 million to get its fleet in ship shape. Photo: AP
This transcript has been automatically generated and may not be 100% accurate.
... the allegations against a new hope ... this is what's news at this hour I'm WS J live I'm Kelsey Havre ... just days after Cardinal Jose Maria Bertolli a was chosen as Pope ... the Vatican is swiftly taking steps to discredit allegations against him ... that he did not do enough to protect activist priest ... during the military dictatorship that ruled Argentina from nineteen seventy six to nineteen eighty three ... the Vatican said the allegations made by a journalist go back many years and have no merit and are firmly and clearly denied ... inventors are rushing to get patent applications filed before new changes to the system goes into effect which could make it more difficult and costly to win protection for new ideas ... for decades the United States has fallen to first to invent fifteen when granting patents but on sadder day will switch to the first to file system ... the change means that had an office will give priority to those who filed the application first ... regardless of their evidence someone else they've come up with the idea earlier ... the move puts the U S more in line with how the rest of the world grants patterns that some fear it could hurt small businesses in us innovation overall ... carnival core of announced plans to spend eight hundred million dollars to get its fleet and sixty eight ... the world's largest cruise line operator finance chief said the fleet has gotten a bit old for the company will be spending more than in recent years ... Carnival posted a profit for its latest quarter but issued a downbeat outlook for the remainder of the year ... the county it's been hit with a series of public relations disasters including the recent incident of the ship Triumph which lost power screening passengers three days in the Gulf of Mexico ... and the cost of can Chordia which racked up the coast of Italy ... killing thirty two people in two thousand and twelve ... looking keep us in on all the latest news developments throughout the day on what's news on WS J live ...


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Water damage is the most devastating blow to a home. The time it takes for a pipe to burst is the time it takes for your life to change. When you walk into a room with wet carpet, ruined drywall, soggy rugs, damaged furniture or destroyed mementos – your life is altered forever. The worst is yet to come though. To restore your home you need the best water damage company in Cedar Crest.
Mold is part of nature. There are thousands of types of mold and each serves its own purpose. Molds purpose in a home – to really mess your life up. Water damage companies in Cedar Crest, Virginia focus on mold removal as well. Get this horrible mess in your life cleared up fast and easy.
Not only is mold unsightly, it can smell horribly and worse yet cause a wide variety of health issues. Everything from headaches to nausea, flu like symptoms caused by mold, allergic reactions, even death. All because water damage did not get cleaned up properly.
That little leak turned into a big mess which when not taken care of properly, can alter your life forever. Fortunately, you have found the right place. We specialize in water damage restoration, fixing water in basement issues, water repair and removal.
The time is now to take your home back from the enemy – water damage. With our water damage company on your side, you can sit back while we win the battle for you and reclaim your house.
Pick up the phone right now and let the local experts solve your problems before they get even worse. This flooding disaster will only compound the longer you wait.
When you are searching for a water damage company in Cedar Crest, Virginia, you need someone fast and professional. Obviously there is a problem with your property and you need to move quickly before the issues causing even more headaches. Do not hesitate – Call Us RIGHT NOW and let the experts handle your water mitigation needs.
Superstorm Sandy has caused widespread flooding and wind damage in the northeast. If your property ...
It is difficult to know when you can clean up water damage yourself, or when you need to bring in a ...
Frozen pipes are a nightmare to deal with. Learn steps to take to prevent freezing temperatures ...


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FedEx Ship Manager Software
The solution to your growing shipping needs
An advanced shipping solution for heavy volume shippers that need:
International Priority Distribution (IPD) shipment support
Deliver a bulk shipment from an origin to multiple delivery addresses within a single destination country.
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For assistance on FedEx automation products and applications, please call our Technical Support Hotline or
email our Helpdesk support.


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Researchers find association between abnormal tau and damaged brain cell DNA
Scientists have identified a possible cellular mechanism triggered by oxidative stress and DNA damage that is linked to tau, a protein commonly seen in the brains of people with Alzheimer's disease and certain other neurodegenerative diseases called "tauopathies." The effect was observed in fruit fly and mouse tauopathy models and in human Alzheimer's brains.
The laboratory study, led by researchers at Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School in Boston, and supported in part by NIA, was published online January 26 in Nature Neuroscience. The research suggested a novel pathway in tauopathies by which oxidative stress may lead to a change in chromatin, a complex of DNA and proteins that is found in the nucleus of a cell, that is not seen in the normal aging brain. The analysis indicated that the way genes are expressed in Alzheimer's brains because of this change in chromatin is consistent with a shift toward a less mature genetic state.
The data identified chromatin as a potential therapeutic target in Alzheimer's disease and suggested one mechanism by which changes in chromatin are associated with aberrant gene expression, and, ultimately, neurodegeneration in tau-related brain disorders. Further research may reveal additional mechanisms.
Reference: Frost B, et al. Tau promotes neurodegeneration through global chromatin relaxation. Nature Neuroscience, published online Jan. 26, 2014; DOI: 10.1038/nn.3639.


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At GRCC we strive to make higher education accessible to everyone who wishes to achieve their academic as well as their personal goals. In Student Success and Retention, we primarily focus on two of GRCC's five values: Access and Student Success.
Student Success and Retention inspires and empowers students to be life-long learners who meet the demands of the statewide and global community.
Student Success and Retention provides transformative opportunities for all learners to attain their personal, academic and career goals.


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Global Bioinformatics Market is Expected to Reach USD 9.1 Billion in 2018: Transparency Market Research
28 Nov, 2012, 09:45 GMT
ALBANY, New York, November 28, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --
According to a new market report "Bioinformatics Market - Global Industry Size, Market Share, Trends, Analysis and Forecast, 2012 - 2018," published by Transparency Market Research (http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com), the global bioinformatics market is estimated to reach market size worth USD 9.1 Billion in 2018. The market is forecasted to record double digit growth, with highest revenue contribution from the bioinformatics platforms segment.
Browse the full report at http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/bioinformatics-market.html
The global bioinformatics market, estimated at USD 2.3 billion in 2012 is forecasted to reach a market size of USD 9.1 billion in 2018, at a CAGR of 25.4% from 2012 - 2018. The market growth is driven by rise in applications across various industries. The key contribution to the market demand is from fields such as agriculture biotechnology, pharmaceutical research and development, medical and clinical diagnostics, and other life-sciences related industries.
The bioinformatics platform holds the largest market share and is estimated to account for nearly 50% of the market revenue. The services market currently holds a relatively smaller market share, however is expected to increase considerably over the forecast period. The bioinformatics platform segment is the fastest growing market and is expected to contribute 54% of the total market growth during the same period.
Related & Recently Published Reports by Transparency Market Research
The demand across genomics and wide application in the medical and biological information sector is driving the demand for bioinformatics platforms and services in the global market. The research outsourcing by pharmaceutical giants in the fields involving bioinformatics content is a significant driver of the global bioinformatics market. These companies in efforts to reduce time and cost on R&D activities involved in the development of novel drugs and new applications for existing drugs, are looking for outsourcing services for bioinformatics knowledge and management tools, platforms, and services.
Among the regional markets, North America holds the largest share; however, is forecasted to be succeeded by Europe as the leading market share holder in 2018, due to fast growth shown by major European markets such as Germany and U.K. Europe is forecasted to be the fastest growing region, with growth mainly driven by rising government support for R&D activities in the region. The bioinformatics services market in Europe and North America is well developed and organized whereas it is still in initial growth stage in emerging markets of Asia Pacific region.
The report analyzes the global bioinformatics market growth across various segments such as knowledge management tools, platforms, and services. The in-depth analysis includes analysis of sub-segments up to three levels, with cross sectional analysis on the basis of geographical and regional market size and forecasts. The cross-sectional analysis of the global bioinformatics market based on applications further provides market growth potential across various end user industries. The segments considered on the basis of application are - molecular medicine, gene therapy, drug development and preventive medicine.
Browse all Pharmaceutical Market Research Reports: http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/pharmaceutical-market-reports-1.html
Upcoming Reports in Pharmaceutical Industry
Membrane Bioreactor (MBR) Market
Autologous Cell Therapy Market
Hormone Replacement Therapy Market
Freeze Drying Equipment Market
Next Generation Sequencers Market
About Us
Transparency Market Research is a global market intelligence company, providing global business information reports and services. Our exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trends analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. We are privileged with highly experienced team of Analysts, Researchers, and Consultants, who use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather, and analyze information.
Our data repository is continuously updated and revised by a team of research experts, so that it always reflects the latest trends and information. With a broad research and analysis capability, Transparency Market Research employs rigorous primary and secondary research techniques in developing distinctive data sets and research material for business reports.
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SOURCE Transparency Market Research


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Western Digital has released a new range of Passport Portable Drives, which it says have grown in storage capacity and shrunk in size.
The company makes the announcement on the fiftieth anniversary since IBM shipped its first hard disk - the refrigerator-sized IBM RAMAC 650 HDD.
The WD drives are now shipping in 60, 80, 120 and 160GB formats, which weigh less than five ounces.
The drives are encrypted and come packaged with synchronisation and search software.
Western Digital also announced it is in production of 160GB Scorpio 2.5-inch hard drives.
The drives use perpendicular magnetic recording technology (PMR) to achieve the high capacity.
With PMR technology, the magnetisation of each data bit is aligned vertically to the spinning disk, rather than longitudinally as has been the case in hard drive technology for decades. This enables more data on a given disk than is possible with conventional longitudinal recording, and provides a platform for future expansion of hard drive densities.
The company entered the mobile hard drive market in October 2004.
WD Scorpio 160 GB drives are available at $180. ®


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Viewing Your Account Balance in MyCCRI
Students may view their account balance in their MyCCRI accounts.
Please note that it is best to use Mozilla Firefox as your browser for Refunds and Payments.
|Instructions and Screenshots
Step 1
Login to your MyCCRI
Step 2
To view your account balance, click the My Account tab
Step 3
To view a detailed summary of your account, click the View Account Activity button
Step 4
Select the appropriate transaction term by clicking on the down arrow and then click Go
Step 5
|Your account Activity for the transaction term selected will be displayed. If you wish to make a payment, scroll down to the bottom of the page and click the Make a Payment button.
Return to MyCCRI Documentation Page »
This page developed and maintained by the Information Technology Department. Send comments and suggestions to [email protected] .


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He came to bury his nephew, not to praise him. But some of us won't allow it.
Ruslan Tsarni abhors what his nephews are accused of, killing three people and injuring 264 in the attack at the Boston Marathon. In a press conference after the bombings, Tsarni called the Tsarnaev brothers "losers" who had "put a shame on our entire family."
Unlike the bombers' parents — absent at best, unhinged at worst — Tsarni was a picture of dignity. He was blameless, but said he would kneel before the victims' families, seeking forgiveness.
"I love this country," Tsarni said. "This country, which gives a chance to everybody . . . to be treated as a human being."
His patriotic certainty must be shakier today. Over the last week, too many in the country Tsarni loves have made it clear they believe not everybody should be treated as a human being. The manager of a city famous for its tolerance said it could not tolerate the reviled Tamerlan Tsarnaev's body being interred in Cambridge because his grave would bring ugly protests.
The protesters outside the Worcester funeral home where Tsarni washed and shrouded his nephew's body have wrapped themselves in American flags, as if they speak for a nation. They would defile Tsarnaev's corpse. "I don't want to even live in this state if he is buried here," one said. "He needs to be fed to the sharks," said another. Grieving families at the immensely compassionate Peter Stefan's funeral home have endured expletives and calls of "Go back to Russia!" even though they are unconnected to Tsarnaev.
It's sickening, because every day we spend talking about Tsarnaev's body is another we take from talking about the victims. It's another day distracting us from getting to the bottom of how two pathetic creatures such as the brothers Tsarnaev managed to upend our lives.
It's sickening, too, because of what it says about us. And we do need to talk about that. If we begin to judge who is worthy of burial, and who is not – which, make no mistake, is the precedent being set here – where does it end?
Plenty of others have been controlled by irrational thoughts the way the Tsarnaevs were. Many are broken, as Adam Lanza and Seung-Hui Cho demonstrate all too well. As much as we'd like to fully dissociate ourselves from that evil, we can't. They're human, like us.
We have buried men like this. We have also buried Mafia bosses, some of them mass murderers, sometimes with grand funerals. Do their bodies better deserve to be treated as human, their relatives' wishes better deserve honoring, because they were motivated by greed and sadism, rather than a twisted, hateful sense of injustice?
Will the aged Whitey Bulger – accused of murdering 19 people, for profit, pride, and pleasure – be left lying in a funeral home when his time comes because people are outraged at the evil of his alleged acts?
No. So far, we appear to have decided we should withhold burial from only one kind of irrational killer: the one who is not American, the one who kills in the name of Islam. And in so doing, we play right into the hands of others like him. By treating even the most despicable person as less than human, we become less human ourselves. And then who are we to judge?
This should not be about Tsarnaev, who died for his heinous acts. It should be about his uncle Ruslan, an American who stood up against his own blood, then put that anger aside to tend to his nephew's flesh, to bury that empty vessel, in accordance with his beliefs.
And it should be about us. We said this attack wouldn't change us, but it has. Or perhaps, more depressing, we were like this all along.
"We are not barbarians," Worcester Police Chief Gary Gemme said. "We bury the dead."
Right now that is more wish than fact.
Yvonne Abraham is a Globe columnist. She can be reached at email@example.com


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Nathan Smith
Great write-up. It's good to see more attention being given to semantics, and implictly increased style-ability, for tables. I admit that back in the dark days of table design, I often found little use for Tbody or Tfoot, or the like, since all we were using tables for was presentation (tisk tisk). And, now that most layouts are done in CSS, entire months will go by without having to deal with tables at all. Thanks for reminding us about proper usage, and helping to merge the old-school with new methods. Also, gotta love the candy-cane holiday zebra-striped theme!


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The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Julius Genachowski has asked congressional leaders for more time to deliver the much anticipated National Broadband Plan, ...
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Julius Genachowski has asked congressional leaders for more time to deliver the much anticipated National Broadband Plan, now due Feb. 17. According to Government Computer News (GCN), Genachowski said that,"this extension will not affect the FCC's budget for the National Broadband Plan, which was mandated as part of the National Recovery Act, and asked that it be accepted March 17."
This entire process, which was kicked off last April, has taken much longer than orginally anticipated. The plan is an important driver for the nation's economic recovery. State and local governments have been very engaged in this broadband planning process, and many state planners are waiting eagerly for the final plan which will provide more guidance. Here's another excerpt from the GCN article:
"The goals are to ensure access to broadband capability for all Americans, provide a detailed strategy for affordability and adoption of broadband and to maximize utilization of broadband and craft a strategy for using broadband to achieve national purposes. Under the plan, grants will be provided by the Agriculture Department's Rural Utilities Service and the Commerce Department's National Telecommunications and Information Administration."
The commission invited broad public participation in developing the plan, and this summer launched a blog called Blogband , to chronicle development of the plan and invite comment. It also launched a Twitter channel to report progress on the National Broadband Plan."
State and local governments have been eagerly waiting to find out who will receive grants in their state. State-specific plans will depend upon national decisions.
Meanwhile, in a related development, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has announced that they are examining cloud computing's privacy and security implications for consumers. The FTC wants its findings to be considered as the FCC formulates the National Broadband Plan.
Information Week ran a story on this topic, and here is an interesting quote:
"[T]he ability of cloud computing services to collect and centrally store increasing amounts of consumer data, combined with the ease with which such centrally stored data may be shared with others, create a risk that larger amounts of data may be used by entities in ways not originally intended or understood by consumers," wrote FTC attorney David C. Vladeck in a letter to FCC Secretary Marlene H. Dortch.
One interesting note: the timing of the upcoming FTC roundtable discussions on the implications of cloud security and privacy, the last of which is scheduled for March 17, does not work with the February release schedule for the National Broadband Plan. So what does this mean?
I agree with Thomas Claburn of Information Week that, "The letter appears to be a reminder to the FCC, as it comes up with a broadband framework for the U.S., to save a place at the table for the FTC."
What are your thoughts on the National Broadband Plan and/or your views on how the plan relates to cloud computing?
Looking for the latest gov tech news as it happens? Subscribe to GT newsletters.


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Man indicted in death of University of New Hampshire college student
Seth Mazzaglia facing charges in Lizzi Marriott's death
An indictment was returned Wednesday against a New Hampshire man in connection with the death of a Westborough woman who was killed last year.
Seth Mazzaglia was indicted on charges including first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit hindering apprehension or prosecution in the death of Elizabeth "Lizzi" Marriott.
Prosecutors allege Mazzaglia strangled Marriott, a University of New Hampshire student, at his Dover, N.H., apartment on Oct. 9. Her body was never found.
Bob and Melissa Marriott said they are "satisfied with the indictment," but said the arrest warrants and affidavits may contain statements from Mazzaglia that "suggest that Lizzi's murder was the accidental consequence of a bizarre, abnormal consensual act."
"The statements are a complete fabrication and are more indicative of Mr. Mazzaglia's twisted sense of reality and responsibility as opposed to Lizzi's character and the life she led for 19 years. In short, the statements of Mr. Mazzaglia are at odds with many of the allegations in the indictment and should be viewed with extreme skepticism," the family said in a statement.
Earlier this month, Kathryn McDonough, 19, of Portsmouth, was indicted in connection with the case. Prosecutors allege that she gave a false alibi for her and Mazzaglia's whereabouts.


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Fashion Week's Most Sought-After Party Planner
Nicky Balestrieri is the party planner brands count on to create buzzy, distinctive events around fashion week. He joins Lunch Break. Photo: Rebecca Greenfield for The Wall Street Journal.
This transcript has been automatically generated and may not be 100% accurate.
I ... you'll actually ... these are just a simple so ... now to try and stand out from the pack when so many men Sichuan all many ... times did that from Auntie Plan A Miki ... polystyrene who has created the buzzing of ads for friends like for set weights Mattel and targets and one from Wal communicate to them ... his policy so I'm you just in your just the money for the fiscal this ... yet ... and to um what do you do the drums punch ... talkers ... and has a new collection called the awful collection It's their foray into the more style set somewhere in the evolution of the visor care company ... so he did with fashion week was ... to make some noise about their brands and find a new aesthetic for what is the cost of perception and doctors ... so we did for them um was ... kind of create this very California cool five Doctor sentences go brands worth ... we ... my agency can go about it and design ... in an editorial ... so we think about ... what's current cool interesting and Stephen Sysco and interpret that to them and and and and it's not not just that the fixings you try to make it fits into the due date Saturday mornings from rock to sit to tell us yes absolutely and and and it was alot of designers in the city who tend to give the parties and such a beautiful table ... for us and what I have done kind of termite unique history as a false sense of theater ... but that really means It's understanding that the gases coming into your home ... or how scared and stay ... for ... a few hours here to entertain them energy and teach them ... so ... from the design to the interactions performance ... to presentation ... Cobain perform the actual musical talent ... all but can be kind of created and designed in a way that ... it's time like interactive feature ... I've always been inspired by has become more ... and come back to you or so I've been on the editorial side and you try to approach a twenty seventeen and edits for what ... you get your stuff to to stand out when you when you send an invitation and people get invitations ... tend to get a lot ... of people that don't get invitations to get mom ... like many ... many would tell tell us ... clients of a dozen editor for farmer's market or so my opportunity I was a was like I got four hundred cases a week to come see this new phone launching this new gene or something along those lines ... so um I can't say I started designing events ... my concepts ... assertive applies ... what's mimic the petitions on top ... so ... at that time I was working for company called extracts from aam which was that people magazine's marketing company Mr. thinking about ... events as ... a magazine so instead of the TBR issue ... what if we substituted the subject matter that with the central thesis of the issue ... to maybe perhaps a brands ... so if it was doctors and it was awesome it ... how to be one I'd talk about talkers ... so we thought about the cool restaurant right and and and informed all the fruits of the talk about thirteen he talked about the fire and water ... really really cool cutting edge Hugo California rest ... we thought about ... on building on the south out of reclaimed wood or about materials ... all the flowers were built the succulents all about the trends in their respective interior design for old times disease ... so if I was having a coffee in a ... couple of weeks and let's face it it's Neil there isn't room to swing a cat aam and and and most apartments in your what would it for me or anyone else what would you suggest we didn't ... make it special ... I am ... but how can a more mature brands ... I ... know I'm I'm I'm interested in ... in different formats for about so and ... I think you know one of the things that I'd I'd I'd love and like to be interpreted as the idea of a progressive dinner ... aam I think that that's kind of a bygone era type thing and I might be interesting ... to I think about ... maybe if your challenge is one small apartments and you think about it and three ... sweet group of snow on the kinds of stuff to the other two ... thank you Brian much better to keep the story only advice is that


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by Matt Slick
The Old Testament has 39 books total, which consist of . . .
Pentateuch - 5 books
Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy
Historical Books - 12 books
Joshua, Judges, Ruth, First Samuel, Second Samuel, First Kings, Second Kings,
First Chronicles, Second Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther
Poetic books - 5 books
Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Solomon
Prophetic books - 17 books
Major Prophets - Isaiah, Jeremiah, Lamentations, Ezekiel, Daniel
Minor Prophets - Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk,
Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi
A list of books with brief descriptions of contents.
Pentateuch - 5 books
- Genesis - Creation, the Fall, the Flood, the spread of the nations, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph. Enslavement in Egypt.
- Exodus - Enslavement, Moses, ten plagues, Passover, Leave Egypt, Red Sea Crossing, Mt. Sinai and the 10 Commandments
- Leviticus - Instructions on the sacrificial system and the priesthood. Instructions on moral purity.
- Numbers - Still at Mt. Sinai, people make false idol, punishment, 40-years wandering begins.
- Deuteronomy - Moses' discourses on God's Acts for Israel the Decalogue, the ceremonial, civil, and social Laws, and covenant ratification.
Historical Books - 12 books total
- Joshua - First half of Joshua describes the 7-year conquest of the Land of Promise. The last half deals with partitioning the lands to the people.
- Judges - Time of Judges. This was a bad time period. The Israelites did not drive out all the inhabitants of Canaan and began to take part in their idolatry. 7 cycles of foreign oppression, repentance, and deliverance. In the end, the people failed to learn their lesson.
- Ruth - Kinsman Redeemer in Boaz, redeeming Ruth, a Moabitess. Speaks of righteousness, love, and faithfulness to the Lord.
The next 6 books trace the time from Samuel to the Captivity
- First Samuel - Samuel carries Israel from judges to King Saul
- Second Samuel - David as King, adultery, and murder.
- First Kings - Solomon, Israel is powerful. Solomon dies, then division of tribes: 10 to the north and 2 to the south.
- Second Kings - The Divided Kingdom. All 19 kings of Israel were bad, therefore, captivity in Assyria (722 B.C.). In Judah, 8 of 20 rulers were good but went into exile, too.
- First Chronicles - A recounting of the history of Israel to the time of Solomon.
- Second Chronicles - continued recounting of the life of Solomon, building of temple, to the captivity. History of Judah only.
The Next 3 books deal with Israel's Restoration.
- Ezra - Cyrus let most of the Jews return to their land of Israel. Zerubbabel led the people (539 B.C.). Ezra returned later with more Jews (458 B.C.) Built the temple.
- Nehemiah - Building the walls of Jerusalem. Nehemiah got permission from the king of Persia to rebuild the walls (444 B.C.). Revival in the land.
- Esther - Took place during chapters 6 and 7 of Ezra. Mordecai. Plot to kill the Jewish people.
Poetical - 5 books
- Job - a righteous man tested by God. Deals with God's sovereignty.
- Psalms - Consists of 5 divisions. Worship in song. Large variety of subjects.
- Proverbs - Practical wisdom in everyday affairs.
- Ecclesiastes - All is vanity. The wisdom of man is futility.
- Song of Solomon - A song (between Solomon and his Shulammite bride) displaying the love between a man and a woman.
Prophetical - 17 books
Major Prophets - 5 books
- Isaiah - Looks at the sin of Judah and proclaims God's judgment. Hezekiah. Coming restoration and blessing.
- Jeremiah - Called by God to proclaim the news of judgment to Judah, which came. God establishes a New Covenant.
- Lamentations - 5 lament poems. Description of defeat and fall of Jerusalem.
- Ezekiel - He ministered to the Jews in Captivity in Babylon. Description of the end of times.
- Daniel - Many visions of the future for the Gentiles and the Jews.
Minor Prophets - 12 books
- Hosea - Story of Hosea and his unfaithful wife, Gomer. Represents God's love and faithfulness and Israel's spiritual adultery. Israel will be judged and restored.
- Joel - Proclaims a terrifying future using the imagery of locusts. Judgment will come, but blessing will follow.
- Amos - He warned Israel of its coming judgment. Israel rejects God's warning.
- Obadiah - A proclamation against Edom, a neighboring nation of Israel that gloated over Jerusalem's judgments. Prophecy of its utter destruction.
- Jonah - Jonah proclaims a coming judgment upon Nineveh's people, but they repented, and judgment was spared.
- Micah - Description of the complete moral decay in all levels of Israel. God will judge but will forgive and restore.
- Nahum - Nineveh has gone into apostasy (approx. 125 years after Jonah) and will be destroyed.
- Habakkuk - Near the end of the kingdom of Judah, Habakkuk asks God why He is not dealing with Judah's sins. God says He will use the Babylonians. Habakkuk asks how God can use a nation that is even worse than Judah.
- Zephaniah - The theme is developed of the Day of the Lord and His judgment with a coming blessing. Judah will not repent except for a remnant, which will be restored.
- Haggai - The people failed to put God first by building their houses before they finished God's temple. Therefore, they had no prosperity.
- Zechariah - Zechariah encourages the Jews to complete the temple. Many messianic prophecies.
- Malachi - God's people are lax in their duty to God. Growing distant from God. Moral compromise. Proclamation of coming judgment.


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This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2012, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
State wildlife officials are calling a coyote attack on a female security guard at Kennecott Utah Copper Monday night "rare" and "strange."
At 9:45 p.m. Monday, a contracted security officer staffing the Kennecott entrance at 10200 South and 8400 West was in a booth when a coyote entered through the door and lunged at the woman.
"As the animal was engaging her, she put up her arm to defend herself, and she did get several bites on her forearm," said Kennecott spokesperson Kyle Bennett. "She was eventually able to get the animal out of the security station, and she called for backup."
Bennett said the woman was taken to Jordan Valley Medical Center where she was treated with "a few stitches" and released.
A Unified police officer responded to the scene and shot the coyote. The head of the canine was sent to the Unified State Laboratories managed by the Utah Department of Health early Tuesday for a rabies test. Authorities said results could come as early as Wednesday.
The rest of the coyote was sent to the Utah Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory for a necropsy.
"It looked healthy. We may know better after the rabies test and the necropsy what may have led to the attack," said John Shivik, mammal program coordinator for the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources (DWR). "This was an isolated, rare, strange and uncommon thing to happen. We need to figure out what was going on."
Leslie McFarlane, wildlife-disease coordinator for the DWR, said at least four bats from across Utah have tested positive for rabies this year, but it is uncommon for other mammals to carry the disease.
"In Utah, the only animals we see and have test positive for rabies are bats," she said. "Several years ago, we did have a fox bite a little boy and that was positive, but we really don't see it in other mammals too often."
Bennett said there have been no reports of coyote problems at that entrance or anywhere else on the approximately 100,000 acres Kennecott owns in the Oquirrh Mountains.
"We see wildlife frequently, but it is very unusual to have personal contact with an animal. This is the first attack I am aware of," Bennett said. "In the course of her job as she was entering the station the coyote came in and surprised her."


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Hollywood star Mel Gibson is among the celebrities, sportsmen and prominent business types named by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists for having business dealings in the tax haven of Jersey.
Most of the others named so far are British. Jersey, after all, is in the Channel Islands. Moreover the ICIJ has done a deal with The Guardian to eke out the names over coming days for maximum publicity; and for a political agenda. The newspaper is linking the identities with their Tory Party donations. It is a neat hustle indeed to buy political influence with the money you should have been paying in tax.
And, yes, they do it here too. The bigger licks go to the conservatives, but both sides of politics get donations from tax avoiders. Australia's largest coal company, for instance, Glencore Xstrata - which pays little income tax on its enormous coal revenues in this country - donates to both parties, though the Liberals get the lion's share.
Whether a tax scheme is legal or not, is one thing - perhaps a thing that can only be settled by a tortuous case in the Federal Court at taxpayers' expense - whether it is ethical, is another. And a large part of the ethics hinges on the source of the income. If you make it here, then siphon it off to Switzerland, you have probably done the wrong thing.
A recent story about Malcolm Turnbull in the Fairfax press put the spotlight on his investment in a vulture fund based in the Caribbean. Let's not forget that the Future Fund itself has 43 subsidiaries in tax havens, including 35 in the Cayman Islands alone. While we are not flying the flag for these schemes, it should be said a distinction can be made between investment and concealment.
Eugene Wong, Malcolm Turnbull's former tax manager at PwC, says Turnbull shied away from offshore structures when he had a ''tax problem'' in the early 2000s. Along with Trevor Kennedy and Sean Howard, Turnbull had sold OzEmail to MCI WorldCom in 1999 for $520 million. On top of his one-third of that, Turnbull had a large capital gain to deal with from the sale of his partnership shares in Goldman Sachs. He didn't run his profits offshore, nor did he run with a nursing home scheme, as proposed, and he certainly did not go with a film proposal from the late Babcock & Brown, says Wong.
''To be fair to Malcolm, he chose not to enter into any tax planning and even said it was because he had future political aspirations and didn't want any tax skeletons in his closet,'' Wong told BusinessDay.
The basics of tax law have it that a transaction should not be principally for tax purposes but rather for commercial purposes first. Turnbull appears to be kosher on this.
The affairs of a Mel Gibson, or a Paul Hogan for that matter, are different again. For a start, both of them live overseas. The product that they sell, film, is marketed and sold around the world.
Given the multitude of jurisdictions in which they sell this product, if they did not have an offshore structure their earnings would be eaten up in tax in 40 countries. The point being that having an offshore structure is not necessarily wrong.
Still, the Project Wickenby crackdown stung some high-profile people, including Paul Hogan. (Hogan settled confidentially with the ATO early last year.)
Whether they deserved to be prosecuted is not for debate here. Pinging celebrities is a diversion from the main game. Tax agencies reap big headlines from chasing big names - being seen to be doing their job - while multinationals are making far more money in this country then shuffling it to offshore tax havens.
The likes of Apple, Google, Amazon, Glencore; they rack up billions in income in Australia and pay virtually no income tax. They shift their profits to tax havens. News Corporation even received an $882 million tax rebate last year.
For individuals and corporations alike, the naming and shaming is a good thing, a modest deterrent perhaps for those who are capable of feeling shame. Linking tax dodgers to political donations is a good step too.
But the main game should be enforcing the laws without fear and favour. The laws are already in place, they don't require the imprimatur of a G20, they just need to be enforced by our sovereign authorities.
Michael West comments on companies, markets and the economy. He is a former SMH business editor.


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The Poetic Research Bureau, eohippus labs, ENTROPY, & Insert Blanc Press.
guest presses & projects:
Wonder, KRUPSKAYA, Les Figues Press, Hex Presse, Portable Press @ Yo-Yo Labs, DUM DUM Zine, Primrose Press, Econo Textual Objects, Copilot Press, ypolita press, MONDO BUMMER, Outside Gallery, Phoneme Media, Tripwire, Círculo de Poesía, Valparaiso Editions, Unnamed Press, Rebel Hands Press, Los Angeles Contemporary Archive, The Unwrinkled Ear.
Stephanie Sauer, Raquel Gutiérrez, Tia Blassingame, Carrie Hunter, Amy Berkowitz, Amanda Ackerman, Harold Abramowitz, Andrea Quaid, Michelle Detorie, Brenda Iijima, Taleen Kali, Teresa Carmody, Janice Lee, Ben Fama, Syd Staiti, Trisha Low, Lauren Levin, Kim Calder, Joseph Mosconi, Andrew Maxwell, Mathew Timmons, Greg Curtis, David Shook, Roberto Castillo, Mijail Lamas, Olivia Taylor Smith, Jeremy Kennedy, j. shelley harrison, mark rice, Guan Rong, Eric Kim, Andrew Choate, Kathleen Kim, Brian Griffith, Monica McClure, Sun Araw, Aaron Beasley.
2806 1/2 Lincoln Park Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90031
Insert Blanc Press & Outside Gallery are located around the corner and adjacent to the backhouse at 2806 1/2 Lincoln Park Ave., a more accurate yet fictitious address would be 3613 Pomona St., Los Angeles, CA 90031.
Insert Blanc Press and Outside Gallery present
- Greg Curtis: Step & Repeat - 7pm
- Performances readings and translation - 8:00 pm w/ Phoneme Media: David Shook, Roberto Castillo, Anthony Seidman; Tripwire: David Buuck; Círculo de Poesía & Valparaiso Editions: Mijail Lamas & Sergio Eduardo Cruz
- Performances, readings and the archives - 9:00 pm w/ Unnamed Press: Debbie Graber; Rebel Hands Press: Jeremy Kennedy, j. shelley harrison, Mark Rice; Los Angeles Contemporary Archive: Kelman Duran
- Performances, vocalizations and improvisation - 10:00 pm w/ The Unwrinkled Ear: Andrew Choate, Brian James Griffith, Kathleen Kim, and Sun Araw
Saturday October 22 from 1-3 pm @ Ave 50 Studio
131 N Avenue 50, Los Angeles, CA 90042
- eohippus labs will be hosting a panel that wishes to ask how publishing is an act of writing with Raquel Gutiérrez of Econo-Textual Objects, Stephanie Sauer of Copilot Press, Tia Blassingame of Primrose Press, Carrie Hunter of ypolita press, and Amy Berkowitz of MONDO BUMMER! -- Panel will be moderated by Andrea Quaid.
- Food Intermission: Food & drinks & delicious edibles, catered by SOO N Food!
Saturday October 22 from 3:30-5:30 pm @ Ave 50 Studio 131 N Avenue 50, Los Angeles, CA 90042
- Entropy will be hosting a panel on interspecies communication with Brenda Iijima of Portable Press at Yo-Yo Labs, Teresa Carmody of Les Figues Press, Taleen Kali of DUM DUM Zine, & Michelle Detorie of Hex Presse.
The Poetic Research Bureau hosts
Krupskaya Press
& Wonder Press
"Wonder & Krupskaya Eat Dim Sum Together."
- Films by Syd Staiti
- IRL Live podcast with Ben Fama and Monica McClure, with Trisha Low and Joseph Mosconi
- Reading by Lauren Levin
- Dim sum will be provided.
951 Chung King Rd. Chinatown, Los Angeles, CA 90012
Open Press hosts "A Finale Reading."
Readings from:
- David Shook
- Anthony Seidman
- Guan Rong
- Monica McClure
- Trisha Low
- Brenda Iijima
- Sergio Eduardo Cruz
- Kim Calder
- Amy Berkowitz
- Aaron Beasley
- more TBA