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Title: The Other Side of the Island
Author: Allegra Goodman
Publisher: Razorbill, 2008
Honor, born in the eighteenth year of Enclosure, has just moved to Island 365 after living with her parents in the Northern Islands for most of her life. Now that they are under the watchful eye of Earth Mother and her Watchers, they cannot act as freely as they did when they were on their own, before they were found and brought to their new home. They can't sing out loud, they must follow the rules, they must stay away from the ocean, and they cannot own any books at home. They must not be Unpredictable. But the problem for Honor is her family is Unpredictable, and they are very different. Her parents have another child and refuse to give him back to the government, they sneak out at night and don't come back until morning. Honor and her friend Helix find out that bad things happen to people who don't fit. They disappear, and they never come back.
In a literary landscape full of dystopian literature, it's nice to come across a book with a more original premise that doesn't have a fated love story or love triangle. It's a disconcerting vision of the future that makes one uneasy, a world where climate change has destroyed much of the earth, leaving only islands dotted here and there across the oceans. Little details here and there show how much people are aware of nature and the earth, or seem to be aware of it, such as wearing sun hats and applying sunscreen. However, in this world, weather is supposedly controlled by Earth Mother, and Enclosure, which basically means a big dome encloses each island completely. The sky is covered by an overlay with a picture of a perfect sky or a moon with seven stars, depending on time of day.
Earth Mother is something like the Big Brother of George Orwell's 1984, always in control and watching, but never actually seen in the course of the book. More immediate villains are those who uphold Earth Mother's reign, such as Miss Blessing at Honor's school. The way they treat people is chilling, be they adult or child, man or woman. And the orderlies, people whose brains have basically been rewired to do exactly as they are instructed, do all the hard work around the island, all the landscaping, cleaning, cooking, transporting, etc. They sort of reminded me of the Avoxes in the Hunger Games trilogy, unable to speak and basically slaves to those in power.
One of the most important things Earth Mother does to take power from the citizens is taking away their memories, mostly those from their childhood, but more if you are particularly unruly. Think about losing all memories of who your parents are, how you grew up, learning only what you are told in school and not being allowed to question it, or even have the ability to question it if you can't remember otherwise. That was the scariest thing about this future to me.
I was not a big fan of the writing style. Sentences were short and simple for the most part. I didn't really like the terseness, but it didn't really take much away from the book as a whole. My biggest problem was the ending, which seemed to stop too soon, with an author's note that said she did it that way to leave it up to the reader's imagination what the outcome is. I know not all books end in neat little bows, and I don't like it when they do, but stopping mid-action makes me feel like it's something of a cop-out.
All in all, a fresh take on dystopian future that is worth reading in the sea of dystopias out there right now. It's a good read for middle grade readers and strong older elementary readers, and should appeal to boys as well as girls.
Disclosure: I got this book from the library.


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Thanks for the visit and special thanks for your comments.
Thursday, June 29, 2017
Memory Box Windham Collage
Thanks for the visit and special thanks for your comments.
23 comments:
- Georgiana said...
Very pretty and the gold looks great!
- June 29, 2017 at 4:32 PM
- Liz said...
Gorgeous card, Bonnie. The alcohol ink colours are beautiful and I love how you've left a strip of the colour going down the side. xx
- June 29, 2017 at 6:27 PM
- Linda W. (ScrappinBari) said...
Just love the alcohol ink background behind the lattice, Bonnie!!
- June 29, 2017 at 7:40 PM
- Colleen said...
Wow, Bonnie, love the alcohol ink colors on your card and the beautiful butterfly with the gold...Terrific card!!
- June 29, 2017 at 9:32 PM
- Linda said...
Gorgeous background and butterfly. Perfect gold splatters.
- June 29, 2017 at 9:57 PM
- Maxine D said...
Oh Bonnie how beautiful is this!! - my computer is in danger as I am drooling over it.....
- June 30, 2017 at 3:45 AM
- pam said...
Stunning card Bonnie, love these colours behind your lattice, beautiful butterfly with tiny gold splatters, perfect sentiment.
Hugs Pam x
- June 30, 2017 at 4:27 AM
- Loll said...
This is so pretty! LOVE the colours of your AI panel ... looks amazing behind the lattice die-cut. And great layout having the AI panel offset from the card front. xx
- June 30, 2017 at 5:39 AM
- JosieD said...
That collage die is such a good way to show off the background in those beautiful colors and the butterfly. Great looking card...I love cards with butterflies.
- June 30, 2017 at 6:39 AM
- Karen D. said...
wonderful card Bonnie..love how you offset the cut panel over the inky loveliness!
xx Karen
- June 30, 2017 at 6:40 AM
- JoAnn said...
Gorgeous card. Love the pretty background and the die cut that showcases it. Beautiful butterfly too. Have a great weekend my friend.
- June 30, 2017 at 8:06 AM
- Mac Mable said...
That collage die is fabulous and your alcohol ink background looks great against it. I know exactly what you mean about gold splats, after completing the card. Such a pretty card Bonnie and do like the blue butterfly against the background...looks great x
- June 30, 2017 at 8:29 AM
- Brenda in IN said...
I love this background and the card. Such pretty colors peeking out through the lattice die. I need to learn to walk away and not use everything on one card just because I have it! The gold is a nice addition and does not detract from the beautiful butterfly.
- June 30, 2017 at 9:40 AM
- nancy littrell said...
Gorgeous AI background for your lattice die cut, Bonnie. Love how you extended your background for a thin border. Beautiful butterfly too my friend.
I know what you mean about your splatters. Your technique worked well. I have a couple of tricks that have worked for me. Use a gel pen to lightly touch CS for splatters or dip the tip of a stylus into acrylic paint. TFS your beauty. Hugs...
- June 30, 2017 at 10:00 AM
- Sandy said...
Absolutely love your design Bonnie - and the colors are great!!
sandy xx
- June 30, 2017 at 11:26 AM
- Daffodil Cards said...
A GORGEOUS card Bonnie, love the background and butterfly dies and the gold!
- June 30, 2017 at 11:55 AM
- Nancy Stislow said...
What a gorgeous background set off by that beautiful die cut corner. I love your design sense, Bonnie! Beautifully done!
- June 30, 2017 at 3:55 PM
- Susan said...
Love the layout with some of the AI panel showing on the left and then the rest behind the die cut. Beautiful colours!
- June 30, 2017 at 5:04 PM
- Darnell said...
You're not only learning, Bonnie, you're teaching the rest of us, too! Thank you for sharing what you did - brilliant idea! This is a drop-dead-gorgeous card!! Happy 4th! Hugs, Darnell
- June 30, 2017 at 11:20 PM
- stampjournal said...
Wow. This is stunning! Thank you so much for playing in this month's Memory Box challenge.
- July 1, 2017 at 3:08 AM
- Christine Alexander said...
absolutely gorgeous, what a great way to spotlight your beautiful alcohol panel. I know what you mean about adding splatters they are so unpredictable :)
- July 1, 2017 at 11:47 AM
- Barb said...
This is lovely Bonnie. The alcohol colours are beautiful and the I love the trellis diecut. Barbxx
- July 1, 2017 at 1:20 PM
- Bobby said...
I have a couple of TH dies that cut corners like that and you've given me a way to use some of my backgrounds, Bonnie. I love that purple peeking through and I'm glad you used the gold sparingly.
- July 13, 2017 at 2:21 PM

subset: commoncrawl


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Online Result announced for 25th March 2017 Pakistan on 7th April.
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Lahore: Gulberg-Township-Raiwind Road-Defence


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A good friend of mine recently called to discuss a credit limit for a new account. The scenario involved a partnership that had been dissolved. One partner bought out the other, and the now unemployed partner decided to start a competitor company, and he applied to most of his prior company's creditors for open account terms. He offered to provide an opening Balance Sheet on his new company as well as a personal guarantee.
My friend told me the Balance Sheet showed that the owner had invested enough to pay operating expenses for a couple of months. She told me that a $1 million credit limit had been requested, and that she was trying to decide how much to rely on the personal guarantee being offered.
I responded that personal guarantees have numerous weaknesses. One is that this guarantee relies on the financial strength of the guarantor. Without a personal financial statement, it is impossible to know whether that guarantee is worth the paper it is printed on. Another significant risk is that there is no way of knowing how many guarantees have been signed or will be signed, and every personal guarantee signed reduces the chances that the guarantee my friend was offered would be an effective collection tool. I added that I thought it was exceptionally unlikely that this guarantee was the first and only personal guarantee that would be signed. I encouraged her to:
- Ask her attorney about the enforceability of a personal guarantee in a Community Property state, and
- Arrange for her attorney to draft the guarantee and review any proposed modifications to that guarantee made by the applicant
Personal guarantees are nice to have because they can sometimes be used as leverage to encourage debtors to retire past due balances, but I would be extremely reluctant to base a $1 million decision primarily on any personal guarantee.
What do you think? Does anyone out there feel strongly that PGs are the way to go when dealing with a sub-standard credit risk?
Michael Dennis' Covering Credit Commentary. Michael's website is www.coveringcredit.com.
The opinions presented are those of the author. The opinions and recommendations do not necessarily reflect the views of CMA, or their Officers and Directors. Readers are encouraged to evaluate any suggestions or recommendations made, and accept and adopt only those concepts that make sense to them.


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Hearts are breaking all over the country with the news that hunky rugby ace Tommy Bowe has got engaged.
The Ulster rugby star, 30, is off the market after he popped the question to long-term love and former Miss Wales Lucy Whitehouse.
Smitten Lucy , 30, posted a picture of the beaming couple on Facebook as well as a photo of her sporting an impressive rock.
Pals said the couple are over the moon and can't wait to break the news to Tommy's rugby colleagues, and friends.
A source added: "The two of them are absolutely over the moon, they could not be happier.
"It was a very romantic proposal and Lucy cannot believe her luck. It was an Easter weekend to remember for the two of them."
Lucy moved to Ireland to be with Tommy more than two years ago after they met while the he was playing for the Ospreys in Wales.
They first bumped into each other in a nightclub in Cardiff in March, 2011, and instantly hit it off.
At the time Lucy said: "I think he likes the fact that I don't know too much about rugby myself, it's a bit of a distraction for him."
Lucy has given up her former career as a model to concentrate on a career in nursing.
In 2011 reluctant heartthrob Tommy was voted the Sexiest Man In Ireland. After he moved back to play rugby for Ulster, Lucy spent some time commuting back and forth until they made the decision to live together.
Before that Tommy had joked that his love life was like that of sitcom Gavin and Stacey, because Lucy lived in the female star's hometown of Barry.
She accompanied him to the wedding of his team mate Gordon D'Arcy to Irish model Aoife Cogan.
The glitzy wedding took place at Castle Leslie in Tommy's native Monaghan, the same venue where Paul McCartney married his second wife, Heather Mills.
The castle is being considered by Tommy and Lucy for their big day.
irish mirror comment page 12


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Through These Wicked Nights is the second book in Pixie's action-packed Paranormal/Urban Fantasy trilogy called The Guardians of the Night. Back in April I featured the cover reveal for Darkness Comes This Way and I hope you will all add this exciting, fabulous debut series to your To-Be-Read lists! Check out the details below, and there is also a link to Goodreads :)
Author: Pixie Lynn Whitfield
Series: The Guardians of the Night #2
Expected Release Date: January 8, 2013
Summary: The world isn't the same anymore. Not since humans discovered vampires are real. Zarah and her new team of Guardians barely escaped and are in hiding. What once was her job of protecting them, now she is stuck cowering away as a new threat emerges from the humans: Hunters. War is approaching. To add to her list of growing problems, a group of Fallen have been living in The Compound. Seth is one she can't seem to resist. He teaches her a lot about the side of her she's never known about until recently. Draven has grown cold and distant again since the battle with Nathanial, and she is left feeling conflicted. These are the least of her worries though. Something else is up. A video is discovered with a shocking revelation, and Zarah has a feeling things are about to go haywire.
Everything is crashing down around her. If she doesn't do something soon, they all will suffer the consequences. Even if it means destroying her beliefs and extinguishing what little compassion she has left.
Pixie writes YA--Paranormal/Urban Fantasy, Dystopian, and some Horror. She used to write news articles, but never liked it much because she had no freedom to write to her heart's desire.
Outside of writing and reading, she loves all things baseball and tennis, rock music/concerts, and blogging. She adores the book blogging community, having been a part of it herself for over a year now as well. Be sure to drop by her blog--she always enjoys making new friends and following others too!


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Check instant availability at our global webshop partners
Or find our partners in your area through the map below
Above the map you`ll find a list of the different continents. Clicking on a continent opens the enlarged view. Choose an optional country to get specific contact information about it. A pop-up opens through clicking on the relevant country. It shows the contact details of the Swissbit branch office and the local trading partners.


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Toe-to-Toe: Kicks for the TKO
Footwear fans, get ready to fist pump. Ever spot an awesome pair of shoes and ask yourself, "How am I going to rock those?" Lucky for you, we're one step ahead. We'll be showcasing two Head Office Style Masters wearing the same pair, yet styled to their own personal beat. Here they go, toe-to-toe.
The contender: HLODWALD
Defender #1: Evan, Men's Product Development, ALDO
This fly cat knows how to spot a winner when he sees one – he's got a hand in developing and creating men's product for ALDO. And his sneaker game can't be beat.
"I went with a casual look for these sneakers. I'm a big sneaker guy, so finding a versatile sneaker to match my summer wardrobe is key. " Natch.
Now how does this style guru step out in the hotter months? "5 panel hat, cuffed shorts, man tank, shirt tied around my waist, sunglasses and canvas plimsoles." And he rocks it like nobody's business.
Who does Evan take his style cues from? "Les Freres Joachim and Dany Dos Santos a.k.a. Alkarus". Told you this guy's got cred.
Evan is the ultimate sneaker aficionado, and he knows a winning pair of kicks when he sees them. These denim printed sneaks were a no-brainer for him: "Canvas is on trend right now and is always perfect for summer.
Defender #2: Frederic, Project Manager Of Store Operations, Process & Technologies for ALDO
As a guy who keeps his fingers on the pulse of the latest in technology – while always having fun in the process! – Fred has a knack for wearing professional threads… shaken & stirred.
So when it came to styling these sneaks, Fred wanted to "combine a dressed-up look with nice casual sneakers to create a modern business look." It's all about "high-low," after all.
Whether getting ready for a day at the office or a night out, Fred turns up some Flo Rida, especially "Let It Roll." "I know it's old, but there's no better 'get ready' jam than this one in the summer!"
"Honest answer: I've never been inspired by anyone, fashion wise. I'm mainly inspired by my overall environment, the seasons, home decor trends, and activities I take part in. Fashion isn't something you can pinpoint, you just feel it…" Truth.
For Frederic, comfort is key – after all, swag needs to be about comfort and style. And for these denim kicks, it was love at first stride: "I just love the style! They can be worn with a very casual outfit just as perfectly as with a nice suit. Can't skip the fact that these sneakers are the most comfortable shoes I've had in years!"
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By tradition, the contest – organized by the Liszt Academy for the third occasion - will be in four rounds. As part of the application procedure for the online selection, candidates can upload their video recordings (one Baroque and one freely selected aria from another period) to the competition's new website. The competition secretariat will publish a notice on the decision of the qualifier jury headed by Éva Marton by 15 April 2018.
Competitors making it through to the live rounds in the autumn – only they have to pay the entry fee – prove themselves with a performance of a Liszt song and a further seven arias. The pieces must be performed from memory, in the original key and original language, and in full version. The venue for the rounds open to the public as well as the final (for the first time in the history of the competition) will be the Liszt Academy. Thanks to live Internet streaming, the competition (10-16 September 2018) can be followed throughout Hungary and anywhere in the world. The Orchestra of the Hungarian State Opera under the baton of Balázs Kocsár provide accompaniment in the final and gala. In addition to total prize money of €42,000, the very best competitors can also collect numerous special accolades including the prize of the Hungarian Academy of Arts, concert invitations and scholarships.
The competition is organized with funding from the government of Hungary amounting to approximately HUF 100 million. The jury, headed by Éva Marton, includes Hungarian and international celebrities from the world of opera such as Peter Mario Katona, director of casting at the Royal Opera, London, Miguel Lerín, one of the most influential managers in European opera, Anatoli Goussev, professor of La Scuola Musicale in Foro Buonaparte di Milano, Teimuraz Gugushvili, professor at the Tbilisi State Conservatory, Vittorio Terranova, artistic director of the F. Tagliavini opera competition, Eva Wagner-Pasquier, former director of the Bayreuth Festival, and on the Hungarian side, Andrea Meláth, head of the Department of Vocal and Opera Studies, Liszt Ferenc Academy of Music, and Szilveszter Ókovács, director of the Hungarian State Opera.
On the basis of feedback from the international jury, competitors, the general public and last but not least, critics, the objective of the organizers is nothing less than to ensure that - in the wake of the first two competitions named after Éva Marton and organized to an extremely high standard worthy of this great artist – the position held by the III International Éva Marton Singing Competition is further strengthened among the elite of the world's best music competitions. Having witnessed the upswing in the careers of the young artists proving themselves among the best at the 2014 and 2016 competitions, we have every right to assume that winners of the 2018 competition will shortly become regular and rightly acclaimed stars in their homelands and on the European opera scene.
Photo: László Mudra (see the full gallery of the launching press event on the competition's Facebook page)
Preparations for the III International Éva Marton Singing Competition began in summer 2017. The Liszt Academy did not want to depart from the tried and tested framework of the competition, although by utilizing the experiences accumulated since 2013, and through the further development and refinement of details, the eponym and those individuals managing the competition are justified in expecting that it will receive even greater international attention. Just as before, the organizers intend to communicate the competition announcement to students of the world's most prestigious institutions of music and rising stars in the world of opera; the global media campaign promoting the announcement, as well as the competition itself, are designed to play an important image building role. At the same time, the operational framework of the team preparing the competition has changed: communication preparation and implementation function independently of the communications team handling Liszt Academy teaching and concert activities and as a part of the project organization within the institution. This year, Imre Szabó Stein, former director of communications, is overseeing competition development and international communication in a consultative capacity, and the team that have already proved themselves in previous competitions will function as associates.
The key to the redesigned image for the 2018 competition announcement is the spotlight effect shown in a stylized form around the logo and recurring in all the creative platforms, which places the earlier angled visuality – and indirectly, the competition now being organized for the third time – in a perspective. The gold tone and the laurel wreath motif evoking the Liszt Academy's Grand Hall remain key elements of the image, while at the same time their appearance is more 'plastic' than before, including in how they surround the portrait of the eponym of the competition. The new visual concept appears in the brochure promoting the competition, on the redesigned website martoncompetition.hu, the associated new Facebook page, and the advertising platforms of the international media campaign. Updated designs for the prizes, gift objects and competition catalogue are currently being worked on.
The international promotional campaign is being put together along more robust guidelines refreshed in their concept. Advertisements for the Éva Marton Singing Competition appear with an image building character in several opinion-shaping cultural media columns as well as the most prestigious channels of the international opera world and classical music life (Opernglas, Opera Magazine, Opera Now, operanews.com, centralpalc.com, gramophone.co.uk, Classical Music, bachtrack.com, musicalamerica.com, thestrad.com), plus on one Russian and one Chinese platform. The decision to go beyond the strict frames of the musical profession – as was proven during the successful announcement of the Bartók World Competition and Festival that wound up a few weeks ago – not only focuses significant attention on the competition but also indicates the status of the event itself. Competition advertisements will appear over the next few weeks in the online platforms of Le Monde, Der Spiegel and Euronews. A 30-second spot developed from the professional multimedia documentation of the 2016 competition lies at the heart of press advertisements as well as search marketing and the social media campaign supplementing these ads. The spot condenses the most dramatic moments of the documentary made about the competition (in a coproduction between MTVA and the Liszt Academy, directed by Csaba Varga Zs.), to the inimitable melodies of Puccini's Turandot. The creators of this short film are the same as the crew who worked on the Bartók World Competition and Festival spot that recently won a prize at Cannes.
The International Éva Marton Singing Competition first organized in 2014 was an important milestone both for the Liszt Academy and the person after whom it is named. The academy's first ever major music competition organized from scratch by the institution immediately won itself a place among the leading global classical music contests, while it also fulfilled a long-held dream of the former Liszt Academy student and Professor Emerita. "When I was a student at the Liszt Academy, I resolved that if I ever had my own students, then I would teach them independence and self-confidence from the very first minute. Generally, a teacher wishes to create a lesser artist of the student than him or herself. This is wrong! You have to lend them wings so that they can stand their ground in life as soon as possible," Éva Marton once stated, and the organizers wisely chose these words of hers as the motto of the competition.
The essential organizational background and infrastructural conditions for the competition were put in place following the major redevelopment of the Liszt Academy completed in 2013. Details of the competition repertoire, the scheduling and arrangements were worked out by the Liszt Academy programme directorate, naturally in close cooperation with the competition eponym and the competition secretariat. It was the task of the Liszt Academy communications team to shape a unique image, although sympathetic to that already used by the institution, to develop a website playing a critical role in the early stage of the competition when candidates submit their applications, to fashion an integrated media campaign supporting the promotion of the competition, and then later on to oversee the establishment of the entire publication and marketing tool portfolio and the origination of the prizes, along with the documentation and communication of the competition.
Candidates could submit applications to the online selection round of the first competition (announced in December 2013) from January of the following year on the competition website. Interest exceeded all expectations: no fewer than 150 singers submitted entries from a total of 37 countries on five continents. In the end, the selection jury led by Éva Marton considered 77 artists – including 11 young Hungarians – worthy of appearing in person before a jury and showing their skills and talents in the live rounds. At the end of the gruelling competition lasting five days, the jury (at the request of Éva Marton, some of the most influential figures in Hungarian and international opera agreed to take part in the work of the jury chaired by the founder of the competition) were unanimous in declaring Szilvia Vörös winner of the Grand Prix of the I International Éva Marton Singing Competition, while first prize went to Romanian baritone Alexandru Aghenie. In keeping with the general tone of the whole competition, both the jury and audience agreed on ranking the Ukrainian soprano Tetiana Zhuravel as being one of the best, who thus picked up the Audience Prize and second place, while third place went to Marcelina Beucher, a Polish soprano. "We have come across the most beautiful voices and extremely highly qualified, musically talented young artists in the material that has been submitted. The standard is noticeably higher compared to the 2014 competition: it is absolutely clear that starting from the standard of the first competition, weaker entries have not even submitted applications. The applicants have shown themselves to be highly prepared and fully aware that they can reckon on a world-class competition at the Liszt Academy. I am extremely pleased by this because it proves that we did not establish the International Éva Marton Singing Competition in vain," said Éva Marton after the selection round for the II International Éva Marton Singing Competition staged two years later.
More than 100 artists from 25 countries on five continents submitted entries to the II International Éva Marton Singing Competition announced in early January 2016. In the end, the selection jury led by Éva Marton admitted 77 competitors through to the live rounds, of whom 48 young singers representing 18 nations had to make the long trip to Budapest, where they revealed their skills in September 2016. The Belarusian bass Alexander Roslavets won the Grand Prix and the Audience Prize. Winner of the first prize was the Mongolian Ankhbayar Enkhbold (baritone), the second place went to the only Hungarian making it into the final, soprano Lilla Horti, while 3rd prize was taken by Polish soprano Lucyna Jarzabek. Competitors making it into the finale agreed that the Éva Marton Singing Competition was an unmissable opportunity and door onto the international opera scene, emphasizing that they had never seen such professional organization and a venue as that of the Liszt Academy.
"The results speak for themselves: the mature artists ready for the world's greatest opera stages considered it important to submit applications to the II International Éva Marton Singing Competition. And there can be no better proof of the fact that the competition, created and carried out with the greatest attention to every single detail – from the composition of the international jury right up to the tiniest laurel motif on the awards – is truly global, and that it did in truth garner attention the world over, than the fact that live online streaming (via 10 cameras) of both the semi-finals and the finals was followed from Japan to the United States, from Norway to Brazil, in more than 30 countries around the world," said Imre Szabó Stein, project manager of the II International Éva Marton Singing Competition, speaking after the 2016 final.
Lilla Horti, the only Hungarian finalist and winner of second prize at the 2016 II International Éva Marton Singing Competition, has had an extremely busy year. The young soprano started her masters course at the Liszt Academy this autumn and just a few weeks ago she appeared on the stage of the Grand Hall as partner of the Kelemen Quartet in Schönberg's String Quartet No. 2. In summer 2017, she played the role of Freia in Das Rheingold at the Wagner Festival, Müpa Budapest, at the Hungarian State Opera she sang in, for instance, Levente Gyöngyösi's opera The Stork Caliph and Tchaikovsky's The Queen of Spades (opera fans can catch up with Lilla in performances of La Bohème, The Magic Flute and Götterdämmerung in the 2017/18 season), besides which she has also been involved in several contemporary opera performances and song recitals at top theatres in Budapest and other cities.
Tetiana Zhuravel took second place, the Audience Prize and the special prize of the Liszt Academy at the I International Éva Marton Singing Competition in 2014. Immediately after the competition she received four parts from the Operetta Theatre of Kiev, she appeared at the Palau de la Música in Barcelona, gave a solo song recital at the Liszt Academy and collected several invitations from the Hungarian State Opera. In early 2017, she burnished her reputation still further in the lead role Of Love and Other Demons, not to mention as The Queen of the Night, and in a few weeks she swaps with Erika Miklós as Violetta Valéry in La Traviata at the Erkel Theatre. She debuted at the Lvov Opera House this year, and in November 2017 she will be a soloist for Ligeti's Requiem in a Müpa Budapest production.
Szilvia Vörös, winner of the Grand Prix at the 2014 I International Éva Marton Singing Competition, picked up roles in no fewer than eight productions staged by the Hungarian State Opera in the 2015/16 season, she was able to take a soloist part in Oratorio Christus (Liszt) at Müpa Budapest, while at the request of the Hungarian Radio Symphony Orchestra she participated in Mahler's Children's Death Songs cycle. At the Liszt Academy, she worked with Károly Mocsári on an evening of Rachmaninov songs, and in summer 2016 she had the opportunity to take to the stage alongside Anna Netrebko and Plácido Domingo in the framework of the project for young singers of the Salzburg Festival. In the last season, she has been on stage in the roles of Suzuki, Bersi, Siébel, Waltraute, Romeo, the High Priestess and Fenena at Opera House productions, and her next appearance will be as Isabella in The Italian Woman in Algiers. Notwithstanding these achievements, there have also been further competition victories: a prize in Linz in 2015 and success at the prestigious Concorso Lirico Internazionale di Portofino in summer 2017. Partly as a result of these wins, Wiener Staatsoper offered her a two-year solo singing contract starting from autumn 2018.
Alexander Roslavets, winner of the Grand Prix and the Audience Prize at the II International Éva Marton Singing Competition, is now a member of the Hamburg Staatsoper company, in addition to which he regularly appears in the Belarusian State Opera House. He has received invitations from all over Europe; he debuts at the Glyndebourne opera festival in 2019. This year he won a special prize at the 36th International Hans Gabor Belvedere Singing Competition, and he came second at the Concorso Lirico Internazionale di Portofino competition in northern Italy. He was admitted to the talent-nurturing scholarship programme of the president of the Republic of Belarus. The Budapest audience can see him again on the stage of Erkel Theatre where he is a soloist in Verdi's Requiem in early November.


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Rolling Stone: The First Album
Madonna, who crashed onto the dance charts last year with "Everybody," has a voice that takes some getting used to. At first, it doesn't sound like much at all. Then you notice its one distinguishing feature, a girlish hiccup that the singer uses over and over until it's irritating as hell. Finally, you get hooked, and you start looking forward to that silly little catch in her voice. It helps that she writes good tunes–catchy and bare to the bone. It helps even more that her album is pristinely produced by Reggie Lucas. Electric keyboards have the clarity of finger chimes. The bass slaps the backbeat like shoes on pavement. Mind you, it's simple stuff: "I'm burnin' up/Burnin' up for your love," or "Holiday/Celebrate." But it's clever at times, too. "Physical Attraction" is practically a capsule history of high-school proms, with its sly references to the Association's "Cherish" and Olivia Newton-John's "Physical."
There are lots of blue-eyed soul belters with more generous voices and more intricate songs–Teena Marie comes quickly to mind. Still, without overstepping the modest ambitions of minimal funk, Madonna issues an irresistible invitation to the dance.


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The price is the "Australian" RRP provided to us by our supplier and converted to NZD at a rate of 0.72. This price does not reflect our own normal price as we do not usually sell at the RRP. The product may also not be sold in New Zealand at this RRP.
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The Good
When nothing bothering her, she's a very happy little baby.
Babbling lots!
Reaching for things... wants to crawl...
Good at hand (fine-motor) control.
Still no real reason to think this is permanent.**
Switched to a new formula that seems to be making her much less uncomfortable.
Rigged a "cold bag" such that we don't have to refill her formula in the middle of the night... just have to get up 3-10 times to deal with bubbles.
The Bad
Still no talking, no crawling, no sitting unassisted.
Not taking any food or drink by mouth.
24 months of crying... really wears on you. She has 2 in particular that really get me:
- Nnnnnnngggg nnnnnnggggg (sounds like she is yelling with no tongue... like nails on a chalkboard)
- Huh uh huh uh huh uh huh (this machine-gun like "I'm unhappy" thing that she can do -- literally -- for hours straight. Gasp inhale, sharp whiny exhale. Repeat x1000.)
Likes to choke while traveling in the car. Always fun.
Still not taking good naps... no sleep schedule...
The new formula is thick, so we can't "run open loop" like we used to. More work dealing with bubbles this way.
Still can't seem to handle bolus feeds, currently... so we're on the pump ~20 hours/day doing continuous drips. Makes it hard to leave the house.
The $*#@!$$#
Still retching about 3 times a day... big ones too -- face turns red, sometimes gets tiny burst capillaries on her face, etc.
The retches seem to be caused by one of two things:
- Bile; after most (but not all) retches we see yellow fluid in her g-tube... seems like whenever a bit of bile hits her tummy she feels nauseous and loses it.
- Gas; still fighting gas all the time, and when it builds up she just can't seem to burp, and eventually loses it. Or when on her back, the gas pushes fluid up into her throat and she chokes and loses it.
At 26 months, she seems to have the development of a 10-month old. We've been seeing signs of talking, crawling, sitting for ~6 months, but progress is glacial.
Haven't shared a bedroom with the wife in well over a year now. Thatskindafuckedupisntit?
** this one is screwed up in its own right though; we still have no real diagnosis for any of this. Just symptoms.


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"The Duff" is what Wesley labels Bianca one night while she's sitting by herself in the club, sipping cherry coke as her friends are out dancing. "Duff" stands for "Designated Ugly Fat Friend." Bianca is insulted enough to throw her coke in his face and resolves to stay far away from Wesley, who is notorious for sleeping with every and any girl who asks. However, she later happens to kiss him rather enthusiastically and realizes she very much enjoyed it. Combined with a home situation quickly going to hell, sleeping with Wesley seems like just the thing to help her forget her life for a little while, even if she still thinks he's a despicable person. But, as it turns out, Wesley actually gets where Bianca is coming from, and the two of them actually might be compatible in ways outside of a good sexual chemistry.
I kind of want this book to be required reading for every sex-ed class taught in every single school in the United States. It has so much that is right with it in terms of portraying sexual relationships in all their confusing, complicated, awesome glory. One of the best things about all the sex was that the authorial voice never indicated that any of the characters were wrong in their actions. Sure, Bianca sleeping with Wesley in order to ignore all the problems in her life is probably not the best decision she could have made in terms of her emotional health, considering she's convinced she wants Wesley to die a horrible death. Same thing with when she had sex with her first boyfriend – he was a lot older than she was and their entire relationship was a sham. But Bianca is never cast as doing something wrong because she has all this sex. The sex isn't the problem – the reasons why she has it might not be completely A. OK, but sex itself is not to blame.
This is absolutely amazing. I can't remember reading another YA book where a girl has this much sex and isn't called a slut or a whore. Bianca does wrestle with that problem a bit herself. Does sleeping with Wesley so much outside of the context of a relationship make her a whore? After all, she makes it completely obvious Wesley that she's screwing him only because he helps her forget about all the things going badly in her life. However, Wesley puts the kibosh on her doubts when he tells her, "What you are is an intelligent, sassy, sarcastic, cynical, neurotic, loyal, compassionate girl." I can't describe Bianca any better than Wesley just did right there.
Another thing that was a pleasant surprise – I've only read one or two YA books that included oral sex, but I definitely have not read a book before this one that has a guy going down on a girl rather than the other way around. THIS. YES. MORE OF THIS PLEASE. There are not enough positive, happy examples of cunnilingus in mainstream media, and that includes YA fiction. Also, as a side note, there's a lot of sex that occurs over the course of this book and they are all written well. Since sex scenes are ridiculously hard to Get Right, kudos to the author on that.
The concept of the Duff was a really good one, and I loved how it was a comparative word, rather than a definition. A person is only a Duff in relation to who their friends are or who they're seen with at any given time. Bianca thinks she's the Duff because she's not as tall or thin as her friends Jessica and Casey, but as far as Casey's concerned, she's the Duff because she towers over everyone, including most of the guys. And it's probably true as well that every person has felt like the Duff of their group of friends at least once in their life.
I did wish Wesley's problems with his parents had been given more attention and detail. All we have is that they're away most of the time so Wesley never sees them and feels lonely. Which is understandable and sympathy inducing, but compared to the depth that Bianca's family problems are given, it feels weak. Similarly lacking depth was Toby, Bianca's long-time crush, whom she starts dating. He pretty much has no flaws, which makes his perfection a flaw, and I hate characters that I like that. They're not flawed, they're boring.
Also, for the time that Bianca's trying to convince herself that she hates Wesley, she's particularly one-note in her hatred and her thoughts about him. It's sort of repetitive in that she has to keep thinking about how he sleeps with every girl ever and he's so slimy and icky and she hates every fiber of his person. With regards to this, the writing did feel simplistic and a little forced.
I am really glad that this book currently exists and is being sold in bookstores and read by teenagers. It is, without a doubt, one of the most sex-positive YA books I've read, and that alone makes it worth reading. There are some elements lacking needed detail or emotional fortitude, rendering them more simplistic than they should be, but they're made up for by two relatable, flawed, fucked-up characters who actually manage to bang out a decent, working relationship in the end. All in all, I am pleased with this book.


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Mitel serves many large hospitality customers, including Marriott, Hilton, Hyatt and Royal Caribbean. This week we spotlight Starwood Hotels & Resorts, one of the world's largest hotel and leisure companies, which operates under a wide range of brand names, including St. Regis, W, Westin, Sheraton, Four Points and Aloft.
When Starwood went looking for a better way to handle their communications, they knew exactly what they wanted. With nearly 1,200 properties and more than 170,000 employees in about 100 countries worldwide, they needed technology that could be integrated across all their existing solutions, in all types and sizes of properties.
"We had a lot of legacy systems in our 530 or so hotels in North America and a lot of diversity with regard to manufacturers and age of equipment," says Mark McBeth, VP of IT, Starwood Hotels & Resorts. "With Mitel, we can just plug in a system and have it work with the equipment in the field and the devices in the guest rooms." Starwood chose the Mitel MiVoice Business and MiVoice 5550 IP Console for all of its North American hotels.
Just having the technology, however, is not enough. In the hotel and resort business, it's essential that it work the way it's supposed to—all the time. "In a hospitality environment like ours," McBeth says, "the expectation is that technology works flawlessly every time, and with Mitel that's exactly what we get."
And McBeth says he doesn't see Mitel slowing down anytime soon.
"If you look at the history of Mitel and their evolution over time—how they've worked to come into the IP world and where they stand now," McBeth says, "we think they are well-positioned to continue to lead in this area."
Interested in learning more? Check out other customer success stories from Mitel.


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By Amy Drew www.comparecarrentals.co.uk
It now seems that, over the past few years, there has been an unprecedented amount of growth and investment in rail projects in the Middle East. This is not an area that looks like it will die off anytime soon either as rail projects continue to grow at an amazing rate.
The governments in the Middle East are now recognizing the boom in population, business, and tourism to the area. Thus, they now see it necessary to invest very heavily in rails as a way to stimulate the economy and keep growth high.
Right now it has been noted that the Gulf States are likely to spend about $100 billion on rail projects in upcoming years. This includes such projects as the Dubai Metro system, the Saudi's Haramian high speed rail link, and the Abu Dhabi's Surface Transport Master Plan, among others. Overall, almost every single country in the Middle East has announced some kind of plans that involve investment in rails. Experts from all over the world are running to the Middle East to ensure that they are, in some way, involved with all of these ground breaking projects.
Overall, the Middle East as a whole is on a very big growth spurt, and these new rail projects are just the icing on the cake. The Middle East has many projects in the works right now, much of which are to accommodate the growing number of travelers that the area is expecting. Countless amounts of hotels and new routes are opening up to the Middle East as it is proving to be a very hot tourist spot.


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Monday, August 5, 2013
Recycling at Its Absolute Best!
Everyone has a moment when they hate to throw away completely useful items that have stood the test of time... Recently we ran across a blogger who put together a tutorial on how to recycle old tees. Brilliant! We had bags of white tee shirts that were on the way to the garbage and voila! A brand new shag rug for the bathroom was born! Read here how to make your own, with no sewing, basting or glue. FYI, we used an equally old towel as the backing for a more stable structure and it turned out great! Recycling at its absolute BEST! And the pets love it!
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Earn $30 USD if own this phone: Samsung Galaxy S6, Android 7.0 (operating system)
- Status: Pending
- Prize: $30
- Entries Received: 4
Contest Brief
I am testing out my app, and I need someone anyone who has a "Samsung Galaxy S6" with Android 7.0 os to message me. The operating system is about 1.5 years old (this is not a fully updated Android).
The test will not take more than 10 min:
1. Prove to me that you have the phone I am looking for by taking a picture/screenshot of the phone and the "Android version", by going to:
Android Settings menu
Select "System"
Then "About Phone."
2. Install the app I am testing (from Google play)
3. Log in using a demo account (we made for this test)
4. Test if camera is working
Please let me know if you have this exact phone/operating system.
Recommended Skills
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GlobalStep United States
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Award the best entry Download the files - Easy!


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PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP
February 14, 2003
Mr. Jonathan G. Katz, Secretary
Re: File No. S7-51-02
Dear Mr. Katz:
PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP appreciates the opportunity to comment on the Commission's Proposed Rule: Shareholder Reports and Quarterly Portfolio Disclosure of Registered Management Investment Companies (the "proposal" or the "proposed rule").
We agree with the proposed rule's objectives that shareholder reports should be streamlined, useful and understandable to investors. Further, we agree that shareholder reports should provide investors with information to better evaluate a fund's risk profile and investment strategy. In particular, we support the Commission's efforts to improve the disclosures provided by registered management investment companies about their portfolio investments. The observations and suggestions that follow highlight several matters we bring to your attention for consideration to further the Commission's objectives. In these observations, we address certain of the matters upon which the Commission requested comment in its proposed rule. At a later date we would also encourage the Commission to consider a broader review of Regulation S-X, especially Article 6, to determine whether other aspects of the SEC's rules can be streamlined or enhanced, particularly where there is divergence from the AICPA Audit and Accounting Guide Audits of Investment Companies (the "AICPA Guide"), as revised in late 2000.
Summary Schedule for Investments
In general, we support the use of a summary schedule of investments in the financial statements of an investment company delivered to shareholders, and believe that the Commission has struck a reasonable balance by requiring the inclusion of a full portfolio schedule in Form N-CSR and requiring delivery of a full portfolio schedule to investors upon request should they desire this information. As discussed in more detail below, however, we believe that the summary schedule should permit greater flexibility in presentation by the fund and should be more consistent with the condensed portfolio of investments prescribed by the AICPA Guide. Inconsistencies between the Commission's requirements and those of the AICPA Guide could make preparation of financial statements more difficult by requiring preparers of financial statements to conform to multiple sets of rules. Since the AICPA Guide has been subjected recently to public comment, it reflects a current consensus as to preferable disclosure. In areas where existing literature can be conformed while still serving to protect the shareholders' interests, we support convergence of existing standards.
1. Are the proposals to require funds to disclose their 50 largest holdings and holdings accounting for one percent (and greater) of net assets appropriate?
Yes. We believe that the proposed requirements (i.e., fifty largest issuers and investments in issuers whose fair values aggregate more than one percent of net assets) are appropriate minimum standards. However, we believe there may be instances where an investment company may want to take advantage of using a summary schedule of portfolio investments and present information with respect to a greater number of issuers than is required by the proposed Rule 12-12C. Accordingly, we are suggesting that the requirements of the rule be clarified to allow an investment company to disclose a larger number of holdings (for example, 75 or 100 largest issuers) and/or use a lower threshold than one percent of investments by issuer in preparing the summary schedule of investments. The final rule should make clear, however, that an investment company must consistently apply a largest issuer/percent of net assets disclosure rule within any fund's summary portfolio, and may not selectively include only certain issuers that fall below that threshold.
2. As proposed, securities disclosed in the summary schedule would be identified in order of descending value (largest holding to smallest). Should we adopt a different approach?
Yes. We are concerned that a descending value approach would be inconsistent with the requirements of the AICPA Guide, which calls for a presentation organized by asset class, industry or other relevant classification. We also believe the presentation format should provide registrants with flexibility to present the information in the most meaningful manner given the type and circumstances of the individual fund, so investors can easily identify which are the largest issuers and how they are affecting the portfolio composition. We suggest the rule be modified to allow the summary portfolio to be organized in the manner that the investment company believes is most meaningful in the circumstances, so long as the minimum portfolio disclosure requirements are met. We believe that the financial statements, including the summary portfolio, should be sufficient to present the fund in a meaningful way to the reader, without any additional information that may be required or presented elsewhere in the shareholder report.
3. Should we allow the use of a summary portfolio schedule with respect to other investments in addition to investments in securities of unaffiliated issuers?
Yes. Consistent with the AICPA Audit Guide, we believe that the summary schedule tests (i.e., fifty largest issuers and investments in issuers whose fair values aggregate more than one percent of net assets) should be applied to the fund's entire portfolio of investments, including short sales, investments in affiliated issuers, written options, futures, forwards and other investment-related liabilities. The rule should explicitly state that long and short positions in any one issuer should be considered separately in applying the one percent issuer test.
We believe that the definition of an "affiliated" investment is too broad to provide meaningful information to investors and to segregate such securities in a separate schedule in the financial statements is not useful to investors. Presentation of a summary of investments in securities of unaffiliated issuers with a separate full listing of investments in affiliated issuers or other types of investments will complicate the presentation and make it more difficult for an investor to assess the portfolio risks and characteristics. In many cases an "affiliated" investment simply represents a statutory definition of ownership of more than five percent of the shares of another company, but the fund and the issuer are neither "related parties" under Statement of Financial Accounting Standards No. 57, nor affiliated under a more common understanding of the word.
We believe that a summary schedule of investments that treats each investment in the portfolio consistently will better serve investors in understanding a fund's overall risk profile and investment strategy.
4. Are there any modifications in the format of the proposed summary portfolio schedule that would be appropriate, such as eliminating or revising the requirements to indicate by appropriate symbols non-income producing securities and restricted securities?
We believe the current disclosure requirements for non-income producing securities and restricted securities provide the investor only limited information in evaluating a fund's risk profile or investment strategy. For example, a non-income producing security can be either a stock that has not paid a dividend in the past year, or a bond that has ceased accrual because the collection of principal and interest is in doubt. Each of these examples has very different implications to an investor. We are recommending that the proposed rule and Regulation S-X Rule 12-12, footnotes 5 and 6 be modified to eliminate the current requirements regarding non-income producing securities and restricted securities, for both the summary schedule of investments and the full portfolio presentation.
We do believe that certain information about securities held will help investors understand a fund's risk profile more clearly. Information about (1) securities valued at fair value by or at the direction of the Board, (2) defaulted debt securities, and (3) securities of persons where a "control" (as opposed to an "affiliate") relationship exists (as defined by the 1940 Act) is useful information to investors. We recommend the proposed and current rules be modified to require disclosure in the summary and complete portfolio of the (a) total investment value and (b) percentage of net assets of the securities that conform to each such category. We do not believe that disclosure of individual securities that meet these criteria is necessary. Further, omitting the requirement for disclosure at an individual security level is most appropriate when an issuer presents a summary schedule of investments.
5. Should we require a shareholder report covering more than one fund to use the same type of portfolio schedule (summary or complete) for all funds included in the report?
No. We believe inclusion of multiple funds in one shareholder report should not restrict the issuer's choices of presentation of the portfolio for any fund. Many series funds that prepare a common annual report have portfolios of widely varying numbers of securities. We believe that requiring all funds included in a shareholder report to use the same format (i.e. summary schedule or full portfolio) may result in investment companies including the full portfolio of investments for each fund in the report in circumstances where one fund is considered best presented using the full portfolio disclosure. We believe that the rules should allow each fund the flexibility to use the most meaningful presentation for its individual type and characteristics, regardless of the presentation used by other funds in the shareholder report.
6. Is the information with respect to a money market fund in either a complete or the proposed summary portfolio schedule sufficiently important that it should be delivered to all investors in the fund?
Yes. We believe that all funds should be required to present a separate schedule of investments. An exemption for money market funds, or any other type of fund, would imply that portfolio information for that fund, or type of fund, is less important. We believe portfolio holdings are an important element of all investment company financial statements. Additionally, an exception would result in financial statement disclosure requirements for registered investment companies that are less comprehensive than the requirements under generally accepted accounting principles as outlined in the AICPA Guide.
Further, we believe it is particularly important to provide regular disclosure of money market fund portfolios directly to fund investors so they can consider the information routinely. Eliminating the requirement to report portfolio holdings in shareholder reports of money market funds could send an implicit message to shareholders that they need not inform themselves about the fund's credit quality, maturity and diversification characteristics. In fact, there is no assurance that securities will continually maintain their ratings, and history has shown that investment-grade securities held by money market funds have, on occasion, suddenly and unexpectedly become impaired or defaulted. We are concerned that, without routine disclosure, investors may only consider portfolio disclosure upon media reports that an issuer of securities held by money market funds is experiencing financial difficulty - a time when the disclosure is likely to be evaluated neither completely nor objectively.
We believe that the proposed rules to permit funds to include a summary portfolio schedule provide a means by which money market funds, and indeed all funds, could provide information to investors regarding the fund's significant investments and overall risks while still allowing the benefits of streamlining disclosures and reducing costs.
Other Matters
1. Is Form N-CSR the appropriate location for funds that include a summary portfolio schedule in their shareholder reports to disclose their complete portfolio schedules.
We recommend that the rules provide additional guidance clarifying required auditor reporting on the full portfolio of investments to be filed with the Commission and available to investors. The proposal indicates that the full portfolio of investments related to a fund's annual report must be audited when a summary portfolio of investments is included in the financial statements in the annual shareholder report; however, it does not address the manner of auditor reporting on such schedule. We believe that the full portfolio of investments should be reported on by the fund's independent accountants as a supplementary schedule to the audited financial statements filed with the Commission, as is currently the practice for reporting on additional schedules filed by operating companies with the Commission (e.g., schedules required by Form 10-K).
2. Should we require the proposed summary portfolio schedule and/or the complete portfolio schedule to identify securities acquired within a designated number of days before the end of the reporting period?
No. The Commission requested comment as to whether disclosure of security acquisitions within a set number of days (e.g., 20 days, 10 days, etc) would inhibit portfolio manipulation practices such as "window dressing" or "portfolio pumping". While we cannot comment on the prevalence of such practices nor have we considered the means of reducing this practice, we note that the proposed disclosure on which the Commission seeks comment implies that all trading activity before a reporting date should be presumed to represent portfolio manipulation. In addition, the proposed rule currently suggests disclosure would only be required for securities acquired prior to the reporting date. We believe limiting disclosure to security acquisitions that occur during an arbitrarily determined time frame prior to the reporting date may be too narrow a view of the ways in which manipulation might occur; for example, allegations of "window dressing" often involve the disposal of poorly-performing or otherwise "undesirable" positions close to period-end.
We also believe that any such disclosure, if required, should be included in management's discussion of fund performance rather than in the fund's financial statements (i.e., in the full or summary schedule of investments). The evaluation of the importance of such activity and a discussion of the related investment transactions in the context of a portfolio strategy is more appropriately addressed by management as part of a substantive discussion of factors affecting fund performance rather than a listing of such transactions in financial statements.
3. Should we require management discussion of fund performance ("MDFP") in annual reports to shareholders?
Yes. Including the MDFP in the annual report is the prevalent industry practice and aids investors in evaluating a fund's performance over the prior year. We agree with the Commission's conclusion that the MDFP need not be a part of a fund's prospectus as it is more appropriately a report on past stewardship. We have seen wide variability in the nature and depth of information that is included in the MDFP. We would support an initiative by the Commission to increase transparency around fund performance by undertaking a separate study to identify the information that should be included in the MDFP to make it more consistently useful to the reader. That study should include input from the key constituents, including shareholders, analysts, advisers, preparers and other users of fund annual reports. The result of that study should be a comprehensive statement (preferably a through rulemaking proposal) of the Commission's expectations for the contents of MDFP. As the proposal release itself demonstrates, currently those expectations appear in fragmentary form, through enforcement actions and published staff views. A formal statement of MDFP expectations would give preparers comprehensive guidance that would promote greater consistency and transparency of disclosure.
Also, as proposed, MDFP continues only to be required for open-end investment companies. Under the Commission's stated rationale MDFP should equally be required for shareholder reports of closed-end investment companies. This, too, should be considered for future rulemaking.
* * *
We appreciate the opportunity to express our views and would be pleased to discuss our comments or answer any questions that the staff may have. Please do not hesitate to contact Chip Voneiff (312-298-4815) or Richard Grueter (617-439-7414) regarding our submission.


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A proposal being floated by Federal Communications Commission chairman Kevin Martin could have positive impact on at least two small local TV stations.
Multichannel News reports that Martin is pushing for an October 15th vote on the first phase of a plan - requesting public comment - to get low-power "Class A" stations must-carry status on cable systems:
Martin's plan would allow 555 Class A TV stations to apply for full-power status from the FCC. After obtaining approval, the stations could demand immediate cable carriage under a 1992 law held constitutional by the Supreme Court in 1997.
Locally, that would definitely affect one TV outlet - Media-Com's WAOH-LP/29 Akron-W35AX Cleveland, otherwise known as "The CAT". The station already has negotiated cable carriage with Time Warner Cable's Akron-based system, on position 14, and has scattered other cable coverage on TWC and other systems (WOW Cable, for example).
But it remains absent from the former Cleveland Adelphia system now a part of Time Warner's Northeast Ohio footprint - a large chunk of the Cleveland-area viewership.
Assuming this proposal by the FCC chief ever sees the light of day, the devil's in the details.
For one, what does "apply for full-power status" mean? And would it require WAOH/W35AX to improve facilities at all, if it wishes to assert carriage on the cable systems not already carrying the station?
And the area's other major low-power TV operation is Image Video's WIVM-LP/52 Canton-WIVN-LP 29 Newcomerstown(/Dover/New Philadelphia).
Unless we're reading the FCC records wrong, WIVM/WIVN do not actually have Class A status, and are listed as standard TV translators. If they wish to assert must-carry on cable under this plan, again, assuming it becomes policy, they'd have to file to become Class A stations.
(Despite the calls, WAOH-LP and W35AX are Class A stations.)
Since one of the big hurdles to Class A status for LPTVers is original, local programming...the Image Video outlets should have no problem meeting that standard. Their daily morning simulcast of WHBC/1480's morning drive show, along with extensive high school football coverage, should cover those guidelines with no problem.
Like Media-Com's "The CAT", WIVM/WIVN do have some local cable carriage...on the digital side of TWC's Canton system (365, up there with the local TV outlets' digital subchannels), and the high-analog reaches (99) of the former Adelphia (now TWC) system in Tuscarawas County.
We also don't know if the FCC chairman's plans or the FCC's "must-carry" rules would require cable companies to carry the converted Class A stations in basic tiers, not requiring digital converters.
And like the Multichannel News folks, we don't know if the change at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue in January will affect Martin's status as FCC commissioner...thus, possibly, affecting this plan.
And it's not stations like "The CAT" or WIVM that Martin mentions when talking about his proposal. According to Multichannel News, the FCC says 43% of Class A outlets are Spanish-language:
"I think it's an important opportunity…to help to try provide opportunities for diverse broadcasters to be able to provide service to those Spanish-speaking homes," Martin told reporters.
Friday, September 26, 2008
Low Power Power?
Posted by Ohio Media Watch at 9:19 AM
2 comments:
- firebird said...
It's unlikely that Media-Com could upgrade Channels 29 & 35. They can't even get the new WNIR website up and running.
- MusicsOnUs44 said...
No need to upgrade power. All the feds are doing is granting Class A stations priority on their channels. Currently LPTV stations can be bumped off their channel in favor of a new, moving, or upgrading "full power" station. Class A TV's will be like Class A FM's.... considered a full-fledged station but just authorized with lower power and antenna height. I was under the impression that Class A TV's already enjoyed a more protected status than LPTV's and translators. Perhaps someone could clarify that?
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Don't Laugh Too Soon At The People Of God Series
Contributed by Chris Appleby on Oct 18, 2000 (message contributor)
Summary: It's dangerous to laugh at God's people, because God is on their side. So the people of God can have confidence in facing opposition
According to Jeff Kennet, Christians are "People of the Past". That's what he said. He said it when Christians raised objections to the Crown Casino. "To object to something like that," he said, "meant you were out of step with the community." How could you possibly object to something that would be such a revenue raiser for the state? That would bring so many tourists, particularly overseas tourists, to Victoria. Just because a few families will suffer untold misery, just because gambling is so addictive. So what! If you're a Christian, he said, you're living in the past. So get with it! Go down to the casino and enjoy yourself.
I wonder how you feel when you hear people say things like that. That Christianity is a spent force. Do you get angry, or does it worry you? There are times when I find myself wondering if maybe they're right. Maybe we are out of date. Are you old enough to remember the time when if the church said something the politicians took notice? Do you remember the time when the Liberal party, in particular, espoused Christian principles. You could almost rely on their policies being in line with Christian values. But not any more. Nowadays no-one cares what Christians think. As long as they're there to do the social welfare jobs the government doesn't want to pay for.
But it isn't just in the political field. If you've done any training in the sciences you'll know that there's a deep belief by many in that area that Christianity is irrelevant to our understanding of the world. We don't need God, because we're finding out all we can know through science. There's the idea that science has all the answers, and in general those answers conflict with a Christian understanding of the world.
Well, despite the fact that there are all sorts of holes in that particular argument, can you see how hard it is for us to maintain our confidence in Christianity as a way of life. What if they're right? What if Christianity is old hat? I'm sure you're aware that Jeff Kennet isn't alone in espousing such a claim. We're surrounded by people who'll argue that what we're doing and saying and believing here today has no place in the 20th century, let alone the 21st.
Well, I want to let you in on a secret. People have said that sort of thing before. In fact they've been saying it for thousands of years. Writing off the people of God as not worth worrying about.
Today I want us to take a look at the book of Obadiah, the shortest book in the OT. One you've probably never even noticed, and if you did, you may have wondered why God let it be included in the OT Scriptures. As we look at it, I hope we'll see that it's talking about people who have made exactly the same mistake - of writing off the people of God in a similar way to the way people do today, or even worse.
Obadiah is an unusual prophet, in that there's nothing in the book to tell us who he is or when he's writing. Most of the other prophets make this clear but Obadiah just announces a vision that he's received. Which makes it a bit tricky to work out what he's talking about doesn't it?
Well, one of the things I want to talk about today is how you actually go about reading your Bible when you get to a section like this. What's really important in this situation is to have a good grasp on the big picture. The overall story of the Old Testament. Those who came to our Lenten studies the last two years may have a better idea of this than others, because that's what we did on both occasions, though in different ways. We looked at the overall story of the Bible as it unfolds through the pages of the old Testament. It's important to see the big picture so you can fit the individual parts together. It's a bit like a jigsaw puzzle. It's really hard to do a jigsaw puzzle if you don't have any idea what the picture looks like. You need to have the picture in front of you so you can see where each piece fits in. The other thing about a jigsaw puzzle is that the more pieces you have in the easier it is to fit in new pieces. So what we need to do now is to fill in some of the pieces of the puzzle
In this case the big picture is the story of the Old Testament, starting way back in Genesis. Genesis tells us we're living in a world that was meant to be good - but it's been broken. Broken by the fact that Adam and Eve; and everyone else, has decided to go it alone. That we can decide right and wrong for ourselves. We don't do much of a job of it. And a whole lot of the Old Testament is about the mess we make when we try to run things without God. But in the middle of all the mess, God makes some big promises to a man called Abraham. He promises that with Abraham he's going to make a whole new start. That from him is going to come a nation. And the nation's going to have a land of their own. And from that one special nation, God's going to bring a blessing that will spread to all the world.
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Absafe are celebrating a new partnership with oil and gas company Nexen, after receiving a donation to build a new alcohol safety set at The Safe, Absafe's HQ in Bridge of Don, Aberdeen.
The crucial £19,189 funding provided by Nexen, will allow Absafe to build a new interactive workshop teaching school children about the dangers of alcohol. Alcohol is the most widely used addictive substance used by young teenagers. Young people's bodies and brains are more vulnerable to the effects of alcohol because they are still growing and developing. Drinking can cause short and long-term harm to health, as well as put young people in risky situations when drunk. 15% of all deaths in young people aged 16-24 are linked to alcohol and two thirds of young offenders were drunk at the time of their offence.
Absafe's chief executive Emma Bellu said: "Research shows that the earlier a young person starts drinking alcohol, the more likely they are to drink in ways that can be harmful later in life. Scotland has a pro-alcohol society where it is readily available and heavily marketed. Young people see drinking as completely normal and expected behaviour.
Early intervention and education is therefore key to reducing harm and risk exposure. By working in partnership with Nexen to provide fun informative sessions, we will empower children with the resilience to say no to alcohol, ensuring they are informed of the risky situations that can arise with alcohol use, as well as the longer term harm to physical and mental health and wellbeing."
Ray Riddoch, Nexen's UK MD and Senior VP Europe said:
"The misuse of alcohol, especially in young people, can lead to a variety of problems. As well as having an adverse effect on personal health and wellbeing, it is also an issue that can impact safety in the workplace. We share Absafe's belief that early intervention and education will, in the long term, create a healthier and safer society and we're delighted to be able to sponsor their new alcohol safety education set."
Executive Director of Step Change in Safety, and Chairman of the Absafe Board, Les Linklater said:
"By funding this new interactive workshop, Nexen will play a vital role in reducing the risk of harm to children in the North East from the dangers of alcohol. Absafe's mission is to empower local children to make the right decisions in society and to be aware of the negative effects that drinking can have on their bodies and lives."
Celebratory community weekend unveiled
Plans for how the North East will celebrate the opening of the most eagerly anticipated Aberdeen Western Peripheral Route/Balmedie to Tipperty (AWPR/B-T) project have been announced today by the Cabinet Secretary for Economy, Jobs and Fair Work, Keith Brown.
The focal point of the campaign will be a Community Weekend of family-orientated events and activities (8th and 9th of September 2018) which is planned to take place on the new AWPR in the River Dee valley on the boundary between Aberdeen City and Aberdeenshire. It will be a 'fete style' event with attractions including a celebration of travel through the ages with vintage vehicles and future electric vehicle technology. There will also be unique opportunities for cyclists of a wide range of abilities to experience the road before strategic traffic begins using it in earnest and cyclists get to enjoy the benefits of less congested city roads.
This will be supported by the 'GoNorthEast' campaign which will underline the benefits of this transformational project and show how these will positively impact on people's lives and the future of businesses, small and large across the North East.
More details on the event will be made available via media and social media in due course.
Cabinet Secretary, Keith Brown said: "The AWPR/B-T is a major artery that will breathe new life into the region. It is much more than a bypass, a term that simply doesn't do justice to a scheme of this vast scale. It will enhance connectivity with the rest of Scotland, better connect local communities, improve productivity, quality of life and allow for better public transport and active travel opportunities in the city.
The AWPR/B-T will transform how people travel around the region, whether a driver, a user of public transport, a cyclist or a pedestrian. The GoNorthEast aims to communicate information on the route in the run-up to its opening and beyond.
Supported by the hashtags #GoConnect, #GoSafer, #GoGreener, the GoNorthEast campaign will highlight the key positive impacts of the route on the economy, on safety and on sustainable travel. Ambassadors for these key themes joined the Cabinet Secretary and Council Leaders today.
Russell Borthwick, Chief Executive of Aberdeen Chamber of Commerce, which has long-championed the route for the benefits it will bring to the economy, said:
"A fully operational AWPR will be a huge boost to our area. Forecasts suggest the economic benefit it will bring to the regional economy is in excess of £6bn over the next three decades as well as providing a platform for the creation of 14,000 new jobs. In addition to improving the quality of life for our residents - a major factor in economic development - faster journey times and improved North to South connectivity will increase business productivity and help us to secure the next tranche of investment we need to deliver our renaissance region vision. It is also a sign of positive change here with a number of other major marquee infrastructure and regeneration projects due for completion in the next two years."
Emma Bellu, Chief Executive of local safety charity Absafe, praised the project's aim to reduce road accidents by around 80 per year saying: "Communities in the North East have long-awaited improvements to the local road network that can reduce the injury toll on our roads. Using the latest in safe road design, the AWPR/B-T will improve safety and reduce accidents by taking traffic away from unsuitable rural roads and urban areas. This will make journeys safer and less stressful for drivers, and give streets back to their communities. This project can quite literally save lives, reduce injuries and improve wellbeing, and we welcome the celebration in the run up to the official opening."
Derick Murray, Director of Nestrans, the region's transport partnership, believes that the AWPR is a major contributor towards a more sustainable transport strategy for the North-east. He said: "Nestrans has been a long-term promoter of the AWPR, particularly the role it will play in freeing up Anderson Drive and the city centre to enable smoother, faster and more reliable bus services and access to Park and Choose sites. From an environmental standpoint, nose to tail traffic creates much more pollution, whereas free-flowing traffic generates lower carbon emissions, improving our air quality in and around the city."
Cabot Corporation (NYSE: CBT), a global specialty chemicals and performance materials company, has recently donated vital funds to build a new water safety set with safety education charity Absafe at their headquarters in Bridge of Don, Aberdeen. Cabot's Speciality Fluids business team in Aberdeen also held its internal Global Safety Day event at Absafe on April 5, 2018.
The donation will allow Absafe to build an exciting new workshop that will teach school children how to stay safe in and around water. The recent launch of the Scottish drowning prevention strategy highlights the huge local challenges with regard to water safety, with an average drowning rate double that of the rest of the United Kingdom.
Kirsty Robertson, SH&E Manager for Cabot's Speciality Fluids segment said, "Safety is fundamental to who we are as a company, and through our relationship with Absafe we can broaden safety education to the local community. Our teams have thoroughly enjoyed the events that we have conducted with Absafe, as they have made safety education fun, engaging and interactive."
Absafe's chief executive Emma Bellu said, "By funding our water safety set, Cabot will play a vital part in reducing drownings in the North East and support the next generation to be safe in everyday life. We're delighted that our partnership continues to grow from strength to strength, demonstrating the real value a great corporate social responsibility (CSR) relationship can have for both organisations."
Dan Price Davies, Chair of the Aberdeen Water Safety Group said, "This is very welcome news, ensuring workshops for all local primary schools, and closely supporting our integrated approach with multiple agencies tackling water safety issues in Aberdeen."
Over the last two years, Cabot and Absafe's CSR relationship has flourished. Following the success of their crime scene investigation (CSI) team building events last year, Absafe has challenged Cabot teams in Aberdeen and Bergen, Norway to create and present a school based CSI event to teach school children about road safety.
CSR relationships are of huge importance to both companies and over the years Absafe has welcomed many Cabot employees volunteering at their safety workshops which allows staff members to build new skills, and ensure their safety knowledge is passed to the next generation.
Leading safety education charity Absafe has won £3000 thanks to a team of students at St Margaret School for Girls coming first place in the Youth & Philanthropy Initiative competition. The prize, kindly donated by the Wood Foundation, was won by Adrianna, Aya, Una, Francesca, Eabha and Neha, a team of third year students at the Aberdeen based school.
Dedicated to safety education, the award winning charity Absafe beat off tough competition, all thanks to the outstanding presentation the girls delivered to a panel of judges. The drama based presentation featured Absafe mascot 'Harold the Heart' to take home the top prize.
Linda Williamson, Absafe volunteer who supported the team on Absafe's behalf said "The competition was tough but there was no doubting the girls' commitment and enthusiasm for their task. We can't thank them enough for promoting Absafe so well and raising such a significant sum on our behalf."
Absafe's Chief Executive Emma Bellu said: "Peer influence is such a positive way to encourage the next generation to learn about safety. We're delighted that the girls chose to support Absafe and did such a wonderful job highlighting the important work we do as well raising vital funds to support our ongoing services."
Absafe is dedicated to providing the region with fun and engaging safety lessons and inspiring future generations. This money will allow Absafe to be able to develop their safety lessons and facilities even further.
Member of the winning team from St Margaret School for Girls, Una said "Absafe impacts the local community because it educates children on how to keep safe which I believe is extremely important. Although they cannot count how many lives they have saved, by speaking to the children I can tell how important this charity is and how much it affects them."


text:
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This package includes 2 sheets each of 1/16" (about 2 mm) closed cell evasote foam. The sheets are 5" x 3". You can use them individually or glue together for color stripes or thicker layers. This foam is excellent for terrestrial flies.


text:
Earlier we told you about Donn Koh and his former employer, the San Francisco-based One & Co, and how HTC purchased the firm after they fell in love with the design of the HTC Diamond. Koh, as part of One & Co., helped design the HTC EVO 4G, which many feel changed the face of smartphones across the globe. Koh and his colleagues didn't stop there, and today we're going to have the same look at the T-Mobile myTouch 4G.
Six months in the making, Koh describes how they were asked to turn T-Mobile's existing myTouch moniker into an upscale flagship name using the best components available at the time. The goal was to evolve into a premium device, without losing the recognition consumers had with the myTouch series of phones. It was important to keep the same feel and identity as the myTouch 3G Slide, then T-Mobile's current myTouch offering, while including changes that T-Mobile executives wanted -- like the large metal battery cover.
Koh goes into detail about how he and his team tackled things like the signature three-element earpiece grill, as well as the physical buttons and optical trackpad. He also talks about the goals designing the docking stations with a minimal elegance that allows the device, and it's screen, to remain the focal point. If you're any type of design student, or just appreciate a beautiful piece of hardware and all the work that goes along with it, it's another must-read.
Update: The blog post referenced here has been made private; image and links removed by request.
Update 2: We've re-edited this post to better reflect that Koh was a part of the team that designed the myTouch 4G, and that he was not solely responsible for it.


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FRAMINGHAM (03/27/2000) - The information is only just coming out, but it seems like there has been another massive theft of credit card information from an e-commerce site.
There are a number of troubling parts to this story, and if other e-commerce companies do not learn something from this incident, e-commerce will continue to get more dangerous for users.
It seems as though some hacker or hackers broke into an unnamed e-commerce site in January 1999 and made off with the records of 485,000 credit cards. The theft was discovered only because the perpetrators dumped a copy of the records on a U.S. government Web site, and the copy was discovered during an audit.
I see a number of red flags here. First, why did it take more than a year for the story to break? Keeping this sort of thing secret only protects the people who did it and puts everyone else at risk, particularly other e-commerce sites that may have a similar vulnerability. Tell people so the security holes can get fixed.
Second, the name of the e-commerce site is being kept secret. This puts me at an unknown risk if I were a customer of that site. It also lets the site maintain a false image of competence and safety. At a time in which many surveys show that customers are still very nervous about trusting online sites with credit card information, it seems very counterproductive to hide the event and then, a year later, leak the story. A vendor that lets this type of theft happen should be responsible for all false charges on the stolen cards and the cost everyone incurs from changing their cards. This might just give companies running Web sites another reason for secrecy, but in the long run the secrecy will hurt them badly.
Third, the credit card holders have never been notified that they are at risk.
Apparently there is no evidence that the stolen information has led to fraudulent use. But if you don't tell credit card holders that they should look closely at their bills, such unauthorized use may slip through unnoticed if it is relatively small compared to the overall bill. And with information from 485,000 credit cards, one could make out quite well by adding small random charges to many different cards.
But a basic thing I do not understand is why all that information was lying around on a machine that hackers could access. Why aren't these e-commerce sites designed so this information is stored on a secure server, protected by a firewall, with individual records only retrieved when needed by using secure database queries? This may present a slight performance penalty, but that would be better than giving away the store when the next security bug is found in the server software.
The only way this will get fixed is if there is a significant financial threat for poor design and operation. Let's make it so.
Disclaimer: A financial threat for poor design and operation - now there is an idea for Harvard! But the above is my own annoyance.
Bradner is a consultant with Harvard University's University Information Systems. He can be reached at email@example.com.


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SAN ANTONIO (AP) - A single state Senate district is taking the spotlight in the ongoing Texas redistricting clash that has reached even the U.S. Supreme Court.
A new federal trial begins Wednesday over a lawsuit filed by state Sen. Wendy Davis. The Fort Worth Democrat is fighting to keep her district after the Republican-controlled Legislature drew a new political map that all but assures her defeat to a GOP candidate.
Davis claims her district was redrawn to intentionally dilute the voting power of minorities. Her case is a spinoff of the larger redistricting lawsuit that has put the date of the Texas primaries
in limbo.
Texas is scheduled to hold its primary elections April 3. But with still no voting maps in place, the primaries will almost certainly be rescheduled.