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Working for the ICRC: committed professionals and people
ICRC policy on human resources, and information useful for future employees
Challenges, requirements and constraints
Those who work for the ICRC must have great personal and professional qualities. ICRC staff work in complex situations that are often out of the ordinary and sometimes dangerous. They must be efficient, humane, display great integrity and maturity, demonstrate their motivation for humanitarian action and have a solid potential for personal development.
Availability and flexibility
Professional experience and complete training at the outset are sine qua non conditions for employment at the ICRC. Experience of life and the ability to cope with difficulties will also help staff meet the challenges of humanitarian work.
ICRC staff are willing to go anywhere at any time and are flexible. They respond to priorities that may shift from one minute to the next. They are able to handle the unexpected. They have the capacity to adapt quickly to new constraints.
Team work
Expatriates are accustomed to uncertainty. They cope with sudden changes in their professional lives that have repercussions on their private and social lives. They must be in a position to leave for any place at any time, as the situation requires. Field missions comprise risks. Everyone must limit those risks as much as possible, by scrupulously following ICRC security rules.
Other qualities required for employment at the ICRC include knowing how to work as part of a team, a fondness for contact with people from all walks of life and any background, and the ability to make decisions and act independently, to manage individual stress and tense situations.
While at the ICRC, staff members acquire skills that will stand them in good stead throughout their professional lives.
A multicultural staff
ICRC staff are men and women whose origins, nationalities and life stories are extremely diverse. All are motivated by a shared desire to serve a common ideal. It is thanks to this diversity that the ICRC can deploy all the facets of its operations, for which it needs specific competencies.
More than 90 nationalities are represented among the employees hired locally by ICRC delegations in the field. They bring to the ICRC their skills and their intimate knowledge of the environment and the local culture. They enable the ICRC to root its activities more firml in the reality of a country.
Policy of openness
In the past ten years, ICRC expatriate staff have become increasingly diverse as a result of the application of a policy of " internationalization " .
Until the early 1990s, ICRC expatriate staff were exclusively Swiss, for historical reasons relating to Switzerland's leading role in the founding of the Red Cross Movement. That policy also met the ICRC's need to be perceived as an organization whose vocation was strictly humanitarian in nature in a world that was deeply divided politically and ideologically.
Switzerland's policy of neutrality at that time enabled ICRC Swiss staff to earn the confidence of all. The ICRC was thus more easily able to carry out its protection and assistance activities for the victims, in most contexts of war and violence.
Developments in international relations have lessened the need for exclusively Swiss staff. The ICRC has therefore gradually developed a policy of openness in the recruitment of expatriate personnel.
In 2003, 49% of newly hired delegates were not Swiss. Among expatriate staff, 52% are Swiss and 48% come from 94 other countries.
Winning acceptance
The fact that its personnel is becoming increasingly diverse has not done away with the need for the ICRC to be accepted in the fraught environments in which it acts. Personnel bearing certain passports cannot be assigned to certain conflict situations. For political reasons, certain nationalities may be negatively perceived by the authorities of a State or the leaders of an armed movement.
If the ICRC wants to be effective, it must make allowances for those realities in its recruitment, assignment and long-term human resources management policies. It must also ensure the security of its staff members and guarantee the independence of its activities.
Ensuring the relevance and effectiveness of ICRC action on behalf of the victims requires a variety of professional skills.
Certain skills are requisite from day one for all staff. Others are acquired gradually, over time and with experience. Some are required only of specialists in specific fields.
Professional ethics
ICRC staff must not jar with the environment in which they work or with the organization's values. This requires respect for other people, sensitivity to the working environment, motivation and personal commitment.
Basic skills
All ICRC staff master, to varying degrees, a number of basic skills required to perform their mission: the ability to work as part of a team, to adapt and to learn; a sense of responsibility and independence; the ability to represent the organization; an aptitude for analysis and synthesis.
These skills have been identified on the basis of years of experience. The ICRC endeavours to hone them among all staff members, to varying degrees of sharpness, depending on the specific requirements of their posts.
Technical skills
Certain components of humanitarian action require specific expertise. ICRC specialized staff have technical skills acquired out side the organization, in financial management, war surgery, logistics, languages, etc.
Institutional competencies
Several competencies are specific to the ICRC's mandate, its activities and its programmes. They are therefore acquired only within the organization (law and principles, protection, assistance, the promotion and dissemination of humanitarian principles, cooperation with partners from the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement). It naturally falls to the ICRC to give its staff the means of acquiring these institutional competencies, which are developed through an ongoing training programme in the course of each staff member's career with the organization.
Managerial skills
Personnel responsible for overseeing the work of others develop managerial skills: heading a multinational and multicultural team; planning; organizing and evaluating activities; communication and the capacity to network; negotiation; the management of security. These skills are usually exercised in difficult contexts and must therefore be perfectly mastered.
Because the ICRC carries out a variety of activities, its staff members have a wide range of knowledge and professional experience, and may have expatriate or local status. No matter what their occupation, however, all staff work in the service of the same mission.
Two categories of occupation
There are two categories of occupation at the ICRC:
occupations requiring technical or academic training that are also practiced elsewhere: surgeon, doctor, nurse, agronomist, orthopaedist, secretary, mechanic, interpreter, IT technician, etc.;
occupations that are learned and exercised only at the ICRC, in connection with its specific activities: field officer, delegate, protection coordinator, head of delegation, etc.
Activities performed exclusively by expatriates
In situations of war, the ICRC does sensitive work that places its personnel at the heart of the underlying political, social, religious or ethnic tensions. Its activities must be carried out by people who are not connected to the situation or its history and have no stake in the outcome. This is why certain activities are performed exclusively by expatriate staff. In sensitive areas, expatriate status is the only means of guaranteeing free and independent action.
This policy is also intended to ensure that staff are not seen as being partial and are not subjected to pressure. It avoids burdening national staff with responsibilities that could have legal consequences for them or pose a risk to their lives and those of their families.
Occupations exercised exclusively by delegation employees
Many ICRC activities require in-depth knowledge of the country and an intimate understanding of the environment, its networks and its players. Expatriate staff do not possess that knowledge or understanding. Occupations requiring those specific competencies are therefore exercised by delegation employees, who are hired because of their local roots. Since they were raised in the context, they are familiar with all its subtleties.
Not all ICRC activities require the presence of expatriates. For many technical occupations, the ICRC turns to the skills available on the local labour market.
The activities
In their various occupations, ICRC staff may be called on to conduct widely varying tasks that can be divided into two categories:
basic ICRC activities, in particular those set forth in the Geneva Conventions, such as:
the protection of detainees and civilian populations,
the re-establishment of family ties and the tracing of missing persons,
the provision of food and material and medical assistance,
the promotion of international humanitarian law;
support activities that enable the ICRC to discharge its mission. These are essentially tasks relating to administration, financial management, information,
interpretation, logistics, transport and telecommunications.
Management functions
Following a period of activity with the organization, ICRC staff may be called on to exercise management responsibilities. The period in question varies from one person to another, with staff members becoming either managers specialized in one of the ICRC's activities, or managers with no specialization.
The occupations in brief
Synoptic table
Occupations relating to basic activities (detention, tracing, assistance, health, dissemination)
- Visiting delegate, tracing delegate, economic security delegate, dissemination delegate
- Lawyer
- Doctor
- Nurse
- Prosthetist
- Physiotherapist/kinesiotherapist
- Nutritionist
- Sanitary engineer
- Agronomist
- Veterinarian
- Tracing field officer, relief field officer, dissemination field officer, health field officer
- Etc.
Occupations relating to support activities (administration, finance, logistics, communication, transport)
- Administrator (business management and organization)
- Administrator (financial management)
- Relief administrator
- Medical administrator
- Logistician
- Construction specialist
- Mechanic
- Air traffic coordinator
- Flight coordinator
- Interpreter
- Inform ation and communication delegate
- Information field officer
- IT technician
- Telecommunication specialist
- Secretary
- Driver
- Etc.
Management functions
Synoptic table
Managers of basic activities
- Protection coordinator, relief coordinator, medical coordinator, dissemination coordinator, head of personnel
- Head of protection sector, head of communication sector, assistance programme leader, medical programme leader
Managers of support activities
- Administrative coordinator
- Head of finance sector
- Head of administrative sector
- Information systems administrator
Operational managers
- Head of delegation
- Head of subdelegation
- Regional delegate
- Head of operational region
- Non-specialized delegate
- Head of division
A strict recruitment process
The ICRC is always eager to recruit fresh talent - people and skills that will further its mission, the success of which depends largely on the motivation and professionalism of ICRC staff. The ICRC must always be able to call on appropriate people who can be rapidly deployed. Because of the special nature of working conditions in conflict zones, expatriate personnel are quite naturally rotated. Every year, therefore, the ICRC hires about 300 people for expatriate duties. During the same period, about 200 staff members will leave the organization after several years'experience, giving a new direction to their professional lives. Local personnel are recruited as a function of the conflict situation, of developments in it and of the possibilities for ICRC action.
Applicants are carefully scrutinized
The ICRC goes about recruiting its staff with great care. It takes account of the heavy responsibilities they will have to shoulder and the conditions in which they will work. It carefully screens and selects from the 5,500 applications it receives every year for expatriate work.
During the recruitment process, the applicants'professional profile and skills and their personal qualities and experience are assessed. The process comprises as a minimum the followings steps:
the establishment of a personal file (curriculum vitae, letter of application, copies of diplomas, testimonials and documents, references, an extract from police records);
one or several interviews with one or several ICRC representatives (administrative and/or operational staff);
language tests.
Depending on the post the candidate is applying for, the procedure comprises other steps, such as an assessment or technical tests.
Criteria and procedures
The recruitment criteria and procedures differ for expatriate posts and delegation employees. Expatriates are recruited by the Human Resources Department at ICRC headquarters in Geneva. National staff are hired in the field, under the responsibility of the ICRC's delegations.


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Nutrition is every bit as important as exercise to promote a healthy lifestyle. Maintaining a good diet can be every bit as hard as maintaining a good exercise routine. It is easy to get sidetracked by the countless fast food, fast coffee, and sweet treats out there.
We all know the fast food is loaded with bad stuff that makes it taste good, and is not conducive with a healthy lifestyle. There are some obvious nutritional nightmares out there too. But the one that is often overlooked is the quick drinks (like coffee). Now, a regular cup of regular coffee is not so bad. But the flavored, syrupy, speciality coffee can be packed full of empty Calories. A lot more than you would think. Feel free to check the nutrition facts on the Starbucks website sometime.
This brings us to juicers. A juicer is a great way to eliminate the preservatives, coloring, and unnecessary elements that most big companies put into their juices. Blending protein shakes is a great way to improve your workout results, but when you start juicing, a whole new world of nutrition opens up. Fruit juice, vegetable juice, delicious combinations of the best nature has to offer.
Changing how you eat is an obvious dietary health advanatage, but be sure to not overlook what you drink too.
This post was written by Joseph Mackay on January 28, 2009

subset: commoncrawl


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In Berlin, a Politically Charged Group Show Considers the Artist as Witness
A prominent and influential conceptual artist, Sarkis Zabunyan, known as Sarkis, has produced films, drawings, texts, photographs, and site-specific works that explore wide-ranging themes, including his own physical and psychological experience and issues of exile, freedom, and cultural difference. In his exhibition "Izik/Twin" (2013), he responded to the gallery space and context—the site of an old wheat mill based in Istanbul—merging architectural and historical references with the artist's concern with material and gesture. The exhibition included a semi-permeable wooden crate placed on shipping pallets, containing bubble-wrap and covered by a copper lid, creating tension between the work's disposable and more permanent materials, and a video in which the artist drips candlewax into his palm, turning a gesture of supplication into a source of physical pain. In other work, Sarkis has explored the relationship between cinema and contemporary art.
Turkish-Armenian, b. 1938, Istanbul, İstanbul, Turkey, based in Paris, France
In Berlin, a Politically Charged Group Show Considers the Artist as Witness
Turkish Pavilion at the 56th Venice Biennale
Artsy Editorial
My Highlights from ArtInternational 2014
Elif Bayoglu


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That settles it: I'm totally becoming an MRA now. Miri says men who are feminists aren't entitled to cookies.
I've been told I only support equality for women as a ploy to get laid by hordes of hairy-legged ladies, and I've never received that benefit…and now I find out I don't even get cookies? Aww, what's the point?


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Anyone doing business in Asia will sooner or later come across an unfamiliar cultural situation—for example, how to best eat giant braised goose webs.
For Stephen Greer, who left Pittsburgh with a one-way ticket to Hong Kong in the early 1990s to try his hand as an entrepreneur, that was just one of the learning experiences along the way to setting up what would become a $250-million scrap company, Hartwell Pacific Ltd.
Greer, who tells the story of his rough ride to success in his book Starting from Scrap, notes that it was no secret in 1993 that Asia was the "workshop of the world." But the scrap metal business, which he settled on after attempts to trade anything from chicken feet to toothbrush holders, was at the time a shadow of the multibillion global market it has now become.
"I felt fortunate to be in at the beginning of this market," Greer told AMM. With China emerging as a major world player and the other Asian "tiger" economies posting strong growth rates, Greer soon grasped the opportunities and set up scrap trading operations in Southeast Asia and China.
More by accident than design, Greer focused on trading stainless scrap. "There was only one problem," he wrote after securing his first contract for the prompt shipment of two containers of stainless steel scrap to Britain "We knew next to nothing about stainless steel."
But he had a major customer, a large German recycler that in the book he calls Nickelmet (though industry players will have little problem guessing its real identity). The company for a while became his employer before an expensive failure to break into the Taiwanese market led him to go it alone.
After struggling to service a large contract with South Korea's Posco Ltd., Hartwell Pacific decided to make the shift from being a brokerage company and instead become a metals recycler with its own yards. It was a critical move. Greer notes that while it limited his young company's ability to grow volume, "we became less interested in volume growth than in servicing the market, and made more money that way."
Greer's strategy—to find "inefficient" markets that generate stainless scrap but have no big stainless steel producers as a major competitor—led him to focus on Hong Kong, the Philippines, Malaysia and Thailand. Attempts to replicate the strategy in Mexico and the Southeast United States were less successful, however. Greer describes his Latin American strategy as a "disaster," as the company quickly over-expanded and was burned by corruption in Mexico.
Hartwell Pacific kept growing, though not without problems dishonest local employees, fraud that cost the company upward of $1 million, plus other issues familiar to anyone doing business in emerging markets, such as having a shipment of stainless from China that turned out to be largely lead ingots. Not that Greer believes those issues are confined to Asia, or to the scrap market. Fraud is a challenge in any market based on a high level of inventories, he said.
Greer also has learned from his mistakes the discovery of the lead ingots made him realize the need for quality control and helped him build a company with "equity value," something not every scrap trader manages to achieve.
Greer hasn't revealed the dollar value of Hartwell Pacific, which he agreed to sell to Australia's Smorgon Steel Group Ltd. in 2005, but it was clearly enough to set him—along with his business partner and later wife, Mei—up for life.
But the fun of Greer's book isn't so much in the eventual success story as its rare insight into the Asian scrap market over the past 15 years, as well as the tips it provides for how to handle such situations as surviving the cutthroat Bangkok business world (pretend to launder cash for the Russian mafia) or have a trouble-free trip through Kuwaiti customs (leave the AK-47 behind). Scrap, as Greer notes, is a more interesting business than most would imagine.
And for anyone wondering about how to eat giant braised goose webs, which Greer encountered during a banquet in Shenzhen, China, to celebrate the opening of his Chinese venture tackle them ice-cream-cone style, while wearing a plastic glove. In comparison, the scrap market seems like a piece of cake.KEVIN FOSTER
All comments are subject to editorial review.
All fields are compulsory.
Every month American Metal Market takes a statistical look inside the marketplace.
The Korean producers 'seem to think they have a good case, but personally I wouldn't get overly confident.'
--OCTG trader


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Firefighters battle two-alarm fire in Keene
March 10. 2013 5:57PM
KEENE ? Firefighters battled a two-alarm fire on West Street Sunday afternoon.
Fire Capt. Robert Leslie said his department was called to 12 and 22 West St. at 2:41 p.m. for a report of smoke coming from under a door.
After searching the building, firefighters found the basement of one of the buildings filled with smoke. Using a geothermal device, crews determined a small plume of flame was coming from a water heater.
A second alarm was struck to bring extra crews to help evacuate the two apartment buildings. The fire was extinguished, and residents were allowed back in the buildings after crews ventilated the buildings for two hours.
The street was blocked from Central Square to School Street. Crews from the Brattleboro Fire Department assisted the Keene fire crews.
No injuries were reported.


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Good Day:
Somewhere there has to be a copy of the hacked karma program that was 'Anti-Points'. Any chance I could get a copy? IM me please if there is a chance I can get a copy.
If I'm not mistaken, we took the database that contained posts and member info and restored it to a standard version of vBulletin. All the hack stuff would be sitting on a server somewhere....
But who ever did the hack stuff got it from somewhere...
Dino unless your planning on using it on a 2.* installation it is kinda out-dated and would require a fair bit of "Hacking" to make it work on 3.* / 4.* vb versions. Why not just mod the current incarnation of the Reputation system ?
other then that if it hasn't been pruned yet you should be able to find the OP topic that JP posted @vbulletin.com under the username ao-admin or AOadmin the avator resembles a cookie monster on a orange background
Forum Rules


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Kevin Gray's Gray Matter: Best friends in spotlight as Milford seniors signBY KEVIN GRAY
New Hampshire Union Leader
February 11. 2013 9:53PM
A BEST FRIEND, someone who truly understands your struggles and success, is hard to find. Maybe even tougher in high school, where fellow students can be jealous or judgmental. Teenagers would probably tell you that "Mean Girls," a movie about social cliques, isn't that far from reality.
That's what made Tuesday afternoon so special for Milford High seniors Morgan Andrews and Courtney Hawkins, who both signed college letters of intent in a small after-school gathering at school. Andrews will play soccer at the University of Notre Dame, and Hawkins will be a distance runner at the University of Rhode Island.
Both athletes have won New Hampshire Gatorade Player of the Year honors in their respective sports, with Andrews earning the 2012 Gatorade National Player of the Year Award. Hawkins recently won the NHIAA 1,500- and 3,000-meter events at the Division II indoor championship at Dartmouth College, and Andrews was named the Robert A. "Red" Rolfe Female Athlete of the Year Award by the New Hampshire Union Leader.
They both shared the spotlight on Monday. Andrews wore a Fighting Irish hoodie, and Hawkins donned a baby blue URI sweatshirt. Milford High's director of athletics, Marc Maurais, saw this day coming a year ago when both girls won Gatorade Player of the Year honors as juniors.
"Both were quick to recognize that the other girl did something just as amazing. To see their friendship and see the way they interact, it's very genuine," Maurais said. "They are classy individuals."
They get each other. They can appreciate the drive and hard work it takes to reach your potential. They know how it feels to get up for 6 a.m. practice when everyone else is sleeping. They'd rather win on Saturday than party on Friday night. They're not afraid to fail. They love to compete. When it's 10 p.m. and they're dead tired, they finish their homework.
"All throughout high school, Courtney has been there for me, and we've supported each other," said Andrews, who served as captain of the U.S. Under-17 women's national soccer team. "I think we understand what it's like to be in each other's shoes. Sometimes our athletic schedules get in the way of what we're doing, but we always stick together. It's amazing to share this together. I couldn't be happier."
The fellow Spartans celebrated with a trip to the Pasta Loft in Milford. Hawkins said her friendship with Andrews ultimately helped her run faster.
"She definitely motivated me. Last year, when she was the national Gatorade Player of the Year, it made me want to work even harder. She showed me that anything can happen if you work really hard," Hawkins said. "I don't think I'll ever forget this day."
Milford's finest haven't forgotten their manners, either. That's one quality that continues to impress Maurais.
"We're all so busy, and we all get wrapped up in the moment. When I watched Courtney at (the Dartmouth Relays), that's what I noticed after she won both events. She took the time to listen to everyone and thank them. Not everyone does that," Maurais said.
CARPENTER WATCH: In 20 years of covering high, college and pro sports, I've never met anyone who enjoys competition more than pitcher Chris Carpenter. The Trinity High of Manchester graduate is hard-wired to win. He expects only the best from himself and his teammates. He holds himself accountable.
The St. Louis Cardinals veteran, still troubled with circulation/nerve problems in his right arm, has not reported to spring training in Jupiter, Fla., but he's not giving up hope for this season. Or next season. Retire?
"Maybe I don't ever want it to end," Carpenter told reporters at Busch Stadium on Monday. "I don't think I'll ever retire, to be honest with you. I'll never say that word. There might always be hope. Maybe like when I'm 48 I can come back and pitch some more."
Carpenter turns 38 in April. He'll be paid $12.5 million this season in the final year of his contract. The two-time World Series champion and 2005 Cy Young Award winner has had eight surgeries in his career, including a radical procedure to remove a rib and soft tissue last July, an effort to alleviate pressure on a shoulder nerve.
Carpenter made six starts at the end of last season, including three starts in the postseason, which provided hope entering 2013. In December, he threw a baseball at his Bedford residence without any lingering problems. In January, he told Cardinals fans that he'll be ready for the season but subsequent throwing sessions proved stressful on the shoulder. He said he had "no idea where the ball was going" during his fourth and final session.
"I was trying to think of reasons to be positive about what's going on," said Carpenter, diagnosed with thoracic outlet syndrome last year. "My arm felt pretty good, my hand was a little messed up. It just continued to go downhill."
Cardinals manager Mike Matheny said he wants the former ace at spring training. For now, that's not going to happen.
"When you're in this situation once, it's hard enough. When you're in it three or four times it becomes a big pain," said Carpenter, who owns a career 144-94 record and 3.76 ERA. "Mentally and physically it's hard to come in every day and try to think you're part of it when you're not."
Information from mlb.com was used in this report. Staff writer Kevin Gray's email address is firstname.lastname@example.com


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Philosophy Careers
Success in any career is largely determined by how well one can think, write, and speak. A liberal arts, collegiate education is intended to equip the student with those abilities. Of all the possible undergraduate majors, few can equip the student in those three areas as well as philosophy does. All organizations and businesses are looking for people who can think rigorously, write critically and speak effectively.


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Three little pies for three little bears. Mama Bear, Papa Bear and Baby Bear (that's me!).
They weren't anything fancy. But they didn't need to be with the first of the season's farm fresh local apples nestled inside the tender, flaky, homemade pastry crust. The honest flavor of the apples, tart and sweet, made them special enough. And the love, that helped too, the love and care Mama Bear spent making and baking them.
This time Goldilocks didn't selfishly sneak in and eat them all up on us as if she didn't already have a Mama of her own to bake her special treats. Although I bet when she smelled them baking she was hoping we would all go out or put them on the windowsill to cool where she could sneak up and steal them away to gobble up greedily all by herself.
Nope, this story, my story, ends differently. The three little bears ate them all up for dessert and went to bed happy and full to their little heart's content, with crumbs and cinnamon spice stuck to their lips, dreaming of pie season and of the many pies yet to come.
Apple Pie
(adapted from The Good Housekeeping Cookbook)
pastry for one-crust pie (recipe follows)
3/4 cup sugar, half brown if desired
2 tablespoon flour
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon grated lemon peel
1 to 2 teaspoons lemon juice
7-8 cups apples*, thinly sliced or cubed
1 tablespoon butter
1. Roll out pastry and line three 6-inch pie plates or one 8 or 9 inch pie plate.
2. In small bowl combine sugar and next five ingredients. Toss with apples. Divide evenly among 3 small pie plates or add to one large. Dot with butter.
3. Bake about 30 minutes for 6-inch pies or 40-50 for 8 or 9-inch. If sides of crust become too dark cover with aluminum foil. Serve warm or cold.
*Some of the best pie apples: Northern Spy, Golden Delicious, Rhode Island Greening, Pippin, Granny Smith, Pink Lady, Gravenstein
Flaky Pastry for 1-Crust Pie
(8 or 9-inch or 3 (6-inch))
1 cup all-purpose flour, sifted
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon cold butter or shortening
2 – 2 + 1/2 tablespoons ice water
1. Sift flour with salt into medium bowl.
2. With a pastry blender or two knives scissor fashion cut in butter using short strokes until mixture resembles coarse cornmeal.
3. Sprinkle with ice water 1 tablespoon at a time tossing lightly with fork after each addition until pastry is moist enough to hold together.
4. Shape pastry into a ball, wrap and refrigerate until the filling is ready.
Need tips on pie crust? Here's a King Arthur Demo post on how to make the best pie crust.


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October 18, 1932 - August 15, 2013
Pine Bush, NY
Francis C. Bickel, an Assistant Superintendent for the Pine Bush Central School District and a longtime resident of the area, passed away on Thursday, August 15, 2013 at his home. He was 80.
The son of the late Frank E. Bickel, and Ida "Dot" Moring Bickel, he was born on October 18, 1932 in Flushing, NY.
A Veteran of the Korean Conflict, Frank served his country in the U.S. Army from 1952-1954. After his tour in Korea he married the love of his life, Mary A. Bousquet on April 24, 1954. Frank graduated from SUNY New Paltz in 1958 and began teaching in the Pine Bush School District. In 1969 he became the Business Administrator for the school district. He also was a charter member of the Pine Bush Ambulance Corps, a member of the American Legion and faithful member and Elder of the Hopewell Presbyterian Church in Thompson Ridge.
Frank leaves his beloved and devoted wife, Mary of 59 years; daughter, Mary Louise Jackson; son, Francis C. Bickel and his wife, Lori; grandchildren: Johann D. Jackson, Marianna F. Jackson, Rebecca Bickel, and Francis C.W. Bickel; great granddaughter, Oni Cooper. Frank is predeceased by his two daughters, Dorothy Frances Bickel and Catherine Elizabeth Bickel. He loved and was so proud of his family, church, and community.
Cremation was private and at the convenience of the family. A memorial service will be held at a future date.
Donations can be made in Frank's memory to Hopewell Presbyterian Church , PO Box 202 Thompson Ridge, NY 10985 or to Hospice of Orange & Sullivan Counties Inc., 800 Stony Brook Ct., Newburgh, NY 12550.
Arrangements entrusted to the William M. Gagan Funeral Home Inc. www.wmgaganfuneralhome.com


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Not Hassan's week: Raiding the highway fundEDITORIAL
March 02. 2013 1:58AM
Last week wasn't the best of times for our new governor.
First, her party's efforts to slap a huge new gasoline tax on already-hard-pressed motorists was severely undermined, both by its sponsor's virtual gloating over what he said was a "gift that keeps on giving'' and by the revelation that Gov. Maggie Hassan herself has plans to take more money from allegedly strapped highway funds than the law allows.
No sooner had that embarrassing information been reported (by the New Hampshire Union Leader, incidentally), then Gov. Hassan's casino gambling revenue, on which her budget greatly relies, was under fire from two fronts, one debatable and one completely unexpected. (See editorial below for more on the gambling issues.)
The proposed 15 cent gas tax hike (over four years) has its sponsor, Nashua Democrat David Campbell, sporting two big, black eyes. Campbell has insisted that ALL that money is desperately needed for our state's roads and bridges. Except for the money that won't go for that purpose.
That's the "gift that keeps on giving'' part in Campbell's now memorable phrase. In what he thought was a confidential email to fellow Democrat committee chairmen, he explained that the tax hike would benefit non-highway coffers, such as the general fund and various departments, to the tune of millions of dollars.
How? Because the public doesn't know that gasoline used for anything besides their cars (motor boats, snowmobiles, lawn mowers, you name it) is exempt from the gas tax. What you pay for it is refundable. But, according to Campbell math: Ignorant consumers plus a big tax hike equals more money to spend on non-highway goodies.
Campbell said he was just kidding and had chosen his words poorly. You bet he did. And the Democrats, who have just been returned to power in the House, are going to have to think very carefully now before voting for this supposedly desperately needed tax increase.
Gov Hassan, meanwhile, further undermined the "need'' argument. The highway fund has been so often raided for non-highway uses that the Legislature finally passed a law requiring that a minimum 73 percent of its monies actually go to highway uses.
The last (Republican) House voted to override that requirement and, surprise, Hassan intends to do the same, raiding $26 million of highway funds to hire more state police.
So if Gov. Hassan thinks the present level of highway funding can do without millions of dollars, how are Campbell and company supposed to justify a big tax hike, with "gifts'' included?


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AROUND 60 MEMBERS of Middlebury's Young Professionals group mingled at 51 Main on May 8 in a mixer hosted by the Better Middlebury Partnership. The group drew people in their 20s and 30s from a wide variety of occupations and area employers for the first of what's hoped to be many regular meetings for like-minded people to associate, compare notes and perhaps collaborate on new business ventures. The next Young Professionals social gathering will be held in June.
Photo by Karen Duguay


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Always a way out
First Student bus driver Sheila Boyd checks the ceiling hatch to one of the 115 buses that will start transporting Warwick students on the first day of school next Wednesday. In addition to hatches, the buses have windows that pop out to ensure no one could be trapped inside. The buses that are parked off Strawberry Field Road near the Warwick Post Office were undergoing thorough inspections yesterday. (Warwick Beacon photo)
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Behold, YOUR Team Marines and Team National Guard all-stars
Here are YOUR rosters for the inaugural Hall of Fame Classic Military Bowl.
The game will be played Saturday, June 29 at Rentschler Field at 4:30 p.m. The players, all graduating seniors, were assigned via a draft, so teammates will square off against one another.
EXAMPLE: Fitch's Mike Semancik will play for Team Marines. Saffwan Davis, Patrick Kirkwood, Mustapha Noibi and Lester Smith, the other four Falcons chosen to play in the game, will all play for Team National Guard.
It's metaphorical brother against metaphorical brother.
Sixto Acosta ILB Newington
Jesse Adelberg K Greenwich
Michael Alexander S Bulkeley
Ian Auger OL Coginchaug
William Barrett OL West Haven
Nathan Bonafonte S Southington
Caleb Camacho WR New London
David Campbell CB Bloomfield
Andrew Campbell OLB Middletown
Akeino Chamberlain ILB Middletown
Jeremy Clarke OL Woodland
Kevin Dean OL Xavier
Brennan Diaz QB Oxford
Devonte Dillon RB Windsor
Donery Evans DL Hyde
Rashaun Finney WR Ansonia
Dennis Flanagan OL Amity
Quinn Fleeting QB Windsor
Andre Gee S West Haven
Nygel Gladney ILB Crosby
Cam Gravina OL Hand
Zak Hedberg OL Newington
Spencer Hill FB Windham
Rakim Jordan OLB Prince Tech
Mike LaSala OL Wilton
Jevon Lawrence DL Manchester
Brandon Marquis DL Farmington
Sean Merrill OL Sheehan
Raheim Moore WR Windsor
Denzel Moscova WR St. Joseph
Terrance N'Dabian CB Bunnell
Emmett Odegard S Greenwich
Lance Ormsby OLB Windsor
Cole Ormsby DL Windsor
Christian Outlaw OL Middletown
Joe Pacheco RB New Fairfield
Ramsey Ramsey WR Windsor
Roy Richards RB Manchester
Rahmi Rountree WR Woodland
Miguel Santos DL Xavier
Mike Semancik OL Fitch
Tino Simpson OLB Hillhouse
O'Brian Sinclair WR Middletown
Nick Spitz ILB Southington
Carlton Steer TE East Hartford
Shane Steinman RB Rocky Hill
Isiah Swain CB Middletown
David Tanner RB East Hartford
Jh'mel Trammell OLB Ansonia
Chris Traore ILB Windsor
Lamont Waites ILB New London
Jalon White QB North Haven
Eddy Williams OLB West Haven
David Willox DL Waterford
Charles Wooding RB Glastonbury
Head coach: Rob Fleeting, Windsor.
Assistants: Harry Bellucci, Hartford Public; John Ferrazzi, Sheehan; Scott Jenkins, Windsor; Derrick Lewis, Bassick; Duane Maranda, New London; Perry McFadden, Windsor; Sal Morello, Middletown; Roy Roberts, Newington; Robert Rubin, Prince Tech; Melvin Wells, Hyde.
Mitch Blanchette OL Berlin
Alex Borkowski OLB Branford
Tim Boyle QB Xavier
Bobby Bozym OL Ledyard
Antoine Byrd WR Capital Prep
Christian Clark DB Windham
Daequane Clarke WR New Britain
Eric Collodel DL Woodland
Zach Creeron OL/DL Xavier
Saffwan Davis RB Fitch
Justin Devellis DB Newtown
Jonah Dorsey OL/DL Xavier
Abdullah Dukalay DB Hartford Public
Terell Fairweather ILB Hillhouse
Nick Gaynor ATH Northwest Catholic
Chris Golger OLB Fairfield Prep
Ed Groth K/P Shelton
Al Harris DL Windsor
Dan Herbert WR Newtown
Terrell Huff DB Windsor
Cal Karpi DB Ledyard
Austin Kingsbury FB Windsor Locks
Patrick Kirkwood ILB Fitch
Andrew Klarman DL Branford
Alex Kyprianou ILB New Milford
Kris Luster DB Xavier
Kevin Main DB Berlin
Dillon McMahon WR Derby
Sam Miranda WR New London
Bryan Monaco DL Masuk
Je'vaughn Moore ATH Hillhouse
Ben Morales OL Ledyard
Ryan Murtha OL Montville
Mike Nichol QB Wolcott
Mustapha Noibi DB Fitch
Justin Pelazza OL Branford
Jake Pelletier WR St. Joseph
Mick Pernell WR Naugatuck
Miles Pompeii-Grove ILB Holy Cross
Justin Potts ATH Platt
Mike Pulaski OLB St. Joseph
Brandon Robertson TE Montville
Hector Rodriguez OL Berlin
Robert Roehrich OL St. Joseph
Jelani Roman OLB Notre Dame-Fairfield
Colton Schilling DL Guilford
Max Schuman OL/DL Xavier
John Shannon RB Bullard Havens
Lester Smith DL Fitch
Devin Stewart ILB Northwest Catholic
Kadialy Toure OLB West Haven
Max Tylki OLB Xavier
Derrick Villard RB Cromwell
Mark Wildman DL Housatonic
Kyle Wilson OL Ledyard
Head coach: Jim Buonocore, Ledyard.
Assistants: Jemal Davis, NFA; Duncan Dellavolpe, Fairfield Warde; Chris Eckert, Cromwell; Tanner Grove, Montville; Andy Guyon, Xavier; Sean Marinan, Xavier; John Marinelli, New Canaan; Tim Shea, Woodland; Chris Silvestri, New Canaan.
Vaya con dios….
Reader Comments
Police: Waterford child who died in mother's car lived in deplorable conditions
Family facing deportation will leave Old Lyme church Tuesday
Where have all the bugs gone? 'Hyperalarming' study shows massive insect loss
Newtown and North Haven are both committed to the Manly Discipline of the Running Arts


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There's nothing but scrub brush out there. And, everything is BROWN, even most homes. Not my favorite place!
TrikesterHal wrote: »FINN58, I touched on part of your thoughts in my last post to Florida_bound, but let me continue.
In years past, people who moved to Tucson from elsewhere, tried to have lawns just like they had back home (Detroit, etc). Water is precious here and things have changed over the years. Bermuda grass lawns made one itchy, Seedless Mulberry trees made people sneeze and so on. It's common to see yards of gravel (different kinds, different colors). My yard, in a 55+ mobile home park, is ordinary pea gravel which I love not having to mow. Some more ornate yards have islands with trees, shrubs or cacti with buried irrigation systems that feed water in small amounts. Ah, life in Tucson.
Phoenix compared to Tucson is another story. I think of it a bit like Dallas compared to Ft. Worth (I lived in Arlington for five years.) Dallas considers itself metropolitan whereas Ft. Worth is a cow town. Phoenix considers itself urban and Tucson as a quaint hacienda (Tucson is described as The Old Pueblo). I am painting things with a broad brush here you realize. BTW, Tucson never had Arpaio! Phoenix, like DFW, is a megalopolis. Tucson, at around one million, is not like the Phoenix area which is at four million plus.
I thrive on sunshine, fresh air, and green (my favorite color). I grew up in St Louis and live near DC for 6 years. There was never enough sunshine at either place. I should have been a Floridian my whole life!
I ride my trike, swim, and kayak. Yard work gets me outside also. More than anything, I like to sit outside with a cup of coffee and watch the sunrise.
I used to work downtown and lived in the south county area 17 miles away. For some reason, I chose to ride the bus to work one day. When I headed home, the temp was 104 and the bus had no A/C and was completely full. They opened the windows but the hot air blowing on you was even worse than just the heat. Somehow I recovered and went on to play a softball game that night. I was only in my early 20s and in very good shape. Oh, the good ole days!
Believe me, the humidity is much worse in Florida than it ever was in St Louis!


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One of Texas' biggest zydeco trail rides is coming up this weekend in Beaumont at the Bill Pickett Trail Riders 9th Annual Trail Ride, Zydeco Festival & Rodeo.
Zydeco trail rides are festivals that celebrate African American Western ranching heritage and the zydeco music that flows out of southeast Texas and Louisiana. Along with zydeco concerts on Friday and Saturday nights, a band will play during Saturday's trail ride through the roads of the Cheek area. There will also be a full rodeo on Sunday.
Don't have a horse? No problem. You could potentially borrow one, or ride in one of the party wagons that follow the trail ride route.
"The overall purpose is to educate and let people know and be aware of the Creole heritage, food, and music," says Acynthia Villery, the event producer. "What makes ours different is we have the rodeo. A lot of our cowboys cross over from trail-riding into rodeo."
Born in Travis County in 1870, Bill Pickett was an African American cowboy who developed the bulldogging technique that became a popular rodeo competition (also known as steer wrestling). The Bill Pickett Trail Riders is a group dedicated to helping at-risk youth and youth organizations that participate in rodeo.
The upcoming event is "a historical weekend where we teach people who don't know about our culture&emdash;the food, the music, how important the drives were back in the days," Acynthia says.
Of course, the music isn't a thing of the past. The bands on the Friday schedule are Leon Chavis & The Zydeco Flames, and Keith Frank & the Soileau Zydeco Band.
On Saturday, Brian Jack & The Zydeco Gamblers will perform along the trail ride, and Lil Nate & The Zydeco Big Timers will close out the night. On Sunday, J Paul Jr. and the Zydeco Nubreeds play after the rodeo.
Photos courtesy of Bill Pickett Trail Riders


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Even though Buhr and Emerson put on the Lady Bucs uniform for the first time this fall, it isn't the first time they've suited up on the same side of the court. Both players made the trek to
Though Buhr and Emerson, had always hoped to leave SJDC as a package deal, Emerson was the first name to cross ETSU head coach Lindsey Devine's desk.
"ETSU had originally just been looking for a setter," said Buhr. Then they found out about me, and that we were also interested in a package deal."
"So, I was the second half," Buhr said with a laugh.
After hearing about both players, Devine knew that the pair would be a great fit for ETSU.
"After watching tapes and talking with them," said Devine. "I knew that if we got them as a package, we'd be in great shape."
But Buhr and Emerson knew, though it would be nice to make the transition together, it wasn't necessarily going to happen.
"It (the package deal) was never really a must-have situation," said Buhr. "But it was definitely something we'd talked about since our freshmen year. We've always known the reality that it might not happen, but it would be awesome if it did."
But happen it did, as both players joined the Lady Bucs volleyball squad during the summer of 2005. Though the transition period to any new environment is sometimes a difficult one, through its ups and downs, Buhr and Emerson always saw a familiar face.
"It's always nice to have somebody that you already know playing with you," said Emerson. "Because I knew Sarah, it was definitely easier to kind of bounce ideas off each other on how we could improve, or what the team needs to do to get better."
"It was definitely a comfort," explained Buhr. "It was good to know that I was going through this with someone I already knew and trusted, and could fall back on. Especially after a really tough day, I knew I was going back to a place were my roommate already knew what I was going through."
Along with a new team and new school, Buhr and Emerson were also dealing with a whole new way of life, moving from the West Coast to the South.
"It's different," said Emerson. "You can't even compare the two (
By all accounts, Buhr and Emerson sailed through the transition and have been excelling in their new surroundings, both on the court and in the classroom.
So far, Emerson has done exactly what she came to ETSU to do, leading the Lady Bucs in assists, putting up 8.21 sets per game, and 961 on the year. Buhr has also proved she came to play, belting 3.13 kills per frame, the second-best output on the team.
The pair has also been two of the team's top defenders with Buhr leading the team with 2.60 digs per game, and Emerson right behind with 2.36.
Emerson cites ETSU's academics as one of the major factors in her decision to come to
"There were a lot of aspects besides sports that brought me here," said Emerson. "But I really liked coach Devine when we came to visit. She was really honest, and told us our role on the team before we even signed, so we knew exactly what we were getting into."
Buhr echoed her teammate's statement, adding that she came to ETSU for, amongst other things, the opportunity for a new experience.
"I think what tipped the scales in ETSU's favor was that it was something new and different," noted Buhr. "I mean, when would I get another chance to live in
One of the differences the pair faced was coming from a program which had experienced a great deal of success, to a club that was, like the two Californians, in a transition period. ETSU, coming off a couple of down seasons, was looking for a spark to make a change, something that Buhr and Emerson were more than happy to help out with."
"Just being a part of a change and being part of the catalyst to make that change," said Buhr, when asked what the best thing about this season has been. "Going from previous records to this year's record has been a big difference, and it's really fun to be part of that change."
Emerson likes that fact that the sky is the limit for her and her teammates.
"I like knowing the potential of this team is so great," said Emerson. "We're still discovering new positions for people to play and new levels of intensity. We don't quite know everything about the team yet, that's the exciting part."
Devine knew upon meeting the pair that they had the winning attitudes that the Lady Bucs needed.
"They're used to winning," said Devine. "And they brought that mentality with them. So rather than having just one voice, saying 'come on, we've got to do this,' we've got both of them, and that's really important to a college program."
And winning is what both student-athletes have on their minds going into next weekend's Atlantic Sun Conference tournament.
"I truly believe we have the potential to be the Cinderella story of this tournament," commented Buhr. "We haven't played well in Conference thus far, and I really don't think anyone in the conference has seen the team we can be. We have the ability and the dream to go in as the number six seed, and walk out of there with a plane ticket to the NCAA tournament."
Buhr also sees the A-Sun Championships as an opportunity for redemption, as the Lady Bucs draw number-three seed and host school Belmont in the first round. The Bruins already downed the Lady Bucs in their regular season match up.
"We're going to go in and study the tape, make adjustments, and go in and put it all on the floor," explained Buhr. "We'll see where we go from there."
After ETSU, Emerson, a biology major, hopes to return to
"I've always dreamed of playing overseas," said the Spanish major. "Getting a chance to play in any country that speaks Spanish would be a dream come true."
Though both student-athletes have future aspirations beyond
Jess Riden
ETSU Athletic Media Relations


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FORT WALTON BEACH — Community leaders broke ground Tuesday on SoundSide Apartments on Carson Drive.
More than 50 residents and Fort Walton Beach officials gathered at the site to celebrate the new $22 million affordable housing project being developed by the Fort Walton Beach Housing Authority.
"This has been a long time in the making," said Fred Thomas, chairman of the Housing Authority's board. "I think it is going to have a positive impact on the community. … I think it's going to be an anchor in the community."
Thomas praised Gail Sansbury, executive director of the Housing Authority, and former Housing Authority Commissioner Lee Bobo for envisioning an affordable housing complex eight years ago.
"It was those two who put the whole plan together," he said. "It's a wonderful accomplishment."
The 13-acre site is where the old Germany Terrace public housing project once stood.
Mayor Mike Anderson, who attended the ceremony, said the groundbreaking marks "a great day for the city of Fort Walton Beach."
"The affordable housing issue has been one of the top priorities for the city," he said.
He said the Housing Authority should be commended for its willingness to team up with the city and other organizations to complete the project.
"The partnerships that we've created … is really making it more meaningful," Anderson added.
City Councilwoman Joyce Gossom and Councilmen Trey Goodwin, Dick Rynearson and Bobby Griggs also attended.
Fort Walton Beach has contributed a little less than $500,000 in Community Redevelopment Agency funds to the project.
The 200-unit complex will feature one-, two-, three- and four-bedroom apartments, a pool, a fitness center and a wireless Internet cafe. The apartments will feature 9-foot ceilings, gourmet kitchens, washer and dryers, and screened porches.
Thomas said the project will breathe new life into the Carson Street area.
"It's a relief," he said. "This is an older community. The (apartments) will be market rate, which is affordable, and it's right here in the heart of the city."
Multicon, the general contractor, will start construction in May.
"We'll start seeing concrete poured out here in about two to three weeks. Then we'll see framing in five to seven weeks," said project manager James Bryant, a vice president at Multicon.
Contact Daily News Staff Writer Kari C. Barlow at 850-315-4438 or email@example.com. Follow her on Twitter @KariBnwfdn.


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The Real Housewives of Orange County's Gretchen Rossi and beau, Slade Smiley, shared some quality time at the Silver Spoon Beach House in Malibu this weekend. Luckily for us, there just happened to be some Paparazzi waiting to snap some shots of them together.
The 5th season of The Real Housewives of OC is currently being filmed.
More pictures of the happy duo below –
Photo Credit – http://bauergriffinonline.com


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CBS Boston reports: The MIT campus was put on lockdown Saturday morning following what turned out to be an unfounded report of a person with a long rifle and body armor spotted inside a campus building.
That initial report appears to have come in around 7:30 a.m. when Cambridge police tweeted that a possible gunman had been reported on Mass. Ave.
Read the complete story at www.boston.cbslocal.com.


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Eleven-year-old Katelyn Anderson calmly and confidently knocked in a 4�-foot, double-or-nothing putt that netted $8,000 for The First Tee of Lakeland on the final hole of the Barkley, Bean, Bryant and Friends celebrity skins game at the YMCA Par 3 on Friday.
LAKELAND | Eleven-year-old Katelyn Anderson calmly and confidently knocked in a 4�-foot, double-or-nothing putt that netted $8,000 for The First Tee of Lakeland on the final hole of the Barkley, Bean, Bryant and Friends celebrity skins game at the YMCA Par 3 on Friday.
Charles Barkley had challenged Anderson to either take the $4,000 he had already contributed through friendly wagers, or to take the gamble to double it.
"Take the money,'' Andy Bean and Brad Bryant firmly advised.
But the little voice that mattered had the last say, and she went for the gusto.
"I'll take it,'' said Anderson, a fifth-grader at Cleveland Court Elementary, to Barkley. Her putt was center-cut.
All Barkley could do was smile — the Basketball Hall of Famer and NBA analyst on TNT had contributed $8,000 to one of his favorite charities and given Anderson a hero's cheer from a gallery that started with 200 people on an idyllic afternoon. He autographed the golf ball for her.
Barkley was taking part in the nine-hole Skins Game Shootout for the ninth straight year along with Bean and �Bryant, Champions Tour pros from Lakeland who are honorary co-chairmen for The First Tee chapter.
"I look forward to it every year,'' Barkley said. "I get to spend some quality time with these kids. It's amazing.
"When you're around these kids, you don't complain about anything else,'' added Barkley, who worked until 2:30 a.m. on Friday with Shaquille O'Neal on a TNT broadcast of a NBA game.
Master of ceremonies Doug Wimberly said this year's event raised between $140,000 and $150,000 through sponsorships — plus Barkley's $8,000. That brings the nine-year total for The First Tee's major fundraiser of the year to more than $1.36 million.
The event is held in memory of George W. Jenkins, the Publix founder who originally built the Par 3 course for his employees. It has now served more than 7,000 youths since it opened in 2005.
"It was all about giving them an opportunity to come out and enjoy this game,'' Bean said of the Publix employees.
"And it's turned into giving kids an opportunity not only to enjoy the game of golf, but to learn respect, and to learn sportsmanship and everything that's displayed here,'' said Bean, standing in the YMCA Par 3 facility where The First Tee's nine core values and life skills are prominently featured. "To me, that's what the whole thing's about.''
Six more Champions Tour pros, former LPGA Tour player Wendy Doolan of Lakeland, event sponsors, First Tee juniors and Special Olympics golfers from The First Tee's Adaptive Golf Program competed on three large scramble teams in the Shootout.
David Frost, one of the Champions Tour pros along with Jim Dent, Mike Hulbert, Dana Quigley, Rod Spittle and Larry Ziegler, had driven to Lakeland from West Palm Beach and departed when it was over to make a flight from Orlando to South Africa via New York and London.
Barkley, a former NBA great who looked trim after losing 75 pounds on a Weight Watchers diet, laid down a challenge on the 80-yard ninth hole. All eight pros would hit tee shots, then First Tee juniors had to make the putts for $1,000 each. Only Colin Kresl, who plays on the McKeel Academy golf team, made his from 12 feet to bring the total to $4,000.
That set up the climactic finish by Anderson.
Barkley was in a generous mood all day. Twice he told sponsor David Douglas of Publix that if his tee shot hit the green, he would give $1,000. Douglas did so on No. 2 and No. 3, and Barkley had given $3,000 through eight holes.
Bryant tossed in another $2,000 on No. 9, losing his wager with Bean and Barkley that he would hit it closer to the pin than anyone, to make it a $10,000 bonus for The First Tee.
[ Del Milligan can be reached at email@example.com or at 863-802-7555. ]


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NICOSIA, Cyprus (AP) — Cyprus has broken off licensing negotiations for offshore natural gas drilling with a consortium made up of French firm Total S.A. and Russia's Novatek.
Government spokesman Stefanos Stefanou says that progress in those talks were "unsatisfactory."
Stefanou said Wednesday negotiations will begin with a company composed of Italy's ENI S.p.a and South Korea's Kogas for the same area — or block — that the Russian-French consortium had sought to drill in.
The ENI-Kogas company is already negotiating with Cyprus to drill in two other blocks.
Total is negotiating for a block of its own and Stefanou said those talks will be expanded for a second one.
All the blocks surround a gas field estimated to hold 5-8 trillion cubic feet (140-230 billion cubic meters).


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One such genre is pretty much responsible for starting it all with a certain Italian plumber for a hero. That's right, platforming games were once the reigning champions. Thankfully, they're coming back, and in a huge way!
Love me a good platformer! Still need to get Rayman Origins see what that's all about :)
A renaissance of platformers may be upon us. Recently we saw the releases of Sly Cooper: Theives in Time and NSMBU but more are on the horizon. We have the new 3D Mario for the Wii U, Sonic Lost World which actually looks really good. We'll have Knack on the PS4. And Rare may even revive Banjo for the X1.
Splosion man, super meat boy, trials, limbo... such sweet memories


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Liverpool managing director Ian Ayre has insisted that the club are still able to attract the world's best players.
The Anfield outfit have not featured in the Champions League since 2009-10, finished last season's Premier League campaign in eighth place and are currently 24 points off current leaders Manchester United.
Goal.com exclusively revealed on Wednesday that Liverpool have stepped up their pursuit of Wesley Sneijder, and Ayre is confident players such as the quality of the Inter midfielder still view the club as an attractive option.
Liverpool are 7/2 to be Wesley Sneijder's next club with Paddy Power
"Can Liverpool still attract the best? Absolutely," Ayre told the Liverpool Echo.
"Not only attract the best there is but also retain the best there is. Look at the commitment shown by the likes of [Luis] Suarez, [Daniel] Agger, [Martin] Skrtel and [Raheem] Sterling, who have all signed new deals.
"All the players we have got to commit, whether they're players coming in or those already here, shows that people believe in the plan and they believe in the manager.
"I certainly have never been in any negotiation over the past year or so where any player or agent has told us that they don't think Liverpool is big enough or bright enough as an opportunity."
Liverpool recently recruited forward Daniel Sturridge from Chelsea, and Ayre has pointed to his previous playing days at Manchester City and the potential of the England international as further proof of the Reds' power to lure players.
He added: "We remain a world class club and a world class attraction to players. I read that Daniel Sturridge said he has joined the biggest club in the Premier League - that says it all.
"Here's a player who has played for Chelsea and Manchester City. He had seen the size, the power of this club and what it means after just a few days in the place."


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More Sun in Missoula, Please
Shakespeare often used weather as a metaphor in his plays, with violent storms representing instability and unrest. (See, I did learn something in college.)
In real life, I have found that the weather often mirrors my mood — or is it the other way around?
This was particularly noticeable during the blast of sunshine we experienced at the beginning of the week. After last week's icky mix of snow, sleet and wind, bright sunlight came as a welcome change. Only after my mood lifted did I realize how depressed I was feeling before.
When I woke up Wednesday morning to another cloudy, dreary day, I couldn't help but notice that there was a little less spring in my step compared to the previous morning.
Although I will admit that I can get kind of cranky around this time of year (will it EVER be warm again?), I have never thought of myself as having a "real" condition such as Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD).
And according to an article I recently stumbled on, there might be less of a connection between emotion and weather than doctors previously thought — scientifically speaking, at least. A European study performed in 2008 suggested that the connection between happiness and good weather is weaker than most people think, and that a person's emotional state is a result of a smorgasbord of combining factors.
Still, as far as biology goes, the physiological impact of weather — particularly sunlight — is pretty clear. Exposure to sun raises the body's levels of mood-enhancing serotonin, while darkness signals the release of sleep-inducing melatonin.
So after several days of melatonin build-up, I guess it's no surprise that I felt alive, alert and awake when I finally saw the sun. Now, if it would only warm up enough for a game of ultimate Frisbee…
Brooke is a 2010 graduate of The University of Montana, where she ran track and cross country for the Grizzlies. She is currently working as a writer and editor in Missoula.
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Tracing Frank Stella's Disproportionate Influence on Contemporary Art
Artsy Editorial
Image rights: Photography by Rob McKeever.
Painter and draftsman Mark Grotjahn is known for his ongoing investigation of perspective. In the "Butterfly" paintings starting in 1997, he uses dual and multiple vanishing points to create complex compositions of radiant, tonal color, alluding to such touchstones in the history of modernist painting as Russian Constructivism, Op Art, and Barnett Newman's "zips." Alongside perspective, he has pursued ideas like color restriction, seriality, and the sublime. In his more recent "Face" series, roughly painted on cardboard mounted to canvas, Grotjahn retains his radiant motif but replaces geometric rigor with ritualistic, totemic energy.
American, b. 1968, Pasadena, California, based in Los Angeles, California


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Yes! It's finally here! The 30th release of High School of the Dead is finally out! With a simultaneous release with Japan.
What do you look forward to? Do you believe that it will still go on strong after this long break? Do you think that it get on a hold once again sometime in the future? Is there something else in your mind? Is there anything else on your mind?
Let's discuss!
Personally I really look forward to some action and about what will happen next. It's been so long that I'm just hungering after some good zombie action manga, i started out watching the anime, but when the anime was finished and found out that there was a manga I really wanted to read it badly. And for the love of god I really don't hope that HSotD will go on a hold at any point.
Looking forward to see your opinions
Yes its out, but no news about act 31. Maybe we will have to wait another year for that lol.
If I don't have to do it, I won't. If I have to do it, I'll make it quick.
Yeah, I was really surprised when I updated my manga favorites to see a new chapter of HOTD. Hope they keep continuing it. A season 2 would be nice as well
LazyBub wrote:
Yeah, I was really surprised when I updated my manga favorites to see a new chapter of HOTD. Hope they keep continuing it. A season 2 would be nice as well
The way they ended the anime, i would guess, IF they finish the manga, they would make a season 2. Since the anime had a very non questions answered ending.
The manga will get Chapter 31 and on once Daisuke Satō and Monthly Dragon Age notice how well Chapter 30 sells. If the sells are high in both the United States and Japan then it will be determined if the manga will go on or will be stopped soon. Chapter 31 could come out in June. It all depends on when the chapters will be released Monthly or bi-monthly. I hope that Highschool of the Dead isn't dropped because it was rated the worst manga back in 2011 I believe. As for a season 2 that would be amazing but more chapters have to be made before the series can continue because one episode takes almost two chapters that I believe I have read in some other blog. Let's just hope and pray Highschool of the Dead survives and doesn't go on another hiatus.
if the manga continues so as the anime right ?
lion quinn...
Yea what does this mean for the anime 2nd season or nothing?
omg yaaaaaaaay
Hey :D
oooooommmmmmyyyyyy ggoood yessssss!!!!!!!! newchapter
Finaly! For 31st chapter I hope that it'll be relised in a month or at least till the end of May. As for the sequel I believe autumn 2014 is realistic to expect.
Lost in World of Digits
Awesomeee!!! I don't mind waiting, I loved the anime and the colour Omnibus is pretty sweeet <3 Yay for more chapters
Swim Free!! <3
ok.......so i'm thinking HOTD is on hiatus since there's no news on when ACT 31 is going to be published?
lol yeah this manga is done for and dont expect another season
Let's not


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New Jersey businesses are more confident now than they have been at any other time since the recent recession, according to a report released today by the New Jersey Business & Industry Association.
Representing what the NJBIA calls the most positive near-term outlook in 16 years, 35 percent of businesses say they expect economic conditions to improve in the next six months compared to 17 percent which say they will worsen.
In what is a slight increase for a third year in a row, 25 percent of companies feel New Jersey is either a good or very good place for business expansion, comparing to 22 percent which reported the state is a poor place to expand. In 2010, the NJBIA survey found that 52 percent of businesses had negative perceptions of New Jersey as a place for business expansion.
"In fact, four years since the depths of the recession, business confidence appears to be bouncing back to levels not seen in a number of years," NJBIA president Phil Kirschner said this morning at a news conference in Trenton.
Kirschner said this year's results were not only better than last year's, but "indicate continued improvement in the state's economy."
Nearly 1,200 businesses across the state participated in the annual survey conducted in September.
Sales played a large role in the positive outlook as 57 percent of businesses said they anticipate their sales to increase in 2014, compared to just 15 percent which expect them to decline. The same goes for profits, as 52 percent of businesses reported that they expect profits to rise in the coming year, compared to just 18 percent which say they will fall.
As for 2013, 47 percent of businesses said they've seen their profits rise, but 37 percent have reported declines.
The outlook for hiring is also on the upswing, according to the survey.
In the coming year, 26 percent of companies say they expect to hire additional employees, compared to 9 percent which intend to reduce their staff. In 2013, the 20 percent of businesses which reported hiring additional workers was met with 20 percent which cut their numbers of employees.
RELATED: South Jersey expects revenue growth in 2014, but hiring is another story
Wages are also expected to increase as 57 percent of businesses reported that they anticipate giving pay raises in 2014. Some 53 percent of companies reported giving pay raises in 2013.
In what the NJBIA says is the highest approval rating for a governor since the question was first asked in 1991, 75 percent of responding businesses said Gov. Chris Christie is doing a "good-to-excellent job." Christie received similar survey approval ratings of 74 percent and 73 percent in the last two years respectively.
However, one area of particular concern for businesses is the uncertainty regarding the Affordable Care Act, which was reported as the "most troublesome" problem for companies.
An overwhelming 80 percent of companies said they expect the cost of employee health benefits to rise next year, compared to just 17 percent which say they will remain even and 3 percent which claim they will decline.
Of the 80 percent which say the costs will go up, 46 percent believe they will rise by 11 percent or more.
A total of 60 percent of businesses said that overall, they expect the Affordable Care Act to have a negative impact, compared to 16 percent reporting they anticipate no impact and 6 percent which said they foresee a positive impact. A total of 18 percent reported that they were still unsure as to how the law would affect them.
Kirschner said the survey results on the Affordable Care Act represent what appears to be "tremendous confusion" for businesses.
He noted there is some concern for the 2015 outlook if the state's businesses next year are forced to contend with the effects of further implementation of both the Affordable Care Act and the recently passed minimum wage hike in addition to looming legislation on mandatory paid sick-leave requirements.
Kirschner said it would be a "tremendous mistake" for legislators to assume that the state has fully recovered from the recession because the outlook appears promising. That includes not rushing too much legislation that could have negative effects on the state's business climate, he says.
"If they're intent on pushing all that forward, that could certainly have a destabilizing effect," Kirschner said.


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ISO 10646/Unicode - Continued Convergence
Mike Ksar - Hewlett-Packard Company
The goal of this presentation is to inform the audience about the architecture of the ISO 10646/Unicode Standard and to increase the confidence of the audience in the strength of the relationship between the ISO technical working group (ISO/IEC JTC1 SC2/WG2) and the Unicode Consortium.
Now there is only one International Standard that contains the repertoires of the major scripts and languages of the world. As new characters and scripts are added the need for working together to preserve a single International Standard is of the utmost importance. The ISO technical working group and the Unicode Consortium continue to cooperate in the evaluation of any new additions to the repertoire.
Several officers from the ISO technical working group participated in the review of the Unicode 2.0 Book to ensure the continued convergence of both documents. The Unicode 2.0 Book provides renewed guidance to implementers of the International Standard that ensures a uniform and consistent interpretation of the standard across a variety of platforms.
It is essential to proceed on this path to meet the original user requirements of having only one International Standard that is flexible and easy to implement. This International Standard is one of the building blocks in creating global and interoperable solutions across multiple platforms that meet and reflect the global market requirements.
|When the world wants to talk, it speaks Unicode
International Unicode Conferences are organized by Global Meeting Services, Inc., (GMS).
GMS is pleased to be able to offer the International Unicode Conferences under an exclusive
license granted by the Unicode Consortium. All responsibility for conference finances and
operations is borne by GMS. The independent conference board serves solely at the pleasure
of GMS and is composed of volunteers active in Unicode and in international software
development. All inquiries regarding International Unicode Conferences should be addressed
to email@example.com.
Unicode and the Unicode logo are registered trademarks of Unicode, Inc. Used with permission.
16 Jun 2000, Webmaster


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Updated: Senate panel aims to tighten the rules on charitable gamingBy GARRY RAYNO
State House Bureau
March 05. 2013 9:33PM
Games of chance facilities licensed by NHEntities and facilities licensed by the state to host games of chance:
--Potts Gaming, LLC 1265 Laconia Road, Belmont
--Oceanfront Gaming Inc. dba Ocean Gaming Casino, 81 Ocean Blvd., Hampton
--Seacoast Fundraising, LLC
Lafayette Road, Hampton Falls
--Manchester Bingo, LLC 1279 South Willow St., Manchester
--The River Card Room 185 Elm St., Milford
--Eeskay NH, dba Boston Billiard Club 55 Northeastern Blvd., Nashua
--Full Pockets Inc., dba The Corner Pocket Pool Hall, 181 Plaistow Road, Rte. 125, Plaistow
--Concord Bingo Too, LLC 401 Winchester St., Keene NH
--Gary's Restaurant & Sports Lounge 38 Milton Road, Rochester
--Rockingham Park 1 Rockingham Park Blvd., Salem
--Seabrook Greyhound Park 319 New Zealand Road, Seabrook
--Atlantic Gaming, LLC 360 Laconia Road, Tilton
CONCORD -- As a Senate panel voted Tuesday to approve casino gambling and pass the bill onto the full Senate next week, the state's 12 licensed charitable gaming operations also got a closer look.
Games of chance generate about $75 million in wagers a year, according to the New Hampshire Racing and Charitable Gaming Commission, with charities receiving about $13 million.
Under a bill the Senate Ways and Means Committee OK'd 5-0, charitable gaming operators would be prohibited from charging charities fees for such things as rent, security and administration. Sen. Chuck Morse, R-Salem, said the legislature always intended charities to receive 35 percent of the proceeds.
"The intent was to increase the percentage going back to charities," Morse said. "No one wanted to put it in place so the vendors could get rich."
Information supplied by Paul Kelley, director of the New Hampshire Racing and Charitable Gaming Commission, indicated that charities were charged over $211,000 in rent over a 12-month period and $386,000 in total fees, which reduced the average percentage of revenue to 32.3 percent instead of the required 35 percent.
Senate Ways and Means Committee Chairman Bob Odell, R-Lempster, said some operators don't charge fees, but others do. The legislation would level the playing field, he said.
Senate Bill 75 will go before the full Senate later this month for a preliminary vote. If it passes, it will be reviewed by the Senate Finance Committee before a final vote.


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Eagles right guard Danny Watkins did not practice Friday and is listed as doubtful for Sunday's encounter with the Atlanta Falcons. Rookie Dennis Kelly is expected to make his first NFL start in Watkins' spot.
"It's exciting," Kelly said. "At the same time, you want Danny to be healthy and to be all right. To be given the opportunity, I'm excited for it and ready if I have to (play)."
Eagles coach Andy Reid said Watkins aggravated a chronic ankle problem in the Oct. 14 loss to the Lions, and though he practiced Monday and Wednesday, Reid said it was obvious Wednesday that Watkins was struggling. Reid said he didn't think the setback would be long-term.
Kelly was a fifth-round pick in April, from Purdue. He has been active for two games this season, playing on special teams.
"We have trust in him," Reid said of Kelly, who is listed at 6-8, 321. Reid said he decided not to shuffle players around to start a veteran instead of the rookie.
"Smart kid, tough kid," Reid said. Kelly was a tackle at Purdue but played a lot at guard in preseason and has worked out regularly there since training camp. "Great size and strength. Give him an opportunity."
Kelly said his sister Katie had planned to drive to this game from her home in Chicago anyway -- her first visit -- so this certainly would be a good week for him to start. His brother Tim is a grad assistant at Penn State but won't be able to get to the Linc Sunday, he said.
Kelly went pretty far down a draft that was considered poor for offensive linemen. He said the Purdue zone blocking system didn't really showcase the kind of one-on-one talents the NFL wants to see. He didn't get invited to the Scouting Combine, but worked out for several teams and gained 15 pounds after hearing teams say they thought he was too angular.
Really tall guards used to be rare in the NFL, not quite as much today. One of the trailblazers there was Todd Herremans, 6-6, 321, now the Eagles' right tackle, who played his first six seasons at guard. Left tackle King Dunlap, 6-9, 330, has filled in from time to time at guard, as well.
Herremans said he told Kelly to "use the strengths that he has inside, which right now would be his long arms and his aggression. Dennis is a smart football player, though. There's not too much I have to tell him. He's been doing a lot of work with Howard (Mudd, the offensive line coach) on inside stuff. I think he's ready to go."


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• Google the reporter's name. After ensuring that she still writes for the news outlet, click on one of her recent articles. Make sure it is within the same genre as your pitch. In other words, if you are pitching a health-care story, make sure she covers health care.
• Write a one-paragraph personalized intro for every email you send. "I read your series on health-care abuses in the nursing home industry…" Show some interest in the reporter's work.
• The remaining portion of the email can be the same for every reporter. This is your brief opportunity to capture the reporter's interest with your pitch. Make it short, and make it interesting.
• Write a subject line that gets attention and describes your pitch. "For your information" is not a good subject line.
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Main Site - :: Why Won't God Heal Amputees? ::
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One side note: historians believe that the reference by Josephus to Jesus was an add on fom the 2nd or 3rd century so there you go.
So, by default, I choose to have no belief in god.
Quote from: GodlessHeathen on March 01, 2012, 04:36:08 PMSo, by default, I choose to have no belief in god.It does not sound like much of a choice to me. More like a conclusion you could not help but arrive at given the evidence you had. That is one of my ongoing points with xians - that one cannot choose what to believe. I defy them to choose to believe in elves for a week. If they can do it, then maybe they can show me how to believe in a god.