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Posts Tagged 'Financial'
Macro Level Resolution Strategies per the Ongoing Financial Systems Crisis of 2008
Just a few thoughts and possible resolution strategies (in outline format) to consider per the current financial system crisis from a concerned long-term investor, citizen, and voter. And from an Independent's perspective, the political players from both parties don't seem to be focusing on real solutions, just the problems and the resulting finger-pointing (or "blame game") that occurs. Note: In terms of presenting a macro causal analysis for this financial crises, private sector lenders issued risky home loans to buyers who could not afford them, which they then sold to Wall Street financial institutions as bundled, mortgage-backed securities that eventually became worthless with the downturn in the housing market. As a result, the heavily leveraged financial institutions became overly susceptible to the collapsing asset class, leading to a liquidity crisis, a disturbance of bank lending, and an overall global contagion.
I. Short-Term Macro Level Strategies to Mitigate Current Crisis (note that some of these strategies are now being implemented in some fashion) –
1). Continued Implementation of timely "lender-of-last-resort" measures by central banks are needed in order to mitigate the current credit crisis before it spirals completely out of control.
1a). Immediate, large-scale damage-control measures are needed in order to restore the public's confidence in financial markets and institutions.
1b). Organized bailout programs by central banks across the globe are needed in order to reduce the overall amount of help and costs involved (i.e., the quicker the better in terms of lowering costs).
2). Aggressive actions required on the part of central banks and governmental agencies in order to mitigate the seizing global credit crisis include the following:
2a). Continued cutting of short-term interest rates and increasing the amounts of loans made available to banks via auctions in order to maintain fluid liquidity levels.
2b). Force remaining lenders to extend low "teaser" rates on ARM based loans that have been given to sub-prime borrowers.
2c). Force remaining lenders to restore partial homeowner equity to sub-prime mortgage holders having negative equity in order to forestall the foreclosure rates.
2d). Continued swapping of Fed funds (e.g., Treasure bills, etc.) for "Level 3" securities from struggling financial institutions in order to provide them with necessary liquidity.
2e). Permanent providing of emergency loans to the remaining investment banks, with the resulting increase in regulation that should go with it (i.e., like that required for commercial banks).
2f). The establishment (ASAP) of an organization similar to the former Resolution Trust Corporation of the S&L days to use taxpayer funds to buy out the worst sub-prime loans. Note: When the current credit crisis finally does ease up, central banks will then need to expedite reverse monetary actions designed to prevent the reintroduction of market speculation using "cheap" money.
II. Long-Term Macro Level Strategies & Proactive Regulatory Measures –
1). Implementation of stricter governmental regulations for securitized mortgage loans.
1a). SEC directed revamping of underwriting standards to reduce the chances that credit risks will be underestimated, which in turn will reduce the overvaluing of securitized sub-prime loans.
1b). SEC led mitigation of regulatory capital arbitrage attempts in the securitization process by enforcing the maintenance of minimum capital requirements by financial entities.
1c). SEC led mitigation of "safety net" and risk transfer abuses in the securitization process.
2). Require that mortgage loan originators hold bigger equity positions in the securitized packages and that banks issue "covered" bonds backed by securitized mortgage loans in order to keep the risks on their balance sheets.
2a). Increase involvement of criminal investigation agencies in the securities arena to mitigate the misrepresentation of the quality of mortgage loans in securities filings by financial entities.
2b). Implementation of more stringent licensing requirements for mortgage brokers and tougher mortgage lending standards, including enhanced risk management practices by lenders.
2c). Implementation of more stringent disclosure and write-down requirements for financial institutions, as well as an increase in the monitoring of their "capital adequacy".
2d). Consolidation of the different governmental finance agencies into a financial oversight "super" agency designed to rate sub-prime mortgages and financial securities per their safety levels.
2e). Establishment of well defined roles for the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in terms of its serving as a bailout agent for emerging market countries experiencing financial difficulties.
2f). Need to mitigate any moral hazard issues that could arise due to IMF intervention (e.g., an increase in risk-taking activities by the governments of the countries being assisted, etc).
2g). Complete banning of Alternative-A type mortgage loans, which require little or no documentation on a borrower's wealth or income, resulting in abuses on the part of mortgage brokers.
3). Establishment of new generally accepted auditing standards (new FAS rulings) designed to force financial entities to start valuating their investment instruments (e.g., CDOs) using market based measures rather than their own pricing models, along with the reform of the credit rating agencies.
3a). Mortgage based securities should be strictly booked as "marked to market" from an accounting standpoint instead of "book" value in order to help mitigate the blatant overvaluation of the underlying collateral assets.
3b). Mortgage securities packages should be categorized and split into different "tranches" based on their differing levels of certified risk for both investing and auditing purposes.
3c). Tighter regulation of credit rating agencies (e.g., Moody's, S&P, et al.) by the SEC and Congress.
3d). Credit rating agency reform acts are needed to mitigate the overrating of tenuous capital structures being passed as investment grade securities &d to enhance agency quality control measures.
3e). Recourse measures should include the suspending of credit rating agencies that continuously propagate inaccurate ("pumped up") ratings due to the conflicts of interest involved with the issuers.
3f). The compensation method for credit rating agencies needs to be changed from that of being paid by the issuers of structured debt products to that of being paid by investors to eliminate conflicts of interest.
3g). Credit rating agencies should be required to decline credit rating services for exotic types of securities that have no performance records to track.
3h). Credit rating agencies should also be precluded from having exclusive access to non-public investment information.
Agency Note: SEC chief Mary Schapiro has now called for sweeping industry changes at a roundtable meeting as credit ratings agencies have been thoroughly blasted for not warning about the risks of subprime mortgage securities. Moody's, Standard & Poor's, and Fitch dominate the industry: one proposal calls for a governmental ratings agency that would compete with these three firms.
3i). Central banks should have quickly executable, pre-approved contingency plans "in place" for when unexpectedly large write-downs by financial institutions occur in the future. The immediate availability of liquidity measures and the continued identification of potential merger partners for failing financial institutions is key here.
3j). Tighter regulation of the corporate auditing function by the SEC & Congress. If necessary, the corporate auditing function may even need to be "nationalized" to become entirely a governmental function in order to eradicate the inherent conflicts of interest that currently exist between corporations & the private auditing/consulting firms that they employ on a high-fee basis (i.e., need to reduce the risk of over-inflated equity valuations based on creative accounting measures, etc).
Note: These macro strategies were initially conceived of as part of my section of responsibility for a group project/presentation in a graduate level finance course at the University of Houston (i.e., FINA 7340 – Financial Markets & Institutions).
Click on URL to link to a recently published NYU Stern working group paper that provides excellent insights on viable, real-time solutions for financial reform: http://govtpolicyrecs.stern.nyu.edu/docs/whitepapers_ebook_full.pdf
The Great Sirius XM (SIRI) Stock Debate!
More and more, Sirius XM stock (ticker symbol 'SIRI') appears to represent a good, low cost bet on making some attractive gains in the not too distant future. Nothing is ever guaranteed in life (other than the two main stays), but now seems to be very opportune time to get on the train at the beginning of what could be a very profitable ride based on the increasingly cost-effective commercial uses of satellite-based technologies (led by SIRI, for one). In a nutshell, the currently low price of SIRI stock coupled with its promising future based on the vertical integration of its product lines makes it a very inviting bet in my book. And the announcement today of the availability of Sirius XM's new app for Android-powered smartphones (coupled with existing apps for BlackBerry and iPhone) is just the latest in a ever expanding portfolio of value adding products being offered. Finally, SIRI is starting to remind me of Apple's stock in the late 1990′s, when it was priced around $2.00 per share and the introduction of Apple's industry changing iPod products was just around the corner. Stay tuned!
Click on URL for the latest on SIRI stock: http://www.thestreet.com/quote/SIRI.html
Wall Street Bankers' Bonus Abuse Issue!
The notion that Wall Street keeps its gravy train rolling by lining the pockets of our top-tier politicians with money and other influence-peddling gifts in order to condone the financiers' actions is quite disturbing. In fact, the financiers' claims per the paramount importance of their work as an excuse to enable them to get away with whatever they deem appropriate for themselves (e.g., awarding of excessive tax-payer financed bonuses, etc.) is very disturbing as it smacks of greed and self-centered conceit. But the biggest rub is that these absurd bonuses were largely financed via the billions of dollars in taxpayer-financed funds from the Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP) and trillions in loans from both the Federal Reserve and the FDIC. These sources of aid money were designed to help the Wall Street financial institutions deemed too big to fail to survive their own terrible misdeeds, not to excessively reward their executives for jobs NOT well-done. This has got to be perhaps the biggest misappropriation of our hard-earned tax money that has ever transpired in the history of this country.
Finally, as long as big money talks and remains the primary influence driver in the current socio-political (or cultural) climates across the globe, then people in power will apparently continue to walk in the direction deemed appropriate by the big money purveyors (e.g., Goldman Sachs, George Soros, et al.). The condoning by governments of their large scale market manulation shenanigans for their personal gain at the expense of the taxpayers of the world speaks for itself. And their latest ploy of shorting the Euro while playing credit default swaps (CDOs) shows that there's no shame on their part. Finally, even President Obama is softening up his tone towards the big banking entities and their actions. And speaking of being "too big to fail', perhaps the US socio-economic system and federal government is falling under this same exact definition. This splitting up (i.e., per the splitting up of giant oil corporation Standard Oil over 100 years ago) is becoming a more realistic option over time in terms of gaining more value and growth opportunities from the resulting smaller entities that would result.
Massive Government Control of Free Markets Debate!
Quote of the Day –
"The case for free markets never was that markets are perfect … [but] that government control of markets, especially asset markets, has always been much worse."
University of Chicago professor John Cochrane, per criticism from Paul Krugman, New York Times columnist and proponent of massive government intervention policies (click on URL below for his full rebuttal).
Need for Massive Government Intervention Policies?
At a sporting event, having no officiating at all would result in a very chaotic situation, whereas having too much officiating would result in a game that might as well not be played. Extending this analogy to the regulation of the American economy and securities industry, we will always need a certain amount of "officiating" in order to maintain a level (and efficient) playing field for all players and to keep things from getting chaotic. But a "massive" amount of officiating on a permanent basis (per Paul Krugman's latest mantra) can result in the total fettering of the financial systems and the capital markets that they propagate, possibly resulting in societal chaos. The governmental approaches of the late1920s through the entire 1930's should serve as a good case study (in general) of what works and what does not work in terms of particular actions taken and not taken (Ben Bernanke's expertise), while keeping in mind that the playing field is now a lot bigger, faster, and more complicated (which again reinforces the need for some officiating, but not "massive" officiating). The premise here is that we want to continue to propitiate the competitive creativiity within the American financial industry, but we also need to define and enforce certain reasonable boundaries at the same time in order to keep the markets as efficient and seemless as possible. Overall, my basic premise is that "enough" regulation needs to be in place in order to keep the speculation side of the coin from overwhelming (i.e., destroying) the risk management side of the coin, but not to the point where the markets become grossly inefficient due to a paucity of speculation. So Paul Krugman's "throwing out the baby with the bath water" mantra is not a good policy mandate in my book.
Quote: "The case for free markets never was that markets are perfect … [but] that government control of markets, especially asset markets, has always been much worse".
University of Chicago professor John Cochrane, in response to criticisms from Paul Krugman, New York Times columnist and proponent of massive government intervention policies (click on link to peruse "How did Paul Krugman get it so Wrong?").


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Tips on finding a buyer for your company in a tough economic environment
Yes, the lofty business valuations supported by an overabundance of cheap debt have come and gone, but valuations are still attractive by historical standards and deals are still getting done. The companies that are achieving the highest valuations, best terms and actually getting to the closing finish line are approaching the market in a more systematic and pragmatic fashion. Even in today's turbulent economy, it is still possible to achieve an attractive deal for your shareholders. Here are some practical tips CEOs should consider before endeavoring to sell their companies:
Strategic buyers are driving valuations Corporate buyers are back with a vengeance after years of being at a significant competitive disadvantage relative to private equity groups flush with cheap debt and the ability to over-leverage deals to justify higher and ever higher valuations. While the market uncertainty has certainly made everyone more cautious, many companies have responsibly maintained conservative balance sheets and are actively seeking acquisition opportunities. You can expect a more thorough and lengthy diligence process, but the strategic buyers are often the most attractive and viable liquidity event available for most sale candidates in today's market. Most sellers should now focus their efforts on well capitalized strategic buyers to achieve the most favorable outcome for shareholders.
Private equity groups are down but not out Typically, private equity groups (PEGs) seek significant debt leverage on their equity investment to achieve higher equity returns. With the unprecedented collapse of the debt markets, there is little to no debt available for a typically structured PEG transaction. However, some PEGs specialize in full capital structure solutions, essentially underwriting their own debt for the deal. These PEGs are especially attractive in today's market. Many of these full-capital-solution PEGs are understandably looking to capitalize on their unique advantage by acquiring companies at lower deal valuations, so they are not likely to outbid a well capitalized strategic buyer. At the same time, many traditional PEGs are still flush with cash and need to put the money to work, so they are accepting lower returns and are pursuing deals with more conservative capital structures. While PEGs are less aggressive on valuations across the board, they should still be approached by most sellers and included in any sales process intended to maximize valuation. Don't count out the PEG world entirely, but at the moment, the smart sellers are focused more intently on well capitalized strategic buyers.
Create a competitive environment The primary function of an investment banker is to identify all the likely potential buyers for a company, both strategic and financial, and then create a competitive environment whereby you are able to achieve the best possible transaction for your company by comparing various alternative proposals simultaneously. The best transaction usually involves numerous factors that are specific to each seller, but will generally include price, terms (cash, stock, earnouts, etc.), certainty of closure, cultural fit, and many times other qualitative factors. The sales process is part art and part science, and the experience of your investment banker is critical to achieving the optimal outcome. You should carefully evaluate the experience of any investment banker before you engage them, and be sure to ask for client references. Occasionally, a one-off negotiated sale can achieve an optimal outcome, but more often than not, a professional process run by an experienced investment banker will yield far superior results.
Create value with pro-forma "add-backs" The primary valuation metric in most deals is a valuation multiple based upon earnings before interest, taxes and depreciation (EBITDA). Most buyers are willing to give credit for reasonable pro-forma "add-backs" to EBITDA. If you raise your EBITDA, the purchase price is raised correspondingly by a factor of the purchase multiple (every dollar you gain here can add $5, $6 or $7 to the purchase price). This can be a huge value creator, and can increase the valuation achieved for your company by 10 percent to 30 percent in most cases compared to relying on Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) EBITDA. A professional investment banker is well versed in the types of issues that can effectively be positioned for "add-back" credit. These typically involve one time or unusual expenses, investments that GAAP won't allow you to capitalize, excess salary draws (salary that should be viewed as dividends), M&A process costs, and certain legal costs, among others. This is another area where a good investment banker can add significant value to a transaction by providing good advice identifying and negotiating for these items and not leaving any economic value on the table.
Run your business and leverage your advisors Letters of intent, or LOIs, are almost always non-binding; you don't get your check until the deal closes. It can be a long and frustrating process managing the due diligence and documentation process, often taking between 8 to 12 weeks and hundreds of hours of time that can be a serious distraction from running your business. Make sure you have a point person on the management team to coordinate, and most importantly leverage off your legal advisors and investment bankers throughout the process. Good lawyers and investment bankers can take a good portion of this burden off your shoulders and leave you more time to run your business. This is critical. If the interim financial results of your business suffer as a result of your management team being distracted, this can sideline your deal or at the very least result in a downward renegotiation of valuation. Run your business, run your business, run your business. Nothing is more important.

subset: commoncrawl


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Aboorva graduated with a Bachelor of Laws with Honours and Bachelor of Business, majoring in Finance from the University of Technology Sydney. Prior to joining Sarah Bevan Family Lawyers, Aboorva worked in various capacities at the Family Law Courts and most notably as a Deputy Associate to a Federal Circuit Court Judge. She has extensive knowledge of the court system and procedure and has a unique understanding of the Court's expectations in family law cases.
Aboorva decided to specialise in Family Law early in her career, as she believes that the law can be used to achieve positive outcomes for her clients. Aboorva is dedicated to assisting clients in settlement negotiations and alternate dispute resolution mechanisms to try wherever possible to resolve matters without the need for litigation.
"Practising family law is a rewarding experience as I am able to assist clients through the difficult process of separation and, guide them in making well informed decisions regarding the multiple issues that are prevalent during the process of separation and settlement. It gives me great job satisfaction when I am able to reach positive outcomes and well negotiated settlements for my clients."
Aboorva works primarily from the Parramatta office but is also available at the Surry Hills and Mosman office.
Aboorva's business background provides her with an extra level of skill and understanding in property disputes. Her finance major enables her to understand complex company structures and varying types of assets, including assets held overseas.
Outside of work, Aboorva has an active social life and enjoys playing tennis.
Law Society of NSW


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Minor study. Major impact.
You don't have to minor within the College of Business. In fact, minoring in a completely different field altogether will make your experience completely unique, true to you, and give you a dynamic, well-rounded college education. How? Minor in Spanish to work internationally. Minor in social work to lead a nonprofit. Minor in political science to get into law school. Or minor in computer science to mastermind a tech startup.
With over 10 distinct academic communities on campus, we can provide you with a multitude of specialized minors. Whether you just like the subject, want to explore, or have a strategy to be more marketable.
If you're thinking about taking on a minor but don't know how it will affect your class load… contact your academic advisor. Find out more.


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Steve Madden is bringing this cult 90s shoe back
26/apr/2017 04:42:49 davisyellow Contatta l'autore
The "Slinky" was the "it" platform sandal of the 1990s. Now it's being redone ... and it's going to be everywhere.
Steve Madden's rebooted Slinky - a black slip-on open-toed shoe with a thick, platform sole (a la 10 Things I Hate About You) - isn't even out yet but demand is so high that the US-based brand introduced a waitlist for it, reported news
The Slinky was a signature look of the late '90s and early 2000s, along with low-rise denim jeans, crop tops, Gwen Stefani-style two-tone hair streaks, and Britney Spears-esque glitter eyeshadow.
"Relive your best '90s looks with Slinky! This throwback favourite slide, featuring a platform sole and stretchy upper, is back and has never looked better," the brand said on its website.
It's unclear whether the Slinky will be available at Steve Madden's Australian stockists, which include David Jones and The Iconic (which ships to New Zealand).
Slides, of course, are back in a huge way even without the platform sole, with Rhianna releasing pastel-coloured, see-through jelly slides as part of her spring 2017 Fenty x Puma line (about $100). Givenchy's logo pool slides (about $500) and adidas's 'Adilette' slides (about $40) were also top-sellers during the Australian summer.
Shoppers took to social media to praise the Slinky's return, with some saying they had horded the original shoe for more than two decades.
Platform slides were a key trend in the '90s, worn by celebs like Spears, Jessica Alba and the Spice Girls at the time, and have since been reinterpreted by high-end brands including Stella McCartney and Elizabeth and James.


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But I digress, this year I decided to get all my crowns and birthday goodie bags done in advance. I fell in love with the birthday crowns that Kathryn at Kindergarten...Kindergarten... made. She has a very detailed tutorial here. This is what my crowns turned out like. I think they are really cute. I will simply attach the cake to a sentence strip when it is time to celebrate that child's birthday.
I also decided to make a little birthday bag for each birthday child. Mine are much simpler than the adorable ones that Cara at The First Grade Parade made. I took colored bags that I had and glued on a birthday cake shape that I found at Target's Dollar Spot (24 for $1). Inside the bag I put a rubber ball, a notepad (88 cents for 4 at Walmart - I have these little pads at the writing center and they love using them), a pencil (that I broke in half and sharpened because we use little pencils in my class) and a small airhead. It cost me less than 50 cents to make each bag. I also put in the little birthday card that Cara shared here. I know my little ones will love this special treat.
Check out the amazing things other teachers are making at Tara's Make it Monday.


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Carroll County, N.H., funds by Interior, Department of
Listing $16,100.00 in stimulus funds from Interior, Department of for Carroll
Note: For some programs where states do not report where money will be distributed across the state, we do not have the allocation for individual counties. Those programs include: Medicaid, unemployment benefits and food stamps. Those amounts are included in the totals for where the state agency receiving that money is located.
Amount refers to both the amount of stimulus funding going toward the project and the face value of the loan.
|Federal Dept./Agency
|Beech River Mill
Demolition of balustrades, Fabrication of 65 shutters, Fabrication and Installation of New Balustrades at the Beale House on the Adams National Historical Site, Quincy, MA
This spending item is part of a $127,816 allocation. See details
|National Park Service


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Quinoa and Kidney Bean Soup
One of the things I struggled with a lot last week while I was trying to cut gluten out of my diet was coming up with quick dinners. Usually pasta or sandwiches are an easy go-to when I am having a super busy evening. One thing that I made sure I had on hand was quinoa, since that cooks up quickly and goes with just about anything.
I made an Asian-inspired quinoa one night last week and had a couple of cups of leftover red quinoa that I knew I could make something with. Following my method for intuitive cooking – essentially looking at what I have in the fridge and going with what I feel will taste good together – I came up with this soup.
You could really use any quinoa you have or you could substitute just about any other kind of grain as well. While this could easily be done in the intuitive cooking style, using what you have around the house, I have provided a recipe because I know that most people like to have a place to start from.
- 2 tbsp Water (or oil)
- 1/2 Onion, diced
- 1 Large Carrot, peeled and diced
- 2 Stalks of Celery, diced
- 2 Cloves of Garlic, minced
- 1 can Organic Kidney Beans - Do Not Drain!
- 1 cup Cooked Quinoa
- 3 cups Vegetable Stock
- 1 tsp Salt
- 1/2 tsp Pepper
- 1/2 tsp Red Pepper Flakes
- 1 tsp Garlic Powder
- 1 tsp Onion Powder
- Warm the water or oil in a soup pot over medium heat. Add onions, carrots, and celery and let cook for 5-10 minutes or until everything begins to soften a bit. Add the garlic and saute 1 minute more. Add the beans and the bean juice, the vegetable stock, and the seasonings. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and let simmer for 20 minutes. Add the cooked quinoa (I used red) and simmer another 10 minutes. Serve warm!
Do you do intuitive cooking or do you prefer to work from recipes?


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BEIRUT, LEBANON (4:10 P.M.) – The Syrian Arab Army (SAA) continued their field operations in the Jubb Al-Jarrah District of Homs this morning, attacking the Islamic State's (ISIL) positions at the town of Mannoukh.
Led by the 18th Tank Division, the Syrian Arab Army managed to liberate five points around Mannoukh last night, paving the way for their assault on the town this morning.
Following an intense battle that lasted for nearly three hours today, the Syrian Arab Army seized Mannoukh from the Islamic State terrorists after killing scores of their fighters inside the town.
According to a military source in Homs, the Syrian Army killed more than 15 Islamic State terrorists, while also destroying at least three vehivles that were fitted with 23mm anti-aircraft machine guns.
As a result of today's operation, the Syrian Army has now pushed the Islamic State more than 15km away from the strategic town of Jubab Hamad, which is located in eastern countryside of Homs.


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It's easy to twist figures or maps, but they simply can't lie when unfairness is so obvious.
Founded by journalist Alison Weir, If Americans Knew (ifamericansknew.org) is one of many trying to fill the gaps, but this site targets the American audience and that's an essential step towards peace in the Middle East.
Fair pedagogy is crucial, and the American audience must hear Palestinian voices as well as Israeli voices. Right now, that's not the case : US media tend to take the Israeli side even when Israeli leaders err on the wrong side of the road
Traditionally, Americans are not well informed of what's going on overseas in general. And too often, they can only see one side of the coin. It's not only a matter of networks being biased, but also of viewers with a short attention span for things not American.
Yet change seems to be coming with new voices (Obama, J Street...), and the internet. In spite of the Israeli blackout (foreign media were blocked outside of the strip), all major channels had to somehow mention things happening in Gaza because these things were all over the web, because that was the "story" to "tell".
What Americans have been told for decades is that Palestinians are terrorists and Israeli under siege. What the world is realizing is that terror has changed sides, that Palestine is under siege, and that if hatemongers are gaining ground in Gaza, it's mainly because hatemongers are winning in Tel Aviv.
BTW, excellent and timely report from the Red Cross today.
blogules 2009
If Americans knew
Posted by Stephane MOT at 11:48
Labels: Alison Weir, Gaza, If Americans Knew, israel, J Street, media, Middle East, Palestine, peace, Red Cross, web
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Welcome to my personal portal : blogules - blogules (VF) - mot-bile - footlog - Seoul Village - footlog archives - blogules archives - blogules archives (VF) - dragedies - Little Shop of Errors - Citizen Came -La Ligue des Oublies - Stephanemot.com (old) - Stephanemot.com - Warning : Weapons of Mass Disinformation - Copyright Stephane MOT


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This tattoo shop from Brooklyn, New York was founded in 2000 by artist and self proclaimed patriot Duke Riley. The shop specializes in custom tattoos, influenced by maritime folk art and traditional tattooing from the 19th century. The nautical references can be seen clearly.
Next to being a tattoo artist, Riley's website shows us that he is the mastermind behind the creation of beautiful mosaic, scrimshaw and art installations. His artist statement reads like a poem:
"..Throughout my projects I profile the space where water meets the land, traditionally marking the periphery of urban society, what lies beyond rigid moral constructs, a sense of danger and possibility.."
(via WMCF)


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Little House in the Ozarks
Did you know that Laura Ingalls Wilder, one of the most popular children's authors of all time, wrote her famous Little House on the Prairie series right here in the Ozarks?
Even though I consider myself a history buff and a great fan of the Little House books, this news came as a great revelation to me. I was going through some keepsakes boxes in the attic recently when I came across a hardback book called Little House in the Ozarks. Curious, I opened it and discovered it had been given to me by my paternal grandparents for my birthday in 1995. I had never read it.
In the first few pages, I discovered that after a childhood spent traveling from place to place in the American West, Laura Ingalls Wilder and her husband Almanzo settled in Mansfield, MO (45 miles east of Springfield, MO) and lived there longer than they had lived anywhere else. They were married sixty-four years. Laura outlived her huband by eight years and passed away on their beloved Rocky Ridge Farm at the age of ninety.
Another fact that suprised me was that Laura spent twenty years as a pioneer woman journalist before ever starting her Little House series. Little House in the Ozarks, edited by Stephen W. Hines, is a compilation of Laura's rediscovered writings from this journalistic period of her life, when she wrote about life and social issues for various Missouri farm papers and national magazines. Among her contemporaries, Laura had a reputation as good neighbor and someone who "gets eggs in the winter when none of her neighbors get them" — apparently a high compliment in these parts.
I'm just a few chapters in but so far I'm finding it a fascinating read, with such an interesting mix of universal themes (you'd think she was writing about the 21st century!) and quaint descriptions of amusing scenes from bygone days. I'd definitely recommend it to any Little House fans, young and old.
Who could have predicted sixteen years ago — except, apparently, my grandparents — that I would someday live in another "little house in the Ozarks"? Like many of the books my grandparents gave me, I certainly didn't appreciate it at the time and have only in recent years recognized the wisdom and foresight of their choices for me.
P.S. There's a Laura Ingalls Wilder Museum in Mansfield that I hope to visit. It closes November 15th until March, so I had better go there soon. I'll let you know whether it's worth the detour.


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While members of Congress prepare to leave Washington, D.C., for the August recess, New York will hold a "pre-proposal session" Aug. 7 on a request for bids for a study on how Lower Manhattan can be protected from the impacts of climate change through the development of a "Seaport City."
As explained in a July 31 press release, a "Seaport City" would include a levee system to protect a 1.5 mile stretch, from Battery Park City north to the Manhattan Bridge.
"Battery Park City helped shield part of Lower Manhattan during Hurricane Sandy and Seaport City can provide similar protection, while also expanding opportunities for new economic development," New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg said in announcing the request for proposal (RFP) for the study.
Bloomberg is founder and majority owner of BNA parent Bloomberg LP.
As detailed in a June 11 Energy and Climate Reportarticle, the city's RFP stems from a special initiative that produced recommendations for $20 billion in infrastructure investments to protect New York against the future impacts of climate change. Bloomberg announced plans for the initiative in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy at a December 2012 meeting of regional planners and environmental advocates, some five weeks after the storm.
Climate Study to Be Unveiled
On Aug. 6, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration will hold a conference callto announce key findings from a peer-reviewed State of the Climatestudy that examines temperature, precipitation, and extreme weather events that occurred in 2012.
The study was compiled by 384 scientists from 52 countries and provides details on global climate indicators, notable weather events, and other data collected by environmental monitoring stations and instruments.
EPA, DOE Webinars
On Aug. 7, the Environmental Protection Agency's Center for Corporate Climate Leadership will hold a webinar on how companies can set or improve greenhouse gas reduction goals. Speakers include Peggy Kellen, director of policy for The Climate Registry; Maribeth Malloy, director for environment, safety, and health strategy, policy and advocacy for Lockheed Martin Corporation; and Mary Wenzel, senior vice president and director of environmental affairs for Wells Fargo.
The Department of Energy's Building Technologies Office will hold a webinar Aug. 6 on "Commercial Building Energy Data Access: A Success Story and New Resources." The webinar will cover barriers affecting and solutions for accessing building energy data. Speakers include Laurie Actman, deputy director for Philadelphia's Energy Efficient Building Hub; Tom Bonner, manager for corporate policy for PEPCO; Jim Gallagher, executive director for the New York State Smart Grid Consortium; Darren Gill, deputy director for the Pennsylvania Public Utilities Commission; and Marla Thalheimer, director of sustainability for Liberty Property Trust.
DOE's SunShot Initiative will hold a webinar Aug. 7 on "Innovation and Success in Solar Net Metering and Interconnection." The webinar will provide an overview of the initiative's efforts to streamline interconnection and net metering application processes, case studies, lessons learned, and an introduction to new resources for improving net metering and interconnection policies and processes.
NRDC Climate Director to Speak
On Aug. 8, Dan Lashof, director of the Natural Resources Defense Council's Climate and Clean Air Program, will discuss issues related to the development by EPA of new source performance standards to control carbon dioxide emissions from new power plants, during an ICF International event in Washington, D.C.
As detailed in a June 3 article, industry groups contend EPA must repropose the NSPS after it missed a one-year deadline to finalize the rule. Meanwhile, environmental groups, including NRDC, and states filed a notification of their intent to sue the agency for its failure to issue the standards on time.
Also, Obama's climate change plan, which is covered in a June 25 article, directs EPA to propose emission guidelines to control carbon dioxide emissions from existing power plants by June 1, 2014, and issue final guidelines by June 1, 2015. States would have to develop plans to implement regulations based on the guidelines for existing power plants by June 30, 2016. EPA sent a proposed rule to the White House Office of Management and Budget July 2 for review.
World Bank to Hold Climate Event
Johns Hopkins University and the World Bank will host an event Aug. 7 in Washington, D.C., to discuss a report, Turn Down the Heat: Why a 4°C Warmer World Must Be Avoided. The report, covered in a June 19 article, said increasing global temperatures could have "potentially devastating" impacts on developing countries over the next few decades. However, many of the worst impacts could still be avoided by holding the increase below 3.6 degrees Fahrenheit (2 degrees Celsius), the report said.
All Bloomberg BNA treatises are available on standing order, which ensures you will always receive the most current edition of the book or supplement of the title you have ordered from Bloomberg BNA's book division. As soon as a new supplement or edition is published (usually annually) for a title you've previously purchased and requested to be placed on standing order, we'll ship it to you to review for 30 days without any obligation. During this period, you can either (a) honor the invoice and receive a 5% discount (in addition to any other discounts you may qualify for) off the then-current price of the update, plus shipping and handling or (b) return the book(s), in which case, your invoice will be cancelled upon receipt of the book(s). Call us for a prepaid UPS label for your return. It's as simple and easy as that. Most importantly, standing orders mean you will never have to worry about the timeliness of the information you're relying on. And, you may discontinue standing orders at any time by contacting us at 1.800.960.1220 or by sending an email to firstname.lastname@example.com.
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text:
A whole bunch of composers featured here; Brian Wade, Alan Hawkshaw, Brian Bennett, Tony Hymas, Les Hurdle, Frank Ricotti, Francis Monkman, Andrew Jackman, Irving Martin, Brian Dee, Len Beadle and Tony Hillier.
Saturday, September 1, 2012
[Bruton] - VA - Soft Illusions
A whole bunch of composers featured here; Brian Wade, Alan Hawkshaw, Brian Bennett, Tony Hymas, Les Hurdle, Frank Ricotti, Francis Monkman, Andrew Jackman, Irving Martin, Brian Dee, Len Beadle and Tony Hillier.
26 comments:
Album sound very interesting - but the link is broken!ReplyDelete
- AnonymousSeptember 2, 2012 at 12:04 AM
nice once!ReplyDelete
just copy and paste the link into a new window
- AnonymousSeptember 2, 2012 at 12:05 AM
that is a typo, i am not implying this album is only good for 1 listen, lolReplyDelete
- AnonymousSeptember 2, 2012 at 12:45 AM
ooooooh yeah! thx thx! -spReplyDelete
All my appreciations for this...ReplyDelete
...and cheers to Retro-Teque!
- AnonymousSeptember 2, 2012 at 1:21 AM
thank you! never seen this one before!ReplyDelete
Thnx a lot fslmy - the link works now - ... thnx for sharing the album!ReplyDelete
Retro-Teque definitely disappeared without warning!ReplyDelete
I don't know what's happened to Retro-teque & Prisonercues, but a goldmine disappeared and will miss me!ReplyDelete
Thanks Ptrond for this great Bruton
retro? what happened? hope all is well...ReplyDelete
don't have this one. thanks, ptrond!
Thanks Trond & others. Like I said to Trond, I think the blogs have run their course but am well and still loving the music.ReplyDelete
'Electric Rainbow' is nice on this I think.
I'm still happy to share via the other bloggers so if I see any public requests I may post links up. I think I have a full run of BRD's.
Bruton unheard by my ears is aways worthy of great thanks, retronic.ReplyDelete
Ok Retronic, time for you to figure out Soulseek.ReplyDelete
What's your user name gonna be?
We need to all stay in touch & share.
Great to hear that Retronic is still in action. Could you please start with the long-promised BRI-21 (G. Bastow; Tomorrow's world)? That would be much appreciated!ReplyDelete
A very pleasant Bruton. Many thanks, and I echo everyone else's sentiments about Retronic--the source of many of my favorite comps.ReplyDelete
Smooth one!ReplyDelete
I tried both ways, and the site says it is blocked because of terms of use violation. There is a link to download, but I think it's for the iLivid download manager. HmmmReplyDelete
RT 137 - Prisoner Breaks 1ReplyDelete
RT 138 - Prisoner Breaks 2
RT 139 - Prisoner Breaks 3
RT 140 - Prisoner Breaks 4
Get em' while you can...
i think files were removed again :( someone can please reup this album? thanks in advanced, i'd be so so gratefulReplyDelete
Notice the typo on the back cover - the first song is by Brain Wade. :) I wonder if he's any relation to the drummer for Primus.ReplyDelete
- AnonymousSeptember 16, 2012 at 8:49 AM
link now dead. damn i missed it.ReplyDelete
- AnonymousApril 1, 2013 at 11:36 PM
Thanks Pornotrond!!!ReplyDelete
- AnonymousOctober 1, 2013 at 9:28 AM
legend for uploading this! isn't even listed on amazonReplyDelete
thanks a lot for this wonderful lush album!ReplyDelete
- AnonymousJanuary 13, 2015 at 3:37 PM
Thank you!ReplyDelete


text:
Revit is a building design software which is specifically built for Building Information Modeling (BIM). BIM is a model based process that provides vision for creating and managing multiple projects faster and more economically. BIM includes architectural design, MEP, structural engineering, and construction.
Tickoo Institute of Emerging Technologies (TIET) provides exclusive package for BIM training in Gurgaon, India. BIM training has been designed for individuals/corporates to gain a thorough understanding of this technology. TIET is an Autodesk Authorized Training Centre and we provide training on major Autodesk products. At TIET-Gurgaon, you can avail the wonderful opportunity of learning from our expert instructors who have authored textbooks on latest civil engineering technologies that are published and used in countries like USA, Canada, Europe, South Korea, Serbia, Russia, and India.
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text:
- "People shouldn't be afraid of their government. Governments should be afraid of their people."
- ― Alan Moore
The ability to become the embodiment of anarchy.
Also Called
- Freedom Embodiment/Incarnation
- Rebellion Embodiment
Users become the living embodiment of anarchy, freedom from the oppressive government. They seek to liberate the people and can inspire anyone to rise up with and overthrow any sort of corruption or injustice.
- Anarchy is a vague term, can be interpreted in many different meanings.
- May be compelled to bring anarchy whether they wish to or not.
- May bring anarchy in spite of whatever consequences that follow, bringing more harm than good.
Known Users
- Anarky (DC comics)
- Berserker of Red (Fate/Grand Order)
- Tsukuyomi (Negima)
- V (V for Vendetta)
- Scott Free/Mister Miracle (DC Comics)


text:
SkillShare: Quick Piano Using an Innovative Shapes Method with Simon Glenister
English | mp4 | 589 MB
Using intuitively simple shapes and patterns, discover how to play songs in just an hour (side stepping common barriers to playing, such as having to read music). Designed to be just long enough to give you exactly the knowledge you need, yet manageably short enough that you actually complete it (no filler) it really is possible in just one hour to learn enough to have a lifetime of fun and enjoyment actually playing. I know it's a really tall claim, but.. read the reviews.


text:
La Casa de Espanol offers a unique and supportive environment for Elon students interested in a language immersion setting. Through regular house activities such as weekly dinners and movie nights, service in the local Hispanic community and events with Sigma Delta Pi, the Spanish Honor Society, and El Centro de Espanol, Spanish majors, minors, and anyone with an interest in conversational Spanish and Hispanic culture will be able to reinforce their language skills.
The Spanish Language faculty at Elon consider it an honor to be selected to live in the Spanish House. Residents are expected to make the Spanish House a special place. Spanish must be the language most frequently spoken in the house, and it should always be the language of communication at group meals and at special events. Students must maintain a constructive and positive attitude toward communication and cross-cultural living and contribute to the academic goals of the house. Students should maintain the cooperative and understanding spirit of the house. Since Spanish will be the primary language of communication, residents must have completed SPN 222 or have permission of the advisor by the time they live in the house. The house is open to both men and women.
Casa de Espanol is located on the Languages floor in the Global Neighborhood, building D 4th floor. The house is open to all students.
Learn more about what we are doing: www.lacasadeespanol.blogspot.com
Returning Students: Contact the community advisor(s) and complete an application during the annual online housing selection process.
Incoming Freshmen: Select YES on the Online Housing Application and answer the essay question and submit it.
Ricardo Mendoza
Carlton 314
Campus Box 2125
Phone: 336-278-5805


text:
Welcome to the Hepatitis B Positive Program website
From 2008 to 2016, Cancer Council NSW funded the B Positive program, to increase awareness of the link between chronic hepatitis B infection and liver cancer. While the B Positive program is now closed, enrolled participants will continue to receive high quality care from our General Practitioner collaborators.
This website offers access to the B Positive information and education resources about hepatitis B and liver cancer, answering common questions of people affected by chronic hepatitis B or liver cancer.


text:
Bicester Village.
A huge OUTLET. A perfect place for someone looking for good prices/bargains.
Was definitely a great trip. There are almost all the big brands starting with Dior, Prada, McQueen, Burberry… etc.
I was quite impressed with the fact that the collections were not very old. For example in Burberry I saw some shoes from the winter 2012-2013 collection and also discounts up to 90%, even if I personally couldn't find much with that discount J. Having said that there was loads and loads available between 40-70% off.
Also a very nice surprise was Jamie Oliver's food. I love this guy since the age of 17.
I felt like " there is a God" considering how hungry I was when I found this place.
I ordered the beef sandwich and the carrots and potatoes soup. It was out of this world.
The soup had an incredible soft texture and a sweet taste .
As in the last couple of years I've got some very strong Indian habits, I would have added some chili flakes, just for a spicy touch.
The sandwich was great, it was quite difficult to finish it.
I loved that place.
I bought myself a pair of shoes (original price 595 GBP for 99 GBP) which I LLLOOOVVVEEE.
Enjoy the pictures. J
Bicester Village,
Un Outlet imens, un loc ideal pentru cine cauta preturi reduse la colectii relativ noi. A fost o plimbare plina de succes. Se gasesc majoritatea brandurile de la Prada la Dior, de la Cavalli la Burberry si lista poate continua.
Am fost super impresionata de colectii lor. Ma asteptam sa gasesc chestii vechi de 1000 de ani, cum se intampla de obicei prin Outleturi, insa nu. La Burberry de exemplu pe langa faptul ca aveau reduceri de 90%, aveau colectia 2012-2013 winter. Intradevar nu am reusit sa gasesc multe lucruri cu acel discount, insa 40%-70% era foarte frecvent.
O alta surpriza placuta a fost faptul ca am gasit restaurantul lui Jamie Oliver. Un tip fascinant de altfel, nu am ratat mai nimic din episoadele lui :) . Am comandat o supa de cartofi si morcovi dar si un sandwich cu carne de vita. A fost de a dreptul delicios. Supa avea un gust grozav si o textura foarte catifelata. Insa cum ultimii ani i-am petrecut mai mult in India decat in Europa, recunosc faptul ca am adoptat obiceiuri indiene. As fi adaugat in orice moment chili flakes in supa... doar asa pentru o atingere picanta. Sandwich-ul a fost imens si cam deficil de mancat :).
Eu mi-am cumparat de la Anya Hindmarch o pereche de pantofi care imi plac tare mult, pretul lor initial era 595 GBP, insa am fost norocoasa si i-am cumparat la 99 GBP.
Enjoy the pictures. :)


text:
2018 Dodge Avenger Concept
2018 Dodge Avenger will come with new changes and improvements to fulfill the interest of people in this car. The company has made some changes that will amaze people not only in the appearance but also in the performance of this car.
Some new changes will be applied in the exterior design new Dodge Avenger. In the front part of the car, the grille will be bigger along with the new headlamps. The headlamps are applied with the LED lamps system along with the new shape that will make the headlamps look more aggressive. In line with the front part, the rear part will also get some new touches. In the taillights, the LED lamps will also be used with the new shape too. It is completed with the exhaust system with the chrome material. Redesigned bumper and 18 inches of alloy wheels are also additional changes in the rear part of the car.
Moving to the interior part, 2018 Dodge Avenger cabin will have spacious room that will let the car to accommodate five people. The passengers will be comforted with the premium black leather for the seats along with the cover of the steering wheel for the driver. The new features are upgraded with the new technology to ease the use of it. They are the new touch screen LCD system in the panel and in the dashboard of the car. Moreover, the safety features are also upgraded by having the ABS, cruise control, brake assist, parking assist, airbags, lane keeping, and also traction control.
The under hood given to 2018 Dodge Avenger will be the 2.4-liter engine capacity along with the inline 4-cylinder unit. This engine will deliver power up to 147 horsepower and also 184 lb-ft of torque. Engine will be completed with the six-speed manual transmission. The other engine is also offered which is the 3.6-liter engine capacity with the V6 unit. This engine will be able to deliver power up to 283 horsepower and also 260 lb-ft of torque. Those engines equipped to this car are predicted to have better acceleration and also more efficient in fuel usage.
2018 Dodge Avenger Release Date and Price
The release date of this car is predicted will be available in around half of 2017. The price that is given to this car is predicted will start from $20.000 as the base price up to $25.000. People who are interested in this car can wait for the official information about this car from the company while saving some money to buy new 2018 Dodge Avenger.
Dodge Avenger Gallery


text:
Fruitvale Station is an American drama movie starring Michael B. Jordan, Melonie Diaz, Octavia Spencer and directed by Ryan Coogler. The storyline of movie is amazing, the movie is purportedly real story of Oscar Grant III, a 22-year-old Bay Area citizen, who crosses ways with friends, enemies, family, and strangers on the last day of 2008. Due to the awesome screenplay movie got 7.7 imdb rating and grossed $16,097,842 at boxoffice. This movie was a boxoffice hit and received good reviews from critics. Well this film is a passionate and sympathetic portrayal of a complex and struggling young man and you'll surely like it. Download this movie now and watch it today with your friends.
Release date: June 20, 2013 (USA)
Director: Ryan Coogler
Running time: 85 minutes
Screenplay: Ryan Coogler
Producers: Forest Whitaker, Nina Yang Bongiovi


text:
At work today, a patron asked me how to spell a couple of words. I always think it's funny when someone asks me to do that because for someone with a master's degree in English, I'm a pretty terrible speller. I managed both of today's words without having to look anything up, which is a nice ego boost, but I'm still surprised when I'm called upon to do it. A few months back, there was a man who used to fairly regularly approach me and ask how to spell different things. One afternoon, he asked how to spell 'lettuce' and later 'cabbage,' but then things took a darker turn as he asked how to spell 'alcohol,' 'marijuana,' 'intoxicated,' 'assault,' and 'angrify.' We spelled that last one E-N-R-A-G-E-D. On the one hand, I found this fascinating, like a reverse sort of Mad Lib. I spent most of the afternoon trying to come up with a story that contained all of those words. On the other hand, it would never occur to me to ask a librarian how to spell something. I would ask how to get online so I could look it up, or I would ask where I could find a dictionary, but I wouldn't take the direct route and just ask the thing I really wanted to know.
Working in a library is interesting because I discovered people call us to find out all kinds of things. When I first got the job, someone called to ask what sort of Easter activities were happening around town, which threw me because I'd just moved and wasn't familiar with local traditions, but also because if I wanted to know that, I'd probably call any of the local churches, the most relevant city government office I could find in the phone book, or the local newspaper and poll my neighbors before I called the library. Someone recently wanted to know what time a local skating rink opened, which was a much trickier question than it should have been since the rink didn't feel they should have either an answering machine or a website that gave their hours. A patron who overheard me on the phone actually gave me the answer, for which I'm truly grateful.
When I emailed some friends and mentioned the variety of questions I'd been researching, two of them anonymously called up to ask me: "What does it mean if it burns when I pee?" I stammered a bit, and basically told them what I wanted to tell the lady who brought in her art for us to appraise: Perhaps you should consult a professional. I don't want to underestimate what I can do with a liberal arts education and the power of the internet, but…
I know my limitations. When people ask me anything about tax forms, I read key phrases off the form, and if they ask a follow up question, I will be sure to enunciate carefully as I read the exact same words. I will supply you with as much information as I can, but I don't do my own taxes, so I will not speak to the validity of your deductions. Nor will I offer you legal advice. I did help a very nice guy look up some statutes that related to a minor snafu he'd had with the police, but, again, I just read words from the screen, interpreting nothing. I'm not an authority on much outside of MLA citation, and frankly, if you ask me whether you should use 'affect' or 'effect,' I'm going to look it up. I don't want anyone telling a museum curator, attorney, auditor, or judge that, "The lady at the library said it was fine."
Several of our patrons seem to have programmed our number into their cell phones, and so we get calls from people on the road wanting us to get them directions to some place (something I dread more than the spelling question. If you think I'm lousy with letters, you should see the tragedy that is me trying to read a map) or to look up a phone number. My favorite was a lady who called wanting the number for the Wendy's corporate office in Little Rock.
I started looking, but I hadn't gotten far when I heard her angrily yell, "Yeah? Well, don't worry about it because I'm on the phone with the library, and as soon as they give me the phone number for corporate, I'm calling to report this!" Calling the library became menacing, like saying you've called the cops or just told the teacher. You're in trouble now, mister, because knowledge is power.
I heard a guy explaining patiently that he was sorry and they'd been shorthanded. One guy hadn't showed up for work that day, and…
She interrupted to explain that she was not interested in his problems, and I felt bad for the manager because I'd worked in shorthanded food joints and it's easy to get in the weeds. I was thinking about my past career as a waitress in a perpetually understaffed TexMex restaurant, when I heard, "And by the way, I never even got my Frosty!"
Continuing to remember my waitressing career, I started to mention that if they brought it to her now—when things were clearly getting tempestuous—she might not want to eat it.
"Do you have that number yet?" she asked me.
I have to admit that I'd gotten distracted by all the drama on the other end of the line and stopped looking for the number entirely. I started thumbing through the phone book lest she turn her anger on me and report me to the library board when she got off the phone with corporate.
I don't mind researching people's questions, and sometimes they're the most interesting part of my day. For someone like me who is naturally curious, it's a chance to research something I might not have considered otherwise, and that's usually fun on some level. Sometimes I get carried away, continuing to dig into a matter even as the person who asked says, "Don't go to too much trouble. It's really no big deal." When I'm on a roll, I barely register that idea because I'm trying to think of other places to find information, and they end up sneaking away while I'm scanning article abstracts.
But I wouldn't have thought to have the library on speed dial or to call them up to find out when Mother's Day is. But, then I found myself in the Main library picking up a few things, and I realized I'd forgotten to grab the address of a store I wanted to check out. I walked right up to the information desk, smiled at the woman sitting there, and asked for directions.


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Adult Galvanized Iron Chainmail Hood
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This thing is heavy! When we first took it out of the bag we thought it might be filled with dens hardware, and we were pleasantly surprised to find out that we weren't far off. This chainmail hood is made of real metal, so it's weighty, but it looks like something you'd see right out of the medieval era. Whether you want to wear it to the Renaissance festival, for Halloween, or you just want to grab a cup of coffee like our ancestors in the middle ages did, this hood will serve thee well!
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Potamology Data Collection on Lower Mississippi Riverby Charles M. Elliot, (A.M.ASCE), River Stabilization Branch, U.S. Army Engrg. District, Vicksburg, MI,
Serial Information: Journal of the Waterways, Harbors and Coastal Engineering Division, 1970, Vol. 96, Issue 3, Pg. 601-622
Document Type: Journal Paper
The potamology data collection program of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Vicksburg District, is designed to provide adequate, dependable data on the behavior of the Lower Mississippi River. The data are being used to establish guidelines for effectively and economically stabilizing the river for flood control and navigation. Channel stabilization problems involve not only the most feasible means of stabilizing specific reaches of the river, but also long-range predictions hydrographic surveys, bed form profiles, current direction, discharge and horizontal velocity distribution, bed material and suspended sediment samples, and water surface profiles. Emphasis is placed on standardized data documentation in order to minimize the amount of time necessary to prepare the data for study and to enable personnel who are relatively unfamiliar with details of the program to use the data confidently.
Subject Headings: Bed materials | Data collection | Hydrologic data | Rivers and streams | High-rise buildings | Velocity distribution | Suspended sediment | Federal government | Mississippi River
Services: Buy this book/Buy this article
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We offer discretionary portfolios that are tailored to each investor's objectives and risk constraints. Through the application of our investment process, we ensure that the portfolios of all our clients are driven by a sophisticated risk management approach and offer leading levels of diversification, liquidity and competitive pricing.
We are constantly reviewing and expanding our fund product offering to better meet our clients' investment needs.


text:
The First CCW 'Learning Studio' – held at Chelsea
Last Friday I attended the first CCW 'Learning Studio' Event which was held at Chelsea College of Art. Several 'Learning Studios' have been held at LCC and CSM already but this was the first at Chelsea – judging from the reception we had it won't be the last! Chris Follows discusses it in detail in his posting on Process Arts.


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White-necked heron
|White-necked heron
|In Edithvale Wetland, Melbourne, Australia
|Scientific classification
A. pacifica
|Binomial name
|Ardea pacifica
Latham, 1801
The white-necked heron, formerly known as the Pacific heron (Ardea pacifica), is a species of heron that is found on most of the Australian continent wherever freshwater habitats exist. It is also found in parts of Indonesia, New Guinea and New Zealand, but is uncommon in Tasmania.[2] The populations of this species in Australia are known to be nomadic like most water birds in Australia, moving from one water source to another often entering habitats they have not previously occupied, taking advantage of flooding and heavy rain where the surplus of food allows them to breed and raise their young. Population explosions have been known when the environmental conditions are right for this species in places where they have been rare or unknown.[3]
Large water dwelling bird, diurnal animal. Slate-grey to black with distinctive black spots in the centre of the lower fore-neck and throat. During breeding season plum coloured nuptial plumes are present on the back and breast.[2] Flight: stately, slow steady wing beats.[3] Body size/length 76–106 cm, Wingspan 147–160 cm, Weight 860g.[2]I have studied the bird, with many photos, estimate wingspan near 2m
The bill is black and the facial skin is commonly blue or yellow. In this species of heron the eyes are green and the legs and feet also being black.[4] Elongated neck and beak designed to reach out and catch fish, frogs, spiders and any other food source available in its habitat. Most of the head and neck is white with the black spots on the neck only visible in non-breeding individuals.[2]
In the downy young, down is longer especially on the crown of the head with the neck and head being white and the upper wing and upperparts being a light grey brown. When juvenile feathers appear they are a dark grey. In Juveniles a broad strip of grey black runs down the front of the neck. Head and neck are commonly a brownish-grey tinge. The adult feathers emerge after wear replaces the juvenile feathers.[2]
Ardea pacifica : Latham, 1801
The white-necked heron is found throughout most of the Australian continent commonly residing in wetlands, tidal areas, shallow fresh waters, farm dams, clay pans, pastures and run off water in road side ditches.[5] The species has thrived since modifications were made to the Australian landscape through irrigation, dams and other man made water sources.[2]
Not found in some parts of Western Australia and South Australia. Not found in arid zones, being the Great Sandy Desert, Gibson Desert, and Great Victoria Desert also the Nullabor Plain. Information regarding movement of this species is still unknown due to irruptive habits, which are commonly attributed to environmental conditions forcing the white-necked heron to act in a certain way, maintaining genetic adaptions to the harsh Australian environment in order to survive.[2]
Ecology and Habitat[edit]
It has been suggested that the white-necked heron is a shy bird and very wary of its surrounds only keeping to areas where it has a clear view of what is around it.[6] Commonly found in shallow wetlands usually seen foraging singly, also in pairs. Will defend feeding territories against other species aggressively. Observed harassing species of ibis (Threskiornis moluccus) and raptors, often stealing prey they have caught. When water sources dry up they fly to other water sources at an altitude of 30-100m. Habitat includes terrestrial wetlands and grasslands. Found where permanent water exists. The modified Australian landscape has favoured this species because they also commonly exist in farm dams and flooded pastures searching for prey. Babies start leaving the nest when they are ¾ grown. When young are born the parents alternate shifts to shade the young with their wings to keep them cool. First flight is generally around 6–7 weeks of maturity.[2]
Nest is made from bulky materials (twigs and sticks about 1 cm-2 cm in diameter) very loosely constructed on a platform with a depression in the middle and usually measures 30 cm-60 cm across.[2] Nests are commonly at a height of between 15m-30m above the ground on a tree structure associated with access to a close a food and water source.[7] During breeding seasons males have been observed standing on or near the nest structure for very long periods, fiddling with nesting material, preening, and displaying himself.[2] The male has also been observed displaying a dance of the following movements: starting at a normal stance, the bird brings its body into a horizontal position, throwing its head back nearly reaching the body. Stretching its head skyward and pumping its head three to four times over the course of a minute. With legs bent, exclaiming an "oomph" call or guttural croak.[2] Breeding frequency is once a year. The bond between males and females of the species is assumed to be monogamous. Nesting season is September to December even as late as January.[2] It has suggested eggs are incubated for 30 days before hatching.[8] Eggs are light blue-green, measuring 53mm x 38mm. Clutch sizes usually consist of four eggs but as many as six have been known to occur. Breeding success rate is between 0.3-1.8 young to maturity, eggs incubated by both parents.[2]
Freshwater mussels, fish, shrimp, freshwater crayfish, spiders, dragonfly nymphs, damselflies, praying mantis, grasshoppers, water beetles, lizards, young ducklings, young freshwater rat, and amphibians. Young are fed with regurgitated tadpoles and will knock smaller young out of the nest in competition for the food source.[2]
Secure existence in all states and territories of Australia.[4]
- ^ BirdLife International (2012). "Ardea pacifica". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2013.2. International Union for Conservation of Nature. Retrieved 26 November 2013.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Marchant, S & Higgins, P.J. (1990). Handbook of Australian New Zealand & Antarctic Birds.(Vol, 1). Melbourne: Oxford University Press.
- ^ a b Pringle, D.J. (1985). The Waterbirds of Australia: National Photographic Index of Australian Wildlife. Angus & Robertson Publishers.
- ^ a b Birdlife, (2012). White Necked Heron. Retrieved from: http://birdlife.org.au/.
- ^ Pizzey,G & Knight, F. (2001). The Field Guide to the Birds of Australia. HarperCollins Publishers.
- ^ Cayley. (1984). What Bird Is That? Angus and Robertson Publishers.
- ^ Schodde, R & Tidemann, S.C. (1986). Reader's Digest: Complete Book of Australian Birds. Published by Readers Digest Services Pty Ltd. (Inc. in NSW).
- ^ Beruldsen. (2003). Australian Birds their Nests and Eggs. Published by G. Beruldsen.


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I believe that Enterprise 2.0 will be as big a deal for corporate performance and productivity. I believe this because I believe that the informal organization is as important as the formal one for getting work done and that we have historically had lousy technologies for supporting the work of the informal organization (especially outside our immediate circle of strong ties).
A very strong statement and believe we are (unfortunately) still far away from it. ERP is being seen as strategic and investments are being made. Enterprise 2.0 investments are in most cases "nice to have".


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by Chris
(Goldsboro, NC)
I have a Kholer 14 HP 429 cc engine model number CH440 Spec number CH440-3031 on a Bel Air compressor and tank. Model number 3G3HKL. I put the unloader valve in the up position so that I can crank the engine. The engine starts and runs great until I flip the unloader valve down. This kills the engine. Please help!!
Comments for Bel Air engine shuts down when unloader engaged.
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To mark the 2016 Health Libraries Group (HLG) Conference, Health Information and Libraries Journal (HILJ) has published a virtual issue on the topic of "Transforming your service: the right evidence at the right time and place". The virtual issue, edited by Anthea Sutton, contains articles and features published in HILJ in the past two years (2014-2016), on the theme of service transformation, and the related key strategic themes outlined in Knowledge for Healthcare (KFH).
The selected articles and features all demonstrate initiatives in health care library and knowledge services in line with these strategic themes, including optimising investment,quick and easy access to relevant evidence, and planning and development of the knowledge service workforce. The virtual issue aims to give an overview of KFH, highlighting examples of good practice and complementing the presentations and discussions at HLG 2016.
The 2016 HILJ Virtual issue is freely available online, and includes a video abstract.
This post originally appeared on the Knowledge for Healthcare blog and has been reproduced with permission.


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Kitchen View
The view from my kitchen, Jing'an, Shanghai
The view from my kitchen, Jing'an, Shanghai
YMCA, Park Avenue at St. Viateur Street
YMHA, Mount Royal Avenue at Jeanne-Mance Street
In 1936, when these photos were taken, Montreal was just beginning to climb out of the Great Depression, which had hit this industrial city with particularly brute force. Unemployment remained high and thousands of the city's inhabitants lived in squalour — but not in Mile End. Though far from wealthy, the north end neighbourhood was reasonably prosperous, home to upwardly-mobile Jews, French-Canadians, Irish and immigrants from across Europe.
That diversity was reflected in Mile End's built fabric. The neighbourhood boasts a particularly impressive collection of churches, synagogues and other institutional structures: there's the Byzantine mystery of St. Michael's Church, the florid wedding-cake façade of the Église Saint-Enfant-Jésus and the faux-château styling of the former St. Louis City Hall at Laurier and the Main. In the midst of all this were two buildings that served the neighbourhood's two major religious and cultural communities: the Young Men's Christian Association, on Park Avenue, and the Young Men's Hebrew Association, on Mount Royal Avenue.
Both institutions were products of the moralistic zeal of the late nineteenth century. Although they differed in faith, their goals were similar, and each offered a network of social services designed to improve the physical, moral and social well-being of young Jews and Christians. The YMHA was particularly successful: in 1948, its members made up half of Canada's Olympic basketball team.
Eventually, though, the institutions took a divergent path. The Park Avenue YMCA eventually became a secular institution that served the entire community. By the late 1980s, though, its was so decrepit that it was torn down and rebuilt from scratch. The City of Montreal took the opportunity to jointly finance the construction of a new pool in the YMCA, replacing the public St. Michel Bath further east in the neighbourhood. Today, the Y is a focal point for community life in Mile End.
Madrid's iconography is strictly prewar. Between the gratuitous ornamentation dripping from the buildings lining Gran Via and the interiors of crowded tapas, the city centre appears decked out in full late-19th century regalia, fit for admirers of coattails and opera gloves. Tread out along the boulevards bursting from the city's heart, however, and Madrid's palette of pale yellows and burnt ochres takes on a slightly different form.
In ways, the commercial outskirts of Madrid reprise a sort of cityscape that's as rare in Europe as it is fatiguingly common elsewhere. Black-ribboned towers wrapped in shades of brown and black will slump along streets that gape by whim, rather than necessity. The packs of pedestrians thin out. Walk along the arteries feeding the gargantuan Avenida de la Castellada, drown out the cheers from the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu, and one is in downtown Denver.
Double-decker trams have crossed Hong Kong Island for more than a century. In Cantonese, people playfully refer to them as ding-ding, which is of course the sound they make as they rattle down the middle of congested streets.
After awhile, even the largest city can shrink to the size of a village. On a good day, this creates a comfortable intimacy; on a bad day, it can impose a banal, oppressive familiarity. Passing through the same streets day after day, it's easy to lose sight of the things that so charmed you about them in the first place.
I try to avoid that by wandering through Montreal's laneways, its ruelles, as they're known in French. To walk through them is to uncover a secret city, a stripped-down, domestic one, the lipstick and blush of its streetscapes removed. The laneway experience is defined by the detritus of everyday life: the flutter of laundry drying on clotheslines, decrepit old sheds, gardens filled with vegetables, doors and gates through which you can glimpse the lives of others.
Laneways first emerged in Montreal in the mid-nineteenth century, but they were usually found only in middle-class and wealthy neighbourhoods. Poorer areas had courtyards accessible by portes cochères, which led to small workers' homes hidden behind larger buildings. By the dawn of the twentieth century, though, Montreal and most of its suburbs had begun to mandate the construction of laneways in new residential developments, seeing them as a solution to the city's sanitation problems. Eventually, nearly 500 kilometres of alleyways were built.
Montrealers have made great use of them. Every week, in the warm months, dozens of garage sales and bazaars can be found in the city's laneways, selling books, furniture and assorted junk. Three years ago, the YMCA in my neighbourhood organized an alleyway art fair that drew inspiration from those alleyway bazaars. Artists hung their paintings on backyard fences, a graffiti crew painted a cinderblock wall and somebody set up a television viewing room in an apartment building courtyard.
What makes laneways so alluring is their ephemeral nature: they change with the rhythm of daily life, never quite the same from one day to the next. There is always a new piece of discarded furniture waiting for someone to claim it; a previously unnoticed view through trees, fences, walls and wires; or a new piece of street art.
The street art, in particular, provides the laneways with ever-changing décor. Over the years, I've seen political statements ("25,000 Montrealers call this home" spray-painted on a brick wall, next to a drawing of a homeless man), paste-ups and graffiti and even poetry ("We walked in Lake Ontario / Up to our ankles in sour water / For the feeling of sinking, you said"). My favourite can still be seen in one of the ruelles near my apartment, where somebody has scrawled a succinct message in whimsical cursive to wanderers like myself: "I love you."
One of the best places for people-watching in Hong Kong is in Mongkok, in the evening, especially in the artificial daylight of Sai Yeung Choi Street.
Pierre Burton, the journalist, author and historian, once remarked of Calgary, "The two blocks between the Palliser Hotel and The Bay is the only part of the city that resembles its former self." While that's not altogether true (there are parts of town, like Inglewood and Ramsay, that retain the feel of a small prairie town) the area around First Street SW is probably the only part of Calgary with any real historical presence. Perhaps not coincidentally, it is one of the few parts of town with much urban vitality, too.
Maplecourt, McGill Ghetto
On a cold, grey day last December, stir-crazy after more than a week of snow, I took a walk down Decarie Boulevard in Montreal. It's not the most obvious place for a stroll—a six-lane, sunken expressway runs down the middle of it—but it's a pretty interesting street nonetheless, taking you through a growing Russian neighbourhood and past old landmarks like the Snowdon Theatre and the Snowdon Deli.
Along the way from Van Horne to Queen Mary, I noticed something else, too: the names of the apartment houses along Decarie. Heading south, I passed a series of boxy 1940s-era buildings with strangely terse names—King, York, Michel—each inscribed very plainly above the main entrance. Some of the more modern buildings along the street had more flamboyant names, like the Decarie Towers, which as far as I could tell consisted of just one tower, and a fairly short one at that.
Historically, property developers have used names to distinguish and define their apartment buildings. They're a marketing gimmick, in other words. Inadvertently, though, apartment building names can reveal a lot about a city's character.
In Montreal, apartment houses first became fashionable in the late nineteenth century, mostly in the upper-middle-class anglophone neighbourhoods around the Golden Square Mile. That might explain why, in a city that was about half French-speaking, the names of these buildings were strikingly Anglo-Saxon. Some were reliably conservative, like the Waldorf and the Smithsonian. Others traded on imperial glory, like the King Edward and the Majestic. Still others were almost cloyingly quaint, like the Pickwick Arms.
Whenever I'm walking down the street in Hong Kong I think about all of the information I'm missing because I can't read Chinese: menus, advertisements, election signs, protest banners. (I'm particularly regretful I can't read the menus.) Sometimes, though, I wonder if I'm actually being given a break, considering how many thousands of words compete for your attention in the average Hong Kong street. Just look at all of the words written around this single doorway: to me, they're incomprehensible, but to any literate person they must be the visual equivalent of a screaming match.
The geography of Lisbon bends pespectives – up, down, and around its seven hills. Beyond the occasional slow-swooping streetcar, the dramatic undulations of the city's streets are broken only by its graffiti, which boldly explodes against pastel-painted houses, or grafts messages – somehow both timely and timeless – deep into centuries-solid walls.
It's a bit past 3am and I'm sitting with a few friends in the Nouveau Palais, a 24-hour diner just around the corner from my apartment. It's a classic Quebec casse-croûte with plastic booths and wood-panelled walls, a décor so timeless that, when the restaurant was damaged by fire a few years ago, its interior was painfully reconstructed to look just as it did before.
As we sit down, the waitress, a squat woman with a broad chest, narrow waist and constant frown, hands us our menus. Her skin is always tanned a deep orangey brown, even in the depths of winter, and her mood tends to swing from guardedly friendly to frighteningly surly with only the slightest provocation.
"I hate her so much," mutters one of my friends, who grew up a few blocks away from the restaurant. She likes to annoy the waitress with snide remarks and passive-aggressive questions.
"Once I asked her how often she went to the tanning salon and she freaked out. She was like, 'Tu penses-tu que j'ai le temps pour ça?' But it's so obvious!"
I open up the menu, a small book of photocopied paper, and try to decide what to get. My choices include all of the casse-croûte standards: hamburgers, poutine, souvlaki, fried rice, pizza, spaghetti and, of course, pizza-ghetti, that unbeatable combo of soggy pizza and overcooked pasta served side-by-side.
Of all the kitsch that pervades Montreal's commercial signage, little is more gaudy and outlandish than its strip club signs. In other cities, they're discreet and euphemistic; here, they employ neon and cartoon illustrations to demonstrate what goes on inside. Nowhere is this more obvious than at Ste. Catherine and the Main, a corner that has been seedy for decades. In the early twentieth century, it was a busy shopping district, but it was also the heart of Montreal's red light district, with brothels, gambling parlours and bars that flourished during Prohibition, when Quebec was the only place in North America where booze flowed freely.
The queen of the corner is Café Cleopatra, which opened in 1969, one of the first modern-day strip clubs in Montreal. Its ground floor is aimed at straight men; upstairs, a more diverse crowd mingles inside the city's best-known tranny bar. Cleopatra's sign, which is cheeky and almost innocent by today's standards, promises a "unisex disco" with "strip-teaseuses" and "spectacles continuels." Its best feature is a nude, decidedly robust woman (Cleopatra herself?) lying on her side, red-striped headband tied around her golden locks of hair.
Further west, even more garish strip clubs and peep shows are found right in the heart of the downtown retail district. The most famous is Club Super Sexe, located on Ste. Catherine near the corner of University and likely the best-known strip club in Montreal. A large part of its notoriety comes from its two-storey sign, an orgy of blinking neon and caped, bikini-clad women flying through the nighttime sky. It must be quite an awesome sight for a teenager from upstate New York who has come to Montreal for his first taste of legal debauchery.
Two doors to the east, in a handsome greystone Gothic structure built in 1914, is Super Sexe's sister club, Super Contact. Its lurid neon signs, which depict two sets of disembodied hands grasping at the body of a busty stripper, are almost comically at odds with the forced sobriety of the building in which they are housed. The maternity store located immediately underneath Super Contact, its windows filled with posters of rosy-cheeked pregnant women, only adds to the irony.
They're tacky and unabashedly sexist, but the strip clubs along the downtown shopping strip are an essential ingredient in the street's heterogeneity, which is what makes it so appealing in the first place. Without the incongruous mix of chain clothing stores and strip clubs, their doormen trying to entice passers-by with obscene catchphrases ("Pussies, tits and giggly tits!" yelled one, in a lilting Caribbean accent, as I walked downtown last summer), Ste. Catherine would be just another humdrum high street.
One of the things I love about Hong Kong is the city's captivation with light. There's the neon for which Hong Kong is famous, of course, but in recent years it has really taken to dressing up its buildings in LED displays. Here are two examples I came across while wandering around town. Below, a McDonald's sign backlit by neon, is really nothing exceptional, but it captures how even the most banal of businesses have invested in lighting displays. Above is the new LED-lit façade of the W Hotel in Wan Chai, which fades from one colour to the next between dusk and midnight.


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This forum is for the exclusive use of Reef Check California certified divers to schedule dives and discuss specific details of the monitoring protocol. One of the primary objectives of this forum is to link the teams throughout the state through a single communication portal to allow you to recruit fellow divers to help complete your surveys. While only RCCA certified divers can contribute to the forum, it can be viewed by all interested parties.
Please adhere to the following convention when organizing a dive:
The Subject line for each new thread should contain the survey region, date and site name (e.g., Nor/Cen Cal – 11/1/07 Breakwater).
If you have a post that pertains to all divers statewide use "RCCA" in place of the region.
Following posting of the thread, the proposed dates for surveys will be entered on the dive calendar as "Proposed" by Reef Check staff. When at least two divers have confirmed, the designation will switch to confirmed indicating a dive will take place contingent upon safe diving conditions.
The calendar can be found at: http://www.reefcheck.org/rcca/rccalendar.php
Remember, your Regional Program Manager does NOT need to be present for you to plan or conduct a survey.
We are all very excited about this new tool to keep us all connected. Please send us any feedback you might have to help streamline the dive planning process.
See you all in the water soon!!!
Welcome to the RCCA Certified Forum
Survey planning and reports
Moderators: dabbott, Katiekozma, smcmillan, janfreiwald, SeaDana, jmdiver
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Looking forward to the dives this weekend!
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If you tax the rich, even highly, they stay rich. Their lifestyle is still luxurious and they don't go without food, shelter or warmth. The rich all have a certain sum of money in their banks which just sits there. Most of it come about by interest, is not earned and It will never be needed and it will most certainly never be used. Taking a fraction of this money, which again will never be missed, to use for the better of society has zero impact on the lives of the rich, yet it could mean life or death for someone else.
The ideology of "It doesn't matter if I never use it, it's mine" is fine if people aren't dying from wealth hoarding, but they are. No-one is asking the rich to live in a council house or to have any less of the wonderful things their money brings, rather it is like 5 pence being taken out of my bank account per year to help someone who is destitute.
I see no issue here.


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With all the things going on in America, with all the people who are in need of assistance, why is the president so deeply invested in the NFL protests?
I understand that some people feel that kneeling during the national anthem is disrespectful. I understand that some people feel that this is a slap in the face to the men and women who protect this country as well.
Let me let you in on a secret. I'm one of those who work to protect this country, and I also protect the NFL player's right to peacefully protest. I'm not hurt or bothered by their actions. I don't intend on joining any boycott either because of their actions.
This all started over Colin Kaepernick's protest last season. He wanted to bring attention to police abuse, which I feel is something that needs to be addressed by everyone, feelings be damned. He didn't set out to dismiss the sacrifices of military personnel, and there are numerous vets and currently serving members of the military who support Kaep.
In my opinion, a good bit of the backlash is from the old hit dog effect. Many people want to act like America is perfect, when we do have areas where would could improve to make our society better. Many of us use our biases and stereotypes as crutches to walk through life instead of challenging ourselves to tackle things on without bias.
In the beginning, I was supportive of Kaep, and along the way he lost me to an extent. I still support his right to protest, but I don't agree with some of the things that he has NOT done while protesting. That's a different story for a different post.
Back to the tweets above. For Trump, and anyone else who is offended, hurt, or otherwise triggered by the protests, I have a question to ask you. Were you the same way when the flag was mistreated between 2008 and 2016? Read the US Flag Code and you'll understand what I'm saying. Here's a few examples:
4 US Code Chapter 1 Section 8(d): The flag should never be used as wearing apparel, bedding, or drapery. It should never be festooned, drawn back, nor up, in folds, but always allowed to fall free. Bunting of blue, white, and red, always arranged with the blue above, the white in the middle, and the red below, should be used for covering a speaker's desk, draping the front of the platform, and for decoration in general.
4 US Code Chapter 1 Section 8(g): The flag should never have placed upon it, nor on any part of it, nor attached to it any mark, insignia, letter, word, figure, design, picture, or drawing of any nature.
4 US Code Chapter 1 Section 8(j): No part of the flag should ever be used as a costume or athletic uniform. However, a flag patch may be affixed to the uniform of military personnel, firemen, policemen, and members of patriotic organizations. The flag represents a living country and is itself considered a living thing. Therefore, the lapel flag pin being a replica, should be worn on the left lapel near the heart.
Now, there's disrespecting something which is a personal opinion, and there's breaking the law. There is no law for disrespect, so there is no legal recourse if someone feels disrespected. It is a personal feeling, and what makes you feel that way may be totally fine with others around you. We have to get away from our selfish outlook on life because we're a nation of more than 330 million people. We're not always going to be happy about things, and we're not going to always get our way.\
The president, of all people, should be the one setting a tone to bring people together, not a tone of inciting a riot. When Obama offered his opinion on the Trayvon Martin shooting and the Skip Gates arrest, many on the right felt that he overstepped his job as president by getting into small, personal incidents. Who could ever forget this diagnosis of Obama here:
So, if Obama was way out-of-bounds for the comments made then, what should be said about the current president calling a football player a "son of a bitch"?
Time is up for allowing a certain segment to own and direct the conversation. No matter how loud or whiney things get, ALL sides need to be heard and given equal opportunity to express themselves. Let's remove emotions and feelings from the conversation and deal with the facts at hand. Imagine Obama calling one of the Duke lacrosse players a "son of a bitch" live on national TV. Do we honestly think that he would have been cheered?
I used to think we were better than this, but I guess all good things come to an end. We are no longer in Kansas, Toto. Regardless of whether we like Trump or not, we cannot allow the standards of behavior for the office of the president to be lowered. If he's not capable of maintain the high standards, then he needs to leave the office to allow someone with standards to fulfill the duties of the office as they should be carried out.


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Social Media and Politics
The number of ways to put social media to good use are endless, and it's fascinating to see how people gather together in the various communities to support causes or talk about the news of the day. It's also amazing how social media allows us to pull together initiatives so much faster than ever before.
The upcoming presidential debates are certainly the focus of the moment and the buzz is building to a fever pitch in so many places at once it will be impossible to track them all. Fortunately most will be archived for our after viewing pleasure and as the critiques roll out it will be interesting to see which ones served their users best.
Want to get in on some of the fun? Here are just a few of the ways you can watch both the debate and interactively participate and hear what others in the community have to say.Twitter is the center for almost all of these discussions, and they've got a mash-up on the site of all of the tagged responses to the debate.
Jeremiah Owyang writes about his idea to rank the debate, tagging your Tweets with #tweetdebate thusly
Example: A proper tweet is: "Mccain +1 for articulating his energy policy #tweetdebate"
Example: A proper tweet is: "Obama -3 for calling McCain an old fart #tweetdebate"
Example: A proper tweet is: "Mccain +3 for great line: "It's the economy stupid" #tweetdebate"
Over at Current.com you can watch the Tweets fly by at the same time as the debate and add your own voice to the site through Twitter. Current will as many of your debate tweets as possible right over Obama & McCain, in real time, on their live broadcast.
Of course there are several drinking games proposed, based on the candidates likely sound bites. Several drinking games are proposed as well, including this one from CoachDeb. "R U up 4 drinkin game 2nite while u watch debate? Rules #obamashot every time Obama says "change" & #mccainshot when McCain says "my friends".
I'm sure there are more opportunities. Add yours in the comments field, and then get ready to watch the debate.