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NEW YORK (AP) — The conversations have restarted in the ongoing NHL labor fight. The negotiations have not.
One step at a time in the roller-coaster ride that holds the hockey season in the balance.
A day after NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman suggested to players' association chief Donald Fehr that the sides take a two-week break from seemingly fruitless bargaining, talking resumed Friday — albeit from afar.
Deputy commissioner Bill Daly spoke briefly with union special counsel Steve Fehr, and they were expected to have further discussions during the weekend to talk about the next steps in bargaining.
It was unclear if any progress was made yet in the discussions.
"I wouldn't characterize it," Daly told The Associated Press in an email Friday night. "Nothing else noteworthy."
The day wasn't expected to produce positive results following Thursday night's revelation that the NHL floated the idea of taking time off in discussions. No official answer was given by the players that they accepted or rejection Bettman's suggestion, but they repeated their willingness to bargain anytime and their belief that negotiating is the only way an agreement can ever be reached.
If the NHL and the players' association have run out of things to talk about, how can they ever find a way to make a deal to save the hockey season?
It is a question both sides seem to have trouble answering, and not because they are being guarded or coy. The lockout is in its third month, and there is no obvious path to progress.
There was a hint of optimism last week when the league and locked-out players met a few times, but the view quickly became bleak. After a one-day break, the sides met Sunday. That brief return to the table also turned badly quickly. They haven't met — and have barely talked — since then.
Frustration and a hint of anger have entered the equation. So perhaps a cooling-off period would make some sense before the sides agree to get together again.
"I think what you have seen is disappointment with where we find ourselves in the process," Daly said. "I don't think it's a case of personal animosity."
Now that Daly and Steve Fehr have resumed discussions with each other, maybe it will be less than two weeks before negotiations resume. At this point, any contact qualifies as good news.
Staying apart could pose a problem because time has become a major factor. All games through Nov. 30 have already been taken off the schedule, more cancellations are likely within a week, the Winter Classic has been wiped out, the All-Star game is the next big event in jeopardy, and the whole season could be lost, too, in the blink of an eye.
Daly said Thursday that he is more discouraged now that at any other point in the process.
"Of course everyone on the players' side wants to reach an agreement," Steve Fehr said Thursday night. "The players have offered the owners concessions worth about a billion dollars. What exactly have the owners offered the players? We believe that it is more likely that we will make progress if we meet than if we don't. So we are ready to meet.
"If indeed they do not want to meet, it will be at least the third time in the last three months that they have shut down the dialogue, saying they will not meet unless the players meet their preconditions. What does that tell you about their interest in resolving this?"
That came in response to Bettman's suggestion of a break, and other comments by Daly about the tenor of the discussions between the sides.
"Gary suggested the possibility of a two-week moratorium," Daly said. "I'm disappointed because we don't have a negotiating partner that has any genuine interest in reaching an agreement. Zero interest."
The NHL contends that the union has submitted the same proposal multiple times without moving in the league's direction. The union says it has agreed to come down from receiving 57 percent of hockey-related revenues to a 50-50 split. The league wants that to go into effect in the first year of the agreement, while the union wants to get there gradually.
Back in 2005, after the entire 2004-05 season was lost to a lockout, the players' association accepted a salary-cap system for the first time and feels it shouldn't have to bear the brunt of the concessions now after league revenues reached a record high of over $3 billion last season.
"In '04, the gap was huge," said Rangers forward Brad Richards, who attended last week's bargaining sessions. "Very frustrating. Didn't expect to go on this long, didn't need for it to go on this long. They want to create this view that we're so far apart. Only one way to get a deal done. That's the only tactic they know."
Richards organized a benefit skate Friday to help in the relief efforts on Staten Island after Superstorm Sandy, and was joined by several of his teammates. Richards, who signed with the Rangers last offseason, and led them to the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference last postseason partnered with a high school team to organize "Skating for Sandy."
This 62-day lockout has claimed 327 regular-season games, and hope of a new deal and the start of the already-shortened season — likely of 68 games per team — on Dec. 1 has been dashed.
Rangers forward Marian Gaborik sees little benefit in taking a break from negotiations.
"I don't know what his mindset is," he said about Bettman.
It is more than just finances preventing a deal. The disagreements over player contract terms have emerged as just as big an impasse.
The NHL wants to limit contracts to five years, make rules to prohibit back-diving contracts the league feels circumvent the salary cap, keep players ineligible for unrestricted free agency until they are 28 or have eight years of professional service time, cut entry-level deals to two years, and make salary arbitration after five years.
Players missed their third pay day of the season Thursday, and the clock is ticking toward more losses. The 2004-05 season was canceled in February. A lockout in 1995 ended in January, leading to a 48-game schedule.
"Different," Gaborik said about this lockout. "The union is much stronger. We have a leader we believe in."
Freelance writer Denis Gorman contributed to this report.


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Welcome to Villa Radicata, your beautiful Holiday home in Tuscany, a traditional restored farmhouse with stunning lake and hill views. Perfect for a stress free, relaxing family holiday. We offer weekly self-catering rentals, cooking courses, olive picking holidays and family yoga and fitness breaks.
Buone Vacanze
Rita, Mike, Alessia and Sebastiano
Villa Radicata Read more
View of Lake Montedoglio Read more
View from the Pool Read more

subset: commoncrawl


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E-file is short for electronic tax return filing. It includes both preparing taxes electronically using tax software and filing taxes electronically.
Buy tax software either off-the-shelf or online. If your income is $58,000 or less, let Free File brand-name software do the hard work for you with free tax preparation and free e-filing. It's available only through IRS.gov, where a number of tax software companies make their products available for free. Go to Free File to take advantage of this option.
"The software's question and answer format makes doing taxes much easier than filling out paper tax forms," said Clay Sanford, an IRS spokesman in Dallas. "E-file can also help you find credits or deductions for which you may be eligible."
Electronically filed returns are signed electronically. You enter last year's adjusted gross income or a five digit PIN (Personal Identification Number) that you create yourself. This makes your return more secure and completely paperless.
When you hit "send," your return will be securely transmitted through an IRS-approved electronic channel. As part of the delivery process, IRS computers automatically check your return for mistakes. If the IRS finds easy-to-fix mistakes, like a math error or a wrong social security number, they can immediately send it back to you. You can fix it and send it right back. This saves time and prevents a simple mistake from holding up your refund.
Choose direct deposit for faster access to your refund than a paper check. It's also safer than having a check delivered to your mailbox. If you owe tax, the IRS offers various electronic payment options for paying federal taxes and user fees. These options are convenient, safe, and secure, and some of them are free. For more information about e-file, go to www.IRS.gov and click on the blue e-file icon.


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42 U.S. Code § 285a–2 - Special authorities of Director
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(a) Information and education program
(1) The Director of the Institute shall establish an information and education program to collect, identify, analyze, and disseminate on a timely basis, through publications and other appropriate means, to cancer patients and their families, physicians and other health professionals, and the general public, information on cancer research, diagnosis, prevention, and treatment (including information respecting nutrition programs for cancer patients and the relationship between nutrition and cancer). The Director of the Institute may take such action as may be necessary to insure that all channels for the dissemination and exchange of scientific knowledge and information are maintained between the Institute and the public and between the Institute and other scientific, medical, and biomedical disciplines and organizations nationally and internationally.
(2) In carrying out paragraph (1), the Director of the Institute shall—
(A) provide public and patient information and education programs, providing information that will help individuals take personal steps to reduce their risk of cancer, to make them aware of early detection techniques and to motivate appropriate utilization of those techniques, to help individuals deal with cancer if it strikes, and to provide information to improve long-term survival;
(B) continue and expand programs to provide physicians and the public with state-of-the-art information on the treatment of particular forms of cancers, and to identify those clinical trials that might benefit patients while advancing knowledge of cancer treatment;
(C) assess the incorporation of state-of-the-art cancer treatments into clinical practice and the extent to which cancer patients receive such treatments and include the results of such assessments in the biennial reports required under section 284b [1] of this title;
(D) maintain and operate the International Cancer Research Data Bank, which shall collect, catalog, store, and disseminate insofar as feasible the results of cancer research and treatment undertaken in any country for the use of any person involved in cancer research and treatment in any country; and
(b) National Cancer Program
The Director of the Institute in carrying out the National Cancer Program—
(1) shall establish or support the large-scale production or distribution of specialized biological materials and other therapeutic substances for cancer research and set standards of safety and care for persons using such materials;
(2) shall, in consultation with the advisory council for the Institute, support
(A) research in the cancer field outside the United States by highly qualified foreign nationals which can be expected to benefit the American people,
(3) shall, in consultation with the advisory council for the Institute, support appropriate programs of education and training (including continuing education and laboratory and clinical research training);
(4) shall encourage and coordinate cancer research by industrial concerns where such concerns evidence a particular capability for such research;
(5) may obtain (after consultation with the advisory council for the Institute and in accordance with section 3109 of title 5, but without regard to the limitation in such section on the period of service) the services of not more than one hundred and fifty-one experts or consultants who have scientific or professional qualifications;
(A) may, in consultation with the advisory council for the Institute, acquire, construct, improve, repair, operate, and maintain laboratories, other research facilities, equipment, and such other real or personal property as the Director determines necessary;
(B) may, in consultation with the advisory council for the Institute, make grants for construction or renovation of facilities; and
(C) may, in consultation with the advisory council for the Institute, acquire, without regard to section 8141 of title 40, by lease or otherwise through the Administrator of General Services, buildings or parts of buildings in the District of Columbia or communities located adjacent to the District of Columbia for the use of the Institute for a period not to exceed ten years;
(7) may, in consultation with the advisory council for the Institute, appoint one or more advisory committees composed of such private citizens and officials of Federal, State, and local governments to advise the Director with respect to the Director's functions;
(8) may, subject to section 284 (b)(2) of this title and without regard to section 3324 of title 31 and section 6101 of title 41, enter into such contracts, leases, cooperative agreements, as may be necessary in the conduct of functions of the Director, with any public agency, or with any person, firm, association, corporation, or educational institution; and
(9) shall, notwithstanding section 284 (a) of this title, prepare and submit, directly to the President for review and transmittal to Congress, an annual budget estimate (including an estimate of the number and type of personnel needs for the Institute) for the National Cancer Program, after reasonable opportunity for comment (but without change) by the Secretary, the Director of NIH, and the Institute's advisory council.
Except as otherwise provided, experts and consultants whose services are obtained under paragraph (5) shall be paid or reimbursed, in accordance with title 5 for their travel to and from their place of service and for other expenses associated with their assignment. Such expenses shall not be allowed in connection with the assignment of an expert or consultant whose services are obtained under paragraph (5) unless the expert or consultant has agreed in writing to complete the entire period of the assignment or one year of the assignment, whichever is shorter, unless separated or reassigned for reasons which are beyond the control of the expert or consultant and which are acceptable to the Director of the Institute. If the expert or consultant violates the agreement, the money spent by the United States for such expenses is recoverable from the expert or consultant as a debt due the United States. The Secretary may waive in whole or in part a right of recovery under the preceding sentence.
(c) Pre-clinical models to evaluate promising pediatric cancer therapies
(1) Expansion and coordination of activities
The Director of the National Cancer Institute shall expand, intensify, and coordinate the activities of the Institute with respect to research on the development of preclinical models to evaluate which therapies are likely to be effective for treating pediatric cancer.
(2) Coordination with other institutes
The Director of the Institute shall coordinate the activities under paragraph (1) with similar activities conducted by other national research institutes and agencies of the National Institutes of Health to the extent that those Institutes and agencies have responsibilities that are related to pediatric cancer.
[1] See References in Text note below.
Source(July 1, 1944, ch. 373, title IV, § 413, as added Pub. L. 99–158, § 2,Nov. 20, 1985, 99 Stat. 833; amended Pub. L. 100–607, title I, § 122,Nov. 4, 1988, 102 Stat. 3054; Pub. L. 101–93, § 5(c),Aug. 16, 1989, 103 Stat. 611; Pub. L. 103–43, title III, § 301(a)(2),June 10, 1993, 107 Stat. 150; Pub. L. 107–109, § 15(b),Jan. 4, 2002, 115 Stat. 1420.)
References in Text
Section 284b of this title, referred to in subsec. (a)(2)(C), was repealed by Pub. L. 109–482, title I, § 104(b)(1)(C),Jan. 15, 2007, 120 Stat. 3693.
In subsec. (b)(6)(C), "section 8141 of title 40" substituted for "the Act of March 3, 1877 (40 U.S.C. 34)" on authority of Pub. L. 107–217, § 5(c),Aug. 21, 2002, 116 Stat. 1303, the first section of which enacted Title 40, Public Buildings, Property, and Works.
In subsec. (b)(8), "section 6101 of title 41" substituted for "section 3709 of the Revised Statutes (41 U.S.C. 5)" on authority of Pub. L. 111–350, § 6(c),Jan. 4, 2011, 124 Stat. 3854, which Act enacted Title 41, Public Contracts.
2002—Subsec. (c). Pub. L. 107–109added subsec. (c).
1993—Subsec. (b)(9). Pub. L. 103–43struck out subpar. (A) designation and subpar. (B) which permitted Director to receive from President and Office of Management and Budget directly all funds appropriated by Congress for obligation and expenditure by Institute.
1989—Subsec. (a)(1). Pub. L. 101–93substituted "Institute and" for "Institute and and".
1988—Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 100–607, § 122(1), designated existing provisions as par. (1), substituted "education program" for "education center", inserted "and the public and between the Institute and" after "between the Institute", and added par. (2).
Subsec. (b)(5). Pub. L. 100–607, § 122(2)(A), substituted "after consultation with" for "with the approval of".
Subsec. (b)(8) to (10). Pub. L. 100–607, § 122(2)(B), inserted "and" after "or educational institution;" in par. (8), redesignated par. (10) as (9), and struck out former par. (9) which related to International Cancer Research Data Bank.
LII has no control over and does not endorse any external Internet site that contains links to or references LII.


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This popular series for kids has been a perennial bestseller since it was first introduced. Now, available for the first time on DVD, a whole new generation of kids can learn about the greatest stories of the Bible through these fun, animated adventures. Stock up on these great titles - just in time for EASTER!
KEY SELLING POINTS: * Platinum-Selling Bible Adventure Series has sold millions of units* Hanna Barbera name is synonymous with classic cartoons* $9.97 MSRP price point is perfect for impulse purchases for parents looking for quality kids' video.


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WASHINGTON — Iran's foreign minister said Sunday that his country was willing to negotiate with the United States over its nuclear program but that Washington needed to reciprocate by stopping the sanctions that have crippled Iran's economy.
Taking a tone that was conciliatory at times but mainly tough, Mohammad Javad Zarif said in an interview with ABC's "This Week" that the U.S. and Iran had taken the "first step in removing the tensions, doubts and misgivings that the two sides have had about each other for the last 30-some years." Zarif met with U.S. Secretary of State John F. Kerry last week in New York, and President Obama spoke by phone Friday with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, the countries' first direct contact at that level since Iran's 1979 Islamic revolution.
Speaking in fluent English, the American-educated Zarif also insisted that Iranian officials do not believe the Holocaust is a myth. A statement referring to the "myth of the massacre of Jews" in a speech by the country's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, is a "bad translation," he told interviewer George Stephanopoulos.
"The Holocaust is not a myth. Nobody's talking about a myth," Zarif said, when asked about the quotation. "If it's there," he said, "it's a bad translation, and it's translated out of context."
"This is the problem when you translate something from Persian to English, you may lose something, as the film goes, 'Lost in Translation,' you may lose some of the meaning," he added.
"[The] Holocaust was a heinous crime, it was a genocide, it must never be allowed to be repeated, but that crime cannot be and should not be a justification to trample the rights of the Palestinian people for 60 years," he said.
Last week, when Iranian president Hassan Rouhani made a comment in an interview on CNN in which he said he accepted the Holocaust as an historical fact, some Iranian media outlets connected to hard-line factions used the translation argument in the other direction, arguing that CNN had misconstrued Rouhani's remarks. His predecessor as president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, had questioned the reality of the Holocaust several times in public statements, one of several moves that deepened Israeli fears of Iran's intentions.
Zarif also insisted that Tehran never had military intentions with its uranium enrichment and other nuclear activities. "Iran is prepared to start negotiating" on the issue, he said, adding that the United States also must do certain things, including halting what he contended were "illegal sanctions against Iran that are targeting ordinary Iranians."
Iran has been hit with sanctions from the United Nations' Security Council as well as additional measures aimed at its oil and banking sectors imposed by the U.S. and the European Union.
"We believe that if the United States is ready to recognize Iran's rights, to respect Iran's rights and move from that perspective, then we have a real chance, and we negotiate with the full authority of the leader," Zarif said, referring to Ayatollah Khamenei.
He spoke of hope that decades of hostile relations between the U.S. and Iran could be mended. But the foreign minister also said that while his country was willing to forgive its troubled history with the United States, Iran could not forget it.
"Iran's very serious and deep mistrust of the behavior of the United States needs to be addressed," he said.
That mix of hope and doubt has been common to both countries, with Iran's recent overtures being met with skepticism by Obama and many U.S. lawmakers, even as the president expressed confidence about the possibility that the two sides could find a "comprehensive solution" to the nuclear problem.
Underscoring the political challenges that Obama will face on Iran, Sen. Robert Menendez (D-N.J.), the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), a leading foreign policy expert in his party, said Sunday that although they would not ignore the diplomatic outreach by Iran, they would continue to press to maintain and toughen sanctions.
"Diplomacy is our hope, but the U.S. resolve to take whatever action is necessary to prevent Iran from becoming a nuclear state will not be compromised," they said in an opinion piece in the Washington Post. "In the coming days, we will be outspoken in our support for furthering sanctions against Iran, requiring countries to again reduce their purchases of Iranian petroleum and imposing further prohibitions on strategic sectors of the Iranian economy."
That tack is certain to be emphasized by Israeli leaders, who have reacted to Iran's outreach with deep suspicion. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is scheduled to meet with Obama on Monday, was said to be preparing to counter Iran's "sweet talk" in that meeting and a subsequent speech to the United Nations General Assembly on Tuesday.
"I intend to tell the truth in the face of sweet talk and Iran's offensive of smiles," Netanyahu said Saturday night before boarding his plane to fly to the U.S. "Telling the truth today is vital for the security and peace of the world and, of course, it is vital for the security of our country."
Pakistan: Car bomb kills at least 43 in Peshawar market
Questions linger about China's new Shanghai free-trade zone
Security Council votes unanimously to destroy Syrian chemical weapons


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It is the best time of year to visit the Czech Republic and there was a mixture of sunshine and a taste of crisp cool air slipping down from the mountains.
Always eager to get started, I had scheduled an early casting, so models began to arrive at our apartment and were dropping their bras and panties even before we'd unpacked. Keen. That's what I like. Girls who want to get their kit off and get posing. And what a contrast to my recent trip to South Africa were agents and models took off at a sprint at the mere mention of the word nudity.
Surprisingly, Veronika, from my session last spring in Paris showed up as well as many more gorgeous models anxious to reveal their divine form for the camera. Check out a handful of them from today's snaps. Feel free to let me know who your favorites are and I will see what I can do for you! Much much more to come.
Petter in Prague


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A summary bill will be sent to you approximately two weeks after you return home. Like most hospitals, there are two billing systems at Sinai Hospital. One is for hospital charges such as your room, medications, equipment and other items used for medical care. The other is for professional services such as fees for services provided by physicians and specialists. Each of these professionals will bill separately. For questions, please call 410-601-1094.
As a courtesy, we will submit bills to the insurance companies for which you identify coverage. Insurance usually covers most charges except for television, private room differential, insurance deductibles and co-payments.
Arrangements to pay any unpaid charges should be made at the time of discharge. For your convenience, a number of payment options are available. These include Visa, MasterCard, Discover, American Express, money orders, personal checks and cash. Installment payment plans are available. A 2 percent discount is given if your bill is paid within 30 days.
For questions about your hospital bill or to request an itemized bill, please call the Customer Service department at 410-601-4488, weekdays 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
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A gap happens when a financial instrument's price makes a sharp move either to the upside or downside, skipping over certain prices in the process. Visually speaking, a gap creates a hole, or a void, on a price chart.
Gaps often are created during earnings announcements, surprise corporate news for a particular company, when analysts upgrade or downgrade a particular stock, when a company launches some new product or amid far-reaching economic or political events. Whatever the reason, the news typically breaks when the market is closed. The result is buying or selling pressure before and at the start of the next session's trading that causes the instrument to open at a price outside the range of the previous day.
Gaps can occur in either direction:
- Gap up: Occurs when the current day's low is greater than the previous day's high. On an interim basis, a provisional gap up forms when the current day opens above the previous day's high.
- Gap down: Occurs when the current day's high is less than the previous day's low. On an interim basis, a provisional gap down forms when the current day opens below the previous day's low.
Consider the chart "Bite out of Apple" (below). On Nov. 16, 2012, Apple closed at $527.67 per share. On Nov. 19, it opened at $540.62. Because no shares changed hands between $527.67 and $540.62, a provisional gap of $12.95 per share formed. In this case, the provisional gap held, as the open also was near the low of the day. Similarly, on Dec. 3, Apple closed at $586.19, and on Dec. 4, it gapped down to $581.79. Again, the gap held, and the market traded lower, establishing a gap of $4.40 per share.


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Later, he quotes another researcher:
"You go deep enough or far out enough in consciousness, you will bump into the sacred. It's not something we generate; it's something out there waiting to be discovered. And this reliably happens to nonbelievers as well as believers." Whether occasioned by drugs or other means, these experiences of mystical consciousness are in all likelihood the primal basis of religion.
About a week ago, Hyperallergic published a great, brief assessment of how tough it is to make a living as an artist, and it's pretty obvious that if you want a life of luxury then you should look into investment banking. Yet the ultimate effect of the piece is heartening. Most of us are on the same life raft. On the whole, artists don't make much. But we find ways to make ends meet and still make art. And the longer we stick with it, the happier we get. The writer, Benjamin Sutton, was reporting on a study released by Creative Independent , an offshoot of Kickstarter. The group surveyed artists in the U.S., UK, Canada, France and roughly 50 other countries.
What's most welcome about the piece is how it actually showed that it's possible to be serious–and reasonably happy–about making art without being able to stay solvent from the proceeds. Which means, more or less, that if you think Van Gogh was a failure, then you need at attitude readjustment, friend. Failure isn't about money when it comes to creative endeavors.
Here were some of the finding:
Palm Pattern #125, Edith Bergstrom, at Butler Institute of American Art
The Butler Institute of American Art, the nation's first museum devoted exclusively to American art, is a jewel tucked way in an old, slimmed-down Rust Belttown, which was booming when America's industrial age was in full swing. Youngstown is probably one of the communities hardest hitby the migration of heavy industry out of the U.S. and has had to rebuildsince huge job losses in the 1970s. Once a city of 170,000 people, it shrank to around a third of that in the 70s and 80s. As with most cities once nourished by the Erie Canal (like the one in which I live), it has had to find ways to diversify its economy and attract and grow innovative new technology firms despite the Great Lakes climate. In the past decade, Youngstown began to stir with new economic life and because of its history as an industrial powerhouse, back when it attracted immigrant workers from around the world, it remains one of the most racially and culturally diverse cities in the nation. Flint and Detroit may get all the publicity, but Youngstown has to have been buffeted and betrayed by the global economy about as severely as any town in the world—and yet it has found a path forward to a new sort of identity and pride in itself. The Butler seems to assert a kind of unassailable character, an affirmation that a few quiet human virtues—gratitude, appreciation, taste—won't just survive but can prevail in our current feverish media culture. It feels a little miraculous to walk into this little oasis of beauty and wisdom hidden in "flyover country," among the ghosts of steel mills almost exactly halfway between New York City and Chicago, in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains.
It is understandable why we as humans want to ignore trauma. Our cultures tell us we should "get over it" and "get back to normal" as soon as possible. We don't want to look – or feel – weak. We may fear that we'll be overwhelmed and fall apart if we talk about it.
We may even believe that if we're not suffering from full-on ( Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder ), the trauma hasn't affected us.
But time alone does not heal all trauma wounds. Much like a physical wound that doesn't heal, unaddressed trauma can fester. The result is violence and even more trauma.
In this page, you'll find information about:
When we ignore the impact of adevastating event or of traumatic situations that are on-going, the unreleased energy from the flight, fight freeze response remains trapped in our bodies. It makes us hyper-aroused or numb or we alternate between the two extremes.
The meaning we give to what happened (e.g. "It was all my fault," or "I'm going to get them back") eats away at our minds, bodies and spirits.
The impact of carrying these wounds of trauma wounds takes its toll. The
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we experienced initially morph into something more sinister: cycles of violence.
Hurt people hurt people.
Observe the behaviors of families, community, national and international relations. The quality of our relationships is a good measure of well-being. When we as humans carry the energy of trauma, we take it out on ourselves (acting in) and others (acting out).
The diagram below names a number of these behaviors. Hold your cursor over the print to magnify or click to enlarge the entire diagram.
The Victim Cycle (Acting In) Explained
If you look carefully at theVictim Cycle,you'll notice that the reactions described are identical to the
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diagram with two important exceptions:
The Victim Cycle is simply normal initial trauma reactions that have become stuck. The red print inside the cycles (run your cursor over the diagram to make visible) gives examples of behaviors that result from the unreleased trauma energy and from the meaning we give to what happened. They are called acting in behaviors because the energy is turned inward, against ourselves. We become a victim of what happened.
We can stay in the Victim Cycle for months, years or generations.
Notice that there is another possibility for victims: the two cycles touch in the middle. Victims can also become aggressors, and they often do. You can read more about the Aggressor Cycle below the diagram.
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Trek Awards - Page 1
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Cited for Overall Excellence.
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We've already lost the ability to promote our reading habits on the bust thanks to coverless-Kindles (maybe for the best if you're a Fifty Shades fan…), and there's nothing more obnoxious than blasting out your favourite tunes through a smartphone loudspeaker. The true gent flaunts his impeccable taste in more subtle ways. When it comes to music, how about these …
Untold coin wallet
I always seem to have a handful of change in my pocket at the end of the day, so recently have been looking to invest in a good coin wallet. That is when I came across this great one from Untold. I was totally sold by the exposed stitching along the edge, and punchout detailing which reveals different colors including …
6786 custom Lynx wallet -hide your shame!
Beauty expert Zara gives us the 'need to knows' on Lynx Bullet: Deodorants aren't the most exciting things in the world, nut with nifty add campaigns and entertaining TV virals, Lynx has carved out a niche in the market. Their latest development is for the Bullet, their new pocket sized can that can create the 'Lynx Effect' when you're out and about.
Accessories for Spring
Available as part of the new Jil Sander collection at OkiNi are some very lovely accessories that are the very essence of the pared-down but colourful 60s-themed collection.
WISHLIST: CDG Embossed Wallet at Start London
My style pick for this week is this gorgeous Comme Des Garcons wallet from Start London. Mr Start, a past columnist for Brandish, has a great look and I can imagine this item slotting into his vintage chic and classic cool wardrobe quite nicely. The embossed leather is a great cerulean blue, made famous by the brilliant film 'The Devil Wears Prada.' The wallet has a zip around two sides and an "internal pocket to hold either coins, cards or bills."
Magic Flip Wallet from Becko
When I was younger I was always fascinated by the flip wallets that train conductors used to carry.
Cassette tape zippy purse
More cassette tape craziness on Brandish with designer Marella Foschi's purses. Just like Honorable Mention's cassette tape belt buckle
we featured last week each item is a one off.
Cassette tape wallet
I think I'm the only person in the world who still has any tapes, admittedly making compilations for friends is so much easier with cds but I used love carrying around my chunky walkman and rewinding the tapes with biros or pencils


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posted by Bob Stein on Fri 26th Oct 2012 22:59 UTC
ActiveWin.com has just posted their 17-page, 90-screenshot review of Microsoft Windows Server 2012. The review covers many different aspects of the OS including start screen, server manager, VHDX, chkdsk improvements, Hyper-V, private cloud, IIS 8, and more. "On the desktop, Windows 8 remains the most talked about release, but within the datacenter, Windows 8's counterpart on the server is also creating its own noise amongst Sys Admins and Integrators. One of the themes around Windows 8 is mobility and Touch, Windows Server 2012 itself follows a theme that is part of an industry trend, the Cloud. Windows Server 2012 promises to embrace the concept of private clouds fully while maintaining the traditional concept of on premises administration using its familiar tools."


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BOCA RATON, Fla. -- Barry University's No. 2-ranked men's tennis team responded from a 2-1 doubles deficit to beat No. 4 Lynn on the road Saturday.
The Buccaneers (17-0, 6-0 Sunshine State Conference) won all six singles matches, three of which needed a tiebreaker or match tiebreaker to decide.
Marco Mokrzycki and Fabian each won two matches, their No. 1 doubles victory a key win after the Bucs dropped the No. 2 flight. Ranked No. 2 nationally, Mokrzycki and Groetsch beat Simon Gloeckner and Pavel Mohja, 8-5, at No. 1. That came after Lynn's Alessio Iannozzi and Max Kouyate defeated Max Wimmer and Ollie Lemaitre, 8-2, at No. 2. Lynn's Vlad Cirla and Giulio Gomba withstood a battle from Leo Vivas and Romain Costamagna, pulling out a 9-8 (6) victory at the No. 3 flight.
"The mood wasn't that good because we thought we could be up 3-0 or 2-1 after doubles," Groetsch said. "It was a little bit unexpected. Marco and I had a little pressure on us because we saw that we lost one doubles match and were behind in the other. Finally we won.
"Last year we lost to them in the regionals after beating them in the conference championships. This time, I didn't feel any fear. I was expecting that we were going to win five of the singles matches."
Groetsch, ranked 19th in the country, was put to the test against 23rd-ranked Cirla at No. 2 singles. The two have a competitive history over the past two years as they've traded wins over their last four head-to-head encounters. Groetsch won the first set relatively comfortably before needing a second-set tiebreaker to pull out the win, 6-2, 7-6 (4), clinching the victory for the Buccaneers.
"The balls were getting slower (in the second set)," Groetsch said. "He returned really well two times. He was, by far, the best player on the team. I really enjoy playing him because it's always a good match."
Mokrzycki, ranked No. 4 in the country, beat No. 27 Max Kouyate, 6-3, 6-2, at No. 1 for the Bucs first singles win. Ranked 22nd, Wimmer defeated Mohja, 6-2, 6-2, at No. 3, and Lemaitre defeated Gomba, 6-2, 6-3, at No. 6, to give Barry a 4-2 lead.
After Groetsch sealed the victory for Barry, Costamagna handed Gloeckner his first loss of the season, winning 7-6 (4), 6-2 at No. 4 in one of the toughest matches of the day. Vivas withstood the 47th-ranked Iannozzi, 7-6 (3), 4-6, 10-6, in a match tiebreaker victory at No. 5.
The Bucs improved their school-record consecutive win streak to start a season, and completed an undefeated SSC regular season. Now the Buccaneers travel to Austin, Texas, for three matches, beginning with Thursday's 9 a.m. battle against No. 3 Hawai'i Pacific. Barry will also play No. 13 Grand Canyon 10 a.m. Friday and No. 31 St. Edward's 9 a.m. Saturday.
"It's always good to play against outside opponents," Groetsch said. "I'm looking forward to play there. I think everybody is looking foward to it because we're going to see some good competition."


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Fat Saturday: Mardi Gras on the slopes
Booze, beads, boobs, bawdy behavior-– what would Mardi Gras be without these indulgent ingredients? Is it possible to celebrate this most decadent of holidays in a healthy, family-friendly fashion?
Wintergreen sure thinks so. If you've ever dreamed of partying on skis, this might be the year to get your kicks with a winter twist.
And who says Fat Tuesday can't be celebrated on a Saturday? A long way from the French Quarter, but just 35 minutes from Charlottesville, Wintergreen's Mardi Gras celebration promises a full day of festivities on March 1.
The fun-in-the-snow begins at 11am with-– what else?-– a Rex parade. Don your warmest and wildest Mardi Gras garb and float down the Dobie slope on skis or snowboard, following in the tracks of the newly crowned King and Queen.
Once you've worked up an appetite, take a load off at the Blue Ridge Terrace Grill, which will serve a variety of Cajun specialties for lunch. Try dancing in the snow to the sounds of Dixieland and Zydeco, or head straight for the tubing hill and sign your friends up for the team tubing competition at 1pm.
If you're a regular Fred Astaire on skis, you might want to save your skills for the costumed synchronized skiing contest and demo later in the afternoon.
If you think it's a challenge walking in ski boots, you should try waltzing. Not a pretty picture. Which is why I suggest you bring your comfy dancing shoes for the evening's Masquerade Ball, which will throw down not on the slopes, but in the resort's (indoor!) Commonwealth Ballroom.
Face painting, a Zydeco DJ and a cash bar will help get-– and keep– the good times rollin' until the wee hour of midnight. If you didn't get enough gumbo and jambalaya at lunch, a 6pm Cajun dinner will satisfy your appetite in spicy, N'awlins style. Who says it never snows on Bourbon Street?
Mardi Gras on skis, Wintergreen's 8th annual Fat Tuesday party, costs $75 per person for lift ticket, activities, dinner, and masquerade ball. Dinner & ball only, $50. Ball only, $20. All proceeds benefit the Wintergreen Adaptive Skiing program. See www.wintergreenresort.com for a complete schedule or call 325-8180.


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Sure, we're just passing the fifth anniversary of the moment when, on March 19, 2003, as cruise missiles were heading for Baghdad, George W. Bush told the American people:
"My fellow citizens, at this hour, American and coalition forces are in the early stages of military operations to disarm Iraq, to free its people and to defend the world from grave danger…. My fellow citizens, the dangers to our country and the world will be overcome. We will pass through this time of peril and carry on the work of peace. We will defend our freedom. We will bring freedom to others and we will prevail."
But that's no reason not to write the first sixth-anniversary-of-the-Iraq-War article. This piece is penned in the spirit of Senator John McCain's recent request that Americans not obsess about the origins of the Iraq War, but look forward. "On the issue of my differences with Senator Obama on Iraq," he typically said, "I want to make it very clear: This is not about decisions that were made in the past. This is about decisions that a president will have to make about the future in Iraq."
If the future, not the past, is the mantra, then let me ask you a future-oriented question: What's wrong with these sentences?
On March 19, 2009, the date of the sixth anniversary of President Bush's invasion of Iraq, as surely as the sun rises in the East I'll be sitting here and we will still have many tens of thousands of troops, a string of major bases, and massive air power in that country. In the intervening year, more Americans and many more Iraqis will have been wounded or killed; more chaos and conflict will have ensued; many more bombs will have been dropped, missiles launched, and suicide bombs exploded. Iraq will still be a hell on Earth.
Prediction is a risky business. Otherwise I'd now be commuting via jet pack through spire cities (as the futuristic articles of my youth so regularly predicted). If you were to punch holes in the above sentences, you would certainly note that it's risky for a man of 63 years to suggest that he'll be sitting anywhere on March 19, 2009. Unfortunately, when it comes to the American position in Iraq, short of an act of God, the sixth anniversary of George Bush's war of choice is going to dawn much like the fifth one.
As a start, you can write off the next ten months, right up to January 20, 2009, inauguration day for the next President. True, last fall Secretary of Defense Robert Gates was considering bringing American troop strength in Iraq down to 100,000 by the end of George Bush's second term. However, that was, as they evidently love to say in Washington, just a "best-case scenario." Since then, the Administration has signaled an end-of-July drawdown "pause" of unknown duration after American troop strength, now at 157,000, hits about 142,000.


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Gibson Rocks Download Festival
A crowd of 5,000 fans rocked out in the Gibson/My Space tent at Leicestershire, England's Download Festival. An eclectic mix of metal favorites including Louie, Ginger & the Sonic Circus, Lauren Harris, Voodoo Six, and Sick Of It All were just some of the bands who performed over the three-day event. Finnish Euorovision song contest-winners Lordi entertained the capacity crowd with their performance and jaw-dropping costumes.
At the main stage in Donington Park, 80,000 fans braved temperatures in the high 80s to attend Europe's largest metal festival, now in its fourth year. A highlight of the event was Metallica's performance of their 1986 multi-platinum selling album Master of Puppets in its entirety. Other headliners on the main stage included Korn, Avenged Sevenfold, Alice in Chains, Bullet For My Valentine, Funeral For A Friend, and Trivium. Fans were especially enthusiastic for the highly anticipated return of Guns N' Roses. The legendary band did not disappoint, with original Guns' guitarist Izzy Stradlin and Sebastian Bach from Skid Row joining Axl Rose onstage for the band's finale.
In its first year as an official sponsor of the popular festival, Gibson provided instruments to many of the bands to use during their sets. Gibson also provided backline support, including amps and a set of Slingerland drums. An Epiphone Les Paul Standard was awarded to the high-score winners of the Guitar Hero game, which was held on the Gibson/My Space Stage. Several of the musicians dropped by the tent throughout the festival to sign a pair of guitars—an Epiphone SG Special and Les Paul Standard—that will be given away during Kerrang TV's weeklong telecast of the event, June 19-24.


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Startups Propose Disruptive Technologies to Improve HB LED Performance at Lower Cost
By Paula Doe, SEMI Emerging Markets
The major technical challenges involved in producing high-brightness LEDs with high enough light quality and low enough cost for a real volume market in solid state lighting creates a prime opportunity for disruptive solutions — and for the startups thinking "outside the box" with some of the most interesting nanotechnology solutions. One prime area for innovation is materials, where quantum dots and controlled crystal structures in substrates may have potential for better efficiency at less cost. Of course, other more established companies have potentially disruptive approaches as well, like testing die for radiometric emitted wavelength instead of the usual perceived color, to get better feedback for controlling yield.
One alternative for getting more of the ideal warm white light out of HB LEDs may involve the color conversion with quantum dots instead of the usual red phosphors. QD Vision (Watertown, MA) says its semiconductor nanocrystals can be tuned by particle size and material to specific, narrow-emission color profiles, to convert LED light to the desired color with 30 percent more lumens per watt than comparable phosphors alone. Lamp makers use a thin film of the quantum dot ink on the diffusive cover of their LEDs lamps to fine tune the color. QD vision is currently shipping product in volume to lamp makers.
The company also now is getting significant traction in the LED backlight market, with products planned for next year, reports CTO and co-founder Seth Coe-Sullivan. For backlights, a strip coated with the nanocrystal ink can be used over the blue LEDs directly, replacing the phosphor. The narrow band RGB emitters are tuned to best match the transmission of the color filter, for wider color gamet to improve the look of the display, while also letting more light through to improve power efficiency by a third.
Coe-Sullivan says the company offers a complete range of quantum dots containing no cadmium, and products that show no change after 9000 hours exposure to constant light flux at 20-30 mW/cm2.
Chinese Startup Lattice Power Produces Commercial Blue HB LEDs on Silicon
Chinese startup Lattice Power Corp. (Nanchang, China) is producing HB LEDs on silicon, with small blue and green devices for display applications in volume production, devices for LCD backlights ramping, and introduction of larger chips for general illumination coming soon.
The company's unique technology to manage the thermal and lattice mismatch that usually cause stress and cracking in GaN layers deposited on silicon instead of sapphire or SiC is based on work by professor Feng-Yi Jiang and his research group of Nanchang University. With some recent patents granted, Lattice Power researchers have talked about results at some technical conferences, reporting at SPIE in California and at the Nitride Semiconductor conference in Korea, on a device with 100 lumen cool white (5,200K) output at 350mA from a 1mm x 1mm blue chip, made with InGaN/GaN on a (111) 2-inch silicon substrate, according to the abstract. Researchers reported that accelerated life tests showed reliability similar to LEDs on sapphire. Lattice Power researchers are also working on larger diameter silicon technology which will further provide scalability and a cost-effective solution.
Current production is of small 200 x 200µm blue and green chips for large signage applications, and the company is introducing larger chips for high-brightness applications. "We're currently limited by our capacity, and are adding MOCVD capacity dramatically," says Dr. Bo Lu, EVP of Lattice Power. The company has ordered multiple MOCVD reactors from Aixtron for delivery through 2010, for what Aixtron said was one of its largest orders to date from China. With the capacity expansion, Lattice Power plans to sell the blue chips to packaging houses for LCD backlighting and general lighting applications.
Four-year-old Lattice Power is funded by some $52 million from an international group of venture capital firms including GSR Ventures, Mayfield Fund, AsiaVest Partners, Temasek Holdings, and Keytone Ventures.
Inlustra Technologies Readies Non-Polar GaN Substrates
Aiming to shake up the laser and light emitting diode substrate sector in quite a different way is the UC Santa Barbara spinout Inlustra Technologies, Inc., which is growing non-polar and semi-polar GaN substrates directly, using a modified HVPE chemistry. CEO Benjamin Haskell says the company has demonstrated 2-inch and 3-inch product. It is sampling now and aims to start volume production early in 2011.
The first application is likely to be green and blue laser diodes, which are hard to fabricate in the usual orientation, and are less price sensitive than lighting. But as increasing volumes for these initial applications bring down prices, Haskell expects the technology to reduce costs for solid state lighting as well. Though the company cuts the cost of making GaN substrates with simpler equipment and low materials loss, Haskell argues that end-device costs will come down much more because making LEDs on GaN makes the whole manufacturing process easier, from simpler and shorter epi deposition to less complicated device processing. With less efficiency droop compared with conventional polar LEDs and higher light output, LED die can be smaller, and fewer die are needed to generate comparable light output to today's lighting solutions.
Order-of magnitude improvements in performance are possible with non-polar GaN devices and substrates, argues Haskell, because changing the orientation of the crystal eliminates the impact of polarization fields inherent to vertical devices grown in the conventional c-direction (as today's LEDs and LDs are). Devices made on the usual c-plane surface have to overcome these built-in electric fields — which may be on the order of megavolts per centimeter — to turn the devices on; loss of efficiency and color shifting are only two of the negative consequences of these fields. But if the nitride crystal is turned on its side and the device built on a non-polar face, this polarization remains within the growth plane and does not negatively impact performance. "These fields only affect devices along the polar c-axis," says Haskell. "On the non-polar planes many of the challenges of GaN device design and implementation go away."
Op-Test Looking for a Better Way to Test and Track Device Performance
Op-Test (Redding, CA) has been making HB LED production test tools for more than a decade, but more recently decided that there had to be a better way to test and track device performance than the traditional photometric constructions of the color the average human eye sees at a particular angle in a particular light. Instead, Op-Test uses a controlled energy test that provides a direct measurement of the electrical energy going into the die, and the corresponding optical energy coming out. "We also don't transform the optical data, but stay with the radiometric wavelength information," notes president Dan Morrow. "Radiometric data allows designers to better predict how the die will behave so they can design around it." He also argues that the radiometric test data provides better feedback for controlling production uniformity and yield. The system is currently in beta test at a customer site.
These companies will discussing these developments in manufacturing technology with potential to advance the HB LED sector towards more lumens per dollar — at the Extreme Electronics session on HB LED manufacturing technology at SEMICON West on July 14. Also on the agenda are leading market researchers Strategies in Light, Yole Developpement and Canaccord Adams; LED makers Philips Lumileds and SemiLEDs, major equipment suppliers Applied Materials, KLA-Tencor, Ultratech and EVGroup; and innovative packaging startup Articulated Technologies.
To join one of the SEMI "Extreme Electronics" online communities (including Extreme LED), visit http://www.semi.org/en/EventsTradeshows/CTR_029333
SEMI Global Update
July 6, 2010


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By Molly Skobba
Colin Kenji Baker started off his remarkable career as a tattoo artist at State of Grace as Horitaka's apprentice. He has worked at State of Grace ever since, instrumental in the shop's growth for the last 4 years. Colin has done everything from making killer tattoos to passionately assisting Horitaka in his many media and publishing endeavors. Colin is a hard worker. His latest passion is tattoo machine design. I have a short Q & A with Colin. He is a quiet soldier instrumental in the State of Grace Army, read on…
Molly Skobba: How long have you been tattooing?
Colin Kenji Baker: About four years.
How would you describe your style?
I would like to describe my style as versatile. I hope I can. I really work hard to be able to do anything that walks in the door well, whether it be Japanese, traditional, or fine-line black and gray.
Who influences your work?
Everyone I work with influences me the most; Horitomo, Horitaka, Horiyuki, Horiken and Dan Wysuph.
You went to the London convention last year, what was the highlight?
The last dinner I went to was amazing. It was an awesome Chinese restaurant with a bunch of awesome people. It was a perfect way to finish the trip.
What is the biggest challenge you have overcome in your career so far?
The biggest challenge so far has actually been the whole process, from apprenticeship until now, and trying to do it right. I love tattooing, and I believe it is more than just about putting in a good solid tattoo. I think it is very important to keep traditions and to uphold certain standards and ideals in tattooing. Many other young tattooers are starting to tattoo looking for fame and glory because of the bullshit they see on TV, which really bums me out. I strongly believe you have to put in the hard work to be worthy of this craft; the countless hours of drawing, searching for BOOKS for reference, understanding the tools and knowing and understanding who and what has come before you.
How is the machine building coming? Will there be any Colin Kenji Baker machines in the future?
I have always loved taking things apart and figuring out how they work, so naturally I was drawn to machine building. I have so much fun building machines. I was in London a few years ago and I was out to dinner with a big group of people and heard Tim Hendricks talking about machines and the importance of knowing how they work and building them from scratch.
Upon hearing this I felt inspired and I felt a little unworthy that I didn't know how to build a machine, so I decided to take it upon myself to learn. Taki had given me a few machines that never ran very well when I first started, so I began to constantly rebuild them, taking note of what I did and how it affected the performance each time. I had basic welding and mechanical knowledge and skills already, so eventually (very recently) I began to build machines from scratch. I learn so much with every new machine, and as a result each machine gets better and better. Eventually, when I'm 100 percent confident with my machines, I will start to build them to sell.
Do you have a piece that you have wanted to do on someone who you have never had the chance to tattoo before? If so, what is it?
Nothing in particular, I would like to do more traditional pieces. I love the boldness of the designs, they make for very successful tattoos that age great.
You can check out more of Colin Kenji Baker's work at: www.stateofgracetattoo.com or http://www.facebook.com/colinkenji?ref=ts.


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Too much radiant heat can kill horsepower and damage sensitive automotive components. Racers have discovered the multiple uses of DEI's Reflect-A-GOLD, a self-adhesive race film that is used for firewalls, fuel cells, engine covers, intake air tubes, air boxes, engine compartment, bulkheads, suspension, chassis or even the bottom of seats – any place where heat is present.
Clearance, often an issue for modifications, is not a problem with Reflect-A-GOLD. This lightweight, easy to trim film is formable to NEARLY any shape, and provides long term heat protection reflecting 78% of all radiant heat without risk of UV degradation.
Reflect-A-GOLD race film was developed from sophisticated aerospace technology. Made from a metalized polyamide polymer laminate glass cloth, the film is capable of reflecting heat consistently exposed to temperature up to 850°F (454°C). The high-temperature pressure-sensitive adhesive is protected by a release liner rated up to 325°F (163°C).
Now Reflect-A-GOLD is available in either sheet or roll configuration: 12"x12", 12"x24" or 24"x24" sheet sizes, or in one of six roll sizes: 1-1/2"x15 ft., 1-1/2"x30 ft., 2"x15 ft., 2"x30 ft., 24" x 150 ft., or special order factory direct custom cut lengths in widths up to 24 inches.
To keep up with the latest new products from DEI, like us on Facebook, or follow DEI on Twitter.
Primary Points
- Designed for firewalls, bulkheads, engine covers, floors, seat bottoms & more
- Capable of handling continual temperatures up to 850°F
- Resists UV degradation for long-term performance
- Virtually no clearance needed
- Adhesive protected by a release liner rated up to 325°F
- Lightweight and flexible - trim to size


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1. Following the death of 30 people at a viewing centre in Calabar on Thursday night, President Muhammadu Buhari on Friday expressed shock over the incident. The President in a statement by his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Mallam Garba Shehu, sympathized with the government and people of Cross River State, and football fans nationwide over the incident.
2. The Nigeria police Thursday released the former Head of New Media for the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, and Convener of pro-democracy and good governance group, Concerned Nigerians, Prince Deji Adeyanju and his fellow protester, Brian Jonah Dennis who were picked by the security operatives the morning of Thursday for staging a peaceful protest against the federal government over the planned secret trial of Nnamdi Kanu.
3. Following the suspension of Babachir Lawal, the Federal Government has announced that the 2017 retreat for the Secretary to the Government of the Federation and Secretaries to State Governments, has been postponed indefinitely. This was contained in a statement released on Friday, by the Director of Press in the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Mr Bolaji Adebiyi.
4. A Dana Air Port Harcourt-bound aircraft returned to the Murtala Muhammed Airport, Lagos on Friday, after it was struck by a bird during take-off. The aircraft was grounded after its engines were affected by the incident. Dana Air's Media and Communications Manager, Mr. Kingsley Ezenwa, while confirming the incident, said it occurred around 11am.
5. Three passengers on Friday afternoon lost their lives while 13 others were injured when a Toyota Hiace commercial bus had one of its rear tyres burst on motion and crashed into a median at Odogbolu junction along the Ijebu Ode-Benin Expressway. The bus, with the number plate GGE 594 XT, was said to be travelling from Lagos to Port Harcourt, Rivers State, when the incident occurred.
6. The Nigeria Police have arrested 19 persons in connection with the recent attack in Zaki Biam, Benue State, where over 50 persons were massacred. The police also declared the alleged mastermind of the attack, Terwase Akwaza aka Ghana wanted. Addressing newsmen on Friday following the arrest of the suspects, the Police Force PRO, Moshood Jimoh said the suspects were nabbed by the Special Tactical Force and a high powered investigation team.
7. Midat Joseph, the Leadership Newspaper's Bureau Chief, Kaduna State, who was arrested on Wednesday, has been released on bail. Joseph had been in custody of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) for alleged inciting comment on a Whatsapp group chat where they had contributed to a conversation to a call for a protest against the continued killings in Southern Kaduna area of Kaduna State.
8. Governor Abubakar Bello of Niger State has claimed that the N6 billion discovered by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) from the account of former governorship aspirant on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in Niger State, Kantigi Limanelongs, belongs to the state government. The governor made this known to newsmen after joining President Muhammadu Buhari and hundreds of other Muslim faithful to perform Juma'at prayer at the Aso Rock Mosque, Abuja.
9. President of the Christian Association of Nigeria, (CAN), Rev. Samson Ayokunle has called on President Muhammadu Buhari to extend his anti-corruption war to those around him and stop being one-sided. He asked Buhari to avoid being partial in his anti-corruption crusade, noting that those who brought him to power were not infants.
10. The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has suspended its earlier directive on the implementation of cashless policy till further notice. The apex bank in a circular released on Friday, instructed banks to revert to old charges, saying deposit processing fee charges above the threshold contained in circulars dated Feb. 21 have now been suspended indefinitely.


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The future of the 'Abanico del Pastaza' is in good hands: local leaders and national authorities committed to its conservation
• The Minister of the Environment and local organizations strengthened their joint commitment towards a better dialogue to overcome the existing environmental problems
Lima, June 21, 2013. "Respect, integrity and a willingness to dialogue shown during this experience are an example of both the conservation and sustainable development of our Amazon and its people", stated Patricia Leon Melgar, WWF Peru Director, after inaugurating the event "10+ years in the Abanico del Pastaza: nature, cultures and challenges in the North Peruvian Amazon".
During the event that took place on June 20th, representatives shared over a decade of joint work with the indigenous peoples and authorities who foster the recovery and conservation of this region in the North Peruvian Amazon. Most importantly, it was an opportunity to strengthen commitments towards the conservation of one of the most naturally and culturally diverse regions in the Amazon.
The Abanico del Pastaza, located between the Pastaza and Corrientes Rivers within the region of Loreto, is the largest wetland complex in the Peruvian Amazon. Across 3.8 million hectares, flooded forests and swamps converge with rivers and lakes in a territory that is home and sustenance to more than 300 indigenous communities of the ethnic groups Quechua, Achuar, and Kandozi, among others.
Despite the extraordinary natural and cultural diversity of this region, in the late 90s, the Abanico was practically unknown to the rest of the country, and because of this, its ecosystems were seriously threatened by overexploitation and pollution produced by decades of unsustainable oil activities.
Since then, indigenous peoples have advanced towards the recovery of their resources and territory.
Thanks to them, and with the help of WWF, in 2002 the Abanico del Pastaza became the largest Ramsar site (wetland of international importance) in Peru. Populations of fish, turtles and other species have recovered through strict management plans and today, the communities constantly monitor the extractive activities taking place in and around their forests, lakes and rivers in order to protect the health of their people and that of the ecosystem. However, the challenges still continue, and it is in this particular context that the commitment of the Minister of the Environment, Manuel Pulgar Vidal, reaffirmed during this event, is the best news for the local communities.
"Today, Pastaza's indigenous peoples, the Government and organizations such as WWF, are aware of the hard work to be done, but they are also conscious that we are starting to learn and walk together, using dialogue as a tool and conservation as a mechanism for development. I congratulate WWF for these 10 years plus, both for its work done and what it represents", stated the Minister.
The event was also an opportunity to recognize the valuable labor of different public and private organizations for their critical participation in the progress made, especially the Embassies of Belgium, United States, Switzerland, Great Britain and the Kingdom of Netherlands, as well as the Hewlett Packard Company, whose financial support has made the work possible.
The event concluded with the presentation of the "10+ years in the Abanico del Pastaza" publication and the commitment expressed by both the indigenous organizations and authorities present to lead the work necessary to foster, through dialogue, the development of the communities in the area and the conservacion of biological diversity.
To learn more about this experience, download the publication "10+ years in the Abanico del Pastaza". For photos and videos, visit www.wwfperu.org/pastaza


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**1/2 (out of four)
A truer American hustle, Martin Scorsese's "The Wolf of Wall Street" bests David O. Russell's "American Hustle" in an important department: "Wolf" zeroes in on greed and need and says in vivid, convincing fashion, "Baby, the hungrier you are, the easier it is for me to feed you crap."
No, that's not a quote from the movie.
Like "Hustle," the three-hour "Wolf" features a great deal of voiceover and a main character who sees no fault in conning people. "Their money was better off in my pocket," notes Jordan Belfort (Leonardo DiCaprio, funny but loud), the real-life stockbroker whose book inspired the film, defending the practice of selling junk stocks to his clients. He's following the path of his mentor (Matthew McConaughey, splendid in a brief role) who advocated coke, twice-daily masturbation and an attitude that turns Jordan into Jay Gatsby's reckless half-brother. Jordan's frequent boasting about horses and yachts could be mini versions of James Franco's amazing "Look at my [bleep]" speech in "Spring Breakers." His unquenchable greed and affinity for snorting drugs off hookers' posteriors turn him into something of a hedonistic cliche.
Perhaps a dudes-and-luudes movie like "Wolf," which at times feels like "Goodfellas" gone comedy, has to be somewhat cold. Jordan's an amoral playboy with no regard for the people he swindles or the wife (Cristin Milioti, Ted Mosby's wife on "How I Met Your Mother") he ditches for Naomi (Margot Robbie of "About Time"), a beauty worth naming a yacht for. Yet if the emotional detachment of "The Wolf of Wall Street" is partly deliberate, it's also a flaw in the script by Terence Winter, whose other movie about wanting to get rich or die trying was actually called "Get Rich or Die Tryin.' "
Just because Jordan neglects to see beyond his own nose doesn't mean the loooong "Wolf" has no time to pay attention to the deluded investors he leaves behind. It also doesn't validate the notion that no friends on Wall Street have a greater sense of looming betrayal than the one hanging over Jordan and his top guys (led by a distracting Jonah Hill). Instead, Jordan's self-indulgent priorities and the film's indifference to his victims mean "Wolf," which is fittingly smarmy but tries too hard to be funny, has low stakes -- even when tens of millions of dollars dangle in the air. Jordan's not a complex, tragic figure; he somewhat recalls Tucker Max. The film doesn't exactly advance the social and financial discussions of Oliver Stone's "Wall Street" or its many copycats that detach success from emotions.
Despite its conventional arc and limited interests, it's impossible to deny the vicarious pleasures of "The Wolf of Wall Street," a success if it creates even a temporary desire to sympathize with the bad guys and live in style. That money doesn't actually seem to buy Jordan happiness should be a surprise to no one, and of no concern to those drooling over his spoils.
Watch Matt on "You & Me This Morning," Friday at 6:55 a.m. on WCIU, the U
Want more? Discuss this article and others on RedEye's Facebook page.


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'Angry' dog found dressed in pants, sweater
'Angry' dog found dressed in pants, sweater
BELLEVUE, Wash. —
An officer recently found a dog wearing pants and a sweater.
Bellevue police posted the image to social media Thursday, looking for the dog's owner.
Is this your dog? Caught by Officer at Robinswood Park. Was wearing a sweater and blue pants, and very angry. Contact @VCAPetHealth Issaquah pic.twitter.com/MCRqEQzzjs
— Bellevue, WA Police (@BvuePD) December 1, 2016


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Narcotics Anonymous is an international, community-based association of recovering drug addicts with more than 50,000 weekly meetings in 130 countries (as of April 2008). The Orange County Area of Narcotics Anonymous serves Buena Park, La Habra, Brea, Fullerton, Los Alamitos, Cypress, Yorba Linda, Placentia, Anaheim, Stanton, Garden Grove, Westminster, Orange, Santa Ana, Fountain Valley, Huntington Beach, Tustin, Newport Beach, Costa Mesa, Irvine. (Map) We hold regularly scheduled meetings within these cities.
Narcotics Anonymous is a non-profit fellowship of men and women for whom drugs have become a major problem. We are recovering addicts who meet regularly to help each other live drug-free. It costs nothing to attend an NA meeting. There are no dues or fees; the only requirement for membership is the desire to stop using. This is a program of complete abstinence from all drugs, which includes alcohol. Our fellowship focuses on recovery from the disease of addiction, an individuals drug (or drugs) of choice is unimportant. Anyone may join us regardless of age, race, sexual identity, creed, religion or lack of religion.
Our primary purpose as an organization is to carry a message of recovery to the still suffering addict. Hopefully, our fellowship may be of benefit to you, or to the people you serve.
See our general contact information at the right. There are additional email addresses for the "NA Service Subcommittees" listed on the "Service" page of the website.
Thank you for your time and consideration. We hope that we may be of help to you, your group or your organization
In Loving Service,
Narcotics Anonymous Orange County Public Relations


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Style # 225028
Ready for a stiletto to die for? A skinny heel with matching buckles and suede vs. snakeskin contrast has arrived on the scene. Winter's fancy boot of your imagination has come to light in its elaborate splendor. Add crystal diamond earrings for a going-out look that's sure to capture everyone's attention.
- Synthetic upper, synthetic outsole
- Heel height: 6.5" (17 cm) with a 2.5" (6 cm) platform
- Imported
Kayden Buckle Boots is rated out of 5 by 3.
Rated 4 out of 5 by anyanicole from Cute Boots! Maybe Bebe re-fit the boot? I ordered mine in a size 6 and the boot was tight all around, including the calf's. I am a petite girl with small calf's and did not have a problem with the boot being too big around that area. The boots are really cute but I have to go up one size from my normal size.
Date published: 2013-12-14
Rated 4 out of 5 by MikaJ from Almost perfect These boots are GORGE! Quality is as expected for Bebe, they're comfy and true to size. I didn't have any issues with folds as mentioned previously. The issue i have is the width of the shaft at the calf. Its HUGE (if you plan to wear with skinny jeans, leggings, or a skirt). I'm pretty lean but athletic but I don't know too many women who work out enough to have a calf to fit this. But they fit great around the ankle. The buckles do NOT adjust, they should and there's no reason they couldn't have been designed to adjust, they're put together backwards so they can't adjust. (it's hard to explain, but you unbuckle them & realize because of the way things are attached you can't simply punch a new hole & adjust) I will have to take them to a cobbler or a friend who's a fashion designer to have them cut open the loop that holds the buckle and reattach & sew properly. *sigh*
Date published: 2013-11-24
Rated 3 out of 5 by Meghen49 from Comfortable boot I received my boots an I can say that there comfortable an there very nice . However when I put them on the top of the boots flare out an I didn't like the way they looked . They also came with a fold OnThe top of left boot that I couldn't straighten out. So between the fold an the flare outs they will be going back . I'm not sure if its just the pair that I got but other then that there very cute. I wear an 8 an I purchased the 8 an they fit me good. Three stars be coarse the bit came Folded an there not fitted closer to the leg.
Date published: 2013-11-19


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CHS Blog
The Medline Microfiber Advantage
Durable, versatile and simple to use are the key features that Medline's microfiber products offer. They leave the surfaces at your facility sparkling clean and reduce the risk of cross contamination. Medline has a variety of microfiber products that range from glass towels, high dusters and mops that are perfect for your cleaning needs.


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January 18. 2014 11:15PM
Senators surveyed tend to pan pot proposal
By PAUL FEELY
New Hampshire Union Leader
An Editorial - Joseph W. McQuaid, Publisher: Is NH House smoking pot?
Mike Cote's Business Editor's Notebook: Marijuana industry smells smoke in NH
Online petition asks Hassan to OK pot legislation
Would legislators smoke it?
Lawmakers' votes on legalizing pot unpredictable, personal
Current law would cover driving while impaired by pot
CONCORD - An informal poll of New Hampshire state senators shows little support for the idea of legalizing marijuana for recreational use.
Of the 12 who responded, one was in favor of the idea.
A bill given preliminary approval by the House would legalize possession of up to 1 ounce of marijuana for recreational use by anyone 21 and older and allow people to grow up to six marijuana plants for personal use. It would also license marijuana cultivation establishments, retail stores and testing facilities and impose a $30-per-ounce wholesale tax and 15 percent retail sales tax.
There's no guarantee that the bill will ever reach the Senate.
The House voted, 170-162, to send it to its Ways and Means Committee, which will review the proposed sales tax. That committee will eventually send the bill back to the House, and if it's again approved there, it will head to the Senate.
"You don't ever want to say you would never support something, but I don't support this, and I don't see that changing," said Senate Majority Leader Jeb Bradley, R-Wolfeboro. "This bill is wrong for New Hampshire."
"I would not support this," said Sen. Jeanie Forrester, R-Meredith. "I believe it's a bad message we would be sending our young people. It would not be a good policy for New Hampshire. In talking with law enforcement folks, the argument that some are making that this would alleviate overcrowding in our jails, which they say are overflowing with people convicted on drug possession charges, it's not a valid argument. Most of them are in for harsher crimes, involving drugs like heroin or cocaine. Most law enforcement officials I have talked with don't support this bill."
Union Leader and Sunday News reporters either spoke with or left messages for all 24 members of the state Senate, asking whether they supported the House bill or could envision any scenario in which they would support legalizing marijuana for recreational use. Of the 12 who responded, just one, Republican Sen. John Reagan of Deerfield, supported the bill. Others said they would not support the bill or expressed skepticism. One, Sen. Martha Fuller Clark, D-Portsmouth, said she wasn't sure how she felt.
Reagan said he opposes any effort by government to "tell citizens what they can eat, drink, chew or smoke."
"I support any legalization," he said. "I've always advocated for it."
"I am very conflicted about this legislation at the moment," Fuller Clark said in an email. "I will review the testimony from the House and attend the public hearing in the Senate in order to understand the issues on both sides and how the bill might be improved. I am not prepared to commit to a vote right now."
The Senate rejected a bill to decriminalize possession of up to a quarter ounce of the drug during last year's session.
House supporters said the bill was modeled after one approved by Colorado voters last year and is similar to one Washington voters passed. They said New Hampshire could receive $30 million annually in tax revenue.
Opponents argued marijuana is bad for people's health, would be difficult to regulate and is illegal under federal law.
"If HB 492, marijuana legalization, were to make it to the Senate, I would do what I have done in the past on the marijuana legalization issue - I would vote no on marijuana legalization," said state Sen. David Boutin, R-Hooksett.
"I have always opposed it," said Sen. Nancy Stiles, R-Hampton. "I haven't seen anything yet that would change my mind."
"I would put me in the very-unlikely-to-support category," said Sen. Peter Bragdon, R-Milford.
"I would be very skeptical," said Sen. Lou D'Allesandro, D-Manchester.
D'Allesandro said he supported medical marijuana legislation because it served a "specific purpose" - to alleviate pain and help the chronically ill.
"This one's a bit more challenging," he said of recreational marijuana.
Sen. Donna Soucy, D-Manchester, said she would prefer to see the effects of the medical marijuana legislation before taking up bills to legalize the drug for recreational use.
"I think it's premature to be considering (the recreational marijuana bill) when we haven't even seen enactment or rules regarding medical marijuana," she said.
"At this point, the bill remains in the House for additional committee work and final votes, so it would be premature to comment on it at this time," said Sen. Andy Sanborn, R-Bedford. "That being said, I ran for office to ensure government is spending tax dollars more wisely, and if this bill looks to create new or raise taxes, I would not be inclined to vote for it."
"I would very likely vote against it," said Sen. Jeff Woodburn, D-Dalton. "I would rather focus on decriminalization. As the only Senate co-sponsor of the marijuana decriminalization bill, I would like to focus on bringing our penalties for possession of small amounts of cannabis in line with current law enforcement and police practice. Our present marijuana possession law lacks legitimacy - it's not popular, practical or predictable. Law enforcement, judges and juries regularly ignore the maximum sentencing requirement. This makes a mockery of the law and undermines our system of government."
Woodburn said he would rule out supporting a legalization bill in the future.
"I think many of us agree that the times are changing and we need more rational, practical laws on possession of marijuana," said Woodburn. "However, there is concern that flat-out legalization is too much, too fast. This is not something we should do hastily without involving important stakeholders. We made great progress last year by finally allowing sick people to access cannabis for medicinal purposes, but that took some time to get it right."
If the bill passes the House in a full vote and does manage to get through the Senate, Gov. Maggie Hassan has promised to veto it, despite numerous calls late last week asking her to reconsider her position.
"Our office has received a high volume of correspondence and calls in regards to HB 492, including from many who disagree with the governor's position, and Governor Hassan appreciates that individuals have taken the time to share their views and engage in the legislative process," Marc Goldberg, Hassan's communications director, wrote in an email. "The governor continues to believe that the medical marijuana measure that she signed into law last year, which allows doctors to provide relief to patients with appropriate regulation and dispensing, is the right and compassionate policy for the state of New Hampshire, but she does not support further efforts to legalize marijuana.
"Marijuana is illegal under federal law, and New Hampshire already has among the highest rates in the nation of marijuana, alcohol and other substance use by young people. Governor Hassan is focused on addressing our substance use challenges and strengthening public health by increasing access to treatment and prevention through measures like Medicaid expansion, which would provide over 50,000 individuals with coverage for substance abuse treatment."
Union Leader staff reporter Tim Buckland contributed to this report.