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Demolition Man Script
Demolition Man is a multiplatform, run and gun action game based on the film of the same name. The game allows players to control the main character, John Spartan as he attempts to find and defeat his arch-nemesis, Simon Phoenix. Even though he is the final boss of the game, the player has to...
Creates random mazes, and then solves them. You can edit the resolution to make larger mazes, or change the whole look of the maze by editing a few variables. The screen is a 320x240 maze.It places a start & end. Start is at bottom left, end is at top right, though you can make them random. After...
E-VISION Script Studio is an easy-to-use Pascal and Basic Script IDE (Integrated Development Environment) for Windows. Script Studio is designed for creating simple or large scripts for any purposes (for example to rename multiple files, run programs with parameters, generate download lists and...
The Form Spam Blocking Script will block form submissions that include user defined blocked words, effectively stopping all form spam including automated scripts and user submitted data. It is designed to run with any Form1 based form processing code including Form1 Builder Software, Form1...
Memchan is an extension library to the script language Tcl, as created by John Ousterhout. Memchan provides several new channel types for in-memory channels and the appropriate commands for their creation. They are useful to transfer large amounts of data between procedures or interpreters, and...
Repeat A/B - Amarok script is an Amarok script which can repeat a song from point A to point B. Usage: Right click the playlist and select Repeat --> A/B. Now you have your first mark. Hit Repeat --> A/B again and you have the second mark. Repeat A/B starts. Hit Repeat --> A/B a third...
Jifty::Script::Help is a Perl module to show help. OPTIONS Optionally help can pipe through a pager, to make it easier to read the output if it is too long. For using this feature, please set environment variable PAGER to some pager program. For example: # bash, zsh users export...
Orca Interactive Forum Script is an interactive Web-based forum script that is based on AJAX technology, In the world of accelerating technologies you dont want archaic forum software. You want something new, fresh, classy, stylish and sexy - just like Orca. Orca introduces a new approach to...
Personal Internet Broadcasting Script provides a WWW GUI for the litestream mp3 streaming server. The Personal Internet Broadcasting Script (PIBS) is a PHP/Apache frontend to create dynamic mp3 playlists and broadcast them with litestream. It can be used to manage playlists for a LAN in an...
Audio collection script is a script which can help you manage collections of audio files. For example, I have a directory with all my audio files in it, sorted by band/album. I also have an audio collections directory. Within that directory I have a few list files which contain patterns for songs...
man-db is a manual page browser. This package provides the man command. This utility is the primary way of examining the on-line help files (manual pages). It uses the groff suite of programs to format and display the manual pages. Other utilities provided include the whatis and apropos...
MUltihost SSH Wrapper is a shell script that allows you to execute a command or script over SSH on multiple hosts with one command. When possible, it will use ssh-agent and RSA/DSA keys to minimize the need to enter your password more than once. Whats New in This Release: - An error is now...
Picture of the Day PHP Script shows daily changing pictures. Each Web page can contain several pictures. Each picture is taken in random order from its own set of directories. An unlimited number of images and directories may be used. Picture of the Day PHP Script doesnt use a database.. Are your...
libping is a C library designed to allow a programmer to make ICMP_ECHO requests directly from a script or program. libpings functions return either boolean--is alive--or the round trip time in milliseconds. The library also includes support for "pinging" the following tcp/ip services: echo,...
Script Promotion Wizard is a free online tool you can add to your web site or use on your local server to add your script to script directories. Since an automated solution to script promotion is probably impossible due to the lack of a standard submission process for script directories, we...
Game Server Startup Script project is a startup script to manage dedicated game servers like Quake3. Game Server Startup Scripts is a startup script to manage a wide variety of Linux dedicated game servers. It can start/stop/restart/fix dedicated game servers like Quake3, Half Life, Tribes 2,...
Uruk is an iptables firewall script that is useful if you need similar packet filtering configurations on multiple machines. It uses a template file for source addresses and network services. Next are the generic installation instructions. The `configure shell script attempts to guess correct... | {
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Free Class: Turbo Charge Your Public Speaking Skills and Confidence!
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Get Public Speaking and Presentation Skills coaching, training and support in a fun and supportive environment with like minded individuals
Get professional feedback to improve and grow
Learn the latest public speaking and presentation tips
Attend our next Free public speaking workshops
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Unleash your hidden power:
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Learn simple techniques to improve your body language and make others feel at ease around you.
Practice your skills in a supportive and safe environment:
The secret to learning to speak in front of others is to be completely honest, open and with non-judgmental support.
Get hands on, experiential Training and feedback:
Almost right from the start, you will be speaking, learning, and improving.
Learn to think on your feet so that you are not dependent on notes, slides or luck.
This program is based on NeuroLinguistic Programming (NLP) technology and improvisational acting techniques.
You’ll learn from a national speaker and trainer the secrets to great public speaking skills.
Your participation will help you:
Become more comfortable in front small and large groups
Learn to trust yourself
Speak and think on your feet
Increase your presence and charisma
Improve by using coaching, training, and one-on-one feedback
Build your public speaking skills in a fun and very supportive environment
Deal with your fear and anxiety
Participants have included; small business owners, students, coaches, speakers, teachers, real estate agents, and professional service providers. Their ages have been from 22 to 65. Anyone can participate and everyone will improve their confidence and speaking skills.
“I found the small group and positive support system very helpful to finding my own voice. I learned about the image I present to others and how to improve it. Mostly, I gained new confidence in my voice and presentation. I highly recommend taking this workshop.”
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VIDEO
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The Magnetic Mission:
To develop engaging and influential leaders around the world, and to provide them with the communication tools they need to influence people and change their world.
We do this by breaking down the barriers, misconceptions, and fears that prevent people from being fully expressive. | {
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April 7, 2010 > Hip Pain: New Insights and Treatments for Young and Middle-Aged Adults
Hip Pain: New Insights and Treatments for Young and Middle-Aged Adults
Learn More At Upcoming Health and Wellness Seminar
Until recently, when young or middle-aged adults complained of hip pain, physicians often were unable to determine the cause of the pain. Now, however, doctors have gained new insights into various hip problems.
"It used to be that if a young or middle-aged person was suffering from hip pain, the physician generally would order X-rays to look for signs of arthritis," says Russell Nord, M.D., an orthopedic surgeon at Washington Hospital. "In many cases, the results would be negative for arthritis, leaving patients and physicians with no concrete answers as to the cause of the pain. We have learned a lot in recent years, though, about the underlying causes of hip pain, resulting in a constellation of new diagnoses and treatments."
To help people in the community learn more about the causes and treatments for hip pain, Washington Hospital is hosting a special seminar featuring Dr. Nord on Monday, April 12 from noon to 1:30 p.m. The seminar will be held in the Conrad E. Anderson, M.D. Auditorium in the Washington West Building at 2500 Mowry Avenue in Fremont.
One of the conditions Dr. Nord will discuss goes by the complicated name of Femoroacetabular Impingement (FAI). "In laymen's terms, FAI is basically a case of too much extra bone on the ball or cup of the hip joint," Dr. Nord explains. "These bits of extra bone rub against one another, causing friction that can result in tears in the cartilage that protects the joint. We didn't used to appreciate the significance of this extra bone, but now if a physical exam and X-ray point to the possibility of this condition, we would likely perform an MRI to aid in the diagnosis and help look for tears in the cartilage."
Dr. Nord notes that symptoms of FAI might include pain in the groin as well as the hip because the ball and cup of the hip joint sit within the groin. Patients with FAI also might experience pain in the buttocks. FAI also can result in loss of motion that limits the patient's ability to walk or be comfortable while sitting or lying down. FAI mainly affects middle-aged people, but it can be diagnosed in people from their 20s to their 60s. FAI also is an "equal opportunity" condition that is found in both men and women.
"We don't fully understand why FAI occurs," he says. "There very well may be some genetic predisposition to developing FAI, but because it's a fairly recent discovery, there have been no formal studies and we haven't been able to track it through generations. It's also possible that FAI could be due to certain physical activities or aggravated by those activities, but again, we just don't know enough about FAI yet to say for certain."
While the details of how FAI develops remain a mystery, the good news is that there are treatments available.
"The first treatment option would be to try physical therapy, as well as anti-inflammatory medications or cortisone injections," says Dr. Nord. "Some cases may require arthroscopic surgery to trim off the extra bone from the ball or cup of the joint or to repair or trim the cartilage surrounding the joint. We also can try to grow new cartilage using a procedure called microfracture, in which we poke small holes in the bone so new cartilage will grow up through the holes in the bone."
If left untreated, FAI could cause the cartilage to continue deteriorating. "We don't know if untreated FAI will lead to arthritis or not, but we do know that patients usually get relief from their pain with these surgical procedures, usually recovering within a few months," Dr. Nord says.
At the seminar, Dr. Nord also will discuss other conditions that can cause hip pain, including "snapping" or "popping" hip. "With snapping hip, the patient feels a snapping sensation and often hears an audible popping noise when the hip is flexed and extended," he notes. "This happens when the tendons around the hip get caught on bone and pull until they snap back. It's somewhat like the effect of 'twanging' the strings of a guitar."
X-rays are often normal with snapping hip syndrome, and other imaging studies such as ultrasound and MRI may be useful in diagnosing the condition, but the physical exam is probably the most useful test. In most cases, the treatment emphasizes physical therapy, perhaps combined with anti-inflammatory medications. Cortisone injections may be considered for patients who have persistent pain despite physical therapy efforts.
"In rare cases, patients may require surgery for snapping hip, and there are several surgical approaches that have been used successfully," Dr. Nord says.
"In any case, if you're having pain in your hip or groin that is not diagnosed as arthritis on an X-ray, you should seek a further evaluation," he adds. "There is no need to suffer in silence when there are options for relief available."
To register for the free seminar on April 12, visit www.whhs.com and click on the link under "Upcoming "Seminars." | {
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All trademarks and vehicle models (including their names and pictures) listed on this page are for reference only.
Our products are not original replacement parts but interchangeable with the original OEM parts. | {
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, in eastern colorado we have seennewtechnologiesthatcan produce american resources, that must and have to be a part of an all-of-the-above, an all-american energy plan. an all-american energy plan that will rely on not somebody thousands of miles away from us, not on somebody overseas, but right in our own backyard. our neighborhoods -- our neighbors. maybe our family members. people in our communities who can produce the energy that we use each and every moment of our lives, to better the lives of our families, to create the next product that will ignite an entire economy. but we can't do that unless we have an affordable energy policy. and that's why an all-american energy plan is so important. and that's why it's an absolute and fundamental key to making life work for so many people across this country. what we can do with natural gas, a clean-burning fuel created right -- developed, extracted right in colorado, what we can do to use the oil, the wind power, the solar power that we are utilizing in colorado to make life work for families. and how does life work? i think we're all fa
, but if you think about the success in reducing alcohol-impaired drivingthroughtechnology, throughsanctions, through education, through engineering, we can do the same thing about drugged driving. but the most important thing was atten the public, and i think that's what we've done. thank you, bob. >> we are almost out of time. but before asking the last question, we have a couple of housekeeping matters to take care of. first of all, i'd like to remind you about our upcoming luncheon events. on april 19th patrick donahoe, postmaster general, usps, will discuss challenges meeting the evolving demands of the nation's postal system. on may 7th, chris evert, tennis legend and publisher "tennis" magazine. and on june 3rd we will host the annual presentation of the gerald r. ford journalism awards. second, i would, with great feeling -- [laughter] in view of how you've covered your topic and you've generated so many questions, wow, i mean, i think -- i don't know if we keep track of a record and for handling them so well. i'd like to present you with the traditional npc mug. [applause] the scri
. three more minutes until "fox & friends." ♪ using telemedical andmobiletechnologies, verizoninnovators are connecting trauma surgeons to patients in the field. helping them get the attention they need, before they even reach the hospital. because the world's biggest challenges deserve even bigger solutions. powerful answers. verizon. >> alisyn: we are rejoined by the founder of american islamic form for democracy. dr. zdudi jasser. you talk about how you wish that more law abiding, peaceful muslims would come out and condemn these things when it happened. you must have been heartened by the suspect's uncle who immediately came out and vociferously said he completely disavow what they stand for. he's disgusted by the actions and he wishes he could turn them in. if he knew where they were. is that what you are talking about? >> yeah. at the last step, absolutely, that is disheartening. they don't get radicalized overnight. they are talking about conspiracy theories and nonsense about being framed. this is easy when someone doesn't ask for the community to say he was kicked out
technologyreporterfor cq roll call with the update on the internet bill. thank you for joining us. >> thank you for having me. >> further debate on the internet sales tax bill happening this afternoon when the senate returns from recess at 2:15 eastern. live coverage here on c-span 2. we have a facebook question on the internet sales tax. internet sales tax support or oppose and why? dozens are weighing in. sheri says i support taxing internet sales although i hate paying tax on anything. if we must be taxed on whatever we buy regularly why wouldn't the same hold true with internet sales. jerry writes, he opposes it. a big indication it's a bad idea both amazon and wal-mart support it. why would you think that would be? taxes and regulations favor big retailers because they can cover the higher overhead where smaller businesses typically can not. and rich says, a state should not be allowed to tax people they do not represent. sound familiar? you can offer your comments at facebook.com/cspan. we might use some of your remarks on the air. live now, to the inside of the white house briefing r | {
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Aleister
Crowley was an English witch. He reveled in his description as “the wickedest
man in the world.” He was a shameless self publicist, a fraud and a charlatan,
but he was also an educated, intelligent and willful diabolist.
He was indeed very wicked and was
definitely involved in just about every kind of vile perversion, drug addiction
and occult religious practice imaginable. He died in Hastings, on the south
coast of England, in 1947.
In 1982 I moved to Bexhill-on-Sea, a
town one step along the coast from Hastings. I was newly ordained as an
Anglican priest and was heading to my first parish. Living just around the
corner from the ancient parish church was a coven of witches whose leader
claimed to be the successor of Aleister Crowley. The “witches” were well-known
in the town. They lived in a kind of hippie commune, and their leader — a
lecherous man in his 50s — frequented all the bars and pubs. Rumors abounded
about their drug use, sexual immorality, corruption of young people and dark,
occult practices.
As a young priest involved in the
Christian youth work in the town, I came across several young people who had
been involved with the coven of witches. One afternoon I witnessed an old
priest deal successfully with what seemed to be demonic infestation of a
15-year-old girl who had been spending time with the witches. The stories the
young people told were of seriously sick and genuinely horrifying attitudes and
actions. More than once we had to deal with spiritual influences that were
dark, destructive and demonic.
Are witches real? Of course they
are. Are they skinny old women with green skin, pointy chins and warts on their
noses, who cackle over cauldrons? Of course not. Do they attend an academy
called “Hogwarts,” play a form of hockey on their broomsticks and battle
mythical beasts? Is “Samantha,” a pretty middle-class suburban wife with
magical powers and a gaggle of kooky and spooky family members, a witch? Of
course not. All of that is an attempt to make us believe that there are not
really such things as witches.
But there are. Witchcraft is alive
and well in our modern, secular age. It has taken the name “Wicca” and claims
an increasing number of adherents. Followers of Wicca profess to be modern
pagans. They claim to draw on the powers of nature to heal people, foretell the
future and put people in touch with their departed loved ones. The modern Wicca
religion is descended from another British witch, Gerald Gardener, who, in the
1950s, synthesized various strands of ancient paganism into a new mish-mash
kind of paganism.
Is there anything to it, or is it
just a load of silly, New Age nonsense? Be assured that there is not only
something to it, but something sinister. To put it bluntly, pagans worship the
gods and goddesses of the ancient world. The early Christians understood quite
clearly that the pagan gods and goddesses were demons. They understood that the
pagan rites were sacrifices made to demons, and that through the pagan
initiation rites devotees gave themselves to the demons and that as a result,
the pagan worshippers were usually demon-possessed. That’s why the preparation
for Christian baptism involved careful catechesis over a long period of time
with numerous exorcisms.
Is it possible for modern people to
summon up the ancient gods and goddesses and offer themselves to be infested by
such spirits? Of course it is. C.S. Lewis commented on the foolishness of
summoning up evil spirits, saying that if they were called we should not be
surprised if they arrive on our doorsteps. Followers of Wicca are not
benevolent New Agers who just happen to be
vegetarian, sandal-wearing bearded weirdoes. Their religion follows ancient
rites where they summon up the ancient gods and goddesses.
The
2001 census in the United States revealed 134,000 people who claim to follow
the Wiccan religion. The numbers are doubtless far greater now. Not only
are there more people involved in witchcraft than those who register formally,
but because the movement is diffuse and secretive and sectarian, there are far
more people involved in some form of occult practice than can be accurately
numbered. In addition to those who are consciously involved in pagan
witchcraft, there are a huge number of Americans who are involved in New Age
behaviors that (while not openly identified as witchcraft) are nevertheless
identical to occult practices.
If
a person is involved in fortune telling of any kind, tarot cards, Ouija boards,
séances, crystal healing, channeling, and astrology, they are involved in the
occult. If they are involved in certain types of depth psychology, re-birthing,
spiritualism, envisioning other lives, Native American spirituality, ecology
spirituality and radical feminist theology, they are probably meddling with the
occult as well. The vague attractiveness of the New Age movement as well as its
spiritual danger is explained well in the Pontifical Council for Interreligious
Dialogue’s document called “Jesus Christ, the Bearer of the Water of Life.”This
official Church teaching outlines the danger of the New Age movement and lists
the various (seemingly harmless) New Age practices that can lead true believers
into the occult.
What
did we do about the coven in the town where I was priest? A few members of the
youth group and I fasted on Fridays. Within six months the coven had moved out
of our geographical parish, and within the year they had moved out of the town
altogether. I don’t know if it was our prayer and fasting that drove them out,
but the Gospel says that a certain kind of demon only comes out through prayer
and fasting.
Therefore,
what is the best thing to do when confronted with someone involved in the
occult? It might be right to confront them and show them what is wrong with
their beliefs and practices, but that will probably not do much good. One of
the symptoms of occult involvement is a kind of spiritual, moral and
intellectual blindness. As St. Paul says in Romans 1:21, 24 “... their thinking
became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened.”
Instead, when confronted with those
who have given themselves to evil, I recommend skipping meals on Fridays,
praying a few extra Rosaries, and invoking the holy angels — especially St.
Michael. It will not only bring down the witches in full flight — it will also
do your spiritual life a world of good.
Father Dwight Longenecker is the chaplain of St. Joseph’s
Catholic School, Greenville, South Carolina. He also serves on the staff of St.
Mary’s, Greenville. His latest book is Praying the Rosary for Inner Healing. dwightlongenecker.com | {
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Kicker KM6200 - Marine 6-1/2" Coaxial Speaker
Quick Overview
Enjoying music on the water is a must, and easy speaker installation is a plus. With Kicker’s KM6200, you get both. KM6200 Marine coaxial speakers deliver spectacular highs and midrange sound in any watercraft, and are specifically designed for simple installation into boat speaker openings. | {
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Tameka House
Media
Contact this Business
Your Email:
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Company Summary
Tameka House was founded in 2008, and is located at 601 Villa View Way in Hampton. It employs 2 employees and is generating approximately $110,000.00 in annual revenue. Additional information is available by contacting this business at (678) 670-2099. | {
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Your Ireland checklist
Do I need special shoes for walking? What about the weather? What type of currency will I need? Packing for a trip means many questions. Our Ireland Travel Checklist has the answers
Clothes
We’re not going to pretend that it’s blue skies all the way on the island of Ireland, that being said, the sunshine we do get (and we do get sunshine) feels all the more glorious due to its somewhat rarer nature.
Veteran visitor to Ireland, Gerry Britt from Virgina, USA, shares his wisdom, “Trust me, once the rain stops and the sun comes out (and it soon will) you’ll be in awe of the scenery before you can shake the drops off your jacket. The Irish sky after a soft rain is breathtaking.”
We’ve a saying that goes “There is no bad weather, only inappropriate clothing”, in other words, a little planning goes a long way. Gerry, who’s seen all 32 counties and describes himself as “assembled in America from Irish parts,” explains: “Packing for Irish weather can be summed up in one word: layers. T-shirts, light sweaters, a good waterproof jacket, a waterproof hat, and good walking/hiking shoes.”
Moving onto less formal wear, admittedly it takes a hardy spirit to swim in our seas, but do pack swimwear for those beaches – they’ll be golden, glorious, usually deserted and begging for you to dive straight in. A pair of sunglasses is always a good idea to protect your eyes from hail, rain and wind – and for when the sun does shine. And last but not least, walking is one of the pleasures of Ireland so, bring a solid pair of walking boots or at least a comfortable pair of trainers.
Gadgets
Views and picture-perfect moments tend to pop up a lot in Ireland so a camera is a must. Don't forget the battery charger and spare memory cards for it either – a common mistake!
We’ve found a bunch of useful apps that we’d highly recommend, and don’t forget you can create your very own Ireland Scrapbook from the bits and pieces on our website that catch your eye.
Plugs for all your gadgets are three-pronged and the electricity supply is 230v 50hz – the same as in Britain. So it’s always a good idea to bring a couple of adapters for your various gadgets.
Currency
The currency used in the Republic of Ireland is the euro (€) while Northern Ireland’s currency is the pound sterling (£). Visa and Mastercard are credit cards generally accepted. Beware that an American Express card is not as widely accepted. Credit cards can also be used to access money from ATMs. Just look for the symbol on your card that matches the ATM.
Traveller’s Cheques are not widely used and most banks won’t accept them. We advise to bring cash or cards instead.
When you finally arrive
Expert as he is on coming and going, Gerry has a little more advice for when you arrive: “transfer your clothes to one bag and leave the other for all your purchases. This way, you’re not rummaging through both bags looking for dry socks while destroying those turf Christmas ornaments, Belleek vases, and Waterford Crystal goblets. Aran sweaters are better than Styrofoam for cushioning.” Good tip, Gerry.
Ratings provided by TripAdvisor Check out what other travellers say about Ireland and Ireland Hotels on TripAdvisor.
Ireland.com uses cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you continue without changing your settings, we'll assume that you are happy to receive all cookies from Ireland.com. | {
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Transformed Hymns
This is a set of pieces I created in 2010 based on some of my favorite Protestant hymns, with the time stretched out. Each chord takes several measures to complete. You can listen here with the Yahoo music player, or download to your computer. The original blog posts about each piece are shown in the links below. | {
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dbcommand.parameters not reflecting the correct value
Hi, I have a stored procedure with an output parameter and executed it using ExecuteNonQuery. Of course, I added the necessary parameters prior to executing but after I call ExecuteNonQuery, I inspected the dbCommand.Parameters property and saw that
my output parameter didn't get updated based on the stored proc's execution. Can anyone tell me what am I doing wrong? How do I get the value of my output parameter? | {
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Wednesday, June 29, 2016
Lawsuit Seeks to Unbind RNC Delegates from Backing Trump
The revived push to derail Donald Trump’s all-but-certain nomination as Republican Party standard-bearer took a turn into the courts Friday as a Virginia delegate to this summer’s national convention filed suit challenging a state law that commits him to backing the presumptive nominee.
Carroll B. Correll, who served as a campaign co-chairman for Texas Sen. Ted Cruz in Virginia's 10th congressional district, is seeking class-action status for his suit on behalf of the commonwealth's 49 Republican delegates and 110 Democratic delegates.
The complaint states:
“Correll believes that Donald Trump is unfit to serve as President of the United States and that voting for Donald Trump would therefore violate Correll’s conscience. Accordingly, Correll will not vote for Donald Trump on the first ballot, or any other ballot, at the national convention.” | {
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The Sophie Hulme Long Gold Spine Leather Wallet in black is made from the finest quality textured leather, and features a wraparound zip closure and a gold tone metal trim to the spine. L.M. Measures: H:10 x W:20 x D:2.5cm. Leather with Metal Contrast. | {
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This handy cover is made from tough, waterproof woven polyethylene that protects your reel and blanket from sunlight, rain, ice, and snow. An industrial strength Velcro closure along the length of the cover seals out rain, snow and ice, protecting your solar blanket from winter’s worst. Fits all reel sizes. Backed by a 10-Year Warranty. | {
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Blog Tour: Up in Flames by Abbi Glines with Review, Highlights from Orlando, & #Giveaway
I am so excited to be a part of this Blog Tour! Up in Flames is the final book in the Rosemary Beach series, and what better way to celebrate. Check out my highlights from Orlando Tour Stop, My Review, and Giveaway to win your own signed copy!
#1 New York Times bestselling author Abbi Glines returns to Rosemary Beach one last time in this highly-anticipated finale and much beloved series.
Spoiled. Selfish. Rich girl. Villain. Slut.
As the Prada-clad bad girl of Rosemary Beach, Nan Dillon has been called every vile name under the hot summer sun. Some of her reputation is deserved—she’s never had to worry about anything but maintaining her perfect figure and splitting Daddy’s private jet with her brother, Rush.
But Nan is far from happy. Rush has another kid on the way and doesn’t have time to catch up with his sister. Grant, the last guy she truly cared about, chose to be with her half-sister, Harlow, instead of her. And Harlow, who has never gotten over the way Nan treated her when she first moved to town, remains distant.
So when Major asks her out, she jumps at the chance to date the gorgeous charmer. Though she doesn’t know much about the sweet-talking Texan, and though it’s clear he doesn’t want to be exclusive, dating him beats hanging out with vapid socialites or watching Netflix alone at home.
For a while, Nan deals with Major’s playboy ways, but after he burns her one too many times, she takes off for an impromptu wild weekend in Vegas. There, she meets Gannon, a darkly seductive and oh-so-dangerous businessman who knows exactly how to handle her.
With Major asking for a second chance and Gannon haunting her dreams, Nan has to decide who to give her heart to. But what she doesn’t realize is that these players are involved in a much bigger game—and they’re already two moves ahead of her.
Order the Paperback:
Order the eBook:
Review
I would like to thank the publisher for providing me with an early copy of Up in Flames for an honest review.
Up in Flames was so much better than I thought it was going to be, it was FANTASTIC!!! Nan seemed so irredeemable and unlikable through the who series but I feel that this book really helped me understand her better. It wasn’t that it made excuses for her, and trust me she says who she is and claims what she is done, but have you ever wanted to put the past behind you and just grow up and be different. That is how I see Nan. You also see some of how the past made her feel, and her vulnerability.
You get 3 Main POV’s in this book, Nan, Major and Cope. Major and Nan are both in a casual relationship but Nan is sick of Major always pushing her away and not treating her special. Major likes Nan and thinks she is great but also that she is high maintenance and he can’t give her more or he will hurt her.
Major is told by Cope if he can’t get some important information from Nan then he will. Soon Nan is sick of feeling rejected by Major and goes to Vegas, where she meets a new man. He is strong, and dangerous, and all man, nothing like Major. He tells her like it is and doesn’t play games, she has never had anything like this.
Will this new guy be too good to be true? Will Major fight for her once he finds out or will it be to late? You have to read this amazing end to a great series!
I loved the chemistry in Up in Flames, and every detail and conversation never felt forced. I was so happy that I could say I could connect with Nan in ways of wanting to change and be accepted, but also trying to be strong so as not to show your vulnerability. I cannot wait to read what comes next from Abbi since her books just get better and better! I am giving Up in Flames 5 out of 5 stars.
Orlando Tour Highlights
I would like to thank the Orange County Library for hosting the event and for Sarah N. Fisk for arranging it when I tagged her and asked for to help make it possible for an Orlando signing. It was great that it worked out and the location was very nice.
I was so excited to see Abbi again, especially for this tour since it is to be the final book in the Rosemary Beach series. She talked about her goal was not write Nan as a character that made people like her or maybe understood her better. I personally thought she accomplished that.
She was asked what couple was her favorite to write and she said it was West and Maggie from Until Friday Night. Writing about his struggle with a family member with cancer was very personal, since she has personally known many to suffer from cancer.
Abbi talked about an upcoming standalone for 2017, and that she has many more stories ready if they pick them up for The Field Party series. She has signed for 3 books so far.
Abbi was so great answering everyone’s questions, and coming out in the rain to speak and sign our books. She did this all with a smile on her face and humor. I can’t wait to read what comes next and see her again.
Other Tour Stops
ABOUT ABBI GLINES:
Abbi Glines is the New York Times, USA TODAY, and Wall Street Journal bestselling author of the Rosemary Beach, Field Party, Sea Breeze, Vincent Boys, and Existence series. A devoted book lover, Abbi lives with her family in Alabama. She maintains a Twitter addiction at @AbbiGlines and can also be found at Facebook.com/AbbiGlinesAuthor and AbbiGlines.com. | {
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Hand-painted pearlware saucer fragments
The painted designs on these saucer fragments match those on the tea cup 2004-666-106. While not an exact match, the slight variations in the way the design was painted is evidence of hand work by different artists. | {
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Sailor Costume
Sailor costumes for Halloween are a new trend that is a bit different from the usual dressing up themes as comic or cartoon characters, or mystic creatures. But don’t be fooled into thinking that sailor costumes must be dull and boring without room for creative imagination to dress you up in.
No one can resist a man or woman in uniform; think of Navy Seals. The same goes for soldier costumes as well, which is also a very popular choice. With the right coded dress that is perfect to the last detail and with sailor accessories to match, you can never go wrong.
Children’s sailor costumes are very popular fancy dress attire. There’s hardly a school function or a social event for toddlers that does not picture a young one wandering around in white baggy trousers and outsized shirt with a huge v-neck collar and scarf, with a sailor hat to match.
Sailor costumes have lots of choices for men and women. Even toddlers and pets have a wide range to choose from. While women can come dressed up in the traditional first mate outfit, or choose to be a little more seductive or sexy and wear flirty pink or blue outfits with Navy sailor boot cuffs, the men can try their hand at a traditional white navy or blue sailor outfit with cap to match. If you want to perfect your theme for Halloween, pick on Popeye, Captain Hook, or the Pirate for added effect.
A sailor costume can be a simple homemade outfit too – just match polyester white pants and a v-neck top in white, put a sash or ribbon around the collar and a sailor hat and you’re ready to hit the floor. If, however, you want to opt for a designer outfit there are many readily available costumes for sale online.
But it is only natural that young people are more drawn to outfits featuring pirates and buccaneers of yester years. Children’s pirate outfits include a lot of accessories like eye patches, wigs, scarves, guns, swords, and hats and come in all sizes. The adults have themes like Jack Sparrow or Davey Jones made popular in the Pirates of the Caribbean. Girls and young women can opt for variations in the pirate costume which also have eye patches, swords, guns, scarves, hats, and pirate jewelry.
Popeye the Sailor Man is that laugh inducing cartoon character who has kept children entertained for decades. Popeye sailor costumes are a huge hit with young males as well as older ones. This outfit comes with pants, a sailor shirt and collar, sailor hat, belt, and the huge padded muscled arms with the anchor tattoo. You can even make it more authentic with the unmistakable can of spinach and drool from the corner of your lips, “Aye me hearties”!
Another slightly different sailor character with a twist you can portray is Captain Hook – the villainous pirate captain from the popular Walt Disney adaptation of J M Barrie’s Peter Pan. He gets his name from the big iron hook in place of his right hand which was eaten by a crocodile. A black wig with shoulder length hair and a red hat with a feather sticking out the back can create the look of the evening. Guaranteed to get you admiring glances and pats on the back!
Whether you go for the classic navy sailor, pirate, or sexy sailor, Sailor costumes are appealing to everyone and will certainly make for an adventurous evening. | {
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Heart Stencils
Product Description
1 Product Reviews
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Great Valentine
I bought these as valentines for my daughters class, I think they were a much better valentine than the traditional paper valentines. I was pleased with the price and the customer service, when I called Misty was very helpful in placing my order. | {
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Did you know that your skin renews itself approx. every 28 days. Facials can prepare the new skin cells to be healthier, by increasing the blood circulation under the skin allowing optimal healthy skin cells to develop, giving you a beautiful natural glow.
Facials can help smooth fine lines and promote collagen which helps prevent premature aging and wrinkles. Your lymphatic system that lies just beneath your skins surface will be manipulated to help decrease puffiness and aid in detoxification.
Facials provide exfoliation that smooths you skin, improves hydration and over all skin tone. But aside from your beautiful glowing radiant skin, facials allow you time to relax, which in itself is a great stress relief.
It is recommended that you have a facial every 4-6 weeks, but it is also recommended that you prolong the results of your facial by cleansing, exfoliating, moisturizing and protecting your skin from the sun at home.
Sugar, honey, oatmeal and yogurt are all natural exfoliants that can be found at home.
Honey can reduce inflammation and helps to fight acne making it a great hydrating facial scrub.
Yogurt hydrates and exfoliates and soothes and smooths your skin. Apply plain yogurt to your face for about 20 minutes and then rinse.
Sugar is a natural source of glycolic acid which helps to remove dead skin cells. Mix 1/2 cup of sugar with enough olive oil or your oil of preference to make a paste. Apply this to your face using a gentle circular motion then rinse well.
Oatmeal has anti-inflammatory properties and is a natural moisturizer. Finely grind up one cup of oatmeal in a blender, stir in one cup of plain yogurt and 2 tbls of honey. Mix into a paste and apply to your face for 15 minutes and rinse well with warm water.
Remember before applying anything to your skin there is always a risk of an allergic reaction, make sure you do your research first and speak to an esthetician at your spa beforehand as they can recommend products that are better for your skin type once that have taken a look at your skin.
There are many elements that can damage your skins appearance from weather, stress, natural aging, and a poor diet. A facial treatment allows your face to absorb what it needs to replenish itself and will also provide you with a little bit of calmness in your busy life.
Having clear bright and healthy looking skin can put a skip in your step as we head into spring.
You can express yourself through the flowers you choose. During Victorian times, flowers took on an additional significance, as lovers would send messages to each other using different flowers, with each flower having its own meaning. It is believed that flower language actually began in Turkey during the 17th century.
For example, Roses represent everlasting love, Stephanotis is good luck, Zinnias represent lasting affection and Ivey signifies fidelity, but today’s tradition for the bouquet is really about added beauty and personal expression.
In ancient times, brides carried bunches of grains, herbs and strong smelling spices in order to ward against demons, angry spirits and bad health. Eventually, these bouquets were replaced with flowers. In Ancient Greece and Rome, the bride and groom wore floral garlands around their necks, signifying new life, hope and fertility. The groom is supposed to wear a flower that appears in the bridal bouquet in his buttonhole. This comes from the medieval tradition of a knight wearing his lady’s colours, as a celebration of his love.
According to legend, during the 15th century, people took their annual baths in May and would generally get married in June. Just to be on the safe side brides carried bouquets to mask the smell of body odour.
Today five of the most popular wedding flowers are; Roses, Calla Lilies, Hydrangeas, Peonies and Tulips.
For good luck 14th century Europeans tore fabric from the brides dress. It was believed that the bride was especially lucky on her wedding day. The piece of her dress was considered a “Good-luck keepsake”. The brides tossing of her bouquet was so she could extend a good-luck keepsake to her guests, but really it was also to avoid having her dress torn. It is considered lucky to catch the bouquet because it signifies by tradition and myth that whomever catches the bridal bouquet will be the next one married.
The Flower Shop at the Old Mill Toronto creates hand-tied European style bouquets from the sweet and romantic Victorian styles to the imaginative boldly exotic flower selections, each flower is lovingly selected to ensure your custom designed hand-tied bouquet meets your every expectation.
If you’ve never tackled stuffing and roasting a whole turkey before, or if you just need a refresher on cooking that perfect bird, this 101 cooking lesson is for you. A fresh turkey really does have a superior texture and flavour and it’s usually best to order ahead from your butcher or meat department to make sure you get the right size. If you are using a frozen turkey be sure to allow for plenty of thaw time to thaw in the refrigerator and never thaw at room temperature. The turkey for this recipe would take 2 1/2 – 3 days to thaw completely. Any stuffing you can’t fit in the bird can be cooked in a buttered casserole dish after the turkey comes out of the oven.
1. For the stuffing, melt butter over medium heat in a large skillet. Add celery, onion and garlic and saute for 5 minutes or until starting to soften. Add sage, rosemary, celery seeds, savoury (if using) and 1/2 tsp (2 ml) each salt and pepper; saute for 5 minutes or until onions start to turn golden. Pour in about 1/4 cup (60 ml) of the stock and scrape up brown bits.
2. Transfer vegetables to a large bowl and mix with bread. Add enough stock to moisten stuffing (when you squeeze it, a handful should just hold together). Season with salt and pepper, let cool completely.
3. Preheat oven to 325F (160C).
4. Remove any giblets and parts tucked in cavity of turkey and reserve for the stock if desired. Rinse turkey inside and out with cool running water and pat dry with paper towels. Place breast side up on a rack in a large roasting pan. You want at least 1 inch (2.5 cm) of space between the turkey and the sides of the pan.
5. Fill cavity with the stuffing, packing lightly, but not to tight, in order to leave room for expansion when cooking. Bring legs together towards the opening of the cavity and tie with kitchen string. Lift the flap of skin at the neck and stuff the smaller cavity, if desired.
6. Combine melted butter, sage, rosemary and about 1/2 (2 ml) each of salt and pepper in a small bowl. Brush all over the outside of the turkey.
7. Insert the probe of a meat thermometer between the leg and the breast with end of the probe into the thickest part of the thigh and without touching the bone.
8. Roast for 3 1/2 to 4 hours until thermometer for both meat and stuffing reads 180 F (82C). Transfer turkey to a large cutting board and cover loosely with foil to “tent”.
9. For the gravy, remove rack from roasting pan. Pour pan drippings into a large liquid measuring cup. Let stand for 2 minutes. Spoon off the fat that floats to the top of the cup, (an idea to speed up this process is to add ice cubes which will solidify the fat faster). Reserve 1/4 cup (60 ml); discard remaining fat. Pour in enough stock to remaining pan juices to make 3 cups (750 ml) total liquid.
10. Place the roasting pan on the stovetop over medium heat. Return the reserved fat to roasting pan and heat until sizzling. Add onion and sage and saute for 3 minutes. Sprinkle with flour and cook, while whisking to make sure flour is incorporated with the fat, for one minute. Gradually pour in the wine, while whisking. Gradually pour in the stock, keep whisking to prevent lumps. Bring to a boil then reduce heat and simmer whisking often for about 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
11. To carve the turkey, untie the legs and spoon stuffing out of the cavities into a warm serving bowl, cover and keep warm.
12. Cut legs from turkey, inserting knife between the thigh joint and the body and using the knife to cut the meat while slightly wriggling the leg to loosen the joint. Carve meat from the thigh and serve drumstick whole if desired. To cut the breast meat position the turkey so the neck is farthest away from you. Make a cut along the breast down the centre of the turkey starting from the neck and working towards you an dkeeping the knife blade as close to the bone as possible, carfully cutting themat away from the bone in one large piece. Transfer the large piece of breast to a cutting board, then cut cross wise into slices. Repeat on the left side. Cut wings loose from the body, wiggling loose as you did the legs.
Finally you are ready to serve the turkey with the hot gravy and stuffing alongside. Refrigerate any leftovers within 1 hour. Enjoy this meal with a nice Pinot Noir, the soft tannins and earthy, berry fruit notes provide the right combination of flavours for this dish or a nice Chardonnay, another favourite with a turkey dinner.
Heat olive oil in a sauté pan over medium heat and brown loins evenly on all sides. Add chopped garlic and rosemary and transfer to the oven and roast for 8-10 minutes or until cooked to desired colour. Remove the lamb from the oven and allow to rest. Season to taste. Deglaze sauté pan with a generous amount of port wine and allow to reduce over medium heat until the liquid has reached a syrupy consistency. Set aside but keep lukewarm. Drizzle finished lamb dish with rosemary port reduction. Serve with prosciutto wrapped white asparagus, butter sautéed fiddleheads, Jerusalem artichoke gratin, and minted rhubarb chutney.
Trim any brown ends of the fiddleheads and pull off any remaining skin. Wash very thoroughly under cold water. Blanche in boiling water for approximately one minute. Pull from water and strain and pat dry with paper towel. In a sauté pan over medium heat sauté the fiddleheads in butter and garlic. It’s okay if the butter browns slightly. Season to taste with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper.
Combine sugar and cider vinegar and bring to a simmer over low heat, stirring occasionally until sugar dissolves. Add rhubarb and bring to a soft boil. Cook until rhubarb is tender and mixture thickens to a jam-like consistency. Cool, incorporate chopped spearmint, and serve at room temperature.
Trim the tough ends off the asparagus. Blanche in boiling water for approximately one minute. Pull from water and apt dry with paper towel. Season asparagus with cracked black pepper and roll two spears each in a single slice of prosciutto leaving the tips exposed. Line in an olive oil greased roasting dish and roast until prosciutto has become browned. Remove from the oven and serve hot.
Scrub the Jerusalem artichokes and boil them in salted water until they are fork tender, about 10 to12 minutes. Drain, cool, and then cut into 3/8 inch slices and toss with chopped sage and salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste. Butter an appropriate sized baking dish and fill with the Jerusalem artichokes. Dot the artichokes with butter cubes and drizzle with cream. Combine breadcrumbs and grated parmesan cheese and sprinkle over the artichokes. Bake at 400 degrees until the breadcrumbs are nicely browned, approximately 20 minutes. | {
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Contents
Description
"An angry Godzilla returns to do battle once again! With Biollante and Mothra awakening both fears and hopes in humanity, only Hiroshi has a glimpse at the terrible truth! Will his village survive the monsters terrible onslaught?"
Plot
SPOILER WARNING: This section may contain major plot and/or ending details. Proceed at your own discretion. | {
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I have a blog with blogger. I have registered my blog using a gmail account. Now, I want to use a new gmail account and I wanted to import my whole blog along with the posts and comments to this new gmail id.. . Please tell me, is this possible and how can it be done?. | {
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Currently a new physics library (also based on bullet) is being made. It will be much more complete and with a better API aswell. We will not improve the old bullet plugin anymore given that a new one is coming. | {
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Jan. 29, 2014
Written by
A week ago, Gov. Steve Beshear and eight lawmakers from Northern Kentucky met in a room on the first floor of the state Capitol in Frankfort for a face-to-face discussion about the future of the $2.63 billion Brent Spence Bridge replacement.
There weren’t any cameras or reporters present, just about a dozen members of the executive and legislative branches trying to find some common ground, The Enquirer has learned exclusively through interviews with several individuals present.
The governor and three high-ranking members of his administration made the case for why the project needs to move forward. They outlined the need to replace the overcrowded, 50-year-old span in order to improve safety, traffic flow and economic development.
Lt. Gov. Jerry Abramson, who led Louisville through decades of angst over a similar project, emphasized how important it is to maintain the project’s momentum.
The administration also made it clear that the federal government is not going to pay for the project and that the state can’t foot the entire bill, so tolls will need to be imposed if it is to be built.
The meeting lasted more than an hour, and the lawmakers asked a lot of questions.
They also, for the first time, told the governor face-to-face what they’re hearing from their constituents back home: Tolls would be a burden unfairly borne by Northern Kentuckians, the project could jeopardize Covington’s fledgling economic growth, and not enough is known about the long-term effects of tolling for a project of this magnitude.
And they pointed to funding for Louisville’s Ohio River Bridges project and Eastern Kentucky’s Mountain Parkway as better deals.
In the end, no minds were changed. But the meeting was described as a starting point in what will be a long process over the coming months.
“I think at this point, we’ll have to agree to disagree,” said Simpson, an advocate for waiting to replace the bridge.
But a governor always has a Plan B.
On Thursday morning, roughly 17 hours after the meeting with lawmakers, Bond, Hancock and Russ Romine, Hancock’s chief adviser, held a 30-minute conference call with top Northern Kentucky business leaders to brief them and enlist their help, The Enquirer has learned exclusively.
“The governor certainly understands the political concerns surrounding the Brent Spence Bridge,” Hancock said. “But it is important to keep the project moving forward, and involving the business community and top business leaders in Northern Kentucky can help to make that happen.”
Participants included heavy hitters such as Covington developer Wayne Carlisle, EGC Construction CEO Ray Beil, Bank of Kentucky CEO Bob Zapp, Duke Energy Ohio and Kentucky president Jim Henning, former Covington mayor Chuck Scheper, and C-Forward Technologies president Brent Cooper, who will take over as interim president of the Northern Kentucky Chamber of Commerce on Feb. 10.
“Replacing the Brent Spence Bridge is one of the most important infrastructure projects in the history of Northern Kentucky,” Carlisle said. “I applaud Gov. Beshear for his leadership on this issue, and I’m proud to stand with him.
“The Brent Spence Bridge is the spinal cord of our region,” Carlisle said. “Without a new bridge, our entire region will suffer. We must keep the traffic flowing. The time has come for us to unite as a community and make the tough decisions about building a new bridge. Hopefully, we can all work together and gain the needed support of Northern Kentucky leaders to move the project ahead.”
The business leaders are expected to travel to Frankfort in the coming weeks to meet with lawmakers. Their involvement shouldn’t be interpreted as an endorsement of the preliminary financing plan Beshear’s administration proposed in December, which calls for tolls to pay the vast majority of construction costs. Rather, it’s a sign of the growing belief that the fate of the Brent Spence Bridge project may very well hinge on what happens in Frankfort between now and mid-April.
“I want to make sure the concerns that have been raised by Covington residents and businesses are addressed,” Scheper said. “It is important to be at the table while this very important project is being discussed, and I appreciate the governor involving us in the process.”
Last week proved to be a pivotal one for the Brent Spence Bridge project, between the governor’s meeting with lawmakers and enlisting the aid of business leaders. Both actions reflect his commitment to moving the project forward – and the growing sense of urgency within his administration.
It is widely believed that the project has reached a critical stage, and an agreement on how to pay for it must be reached in the coming months if it is to move forward.
If not, as lawmakers were warned in last week’s meeting, it could be another 10 or 20 years before the Brent Spence Bridge is replaced. ⬛
As an Enquirer columnist, I shed light and provide perspective on the people and issues important to Northern Kentucky. Email me [email protected]. | {
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"Good stories often introduce the marvelous or supernatural, and nothing about Story has been so often misunderstood as this." - C.S. Lewis
Friday, March 16, 2012
Classics: DS9 7:13 - Field of Fire
Overall Rating: 4.8
Ezri...I love ya, but they just didn't give you a ton to work with, did they? :(
Plot Synopsis:
Wiki-link here...think forty-five minutes of crazy cop/incompetent cop starring a figment and a person who has no business doing criminal investigation.
The Skinny:
Fans hated this episode because, "Oh noes! the Vulcan was the bad guy again!" But I don't really care about that. I am personally deeply skeptical of the modern Vulcan anyway. Spock's balance of humanity, emotion, and logic always made way more sense than the dogmatic modern Vulcans and their wooden existences. I think the bigger problem with this episode is that it makes no sense and doesn't really follow its own rules. There are nice scenes throughout the story and it should, therefore, have worked well, but the writers evidently had no idea how to string those nice scenes together into a logical story. Here are a few examples of the problems I see with the concept.
Why is Ezri doing this investigation and not Odo? Odo is the smartest guy in the universe when it comes to bizarre murder cases. I know he participates in the early stages of the investigation, but it sure seems like nothing Ezri did couldn't be done by Odo except for...
...magically figuring out who the killer is just by looking into his wooden face. Um...WTF? How does looking at a guy in a turbolift convince you he's the murderer. I guess we're supposed to swallow that it takes a killer to know one and that Ezri's killer background is helping her spot that evil glint in the eye. Ugh. But even once you get past that, she admits she needs evidence. So...
...she gets her evidence because the killer himself tries to shoot her because he somehow knew that she was onto him?! What...did he have magical Trill powers too?
And...after Ezri attempts MURDER why isn't she in a holding cell for...um...attempted murder? Odo tends to come down hard on such lawlessness. And speaking of that...why was she speaking to SISKO in that scene? Shouldn't Odo have had her in the security office and been giving her the "WTF, Bitch?!" look?
The pop-psych stuff about the repressed Vulcan suffering from post-traumatic stress and it expressing itself as a hatred of joy actually makes sense to me...sorry Trek fans, but when you make a career of hating your own emotions and thinking they'll betray you as the Vulcans do, it's not a big step to go from that to hating other peoples' emotions if you can't deal with your own anymore. But that is about the ONLY thing that makes sense in this script. Well...that and the fact that O'Brien and Bashir would figure out the displaced targeting trick. Although...why Starfleet didn't figure that out a century ago and start using it to assassinate Weyoun clones one by one is beyond me. That weapon is BAD-ASS! We should be using it to kick some Dominion tail! Of course the magic "I can look anywhere the plot demands I look" spyglass of doom is um...a little disturbing and physically impossible. :) But moving on.
Overall...the scenes work nicely in isolation and if you turn off your brain and don't question the failed logic or the technobabble weapon. But that isn't going to fly...you have to have your story follow an internal logic that fits with the rest of canon law. This one fails miserably on that score. Ezri's character work...that still works, but it's not enough to save the script from utter ruin.
Writing: 2.5
I'm giving the writing a bit of credit for being original and for doing some nice work with Joran and Ezri...but...only a little credit. The plot makes no sense, the gadget is never seen again despite its awesome superiority to the standard issue phaser, and the villain isn't given enough screen time.
Acting: 7.0
DeBoer and guest star Leigh McCloskey (Joran) work pretty well together, though Joran bears absolutely ZERO resemblance to the guy we saw in the original third season episode.
Message: 5.0
I am dinging this episode just a bit for suggesting that getting inside the head of a killer is ever a productive thing to do. :) Otherwise, it's message-less. | {
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CCL Podcast Categories
Followers
Politicians don’t create political will, they respond to it. We believe citizens who are well-trained, organized and with a good system of support can more than influence the political process.
We invite you to live into the opportunity that democracy offers, and in exercising that right as citizens, lift your nation to the task at hand on global warming and climate change, that of protecting our ability to live on planet Earth. | {
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Operation FALCON 2009
Captures Nearly 2,500 Fugitives in the Western
District of Texas
Austin, TX –
The 68 counties in the Western District of Texas are
much safer this week as local, state, and federal
law enforcement joined forces for a month-long
fugitive apprehension effort. Following a five-year
tradition of success in its national efforts, the
U.S. Marshals Service locally conducted another
successful Operation FALCON – Federal and Local Cops
Organized Nationally. Led by the U.S. Marshals,
Operation FALCON 2009 netted 2,495 arrests and 2,988
warrants cleared within the Western District of
Texas in June.
Operation FALCON –
Austin combined the collective efforts of multiple
law enforcement agencies in one of the area’s
largest-ever fugitive initiatives, focusing on
capturing individuals wanted on felony charges
including sexual predators and fugitives wanted for
crimes of violence. Over the course of the 30-day
operation, Deputy U.S. Marshals, teamed with
federal, state and local law enforcement partners,
arrested 288 fugitives, clearing 322 warrants in the
central Texas area.
Clint Crisp was a
fugitive wanted by the U.S. Marshals for alleged
sexual assaults against children in multiple states.
A team of Deputy U.S. Marshals, with fellow law
enforcement officers, arrested Crisp in northwest
Austin working in a traveling carnival.
“The goal of
Operation FALCON is simple – to make communities
safer,” said John F. Clark, Director of the U.S.
Marshals Service. “Each time we wrap up a FALCON
operation in any location, there are less dangerous
individuals – and fewer threats to the community –
than before we arrived there. That is very
gratifying.”
peration FALCON –
Austin consisted of approximately 19 federal, state
and local law enforcement officers, making up
multiple arrest teams working throughout the
operation. Each participating local officer was
sworn in as a Special Deputy U.S. Marshal
immediately prior to the start of this operation.
This special authority empowers them to cross
traditional lines of jurisdiction to track down and
arrest targeted fugitives throughout the operation.
“The cooperation and
enthusiasm of law enforcement agencies in the
Western District of Texas has always been
incredible,” said U.S. Marshal LaFayette Collins.
“We are facing new challenges in law enforcement and
must always adapt to overcome sometimes overwhelming
odds when faced with the criminal element that
places our communities in danger. With our law
enforcement partners, law enforcement at all levels
are dedicated to a safer Texas, nation and world and
it shows in this tremendous success.”
Since its inception
in 2005, Operation FALCON has made 91,086 arrests
and cleared 117,874 warrants. It continues to be the
largest and most successful fugitive apprehension
effort in U.S. Marshals history. | {
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It would, of course, be silly to draw conclusions from a single, gentle preseason friendly, disputed by two teams a little short of full strength, and which inevitably turned into a parade of second-half substitutions. Even so, Barcelona's 3-0 win Wednesday over Boca Juniors provides more evidence toward a clear conclusion: how rich South American football is, and how poor the continent's club game has become.
Boca Juniors were not disgraced -- and yet they could have lost by a much wider margin.... | {
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DIY Sleep – Luddite’s Style
I have two shocking confessions. The first is that my first and only smart phone to date is an employee issued Blackberry Bold. The second is that I appear to snore – a lot. To the second confession, I have an apology to make. To all of those friends and family members I have shaed a room with, I am sorry about the snoring thing. (Errr, a small explanation, room sharing means the same sleeping areas, for example a dorm in a hostel…).
The two confessions are related in the following way. To start, I thought I had a health problem (snoring) and being a Do It Yourself (DIY) kinda guy, I went out and bought a digital voice recorder and software for analyzing sound. Over the past few nights, I have been recording the ambient room noise and then analyzing them with the software. I have done this to confirm that yep, I sure as heck snore.
Sound Sample from May 9th.
The above graphic I plan to give to my family doctor physician when I see him next week. Not sure what happens next but I do I hope to start sharing rooms with friends and family once again (in a platonic hostel-dorm sort of way).
The smart phone confession comes in when I thought, “This is brilliant, why hasn’t someone built an app for this (recording and analyzing snoring)”. Well lo and behold, about 100 different apps available on the market (google ‘app snore sound record’ for about 700,000 hits). Had I been more smartphone savvy and less of a Luddite, I would have realized that instead of a DIY solution, my Blackberry could have done this with an app that is either free or at most a few bucks.
Looking a head 10 years, perhaps it might be strange to your family physician if you did not show up with a record of your sleep – whether you suffered from snoring or not. Of course the smart phone 10 years hence may also tell your doctor your average blood sugar, physical activity, pulse rate, blood pressure and karma/fung shi levels as well. In other words, the smart phone may become our most powerful tool to maintain a healthy lifestyle.
There is an Orwellian double-edge sword here. What happens if that information is not freely given but instead is demanded by insurance companies, employers, health authorities or governments. This is not as much of a stretch as you think. The US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) estimates that there are 1,550 fatalities and 40,000 injuries as a result of driving drowsy. People who do not drink or smoke get insurance breaks – why not people who sleep well? Employers can test for drugs, why not how well you have slept over the last month?
George Orwell aside, I hope my Luddite-DIY-Snore information can help me get a better night’s sleep in the coming months. Wish me luck! | {
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View Royal Petition
Posted on May 9, 2016 by Jeff Martens
Dear Neighbours,
I have started a petition to see what the support level is in the neighborhood to see changes made to Six Mile Road that would make pedestrian crossing safer and bring awareness to drivers who are driving in excess of the speed limit.
I am trying to speak directly with everyone who lives in the neighbourhood and who uses Six Mile Road to get to and from their home. The map below shows the neighborhood I am canvassing as well as the proposed locations of the enhanced crosswalks on Six Mile Road.
I have been canvassing the neighbourhood for a couple of weeks asking two questions:
Do you want to see the traffic on Six Mile Road slowed down?
Are you willing to attend a community forum to voice this message?
The vast majority (99%) of people living in the neighbourhood that I have spoke with strongly support efforts to slow down traffic on Six Mile Road and make pedestrian crossing of the road more accessible and safer. With ongoing development on Six Mile Road, including retail businesses that encourage neighborhood shopping and more frequent crossing of Six Mile Road, the dangers of not having safe crosswalks along the road is only increasing.
The further development in the Thetis Vale and Chilco Road areas is only increasing the density of the neighbourhood and increasing the number of people directly impacted by these improvements, not to mention the signifcant increase in street traffic we receive during the summer months.
The proposed changes that will be presented to the Mayor of View Royal, Mr. David Screech, are as follows:
Increase awareness of the current crosswalk on Six Mile Road, crossing between Chilco Rd and Nursury Hill Road. The crosswalk will be much more visible with overhead lighted signage that is controlled by pedestrians on either side of the road.
Add a second crosswalk, same as above, on Six Mile Road that goes between the bus stops close to Damon Drive.
Place speed readers on the posts of either side of the crosswalk, indicating drivers' speed and flashing "slow down" when speed in excess of 50km per hour is reached.
These changes will make pedestrian crossing more accessible and safer along Six Mile Road, while naturally decreasing the speed of traffic on the road through increased awareness of driver speed.
If you have not been contacted please email or phone me to vote for, or against, the proposed changes [email protected] or 250-812-6492.
Also, please leave any comments you have about the proposed changes or personal experiences that support the proposed changes in the comments below. This page and the comments will be shared with the mayor and decision makers at city hall.
Comments:
Catherine Wehrle
on May 9, 2016 10:19 PM posted:
To whoever is interested in Road Safety on 6-Mile Road, View Royal.
Issue
The traffic on 6-Mile road is excessive particularly between 7:30 and 8:30 and 3:30 to 6pm. During the afternoon rush hour frustrated drivers coming from Collwood or Esquimalt turn off Old Island Highway onto 6 mile Road for access to the TransCanada Highway (TCH). As a driver and a pedestrian living on Damon Drive I have observed many drivers speeding up 6-Mile road to the access the ramp to enter the TCH. There are no posted speed signs on 6-Mile road albeit a major road.
Background
Recently I got into a vehicular accident departing Damon Drive ‘stop line’ turning left onto 6 mile Road. While no one was injured it brought to mind my civil responsibility to point out dangerous situations in the hopes that others do not have the similar experience with greater consequence.
Six Mile Road, with a functional classification as a Major Road, is under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Transportation as this route serves as primary connection between the Island Highway, the TCH and Thetis Lake Park. Six Mile Road also serves residential developments within the Atkins Road Planning Area.... Plans exist to construct a sidewalk on the west side of the roadway and a roundabout at the intersection with Atkins Road1.
Furthermore according to Traffic Zone 5520 in order to mitigate the impact of full build-out of this zone, a new intersection configuration would be necessary at the intersection of Six Mile Rd. / Atkins Road. It is anticipated that the planned ‘roundabout’ at this location would effectively manage this new traffic2.
Analysis
In the Aug 02, 2006 edition, the Goldstream News Gazette writes “Further down the road in 2008, Phase 3 is a $1-million roundabout at Atkins Road and Six Mile, complete with landscaping3 would be constructed. It is now 2016 and residents feeding into 6-Mile Road are still waiting for this roundabout. Allegedly funding was to be provided by the new developments being built in the area...obviously this never happened. The roundabout would provide a safe alternative. This would allow resident to turn right, join 6-Mile road instead of crossing the busy traffic.
1http://www.viewroyal.ca/assets/Town~Hall/Documents~and~Forms/Engineering~Documents~and~Forms/TMP%20Chapter%2 04.pdf 2http://www.viewroyal.ca/assets/Town~Hall/Documents~and~Forms/Engineering~Documents~and~Forms/TMP%20Chapter%2 05.pdf
3 http://vibrantvictoria.ca/forum/index.php?/topic/48-local-road-and-highway-development-conditions/

Entering 6 mile Road from Damon Drive turning left has poor sight distance because of the hill between Damon Drive and Sooke Highway (see Chart 1). The original plan for a roundabout at Atkins road would allow vehicles to make a right turn to safely enter 6-Mile road.
Imagine sitting in your car and you are about to enter the road. You look up and down the road before proceeding. The point where you observe the road is the sight distance. This is important because you need to see approaching traffic and they need to see you. Required sight distances are dependent upon posted speed limits. Posted speed limits are the white regulatory signs and not the yellow curve advisory sign4.
Chart 1.
Posted speed of road – km/h
Required sight distance – meters
Required sight distance – feet
40

80


260
50
100
330
60
120
395
70

140


460
80
160
525
Summary
While I do not know how fast the car was going on 6-Mile road when my bumper on my car was clipped, what I do know is I did not see him coming until it was too late. ICBC found me 100% responsible and I did not waste my time and money contesting ICBC’s claim, however, ironically the RCMP who were on scene did not ticket me.
Recommendation
To ameliorate this dangerous situation:
1. Post speed signs on 6-Mile Road – past Shell gas station before hill;
2. Install a traffic speed monitor - past Shell gas Station before hill; and
3. Expedite the building of the Atkins Roundabout (promised 2008)
4 http://www.th.gov.bc.ca/Development_approvals/driveways.htm
Stuart O'Connor
on May 10, 2016 1:50 PM posted:
We fully support Jeff's initiative, and feel this is very important to us and our community safety. There are many children in the area and we must do our best to protect them, and any cost!!!
Laura Nelson
on May 10, 2016 6:12 PM posted:
Having a toddler and a dog, I am extremely sensitive to speeding cars. Vehicles drive up and down this street so quickly with zero awareness of people walking or trying to cross the street. I do not feel that this street is a safe place to walk with my family. I also know that the traffic congestion on 6 mile is ridiculous at peak travel times. A neighbour told me a round about was suppose to go in to help with the congestion AND the speed limit. But apparently, it never went in. I feel that if something isn't done to change the speed on this road that something tragic will happen. Let's be proactive and not wait for that to happen to our community.
Cindy L Millar
on May 10, 2016 8:10 PM posted:
All your ideas sound really good to me, I think it is a great idea for crosswalk lights I am so surprised no one has been hit yet, I have lived on Nursery hill drive for almost two years and I have seen some close calls. Also, when I turn on to Nursery hill drive I'm surprised no one has hit me from behind they are going so fast I have no idea what the rush is and they don't even live around there they usually turn onto the highway!!
Lisa O'Connor
on May 11, 2016 8:27 AM posted:
A pedestrian lit crosswalk sign that also posts the speed limit is very necessary at the current crosswalk on 6-mile road located near the TCH. With more and more development for residential properties in this area, there are more people that use this crossing point. Now that there are shops across the street this will increase even more. Drivers use the entire 6-mile road as an off-ramp from the highway with very little regard for how fast they are driving and they definitely do no stop for pedestrians trying to cross the road. Speed limit signs need to be posted coming off the TCH as well as were Jeff has indicated coming from the Shell station. I hope that you don't wait until there is a tragedy on this road before taking action and fixing this problem.
Mickey MacBurney
on May 12, 2016 2:23 PM posted:
Thank you Jeff for starting this petition. I am in full agreement with the residents of the six mile road area. Six mile road is a race track in a residual area and so far if your just one person all you receive is lip service from the different government bodies. Let's give Jeff all the support he needs to fight the fight.
Loretta Larocque
on May 12, 2016 5:37 PM posted:
I walk my dog daily and watch the vehicles speed up and down 6 mile road. It gets worse in the summer when many people hang out in Thetis lake, and drive in and out of this area. While I enjoy the lake too, I sure hope pedestrians and drivers has a safe summer. Something has to be done, particularly with new businesses joining this corridor.
I hope the ToVR does not use crisscross white lines to facilitate illegal maneuvers in and out of the gas station, pub and liquor store. Double lines are not to be crossed, we are to stay of the right of them...what a mess when you turn onto 6mile road and are faced with vehicles crossing the yellow line to enter pub or liquor store. This is incredibly dangerous, particularly when oncoming traffic approach the light to turn right onto Old Island Hwy....Shame on the ToVR
Amanda Bissett
on May 13, 2016 5:52 PM posted:
We fully support Jeff's initiative to increase the safety of six mile road and the awareness of how fast people are going on this road so close to family homes and a beautiful lake despite being the road that leads to the on ramp of the trans Canada hwy. we are looking forward to doing whatever is necessary to help support Jeff and this initiative. Please take the time to post a comment or contact Jeff to do your part! Nursery Hill Dr family resident
Bob Moore
on May 15, 2016 10:37 PM posted:
I am for changes to improve the live-ability along Six Mile Rd. Beyond the speed and noise issue is the very dangerous X-walk at Nursery, as you have highlighted. To be fair, drivers can't see the walk driving toward the TransCanada until they are on it. I approached VR Engineering to install flashing lights there. This was made part of the budget deliberations but I do not know the outcome and no one got back to me. It is indeed time to up the volume. The problem for VR, of course, is that this is not a VR thoroughfare but rather Ministry of Transport and being so small it is not likely on their radar at all. However, VR should have more influence with them than us.
Thanks for you efforts.
Richard Beaumont
on May 21, 2016 8:01 PM posted:
I live right behind the shell station. I can hear drivers on wet rainy nights revving their engines before fishtailing it out of the lot and charging up six mile. unfortunately by the time I hear them my camera is still switching on and going to the camera app after they have done so.
I have a new baby, a small child, a dog and change is necessary!!
I have no NO faith the RCMP will respond to any complaint or our elected village officials. However, hopefully this petition will bring all parties together.
Shawna Wilson
on May 25, 2016 3:16 PM posted:
I fully support this petition. The speed at which cars travel along Six Mile is not acceptable. The lack of speed signs (there is only 1) needs to be addressed. The addition of pedestrian activated crossing lights will save a life. I have had many close calls when cross not only at the Nursery Hill crossing, but also at the crosswalk further towards Thetis Lake. I strongly encourage the Town of View Royal to do their part to ensure the safety of the taxpaying residents of the Six Mile area and to also follow through on the plans to install a round about at Atkins as was their original plan several years ago.
Hari Krishan Sharma
on Jun 23, 2016 6:42 PM posted:
I support any move which is for the safety of neighborhood..
Sean Daniel
on Aug 31, 2016 12:03 AM posted:
Fully support.
If you live up Six Mile and take the bus into work, getting home can be treacherous. Often you're trying to cross Six Mile in the pouring rain when it's dark out and people are ripping around corners. I don't feel you can wear enough lights to stop the traffic in these conditions.
Malik Aziz
on Sep 2, 2016 5:54 PM posted:
I am fully support of intsalling cross walk or spread reader at cross of Damon rd and six mile
We live up on Damon Drive and for last few years we are seeing the cars at high speed on six mile. Turning to six mile rd from damon rd is some time very risky due to high speed of cars coming from both direction
We fully support this initiative
Hari Krishan Sharma
on Sep 2, 2016 6:02 PM posted:
I live on Nursery Hill Drive... I support this move to install cross walk at Six Mile Road.
Mick and Jan
on Sep 6, 2016 8:33 PM posted:
Way to go Jeff! Your hard work is paying off. Just saw the digital speed sign installed on Six Mile Road at Atkins.
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Jeff Martens
At Your Service!
I make myself available at all times. My web site is here to help you 24 hours a day. You can search listings at your own convenience, browse reports, and read up on real estate info on your own terms. When you are ready to see a listing in person, or just have a simple question, please don't hesitate to contact me! | {
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Use the Gear Selector to browse and narrow down your selection based on your requirements.
Roland Jupiter-8
The Jupiter 8 (JP-8) is a highly sought instrument, and their value keeps increasing. It has 2 tunable oscillators, and a flexible LFO and envelope section. You can now have on demand access to this synth. The Kenton ProDCB interface is required for midi. Watch some demos:Demo | {
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NORTHLANDS INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL
Northlands' aim is to educate young people to the full extent of their
individual potential, so that after completing their Schooling they will
feel capable of pursuing their life choice with responsibility, commitment,
satisfaction and joy. Our goal is that our students become individuals whose
integrity and moral values will lead them to choose freely what is right.
One of the hardest and most important decisions that a parent has to make is
to choose the adequate school for his/her children. Northlands considers
that each new student entering the School represents a mutual long-term
commitment between the institution, the student and the family. This is a
demanding relation for each of the parties, but provides unique and lifelong
benefits, both for our students and for their families.
To ensure that this commitment may be mutually fulfilled, the School has
set up different guidelines for the admission of its students. We hope that
through our rigorous admission process the applicant families as well as the
School may obtain the required information to determine if Northlands is the
adequate School for the applicant.
Kindergarten Education
NORTHLANDS offers an all-embracing curriculum that works on
physical, social, emotional, intellectual, ethic and aesthetic
aspects through teaching and learning strategies focused on
encouraging curiosity and the desire to know in children. Our young
students strengthen their self-esteem, develop their understanding
of their immediate surroundings and acquire the necessary skills to
do work and express their ideas in both English and Spanish.
Primary Education
NORTHLANDS offers an all-embracing curriculum based on inquiry and
research as the ideal vehicles for learning. We provide a caring and
stimulating environment where children enjoy doing their work and
develop positive academic and inter-personal attitudes,
self-confidence and self-discipline. Students take the lead by
making the learning process their own: they are encouraged to make
choices, take decisions and ask questions, thus broadening their
range of interests and knowledge.
Secondary Education
NORTHLANDS offers high quality secondary education, awakening in
students an interest in and curiosity for the academic world,
raising an international awareness and cultivating the appreciation
of culture. During this phase students develop critical thinking
skills, creativity and autonomy. Individual talents and personal
interests are nurtured so that students can make satisfactory career
choices at the end of their school life.
ENROLMENT
Total Student Enrolment: 2,002
Day School - Number of Boys: 909
Day School - Number of Girls: 1,093
Boarding School - Number of Boys:
Boarding School - Number of Girls:
Early Childhood: 402
Primary/Elementary: 878
Middle School: Senior/High School: 722 | {
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Free Agent Focus: Lamarr Houston
As mentioned earlier this week, the next of potential free agent targets for the Atlanta Falcons worth examining is Oakland Raiders defensive end Lamarr Houston.
Houston doesn’t distinguish himself as the best available pass-rusher this offseason, but is probably the best fit for the multiple defense run by Mike Nolan here in Atlanta.
Houston spent the bulk of his first three seasons in Oakland playing left defensive end, where he excelled as a run defender. He finished in the top 10 according to Pro Football Focus’ run-stopping grades among 4-3 defensive ends in those years, with top 5 finishes in each of the past three seasons.
But Houston’s role in 2013 changed. In their attempts to feature him more as a pass-rusher, the Raiders switched Houston to the right side of the defense where he no longer rushed with his hand on the ground. Instead he spent the bulk of the season playing with his hand off the ground. Essentially Houston was transformed into the league’s largest rush linebacker.
He responded with a career-high six sacks and two forced fumbles and matched his career-high of 69 tackles from 2012. Clearly those numbers don’t indicate a world-class pass-rusher, but Houston is able to consistently get pressure despite not tallying a bunch of sacks. He has totaled 126 pressures (according to Pro Football Focus) combined over the past four years, compared to the 107 that current Falcon edge-rusher Osi Umenyiora has accumulated.
Listed at 300 pounds, it’s likely that Houston played at something closer to 280 this past season. He looked very similar in his build to Jonathan Babineaux back when he was listed at 285 in his younger days in Atlanta.
Strengths:
Good first step that does a good job bull-rushing because he can convert speed to power.
Adept at getting leverage against the run and making stops in pursuit.
Athletic and rangy for a big man that is comfortable dropping into coverage and playing in space.
Weaknesses:
Complementary rusher that is not a guy that you want anchoring a pass rush as the “top dog.”
Doesn’t have the bulk or size to consistently hold up inside against bulkier guards.
Lacks top-end burst and quickness to beat premier left tackles.
How He Fits in Atlanta…
One of the reasons to be high on Houston is because of his versatility and upside. He is a player that may not have peaked yet in the NFL due to the fact that he hasn’t firmly found a role. Houston played defensive tackle in college at Texas, but has been primarily used on the outside at defensive end and linebacker in the pros. For a creative defensive coordinator like Nolan, he could find ways to get more out of his ability than what the Raiders were able to achieve over the past four seasons.
Another reason to like Houston is because he is very reminiscent of Babineaux, a player that is considered undersized by some standards for a defensive tackle but makes up for it with excellent athleticism to do things that most defensive tackles are unable to do. Nolan often used Babineaux as a movable chess piece in 2012 with the majority of his snaps coming inside as a three-technique defensive tackle. But Babineaux also played on the edge at times playing a five-technique and seven-technique defensive end, and even lined up with his hand off the ground and being used somewhat like a linebacker. In 2012, the Falcons were successful in using Babineaux in their schemes to stall Jimmy Graham, and Houston can be used in that same manner.
Houston has shown the past few years that he’s capable of being used in the same manner. And given that the Falcons are also looking for an heir apparent for Babineaux, Houston is tailor-made for the Falcons.
Primarily Houston will be expected to play left defensive end in Atlanta’s base defense, essentially the exact same role that Peria Jerry played this past season. There, he will be used mostly as a five-technique end, similar to how he was used his first three years in Oakland. In passing situations however, Houston could move inside, especially if the Falcons manage to add another edge-rusher later this offseason. But as previously mentioned, he could be used all over the formation to help create confusion. If the Falcons are successful in bringing back Babineaux, having two defenders that can line up in a variety of ways just makes Nolan’s ability to draw up more exotic pressure schemes easier.
Houston won’t solve the Falcons pass rush woes, but he’s a good first step in the right direction. Frankly, he’s a better option than anybody currently on the team’s roster. If coupled with a top-tier pass-rusher from the draft, he can be used in his ideal role which is second-fiddle to a premier guy. Houston is the type of guy that can take advantage of lesser tackles one-on-one, particularly right tackles as he did against Tyson Clabo in the Falcons-Raiders matchup of 2012.
Houston may not be as sexy or put up the eye-popping sack totals of other available pass-rushers, but he would be a big upgrade for the Falcons defense because he is such a good fit. | {
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God’s Acre
Short Film – Alberta (March 2015 – August 2016)
Movie Details
Overview
God's Acre is the story of an older Aboriginal man being forced to adapt to a constantly changing world. Climate change has altered the way people live, bringing droughts and floods to previously unaffected areas. And yet, a man continues to live alone in the wilderness like his family before him. Even before global warming and it's catastrophic consequences, he was an outlier to society. His roots remained firmly planted in the customs his family passed on to him. However, every day the outside world's problems are landing closer to his doorstep. Water is rising and swallowing the land his cabin stands on. Now, he must abandon his birthplace or adapt to the new conditions. | {
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inttypes.h
/** @file * IPRT / No-CRT - Our minimal inttypes.h. *//* * Copyright (C) 2006-2007 Sun Microsystems, Inc. * * This file is part of VirtualBox Open Source Edition (OSE), as * available from http://www.virtualbox.org. This file is free software; * you can redistribute it and/or modify it under the terms of the GNU * General Public License (GPL) as published by the Free Software * Foundation, in version 2 as it comes in the "COPYING" file of the * VirtualBox OSE distribution. VirtualBox OSE is distributed in the * hope that it will be useful, but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY of any kind. * * The contents of this file may alternatively be used under the terms * of the Common Development and Distribution License Version 1.0 * (CDDL) only, as it comes in the "COPYING.CDDL" file of the * VirtualBox OSE distribution, in which case the provisions of the * CDDL are applicable instead of those of the GPL. * * You may elect to license modified versions of this file under the * terms and conditions of either the GPL or the CDDL or both. * * Please contact Sun Microsystems, Inc., 4150 Network Circle, Santa * Clara, CA 95054 USA or visit http://www.sun.com if you need * additional information or have any questions. */#ifndef ___iprt_nocrt_inttypes_h#define ___iprt_nocrt_inttypes_h#include <iprt/types.h>#define PRId64 "RI64"#define PRIx64 "RX64"#define PRIu64 "RU64"#define PRIo64 huh? anyone using this? great!#endif | {
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Playstation plus code de reduction
in his Consumer Electronics Show keynote speech that.2 million PS4 units had been sold-through by the end of 2013, 167 with more than.7 million software units sold. Archived from the original on February 19, 2008. "PS3 dual boot GameOS/Linux CFW released". Ayashige Ikka no Kuroi Kage Ganbare Goemon: edo Daikaiten Ganbare Goemon: Uch Kaizoku Akogingu Ganbare Morikawa-kun 2nd Pet in TV Gangway Monsters Gardien des ténèbres, Le Gatekeepers Gauntlet Legends Gear Senshi Dendoh Gegege no Kitar: Gyakush! 149 Post-release The PlayStation 4 has received very positive reviews by critics. 205 Its model number is CUH-7000. The system's gddr5 memory is capable of running at a maximum clock frequency.75 GHz (5500 MT/s) and has a maximum memory bandwidth of 176 GB/s.
208 In a July 2008 interview, Hirai stated that his objective is for PlayStation 3 to sell 150 million units by its ninth year, surpassing PlayStation 2's sales of 140 million in its nine years on the market. "PS4: 'Sony Made Wise Choices' - Carmack". Sony Supplemental Information for the Consolidated Financial Results for the First Quarter Ended June 30, 2018. However, they criticized the exterior design and the build quality in relation to the original model. "Sony's Hirai eyes PS3 profit as costs decline". Shah, Niraj (February 22, 2013). "Eye spy: Has Sony found its answer to Kinect?".
PlayStation Home code réduction bol d'air Main article: PlayStation Home PlayStation Home was a virtual 3D social networking service for the PlayStation Network. The console's controller was also redesigned and improved over the PlayStation 3, with improved buttons and analog sticks, and an integrated touchpad among other changes. Services from third-party vendors, such as Netflix and Amazon Video, can be accessible within the interface. 69 The dual camera setup allows for different modes of operation, depending on the initiated and running application. 83 In December 2016, Valve 's Steam platform was updated to provide support and controller customization functionality for DualShock 4, through existing APIs for the Steam Controller. Archived from the original on June 19, 2013. "Life With PlayStation out now". As of September 24, 2009, there have been over 600 million downloads from the PlayStation Store worldwide. | {
"pile_set_name": "Pile-CC"
} |
Financial
expert James Reynolds '82 is changing some bleak numbers
to offer a better life for Chicago's poor
By
Matt Golosinski
The figures
are striking: Only 38 percent of black males in Chicago graduated
high school between 1995 and 2005. Some 53 percent of Chicago's
black men between the ages of 25 and 34 are either unemployed
or else earn too little to support a family of four. More than
60 percent of inmates in Illinois prisons are African-American,
despite comprising just 13 percent of the state's overall population.
"Every time I see those statistics,
I continue to be amazed," says James Reynolds '82,
co-founder, chairman and CEO of Chicago-based Loop Capital
Markets, an investment firm with nearly a dozen offices and
100 employees across the U.S. "Those statistics are mind-boggling
in this day and time."
Behind those numbers, he
says, is a sobering reality about disparity in educational
and employment opportunities. The Kellogg MBA finance graduate
is doing something to change reality for the better.
Born in Chicago's rough Englewood neighborhood,
Reynolds, 53, understands the devastating effects that joblessness
has when it breeds crime and addiction. He also knows that
transforming this situation requires strengthening the community's
economic foundation. This is why Reynolds, in addition to
running the firm he co-founded in 1997 after serving as director
at Merrill Lynch, is throwing his enthusiasm and more than
two decades of business acumen into an effort to make a broad
difference.
As chairman of the Chicago Urban League, a storied
organization founded in 1916, Reynolds helps guide efforts
to promote social and economic advancement for the city's
black citizens. Traditionally regarded as a social services
entity, the Urban League in 2007 shifted its focus with the
appointment of Cheryle Jackson (NU '88) as its new
president and CEO — the first woman to hold the roles.
Reynolds says the Urban League now focuses on economic development.
"You have to pick your spots in terms of the things
that are most critical and where your resources can make the
most difference," he says. "There are a lot of organizations
doing social service, but there really weren't any doing the
economic piece we're trying to do. Others really weren't looking
at certain crises, such as with the African-American male,
the way we are."
The revamped Urban League is addressing underlying
economic issues related to a host of social ills. By applying
remedy at the roots, the group hopes to provide the tools
to lift people out of poverty. Reynolds says the Urban League
is examining big challenges and seeking big answers.
"How can we put together
programs to understand what drives the despair in a young
person at age 14 or 15, that really makes them feel it's a
viable option to drop out of school?" says Reynolds, who recalls
the importance of setting goals for himself as a child. "I
don't think that at any point in my life did I ever feel there
was a low ceiling, that there were things I couldn't accomplish
if I worked hard."
Besides generating policy
and research papers, Urban League initiatives like "projectnext"
offer an array of educational tools, such as scholarships,
career development, financial literacy, leadership training,
college application assistance and service learning. Programs
like "I Am" are designed to empower black males, and with "nextMOVE.jobs"
the Urban League is strategically placing African-American
talent with employers. Through a collaboration with the Kellogg
School announced in July 2007, the Urban League's Entrepreneurship
Center will provide support and resources to minority business
owners, helping them expand their ventures and gain access
to capital and contracts.
"Jim is a wonderful businessman, civic leader
and Kellogg alum," Rogers says. "He has a brilliant mind and
a huge heart that is committed to helping others." Rogers
notes Reynolds' contributions to the school, including his
financial support for Kellogg entrepreneurial programs and
his participation as a speaker at conferences and other events.
"He truly embodies everything that Kellogg stands for —
leadership that makes a difference!"
In addition to his Kellogg
participation, Reynolds serves on the boards of several organizations,
including the Chicago Historical Society, University of Chicago
Hospitals and the Chicago Zoological Society. He finds that
his Loop Capital role matches well with his civic efforts,
especially at the Urban League.
"It's a tremendous intersection
because I'm a businessman and an entrepreneur," he says. "I'm
a big believer in economic development. I believe that folks,
by and large, do want to work and if they have an opportunity
to work they will choose that." He says that creating more
minority entrepreneurs will ultimately create more jobs for
those who need them most, since "minorities tend to hire other
minorities."
"As we grow that class, we'll
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"pile_set_name": "Pile-CC"
} |
Hello everyone this is my first post here and I have a lot of questions. Took my ar15 and my .44mag revolver to the range recently. I've put around a 1000 rounds through my ar that I made myself with absolutely no hiccups but suprisingly my supposed reliable revolver is jamming? It's a Taurus Model 44 with a 4 inch barrel and it has only fired around 50 shots since I bought it in 2008.
The problem occurs when trying to fire it in single action mode and doesn't seem to affect the double action mechanism at all. I usually use single action as I can aim better that way since the trigger pull of the double action can cause my aim to be off. What usually happens is after firing the first shot the mechanism gets immediately locked up when I try to pull the hammer back to fire a second shot. At that point I have to manually turn the cylinder myself to free the mechanism or fire it normally as a double action revolver. The double action seems to work just fine and I can fire all 6 rounds in quick succession just fine. The single action seems to only lock up after the first shot and then will work for a couple shots and then lock up again randomly so I'm perplexed here.
Can anyone point me in a direction of what to look at here? I have decent mechanical skills I've rebuilt engines, transmissions, rear axles, made my own ammo and built my own ar15 from spare parts so with a little guidance I'm sure I can fix this myself. Thanks for any help on this
There are Youtube videos available that show you how to disassemble a S&W revolver, presumably Tauri are very similiar since I believe they copy many if not all of the design elements of the S&W. Note - DO NOT PRY the side plate, after the screws are removed use a screwdriver handle to rap on the frame handle and the side plate will loosen and work itself off.
It could be that there is some debris inside, or poorly finished moving parts that could benefit from cleanup or a bit of polishing. More shooting will also help to polish any rough spots on the parts, but taking the side plate off a revolver once in a while to inspect and clean out gunk is a good idea.
Note - SA is fine from time to time (and would be used for hunting), but all defensive shooting should be practiced DA. Learning how to hold the sight picture all the way through the long DA trigger pull is a big part of learning to shoot a revolver.
I hesitate to recommend that you send it back to Taurus, but others undoubtedly will. There are reasons I don't own any Taurus firearms, and dealing with service hassles reported here by others is one of them.
Sounds like either a problem with the single action sear and/or engagement surfaces on the trigger and hammer. If say, the sear angle is rough or it isn't cut to the proper angle, it can result in many different problems. Just curious, with an unloaded gun obviously, have you tried pushing or wiggling the hammer when it is cocked to see if it lets off? That could provide more clues.
I've owned 3 Tauri, and had to send one back under warranty. I wouldn't recommend doing that (not only are they unlpleasant to deal with, Taurus actuallly made the gun worse). It's pretty easy to screw up a revolver's internal workings by removing too much metal, or not getting engagement surface angles just right. If you find it's not something you want to mess with, my recommendation would be to take it to a reputable gunsmith.
I had a very simular problem with my M44 years back. There where some rough spots/poorly finished internals (cant remember which parts in particular). As stated above, Taurus' customer service needs more to be desired. I eneded up sending it back to Taurus for repair (you have to pay for the overnight shipping). After numerous calls to their customer service, 6 months later I they sent it back. Problem was fixed but was not pleasent dealing with them.
It could also be a problem with the hand and the extractor on the back of the cylinder, the parts that rotate the cylinder.
Since sending it back to Taurus seems to be unpopular, and since you have strong mechanical skills, it would be best to start learning how the thing works and what all the parts do.
Youtube videos, web searches, service manuals, 'etc.
Maybe you can figure it out just by looking inside and moving parts around.
Check for Taurus and Smith and Wesson, as they are very similar.
Ok spacecoast from what you just said I think I made a big mistake in the past. I DID pry that plate off in the past this was my first gun and I'll just be honest here I DID pry it off a couple times to clean the mechanism. I pryed against the hammer with a small flat blade screwdriver and am pretty embarrassed that I did so in hindsight. I didn't mess with or try to take apart the mechanism at all though I just sprayed it real good with some powder blast and oiled it a couple times. What problems might have been caused by this? I'm at work now but I'll take it apart as soon as I get home and take a look at it. This time of course I WILL TAP it off instead. I know a whole lot about ar's but I admit I put no real effort into learning about my revovler as I've been concentrated on learning about my rifle instead. Hopefully all isn't lost and I can fix whatever I screwed up here.
If the side plate has been damaged, like it's bowed, it will be obvious as to how it fits or not on the frame.
If it has, that alone can cause misalignment of essential parts.
Take a look at it before even taking it off, again.
If memory serves, the side plate is not just a cover, but holds some parts in place.
Well, what's done is done, if you had done serious damage to the side plate it wouldn't fit correctly and you would notice it when reassembling so you may be OK. I don't know if that in itself would cause an issue with the internals, but I suppose it's possible. I would look for any fresh tool marks inside.
Ok other than a nick on the plate where the screwdriver pryed against it still fit tight and seemed pretty flush to me. Are replacement parts hard to come by for this revolver? I mean if worst comes to worst could I replace the plate and any damaged internals? Are the pins that attach to the frame replaceable if they got bent or anything? Thanks for the help guys
I don't know about Taurus replacement parts but replacement parts are readily available for S&Ws. Numrich and Brownells are two places to check if you think you have a problem with a part. A bent pin would I think require a gunsmith, but would interfere with DA as well so I doubt if that's an issue.
Also ensure that you got the hammer block (looks like a miniature skeleton key, see below) back in place correctly last time you took it apart. On a S&W, it needs to be slid all the way UP on the post with the little flag on the end pointed into the revolver before the side plate is pressed back on. I have no idea if a problem with that could cause your symptoms.
Ok that makes me feel better because the DA functions just fine and is capable of rapid fire without a hiccup. I didn't actually touch the mechanism at all when I took the plate off but I will check the hammer block like you said. All I did was blast the inside real good with a can of powder blast and put some slip2000 on the moving parts. I've bought spare parts for my ar on brownells and midway before but haven't looked for parts for my revolver yet. I do remeber back in 2009 I lost one of the side plate screws and had a hard time finding one and could only get it from taurus.
It's odd I can cock and de-cock it to my heart's content and it doesn't jam it's only after firing a round that cause the SA to jam up.
I think that's what has me so confused here this only happens when firing a round. It doesn't matter if I have rounds in the cylinder or not I can cock and de-cock continuously with no problem and the cylinder spins no problem. It's as if the jarring action of firing is causing something to get misaligned. Now that I think about that some more maybe that does point to a warpage of the side plate? It isn't possible that I warped the acutal frame by prying it off right? I wouldn't think so it's a heavy frame made from SS if I could warp it by hand that easy I'd be suprised.
Since it only acts up after firing a round, have you checked to see if the primers are staying put in the fired cases?
If even one is sneaking out, that alone could jam up the works.
Just a thought.
Also check the cylinder motion, fore and aft in the frame.
Is it overly loose or tight?
I did come across some people saying that about the primers I kept my empties since I intend to start handloading for my .44 too at some point in the future so I'll take a look at them when I get home. This happened with several brands of ammo though so I'm assuming the problem is with the gun. I shot 240gr remington SP's, 280gr winchester SP's, 280gr horandy HP's and a few double tap 320gr WFN's and all had the same problem. I'll check the cylinder but I'm not sure exactly what it's supposed to feel like but it dosen't feel like it's changed since I bought it.
I'll report back to you after I get home this afternoon and get it taken apart.
Come to think, the problem could also be at the other end of the cartridges.
The bullets could be sneaking out forward under recoil, and jamming the rotation of the cylinder against the barrel.
Unfortunately the only way to know this is while shooting the gun.
Both the primer and bullet problems would no doubt show up shooting DA, too, though.
But it's worth a look see.
That is odd that it doesn't happen in dry firing, but does with live ammo. And only in SA. OTH, in your original post you state that:
Quote:
What usually happens is after firing the first shot the mechanism gets immediately locked up when I try to pull the hammer back to fire a second shot. At that point I have to manually turn the cylinder myself to free the mechanism or fire it normally as a double action revolver.
Emphasis added.
Can you actually turn the cylinder freely in either direction after firiing a shot? How much? If you can turn the cylinder backwards (clockwise in a Taurus, looking from the rear of the cylinder) or clockwise to the point that you hear a "click" (the cylinder stop snapping fully up into position), then you most assuredly have a timing problem.
The only thing I can figure is you are squeezing the trigger in DA with a different speed than cocking the hammer in SA (and with different speeds when dry firing). If a revolver is not timed quite right, cocking the hammer or squeezing the trigger very slowly may not provide sufficient rotational momentum to the cylinder for it to lock in place properly. For a properly timed revolver this shouldn't present a problem. With an empty gun, try cocking the hammer very slowly until the hammer locks into position. Now try to rotate the cylinder. It should not spin freely in either direction (if it does, there is a timing problem). A tiny amount of wiggle is okay, but if you hear the cyl stop "click" up into position, again the gun has a timing problem.
Also, FYI most Tauris (like most if not all Rugers) use a transfer bar mechanism instead of a hammer block. Internally, S&W and Taurus revolvers share some similarities, but they are quite different in others.
Also, FYI most Tauris (like most if not all Rugers) use a transfer bar mechanism instead of a hammer block. Internally, S&W and Taurus revolvers share some similarities, but they are quite different in others.
jad0110 - thanks for that info, I appreciate the chance to learn. I knew about the Rugers (quite different really) but thought the Tauri revolvers were practically clones of S&Ws.
Yeah it does have a transfer bar I remember that now. It's been a few weeks so my memory's a little foggy but I'm pretty sure I could only turn it counter clockwise when it was jamming. It's been a while but I seem to remember now that I think about it some more that there was a time that it didn't lock up correctly. It's vague but I think I remember a time a while back that I cocked it and with the hammer all the way back the cylinder wasn't lined up with the barrel. At the time I think I just spun the cylinder around again and it didn't happen so I didn't give it another thought. I've really neglected it I see that now I spent so much of my time the last few years learning how to put my ar15 together and then learning how to hand load for it that I didn't pay attention to the problems my revolver was having. I've never dry fired it either as I've been told that could stretch the firing pin I've only cocked it and de-cocked it before.
I second that spacecoast I never assume to know everything and am always happy to learn new info when possible. You may be right though in a way I might have bumped something when I had that plate off it's been so long I just can't remember.
Whoa I'm home now got the grips off and side plate screws out and something strange is happening as I tap on it. I'm tapping on it with the handle of a screwdriver and the cylinder is unlocking when I give it good square hit to the handle portion of the frame.
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Entry into a Material Definitive Agreement, Unregistered Sale of Equity Securities, A
Item 1.01. Entry into a Material Definitive Agreement
On May 1, 2014, JetPay Corporation (the "Company") entered into a Securities
Purchase Agreement with Ithan Creek Master Investors (Cayman) L.P.
("Wellington") pursuant to which the Company agreed to sell to Wellington, upon
the satisfaction of certain conditions, up to 9,000 shares of Series A-1
Convertible Preferred Stock, par value $0.001 ("Series A-1Preferred") for an
aggregate purchase price of up to $2,700,000. In addition, the Series A-1
Preferred will be convertible into shares of the Company's common stock, par
value $0.001 ("Common Stock") or, in certain circumstances, Series A-2
Convertible Preferred Stock, par value $0.001 per share ("Series A-2
Preferred"). The conversion into Common Stock would be equal to the number of
shares of Series A-1 Preferred being converted multiplied by $300 and divided by
the then-applicable conversion price, which initially will be $3.00. The
conversion price of the Series A-1 Preferred is subject to downward adjustment
in the future upon the occurrence of certain dilutive events, should they occur.
The following discussion of the Securities Purchase Agreement provides only a
summary of the material terms and conditions of the Securities Purchase
Agreement and is qualified in its entirety to the full text of the Securities
Purchase Agreement Company which is attached hereto as Exhibit 4.1 and is
incorporated herein by reference.
The Preferred Stock Purchase
Following the initial purchase and sale of 2,250 shares of Series A-1 Preferred,
at any time when Flexpoint Fund II, L.P. ("Flexpoint") purchases Series A
Preferred Stock, par value $0.001 per share ("Series A Preferred"), Wellington
will have the option, but not the obligation, to purchase up to the number of
shares of Series A-1 Preferred equal to 6.75% of the number of shares of Series
A Preferred purchased by Flexpoint. All shares of Series A-1 Preferred Stock
have a purchase price of $300 per share. As a result of the purchase by
Flexpoint of $1.4 million of Series A Preferred on April 14, 2014, Wellington
exercised its option to purchase an additional 315 shares of Series A-1
Preferred Stock at the initial closing, which such amount represented 6.75% of
the Flexpoint's purchase on April 14, 2014.
Restrictions on Transfer
Subject to certain exceptions, Wellington is prohibited from transferring any
shares of Series A-1 Preferred, shares of Series A-2 Preferred or shares of
Common Stock, into which such shares of Series A-1 Preferred or Series A-2
Preferred are converted, until January 1, 2015.
Representations and Warranties
The Securities Purchase Agreement contains representations and warranties by the
Company relating to, among other things, the Company's corporate organization
and capitalization, the due authorization of the Securities Purchase Agreement
and the transactions contemplated thereby, the Company's filings with the
Securities and Exchange Commission, including the financial statements included
therein, litigation, environmental compliance, taxes, insurance, employee
benefits, the absence of undisclosed liabilities, the absence of a material
adverse change in the Company's business since December 31, 2012, internal
controls, compliance with laws and permits and the absence of conflicts and
third party approval rights in connection with the transactions contemplated by
the Securities Purchase Agreement.
Survival and Indemnification
Other than certain fundamental representations which survive for the applicable
statute of limitations, Wellington's and the Company's representations and
warranties survive for 18 months after the applicable closing in which such
representations and warranties were made. The Company has agreed to indemnify
Wellington for any breaches of the Company's representations and warranties,
certain specified matters and for any breaches of the Company's covenants in the
Securities Purchase Agreement. Other than with respect to breaches of certain
fundamental representations, Wellington is only entitled to indemnification for
breaches of the Company's representations and warranties if the cumulative
damages from any breaches exceed greater of $100,000, and Wellington is not
entitled to indemnification for any damages in excess of the aggregate purchase
price for Series A-1 Preferred purchased pursuant to the Securities Purchase
Agreement. Any amounts that Wellington is entitled to as a result of the
Company's indemnification obligations are structured as a reduction in the
conversion price of the Series A-1 Preferred based on the diminution in
pre-money equity value of the Common Stock as a result of the breach, other than
with respect to breaches of the Company's covenants, with respect to which
Wellington can elect to receive in cash.
Registration Rights
In connection with the consummation of the Securities Purchase Agreement, the
Company granted the holders of the Series A-1 Preferred unlimited "piggy-back"
registration rights, subject to certain exceptions. In all cases, the Company is
obligated to reimburse the holders of Series A-1 Preferred for their expenses
incurred with such registration.
Certificate of Designation of Preferred Stock
General
The Series A-1 Preferred will be convertible into shares of the Company's Common
Stock at the ratio described below. The Series A-1 Preferred has no stated
maturity; however, the shares of Series A-1 Preferred are subject to redemption
by the Company and may be required to be redeemed by the holders in certain
circumstances as described below. The following description of the Certificate
of Designation of Series A-1 Preferred Stock is qualified in its entirety by
reference to the full text of the form of Certificate of Designation of Series
A-1 Preferred Stock, which is attached as an Exhibit 3.1 and is incorporated by
reference herein.
Ranking
The Series A-1 Preferred will have an initial liquidation preference of $600 per
share and will rank senior to the Company's Common Stock and pari passu with the
Series A Preferred purchased by Flexpoint with respect to distributions of
assets upon the Company's liquidation, dissolution or winding up. The shares of
Series A-1 Preferred will be equity interests and will not constitute
indebtedness. In the event of bankruptcy, liquidation, dissolution,
reorganization or similar proceeding with respect to us, indebtedness will
effectively rank senior to the Series A-1 Preferred, and the holders of
indebtedness will be entitled to the satisfaction of any amounts owed to them
prior to the payment of the then applicable liquidation preference of any
capital stock, including the Series A-1 Preferred.
Liquidation Rights
If the Company voluntarily or involuntarily liquidates, dissolves or winds up
its affairs or undergoes a change of control, each holder of the Series
A-1Preferred will be entitled to receive out of the Company's assets available
for distribution to stockholders, after satisfaction of liabilities to
. . .
Item 3.02. Unregistered Sales of Equity Securities
On May 5, 2014, the Company issued 2,565 shares of Preferred Stock to Wellington
for an aggregate of $769,500, less certain agreed-upon reimbursable expenses of
Wellington. The information set forth in Item 1.01 above is incorporated by
reference herein.
Based upon certain representations of Wellington made in the Securities Purchase
Agreement, the issuance of the Series A-1 Preferred to Wellington was
consummated in reliance upon Rule 506 of Regulation D of the Securities Act of
1933, as amended.
Item 5.03 Amendments to Articles of Incorporation or Bylaws
On May 5, 2014, the Company filed the Certificate of Designation of Series A-1
Convertible Preferred Stock and the Certificate of Designation of Series A-2
Convertible Preferred Stock with the Secretary of State of the State of
Delaware, copies of which are attached hereto as Exhibits 3.1 and 3.2,
respectively and incorporated herein by reference.
Item 9.01. Financial Statements and Exhibits.
(d) Exhibits.
Exhibit Number Description
3.1 Certificate of Designation of Series A-1 Convertible Preferred
Stock
3.2 Certificate of Designation of Series A-2 Convertible Preferred
Stock
4.1 Securities Purchase Agreement, dated as of May 1, 2014, by and
between the Company and Wellington. | {
"pile_set_name": "Pile-CC"
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Newsroom
PRESS RELEASE: NAWG President Defends NAFTA Trade Deal at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce
Washington, D.C. (October 31, 2017) – Today, NAWG President Gordon Stoner, along with several U.S. agricultural stakeholders and business community representatives, participated in a NAFTA panel titled “The Future of NAFTA: The Stakes for American Agriculture and Business.” The panel took place at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce in Washington, D.C. and was moderated by Neil Herrington, the U.S. Chamber’s Vice President of the Americas.
“The NAFTA trade agreement was key in growing international markets for U.S. wheat,” stated NAWG President and Montana Grower Gordon Stoner. “Just last year alone, Mexico was our largest export market with about 3 million metric tons of wheat and is consistently in the top 10.”
Each year U.S. wheat production is about 58 million metric tons, or about 2.13 billion bushels. The United States exports around 50% of its wheat (1 billion bushels) to more than 100 countries each year.
“With U.S. wheat farmers already enduring financial distress, open access to the Mexican and Canadian markets is needed now more than ever. Our farm economy is struggling, and we look to current and new trade markets to sell our high-quality product,” continued Stoner. “As the Administration continues to be flippant about NAFTA re-negotiations, Mexico has already begun sourcing wheat from other countries. NAWG continues to stress for the Administration to ‘Do No Harm’ and to look ahead for opportunities for new trade deals.”
Dr. Dermot Hayes, Charles F. Curtiss Distinguished Professor in Agriculture and Life Sciences, Chair in Agribusiness, Iowa State University
Mr. Bob Peterson, Chairman & CEO of Melton Truck Lines, Inc.
Dr. Albert M. Green, CEO, Kent Displays, Inc.
###
About NAWG
NAWG is the primary representative in Washington D.C. for wheat growers, working to ensure a better future for America’s growers, the industry and the general public. NAWG works with a team of 20 state wheat grower organizations to benefit the wheat industry at state and national levels. From their offices in the Wheat Growers Building on Capitol Hill, NAWG’s staff members are in constant contact with state association representatives, NAWG grower leaders, Members of Congress, Congressional staff members and the public. | {
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donor sperm
Donor sperm are recommended when sperm is absent or non-motile from the semen, often due to genetic causes, chemotherapy, radiation therapy or vasectomy.? This involves fertilising your egg with the donor sperm using one of the assisted reproductive techniques (IUI/IVF/ ICSI).? The fertilised egg (embryo) is then transferred into your uterus to carry out pregnancy. | {
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} |
You are here
The short-haired human!
While other primates are furry, human skin is exposed to the elements. It’s not that we’re ‘naked’ – our hair is just really short over much of our bodies. In the warm places where our ancestors lived, evaporation of sweat from exposed skin was a great benefit in cooling our entire bodies. Our brain runs so ‘hot’, in fact, that sweating and cooling proved vital for evolving our big brain. | {
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Newsletter
Criticism of hotel plan delays vote
File/Staff
Don Cheeks: Says the hotel planned for west Augusta will bring in as much as $1.75 million in tax money.
Augusta commissioners postponed making a decision Tuesday on a rezoning request that would pave the way for a $30 million hotel in west Augusta in an effort to appease nearby residents opposed to the project.
Commissioners voted 8-2 for the developers and Curtis Baptist Foundation, which owns the property on Marks Church Road where a two-story Marriott Hotel would be built, to meet with residents of the Kingston subdivision and try to reach a compromise.
That was after a vote to approve the zoning change failed on a 5-4-1 vote, with Commissioner J.R. Hatney abstaining.
"It's hard to say no, and it's difficult to say yes," Mr. Hatney said before the vote.
A motion for the neighborhood to meet with the developers and report back May 6 passed with only commissioners Don Grantham and Jerry Brigham voting against it.
The Curtis Baptist Foundation must sell the 11.4 acres at 1128 Marks Church Road to pay off debt, said Don Cheeks, speaking on behalf of the foundation. Under the current zoning, another developer could build a seven-story apartment complex on the property.
Preston Johnson, speaking on behalf of the Kingston subdivision, said residents are concerned about noise, the height of the building and its proximity to homes. Mr. Cheeks and planning Commissioner George Patty said the hotel would not exceed 55 feet in height, whereas an apartment complex could be 155 feet high.
To concerns about people from the hotel jumping over a fence that would surround the hotel and into their neighborhood, Mr. Cheeks asked, "What person is going to pay $125 a night and jump a fence?"
He said the hotel would bring in as much as $1.75 million in tax money to Richmond County every year. As for a meeting with residents, he said he'd arranged one and only five people showed up.
In other action Tuesday, commissioners:
- Approved a request by the Downtown Development Authority to give up an alley at 840 Reynolds St. for a major hotel development over objections from businessmen Joe Smith and Joe Carswell, who own property that could become landlocked.
- Approved moving $2,000-a-year pay raises for public safety officials from Aug. 1 to May 1 and including 911 emergency employees.
- Heard a request from Jane Howington, the president of the Augusta Regional Library Board, not to spend another $450,000 for rate increases for Heery International employees overseeing construction of the public library. She said the project was being overseen by excellent architects and the money could be put to better use on the library's $3 million budget deficit.
Commissioners received her request as information, but later took no action on Heery's rate-increase proposal.
- Voted to give $1,000 for grills that would be given as prizes after being used to cook at the Angelic Community Resource Development Inc.'s Barber & Beauty Bar-B-Que. Only Mr. Brigham and Commissioner Joe Bowles voted against the motion.
- Sent a request from the Augusta Aviation Commission to increase the director's salary and hire a deputy director to committee for review. The director's salary would be increased to a range of $96,416 to $144,624 a year, or $18,000 to $27,000 more per year. The deputy director's annual salary range would be from $87,015 to $130,532. | {
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Kassil Khirsah
A black spiked mace that sends a massive dose of electicity into the victim.
Appearance:
Wears the red armour with small spikes protuding from the armour all over it and a black cloak and hood with on the cloak a red dragon tooth. He has for a weapon a black spiked mace and a great sword. The spiked mace at his side and the great sword strapped on his back.
He is a giants of a man, standing 6’7 and huge, well built he could rush through many things without stopping him. His skin is dark, his hair grey from age cut in a military crew cut strangely and clean shaven. He has high cheek bones, but lines are on the edges of his sharp green eyes from old age.
Background:
Kassil Khirsah is 57 years old, and feeling all the years of old age. Born in a small little village in the valley surrounded by moutians, the people thought they were safe, but it was not so. Kassil was a small stable boy cleaning the stable when all of a sudden everything grew dark and quiet. Kassil went outside to check it out and saw a great red dragon looming over the village maybe fifty feet, it roared and sent out flames into the village burning everything. Like everyone else, Kassil panicked and tried to hide, but it was no use. The dragon destoyed everything and killed almost everyone in the village, including his mother. Kassil left the village with his father and vowed revenge against the dragon.
Kassil came to the city of Elimirth where he grew up as his father a blacksmith and him helping around the furnace. As Kassil grew up, in the dead of night he forged his own armour and paid with the small amount of money he had to the swordsmith to forge him a sword and bought a longbow from the rangers of Anawaith. It took him months and months to finish and hone the armour. At the time his sword was done and he was ready to embark on his journey, leaving his father at age nineteen with his armour on and a grim look on his face.
Kassil came back to his birthplace. The ruins of the village were few and covered with weeds, overgrown by time. At night he made a great bonfire from the small forest that was next to the village and burned everything he could. Kassil waited what it seemed all night before the dragon came. Kassil yelled out and notched a very large wooden arrow to his huge longbow and aimed as the drogon swooped down towards him. He fired and the arrow caught the dragon in the eye but did not stop it. The dragon slammed into Kassil and Kassil grabbed hold of the scales as he hammered away at the dragon with his sword. Kassir found it no use and desperate stabbed it deep to the hilt in the eye of the dragon. The dragon groaned and fell to the earth with Kassil holding on for dear life. The dragon slammed and fell shaking the earth and Kassil rised breathing heavily he pulled his great sword out and winced, he had several broken ribs it seemed.
Kassil continued going around the lands and killing dragons, gaining money and scars as slayed more and more of them. The only person ever to kill thirty dragons in a lifetime, Kassil is now 57 and continues to kill dragons for money and has grown extremely wealthy, but some primitive instinct in him has awaken and people are reminded more and more of a dragon when he becomes angry.
Roleplaying Notes:
Can’t do magic, but is very good with his weapons and a good shot with the bow.
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Perhaps from the constant exposure to spilled dragon innards, getting all bathed in dragon blood and from ripping out their hearts and eating them raw, as well as from wearing a piece of dragonscale from time to time, he is becoming more like his prey. Also, due to the necessary empathy he must show for his prey, knowing how it thinks and feels, he might have become altered.
Or the story may be wholly different still. He may have some dragon blood flowing through his veins, and some ancestor of his might either be honing his potential, or using him to kill his opposition. Ever wondered where all those hints at the locations of dragon lairs came from?
The blood of a dragon is vital in the creation of potions of longevity. The liver could used to cure any disease or ailment, while the heart could restore a PC to full and complete health, despite their age, or injury. | {
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Atlassian REST API Browser and Bitbucket Server 6.0+ compatibility
Hey there! It's been a while since BitBucket server 6.0+ has been released. I already have version 6.3.2.
There are two plugins (Atlassian REST API Browser & Atlassian Developer Toolbox) that used and are no longer supported, also when enabled although it says it's not compatible, the plugins do not work properly.
Will there ever be an uptade? Why are the plugins updated so slowly? Many plugins do not have a 5.0+ version yet.....
The app has been updated to support up to Bitbucket 6.5, along with other product versions. We’ve also tested and confirmed the app works with Bitbucket 6.x as well to ensure there would be no issues. Please take some time to retest the app against your Bitbucket instance.
@Stephen Sifers Any plans for the REST API Browser (or the Atlassian Developer Tools App) app to support BB Server 6.10 Enterprise? We're upgrading from 6.2 soon and I want to know if/when I can count on this app working in that environment. Thanks. | {
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Shapewear Underwear
This entry was posted on 1:39 am by Franny.
Many first time mums have no idea what their belly will be like after labour, and many often make the mistake of packing their pre-pregnancy jeans into their hospital bag. Put them away! It'll be more than likely that you'll still need to wear maternity clothes for a few weeks, at least, after labour.
You'll have a big empty baby sack, a jelly belly. It will seem so strange. This void of skin that the baby has grown in, and left behind!
So that's your prior warning.
Most women experience changes to their tummy and bottoms after having a baby, long after their baby has been born. So a helpful little garment, which will be super versatile in your underwear drawer is the Shapewear range from HOTmilk.
Hotmilk have created a range of Shapewear, designed to be worn AFTER pregnancy.
The Luminiousand Eclipse style of High Waisted French Knicker create a smooth profile. They sit high to give a smooth, even
finish from legline to bustline and have silicone gripper to ensure
the garment does not move - non-restricting, yet figure flattering.
The Radiance and Blaze style of Mid Waist Bikini Shapewear are made from high performance microfibre, power fabrics and complementary luxury detailing. Designed specifically for post pregnancy to gradually, yet
effectively give you back your pre-baby body shape. | {
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3-Piece Pull-On Pant Set
Promotions
Get two cute outfits for one great value. The pants have adorable turn-me-around art and looks oh-so cute.
2-in-1 set includes short- and long-sleeve bodysuits and pants for easy outfitting
Bodysuits have expandable shoulders and 3 reinforced bottom snaps to make changing easy
Pants include no-pinch covered elastic waistband
100% ribbed cotton
Imported
Machine washable
3-Piece Pull-On Pant Set
5
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Perfect 3 piece
I'm a first time mommy but my daughter was given several 3 piece outfits by Carter so I purchased this one and its adorable and I love the ability to wear it different ways and with others.
December 20, 2012
Love it!
I have dressed both of my girls in these 3-piece sets since the day they were born. They fit true-to-size and are very durable. We love them!
December 10, 2012
Carters.. in general
I've been dressing my little girl in Carters for years and it's come to a point that I've actually purchased this specific outfit for her "baby" (doll). When I found that her lil newborn only came with a diaper, Carters, of course was the first place I'd turn to to find good, cute and tough clothes! I know that not only will the brand hold up to an infant and toddlers wear and tear, but to a 6 year old constantly dressing and undressing her very own "baby". I know this isn't the typical use of the clothing, but I'm certain I'll be taking her in from time to time so she can shop for her doll. I highly recommend carters to any new parent, the clothes are cute, comfortable and rugged.
November 30, 2012
great styling
Bought for new granddaughters, 8 month old twin girls. Beautiful colors and got socks to match. They will look adorable in them. I bought these for my children years ago and will carry on tradition for my grand children
November 30, 2012
Adorable
This outfit is the cutest, my daughter looks adorable in it. We love Carter's!
November 16, 2012
My Baby looks TOO cute in this outfit!
The outfit is great! It's hard to fit preemies, but this one is so cute on her! I'm grateful to have carter's clothes for my preemie!
October 14, 2012
Cute! Cute!
Nothing but positive things to say! Its great for infants, comfy and yet so adorable! Who doesn't love seeing that on a little butt when they start crawling around? Sizing is normal, quality is great!
October 12, 2012 | {
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} |
Georgia's armed forces are building fortified structures near the border
Georgia's armed forces are building fortified structures near the border with South Ossetia, as well as new firing positions, the South Ossetian president said on Friday.
"As of now, there are 35 Georgian armed checkpoints in the zone of European observers' responsibility. Overall, there are about 2,500 armed people on the Georgian side in the conflict zone," Eduard Kokoity said.
He said Georgia's actions "are a serious violation of the Medvedev-Sarkozy agreement."
"All responsibility for the breakdown in agreements lies with Georgia and European observers, who are making no attempt to pressure the Georgian side," he said.
The Medvedev-Sarkozy ceasefire plan ended a brief military conflict between Russia and Georgia last August and calls for the non-use of force in resolution of conflicts in the region.
Moscow recognized Abkhazia and South Ossetia after a five-day war last August with Georgia, which attacked the latter in an attempt to bring it back under the control of Tbilisi. Many residents in both Abkhazia and South Ossetia have been Russian passport holders for several years.
Russia's move was condemned by the United States and Europe. Nicaragua has so far been the only other country to follow Russia in recognizing South Ossetia and Abkhazia. | {
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Diagnostic Radiology Procedures on Breastfeeding Patients
Policy
It is the policy of Diagnostic Radiology to routinely ask all women of childbearing years (refer to Nursing Policy – childbearing years defined as 10 – 60 years old) if they are pregnant or breastfeeding in all areas of Diagnostic Radiology, with the exception of Ultrasound.
Procedure
If the patient indicates that they are not breastfeeding, routine imaging proceeds.
For all IV iodinated contrast and gadolinium, American College of Radiology (ACR) guidelines state that contrast administration to the mother is considered safe for both the baby and nursing mother. Mothers who are breastfeeding should be given the opportunity to make an informed decision as to whether to continue or temporarily abstain from breastfeeding after receiving IV contrast. If the mother remains concerned about any potential ill effects to the infant, she may abstain from breast-feeding for 24 hours with active expression and discarding of breast milk from both breasts during that period. In anticipation of this, she may wish to use a breast pump to obtain milk before the contrast study to feed the infant during the 24-hour period following the examination.
For all breast-feeding patients who are scheduled for Nuclear Medicine exams and/or procedures, the DR attending physician must be consulted prior to any testing performed.
The DR attending physician will discuss with the patient’s attending if the exam should be postponed, canceled, or if the procedure will be performed.
Patients who have a Tc-99m nuclear medicine procedure should not let their infants’ breastfeed for 72 hours after the exam. During this 72 hour period they can pump the breast milk and store it. This milk can be given to the infant after it has been stored for 72 hours. The patient only needs to pump and store the breast milk for 72 hours after the exam has been completed. The milk does not need to be discarded because of the nuclear test.
For patients who can have the exam postponed, the patient can pump prior to returning for the test and freeze the milk. This stored milk can be given to the infant when the patient returns for the exam. Immediately following the exam, the patient should continue to pump the breast milk for 72 hours and properly stored so that the isotope has time to decay prior to giving it to the infant.
For other radioisotopes, consult with the NM attending physician or RSO regarding appropriate waiting period before resuming breast-feeding or using stored breast milk.
Modal Title
{
"displayStyle": "video-modal"
}
{
"displayStyle": "video-gallery-modal"
}
How will my information be used?
When you express interest in a specific study, the information from your profile will be sent to the doctor conducting that study. If you're eligible to participate, you may be contacted by a nurse or study coordinator.
If you select a health category rather than a specific study, doctors who have active studies in that area may contact you to ask if you would like to participate.
In both cases, you will be contacted by the preferred method (email or phone) that you specified in your profile. | {
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Descriptors are one of the most powerful features of Python. The reason why
they’re so powerful is because they enable us to control the core operations
(get, set, delete) 1, of an attribute in a given object, so that we can hook
a particular code, controlled by us, in order to modify, change, or extend the
original operation.
A descriptor is an object that implements either __get__,
__set__, or __delete__.
We’ll understand better what the parameters mean, once we’ve seen some examples
of descriptors and how they’re used.
How to use them
In order to use descriptors we need at least two classes: one for the
descriptor itself, and the class that is going to use the descriptor objects
(often referred to as the managed class).
Getting Data
Consider this basic example on which I have a fictional manager for video
output, that can handle multiple devices. Each device is set with a particular
resolution, provided by a user. However, if for some reason one of the devices
does not have a rendering resolution set, we want to use a default one,
specified on the class definition.
In this case resolution is a descriptor that implements only
__get__(). If an instance of the display manager, has a resolution
set, it will retrieve just that one. On the other hand, if it does not, then
when we access one of the class attributes like media.tv, what actually
happens is that Python calls:
VideoDriver.tv.__get__(media, VideoDriver)
Which executes the code in the __get__() method of the descriptor,
which in this case returns the default value, previously passed.
When the descriptor is called from the class, and not the instance, the value
of the parameter “instance” is None, but the “owner” is still a reference to
the class being invoked (that’s probably one of the reasons why these are two
separate parameters, instead of just let the user derive the class from the
instance, it allows even more flexibility).
For this reason, is common to handle this case, and return the descriptor
itself, which is the rationale behind the line:
ifinstanceisNone:returnself
That is why when you define a property in a class, and call it from an instance
object, you’ll get the result of the computation of the method. However, if
you call the property from the class, you get the property object.
Setting Data
Example: imagine we want to have some attributes in an object that are going to
be traced, by other attributes that keep track, of how many times their values
changed. So, for example, for every attribute <x> on the object, there would
be a corresponding count_<x> one, that will keep count of how many times x
changed its value. For simplicity let’s assume attributes starting with
count_<name>, cannot be modified, and those only correspond to the count of
attribute <name>.
There may be several ways to address this problem. One way could be overriding
__setattr__(). Another option, could be by the means of properties
(getters and setters) for each attribute we want to track. Or, we can use descriptors.
Both the properties, and __setattr__() approaches, might be subject to
code repetition. Their logic should be repeated for several different
properties, unless a property function builder is created (in order to reuse
the logic of the property across several variables). As per the
__setattr__() strategy, if we need to use this logic in multiple
classes we would have to come up with some sort of mixin class, in order to
achieve it, and if one of the classes already overrides this method, things
might get overcomplicated.
The docstring on the Traveller class, pretty much explains its intended
use. The important thing about this, is the public interface: it’s absolutely
transparent for the user. An object that interacts with a Traveller
instance, gets a clean interface, with the properties exposed, without having
to worry about the underlying implementation.
So, we have two classes, with different responsibilities, but related, because
they interact towards a common goal. Traveller has two class attributes
that, are objects, instances of the descriptor.
Now let’s take a look at the other side of it, the internal working of the descriptor.
Under this schema, Python will translate a call like:
traveller=Traveller()traveller.city='Stockholm'
To the one using the __set__ method in the descriptor, like:
Traveller.city.__set__(traveller,'Stockholm')
Which means that the __set__ method on the descriptor is going to receive
the instance of the object being accessed, as a first parameter, and then the
value that is being assigned.
More generally we could say that something like:
obj.<descriptor>=<value>
Translates to:
type(obj).__set__(obj,<value>)
With these two parameters, we can manipulate the interaction any way we want,
which makes the protocol really powerful.
In this example, we are taking advantage of this, by querying the original
object’s attribute dictionary (instance.__dict__), and getting the
value in order to compare it with the newly received one. By reading this
value, we calculate another attribute which will hold the count of the number
of times the attribute was modified, and then, both of them are updated in
the original dictionary for the instance.
An important concept to point out is that this implementation not only works,
but it also solves the problem in a more generic fashion. In this example, it
was the case of a traveller, of whom we wanted to know how many times changed
of location, but the exact same object could be used for example to monitor
market stocks, variables in an equation, etc. This exposes functionality as a
sort of library, toolkit, or even framework. In fact, many well-known
frameworks in Python use descriptors to expose their API.
Deleting Data
The __delete__() method is going to be called when an instruction of
the type del <instance>.<descriptor> is executed. See the following example.
In this example, we just want a property in the object, that cannot be deleted,
and descriptors, again, provide one of the multiple possible implementations.
Caveats and recommendations
Remember that descriptors should always be used as class attributes.
Data should be stored in each original managed instance, instead of doing
data bookkeeping in the descriptor. Each object should have its data in its
__dict__.
Preserve the ability of accessing the descriptor from the class as well, not
only from instances. Mind the case when instance is None, so it can
be called as type(instance).descriptor.
Do not override __getattribute__(), or they might lose effect.
Food for thought
Descriptors provide a framework for abstracting away repetitive access logic.
The term framework here is not a coincidence. As the reader might have
noticed, by using descriptors, there is an inversion of control (IoC) on
the code, because Python will be calling the logic we put under the descriptor
methods, when accessing these attributes from the managed instance.
Under this considerations it is correct to think that it behaves as a framework.
Summary
Descriptors provide an API, to control the core access to an object’s data
model, at its low-level operations. By means of descriptors we can control the
execution of an object’s interface, because they provide a transparent layer
between the public interface (what is exposed to users), and the internal
representation and storage of data.
They are one of the most powerful features of Python, and their possibilities
are virtually unlimited, so in this post we’ve only scratched the surface of
them. More details, such as exploring the different types of descriptors with
their internal representation or data, the use of the new __set_name__
magic method, their relation with decorators, and analysis of good
implementations, are some of the topics for future entries. | {
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Wiseguyreports.Com Adds "Cosmetic Packaging - Market Demand, Growth, Opportunities, Manufacturers and Analysis of Top Key Players to 2022" To Its Research Database.
Report Overview
The report on the Cosmetic Packaging market is developed with the intent to make it as an ultimate guide for investors to make business decisions. Our proficient analysts have meticulously studied the Cosmetic Packaging market for the forecast years of 2019 to 2022. The report presents qualitative and quantitative findings about the market. It reveals the future trajectory of the Cosmetic Packaging market, making a forecast on the rate of its growth and the valuation it can attain across the years of evaluation. Growth inducers and retarders of the Cosmetic Packaging market has been elaborated in the report. Additional factors that are likely to influence the market are also mentioned here. The market's current dynamics and financial status, along with past trends are studied to understand the growth pattern of the market. The market is examined in segments that is based on different parameters.
Drivers and Restraints
The transformational forces of the market are explained in the report. The impact of both determiners and pitfalls of the market is explained in the report. Our skilled analysts have scrutinized the market based on different parameters and concluded on the market progress. Potential threats are detected on the market and possible solutions are mentioned in the report.
The Cosmetic Packaging market progress is analyzed across key regions, such as Europe, North America, Latin America, Asia Pacific, and the Middle East & Africa. Furthermore, the regional assessment of the market is done based on constituent countries. The report also asserts the valuation and volume of the market for each region and their countries.
The report is prepared using fail-safe, modern research methodologies. Robust methods are deployed for the identification of valuable data for the Cosmetic Packaging market. The report elaborates on process involved in the market research and has developed the market report on both primary and secondary research. These methodologies aid in predicting the market size with high degree of accuracy. The primary concern of the Cosmetic Packaging market research takes into consideration potential drivers and restraints, and possible threats of the market. Market researchers have deployed effective forecast model for analysis of the Cosmetic Packaging market. Top-up and bottom-down approaches were maintained across the entire market analysis.
Key Players
Well-established players that are operating in the market are mentioned in the report. The history and current status of these eminent players are mentioned in the report, which aids investors in understanding the transforming competitive landscape of the Cosmetic Packaging market. It also offers insights on inorganic and organic and growth of the market that are bought by the market players. | {
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} |
ANCC Updates Nursing Certifications, Credentials
The American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) is changing the names of its Nursing Administration certification exams and updating the credentials to bring them in line with contemporary health care culture and terminology.
The changes are effective immediately. The term "Nurse Executive" does not refer to a job title or position, but to the body of knowledge suitable for an executive decision maker.
According to ANCC, the Nurse Executive and Nurse Executive, Advanced certifications are appropriate for a broad range of nursing roles, including all types of supervisors, managers, consultants, chief nursing officers (CNOs), faculty, deans, and leaders.
With the changes, the old certification name Nursing Administration and the old CNA-BC credential become Nurse Executive and NE-BC which stands for Nurse Executive-Board Certified. Likewise, the old certification name Nursing Administration, Advanced and the old credential CNAA-BC become Nurse Executive, Advanced and NEA-BC whichstands for Nurse Executive, Advanced-Board Certified.
ANCC's Commission on Certification studied this issue extensively and surveyed thousands of certified nurse leaders before making this decision. Various names and credential options were considered, however, Nurse Executive and Nurse Executive, Advanced were the options supported by certified nurse leaders as reflecting these broad decision making roles.
ANCC-certified nurses who hold the former credentials CNA-BC and CNAA-BC are authorized to begin using the new NE-BC and NEA-BC credentials immediately.
Certificates issued after the May 2008 certification exam will contain the new credentials. Certificates reflecting the new credentials will be mailed to current CNA-BC and CNAA-BC nurses with their next certification renewal.
Additonally, ANCC will be launching updated, computer-based Nurse Executive and Nurse Executive, Advanced certification examinations in October. The computer-based format is more convenient, according to ANCC, and can be scheduled and taken throughout the year, better fitting the schedule of busy nurse executives. The new test content outlines will be available in late May.
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New ISBET homepage
The ISBET homepage has been redesigned and is now based on a CMS system. That means that it will be very easy for all members wanting to contribute to the site to provide the content, without having to bother about the web design. | {
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} |
I have Patent questions
Can a PPA be converted into a Design Patent? And how long does a Design patent take to award vs like a Utility Patent.
Oh, and exactly how many kinds of patents are there anyway?
Thanks
Susan
Bill Goldblatt
Subject: Re: I have Patent questions Sun Jun 21, 2009 6:34 pm
A provisional application is by definition an initial application for a utility patent. It cannot be converted to a design patent. More accurately, it will not set a priority date for a design patent application.
In 2000, the average "pendency" was about 24 months for utility patent applications (non-provisional) and 18 months for design patent applications.
Utility patent applications (non-provisional) - unless non-publication is requested (if you are also filing for foreign patent protection, this is not an option) - are automatically published 18 months from a filing date. Design patents are not published before they issue.
There are three types of patents -
Plant patents - which protect the discovery of new plants.
Utility patents - which protect goods and services and aspects of them which serve a functional/"utilitarian" purpose other than, say, looking pretty.
Design patents - which protect the ornamental/non-functional design of a "utilitarian" product.
Plant patents are largely besides the point in most cases, utility patents are, in lay people's terms, what protect ideas, and design patents offer relatively narrow protection against knock-offs.
The protection offered by design patents is similar to the protection offered by trademarks and copyright, although the protection only spans a maximum of 14 years. Occasionally design patent protection can overlap with trademark protection (Google 'trade dress' for more info). There are also occasions where design patent protection can overlap with copyright protection, but copyright law, in the US at least, does not tend to protect the appearance of "utilitarian" products.
In foreign countries, design patents are often referred to simply as "industrial designs" or "registered designs." Protection is more likely to overlap with copyright law. | {
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Friday, June 17, 2011
bakugan new vestroia
Filed in RIR DC on 04/28/2004. No 45 day letter yet! Anyone else from DC in the same case?
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acharaniya
08-25 09:07 PM
Not sure about which bank would be good but whichever bank you choose make sure that they give you a statement of how much interest you paid over the year. Most people don't realize that you can deduct interest paid for a home loan in India is tax deductible in the US. Just FYI.
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bajrangbali
06-11 10:52 AM
That is $5 billion not %50 billion. This number makes no difference, NYSE trades shock values more then that amount per second.
Thank you..I corrected it. It might make no difference, but when you think about US banks begging for $25 billions each just a few months ago, I dont think you will have the same feeling.
Received a direct deposit from IRS today of $1200. I am on H1B and my wife on H4 and both of us have SSNs. We had filed jointly.
Also another friend of mine received his refud for a family of 4 - he is on H1B, wife on H4, both have SSNs, one daughter US citizen (has SSN) and another daughter Indian citizen (no SSN). He got 600 + 600 + 300= $ 1500.
It all adds up...
BAKUGAN NEW VESTROIA
santa123
07-11 09:26 AM
Just wondering... How many people would benefit out of this big movement? What estimated # of applications is USCIS expecting through this movement? If the dates were current last year same time, how many ppl with PDs between 2004 and 2006 would have missed the bus last year? Dont think many wld have... Excuse my ignorance if there is a basic mistake in my assumption
Yeah but if the PDs are set as unavailable, what can they do about those cases anyway, as the priority date has to be current on the day of approval in the consulate. Furthermore, unlike with 485s they can't consular process 18K cases on a Sunday! It is not a centralised process for them to do that.
Actually there are 2 sides to these questions.. (Of course I am also one of the EB3 aspirants.)
1. What is America losing because of our prolonged wait for Green Cards?
America would be losing on intellectual grounds. Most of the people waiting in the never-ending GC queue are ready to give up their spot, if they get good opportunities elsewhere, eg: UK, Canada, Australia, However it is not going to put a dent overall intellectual pool.
America would be gaining in terms of revenue & employment creation: Filing fees, Attorney fees are the visible ones. The non-tangible ones being social security fund & medicare fund, Income tax, employer's insurance premiums. Most likely, the silent immigrant going back to his home country or another country is not going to ask for social security benefits/Medicare. Social Security in particular which is in desperate need of repairs greatly appreciates the immigrant going back. The wait creates lot of employment in terms of immigration personnel, attorneys, USCIS systems' maintenance. Consider this: A credit card processing bank does more checks on an individual/card while processing an authorization. What if the whole immigration system has been automated (instead of today's almost fully paper-based immigration processing)? Even with automated systems in place (eg PIMS), there are massive delays. But the complete reform would hit a huge employment soft spot. How much would it take to hook up a terminal in an overseas consulate, thru which the consulate officer can check the petition validity then & there itself, accessing it from a Centralized database? Heck they should learn it from Yahoo or Google, to access systems from anywhere in the world.
2. How people who have green cards are contributing to the country as a whole ? By contributing to income tax. A person with green card is more likely to get more opportunities than a person on H1. H1 holder is constantly nagged with endless paperwork, dependencies, expiration dates. A green card holder can switch to different companies or start his/her own business, thereby earning for himself & paying more on income tax & possible his/her business tax. A permanent resident has already gone thru ton of checks/regulations eg: Criminal checks, medical tests. If the same tests were put thru for Americans, how many are really going to pass? Green card holders (or even H1 worker) stick to all rules, regulations, pay their bills without being a threat to American society.
On the other hand, green card holders/H1s need not sign up for defense service selection (above the age of 24). Lost American jobs is whole different ball game.
3. What if the whole green card process takes less than 3 years ? If it takes less than 3yrs, it will certainly make lot of IVians & happy, including me. But we are not in Utopian world.
On the other hand, there will be huge influx of immigrant applications. Slowly immigration population would become large chunk in administrative areas, they may even reach Washington.
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superdude
07-21 02:28 AM
Voting seems to be on political lines. Democrats probably didn't want to yield any ground because of their dear CIR failure. We need a targeted campaign (strategy) on the Democrats - Hillary spoke very favourably to the Indian student community recently about H-1B and immigrant visas but her vote is not in line with her statements It is somple politics. Democrats do not want to give credit to President Bush.Presidents approval rating is the worst in the last 30 years.Any bill that Bush supports will be failed in the Senate and the House as well.
What i meant was, although H1 it is a dual intent visa, you dont necessarily show your intention until you apply for your green card process. There are cities that follow different tax structures when you apply for labor or not. Technically, that when you are showing your intention of immigrating. So why throw a blanket on entry date on H1, when some of them dont have the intention of immigrating to US permanently. This will only increase the demand of the GCs.
H1B believe it or not is a "dual intent visa". F1 is NOT a dual intent visa. So what that means is even tho a person entered USA on H1B(which is Nonimmigrant visa) he can have a dual intent to "adjust status" and become a permanent resident.
So I would think it would very wise to be given a PD based on when a person started working on "H"
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desi485
12-02 05:45 PM
... My address that they had on file was also an old one, from 2 years ago. I have since moved, and done the online AR15 thing and received my EAD at the new address, so I'm not sure why/how the system showed the old address. ... Apologies for the long post, but I thought that my tale might help someone that is getting anxious over a similar situation. ... Thanks,
axp817,
I am guessing that your EAD was driven by the address which you provided while applying for it. CIS may not confirm what's on file, when there is already an address mentioned in application itself.
also, thankyou so much for sharing updates with rest of us. This may be useful to someone in similar situation in future.
thank you gconmymind and Bhanu for the contributions. Hope to see you guys in DC.
girlfriend New Vestroia, Bakugan
Bakugan New Vestroia rules
9years
11-30 02:05 PM
Just noticed there is an update on LUD on my previous EAD (not the current one). Not sure what that means though. Still waiting for response after sending interfiling letter. Thank you for the update. I don't have any updates or LUDs. Best of luck to you.
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gc28262
08-12 01:22 PM
My wife works in a company where a good number of IT folks are staffed by INFY. The poor quality of work made the company think about not extending INFY's contract. But then it came out in the open that there was no documentation on how the applications were built, etc. INFY got wind of this, and now they have positioned themselves in the organization where without them, this company's IT would collapse.
There are many such stories of outsourcing firms that are holding client companies hostage. Though I do not agree with the bill, I think the bill brings back some ethics into play. Especially the L1 loophole.
This is more of the client company's fault than Infys. It is upto the client to demand documentation for all the stuff Infy does. Infy will happily do that.
I used to work for an Indian IT firm in India in 1998 where our client was a major corporation here. The client used to demand so much documentation and follow stringent procedures that we were spending most of our time in documenting and following the procedures than doing the real work. This company did this happily without complaining. Client made sure that no company can hijack them.
So it is more of a management issue at client company in this case.
BTW many employees use this technique for their job security.
ita
07-14 03:30 PM
Sent $21.. 7YB8Z-XTRJT.
Thank you.
danila
07-25 08:40 AM
As I already stated, it is proven beyond the point that DOL and USCIS has only the ability to count the numbers. They do not even know exactly how much labor is pending by country. The same is true for I140 as well.
There is confusion even about how the count works. When your name is struck at FBI name check, it is not counted as backlog itself by USCIS anymore :( [I vaguely remember someone posting this quoting some reference from USCIS memo regarding reduction of processing times].
This is why in many cases you see the sudden forward movement in PD followed by heavy retrogression. Historically those who got approved when the PD is moved forward are always lucky. | {
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Autonomy and the Free Will to Convert
Even though it is your goal as a marketer to get customers to complete a conversion action, you must allow them to maintain a sense of control over their decision-making process.
People appreciate feeling as though they are in control of their own actions. In fact, most people recoil at the thought of not having their own free will. But your goal as a digital marketer is to get people to complete a conversion action. And it's easy to be so focused on directing visitors to complete a certain action that you forget the basic human need for autonomy. Your visitors don't want to be herded into a sales funnel. They want to autonomously decide to take a certain action, driven by their own free will.
If you're old enough to remember when people used to have their gas pumped for them or have to walk into the bank for a cash withdrawal, you've seen this principle in action. The shift to self-serve stations and ATMs was successful because people like to be autonomous - to do things on their own, with minimal help from others. And people are motivated by autonomy because it makes them feel in control.
Here are three easy ways you can create autonomous conversion paths for your visitors.
Give People Freedom
In order for visitors to feel in control, they must be able to move freely about your website. It should be easy for them to tell exactly where they are within the site and how to accomplish what they came to do.
To facilitate this, use a clearly labeled navigation system with drop-down menus to categorize navigational options and avoid overwhelming visitors. Make it easy for visitors to move from one section of your site to another without frustration.
Findability, the capacity of site visitors to access the page or information that they are looking for, is critical to making the website a success. Even with great navigation, some people will still go directly to your search. So make sure your search function delivers semantically appropriate results and prioritizes them well. Like the search box, your sitemap also works as a secondary navigation aide; organize it well, visually showing the site's information hierarchy and listing your pages by name or topic.
Giving people freedom to move around extends to your checkout process as well. Have you ever been in line at the grocery store when you suddenly remember that you forgot to add something to your cart? I see this all the time - the shopper simply leaves the cart in line and runs back to get the missing item. So why is it that so many e-commerce sites restrict this freedom for their online shoppers? If your purchase path is void of any navigation, it robs the visitor of the freedom to go back and forth at will. Avoid this by optimizing the purchase flow to encourage forward movement, but add subtle links that allow for backward movement when needed.
Don't Force the Issue
The word "mandatory" has a very negative connotation. In fact, many people have an almost visceral reaction to words like "mandatory" and "required." Nobody likes being told what to do, and nothing strips Web users of their autonomy faster than forcing them to do fill out a bunch of extraneous fields on your form.
I know what you're thinking: "But there is certain information we must have." And of course you're right - you wouldn't be able to process a purchase with payment or shipping information. It's likely that every form has at least one field that's required. But drawing attention to it with bright red warning labels and asterisks is probably not the best approach.
The more freedom customers feel when it comes to filling in forms, the better they tend to respond. Rather than tell them what they must do by labeling required fields, why not mark optional fields instead? This simple change gives users the feeling that they are making a choice (to provide optional information) rather than being forced to provide information that's required. The more autonomy you can give your users when filling out your forms, the more motivation they will have to complete the process.
Give People Choices, but Not Too Many
People equate having choices with having control. Sheena Iyengar wrote a very interesting book, The Art of Choosing, which explores the complex relationship between choice and freedom. If you've heard of the jam experiment, you know of Iyengar's work. She suggests that the optimal amount of choice lies somewhere between infinity and very little, depending on context and culture. So what does that mean for your site? Avoid giving just one option of anything. Don't force buyers to register; let them also check out as a guest. Don't just have an "add to cart" button; let people email a link to the item to someone or put it on a wish list.
But on the other hand, don't give so many options for your product or service that it literally paralyzes the decision process. If your product or service has lots of options by nature (a mobile phone carrier, for example), use a decision wizard and filtered search options to help guide people to a choice without taking away their autonomy.
The bottom line is, when visitors are given more autonomy in their experience, they feel less stress, more confident, and more motivated to complete their task on your site. And isn't that what conversion optimization is all about?
Want to learn more? Attend ClickZ Live New York March 30 - April 1. With over 15 years' experience delivering industry-leading events, ClickZ Live brings together over 60 expert speakers to offer an action-packed, educationally-focused agenda covering all aspects of digital marketing. Register today!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Tim Ash is CEO of SiteTuners.com, a landing page optimization firm that offers conversion consulting, full-service guaranteed-improvement tests, and software tools to improve conversion rates. SiteTuners' AttentionWizard.com visual attention prediction tool can be used on a landing page screenshot or mock-up to quickly identify major conversion issues. He has worked with Google, Facebook, American Express, CBS, Sony Music, Universal Studios, Verizon Wireless, Texas Instruments, and Coach.
Tim is a highly-regarded presenter at SES, eMetrics, PPC Summit, Affiliate Summit, PubCon, Affiliate Conference, and LeadsCon. He is the chairperson of ConversionConference.com, the first conference focused on improving online conversions. A columnist for several publications including ClickZ, he's host of the weekly Landing Page Optimization show and podcast on WebmasterRadio.fm. His columns can be found in the Search Engine Watch archive.
He received his B.S. and M.S. during his Ph.D. studies at UC San Diego. Tim is the author of the bestselling book, "Landing Page Optimization."
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Since its inception in 2013, the Inflight Pavilion, Workshop and Awards has established itself as the leading regional event series dedicated to in-flight entertainment, connectivity and cabin technology.
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smallest linebacker in draft. Think of him as a SS that always plays in the box. that's what Roman Harper is best at. Harper even lined up at linebacker in some packages with the Saints. Harper will be 32 this season and will need to be replaced soon | {
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The Roots and Live Nation Urban team up to present the eleventh annual “Roots Picnic”June 2, 2018 at Festival Pier in Philadelphia, PA.
Tickets will be available beginning Friday, February 16th at 12pm ET. For more details, clickHERE.
The full confirmed lineup can be found below. CITI card members will
have access to a presale February 14th at 10am ET through February 15th
at 11:59pm ET, click HERE.
Celebrating
its eleven-year anniversary, the festival once again aligns music, art,
fashion, comedy, wellness, and consciousness into a cultural experience
unlike anything else on the scene. “Roots Picnic”
remains known for careful curation that unites music’s hottest acts,
influencers, tastemakers, and thought leaders for one unforgettable
day—and this year proudly continues that tradition.
Once again, The Roots raise the bar with their flagship fest. The groundbreaking GRAMMY® Award-winning multiplatinum hip-hop collective will headline the proceedings with a very special “Jam Session” hosted by Dave Chappelle, with
a set accompanied by surprise guests. This will be the first time the
legendary comedian joins his longtime friends at the annual extravaganza
following a string of knockout sold out Radio City Music Hall shows
together in 2017.
In addition to performances from superstars such as Lil Uzi Vert, Dirty Projectors, The Diplomats, 2 Chainz, Dvsn, Brandy and more, the day includes a bevy of one-of-a-kind moments exclusive to “Roots Picnic.” Among those, fans can enjoy Black Thought’s Live Mixtape feat. Fabolous & Jadakiss in what promises to be a display of pure lyrical fireworks, while DJ Drama presents Gangsta Grillz with special guests. In game-changing fashion, this is the first year of the Podcast Stage which plays host to live podcasts such as Drink Champs, On One with Angela Rye, Questlove Supreme, and more. Going beyond music, the Lifestyle Stage offers a MADDEN & NBA2K Tournament hosted by iPod King Carter as well as a Fashion Panel, an Art Panel, Hustle Panel and an art market featuring local vendors called The mARkeT.
The
festival, which is produced by Roots founding members,
Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson and Tarik “Black Thought” Trotter along with
Shawn Gee, Roots manager and President of Live Nation Urban, notably
follows another sell-out for Live Nation Urban with the 2018 Broccoli
City Festival in Washington DC.
“This
year we’ve tried to vary the non-musical elements of the lineup. We see
so many homogenous festival lineups, and we’ve always prided ourselves
on trying to create unique moments for the Roots Picnic attendee that
they can’t see anywhere else. The Roots headline collaborative set is
always unique, and in addition we are very bullish on the podcast space,
so we’ve decided to dedicate and program an entire stage with some of
the best culturally relevant podcasts." Says Shawn Gee, The Roots longtime manager and President of Live Nation Urban
The annual “Roots Picnic” festival remains just as unpredictable, undeniable, and unique as The Roots themselves.
Since launching in 2007, it has stood at the crossroads of music and
culture, entertaining, engaging, and enlightening millions of fans along
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& Ryan Lewis, and Future to Vampire Weekend, The War On Drugs, Gary
Clark, Jr., Solange, Diplo, Gnarls Barkley, and more. “Roots Picnic” isn’t just a cornerstone of the group’s career, but a cornerstone of the culture. | {
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Wii U hardware around the same spec as current generation says Vigil Games
Vigil Games, one of the third party studios working on hardcore launch titles for the Wii U has given an indication of the kind of power the Wii U has under the hood.
The studio's Marvin Donald explained that the Wii U version of Darksiders 2 is almost a straight port with nothing required in the way graphical improvements. The only changes they have made have been to take advantage of the Wii U's unique controller.
Donald said, "So far the [Wii U] hardware's been on par with what we have with the current generations. Based on what I understand, the resolution and textures and polycounts and all that stuff, we're not going to being doing anything to up-res the game, but we'll take advantage of the controller for sure."
He added on the controller itself, "Now it's just down to deciding what we really want to do to make it a unique experience on the Wii U; taking advantage of the extra screen and the touch capability and all that."
Of course, this could just indicate that the performance of the Wii U as of launch will produce a visual experience equivalent to the Xbox 360 and the PS3 due to unfamiliarity of developers with the hardware. | {
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The 40-percent-plus nosedive by Men's Wearhouse on Friday -- its biggest drop since 1992 -- would seem to bolster that case.
Last year, the retailer acquired rival chain Jos. A. Bank in a $1.5 billion deal that hedge fund Eminence Capital threw its weight behind. Notably, Eminence said it didn’t have the initial intention of agitating for change when it took a stake in Men’s Wearhouse in the fall of 2013; it was propelled into action when Men’s Wearhouse refused Jos. A. Bank's advances.
Eminence began advocating for the companies to enter talks, saying a merger would create up to $2 billion in value, driven by some $100 million in cost savings, $280 million in revenue synergies and a lift in the combined company’s P/E multiple when Wall Street rewarded the combination.
The Ricky Sandler-led fund reckoned the cost savings could come from areas including purchasing, distribution, advertising and marketing and general administrative expenses. New revenue could come from a bigger push into e-commerce and more tuxedo rentals.
Eminence believed in the deal so fiercely that to complement its almost 10 percent stake in Men’s Wearhouse, it later took a nearly 5 percent stake in Jos. A. Bank and nominated directors to the latter's board.
By the fund’s math, a combination would create the only publicly-traded "pure-play" men’s apparel retailer, with a projected market value of $4.9 billion.
Tale of the Tape
SOURCE: Bloomberg
That hasn’t happened: Friday’s plunge has left Men’s Wearhouse with a market value closer to $1 billion after it was forced to slash its earnings guidance. Jos. A. Bank’s same-store sales have declined further than expected because customers just don’t love the retailer’s change in discounting policy (goodbye "buy-one, get-three-free" deals).
Though the change in strategy hasn’t been explicitly endorsed by Eminence (and calls to the firm weren't immediately returned), it bumped its Men’s Wearhouse stake back up to 9.9 percent by buying stock as recently as last week, indicating it still believes in the story.
Men’s Wearhouse’s CEO Doug Ewert says the company knows that changing brand perception and customer buying patterns will take time to bear fruit.
But until that turnaround surfaces, his company’s all-cash deal for Jos. A. Bank looks like a bust. It took on $1.7 billion in debt to finance the deal, which is weighing heavily on Men’s Wearhouse’s balance sheet: net debt/Ebitda has crept up past 7 times, according to data compiled by Bloomberg, a far cry from its near-zero borrowings in the four years that preceded the deal.
Even Eminence -- whose Men's Wearhouse stake lost $84 million overnight -- may be wishing it could turn back the clock.
This column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of Bloomberg LP and its owners. | {
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Monday, September 20, 2010
I finally got around to making homemade granola. It turned out pretty well, except I baked it a little too long. Every few bites has a bit of a burnt taste! Otherwise, it wasn't too hard and I like the way it tastes. It made the house smell delightful as it was baking!
It's nearing time to go grocery shopping again, so this week we're going to be scrounging around and using what we have.
Breakfast and lunch won't be anything special this week. Cereal, toast, fruit, oatmeal, bacon for breakfast. Sandwiches, left overs, and soup for lunches.
Thursday, September 16, 2010
Every Wednesday I do one of the oddest household tasks I might ever have to do. I have to defrost and scrape ice out of our refrigerator.
This is our trusty refrigerator. It's about a thousand years old, but still works like a dream. Except that ice builds up around the "ice box" part. I've tried to ignore it, but then it just gets so bad that the door will barely close. And when that happens, it's a real pain in the derriere to defrost. You have to scrape, chip, bang, and even pull out the hair dryer for hours.
So, to avoid having that big mess, I've just decided to clean it out every Wednesday. This is what it looks like before I begin. Lovely!
Here I am with the necessary tools. I'm thinking of purchasing some gloves to help in this process. My hands sure do get cold!
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
I was working on some sewing projects today and remembered that I never got around to posting about a few sewing projects I finished a while back.
On days when I don't feel like mopping the floor, washing dishes, doing laundry, cleaning the bathroom, or chipping ice out of the refrigerator (more to come about this later), I sit on the couch and browse the lovely world wide web for crafty projects. I'm not ashamed to admit that I "stalk" a few handfuls of blogs. Most of the projects that I end up falling in love with involve making things for children. Well, since there definitely aren't any of those around, I just make things for other people's children.
First, I made a crayon roll. I had seen these around on different blogs and just thought they were genius. I used this tutorial to make mine. It was a lot of fun to make, even though I had to take out a few seams here and there!
Here it is all rolled up. I used a hair-band and a button to hold it closed.
Here it is opened up. I wanted to use crayons in a variety of sizes, because it was for a toddler.
Then, I made this little taggie giraffe. Do you know about taggies? They are mostly seen as blankets, but I thought this giraffe was cute. It's simply a stuffed animal (or blanket if you choose to make that) with different textured ribbons around the edge. Apparently, babies love to touch the different ribbons. It's a great sensory toy! I used this tutorial for my taggie giraffe. This took me a while to make. The first one I put together had a really skinny neck. So, I made another one, but it's body was really skinny. Finally, I was able to make one that was reasonably proportioned and somewhat resembled a giraffe.
The fabric on this side is a knit and the other side is a minky micro-fiber fabric.
Ironically, while I was in the middle of making these two projects, my dear, sweet friend asked if I would make her a bag to go over the handle bars on her stroller. I was a little bit intimidated by this, because I couldn't find a tutorial or directions. I overcame my fears and set to work creating something. I'm pretty pleased with how it turned it out. Now I'm thinking of how I can change it a little to make it a purse or bag of some sort that I could use.
Monday, September 13, 2010
The jalapeno popper chicken was awesome! I've recently found the pleasure in jalapenos and have this strange desire to put them in everything. The jalapeno popper chicken was a good combination between spicy, creamy, and salty. Perfect!
The crockpot peppercorn steak was pretty good. I wouldn't say it was my favorite meal of the week, but it wasn't bad. I put red, yellow, orange, and green peppers in it and I think the peppers gave it too much of a sweet taste. There was a lot of the sauce part left, which I froze to use as a base for soup later.
The stuffed shells were very good. The recipe calls for a 9X13 pan. I made two 8x8 pans and froze one. It took me about 30 minutes to prepare and cost around $5.50. That's pretty good for two meals!
I didn't make the crockpot buffalo chicken lasagna last week, but I will try it soon!
I made tuna salad for lunch one day last week and made the most delicious tuna melt out of mine. I toasted tuna and shredded cheese on some bread, then added extra mayonnaise, salt and pepper. Topped with fresh spinach leaves and red onion. The tuna salad also had jalapeno in it. It was amazing!
Breakfast:Granola and yogurt (Didn't make last week)Eggs, fresh pears, toastBacon and fruitCereal and fruitToast and fruit
Monday, September 06, 2010
I tried several new recipes last week. Some we liked and some we didn't. I would highly recommend these breakfast cookies. I mean, who doesn't like eating cookies for breakfast? These were so yummy! I also made this baked oatmeal that was very tasty. I'm actually having some still this morning.
One new recipe that we didn't care for was smashed potato cakes. I didn't like the flavor of the greek yogurt in the potatoes and making them cakes was one extra step that I didn't think was necessary.
I didn't get to make either of the quinoa recipes last week. The grocery store was sold out when I went shopping! I couldn't believe it! So, I'll try again another time and hopefully make it soon.
On to this week -
Breakfast Options:Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Muffins and fruitEggs and toastCereal and fruitBacon and eggsOatmeal and fruitGranola with yogurt (*I found out last week that Grandma does not like yogurt! So, I will be making this for myself!)
Saturday, September 04, 2010
As I went out to check the mail this morning, I questioned whether I was having hallucinations. No, I was indeed seeing a massive Longhorn in the road. But that wasn't the extent of it. There was a lady riding the Longhorn down the road. With a calf tied to it. I couldn't believe my eyes!
In true Northerner fashion, I quickly went inside to grab my camera. I did my best paparazzi moves and snapped a few pictures.
A few weeks ago I saw a goat walking down the road in front of our house. That was unusual, but not too surprising. This, however, really had me speechless. I wonder if it's a pet? Or maybe it's going to be supper sometime down the road? Either way, it would save on gas!
Thursday, September 02, 2010
I'm a bit crazy about making lists. I make them all the time. It's just how my brain works. It helps me to be more organized and productive. I make lists of things to do, things to buy, things I want, things I don't like, and even lists of things to make lists about. It's an obsession.
For me, menu planning involves a lot of lists. It's a bit of a tedious task, but one I enjoy very much. Here's a little look into how I go about planning a menu and grocery shopping.
First, I make a list of all the meals that I want to make. I've been planning for a month at a time, but this month I decided to only do 2 weeks at a time. I make a list for breakfast, lunch, and supper, sides, and snacks. Some of these are new recipes and some are old tried-and-true recipes.
Once I have my list compiled of all the recipes I would like to use in the two weeks (or month), I start planning them out by day. Sometimes I use an actual calendar, but this time I just use a scratch piece of paper. I try to include a variety throughout the week: chicken, beef, pork, grilled food, etc. I also try to plan the meals so we don't have the same kind of meat two nights in a row. That doesn't always work, but I do my best.
Once I have the meals assigned to specific days, it's time to make a grocery list. I go through each meal, check the recipe (if I need one), and write down everything I'll need for that meal. I do this for each meal and just keep a running list. If something is a repeat, like cheese or meat, I make tally marks by the item on the list to indicate how much of it is needed. You can see this next to the cheddar cheese on my list.
Now, I could call it done at this point. However, if I did, I would be one disorganized, stressed, and chaotic woman at the grocery store. (Please be aware that this is usually the case regardless.) Once I have my master list of groceries needed, I start organizing it into categories. I created this handy-dandy shopping list that is broken down by aisles at the grocery store. This took a few weeks of going to HEB to get everything in the right category, but it makes life at the grocery store so much easier!
The final step is to go through my coupons and highlight the items on my list for which I have coupons. I have found that once I'm in the store and focused on trying to get everything, I usually forget that I have coupons. By highlighting the item, it causes me to pay extra care to actually use that coupon. I clip all my coupons to my list and as I put the item in my shopping cart, I put the coupon with my wallet.
And that, my friends, is how I menu plan and make a grocery list. Aren't you glad you know a little bit more about how crazy I am?
Followers
A Little About Me
I am a happy stay-at-home wife and mother. I'm daily striving to be the best keeper of the home and steward of the resources with with the Lord has blessed us. This is my little space to share the joys of my life. | {
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Seminar: Shinjiro Yokoyama in Houston, Texas - Oct. 20-22, 2017
Posted 10/02/2017 12:20pm [from Jorge Garcia]
Shudokan School of Aikido invites all affiliations of Aikidoka to enjoy training with under a wonderful teacher from Tokyo,Japan. Yokoyama Sensei trained exclusively under Hiroshi Kato, 8th dan for two decades. He is a young man who has internalized the teachings of Hiroshi Kato along with his own understanding of this art through his own training and pursuit of this art. Our Seminar will be from October 20-22, 2017 and will be held at the Samurai Martial Arts dojo at 17111 Kieth Harrow, Houston, Texas 77084. Bring a bokken and Jo because we will also be covering Kato Sensei's unique weapons system for advanced aikido movement. For more information,call Jorge Garcia at 281-630-0361
Seminar: Seminar with Tres Hofmeister Sensei, October 6-8, 2017
Posted 10/01/2017 9:04pm [from Marta Crispens]
Nashville Aikikai will be hosting a seminar with Tres Hofmeister Sensei on October 6-8, 2017. The seminar will be held at the Nashville Aikikai dojo at 1701B Fatherland St, Nashville, TN. If you are traveling from out of town, please be aware that I-24 will be closed from the I-40 split to the I-65 split starting at 8 PM Friday night, so you will need to give yourself a little extra travel time. Hope to see you there.
Seminar: October 20-22, 2017: Mary Heiny Sensei in Brattleboro, Vermont
Posted 10/01/2017 9:04pm [from Don Hebert]
October 20-22, 2017: Mary Heiny Sensei in Brattleboro, Vermont
Mary Heiny Sensei has been practicing Aikido for almost 50 years. It is our great fortune that she continues to deepen her understanding of this amazing art and is so willing to share what she has learned.
This annual seminar is both small and intimate so that each person has the maximum opportunity to receive the benefit of Mary's unique and insightful teaching.
River Valley Aikido, Brattleboro, Vermont.
Seminar: Shirakawa, Ryuji in Calgary, Alberta Oct. 6-8th 2017
Posted 9/11/2017 2:12pm [from Andrew Barron]
We are excited and looking forward to training with 6th dan Ryuji Shirakawa Shihan of Sendai, Japan once again this Canadian Thanksgiving. This three day seminar with this dynamic sensei is not to be missed. This will be Sensei’s only North American seminar in 2017 and is scheduled for October 6th, 7th and 8th. Please join us on the mat as Sensei teaches us with his characteristic humour, intensity, and powerful technique. If you haven't seen him check out: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tock4srHlcI
Seminar: Mary Heiny Sensei in Oberlin, OH, Oct 6-8, 2017
Posted 9/11/2017 9:48am [from Andrzej Siwkiewicz]
Mary Heiny sensei will be coming back to Oberlin to teach our Fall Seminar October 6-8, 2017. She last visited Oberlin 10 years ago, so we are very pleased she is coming this year again.
Mary Heiny Sensei (6th dan) has followed a path of physical and spiritual inspiration for more than forty five years, as a student and teacher of Aikido. She started this journey in 1965 after watching O'Sensei teach a class at Hombu Dojo in Tokyo, Japan.
Heiny Sensei brings to every class, workshop, and seminar she teaches not only her years of aikido training and teaching, but also her extensive experience and study of Japanese culture, language, Shinto and Buddhist philosophies, and Non-Violent Communication. She strives always to communicate the beauty and challenge of O'sensei's desire that we use Aikido to become empowered as creative, compassionate beings and learn to appreciate each other as members of one human family.
Seminar keiko will be held at the Hales Gym, Oberlin College, 180 West Lorain Street, Oberlin, Ohio 44074-1016:
Friday, October 6, evening class at 7 - 8:30 p.m., Saturday, October 7, morning class at 10 - 12 p.m., and afternoon class at 3 - 5 p.m., and Sunday, October 8, morning class at 10 - 12:30 p.m.
The full seminar cost is $110, or $35 per class.
All affiliations are welcomed.
Preregistration is recommended and housing available in hotels nearby.
For more information visit: http://clevelandaikido.com/events/, or call 216-3922274.
Uchideshi Training at Korinji Monastery (Madison, WI)
Posted 7/08/2017 9:16pm [from Kristen Radtke]
Applications are being accepted for combined Aikido/Zen residential training at Korinji, a Rinzai monastery near Madison, WI. Meido Moore Sensei (6th dan), who is also a Zen teacher, serves as the Korinji abbot and will direct the training. Uchideshi in this full-time residential program will participate in daily Zen practice according to the monastic schedule, but with approximately 4 hours daily allotted for Aikido training. For formal uchideshi training a minimum stay of six months is required, with longer stays encouraged. Persons wishing to reside and train for shorter periods are also welcome, however, as general guests. For more information please click the link; inquiries may be directed to [email protected].
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Uncategorized
Professional diving is both an intriguing and exciting career if recreational diving is a beloved hobby. Diving will be one of life’s pastimes eventually, so why not make it into something greater right now? Why not make what feels like a vacation into a full-time career? Why not pursue a beloved hobby and reap benefits? Why not become a professional diver?
Like any other profession, diving is a tough career to last in. It requires tons of experience, certifications, and even some schoolwork. Before taking the plunge, read the two steps that what it takes to become a professional diver below.
DIVE!
Training and repetition is one of the most vital parts of this profession. Having strong diving skills is the foundation for a prosperous career. For people who have never dove before, but want to start, take the questionnaire by the World Recreational Scuba Training Council to ensure physical fitness. Find a scuba diving academy to take basic courses. Make sure you have the right equipment as well—check out this scuba gear for beginners.
To those who have been recreationally diving for a while: practice, practice, and practice some more. Make sure you are 100% comfortable with your body constantly being thrown into water. Then, take courses to become a certified diver.
Find out which profession is your favorite.
Recreational diving is a huge market. Scuba instructors are needed everywhere from water parks to private yachts. Where water is warm, people will want to enjoy it. Scuba instructors perform tasks such as instructing and being responsible for the health and safety of beginner divers.
Commercial diving isn’t the prettiest or safest profession to pursue. If thinking about pursuing a commercial diving career, the levels of danger and underwater interests should be taken into account to make for the most pleasurable career possible.
There are six main types of commercial divers in the industry:
Offshore: Divers are working in an effort to build and maintain the structures gas and oil companies have created. They participate in tasks such as underwater welding, inspecting, and rigging for long periods of time at sea, making this choice quite tenuous.
Inland: A choice not as dangerous as offshore diving, these workers spend time in smaller bodies of water such as lakes and rivers. Although they may perform tasks that are similar to offshore divers, they also tend to work on civil engineering projects such as underwater videography and photography, salvaging, and bridge and dam inspection.
HAZMAT: These divers are in a quite risky environment, directly contacting sludge, oil, and irradiated material. HAZMATers work in various water sources such as pipelines and sewers to remove these hazardous chemicals.
Scientific: Divers that research the sea and its creatures. These scientists inspect the sea and gather data, along with participating in videography and photography. These divers are scientists first and divers second; they are only in the water for short periods of time.
Naval: Do similar work as inland and offshore workers, but work in the navy.
Military/Police: Also known as combat divers, or “frogmen,” these divers are responsible for tasks such as bomb diffusion, rescue diving, and demolition. They are also responsible for finding bodies and evidence.
Go for It!
Once the decision of what type of diver preferred is made, all that’s needed to be done is more learning and experience.
For scuba instructing, one needs these certifications:
Open water diver certification: Programmed to teach diver what happens to their body when diving. Will also teach student how to become a more competent diver.
Advanced open water diver certification: Helps build on the foundation from the previous certification.
Rescue diver certification: teaches students how to help instructors and divemasters in emergencies.
Instructor Development Course (IDC): The master course. Usually takes from 10 days to 3 weeks to complete.
For commercial diving, only three steps need to be taken.
Finish high school: During this time, future divers can spend time taking open water, advanced open water, and rescue diver certification courses, along with taking classes in school that have to do with mechanics and problem-solving.
Enroll in commercial diver training program: This program will allow the student to learn about tasks that he will need to complete in the future, such as welding, photography, and repairing construction sites. For those who want a more inclusive educational experience, college degrees involving commercial diving programs are available.
Start working: Once finished with the program, the student becomes an Entry Level Diver. To further his or her career, the diver must log their experience and receive training to be eligible for certification.
Although the journey to becoming a professional diver is a long and tenuous one, one who is fond of diving will be sure to reap the benefits of making his or her hobby into a career. This career offers various perks, depending on the journey taken. However, one should only consider taking up diving if he or she is passionate about the hobby and is willing to work enough to create a life around it. | {
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Sometime around '86/'87, Vince tried out a bodybuilder/strongman from Manitoba named Tom Magee.Physically, Tom looked outstanding, but although Stu Hart trained him for a few months, you'd have never known it. He wasn't very good in the ring.
The old man was said to have creamed his pants (figuratively...I think) at the sight of Magee, and a couple of guys have gone on record saying that Hogan was more than a little nervous over the prospect of his potential/likely "replacement."They fed him some skilled jobbers, including Bret, but Magee just never worked out.I mean, he was athletic and worked very hard, but maybe he just didn't have any aptitude for the ring.Not everyone does.
No it was defiinitely the 83/84 time frame when Hogan beat the Sheik.......I will have to do somne research.
One thing I always found humorous was that when Vince was "stealing" talent from all of the other territories, he pretty much made them all the same promise: that he had big plans for them, they would work big money programs, be the top draw of the territory, etc.
There were a lot of guys who got pissed off when reality manifested, but they stuck around because Vince paid better simply because he drew more.
One thing I always found humorous was that when Vince was "stealing" talent from all of the other territories, he pretty much made them all the same promise: that he had big plans for them, they would work big money programs, be the top draw of the territory, etc.
There were a lot of guys who got pissed off when reality manifested, but they stuck around because Vince paid better simply because he drew more.
And they had ZERO drawing power in other feds after being a rooster, clown, etc.... and jobbing to Hogan for 150 straight house shows and Saturday Nights Main Event.
One thing I always found humorous was that when Vince was "stealing" talent from all of the other territories, he pretty much made them all the same promise: that he had big plans for them, they would work big money programs, be the top draw of the territory, etc.
There were a lot of guys who got pissed off when reality manifested, but they stuck around because Vince paid better simply because he drew more.
Reminds me of what used to go on in college football back in the old days...all the "negative" recruiting. Big schools recruiting good athletes that they had zero intentions of actually using, just to keep them from signing with a rival. They don't do that nowadays since there are strict scholarship limits.
Reminds me of what used to go on in college football back in the old days...all the "negative" recruiting. Big schools recruiting good athletes that they had zero intentions of actually using, just to keep them from signing with a rival. They don't do that nowadays since there are strict scholarship limits.
Now they just sign as many guys as possible, but cut them loose right before they have to file the paperwork for scholarships. Read an article on that issue last year. Doesn't give the guys time to find other schools. and its perfectly legal by the NCAA. Sad.
One thing I always found humorous was that when Vince was "stealing" talent from all of the other territories, he pretty much made them all the same promise: that he had big plans for them, they would work big money programs, be the top draw of the territory, etc.
There were a lot of guys who got pissed off when reality manifested, but they stuck around because Vince paid better simply because he drew more.
Funny as I am reading Piper's book right now, and that one of Vince's tactics to penetrate another territory was to hold a benefit show for a fallen wrestler. What was the territory's promoter going to say....it was a benefit show. Also that alot of these guys were wrestling without contracts and one week before WM 1, Vince approached Hot Rod with a contract and said "sign it" or you won't be in Wrestlemania.Also said that he felt he had alot more drawing power than Hogan and that people did not watch WM to see Hogan and Mr T but rather to see Roddy get his ass kicked as he had soo much heat. All a matter of opinion.
Also it may have been Orndorff as the original chosen one...I have to research..
Funny as I am reading Piper's book right now, and that one of Vince's tactics to penetrate another territory was to hold a benefit show for a fallen wrestler. What was the territory's promoter going to say....it was a benefit show. Also that alot of these guys were wrestling without contracts and one week before WM 1, Vince approached Hot Rod with a contract and said "sign it" or you won't be in Wrestlemania.Also said that he felt he had alot more drawing power than Hogan and that people did not watch WM to see Hogan and Mr T but rather to see Roddy get his ass kicked as he had soo much heat. All a matter of opinion.
I may have touched upon this in another thread, but...I like Roddy. I think Roddy's done a lot of drugs.I think drugs have fried part of Roddy's brain, and I don't put a whole lot of credibility in what he says - especially as many of his "arguments" about even opinion-based matters like who drew Mania are thin at best.
My buddy saw Piper at the 2005 WWE HOF; said he walked around in sunglasses the whole time and acted stoned out of his mind.
Now they just sign as many guys as possible, but cut them loose right before they have to file the paperwork for scholarships. Read an article on that issue last year. Doesn't give the guys time to find other schools. and its perfectly legal by the NCAA. Sad.
That's even worse...at least in the old days the kid got a four year ride.
One more reason that I don't have a major problem with football players leaving early, transferring, etc. That "loyalty" thing is a two-way street. | {
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The Welsh, Scottish and Irish Rugby Unions have been warned that they risk
putting their clubs “in a very difficult position” if they prevent them from
joining the new Rugby Champions Cup being proposed by the English and French
clubs.
Stay where you are: Welsh clubs, including Cardiff Blues, have been told they will not be allowed to compete in a new competitionPhoto: GETTY IMAGES
The governing bodies of the three Celtic countries issued almost identical statements simultaneously on Thursday insisting that they would not sanction any of their clubs or regions participating in future tournaments which did not have the full approval of the International Rugby Board and the relevant unions.
Mark McCafferty, the chief executive of Premiership Rugby, responded by claiming that “five to 10 clubs” had declared an interest in joining the new Anglo-French tournament.
He said each club participating in the new tournament, which will be backed by broadcaster BT Sport, would receive a minimum of £2million, more than twice the amount that the English clubs receive from the Heineken Cup.
And he predicted that the Celtic unions could be on collision course with their own clubs if they prevented them from joining the new tournament.
“What they are saying is that they will only allow their teams in if they and the IRB supports it, which doesn’t preclude the Rugby Champions Cup,” McCafferty said.
“It just means to say at the time they are going to have to make a decision.
“If they preclude it, they are going to put their clubs in a very difficult position and unless they have got a viable alternative for their clubs and teams then they would be, I suspect, getting increased pressure from those teams to say ‘if you don’t want us to do that, what is the alternative?’ ”
The Celtic unions’ statements went on to say that they “remain fully committed to the development of a pan-European rugby competition” and welcomed “the recent comments made by the IRB chairman [Brett Gosper], who confirmed that a pan-European tournament remains the goal of the IRB”.
The Rugby Football Union said only that its position had not changed since its last statement when it said it was seeking a “consensus to benefit all parties”.
The European Rugby Cup Limited is due to hold negotiations on Oct 23, and has appointed a mediator, Canadian lawyer Graeme Mew, in an attempt to thrash out a deal.
McCafferty, however, said Premiership Rugby was no longer in dispute with ERC, as it had served notice to leave the accord in June 2012.
He wrote to his ERC counterpart Derek McGrath on Monday to confirm his organisation would not be attending the stakeholder meeting.
“Over the last five years, if you look at the extra amount they have received of what might be their natural level of one third [of the tournament revenues] rather than their current figure of 52 per cent, between us and the French we have probably put £30million into RaboDirect Pro 12 Rugby.”
McCafferty added that he expected the RFU to support the Premiership clubs’ stance. | {
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Edge Banding
Woodworker’s Hardware stocks a wide range of edge banding with options for various colors, wood species, sizes and thickness. Whether you are using a banding machine or seeking simpler alternatives such as peel and stick or iron on, we’ve got you covered. We carry only the highest quality products from top brands like Doellken Woodtape, Edgemate and FastCap. | {
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Workout In The Gym For Better Effects.
Besides such factors, there's yet another thing where you can get useful weight reduction results and that is by altering one�s eating habits that is observed consistently. These days, most people are like, they don�t know very well what they are consuming, are they healthy, when it's made and almost nothing about them. People are also busy because of their work and thus, they're not paying very much attention to their diet meal plans. Many individuals feed on outside food frequently. The sort of foods which can be found on road sides is of terrible quality and it is prepared in unhygienic conditions. Many of the outside meals will be full of oil and also excess fat. There usually are more preservatives contained in them to make sure they taste far better and stay http://thewebsbestdeals.com/nutrisystem/ fresh for long time period.
You can shed calories even when you are slumbering, talking as well as relaxing. You ought to burn roughly 3500 calories to get rid of one pound. You must follow a organized approach in direction of fat reduction. First estimate your body mass index. This tells the fat that is present in our bodies. The calculations is based on height and weight. As you calculate the body mass index you are able to evaluate your recommended weight to your existing weight. From the outcomes, you can recognize how much pound you must lose. Try to shed pounds over a period of time. Slow fat loss methods allow you to retain your new bodyweight in opposition to rapid weight loss strategies. Make sure you drink plenty of water. Water enables you to flush out toxins and bacteria from the entire body. They in addition help to aid weight loss.
If you're keen to shed stomach fat, then it's proposed that you do not pass up morning meal. You may have faced this scenario already a lot of times. Do you recognize why fitness professionals stress on this issue? It is because your body must get vitality to go through the day. If one doesn't provide the proper nutrients to one�s body at morning meal time, you then end up not shedding calories and retarding the rate of metabolism. If you don�t have morning meal, then it will lead to over-eating. So, don�t determine that you may shed your tummy fat in the event you omit consuming breakfast. It's established that individuals who take in morning meal regularly have reduced probabilities of facing the risks of cholesterol and diabetes. | {
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Teeth cleaning:Dental prophylaxis, or teeth cleaning most people prefer to call it, refers to eliminate dental plaque, tartar, tobacco stains and tea stains with the help of a professional equipment. It is an effective way to protect periodontal tissues and also the basic and general way to prevent and treat periodontal diseases. Dental calculus irritation can lead to an inflamed gum which is more likely to bleed. | {
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Tag: Family Tree
For some time I’ve been using a web site called BackupMyTree to, well, back-up my tree. If you ever read the first message on this journal, you’ll remember that I created Graham Ancestry after I’d lost all my previous research in a hard drive failure. That will never happen to me again, because BackupMyTree now…
Like this:
I’m still researching the next Graham ancestor to profile here, but I had an idea that I wanted to share. This journal has put me into contact with a couple of cousins across the United States, and as I was writing to one today the thought struck me that it is somewhat inefficient on our… | {
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i like it a lot. good price.Well i just buy the limited edition mapex 6 piece hzb horizon , (that drum set it&acute;s fantastic!!) and with the drum set this pack comes , and i like a lot.The hi-hat stand is very smooth and the stands are very strong good for drummer that have a lot of punch.THIS HARDWARE IS FANTASTIC!!!!.Very strong , and the hi-hat stand is very smooth.good for the price.
I got this hardware pack when I bought my Mapex kit a few years back. Although this kit may not blow you away with flashy designs or high end features, you will come to love it because it simply does what its supposed to every single time you sit down to play. The highlight of the pack is the cymbal stands. They take a beating and will rival any high end stand on the market. The snare stand lacks a little in adjustability (couldn't get the angle towards me just right because of the geared tilter, but I fixed that by sticking a roll of tape on of the arms to prop up that end of the snare), but man its rock solid. It wont dump over on you in the middle of jamming. Finally, the high hat pedal is admirable for what it is. Again, the thing is solid, just not quite as quick as I would like (something all chain drive pedals have an issue with). Overall the hi hat stand gets a 9 from me because I couldn't knock this thing over if I tried, and I can't hate a chain drive stand because it is a chain drive and not a direct drive. Finally, the bass pedal is more than sufficient for anyone who is just starting out. I upgraded to a set of IC Jr.'s but I still use this pedal at home on my bass drum practice pad. I was expecting wayyyy worse for an entry level bass pedal. Some of the entry levels I have seen are absolutely unusable. Not so with this pedal, it is great for the money. All in all, if you need a started hardware pack, this is it. None of these components needs to be replaced immediately and they will all last you as long as want them to. | {
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Website policy
We provide links to articles we think will be of interest to our supporters. We are sympathetic to much of the content of what we post, but not to everything. The fact that something has been linked to here does not necessarily mean that we endorse the views expressed in it._____________________
ROBERT BERNSTEIN is one of the founding figures of Human Rights Watch, and for the last several years he’s been criticising the group he helped found for what he says is an anti-Israeli bias. Today he has an op-ed in the Washington Post that extends the indictment, rather more plausibly, to the United Nations. Mr Bernstein calls on the UN to acknowledge and condemn what he says is a constant stream of hateful, anti-Zionist, often anti-Semitic and genocidal propaganda generated in the Arab media and by Arab leaders, which he thinks lays the groundwork for endless conflict. The UN, he says, is “fueling discord and anti-Semitism” by “granting legitimacy to Hamas, a terrorist Islamic group, and the Palestinian Authority headed by Mahmoud Abbas.” And he provides an example of Mr Abbas, widely viewed even in Israel as a peace-seeking believer in non-violent negotiations, engaging in what sounds like some pretty violent rhetoric:
[T]hose who would accept the position Abbas has taken, even as recently as Friday, when he submitted to the United Nations an application for statehood, should be aware of the work of Palestinian Media Watch. The group, an Israeli research institute focused on monitoring the messages of all aspects of Palestinian media, has detailed some of the deception of the Palestinian Authority, even during moments of peace talks. For example, while portraying himself to the West as a man of compromise, Abbas said flatly last October that “we refuse to recognize a Jewish state.”
Whoa. That’s a doozy. Mahmoud Abbas, saying Palestinians refuse to recognise Israel? Is Mr Abbas concealing a secret eliminationist agenda? Well, no. Take a look at MEMRI’s translation of what Mr Abbas actually said. (MEMRI is the same pro-Israeli Arab media-monitoring organisation to which Mr Bernstein himself refers.)
“With regard to (Palestinian recognition of) a Jewish state, or whatever, this has never been an issue. Throughout the negotiations between the Israelis and us, from 1993 until a year ago, we never heard the words ‘Jewish state’. Now they have begun to talk about it, and our response was, ‘Go to the UN and call yourselves whatever you want. We are not the party to address. Not only that—we refuse to recognise a Jewish state. Try to wrest it out of the UN or anyone else.’ Why does Israel insist on demanding this from us, and us alone—it did not demand this from the Arabs, from Egypt, from Jordan, or from any Arab country with which it negotiated? Only from us. We know the reason, and we say, ‘No. We refuse.'”
What Mr Abbas is objecting to here is Israeli insistence that the Palestinian Authority recognise its character as a Jewish state as part of any peace agreement. He’s not saying the Palestinians will not recognise Israel. He’s not even saying they won’t recognise its right to exist. He’s saying the Palestinians refuse to be singled out, as Egypt and Jordan were not when they signed peace deals with Israel, and forced to approve the religious Jewish character of the state. Israel never demanded this recognition during peace negotiations in the 1990s or early 2000s. They’re not part of the Clinton administration-mediated Taba agreements or the Bush administration-brokered “road map” for peace. The Israelis first introduced the demand in 2007. Here is the response, laid out in the talking points of the Palestinian negotiating team in 2007, made public by Al-Jazeera’s transparency project:
“In response to Israeli demands for recognition of Israel as a Jewish state and/or as a state of the Jewish people, the Palestinian negotiations team should refuse to engage on the issue and assert that the traditional terms of reference of the peace process and existing agreements serve as the basis of peace. These terms of reference and agreements do not contemplate Palestinian recognition of Israel as a Jewish state as a basis for peace or at all. They are based on the model of two sovereign states living side-by-side in peace and security and a just settlement of the refugee issue (Resolution 242, 338, [194] and Road Map). In addition, the Jewish state as currently constituted formally discriminates against the non-Jewish population. Palestinians cannot recognize a situation which violates basic norms of international law.”
Hussein Ibish made similar points earlier this year in Foreign Policy. Some people may disagree with these arguments, but they’re hardly anti-Semitic or violent. The issue of the Jewish character of the Israeli state is a profoundly difficult one even for liberal Zionist Jews, who wrestle with how such a legal character can be squared with the principles of secular government and equality for all citizens before the law. It’s certainly understandable that Palestinians refuse to condone what they consider an objectionable aspect of Israeli governance as part of a peace deal. Would America have agreed to recognise the right of Vietnam to exist as a Communist state in the Paris peace talks in 1972? If Mr Bernstein wants to make a case that by recognising a Palestinian state the UN would be sanctioning anti-Semitic or violent anti-Israeli propaganda, he’ll need to find some better examples.
Two dominant forces have defined Arab nations in modern times: autocratic leadership that has denied basic freedoms to its own people, and a deeply ingrained and institutionalized anti-Semitism, centered on a hatred of Israel. Freedom is a growing possibility in light of the Arab Spring, but for this freedom to lead to peace, progress must be made in ending hate speech and incitement to genocide. This is particularly true in Gaza, the West Bank, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Iran. Yet at this moment of possibility, the United Nations is fueling discord and anti-Semitism.
The United Nations is doing this by granting legitimacy to Hamas, a terrorist Islamic group, and the Palestinian Authority headed by Mahmoud Abbas. A vote to add to the United Nations a new member state that calls for the elimination of its neighbor and glorifies terrorism will make peace harder — not easier — to achieve. While Hamas’s calls for genocide most certainly should be condemned, those who would accept the position Abbas has taken, even as recently as Friday, when he submitted to the United Nations an application for statehood, should be aware of the work of Palestinian Media Watch. The group, an Israeli research institute focused on monitoring the messages of all aspects of Palestinian media, has detailed some of the deception of the Palestinian Authority, even during moments of peace talks. For example, while portraying himself to the West as a man of compromise, Abbas said flatly last October that “we refuse to recognize a Jewish state.”
Most shockingly, human rights groups have become the unwitting accomplices of the United Nations as almost every mainstream human rights group has ignored hate speech and incitement to genocide, not only against Israel but against all Jews. The call to genocide has been accompanied by a sophisticated arms buildup along Israel’s Lebanon border over the past five years, defying Security Council Resolution 1701, which called in 2006 for an end to hostilities between Hezbollah and Israel. Even after the 2009 war in Gaza, particularly since the Arab Spring has opened up the Sinai, thousands more rockets continue to pour into Gaza, circumventing the Israeli blockade.
Human Rights Watch, which I founded 33 years ago, continues to attack many of Israel’s defensive measures during war, yet it says nothing about hate speech and incitement to genocide. To cite just one example, the speaker of the Hamas parliament, Ahmad Bahr, called in April 2007 for the murder of Jews, “down to the very last one.” Imagine what leading human rights groups would say if this same speech and incitement were coming from Israel, aimed at the Palestinians.
Human rights groups, which could be highlighting the crimes of Arab dictatorships against Israel and each other, have instead chosen to focus primarily on Israel. They continually discount the extraordinary steps Israel takes to protect civilians on both sides — steps approved by military experts, such as using pamphlets, phone calls and even noise bombs to scare people away from a location before a bombing — while whitewashing Hamas’s desire to eliminate a whole country as just bluster and meaningless words. One would think that, of all organizations in the world, human rights groups would particularly believe that words matter. Words inform intent and influence action. Words and actions need to be taken seriously, especially when they are sponsored by governments.
The real obstacle to long-term peace is the endless and overwhelming words of hate and incitement to genocide effectively spread to Arabs and Palestinians. One example is the textbooks given to millions of children in Saudi Arabia, distributed in the Arab world and beyond, that label Jews “monkeys and pigs.” This continues to foment discord, radicalism and violence.
The absence of criticism by the United Nations and human rights groups is more than just a lack of judgment and fairness. It is proof that the Arab Spring has yet to thaw the old thinking that has stymied progress toward peace for far too long. There will be no peace between Israel and the Arabs while hatred and incitement to genocide continue. Sixty years of spewing hate won’t be undone in a day. Human rights groups should be leading this battle — not ignoring it. | {
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Tag Archives: warren county
Hector’s Run Falls is located in the Allegheny National Forest, between Route 6 in Ludlow and Route 948 in Barnes. The best access is via Route 6.WARNING: There are steep cliffs at the falls, and cell phone service drops off about half-way into the hike. Wear footwear with good tread, and be careful when hiking near the edge.
From Sheffield, take Route 6 to Ludlow.
Turn right onto South Hillside Drive, just as you come into Ludlow.
Turn left onto Water Street.
Turn right onto Scenic Drive.
After about a mile, you will turn right onto Forestry Road 258.
In 2.1 miles, you will reach Forestry Road 258H, on your left, which is gated off. There is a small parking area beside the gate.
This is where your hike begins. Hector’s Run Falls are approximately 1 mile from the gate.
Follow 258H to the fork in the road and take the left fork (downhill.) You will come to a small meadow, with a light blue National Fuel well-head. The trail turns to the right, as you’re facing the well-head.
Continue to follow the trail for another 200 yards, or so, and you will arrive at the top of the falls.
Please note that this was our first trip to the falls, and we did not take the left fork of the road, and ended up coming through the forest, following the sound of the water. So, the video begins as we arrive at the side of the falls. The falls usually only have water running over them after a recent rain. Be sure to plan your hike accordingly.
(HARRISBURG) – State grant assistance for home heating costs is still available to qualifying Pennsylvania residents through the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP), according to Senator Joe Scarnati (R-Jefferson).
Scarnati explained that LIHEAP is administered by the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services and provides assistance with heating expenses in the form of a cash grant, sent directly to the utility company, or a crisis grant for households in immediate danger of being without heat.
“In the winter months the burden of an added expense for heating can be especially heavy on low-income families and those individuals on fixed incomes,” Scarnati said. “As cold temperatures and inclement weather begin to impact our region I want to remind residents that there is help for those who may need assistance with heating costs.”
Eligibility for grants begins, for a household of one, with a maximum income limit of $17,505 and increases by $6,090 per additional household resident. Grant amounts are based on income, family size, type of heating fuel and region.
Applications for the 2014-2015 LIHEAP program will be accepted through April 3, 2015. Applications are available by contacting Senator Scarnati’s offices in Brockway (814-265-2030), Kane (814-837-1026) or Wellsboro (570-724-5231).
Local residents can also apply for LIHEAP grants online at the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Access to Social Services (COMPASS) website, www.compass.state.pa.us. For more information please contact the LIHEAP hotline at 1-866-857-7095.
Warren County got out the vote during the final two weeks of the PA Organzation for Rivers and Watersheds’ (POWR) 2015 River of Year contest! Trailing by 10% of the total vote just over 2 weeks ago, a concerted effort by the Conewango Creek Watershed Association (CCWA), numerous local businesses, and individuals brought the Conewango Creek into the lead and home for the win, as voting closed this evening. Thank you to all who voted! Special thanks to Tom Osborne of Conewango Kayak Canoe Rentals and the Conewango Creek Watershed Association for their tireless work cleaning up and promoting the Conewango Creek.
As of this morning, 9,700 people had voted for their choice of River of the Year.Final tallies are:
Conewango Creek – 42%
Loyalhanna Creek – 30%
Lackawanna River – 15%
Neshaminy Creek – 9%
Ohio River – 5%
For the past twenty years, the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) has annually recognized one river as the River of the Year. This recognition is done to raise awareness of the important recreational, ecological, and historical resources associated with the state’s rivers and streams.
The River of the Year is celebrated throughout the year. Events have included paddling trips, a speaker series, clean up days, photography contests, and more. Partnerships of community groups organize the events including a Sojourn paddling trip. In addition, POWR coordinates the production and distribution of a free poster celebrating the river.
The Pennsylvania Organization for Watersheds and Rivers, or POWR, administers the River of the Year program. Local organizations submit nominations. POWR also helps organize and support local watershed associations, as well as the groups who lead a dozen sojourns on rivers around the state each year.
According to the legislators, the newly created community college is being established with the goal of offering two-year associate degrees, as well as training and certificate programs to underserved areas of the Commonwealth. Curriculum of the college will be determined by the Board of Trustees, based upon the future workforce needs of the designated region of Cameron, Crawford, Elk, Erie, Forest, McKean, Potter, Venango and Warren counties.
“I am very excited that groundwork for launching the Rural Regional Community College is now in place,” Senator Scarnati stated. “This will be the first community college to offer greatly needed higher educational opportunities to northwestern Pennsylvania. Thanks to input by education, business and community leaders, we have been able to establish a solid foundation for helping students have access to quality, affordable education near their hometowns.”
“This will certainly expand the educational options for students in our region,” Senator Robbins said. “Education is the key to success, and a two-year college program is an excellent option for young people who are looking at job opportunities in many career fields. The truth is it’s also a cost-effective way for students to complete their basic studies at a smaller college before finishing their degree at a larger university.”
“I’m thrilled with the rapid progress on the Rural Regional Community College and I’m grateful for Senator Scarnati’s leadership in making this concept a reality,” Senator Hutchinson said. “The positive effects this college will have on our region cannot be understated – there is an immediate need for quality career and technology education in many rural areas of the Commonwealth. The Rural Regional Community College will help residents of our area get the training and education they need to continue working and living right here in our community.”
Senator Scarnati explained that earlier this year, language from his Senate Bill 1000 to establish the rural regional community college initiative was included in the Fiscal Code (Act 126 of 2014). Senate Bill 1000 was a bi-partisan initiative, based largely on recommendations by a Legislative Budget and Finance Committee (LBFC) study completed in December 2011.
On August 1st, the Secretary of the Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) appointed the Educational Consortium of Upper Allegheny (ECUA) as the non-profit entity to assist with designating the community college region to be served, as well as advising PDE on the appointment of members of the Board of Trustees. Dr. Dick McDowell, Chairman of the ECUA Board of Trustees stressed the importance of the new community college.
“Providing people with access, affordability and articulation that a community college can offer will be a tremendous asset to rural Pennsylvania,” Dr. McDowell said. “We are pleased to work with the Pennsylvania Department of Education to provide advice to help develop a rural higher education system that offers greater accessibility for students at affordable rates.”
Earlier this month, the following 15 individuals were named to serve on the Board of Trustees by PDE Secretary Carolyn Dumaresq.
– Ms. Mary Bula, Collective Impact at United Way of Erie County
– Ms. Nancy Decker, Laurel Technical Institute
– Mrs. Amanda Hetrick, Forest Area School District
– Mr. Robert Kaemmerer, United Refining Company
– Mr. Hank LeMeur, Superior Tire and Rubber Company
– Mrs. Kate Lomax-Brock, Elk Cameron Community Education Council
– Mr. Greg Mahon, Office of the Senate President Pro Tempore
– Dr. Richard McDowell, President Emeritus University of Pittsburgh at Bradford
– Mr. Douglas Morley, Potter County Commissioner
– Mr. Ed Pitchford, Cole Memorial Hospital
– Mr. Louis Radkowski, City of Saint Marys
– Mrs. Susan Snelick, North Central Workforce Investment Board
– Dr. Karen Whitney, Clarion University
– Mr. Dennis Wilke, Precision Manufacturing Institute
– The Honorable Mary Jo White, Former State Senator
Term length of the Board members will be determined at the first Board of Trustees meeting scheduled for December 2, 2014. The meeting will be open to members of the public and the location of the meeting will be determined by PDE in the coming days.
The Senators also recognized the contributions of members of the House of Representatives who worked on the measure, especially Representative Martin Causer who introduced a companion bill to SB 1000, which also sought to establish a rural community college program.
“Thanks to the efforts and input of numerous educational, business, community and government leaders, we are now helping to provide students with more tools they can use to access good, family-sustaining jobs. We look forward to witnessing the positive impacts of the college in the years to come.”
The Conewango Creek, along with the Lackawanna River, Loyalhanna Creek, Neshaminy Creek, and the Ohio River are finalists for Pennsylvania’s River of the Year for 2015. Currently, Loyalhanna Creek is in the lead with 39% of the vote. Voting ends on December 15, 2014
For the past twenty years, the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) has annually recognized one river as the River of the Year. This recognition is done to raise awareness of the important recreational, ecological, and historical resources associated with the state’s rivers and streams.
The River of the Year is celebrated throughout the year. Events have included paddling trips, a speaker series, clean up days, photography contests, and more. Partnerships of community groups organize the events including a Sojourn paddling trip. In addition, POWR coordinates the production and distribution of a free poster celebrating the river.
The Pennsylvania Organization for Watersheds and Rivers, or POWR, administers the River of the Year program. Local organizations submit nominations. POWR also helps organize and support local watershed associations, as well as the groups who lead a dozen sojourns on rivers around the state each year.
– Chapman State Park will again allow Early Canada goose hunting beginning Tuesday, September 2nd. The statewide season, designed to reduce local nuisance geese populations, runs through Thursday, Sept. 25.
Non-migratory Canada goose populations have increased drastically in recent years, causing crop damage and nuisance problems in residential neighborhoods. Park visitors often complain about goose excrement on state park beaches and other facilities, and water quality at some state parks has been adversely affected.
Resident Canada geese have been among the suspected cause of high fecal coliform counts at some Pennsylvania state park beaches, forcing swimming restrictions during peak use periods.
Many state parks have taken measures, including anti-goose fencing and/or the use of loud noisemakers, in attempt to deter the waterfowl or scare them away.
All Game Commission rules and regulations governing the early Canada goose season will apply at state parks. Park information can be found at: www.dcnr.state.pa.us
Persons with disabilities wanting to hunt geese in the early season should contact the park office for further information.
This exhibition features four large-scale works each by many of the nation’s foremost nature photographers:
Craig Blacklock, Clyde Butcher, Robert Clements, Kevin Ebi, Robbie George, Stephen Gorman, Robert Glenn Ketchum, Scot Miller, David Muench, Marc Muench, and Mark Muse.
This show has special historical meaning for the region, because the Wilderness Act of 1964 was authored by Tionesta native Howard Zahniser.
Included in this show are the winners of the Wilderness Photo Contest, Piper VanOrd, Mark Hulings, and Judy Cole Blank.
This special exhibition was conceived and produced in cooperation with Friends of Allegheny Wilderness in Warren, and has been generously supported by Community Foundation of Warren County, DeFrees Family Memorial Fund, Northwest Savings Bank and Crary Gallery member-supporters and volunteers. Thank you!
Catalogs for this show are available.
Come and join us August 22nd, 23rd and 24th for the 2014 Kinzua Heritage Arts & Music Festival, this is our 9th year of striving to keep the past alive.
The Kinzua Heritage Festival is three days of history and fun tucked into a beautiful hillside on Fox Hill Road in Russell, PA.
At the main stage, you can relax under a large tent and listen to sounds of Native American, traditional country, folk, and bluegrass music.
Be sure to stop at the birch beer booth and enjoy a glass.
Watch and join the dancers as they perform traditional dances throughout the day.
Bid on items at the auctions Saturday and Sunday at 2:00 pm help raise money for local charity.
Native American and traditional artisans display their crafts and skills throughout the grounds. Artisans at the festival have showcased everything from glass blowing to metalwork, leather crafts to hand spun yarns, candle dipping to longbow making.
Follow the paths through the woods and visit with the craft people and demonstrators on your way to the hand constructed longhouse, but watch out for the Civil War reenactors roaming the woods.
At the rear stage tucked into the trees, you can relax while listen to storytelling or acoustic music, watching the children play games, sit with friends and enjoy the forest.
Saturday children at the festival will enjoy the games and some hands on craft projects that they can make and take home.
To check the status of an Antlerless Deer License Application:Go to www.pa.wildlifelicense.com. Click on the “Purchase Fishing and/or Hunting License Permit and or Application / Replace License and or Permit” option, which includes the ability to “Check on the status of an Antlerless Deer or Elk Application,” scroll down and click on the “Start Here” button at the bottom of the page. At this page, choose one of the identification options below to check your records, fill in the necessary information and click on the “Continue” button. Click on the appropriate residency status, which will display your current personal information. At the bottom of the page, choose the “Check on the status of any Lottery Application” button, and then hit “Continue.”
I haven’t received my license yet:County treasurers have until September 8, 2014 to mail back regular and first round unsold antlerless deer licenses, and until September 22, 2014 to mail out second round of unsold antlerless deer licenses.
Who to contact with questions about your application or license:Please contact the County Treasurer that processed your license with specific inquiries about your application or Antlerless Deer License.
Unsold licenses in 2B, 5C and 5D:This can be done by mail starting Monday, August 4, 2014 until allocations in those three WMUs are exhausted. Over-the-counter sales in these three units begin Monday, August 25, 2014.
Replacement of lost antlerless license:Visit any County Treasurer’s office to be issued a replacement license. Cost of replacement is $6.70
Special thanks to my co-host Sen. Scott Hutchinson; our expert presenters Warren County District Attorney Rob Greene, Warren County Sheriff Ken Klakamp, Forest County Sheriff Bob Wolfgang and Forest County District Attorney Elizabeth Ziegler; our generous hosts at the Warren Holiday Inn; and, especially, the more than 250 local firearm owners who filled last Saturday’s Concealed Carry Seminar to full capacity.
Due to the tremendous turnout, I am in the process of planning another one of these no-cost seminars, for later this fall, to help even more law-abiding firearm owners to expand their knowledge about Pennsylvania’s concealed carry laws, the Castle Doctrine and other valuable information regarding your Right to Keep and Bear Arms.
McNickle, McConnor, Stewart: Though they are friends, these are three very distinct artists, each with a distinct way of approaching his work, with little crossover even in subject matter. McNickle’s canvases are light-filled and multi-hued, depicting natural, often verdant landscapes. McConnor’s panels are deceptively simple arrangements of personal objects imbued with colors at once muted and brilliant. Stewart’s grand (and sometimes small) works beguile the viewer in a narrative of intricate layers of meanings and subtle color.
Different as could be in many ways.
Rather than subject or style, it is their commitment to their lives in art that brings their work together at the Crary. Outside the context of this show, that is true too. Because of their simultaneous remoteness from art centers and relative proximity to each other, their paths cross enough to make a nicely worn route between their studios. A thick strand of concern for the importance of art, and a mutual respect for each other’s art, binds them together outside this show as well.
Individually, they are all award-winning, educated painters whose works are sold and shown well outside the region, as their resumes attest. We are pleased to present their paintings here at the Crary. | {
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Bank marketing for smaller financial institutions does not require huge advertising budgets or complex promotional tools to be effective. Recent trends in direct marketing and the use of various venues such as the Internet to supplement traditional promotional means have contributed to leveling the playing field for small banks and credit unions, with the use of gift incentives in a marketing campaign being one of them. Gift incentives, which can come in the form of cash rebates or discounts or promotional items facilitated by the business at the center of the campaign, can help attract new customers by turning interested leads into clients, and current customers into ones who purchase more of your products and services.
These types of incentives are great for extending the mileage of your direct marketing campaign, especially if the gifts are chosen well and are backed up by a strong marketing plan. Incentive marketing does not require large amounts of money or resources often exclusive to big business, while permitting business flexibility in terms of how these can be incorporated into an overall campaign and simultaneously imparting more of your brand identity and the strengthening of your company foothold in an increasingly saturated and overly competitive market.
Gift Incentives for Better Business
Large financial institutions depend on the addition of new accounts to survive and expand; your smaller business is no different. Your business requires the infusion of new customer accounts to support a certain level of profitability, and gift incentives can boost your chances at maintaining that by increasing your rates of converting leads into clients, and clients into loyal customers who come back for repeat business. Each incentive may persuade your lead or client into going with the response you desire, which may be anything from simply reading a piece of promotional correspondence, signing up with your email subscriber list, purchasing additional products or services, or referring new customers (all of which give you increased potential for earning more money).
These incentives, of course, are designed to work in collaboration with traditional promotional materials and means like emails, snail mail, calls from telemarketers, and so on, while requiring relatively little in the way of resources, especially if the incentive system has been in place for some time. If you are looking for a cost-efficient way to expand your client base and boost your overall marketing campaign, consider hiring a direct marketing professional who specializes in bank marketing. | {
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“Wonderful week with the family, just a couple of comments.”
..mattresses are not the best and more wardrobe space is needed. Other than that the house is stunning and spacious, hot tub would make it perfect! Thank you x
..mattresses are not the best and more wardrobe space is needed. Other than that the house is stunning and spacious, hot tub would make it perfect! Thank you x
- Mrs Barker, August 2019
“Fantastic house enjoyed by 8 adults 2 babies and 1 dog.”
Great position for walking to the beach, excellent kitchen, we all took turns in cooking, bbq very much appreciated.
A lovely week enjoyed by all
- Mrs Falconer, July 2019
“Accommodation was very comfortable with all the facilities you need in a good location and we have already booked for next year, as a party of 8 adults a small wardrobe in each of the downstairs twins would have been useful.”
- Mr Gilmer, July 2019
“Good location for the rest of Cornwall.”
Met all our needs for 7 people and 2 pets. Dogs loved the enclosed garden. Amongst the best we've stayed in ...thankyou Gill
- Mrs Price, April 2019
“Seagrass is a comfortable and we'll equipped accommodation and we'll layed out ...”
Seagrass is a comfortable and we'll equipped accommodation and we'll layed out and in a lovely position in crantock village , perfect for large families or a number of couples
- Mr Chappelow, October 2018
“As a group of six ‘over sixty’ friends we had a wonderful blustery week at ‘Seagrass’.”
I had originally booked it for a three generation family holiday but had to change our plans because of a very early new arrival. It would have worked equally well for the family, however.
As adults it was perfectly positioned for all of our plans, from St.Ives to Padstow to The Eden Project to stunning coastal walks.
The house itself is beautifully modern and the ‘upside down’ open plan nature of the layout is a real winner. Even on a stormy Saturday the lashing of rain on the floor to ceiling windows was dramatically romantic!
The kitchen was excellently equipped (although The Stove cooker was a little complicated!) and the bathrooms very modern. Linens were excellent and the house cosy and well insulated.
An enclosed garden remained unused by us but would be great for children. We were too busy to take advantage of it and the weather wasn’t quite conducive to barbecueing.
Crantock is a lovely unspoilt village with a great village shop and local pub. The beach is stunningly beautiful although I would say that it isn’t an ideal beach for young children because of the tidal estuary. They would, though, have fun on the sand and in the sand dunes.
I would highly recommend ‘Seagrass’ for any time of year if you are a lover, as we are, of Cornwall.
- Mrs Roberts, September 2018
“We had the most wonderful stay at Seagrass - there were 4 adults and 5 children in our party and there was room for all of us to do our own thing.”
Our ages ranged from 4 to 70 and not one grumpy moment from anyone because of the amount of space in the house and garden.
- Mrs Harding, July 2018
“Really well equipped house.”
Spacious enough for a large family (although flooring type upstairs means that it is quite noisy downstairs).
Garden is well kept and very large. Parking area ideal and room enough for 4 cars.
- Miss Dunn, July 2018
“One of the best laid out and equipped holiday lets I have used, would highly recommend to anyone.”
- Mr Turley, July 2018
“I just wish this was my home, convenient for access to anywhere in Cornwall.”
Beautifully presented with everything you need for a short break or a long holiday.
Outstanding!
- Mr Langton, July 2018
“Seven adults, one child, one baby and a dog stayed at Seagrass, it’s a beautiful house and there was plenty of room for all of us.”
The view from the lounge area is amazing. It’s ideally situated to explore Cornwall, and two pubs and little shop just down the road. A little further up the road the other way is The Bowgie Inn, where you can sit and admire the view in the evening. The beach is a good walk down hill, probably best to drive down especially if you’ve got lots of stuff to carry. Would definitely stay again.
- Miss Isherwood, June 2018
“Had brilliant time at sea grass .”
Owners though of every thing clean well looked could not fault this property.
- Mrs Hillery, May 2018
“Lovely house in very pleasant location”
We stayed here in April school holidays as a family of 5 - 2 kids (13 & 15), parents and Grandmother.
The location of Crantock is excellent for exploring Cornwall as most areas are within a one hour drive. The house is in a central location yet very peaceful with lovely open views to the rear and a glimpse of sea from the upstairs lounge. Ample parking although be cautious if reversing out of the drive. Plenty of bedrooms and in fact we didn't use one of them. There is a very small local shop (Londis) which sells most items you would need and there are two pubs. We took a walk to the beach which wasn't too far. The beach is lovely with some massive dunes which my son loved climbing.
The cottage itself was immaculate in cleanliness with good quilts and pillows. The mattresses unfortunately in our opinion were far too soft and gave us back ache. All bedrooms of a good size and each has its own electric heater. The bathrooms were good with fantastic showers, There is a big fridge freezer in the utility room on the ground floor (useful as only a small one upstairs in the kitchen) and a good quality washing machine and tumble dryer. Upstairs is a lovely sized kitchen/diner and lounge with log burner which we didn't need to use as it was nice and warm without it. Ample kitchen accessories and generally very well equipped. Perhaps a re-organisation needed in order to make more cupboard space for shopping. Nice TV and DVD player in the lounge and a couple of large bean bags which the kids liked.
In summer the garden would be a nice size for younger kids to enjoy. The garden has a decked area with outdoor dining furniture which looked nice but we didn't use due to it still being a little on the colder side in April. Off the decked area is a sliding door giving access to the "games room". This room is carpeted and contains the cushions for the garden furniture, a nice TV on the wall and a football table. First of all I would say that the TV and football table make it a great area to hang out. However, the football table has suffered a lot of wear and tear and whilst playing some of the bolts weakened so we had to continually tighten them (we have a modern outdoor football table at home so knew how to do this, but not difficult). Secondly the room absolutely stank of wet dog (we also have a dog so know the smell!). To be honest it was really unpleasant. It is a great little area but in my opinion I would re-carpet and re-paint to get rid of the smell. Outside there is also a shower for washing off wet suits etc.
Over the years we have stayed in many cottages across the UK and despite a couple of minor issues such as the mattresses and the smell of the games room, it really was lovely and you wont be disappointed if you stay here - in fact, probably one of the better cottages we have stayed in.
“We all had a brilliant time.”
The property
Amble back from the surfy beach at Crantock over grass sand dunes to this beautiful coastal home.
Smartly refurbished from top to toe and redesigned in reverse level to maximise distant sea views, Seagrass is a refreshing representation of modern coastal living.
Separated from the lively resort of Newquay by the Gannel River, the traditional seaside village of Crantock is a more low-key but no less desirable holiday destination.
Seagrass is located at its centre, within a stroll from the restaurants, pubs and a convenience store.
Accentuating the coastal feel, large picture windows bathe generous rooms with light and doors to a Juliet balcony in the open-plan living room invites fresh air in off the Atlantic coast.
During the cooler months, snuggle up on deep sofas and armchairs upholstered in rich colours and adorned with cushions in geometric patterns beside the warming wood burner.
The kitchen is laden with good quality appliances including a coffee maker and there is a huge dining table to seat ten guests.
Designed to promote a restful sleep, the four bedrooms on the ground floor feature a soothing neutral palette, white cotton linens and furniture crafted in natural wicker and wood.
There is a small fifth bedroom/snug, set into the eaves on the first floor which is perfect for children, complete with cute beds on low bases.
Practical for families, there are two bathrooms and a games room with table football.
Space is generous through and through.
The large, enclosed garden is safe for children and pets and the raised deck and rattan furniture sets the scene for barbecues and outdoor living.
You are surrounded by stunning coastal scenery which can be better appreciated from the nearby coast path.
The beach is lifeguard patrolled during the main season and open to dogs year round.
Take the dog for a paddle in the sea, stopping en-route at the Fern Pit Café to admire the view and sample their legendary lobster or crab sandwich.
Bring surfboards or hire surf equipment straight from the beach.
Seagrass is also a perfect launch pad for exploring Cornwall's north coast with the visitor hotspots at Watergate Bay, Padstow, St Ives, Port Isaac and Newquay within an easy drive.
Calculate your drive time
About the location
NEWQUAY
Newquay is the home of the UK’s surf scene, boasting three major beaches, the National Surf Centre and an endless supply of rolling surf, making it a watersports paradise. The town, with its zoo, sea life centre and varied selection of restaurants and pubs, also promises a holiday to remember. For avid walkers, the South West Coast Path passes in both directions along a stunning coastline of high cliffs, hidden coves and yet more beaches. The quaint harbour and fishing village of Padstow is just 14 miles away, while Truro, with its museums, cathedral, restaurants and cobbled streets, as well as the Eden Project, can be reached within 30 minutes. Picturesque St Ives and the Tate St Ives gallery is under an hour's drive or a train ride away. In fact, because nothing in Cornwall is far from Newquay, it’s the perfect touring base.
NOTE: property sleeps up to 8 adults and 2 children. Property does not have a cot. | {
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Somewhere
I have got a feeling that Somewhere, the latest offering from the uber talented Sofia Coppola, is going to get misjudged and underrated by many. The movie is yet to get a proper release in the US and other major locations, and whatever initial response it’s getting from the few festival circles gives me a bad feeling. I could be wrong, but one thing is sure, Somewhere is not for everybody (I take too much pleasure in saying that!). And the few who is going to enjoy it, is going to enjoy it immensely. I was lucky enough to watch a screening of Somewhere at IFFK 2010. I remained doubtful for the first 40 minutes, liked it by the end and by the next day morning I was irreversibly in love with the movie.
The movie opens with this shot of a Ferrari speeding through an empty endless track. The car does lap after lap and finally stops in front of us (right about when we starts feeling a little weary about the scene). Johnny Marco (Played by Stephen Dorff) steps out of the car and stands there in the middle of nowhere. Right then the titles reads: ‘Somewhere’. The all-out brilliance of the movie is adequately reflected in this opening sequence. The monotony, the emptiness and everything that is going to be discussed ahead in the movie is essentially incorporated into this one astounding scene. From there on Coppola takes us to travel closely with the life of this hot shot Hollywood actor Johnny Marco. From the suite of one luxury hotel to another (the movie has been pictured at several landmark Hollywood hotels like The Chateau Marmont, The Four Seasons etc.), we are painstakingly taken through the routines of the life of a superstar. Johnny’s life is brimming with the superabundance of all kind of luxuries, stuff you would never consider to be meaningless or insignificant, probably until you’ve got them in superabundance like our superstar here. We plunge right into the middle of this high living emptiness, and leave comprehending the emptiness for what it is. Coppola surely has got this upper hand when it is about filming the monotony in lives and we have seen that before. Like always, she lets her meticulously prepared visuals do the talking. All the humor, all the sarcasm and commentary is contained in her visuals and there is hardly much dialogues. So as we watch Johnny struggling hard to fit in with the invariability of his world, we’re also subtly made to observe and comment on the contradictions of a privileged celebrity lifestyle. Director takes her time in developing the mood for the film, perhaps time enough to scare off the non believers, but once she sets her pieces together, it’s all poetic.
Johnny, as we’ve already said, is kind of a loner. He doesn’t have too many intimate personal relationships. He drifts around in a party, being full of himself, caring for nobody else. He is separated with his wife and lives alone. Well, there is this one friend (Sammy) who occasionally shows up, there are his agents and other professionals and there are those groupies and hot chicks who comes and goes but never stays (there is also the twin pole dancers). The only exception to all these is Cleo, Johnny’s 11 year old daughter. Cleo is a smart, charming and instantly loveable character who seamlessly craves a spot for herself wherever you put her. She occasionally comes to her father’s place (no one place, per say) and spends a day or two with him. The father-daughter relationship is essentially one of the best things about the movie. It doesn’t get any more real than this. There are no ‘baby I love you so much-daddy I love you so much’ dialogues or moments. The bond is there and every viewer can feel it or even connect with it. Apparently, Sofia Coppola modeled this relationship (and the whole movie, for that matter) mostly around her own relationship with her father. So the authenticity can be tracked to that. The story is essentially about this delicate but important transition taking place in this relationships and how it affects the two characters.
Somewhere doesn’t have many dramatic moments in it. It’s only as dramatic as one normal day in your life. Our hero drives around in his Ferrari, lies in his hotel bedroom and smokes a lot of cigarettes for most part of the movie. There is nothing happening. It is going to be easily misunderstood as a boring and empty work. Well, maybe it does appear empty. But isn’t that the point? The humor like always is top-notch. The music is stirring. And the characters (Only two of them, actually) are all very well developed- they are complete. Coppola allows us to move in with these two characters, silently watch their lives, silently observe the small changes and final at the moment of an emotional breakdown we can’t help but feel for them. Subtle, but genius.
Stephen Dorff has come up with an exceptional performance. He is just perfect playing Johnny Marco and it is such a treat to watch him float around doing nothing. Same goes for Elle Fanning, who also manages to come up with a remarkable performance. She makes Cleo such a good reason for anybody to embark on a path of change.Somewhere is truly an amazing movie. It’s the kind that grows on you. I would like to consider it as a brilliant sequel to Lost in Translation. The craft of Sofia Coppola is absolutely evident in this work and it is amusing as always. But I would refrain from recommending this movie to anyone. Like I said, it may not be for everyone. But hey, who cares? | {
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Thursday, March 19, 2015
If you haven't read all of the details about the new House Republican budget, let me be clear: this Republican budget is going to hurt families throughout the 4th Congressional District. It’s a budget that’s out of touch with our values, and it favors the privileged few over our seniors, our children, and families in need across our communities.
It’s time for us to take a stand.
Republicans in Congress are hurting our country by destroying the social safety net - turning their backs on our neighbors, while loosening regulations for their friends in big banking. The Congressional Budget Office warned that their approach could even lead to cuts in spending on local programs that provide nutrition assistance for our neediest families.
But I think there’s a better way.
I believe that budgets are about people and it's time we got our priorities straight.
I believe we must continue to raise the minimum wage, invest more in our children's futures, support small businesses, protect our seniors, and expand access to quality affordable health insurance.
As your representative, I'll work to increase federal funding for our schools, protect homeowners throughout Prince George’s and Anne Arundel Counties from the threat of foreclosures and declining property values, and fight to create jobs in our communities, starting with bringing the FBI headquarters to Maryland.
And I’ll never vote for a budget like the one the House Republicans just released.
For the second consecutive year, the Obama administration more often than ever censored government files or outright denied access to them under the U.S. Freedom of Information Act, according to a new analysis of federal data by The Associated Press.
The government took longer to turn over files when it provided any, said more regularly that it couldn't find documents, and refused a record number of times to turn over files quickly that might be especially newsworthy.
It also acknowledged in nearly 1 in 3 cases that its initial decisions to withhold or censor records were improper under the law - but only when it was challenged.More
Your state representatives are considering groundbreaking legislation to update the state’s Public Information Act for the first time in 45 years.
But some legislators want to make sure that the agriculture industry continues to be exempt from basic transparency.
Pollution harms communities and waterways no matter where it comes from – why treat agriculture pollution differently? Marylanders need access to these secret pollution control plans to ensure that agriculture runoff is not polluting the water that we rely on for drinking, fishing and recreation.
Currently, state law contains a loophole that keeps the pollution control plans of many farms operations secret, even though most of these farms receive our tax dollars to help manage their pollution.
Fortunately, legislation introduced in the Maryland legislature will correct this unfair secrecy loophole. Senate Bill 695 and House Bill 755 would significantly update the Maryland Public Information Act for the first time in 45 years.
Transparency is essential across all sectors of government and industry, including agricultural waste management. Maryland citizens deserve access to information about pollution control plans, especially those supported by our taxpayer dollars.
Whether they were uttered once or a million times. these catchphrases lit up Studio 8H.
20. "No one can resist my Schweddy Balls."
The ho-hum banter on the "Delicious Dish" sketch had always been funny, but it reached a new level of insanity when Molly Shannon and Ana Gasteyer were joined by Season's Eatings chef Pete Schweddy (Alec Baldwin), who had a strange, questionable way of touting his yuletide ball-shaped treats. The way Ana Gasteyer utters, "Whip 'em out" is just chilling. - Louis Virtel
WASHINGTON - Just as the Federal Reserve seems to be inching toward an interest rate hike because of the strengthening U.S. job market, its task is getting more complicated:
Several key sectors of the economy are flashing some signs of weakness.
Housing, manufacturing and consumer spending — the U.S. economy's main driver — have been tepid of late. The pace of home building plunged in February. Factory output is slowing as a rising dollar makes U.S. goods costlier overseas and weakens exports. And retail sales remain sluggish, with Americans spending less at stores and restaurants last month.
The main engine of strength has been the U.S. job market. Employers have added more than 200,000 jobs for 12 straight months, and unemployment has reached a seven-year low of 5.5 percent, a rate typical of a healthy job market.
Could employer-provided health insurance be going the way of employer-sponsored pension plans?
Rick Lindquist, president of Zane Benefits, which specializes in individual health insurance reimbursement for small businesses, says: Not only could it happen; it’s happening already.
Lindquist and Paul Zane Pilzer (who founded Zane Benefits), argue that case in their new book, “The End of Employer-Provided Health Insurance.” As surprising as you may find the title, get a load of its subtitle: “Why It’s Good for You, Your Family and Your Company.”
Shortly after the death of their daughter, a New York couple’s grief was interrupted by a battle with an entity they never imagined: her private student loan lender. Inheriting a dead child’s student loan debt is a problem too many parents have had to face, and one that a new piece of legislation aims to eliminate.
The American nonprofit OneVoice Movement – under scrutiny by a U.S. Senate panel over possible links to a campaign to oust Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu – quietly filed paperwork that would allow it to engage in political activism after two leading Republican lawmakers questioned its use of government funds, FoxNews.com has learned.
Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, and Rep. Lee Zeldin, R-N.Y., sent a letter Jan. 29 to Secretary of State John Kerry asking whether the group – as a recipient of almost $350,000 in recent grants from the Obama administration’s State Department – had violated its tax-exempt status when it began backing the virulently anti-Netanyahu Victory 15 campaign in Israel earlier that month.
Cruz also publicly asked whether Obama – who’s had a well-documented adversarial relationship with Netanyahu – had “launched a political campaign against” the Israeli leader in the run-up to the election which was held on Tuesday. More here
When you hear the term mini-stroke, you might think it’s no big deal, just a tiny blip in your brain function.
But “mini-stroke” actually is a misnomer.
A more accurate term is a “warning stroke,” according to the American Stroke Association (ASA), and they are no small matter.
Both a mini-stroke (the medical term is transient ischemic attack or TIA) and a full-blown stroke are caused by an interruption in blood flow to the brain, usually from a blood clot.
“The symptoms of a TIA are oftentimes very similar to those of a stroke — these include slurring of words, facial drooping, sudden arm or leg weakness or numbness, and balance problems,” notes Howie Zheng, M.D., a neurologist at The Neurology Center at Mercy Medical Center in Baltimore.
Other symptoms may include the sudden onset of confusion, coordination problems, and visual disturbances.
Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker said Monday that Republicans do not need to moderate their views to win voter support and that he will run as a conservative if he decides to seek the Republican Party presidential nomination.
"To win the center, you don't have to go to the center. You have to lead," Walker told conservative activists.
Walker made the comment during a telephone town hall meeting with conservative activists, part of a fundraising event for Tea Party Patriots, The Washington Post reported.
His comments followed a weekend trip to New Hampshire in which Walker and one of his top 2016 rivals, former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, both campaigned for early positioning in the 2016 presidential race. More
WBAL-TV 11 News has learned that a number of police accountability bills have either been killed or are on life support. The demise of the bills come as a shock and because of the widespread community support.
Advocates of legislation holding police more accountable for their conduct have marched, rallied, lobbied and testified.
Law enforcement responded in large numbers, too, but in opposition and police got the ear of committee chairman Delegate Joe Vallario
Uri Wollman, the spokesman for the left-wing V15 political action group, has one word in response to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s warning Tuesday that leftist nongovernmental organizations are busing Israeli Arabs to the voting booths.
“Bullsh–,” Wollman told WND in an interview.
He was responding to Netanyahu’s declaration on the day of the election that the “right-wing government is in danger” and Arab voters “are going en masse to the polls.”
“Left-wing NGOs are bringing them on busses,” Netanyahu said.
V15 is easily the most active NGO working to defeat Netanyahu by leading a get-out-the-vote-organizing drive aimed at replacing his government with a center-left coalition.
V15 has drawn international attention for partnering with One Voice, a US.-U.K. non-profit that has previously received funding from the State Department.
It was OneVoice that reportedly hired 270 Strategies, a consulting firm whose senior leadership is comprised mostly of former top staffers for President Obama’s 2012 re-election campaign. 270 Strategies has been consulting in V15′s campaign.
This is to inform you to appear in the Court on the March 26 for your case hearing.You are kindly asked to prepare and bring the documents relating to the case to Court on the specified date.Note: The case may be heard by the judge in your absence if you do not come.
The copy of Court Notice is attached to this email.
Sincerely,Samuel Church,Court Secretary.
It's coming around again!
It looks official…a notice to appear in court. An attachment with more information. And those threatening words if you don’t appear: “The judge may hear the case in your absence.”
“It’s going to want you to click on that court appearance to see what the email is about, what court you’re supposed to appear to,” says Detective Kristen Gillespie.
But the attachment will download a virus and worse yet: install a key logger.
“That is waiting for you to put a certain password in, it’s going to detain that information, any of your personal information, your bank information,” says Gillespie.
And the email itself should really send up red flags. It doesn’t give you a courtroom number, it doesn’t give you a judge’s name, it just gives you an attachment to click on for more information.
We asked—and the clerk of court says they don’t even send out emailed notices to people. If anything, it will be a letter in the mail.
“A letter from the clerk. And if you do not respond you will get a letter back if you don’t respond in time you’ll receive another letter from the court saying they did not get your response,” says Carol Oates.
“The ordinary citizen may not know that something that appears to be from the court, isn’t from the court,” says Joe Altadonna.
If you get a questionable email, don’t click on the attachment. You can also copy and paste part of the email into Google search, and that will often tell you if it’s a scam as well.
Democrats blocked a bipartisan human trafficking bill Tuesday, launching a filibuster to protest an abortion provision that has turned into a major ideological test for both parties — and that threatens to hold up Loretta Lynch, whom President Obama has picked to replace Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr.
The flareup that manages to tie together immigration, abortion gender and race — Ms. Lynch would be the first black female to head the Justice Department — and has quickly escalated into a major test between Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, Kentucky Republican, and Minority Leader Harry Reid, Nevada Democrat.
Mr. Reid won Tuesday’s fight, though not without several defections. Four Democrats joined 52 Republicans in backing the trafficking bill and the abortion provision, though that was still four shy of the 60 needed to overcome the filibuster.
“The American people will not forget it,” Mr. McConnell vowed ahead of the vote, which he said was an embarrassing predicament for Democrats.
On 18 March 2015 the Wicomico County
Sheriff’s Office was alerted to another attempt at a scam targeting
older members of our community. In this incident, an individual called
one of our county residents informing them that a family member was
involved in an accident and was under arrest but could be released upon
the payment of a cash bail. The person targeted with this call was
cognizant that it was a potential scam and did not fall prey to these
unscrupulous individuals. The potential scammers even called back and
attempted to get the cash left out for a Fed-Ex pick-up. At this time it
appears the phone call originated from outside the United States.
The
Wicomico County Sheriff’s Office would like to remind all of our
residents to be wary of these types of calls. No law enforcement agency
is going to contact you and ask you to mail cash or electronically
transfer funds for bail.
If you receive any of these suspicious
calls inform the caller that you are contacting your local law
enforcement agency for assistance. Never mail cash or electronically
transfer funds or provide account information to anyone over the
telephone.
A proposal to expand the number of visas offered to high-tech workers to help corporations broaden their talent pools has divided Senate Republicans, some of whom argue it only makes immigration problems worse, The Hill reported.
A large number of the H1-B visas for foreign workers are given to technical industry companies, but at least two GOP lawmakers on the Senate Judiciary Committee complained that proposed increases — from 65,000 to 115,000 — will be abused as more foreign workers get hired at the expense of U.S. workers, The Hill said.
"It doesn’t close the loopholes or prevent abuse. It doesn’t make sure that American workers are put before foreign workers," Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley, an Iowa Republican, said at a hearing Tuesday. "It only increases the supply of cheaper foreign labor."
His colleague, Sen. Jeff Sessions of Alabama, who has spoken out loudly against comprehensive immigration reform, noted a "huge degree" of abuses in the program, The Hill said.
Incident:False Name to Avoid Prosecution
Date of Incident: 12 March 2015
Location: E/B Rt. 50, Salisbury, MD
Suspect:Ta’sha Rashawn Ward, 23, Salisbury, MD
No Photo Available
Narrative:On 12 March 2015 a deputy stopped a vehicle operated by Ta’sha Ward of Salisbury after clocking her on radar at 80 mph on Rt. 50.Upon identifying herself to the deputy; she had trouble reciting her date of birth. During subsequent contact with Ward, the deputy began to doubt the veracity of the identity she provided and she was also unable to produce any identification. Ward relented and provided her true name. Ward stated that he license was currently suspended which is what lead to her attempt to provide a false identity.
The deputy also observed that Ward had a four year old child in the vehicle that was not restrained in a car seat.
The deputy placed Ward under arrest and transported her to the Central Booking Unit where she was processed and taken in front of the District Court Commissioner. After an initial appearance, the Commissioner released Ward on Personal Recognizance.
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Incident:Driving While Revoked
Date of Incident: 15 March 2015
Location: Walnut Street, Hebron, MD
Suspect:Scott Alan Hastings, 21, Mardela Springs, MD
Scott Hastings
Narrative:On 15 March 2015 a deputy stopped a vehicle operated by Scott Hastings of Mardela Springs for an equipment violation. During the stop, the deputy learned that the State of Maryland had revoked Hastings’ privilege to drive back in 2013.
The deputy placed Hastings under arrest and transported him to the Central booking Unit where he was processed and taken in front of the District Court Commissioner. After an initial appearance, the Commissioner released Hastings on Personal Recognizance.
Charges: Driving While Revoked
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Incident:Burglary / Theft
Date of Incident: 17 March 2015
Location: 26000 block of Pratt Road, Hebron, MD
Suspect:Jacob Alexander Morris, 18, Hebron, MD
Jacob Morris
Narrative:On 17 March 2015 a deputy arrested Jacob Morris for the theft of motor vehicle. During the investigation, the deputy took a report for the theft of a vehicle from a residence in the 26000 block of Pratt Road. After taking the report, the deputy observed the vehicle being driven by a neighbor in the vicinity of where the theft occurred. The deputy stopped the vehicle and discovered that the operator, Jacob Morris, had entered the victim’s residence through an unlocked door and took the key to the car, all without the victim’s permission. Morris is a neighbor to the victim.
Morris also helped himself to money from the victim’s residence too.
The deputy placed Morris under arrest and transported him to the Central Booking Unit where he was processed and taken in front of the District Court Commissioner. After an initial appearance, Commissioner detained Morris in the Detention Center in lieu of $75,000.00 bond.
Charges: Burglary 1st Degree
Motor Vehicle Theft
Theft
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Incident:Attempted Murder
Date of Incident: 17 March 2015
Location: 1000 block of Nokomis Avenue, Salisbury, MD
Suspect:Amanda Myeisha Holbrook, 29, Salisbury, MD
No Photo Available
Narrative:On 17 March 2015 at 5:13 PM, deputies responded to a reported stabbing in the 1000 block of Nokomis Avenue in Salisbury. Upon arrival, it was discovered that the resident, Amanda Holbrook, was sitting in her living room, armed with a knife waiting for a male acquaintance to enter her residence. Upon the subject entering and making contact with her, she stabbed him in the chest.
During the investigation, Holbrook made statements that implicated her intent to do harm to the male subject. The victim in this case was transported to PRMC with a serious injury as a result of the stabbing.
The deputy placed Holbrook under arrest and transported her to the Central Booking Unit where she was processed and taken in front of the District Court Commissioner. After an initial appearance, the Commissioner detained Holbrook in the Detention Center without bond.
Charges: Attempted Murder
Assault 1st Degree
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Incident:Most Wanted Arrest
Date of Incident: 18 March 2015
Location: Salisbury, MD
Suspect:Holly Ann Lathbury, 29, Millsboro, DE
Holly Lathbury
Narrative:On 18 March 2015 a wanted fugitive, Holly Lathbury, surrendered herself at the Wicomico County Sheriff’s Office. Lathbury was being sought on a District Court Bench Warrant that was issued for failure to appear in a Driving Suspended Case. Lathbury had also recently been featured on WBOC’sDelmarva Lifeas a “Most Wanted” fugitive.
The case stems from February 2009 when Lathbury was charged with driving while suspended. During the history of this case, Lathbury failed to appear for trial on four separate occasions, each time resulting in the issuance of a bench warrant. Her most recent failure to appear in this case dated from July 2014.
The District Court Commissioner detained Lathbury in the Detention Center in lieu of $25,000.00 bond pending her next court date in this case.
Charges: Failure to Appear
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Incident:Vandalism
Date of Incident: 18 March 2015
Location: 8000 block of Doris Street, Delmar, DE
Suspect:Danielle Ann Brown, 27, Laurel, DE
Danielle Brown
Narrative:On 18 March 2015 at 1:50 AM a deputy responded to a report of a disorderly and intoxicated female that would not leave a residence in the 8000 block of Doris Street in Delmar. Upon arrival, the deputy met with the individual in question, Danielle Brown of Laurel. During the investigation the deputy learned that Brown had become disorderly outside the residence and allegedly threw a flower pot into the windshield of a pick-up truck.
The deputy placed Brown under arrest and transported her to the Central Booking unit where she was processed and taken in front of the District Court Commissioner. After an initial appearance, the Commissioner released Brown on Personal Recognizance.
Charges: Disorderly Conduct
Malicious Destruction of Property
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Incident:Assault
Date of Incident: 18 March 2015
Location: 9000 block of Bethel Road, Willards, MD
Suspect:Brandon W. Linton, 29, Willards, MD
No Photo Available
Narrative:On 18 March 2015 at 11:00 PM a deputy responded to a residence in the 9000 block of Bethel Road in Willards for an altercation between two roommates. During the investigation, it was told to the deputy that Brandon Linton assaulted his roommate during an argument over gasoline. During the investigation the deputy observed signs of injury on the victim that corroborated the account.
The deputy placed Linton under arrest and transported him to the Central Booking Unit where he was processed and taken in front of the District Court Commissioner. After an initial appearance, the Commissioner detained Linton in the Detention Center in lieu of $5,000.00 bond.
Charges: Assault 2nd Degree
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Incident:WCSO Activity
Date of Incident: 17 March 2015
Location: Wicomico County
On 17 March 2015 a deputy arrested Paul A. Calderon, 21 of Laurel, DE. On a Circuit Court Bench Warrant that was issued after Calderon violated the terms of his probation in a CDS Possession and Contributing to the Condition of a Child case. Calderon was detained without bond.
Paul Calderon
On 17 March 2015 a deputy arrested Shaunteya R. Williams, 21 of Laurel, DE, on a District Court Bench Warrant that was issued after Williams violated the terms of her probation in a theft case. Williams was detained on a bond of $5,000.00
Shaunteya Williams
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Incident:WCSO Activity
Date of Incident: 18 March 2015
Location: Wicomico County
On 18 March 2015 a deputy arrested Brett Morton Dilworth Jr., 22 of Salisbury, on a District Court Bench Warrant that was issued after Dilworth violated the terms of his probation in a theft case. Dilworth was detained on a bond of $25,000.00
Brett Dillworth
On 18 March 2015 a deputy arrested Justin Paul Marvel, 24 of Salisbury, on two Circuit Court Bench Warrants. The warrants were issued after Marvel violated the terms of his probation in two Burglary cases. Marvel was detained on a bond of $50,000.00
Justin Marvel
On 18 March 2015 a deputy arrested Johmon L. Handy, 24 of Salisbury, on a Circuit Court Bench Warrant that was issued after Handy violated the terms of his probation in a Robbery case. Handy was detained without bond.
Johmon Handy
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Incident:Most Wanted Arrest
Date of Incident: 18 March 2015
Location: Wicomico County
Suspect:Michael Wayne Carey, 35, Greenbackville, VA
Michael Wayne Carey
Narrative:On 18 March 2015 one of Wicomico County’s Most Wanted Fugitives was located in Snow Hill following his recent profile on local media sites, to include 47 ABC’s Fugitive Friday. Carey was sought on two Wicomico County warrants issued in August 2014 after he violated the terms of his probation following convictions for credit card fraud. Additionally, an additional warrant held by the Anne Arundel County Sheriff in connection with a theft case was also served on Carey.
Carey was detained without bond in the Detention Center pending an initial appearance in front of a Circuit Court Judge.
LAGOS, Nigeria — Nigerian troops have ousted Boko Haram from a northeastern town while Cameroon soldiers killed several of the extremists in an attack on a Nigerian village, military officials reported Monday of the latest successes in a multinational bid to curb the Islamic uprising in northeast Nigeria.
"FLASH: Nigerian troops have this afternoon routed terrorists from Bama ... Mopping up operation is ongoing," the Nigerian Defense Headquarters announced on Twitter referring to a town held by the insurgents for more than six months.
An earlier tweet Monday said they had "completed clearing terrorists out of Goniri" in neighboring Yobe state.
By last week, the regional offensive that began at the end of January had liberated 36 towns, Mike Omeri, the Nigerian government spokesman on the insurgency, said Wednesday.
Three patients at a Kansas hospital have died after eating Blue Bell ice cream tainted with listeria, but food-borne illness was not the sole cause of their deaths, health officials said Saturday.
"These people had been in and out of the hospital for other reasons," Sara Belfry, spokeswoman for the Kansas Department of Health and Environment, told the Los Angeles Times. "This was a contributing cause, not the only cause."
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said five people in all were infected, all of whom were being treated in the same hospital for unrelated problems. Four of the victims drank milkshakes made with a single serving of Blue Bell's Scoops ice cream at the hospital, a finding "that strongly suggests their infections were acquired in the hospital," the CDC said.
March 20th 2015 is the next 3rd Friday in Downtown Salisbury, and proves that even in the winter months,
Downtown Salisbury has tons to offer! The restaurants and shops will be open with 3rd Friday menu specials, and the bars are ready to rock with live entertainment booked all night long.
Salisbury University Gallery
Salisbury University | Downtown Campus, on North Division Street, will open two brand new exhibitions this Friday, Light Shadow Wave Water by Edward Brown and the new works of Kristin Walsh. Brown, an associate professor in SU's Art Department, uses charcoal to draw dark and light tones, accentuated with calligraphic lines, to render the rhythmic and nebulous forms of waves at Assateague Island.
Kristin Walsh's work also draws from landscapes, and investigates how changing uses of the environment refuse any clean distinction between "natural" and "manmade." She uses installation, photographic prints and sculpture to construct a series of object-landscape scenographies to make visible how and why an object creates a spatial void in a landscape.
Photography Show. Works from area photographers will be on display, and judged by Carl Goldhagen. In addition, the solo exhibition of Scott Kasden | Photography on Metal will be on display in the Foyer Gallery. The AIG is located on the lower level of the Gallery Building off the Plaza.
Listen to live music, or bring your instrument and jam out! The show starts at 6pm! SWAC Headquarters is located on Poplar Hill Avenue on the 2nd floor above Season's Best Antiques, and elevator access is available.
The Downtown Bars and Restaurants will all be ready for 3rd Friday with specials for the dinner crowd, and plenty of entertainment planned for the night. Headquarters Live , Downtown Salisbury's brand new music venue will have Cold Gin , an amazing Kiss Tribute Band at 8pm.
The Brick Room will have live music from Breakfast. Mojo's will have Flint Eastwood, Cellar Door will have Josh Pryor and Market Street will have DJ B-Side. Echelon will have the Zion Reggae Band, and Brew River will have live music from the Bo Dickerson Band starting at 6pm, and maybe...just maybe... an open Dock Bar! Who's ready for Spring?
ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) — Watchdogs concerned with the health of the Chesapeake Bay found common ground Wednesday with farmers on some changes to Maryland’s long-range plan for managing phosphorous and other fertilizer runoff that pollute the watershed.
The administration of Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan confirmed Wednesday that stakeholders from the agricultural and environmental community are agreed on the creation of an advisory committee to be tasked with overseeing and promoting anti-polluting regulations to be put in practice by 2022.
“There has always been agreement on the problem,” Hogan spokesman Doug Mayer said. “Now we have agreement on a solution that represents one of the most important steps forward in environmental policy in the last decade.”
Sheriff Joe Arpaio of Maricopa County, Arizona, is asking an appeals court in Washington, D.C., to rein in the massive power that would be granted to President Obama and future presidents if a lower court’s decision stands.
The ruling threw out a legal challenge to Obama’s executive-memo driven amnesty program for millions of illegal aliens, despite the fact that amnesty was rejected by Congress and the plan would contradict state law.
Arpaio, represented by attorney Larry Klayman of Freedom Watch, is asking the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia to step into the case thrown out earlier by Judge Beryl Howell.
Arpaio contends the administration’s claim that “prosecutorial discretion” allows Obama to promise the benefits of citizenship to millions of illegal aliens is wrong.
“What is to stop a future president from simply directing the Internal Revenue Service to stop collecting taxes on capital gains or stop collecting income taxes above a rate lower than set by Congress?” asked a reply brief and request for oral argument filed Monday.
“Indeed, who would have standing to challenge taxes left uncollected from another person? What is to stop a future president from refusing to enforce environmental laws, labor union protections, securities laws, voting rights laws, or civil rights laws, on a claim of prosecutorial discretion?
“May a future president direct the IRS not to collect the penalty supporting Obamacare’s ‘individual mandate,’ producing actuarial collapse?”
DOVER — The 2015 Firefly Music Festival in Dover is gearing up to be the biggest one yet.
An increased demand for four-day passes, which start at $299, is reaching the sold-out mark of 90,000 attendees returning to the Woodlands for the four-day-long music event Thursday June 18, through Sunday, June 21. Event organizers announced March 18 that single-day general passes will not be available for the fourth Firefly Festival.
“We've seen an unprecedented increase each year since Firefly's inaugural 2012 festival derived from our success in multiple areas,” Firefly Music Festival Director Greg Bostrom said in a press release. “This, in turn, eliminated our ability to offer single-day general admission passes in 2015 as we plan to welcome 90,000 attendees, which will bring us to capacity this year."
Festival organizers also have released the daily lineup, which reveals that Paul McCartney will be the headliner Friday, June 19, followed by Kings of Leon Saturday, June 20, and The Killers Sunday, June 21.
I spent some time with the highest tenured faculty member at Chicago Law a few months back, and he did not have many nice things to say about “Barry.” Obama applied for a position as an adjunct and wasn’t even considered.
A few weeks later the law school got a phone call from the Board of Trustees telling them to find him an office, put him on the payroll, and give him a class to teach. The Board told him he didn’t have to be a member of the faculty, but they needed to give him a temporary position. He was never a professor and was hardly an adjunct.
ANNAPOLIS, Md. —A Maryland budget plan restoring education funds and state employee pay that had been scaled back in Republican Gov. Larry Hogan's budget proposal advanced in the House of Delegates on Wednesday.
The House, which is controlled by Democrats, gave initial approval to legislation containing the state's $40.7 billion budget. The House is scheduled to work on a companion bill needed to balance the budget Wednesday evening.
"We restored our priorities: education, taking care of our state workers and critical, critical social and health needs that our Maryland citizens deserve," said Del. Maggie McIntosh, a Baltimore Democrat who chairs the House Appropriations Committee. "We did this without raising taxes."
A New Zealand bar manager and his two Myanmar colleagues were sentenced Tuesday to two and a half years in jail by a Yangon court for using a Buddha image to promote a cheap drinks night.
The ad posted on Facebook in December triggered outrage in the former junta-ruled country, where surging Buddhist nationalism and religious violence has sparked international concern.
Philip Blackwood, who worked at the VGastro bar in Yangon, was found guilty of insulting religion along with the bar's Myanmar owner and manager, after the New Zealander posted the offending mocked-up photo of the Buddha wearing DJ headphones.
The trio were sentenced to two years in jail for insulting religion through written word or pictures and a further six months -- both terms carrying the punishment of hard labour -- for breaching local authority regulations.
They were held responsible for protests that erupted outside the bar over the image.
Judge Ye Lwin said that although Blackwood, 32, posted an apology, he had "intentionally plotted to insult religious belief" when he uploaded the photo.
SELBYVILLE — A mother who sent her 4-year-old daughter to daycare with a backpack full of heroin has pleaded guilty to one charge of endangering the welfare of a child.
Selbyville resident Ashley Tull, 30, was arrested Oct. 6 after sending her daughter to a Selbyville daycare with the backpack.
Judge E. Scott Bradley sentenced Tull to one year of probation and substance abuse evaluation and possible treatment. She also must fully cooperate with the Division of Family Services. Tull's attorney Thomas Pedersen said Tull has custody of her daughter and two older children, a 9-year-old boy and an 11-year-old girl.
A former federal official who spent 25 years handling Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests says former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's explanation of her use of private email defies reality and the practice was against the law.
In a column in Politico, Dan Metcalfe, a former director of the Office of Information and Privacy at the Justice Department who was responsible for overseeing the implementation of the Freedom of Information Act for the executive branch, says Clinton violated the Federal Records Act by using her personal email account exclusively for all official communications.
"I thought when I retired from the Justice Department in 2007, I was done with records-related scandals," Metcalfe said, noting that he served as the federal government's chief information-disclosure "guru."
"In that position, I had weathered many a Clinton records scandal during the 1990s — about two dozen, all told, including two that amazingly have still never become public — and I thought I had seen the last of them. At the very least, I thought I had become immune to being shocked by anything in that vein.
"It turns out I was wrong on both counts," Metcalfe wrote.
Metcalfe said that beyond breaking the Official Records Act, Clinton's decision to maintain all of her emails on a private server also shields her emails from FOIA, which he said is "truly unprecedented."
American voters fell all over themselves to vote for the first black man as president. But of course he’s not really black. He’s half black. And half white.
And that was a problem initially to none other than Michelle Obama’s mother.
As the New York Post reports, “long before Michelle Obama became First Lady, her mother had misgivings about her marrying a young man named Barack Obama — because he was biracial.”
“In a Chicago TV interview that aired during Obama’s 2004 U.S. Senate campaign — and newly resurrected by Michelle Obama biographer Peter Slevin in a book due out next month — Marion Robinson confessed to being “a little bit” wary about her future son-in-law being the product of a white mom and black dad.”
But it could’ve been worse.
“That didn’t concern me as much as had he been completely white,” Robinson laughed in the appearance on WTTW’s “Chicago Tonight.”
Congresswoman and Democratic National Committee Chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz will seek a seventh term in the U.S. House instead of running for the U.S. Senate.
Spokesman Sean Bartlett confirmed her plans Tuesday, saying she can be most effective in her current seat and wants to use her DNC position to help elect a Democratic president next year.
Wasserman Shultz's term as party chair expires in January 2017. Her decision ends speculation that she would seek the seat held by Republican Sen. Marco Rubio if he decides to run for president instead of a second term.
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Ben Cardin (D-Md.), along with Minority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Constitution Subcommittee Richard Durbin (D-Ill.), and Senators Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), Barbara A. Mikulski (D-Md.), Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), and Cory Booker (D-N.J.) have introduced a bill, the Democracy Restoration Act, to strengthen communities by reducing recidivism rates through the restoration of voting rights to individuals after they have served their time and have been released from incarceration. S. 772 would restore voting rights in federal elections to the million Americans who are out of prison and living in the community. Studies indicate that former prisoners who have voting rights restored are less likely to reoffend, and that disenfranchisement hinders their rehabilitation and reintegration into their community. Once again, companion legislation was introduced in the House of Representatives by Congressman John Conyers (D-Mich.), Ranking Member of the House Judiciary Committee.
In the United States, an estimated 5.85 million adult citizens are currently disenfranchised as a result of a criminal conviction. While 15 states and the District of Columbia already restore voting rights upon release from prison, 35 states continue to restrict the voting rights of people who are no longer incarcerated. In 11 States, a conviction can result in lifetime disenfranchisement. Several States deny the right to vote to individuals convicted of certain misdemeanors. Earlier this month, the Maryland Senate passed legislation that would restore voting rights for former felons on parole or probation.More
France's government is likely to back a bill banning excessively thin fashion models as well as potentially fining the modeling agency or fashion house that hires them and sending the agents to jail, the health minister said on Monday.
Style-conscious France, with its fashion and luxury industries worth tens of billions of euros (dollars), would join Italy, Spain and Israel which all adopted laws against too-thin models on catwalks or in advertising campaigns in early 2013.
"It's important for fashion models to say that they need to eat well and take care of their health, especially for young women who look to the models as an aesthetic ideal," Health Minister Marisol Touraine told BFM TV on Monday.
They say the only two things that are certain in life are death and taxes. President Barack Obama wants to add one more: voting.
Obama floated the idea of mandatory voting in the U.S. while speaking to a civic group in Cleveland on Wednesday. Asked about the corrosive influence of money in U.S. elections, Obama digressed into the related topic of voting rights and said the U.S. should be making it easier — not harder— for people to vote.
Just ask Australia, where citizens have no choice but to vote, the president said.
"If everybody voted, then it would completely change the political map in this country," Obama said, calling it potentially transformative. Not only that, Obama said, but universal voting would "counteract money more than anything."
Daiichi-Sankyo allegedly gave kickbacks to physicians to prescribe its drugs
Baltimore, MD - Attorney General Brian E. Frosh announced today that Maryland, joined by multiple states and the federal government, has secured a settlement with Daiichi Sankyo, Inc. ("Daiichi"), a global pharmaceutical company, to resolve allegations that it defrauded government healthcare programs by providing kickbacks to physicians to prescribe its drugs.
Under the agreement, Daiichi will pay more than $39 million to the states and the federal government. The Maryland Medicaid Program will receive $42,965.81, a portion of which will be paid to the federal government, which partially funds the program.
The African-American sheriff of Milwaukee County has issued a no-nonsense challenge to Missouri's lieutenant governor who claims President Barack Obama and Attorney General Eric Holder are obsessed with race: Prove it!
David Clarke, one of Wisconsin's leading law enforcement officers, took strong exception to what Peter Kinder said Monday, when he told Newsmax TV's Steve Malzberg, "there is more racism in the Justice Department than there is in anywhere I see in the St. Louis area."
Kinder, Missouri's second in command, went on to accuse "the Holder and Obama left — and their minions … are obsessed with race while the rest of us are moving on beyond it."
But Clarke isn't buying it.
"I don't know what he had to substantiate that when you make those kind of charges, regardless of who it is," Clarke told Malzberg.
"And I'll say that with Eric Holder, President Obama, [New York City Mayor] Bill de Blasio or [the Rev.] Al Sharpton. He better have the accurate data and substantiation to make such a charge."
Clarke and Kinder's verbal swordplay comes a week after the Justice Department released a scathing report about the Ferguson police force, which they said was plagued by racism and anti-minority police tactics. | {
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I really wish a new A-Wing Pilot would come out and that they'd then re-issue the A-WIng fighter using this new sculpt pilot and perhaps a new head. I awnt a Blue McQuarrie A-Wing though... That's one I'd gladly buy up multiples of once more.
I have 4 greens and over 6 red ones. I love the A-Wing.
I'd take a repaint of the EU Airspeeder as well. It was concept art that got adapted for the RPG's... I don't expect to see it ever released again, but if it were I'd dig seeing it with a new paintjob, maybe something spiffy and colorful or camo'd... Just something unique and new, not from the films.
And if we're including beasts, I'd be all for a Bantha with a new rider and a Dewback with a new Sandtrooper... | {
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MATTHEW Conde tried to escape justice by fleeing home to the UK but he was returned to Portugal and sentenced for his part in the gruesome 13-day horror.
James Ross, pictured with his wife Donna, who was brutally tortured. (Photo: Internet)
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THE last of a gang of thugs who subjected a Scots dad to 13 days of gruesome Reservoir Dogs-style torture on the Algarve has been jailed for more than nine years.
Matthew Conde, 26, tried to cheat justice by fleeing home to the UK after Portuguese cops arrested his fellow torturers.
But he was caught and flown back to Portugal to be tried for his part in the kidnap and maiming of dad-of-two James Ross.
Ross was abducted by the gang in 2010 and held prisoner in a villa in a row over a drug debt.
His captors stripped him naked, chopped off his ear, two fingers and three toes, nailed his hands to a piece of wood and beat him with a baseball bat.
They also burned his eye and genitals with a cigarette lighter and crushed his private parts in a vice until he almost passed out.
The gang’s leader, Steven Johnson, of Manchester, believed Ross owed him money and had been working for a rival criminal group.
So the gang lured him to Portugal with the promise of a job, then maimed him for life. When they hacked off his ring finger, they told him: “This is for Donna” – a reference to his wife back home in Wick, Caithness.
Johnson planned to murder Ross by tying a weight to his body and dumping him in a reservoir but the plot failed when the gang’s car crashed on the way to the scene. Police then arrested some of the gang and Ross managed to escape.
In July last year, Johnson was jailed for 25 years – the longest sentence possible under Portuguese law – for attempted murder, kidnap, GBH and drug trafficking. Callum McLeod, 46, of Stornoway on Lewis, was sentenced to 15 years.
Terence McGurck, 34, and William Quinn, 55, both of Coventry, were jailed for eight years, and Ronald Lee Rose, 26, also of Coventry, got two-and-a-half years.
Conde, who has been described as Johnson’s right-hand man, escaped after his friends were arrested and went back to Britain. His lawyers claim he freed Ross before he left.
He was later held on an international arrest warrant and returned to the Algarve, before being tried and convicted of attempted murder and aggravated kidnapping.
Sentencing him on Monday, the court in Loule, near Faro, said it had not been proved that Conde actually tortured Ross.
But the judges added: “He kept prisoner for several days a person who had body parts missing, had been burnt with a cigarette lighter and was suffering terrible pain.”
Conde’s lawyers said he would appeal. Ross returned to Scotland after treatment. | {
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5 Skills Every Health Information Technology Professional Must Have
In the healthcare industry, the creation of secure, accurate and complete patient data records is vital. This is why the majority of the employers require electronic health record professionals to pass particular requirements and get certifications.
If you’re thinking of joining this fast-growing industry, there are skills you need to learn to get a competitive edge.
You Must Be Educated
While this isn’t really a skill, the first thing employers look for is your level of education. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, companies hire applicants who hold an Associate’s degree or post-secondary certification.
You Must Have Good Communication Skills
This involves both written and oral communication. Having this skill down to pat will help you work effectively with doctors, nurses and other professionals in the healthcare industry. Health information technology professionals are often responsible for explaining to doctors about new healthcare coding regulations. Sometimes, they are responsible to explain new policies to the staff.
You Need to Have Good Computer Skills
Microsoft Excel is one of software commonly used in this line of work. Doctors often use this program to track the quantity of patients they see on a monthly basis. Health information technology professionals can sometimes be asked to compare workflow and workload data of various doctors in varying periods.
You Must Be Detail-Oriented
It’s not enough that you are highly organized, you must also have a great eye for detail. This is a very crucial skill given how inaccurate data can balloon into a bigger problem that can affect not just the doctors’ credibility but also the entire organization and the health of the patients.
In an electronic health records training, specialists work to equip you with the right skills or improve the current skill set that you already possess in order to be an efficient health information technology professional. While requirements vary by facility, professionals in this field can advance to higher positions after taking a master’s degree program and completing requirement certifications. | {
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Talk about video games, movies, music, news, and technology without wading through a thousand dumb kids and dozen exclamation points after each sentence. Try it out for a few days and remember what it's like to breathe Internet air without getting two lungs full of stupid.
Gameplay and Design Origins Discussion Thread
I'm hoping to generate some good historical discussion here on where various aspects of gameplay and design originated. Given the vast number of games released, it can be quite difficult to trace stuff.
Here are some examples I have been trying to find the origins of:
NPC sidekicks -
It's a fairly common concept today but not so much in the early days of gaming. The earliest I can think of is Floyd from Infocom's 1983 adventure game Planetfall.
Password Saves -
This became pretty popular in the mid-late '80s but when did it start? I can think of Starpath's 2600 Supercharger game Survival Island and Synapse's computer game Pharaoh's Curse, both from 1983.
Puzzle Platformers -
These are mixtures of puzzle and platform gameplay although usually more on the puzzle side. Klov.com lists Technos' 1982 arcade game Minky Monkey as a puzzle game but I consider it a platformer with very light puzzle elements. Much closer would be Broderbund's C64 game The Castles of Dr. Creep from 1984 but you could argue it's a platform/adventure game with puzzle elements. Then there's Sega's 1985 SG-1000 game Doki Doki Penguin Land which heads more into puzzle territory. I would put this in the sub-genre. It's hard to tell where to draw the line. There's also probably some early Spectrum games I'm forgetting.
Simultaneous Co-operative/Competitive Play -
What I mean by this is games where you can choose to work with the other person to beat the levels or beat on them. The earliest that comes to mind is the Mario Bros. arcade game from 1983 since you could smack the floor below to knock the other guy into enemies. Datasoft's computer game Bruce Lee(1984) is the oldest I can think of where you can directly assault the other player.
Being able to drive a car and exit to walk around -
This is super common today thanks to GTA. Was there anything earlier than Synapse's 1984 computer game N.Y.C: The Big Apple AKA New York City?
So, let me know if you think earlier games fit these categories, and please add your own to discuss.
You should give some modern examples of the gameplay designs you guys are bringing up--I'm not as hip to the classics as you all, and some of these descriptions have be baffled.
Well, an NPC sidekick would be any non-player character that's a sidekick, like Alyx in Half-Life 2: Episode One or Issun in Okami. They're alongside you and interact with you but are not playable.
Like any genre or sub-genre, I don't think everyone will agree on the definition of "Puzzle Platformer". Mario vs. Donkey Kong is a semi-recent one.
For "Simultaneous Co-operative/Competitive Play", many action games have this today. Being able to shoot your teammates in an FPS would be an example(often called "friendly fire" in this genre). Often, this is just meant to be done accidentally but in some games it can be fun to attack the other person, like in the Rampage series.
Hostage: Rescue Mission (C64, PC, ST, Amiga) is another early one. It was released in 1988, possibly as early as '87. Aliens may have been slightly earlier but I think it provided a clearer template for later squad-based games to follow. It was later ported to the NES.
Originally Posted by NeoZeedeater
I don't think everyone will agree on the definition of "Puzzle Platformer". Mario vs. Donkey Kong is a semi-recent one.
Are you talking about "single screen platformers" or SSP's?
Other gameplay aspects and/or tropes:
Bosses:
Phoenix, released by Centuri in 1980, is the earliest game I recall having a clearly defined "boss" encounter. Gorf is another early example in 1981. But it wasn't until Kung Fu Master came out in 1984 that the boss encounter as we know it today began to take shape: 5 levels, each with a unique boss character at the end, and each requiring a different strategy. Gradius would refine the boss concept even further one year later.
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The spirit of liberty is the spirit which is not too sure it is always right. -Learned Hand | {
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R. Lee Wrights: Nothing good grows at the Department of Agriculture
“There are many farm handouts; but let’s call them what they really are: a form of legalized theft. Essentially, a congressman tells his farm constituency, ‘Vote for me. I’ll use my office to take another American’s money and give it to you.'”- Walter Williams
by R. Lee Wrights
BURNET, Texas (Oct. 1) – People who are not farmers, or who don’t know any farmers, probably know very little about the U.S. Department of Agriculture. What most of us do know about USDA, other than the stamp it places on meat packages, is that it takes billions of dollars from taxpayers to pay farmers not to grow things. Basically it’s a large federal bureaucracy that pays productive people not to be productive. Not only is this a tremendous waste of money, it is extraordinarily absurd! It does nothing but stifle initiative and destroy the entrepreneurial spirit that made America great. It is bureaucratic madness to take money from productive people and use it to pay other people to do nothing.
The Cato Institute, a public policy research organization dedicated to the principles of individual liberty, limited government, free markets and peace has come up with a plan to downsize the federal government. It includes saving several billions of dollars by terminating a number of USDA programs. But they fail to take the next logical step. As president, I would ask Congress to abolish the Department of Agriculture altogether, along with most of the other cabinet departments.
The USDA’s 2011 budget of $152 billion equates to $1,200 seized from every U.S. household. And you may be surprised to learn that two-thirds of that taxpayer-money will actually be doled out in food subsides, not farm subsidies. By far the largest part of the USDA’s budget is money given away to “poor” people through food stamps, the school breakfast and lunch programs, and the women, infants, and children (WIC) program. These are just three of the 26 food and nutrition programs run by six different federal agencies.
Farm subsidies, the one Agriculture Department program most people know about, can cost taxpayers anywhere from $10 billion to $30 billion per year, depending on crop prices, the weather and other factors. Farmers who grow just five crops (wheat, corn, soybeans, rice and cotton) will get 90 percent of that money. Contrary to popular perception, most of the 800,000 “farmers” who get this money aren’t Ma and Pa Kettle. More than 60 percent are commercial farms, and substantial sums will go to people who don’t actually grow anything at all.
Farm subsidies are clearly and simply a massive redistribution of wealth, and not the “Robin Hood” variety of taking from the rich to give to the poor. According to the USDA’s own records, the average income of farm households is consistently higher than the average income of other American households. Farmers who benefit from subsidies would not suffer if they were eliminated. In fact, the majority of American farmers don’t receive a subsidy. The 64 percent of farmers who actually produce our meat, poultry, fruits and vegetables don’t receive a handout from the federal government. Nor do many of the other U.S. industries, which even in difficult economic times survive and thrive without government largess.
With one hand USDA gives farmers money not to grow crops, and imposes regulations and policies on food producers that limit food supplies and drive prices skyward. With the other hand it gives money to people who can’t afford to buy food because the price is too high. That is the insane and foolish principle behind food stamps, WIC and the department’s other food programs. These programs may make political sense, but they make absolutely no economic sense.
Another popular misconception about the federal food stamp program is that it is necessary to feed the hungry. In fact in the 1930′s, when the federal government first intervened in this area, there were already state and local government, as well as, private food programs in place. Today, the major problem with American children’s nutrition is not hunger, but obesity.
Federal farm policies in the dairy industry have caused an increase in the price of milk, thus harming low-income families. The WIC program encourages new mothers to feed their newborns formula instead of breast milk, contrary to the universal advice of health care experts who say breast milk is more nutritious than formula. And because the government “experts” promote less-healthy children’s formula, the federal government buys enrollees about half the formula sold in the U.S., which drives up the retail price for everyone else. So once again, poor people suffer because of a government program allegedly designed to help them.
In reality, the Department of Agriculture is one monumental giveaway scheme, a labyrinth of policies and plans designed to take money from productive people and give it to individuals who either cannot or will not produce. The USDA could very well be the poster child for all that is wrong with government intervention in the free market. Just about everything the department does exemplifies the many ways supposedly well-intentioned government programs not only have the opposite effect of their intent, but actually do more harm than good.
R. Lee Wrights, 53, a libertarian writer and political activist, is seeking the presidential nomination because he believes the Libertarian message in 2012 must be a loud, clear and unequivocal call to stop all war. To that end he has pledged that 10 percent of all donations to his campaign will be spent for ballot access so that the stop all war message can be heard in all 50 states. Wrights is a lifetime member of the Libertarian Party and co-founder and editor of the free speech online magazine Liberty For All. Born in Winston-Salem, N.C., he now lives and works in Texas.
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Wednesday, September 21, 2011
National Public Lands Day - September 24th
Let everyone sweep in front of his own door and the whole world will be clean. -- Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe
I'm pretty big on encouraging everyone to take care of their own share of the planet by maintaining an eco-friendly landscape. But in a broader sense, the public lands in your area are an extension of "your share".
September 24, 2011 is National Public Lands Day (NPLD). It is the nation's largest, single-day volunteer event for public lands in the United States.
NPLD began in 1994 with three sites and 700 volunteers. It proved to be a huge success and NPLD became a yearly tradition.
Last year, 170,000 volunteers worked at over 2,080 sites in every state, the District of Columbia and in many U.S. territories. NPLD volunteers:
Removed an estimated 450 tons of trash
Collected an estimated 20,000 pounds of invasive plants
Built and maintained an estimated 1,320 miles of trails
Planted an estimated 100,000 trees, shrubs and other native plants
Contributed an estimated $15 million to improve public lands across the country
As the hometown of the headquarters of National Public Lands Day (NPLD) and the National Environmental Education Foundation, Washington, D.C. has a strong connection with public lands. The District has a land area of only 68 square miles, but is home to 22 national parks, such as the National Mall and Anacostia National Park. Public lands are intertwined with the culture and history of Washington, D.C.
There are many events scheduled for NPLD in the area. If you are looking for a way to meet other eco-minded people and clean up some of the area parks, why not spend a few hours at one of these great events:
Rock Creek Park is the location of a National Public Lands Day signature event. Over 200 volunteers will come together to beautify the park in the morning. Later on, they will celebrate at a recreation and health fair in the afternoon.. | {
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Sketchy Sex - Fill Dumpster - Finale
Some hot big dick college dude was hanging around the house busting nuts, while one of our neighbors stopped by and took a turn on Nate’s hole. This 20 hour cum hungry binge was finally coming to an end. But first Nate had to "drop the kids off at the pool"...if you know what I mean. | {
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Sprint Driver
Sprint Driver
289 votes - 4.33
Although it’s not recommended and highly unsafe, motorcycles ride on the roads like there wasn’t a limit, not only when it comes to speed but also regarding space. Assume the control and do exactly what shouldn’t happen in real life, creating a shortcut among other vehicles to reach the destination faster. | {
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Sharing my work as a development worker and the travels, food and social perks that go with it.
Travels
When you’re away from your normal environment your tendency is to adapt to that new context – to the people, the weather, the food, and the culture.
That is often the case when I go to a mission. I call it a mission because I have a particular purpose why I accepted to live away from the comforts of my home and live with in another place even if I know there will be challenges.
I’ve been doing development work for over a decade until I decided to try working in a more insecure environment – emergency. The context is different, depending on the kind of emergency, but the end goal is the same as in development – to try to restore a semblance of life people had before the emergency happened except it is done at a faster pace and in a less organized but in a way efficient kind of way.
How can you be disorganized and efficient at the same time?
I realized that when working in emergency, goals are set short because new goals will have to be set more frequently than when I am working in development. Situations change quickly either for good which is always the ultimate goal or worst, which is something anticipated as a risk when in this kind of mission. That makes it efficient – to be able to achieve them and make new ones leading towards the main reason you’re there in the first place.
When goals are short, there’s always a good rate of success of achievement therefore satisfaction is also high. It keeps me motivated to continue and look forward to the time when we are ready to transition to development, and more sustainable solutions are put in place and eventually better prepare the community to be more self-reliant in the event of another emergency.
While short goals means quick achievements of it, there’s also a big chance that because of time allocated it also makes the organization a bit tight which on the other hand offered dissatisfaction. But in this line of work, I have to learn to accept that I cannot do everything the way I want it to be – I learned to adapt and adjust and celebrate the small wins I achieve.
At least I can say that when I joined the second wave of responders during the 2015 Nepal earthquakes.
I’ve lived and seen progress being made on a day-to-day basis. I’ve met people that are more willing to be part of the change without accepting defeat because nature decided to shake them up from their stupor. I’ve witnessed people’s faith in their gods amidst the destruction. I’ve gained friends and respect towards them and their lives before, during and after the catastrophe.
Since two years ago, I know that I have more to live for than just now.
Realizing that life, like a wheel, turns and when you’re up you see the world differently than when you’re down but as it rolls you learn to adapt to it and continue to live. And look forward to the destination when finally the wheel stops rolling and can say “it has been a good ride.”
Images of what happened two years ago.
Stupa without the top part
On top of the temple
Steps leading to the Monkey Temple
prayer rooms
Houses that collapsed
More destructions
More desctructions
School building
Rubles on the side of the road
Reinforcing temples
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Everybody who knows the kind of work I do knows the value of “holidays.” It is the much-awaited time-off, planned at the beginning of the mission to fit within the whole year calendar of the post assigned.
According to me, the supposed rest and recreation (or recuperation) or simply R&R is not really that restful when planning for it. Don’t get me wrong I am one of those who looks forward to it but very lazy to plan ahead because unlike some people traveling, it takes more effort for me to plan than it should be.
Because …
I always have to plan ahead (which I don’t like) to get a visa if places I want to visit requires one for my nationality. And to do that I will need requirements that are sometimes complicated to gather when you’re out of the country to even be granted a 15-day pass.
I try to be thrifty, but with advancing age and the kind of adventures I like nowadays, I will need to shelve a little more than what I used to do. Now, I prefer to enjoy a little luxury and comfort when traveling.
Related to number 1 and 2, I always try to go to places where I don’t need a visa to visit, and I visited most of those countries. I had my shares of backpacking and sleeping in shabby places. Now those places that remain to be visa free are in other continents that will require some serious savings both for the airfare, board, and lodging and of course shopping, so they are not for R&R kind of holidays!
The work gets in the way. Always felt that as it nears my break work seems to pile up. Because I don’t manage people I have no one to endorse work and leave without being tempted to check on things, worst to cancel holidays.
To avoid all those problems, the last option is to visit “in-country” where I am assigned. But that defeats the purpose of R&R right? Although I did it more that I could count depending on the context and security situation of the country it is always best to do R&R in another place – preferably another country!
But then again there is the last option that defeats all the points I mentioned above … go home and truly rest. Be in touch with people, places in your hometown. Or simply enjoy time with family and be grounded until it’s time to go back to work and start over again!
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There is this little girl in my neighborhood that was born without an esophagus. She’s fed via a PEG directly to her stomach by a diet meant to let her gain weight and be healthier. Her neck has a hole to help with breathing and speaking.
She’s seven years old and in grade one. She’s always teased and felt deprived of the food she sees in people’s table and the stores. But in spite of she’s a lovely and lively little girl.
I sought help from friends on how to help her until I landed support from a local television to showcase her story and let people know about her condition and eventually appeal for help. The local charity office funded by lottery gains acknowledged her situation and offered to foot the bill for the initial hospitalization and surgery to reverse her condition (called Esophageal Atresia). But the family will have to raise funds to support costs for medicines and other needs during hospitalization and recovery.
The surgery was successful, but she’s still in ICU and battling complications of bacterial infections and fluid in her lungs. The doctors are doing their best, and now she’s stable and hopefully recover fully.
I appeal for two things, first to think of this girl Sharie and include her in your prayers or utter a short prayer of healing and second, for your money. I am not asking a lot, though; any amount will help but we are raising close to $900 per set of medicine, and I don’t know how much more sets she needs to recover fully.
I hope I can count on you …
To find out more about her story and update on her conditions and on how to donate, please visit Sharie’s Operation Fund page.
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I wanted so bad to live up to your expectations, but it seems like a force is pulling me back from making sure I get to the end of it.
I am trying to find ways to juggle life– work balance but the pressure, the stress seems too much that I find myself sometimes stuck, unable to move forward.
The mind is willing, but my body does not budge to get me moving and doing what I should.
That is me living here in Gaza.
When I thought I am tough enough to endure living in a foreign land and meet new people for almost two decades now, I met my match being here. It’s hard to explain because, on the outside, I look fine, sometimes I feel fine, and recently felt at home in Gaza I wish to stay longer. (Read here)
Strange how that may sound but that is how I feel, and I am trying to figure out where my problem lies – is it the place? The people? The work? I don’t know! I don’t want to blame where I am for my feelings in the last six months, nor the people and especially the work for the love of what I do.
I have seen good things here in spite of the history of the country and the recent crisis they endured, and somehow I empathize with their being unable to move freely out of Gaza. Not that I can’t move out from here, being an expat working for an international organization gave me some freedom to shuffle in an out at least every three weeks and be like everybody else. Unlike most people I know and work with they will need permission from Israel to go out for a limited time only, which is not given readily and benefits only very few. In my case, it may not be the same as for most people, but my being closed off from where I live somehow gives me a little understanding of the people’s lives in occupation. Not being able to go out and enjoy the sun, sand, and sea across my room can be frustrating. Not being able to walk around town and catch a glimpse of life or experience it does not allow me to live my time here actually. Creativity in my case is boxed online – I see the world like most people here via the social media.
So little out of the ordinary activity is very much appreciated, like yesterday, being the last day of the work week, I was able to enjoy the morning with some of the people we support in the community outside, in the sun, harvesting olives in one of our beneficiaries farm — that was incredible! When asked by some people how I felt (being the only foreign in the group who obviously had not done olive harvest before) all I said was great. To be out in the sun and not see patients for the most of it for a change, and my colleagues with me are so much fun even if most of the time they speak Arabic.
Now I am back in my apartment, being a Friday nothing much happens here so I am stuck to my computer and live out the day watching movies, catching up with friends online and talking on Skype to my family. That scenario made me somehow understand what most felt day in day out. The frustrations of the young people to be out and enjoying liberties other young people in other parts of the world enjoy. The dreams of parents to give the best to their children – good education, freedom to travel and to choose the life they want to live. Not the current life where everything has to be dependent on what the other person behind the counter say so — it can be too much.
I think that fuels the hatred, the fear and the tension in an already tensed situation since the 40’s basing on their history. The history is written for the Palestinian people by outsiders thinking that lives would be better if foreign people write it for them. And here I am years later, foreign, trying to understand what is incomprehensible because of the kind of work I do. Humanity comes first before politics, and often I am in no liberty to talk about politics (even religion), and I wouldn’t dare even if I want to. Instead, I will continue bridging the gap of what the world failed to do for these people and support the best I can when I can until it’s time to say hati waqt lahiq (until later).
Being stuck may seem bad for the most of it, but that also gives one perspective of the life we have. To understand that life is not equal in many regions of the world and to experience it in a short time somehow allows me to speak about it. To live it out with these people gives me the profound respect for the resilience of the Palestinians I meet every day be it for work or the little leisure I have here.
My spirits lift when I can pen these feelings and hope those that reads this understands my whim and not take this as drama. Life as an expat may seem appealing for the most of it, but the emotional investment we have is sometimes more than what we can give if we don’t have ways to vent it out.
Now I have to get going … I have pending paper works to accomplish if I want to reach my destination.
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Mentioning to a friend I am going to work in Gaza, a plan was set. W is working and living in Europe making it easy for him to plan the trip, it has a direct flight from his place to Tel Aviv and being Filipino, a visa was not going to be a problem.
Days passed, we agreed on a month – the best time according to the guidebook to visiting Israel and the Holy Land, September! Wanting the trip to be more fun we invited two other friends from home. Unsure whether they will accept or not, W and I proceeded with our plan.
As early as May the dates were set for the first week of September, in time for the Eid Al-Adha celebration. Not long after, the two other friends from the Philippines agreed to join us and started to look for cheap flights to here. Now we are four!
As the day of the “trip of a lifetime” approaches, more plans are set in motion – where to stay? How much is acceptable rent? Airbnb or hostel? And what will be the itinerary considering the time would be very short – 5 days! Until almost a week before the scheduled trip we haven’t made up our minds, but in the end, we settled for a hostel and tried to arrange our trip a la DIY.
The holiday begins for me …
I left Gaza via Erez on a Wednesday, before the weekend and will wait for my friends to arrive on Thursday from Philippines and Europe.
Since I am officially on holiday, I felt like I needed a little pampering, so I went to have my nails done and in a relaxed mode, received news that the two friends who started traveling from the Philippines the same day was stuck in Hongkong and was not being allowed to proceed to Beijing because of the airport traffic that could delay their flight to Tel Aviv to at least four days. Even if they can proceed they don’t have the transit visa for China to let them stay for more than 2 hours (and ridiculously if they do get to land in Beijing our planned holidays would be over by the time they arrive in Tel Aviv).
Disheartened, the trip must go on even if it was to go back to the original two-person trip. Luckily they managed to get another booking via Ethiopian air, but it means they lost 1 day of their holidays by arriving after midnight of Thursday (Friday) and spending unplanned cost just to get to see the Holy Land.
From 2 to 4 to 2 and back to 4
W arrived according to plan and prep the coming days while waiting for the other two to arrive later that night. We managed to see a little of the area where we live – walking down Jaffa street from Ha Davidka station to the Jaffa Gate and not to pre-empt the tour, we exited immediately to the New Gate and spent the rest of the afternoon over Middle Eastern cheese platter and beer at the Notre Dame restaurant overlooking the old city and all of Jerusalem city (and neighboring town if you know where to look).
Returning late, we continue waiting over wine and more cheese (European) in our room. A little past midnight the crews complete, and after a little chatter with stories of adventures from Hongkong to Ethiopia Adis Ababa to Tel Aviv Ben Gurion Airport and lots of laughter we were all happily settled in our bunk beds getting ready for the day trip around the old city – Jerusalem at sunrise.
We are all looking forward to the trips from Friday till Tuesday to near and far, even though for me, this is my third time to be going to the holy sites in the Terra Sancta. I don’t mind because every time I am with a different company and with every visit, I discover new places, new things, new information and maybe new friends.
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First encountered the word when I was in Sierra Leone, a call of endearment thrown my way by my then love of my life. It sounded very exotic, me having no understanding of Arabic word whatsoever, and I felt so much loved.
Habibi is an Arabic word directly translating as “my baby” or “my darling”; Habibtiis feminine form of habibi, which means “my love”
Arriving in Palestine early this year, the first recognizable word I heard was Habibi, and I was culture shocked to hear it spoken between men — whoa! Only to be told I interpreted the exchanges wrongly (and maybe with malice) and should let it pass. I did, or so I thought, but I am not over it.
The word means my beloved, and in normal conversation, it is normally used between close friends of the same or opposite gender or between couples romantically involved.
For us non-Arabs, it can be (in English) “my friend / bro / sis” when used among friends, or “my love / baby” when used romantically. In Tagalog, it can be “pare” for men and no idea what can it be for women 🙂
After being here for a while, I can let it rest and accept it as part of the normal conversations in taxi, offices, and meetings but I will keep the first impression and feelings I had when I first heard it nine years ago.
I discovered too that there are books of the same title that tells stories about love … from the looks of it, maybe I should get then and start reading about my love …
Habibi bt Naomi Shihab Nye
The day after Liyana got her first real kiss, her life changed forever. Not because of the kiss, but because it was the day her father announced that the family was moving from St. Louis all the way to Palestine.
Habibi by Craig Thompson
Habibi gives us a love story of astounding resonance: a parable about our relationship to the natural world, the cultural divide between the first and third worlds, the common heritage of Christianity and Islam, and, most potently, the magic of storytelling. | {
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On Tuesday, the Constitutional Court issued decisions on some, but not all, of the pending legal challenges which have left the Guatemalan genocide trial at a temporary standstill.
The Constitutional Court decisions only added to the suspense created last week when, on April 18, Judge Patricia Flores abruptly annulled the oral phase of the trial even though more than one hundred witnesses and experts had testified and a final verdict was believed imminent. In her order, Judge Flores instructed that the process revert back to its November 23, 2011 pre-trial status, before her earlier recusal from the case. The trial court immediately rejected this annulment order as illegal, and suspended the trial pending constitutional review, which the trial court – and the public – still await.
Judge Flores asserted that her decision to annul the oral proceedings was pursuant to the April 3, 2013 Constitutional Court order requiring that certain defense witnesses be admitted, and a Supreme Court resolution rejecting her earlier (November 23, 2011) recusal.
Judge Flores had been ordered recused while she was presiding over the evidentiary phase of the trial, in response to a defense challenge. CALDH, one of the civil parties, challenged the recusal in December 2011, and the Supreme Court ruled in favor of CALDH, but a final decision by the Constitutional Court was only issued in late 2012; and it took until April 2013 for the notification of the illegality of the prior recusal order to reach Judge Flores, and until April 17, 2013 for Judge Flores to notify the parties.
Thus, the Constitutional Court reported on April 22 that it had 12 legal challenges related to the trial under review. On Tuesday, the Court issued a decision in six of the challenges, leaving the remaining legal challenges to be decided later, likely this week or Monday.
The Constitutional Court held a news conference in the afternoon. Prior to the news conference and any official announcement from the Constitutional Court, news outlets incorrectly declared that the Court had annulled the trial, leading to widespread speculation. Journalists rushed to the Court expecting a press conference to start at 4pm, as publicized, only to learn that the Court had held a news conference an hour earlier.
Crowding the entrance of the office of the General Secretary of the Court, journalists eagerly grabbed copies of the Court’s resolutions and insisted on the opportunity to ask questions, until Martin Guzman, the General Secretary of the Court, convened a second press conference.
The Constitutional Court’s actions on Tuesday were significant but left some key questions outstanding.
First, the Constitutional Court rejected on procedural grounds the CALDH complaint (ocurso en queja) which sought to reverse Judge Flores’ annulment order. The Court expressly did not reach the merits of the issue. Instead, it asserted that the complaint mechanism used by CALDH (ocurso en queja) was improperly used in this instance.
In the press conference, Guzman explained that the Court rejected CALDH’s challenge as improperly filed leaving, for the time being, as legally binding (vigente) Judge Flores’ ruling to annul the oral proceedings. Guzman implied that CALDH could amend and re-file their complaint, although an acceptable procedure remained unclear.
On February 4, Judge Galvez, overseeing part of the evidentiary phase of the trial, had rejected as inadmissible some of the defense’s proposed experts, witnesses, reports and documents, prompting an amparo from the defense challenging this decision. The trial court, on March 19, the first day of the trial, provisionally accepted into evidence all of the proposed defense evidence, despite the more limited ruling by Judge
Galvez, in recognition of the pending legal challenge on this issue.
On April 3, the Constitutional Court overturned some of Judge Galvez’ decisions on the admissibility of defense evidence, but nonetheless identified that the defense cannot propose evidence at a late stage in a manner that would delay the start of the process, or require a reversion to earlier stages, a “situation that would be illegal.”
Subsequent to the Constitutional Court’s April 3 decision, the trial court asserted that, in its admission of all of the defense evidence, it had fully complied with the Constitutional Court’s April 3 ruling. In its ruling on Tuesday, the Constitutional Court recognized that the trial court must nonetheless transfer the case file to Judge Flores in order to comply fully with its order.
Third, the Constitutional Court found that the trial court violated Rios Montt’s right to a defense (violation of right to be represented by a trusted attorney) in its expulsion of one of his attorneys, Francisco Garcia Gudiel, on the first day of the trial. The Court ruled that the trial court should “restore” those rights within 48 hours or be subject to legal reprimand (apercibimiento). The decision is silent as to how this issue should be resolved.
Relatedly, the Court ruled in favor of attorneys Moises Galindo and Cesar Calderon, attorneys for co-accused Rodriguez Sanchez, who had filed an amparo contesting their being forced to defend Rios Montt subsequent to Garcia Gudiel’s expulsion. They had alleged, among other things, a violation of their right to the free exercise of their profession. The Court granted their request for a suspension of the judicial order compelling their representation. The significance of this is unclear as Rios Montt has reinstated his initial defense team and Galindo and Calderon are no longer representing him.
Rios Montt introduced Garcia Gudiel into his defense team on the first day of the public hearing and the tribunal expelled him soon after, ordering Galindo to represent Rios Montt absent Rios Montt identifying another attorney of his own choosing. After Garcia Gudiel’s dismissal, the defense filed a series of legal challenges which eventually reached the Constitutional Court.
Siglo 21 reported that Garcia Gudiel must be readmitted as counsel to Rios Montt, though this is not clear from the resolutions.
The Constitutional Court’s decisions leave unresolved whether the Court would permit the rollback of the trial to the beginning of the oral hearing (March 19, 2013), or even earlier, to November 2011, prior to the order for Judge Flores’ recusal, as asserted by Judge Flores in her April 18 oral decision to annul the oral phase of the trial and revert the proceedings.
The Constitutional Court judgments also leave unanswered questions concerning the significance of Judge Flores’ renewed engagement in the case, her prior annulment order, and the remedies granted by the Constitutional Court in response to legal challenges concerning the rights of the defense.
On Wednesday, CALDH is scheduled to hold a 10 am press conference. The Attorney General’s office is also scheduled to make a public announcement.
Against the backdrop of the Constitutional Court’s rulings on Tuesday, street protests continued.
Unlike in prior days, the largest protest on Tuesday was one in support of Rios Montt denying that there was genocide in Guatemala. Even more unusually, the majority of protesters supporting the former de facto head of state and denying the genocide charges were indigenous Ixiles who had arrived from western Guatemala on numerous buses throughout the morning.
The protestors carried various signs denying the genocide and denouncing international human rights actors. A sign on one of the buses read, “Hairy Hippies and Foreigners, STOP Making Money Off the Lie of Genocide in NEBAJ” (Hippies Peludos y Extranjeros NO Hagan Dinero con la Mentira de Genocidio en NEBAJ). Other signs at the protest read: “NGO’s no more blackmail, manipulation and threats to the Ixil people” (ONGs no mas chantajes, manipulacion y amenazas al pueblo Ixil) and “The real truth is that there was NO GENOCIDE in Nebaj” (La pura verdad es que en Nebaj NO hubo GENOCIDIO).
Siglo 21 reported that 50 buses arrived in the capital on Tuesday morning; Prensa Libre estimated the number of protestors to be 500. The protest began outside of the US Embassy and then the group marched to the Supreme Court of Justice and the Constitutional Court, before ending their protest at the Plaza Mayor and boarding buses out of the city. Various speakers chastised the guerillas and defended Rios Montt for providing them with public services. Guatemala’s Human Rights Ombudsman’s office (Procurador de Derechos Humanos, or PDH) provided monitors to ensure that protestors were undisturbed.
Ricardo Méndez Ruiz, president of the Foundation Against Terrorism and the son of Rios Montt’s former Minister of Interior, was actively involved in the protest and provided interviews to media outlets. Mendez Ruiz also authored an opinion piece in El Periodico on Tuesday which castigated Nobel Peace Prize winner Rigoberta Menchú, Guatemala’s truth commission (“elaborated by people with a Maxist Leininst political ideology”), Attorney General Claudia Paz y Paz, Judge Cesar Barrientos, the U.S. Ambassador, and the International Commission Against Impunity in Guatemala (Comision Internacional Contra la Impunidad en Guatemala, or CICIG) for being behind the genocide charges.
Siglo 21, Prensa Libre, and the PDH reported that there was also a smaller demonstration, of several dozen in support of the trial, in the Plaza de la Constitución. They demanded the resumption of the trial and denounced the alleged “manipulation” by those bringing Ixiles to Guatemala City to protest against the trial.
Thomas J. Dodd Research Center at the University of Connecticut School of Law contributed to the research and writing of this blog.
You may not know it from reading or listening to the major U.S. media, but the rest of the world has been steeped in news coverage of a former Guatemalan head of state recently on trial in a national court (though proceedings are currently on hold) for genocide and crimes against humanity. The accused, General Efraín Ríos Montt, was one of the most vicious mass killers the United States—or Israel—ever produced.
Known as “Brother Efraín,” a fundamentalist convert of the California-based “Church of the Word” (Verbo), Rios Montt thanked his God in heaven for anointing him as Guatemala’s president, but on earth he thanked Israel for establishing his March 1982 military coup. Israeli press reported that 300 Israeli advisors helped execute the coup, which succeeded so smoothly, Brother Efraín told an ABC News reporter, “because many of our soldiers were trained by Israelis.” Through the height of la violencia (“the violence”) or desencarnacíon (“loss of flesh, loss of being”), between the late 1970s to early 1980s, Israel assisted every facet of attack on the Guatemalan people. Largely taking over for the United States on the ground in Guatemala (with Washington retaining its role as paymaster, while also maintaining a crucial presence in the country), Israel had become the successive governments’ main provider of counterinsurgency training, light and heavy arsenals of weaponry, aircraft, state-of-the-art intelligence technology and infrastructure, and other vital assistance.
Photo Credit: Al Jazeera
At the time, Rios Montt defended his war against the “guerrilla,” indistinguishable from civilian noncombatants, in this way: “Look, the problem of the war is not just a question of who is shooting. For each one who is shooting there are ten working behind him.” Rios Montt’s press secretary added: “The guerrillas won over many Indian collaborators. Therefore, the Indians were subversives, right? And how do you fight subversion? Clearly, you had to kill Indians because they were collaborating with subversion. And then they say, ‘You’re massacring innocent people’. But they weren’t innocent. They had sold out to subversion” (Witness to Genocide, Survival International, 1983, p. 12). Or, as one of Brother Efaín’s Verbo pastors explained to a delegation of Pentecostals from California about the regime’s awesome benevolence: “The army doesn’t massacre Indians,” the Verbo pastor assured the visitors. “It massacres demons, and Indians are demons possessed; they are communists.”
A February 1983 CBS Evening News with Dan Rather program reported, Israel “didn’t send down congressmen, human rights activists or priests” to strengthen Israel’s special relationship with Guatemala. Israel “taught the Guatemalans how to build an airbase. They set up their intelligence network, tried and tested on the [Israeli-occupied Palestinian] West Bank and Gaza, designed simply to beat the Guerilla.” Time magazine (03/28/83) chimed in that Guatemalan army “outposts in the jungle have become near replicas of Israeli army field camps.” At one of these Israeli outposts replicated in Huehuetenango (among the areas hardest hit by the genocide, with the second highest number of massacres registered by a UN truth commission), Time continues: “Colonel Gustavo Menendez Herrera pointed out that his troops are using Israeli communications equipment, mortars, submachine guns, battle gear and helmets.” Naturally, as Army Chief of Staff Benedicto Lucas García had stated previously: “The Israeli soldier is a model and an example to us.”
Today’s Guatemalan power elite, firmly rooted in the same lineage of death squads that ravaged the country for decades, continues to gaze on this legacy with adoration. “If there is thriving agriculture—it’s an Israeli contribution,” hailed Guatemala’s Congressional speaker in 2009 when his government body bestowed its highest honor to Israel, adding further praise for Israel having shared its “rich experience” in security, education, and medicine over the years.
Investigative journalist Allan Nairn interviewed current Guatemalan President Otto Perez Molina when Molina was Rios Montt’s commander carrying out the genocide in the Nebaj area. At one point in the filmed 1982 interview, Molina shows Nairn one of his army’s artillery mortars, answering that the brand of weapon and its ammunition were provided by Israel.
Apart from lasting accolades by Guatemala’s leaders, Israel’s participation in the repression is remembered somewhat differently by its victims, and by the children of its victims. An inter-generational memory is invoked in ongoing coalition work by students in the United States. Activists include undocumented students and young citizens alike, of Palestinian and Maya-Huehuetenango descent. Activities by organized groups cross-pollinate throughout related social struggles. They resonate from the curves of history and offer us ways to move full circle to justice.
One such bend in history can be found in a refugee-led movement that focused on the Right of Return among tens of thousands of displaced Guatemalans who, for a generation, have been living in refugee camps throughout Southern Mexico. Voices of the Guatemalan movement defended a range of issues, from de-militarization of the country to gender equality within the camps. María García Hernández, co-founder of a refugee women’s organization called Mama Maquín, described the standpoint of her group: “The Guatemalan refugee and returnee women are clear about the fact that land is the most important family possession that we have. Land is…a space where we can live and work, defend our rights and pass on our culture, customs and languages to our daughters and sons.” Such sentiment and connection to the land resounds with those of the Palestinian struggle for liberation and return.
García Hernández, whose community called for “all women of the world to fight together for a world with equality and justice,” added reflections of resilience in confronting the present and the future: “We face, with our families, the challenges of coping with the losses of war and exile….All women and men can help search for ways great and small to lead us to a resolution of our most urgent needs and the wish of all humanity to have a world of justice and peace.”
Gabriel M. Schivone is an ad hoc Steering Committee member of National Students for Justice in Palestine. He is the author of the forthcoming title, In DREAMs and Genocide Denial: U.S. Immigration and the Destruction of Guatemalan Life. | {
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} |
KDE 3.5.6 in Sid - Debian
This is a discussion on KDE 3.5.6 in Sid - Debian ; >> Hi all,
>>
>> Just a curiosity: When is KDE 3.5.6 branch going to
>> come down to Sid?
>>
>
>About end of next week.
>
Now that would be really nice... Looking forward to it...
PK
>Ana... | {
"pile_set_name": "Pile-CC"
} |
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A Magical Answer to an 80-Year-Old Puzzle
Using crowd-sourced and traditional mathematics research, Terence Tao has devised a solution to a long-standing problem posed by the legendary Paul Erdős.
The mathematician Terence Tao, of the University of California, Los Angeles, has presented a solution to an 80-year-old number theory problem posed by the legendary Hungarian mathematician Paul Erdős. Erdős was famous for the thousands of puzzles he came up with, many of which have led to surprisingly deep mathematical discoveries. This particular problem, which came to be known as the Erdős discrepancy problem, was one of his favorites, said Ben Green, a mathematician at the University of Oxford. “He mentioned it many times over the years, particularly towards the end of his life.”
A simplified version of the problem goes like this: Imagine that you are imprisoned in a tunnel that opens out onto a precipice two paces to your left, and a pit of vipers two paces to your right. To torment you, your evil captor forces you to take a series of steps to the left and right. You need to devise a series that will allow you to avoid the hazards — if you take a step to the right, for example, you’ll want your second step to be to the left, to avoid falling off the cliff. You might try alternating right and left steps, but here’s the catch: You have to list your planned steps ahead of time, and your captor might have you take every second step on your list (starting at the second step), or every third step (starting at the third), or some other skip-counting sequence. Is there a list of steps that will keep you alive, no matter what sequence your captor chooses?
In this brainteaser, devised by the mathematics popularizer James Grime, you can plan a list of 11 steps that protects you from death. But if you try to add a 12th step, you are doomed: Your captor will inevitably be able to find some skip-counting sequence that will plunge you over the cliff or into the viper pit.
Around 1932, Erdős asked, in essence, what if the precipice and pit of vipers are three paces away instead of two? What if they are N paces away? Can you escape death for an infinite number of steps? The answer, Erdős conjectured, was no — no matter how far away the precipice and viper pit are, you can’t elude them forever.
But for more than 80 years, mathematicians made no progress on proving Erdős’ discrepancy conjecture (so named because the distance from the center of the tunnel is known as the discrepancy). “Everyone in the subject has whetted their teeth on this and failed,” said Andrew Granville, a number theorist at the University of Montreal and University College London. “It’s one of those problems that nobody has really written a sensible paper about, because no one had a clever idea.”
Even the seemingly simple scenario in which the pit and the precipice are just three paces away involves an enormous number of possible choices. This version of the problem was finally solved last year by Boris Konev and Alexei Lisitsa of the University of Liverpool in England, who showed, via a computer calculation whose output is comparable in size with all of Wikipedia, that it is possible to write down 1,160 safe steps, but no more. Their proof, however, did not offer a foothold on the more general problem.
Now, in a preprint posted online on September 17, Tao, a winner of the Fields Medal, mathematics’ highest honor, has shown that no matter how far away the viper pit and precipice are, there is always a maximum number of steps you can safely list.
To solve the problem, Tao measured the “entropy” of mathematical objects called multiplicative functions or sequences, which lie at the heart of not just the Erdős discrepancy problem, but also some of the deepest problems in number theory, such as understanding the distribution of prime numbers. This novel synthesis of number theory and entropy — a concept that originated in coding theory — “will certainly open up new avenues of research,” Green predicted.
Until now, the Erdős discrepancy problem has been an example of “the most ridiculous things we have felt we didn’t understand” about multiplicative functions, Granville said. “It should be an immediate observation, but somehow it had to take vast amounts of deep ideas and cleverness to get there.” Tao’s solution, he said, is “a wonderful breakthrough.”
Handles on the Wrecking Ball
In late 2009, Timothy Gowers, a mathematician at the University of Cambridge who jump-started the massive online mathematical collaborations known as “Polymath” projects, was casting about for a good topic for the next such project. In a series of blog posts, he described several possible projects, including the Erdős discrepancy problem, and asked readers to weigh in. The post on the discrepancy problem quickly attracted nearly 150 comments, and on January 6, 2010, Gowers wrote what he called an “emergency” post saying that this problem was clearly the people’s choice.
Like Erdős himself, the project cast the problem as a question about sequences of +1s and –1s, not rights and lefts. Over the course of the project, Tao figured out that it is essentially sufficient to solve the discrepancy problem for multiplicative sequences: ones in which the (n × m)th entry is equal to the nth entry times the mth entry (so, for example, the sixth entry equals the second entry times the third entry).
It makes sense that multiplicative sequences should offer high prospects for survival. In a multiplicative sequence, each skip-counting sequence of +1s and –1s is either identical to or the mirror image of the original sequence as a whole. For instance, the sequence that consists of every third entry is simply the original sequence times the third entry in the sequence, which is either +1 or –1. So, if you’ve found a survivable list of steps for the main sequence, it will automatically give you a survivable list of steps for every skip-counting sequence your captor might choose.
Multiplicative sequences are related to deep structures in number theory. One example is the famous Liouville function, which, when written as a sequence, has a +1 or –1 in the nth spot depending on whether n has an even or odd number of prime factors, and which gives mathematicians a way to study the number of primes below a given number. Multiplicative sequences have been intensively studied, but many basic questions about them have stubbornly resisted attempts to answer them. One such question, the Polymath project eventually concluded, was the Erdős discrepancy problem. “By 2012, [the Polymath project] petered out,” Tao said.
But the problem somehow seemed more approachable after the Polymath project, he said. Before, the problem had been “like a giant wrecking ball that you had to pick up, but it was completely smooth,” he said, using an analogy he attributes to Gowers. After Polymath, “the problem had handles,” he said. “So you could at least try to pick it up now. If you found a crane, you could hook it up.”
Hoisting the Wrecking Ball
In January, a pair of mathematicians — Kaisa Matomäki of the University of Turku in Finland and Maksym Radziwiłł of Rutgers University — took the first step toward building that crane, although it wasn’t immediately clear that they had done so. They came up with a way to understand the correlations between near neighbors in a multiplicative sequence, an achievement that had long been considered beyond reach.
Tao started working with Matomäki and Radziwiłł on a raft of potential applications of their method to problems in number theory. On September 6, Tao wrote a blog post about some of this work pertaining to the Liouville function, and he mentioned that the problem reminded him of a Sudoku puzzle. A few days later, a Polymath participant named Uwe Stroinski commented that the Erdős discrepancy problem also had a Sudoku-like flavor. Could Matomäki and Radziwiłł’s approach, he asked, be applied to that problem as well?
“I replied saying, ‘No, I don’t think so,’” Tao said. He was convinced — as in fact proved to be the case — that every sequence eventually leads to death in the Erdős puzzle. Matomäki and Radziwiłł’s approach seemed as if it might be useful for constructing sequences that allow you to survive for a while, but not for the reverse problem of showing that the sequence must eventually fail. As Tao gave the question more thought, however, he realized that his knee-jerk response was wrong — he could in fact prove the Erdős conjecture, if he could only control a certain complicated sum.
“I tried seriously to tackle this head-on, now that I knew that it would solve the discrepancy problem,” Tao said. And one afternoon, as he waited for his son to get out of a piano lesson, the answer came to him: He could use an argument “like a magician’s choice, where the magician offers someone in the audience two options, and it seems as if the audience has control, but the magician has a trick planned for whichever option you pick.”
Tao’s trick involves breaking up a candidate sequence into chunks and then examining the sequence, chunk by chunk, to see whether you can survive your captor. When you encounter a new chunk, one of two things must happen, Tao showed: Either the captor can kill you, or the sequence’s entropy — a measure of how random a sequence is — will drop by a definite increment. Entropy can never drop below zero, so if you continue on from chunk to chunk, you must eventually hit a chunk for which the only possibility is that your captor can kill you.
Tao solved the problem in the space of a month, which is “an amazing testament to his strength,” Granville said. “Once he gets his teeth into something, he can’t let go.”
Tao, who was 10 when he first met Erdős at a mathematics event, is excited about the power of the “magician’s trick” approach, he said. “I hope it can be used to prove many other things.”
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A year later I have grown exponentially as a teacher and as a person as a result of being connected with educators and Administrators all over the world. I call some of these Administrators colleagues. This has greatly changed my perspective on what an Administrator's role is as well as what the challenges are of being an Administrator. I have also come to realize that Leader and Administrator do not always mean the same thing. I have met many Leaders who do not run schools or districts (and I have met Administrators that were not necessarily Leaders).
I thought about this while reading Jon Becker's Leadership Day post. In his post he lists award winners in various education organizations. These are highly regarded thinkers in education who have a lot of influence on policy and practice. Powerful thinkers that I had never heard of.
He called on these organizations and individuals to step up their game by becoming more transparent about what they do and say through social media like blogs. I would say that we who consider ourselves leaders or aspire to be education leaders who are 'in the trenches' need to do the same. How many of the people on that list know the people I consider leaders?
Social media has connected me with educators all over the globe as well as thinkers and doers like Alfie Kohn, Howard Rheingold and Diane Ravitch. Granted, there are those that would argue that these are famous names, but not great thinkers in education. However, they are famous and respected by many. So it seems the logical next step is for these award winning thinkers to join the online community. We want our president to be transparent. We rally for more a more open government. Why are we not rallying for a more open conversation between the educational thinkers, the doers, the leaders, the people in the trenches, the parents, the students, the teachers?
The challenge may fall back to the old 'us vs. them' situation. But isn't that why we love social media so much? It tends to tear down those titles and walls, allowing for a free flow of ideas. I can tweet Barack Obama (though Lord knows who's reading it!) Earlier in the year my friends were debating back and forth with Governor Chris Christie on Twitter about the education reforms he was pushing in New Jersey (again, who knows who they were really tweeting with!). Let's bring more people into the conversation.
As Jon suggests, look up some of the thinkers on that list. Start blogging about what you find or read. Start talking about their ideas in the context of what you do on a daily basis. "The squeaky wheel gets the grease" as they say. People are always interested when they are being talked about!
"But who cares what I have to say? I'm not a true Leader in education," you say?
If you are a teacher who finds that others tend to listen to you when you speak, you are a Leader. If you are an administrator who works alongside his or her staff and has a true vision for your school, you are a Leader. Bring attention to what you are doing in your school, your classroom or your district through blogs, videos, press and even direct contact. Make it so that the people on Jon's lists know who you are just like you know who they are. As Leaders in your respective worlds, you are doing a disservice to your individual causes by not connecting your two worlds.
9) Try to visit every classroom in your school at least once a week, even if only for a few minutes. Talk to students and teachers about what they are doing.
8) Offer differentiated professional development. Do this by asking your teachers what THEY want to learn or what they are struggling with. Don't offer the same training to everyone, rather base it around their needs.
7) Use your teachers as your best resource. Allow your staff members to run professional development based on their own expertise in the classroom. Hold an all-day or half-day 'unconference' in your building where teachers decide the content and teach it. Don't bring in expensive experts to train your teachers unless you have to.
6) Choose one digital tool to try out that will make your job easier. Maybe email your daily announcements or complete your observations on a laptop or iPad. Create a Google Form to collect information from your staff or students. Start a blog to announce school events and initiatives and celebrate student achievement. For examples of administrators who blog, click here.
5) Reflect on your school's Vision and Mission. What do you want your school to be known for? How will your school's mission ensure that you are preparing students for the future? What should teaching look like in your school?
4) Don't just buy flashy technology because the district next door did it. They may be kicking themselves in a few years. Think about your Vision and Mission. How will technology fit into the picture? Do your research and take your time when making decisions on large purchases.
3) Make tough decisions. As principal Eric Scheninger says, there will always be naysayers. Do what you know is right for your students and your staff.
2) Support your teachers who are using technology in innovative ways and use them as resources to support their colleagues with technology integration. For those staff members who are reluctant, pair them with a technology-using teacher as a mentor and model how you use technology in your every day life. If these teachers don't see how technology fits into their personal life they will not see a purpose for using it in their classrooms.
1) Be vocal. Connect with other administrators whether it be through Twitter or a network your district already has in place. Share ideas, share successes, share failures. Be a voice for your students, your faculty, your parents and your community. Contact the local press when you are having an event or see an especially innovative project going on in your school. Make sure your school's website is up to date, accurate and engaging. Start a Facebook page for your school and a Twitter account. Be out there.
This weekend I attended ntcamp, an unconference for both veteran and new teachers aimed at providing conversation for new teachers to learn from veteran teachers. I sat in on a session facilitated by Jason Bedell about grades that proved to be a thought provoking one.
He created a collaborative document that holds a lot of the thoughts, reflections and reactions from the session. You can access it here.
It really got me thinking about my own grading practices, which I have always struggled with. Part of the struggle has been trying to give grades to almost 300 students that I see once a week for 45 minutes (if I'm lucky). Part of it is just an underlying feeling that I'm not 'doing it right.'
I tend to focus on project based learning with rubrics as an assessment. I create the rubric first, outlining the learning goals and creating descriptors to support what they would look like from basic understanding to mastery. My rubrics are constantly being revised, reworded and reworked. While the project is still in progress I make notes on changes to make as I see fault with the scale or descriptors or if I find that wording is unclear. Still, I feel that I'm just not 'doing it right.'
So I wonder: Is this because I haven't figured it out? Is there something inherently wrong with giving students grades? Or maybe this feeling is just a necessary evil?
My struggles:
Even with very specific descriptors that spell out the requirements for each criteria I often find myself wondering how objective my grading really is
I always have students who don't finish the project in time for the end of the marking period--why should they be penalized just because they work more slowly than their neighbor?
By teaching with a standard rubric I am using the same expectations for students who are not all the same. I do modify the rubric for students with IEPs, but usually it's just a matter of deleting a criteria to simplify the project.
How do I get my students to look beyond the grade when I give them feedback?
How do I assess my students the way I think is best within the constructs of the system I am forced to use?
Is it OK for me to be instilling in my students the idea that they are only as good as someone else (me) tells them they are?
How do e-portfolios, having students develop rubrics, student self-assessment and having students explain their understanding of a standard verbally or in written form (all ideas I've been hearing) play out at the elementary level?
What I am going to try:
Using LiveBinders to have my students start an e-portfolio that we can add to each year. Students would choose what items will go into the portfolio
Sitting with students while they explain how their portfolio item(s) meet the standard(s)
Making standards transparent to my students and having discussions that will help me assess understanding
Keeping individual records on students to track progress--it should be easier this year since I won't be teaching 400 students a week!
Allowing students as much time as they need to complete assignments
Letting students revise a project until it meets the highest criteria
Have students tell me the grade they think they deserve with a justification (perhaps by having students record their grade explanations as an mp3 to hand in digitally)
Allowing for group work that will provide students the opportunity to use their strengths and learn from their peers.
Designing learning experiences that allow the students choice and that are based on real-life situations
Still unsolved:
How to quantify these assessments so they fit into a gradebook/report card
How to introduce and explain these kinds of assessments to my students
If I let my students take as much time as they want, what do I do if they haven't finished by the end of the marking period?
If I am going to ask my students to explain their understanding of a standard that means I will still have to have deadlines of some kind
I will have to plan for time for the self-assessments--this will take away from instructional time
How will I convey expectations to my students? Will I still need to have a rubric of some kind?
How will I create these 'authentic' learning experiences while allowing for student choice and meeting standards?
I'm still on the fence about grades. I know that something is not right, but I also know that we are working within a system that is based on quantifying student learning. My students will need grades to be able to get into a good high school (in Philadelphia you can apply to competitive high schools) and definitely to get into a good college. In addition, students want to know if what they are creating is any good. We all know that feeling when we thought we really had something good only to find out it was only mediocre. Some of my most memorable teachers were able to give me useful and honest feedback while also asking questions to push me further. Eventually, though, this feedback ended in some kind of evaluation in the form of a grade. In addition, we spend our adult lives being rated on some kind of scale, whether it be your quarterly review or a formal observation or a raise,
On the other hand, it wasn't the grade that I remember, it was the feedback process. So I guess I want that experience for my students. I want them to be more interested in the conversation around a concept and dialogue of learning than how I rate them on some seemingly arbitrary scale that I have concocted so that I can put a letter or number in a box.
So what are you struggling with? What are you going to try to do differently next year? What are your thoughts on grades?
Maybe it's because it's summertime or maybe it's the general atmosphere of education these days, but the online education community has been a flutter with talk of what needs to change in education.
What I'm wondering is how much of this is new or different than years past. I am fairly young, so my memory is short in comparison with those who have been teaching longer than I have. In a conversation with my mother the other day she mentioned that many of the changes to education that I was mentioning mirror the attitudes and reforms of the late 1960's and 70's.
Honestly, my one course in the history of schools and schooling didn't really do the whole picture justice, so my own understanding of trends in education is limited. However, it is becoming clear to me that what many great minds in 21st Century education transformation are discussing is nothing new. John Dewey wrote about learning as a social process at the turn of the century just as we tout the power of social media to change education as we know it. Jean Piaget and Lev Vygotsky's theories along with Dewey's are credited with inspiring the Constructivist learning theory that describes knowledge as being constructed by the learner. This theory is behind many 1:1 laptop programs that support individualized learning. In addition, Howard Gardner's Theory of Multiple Intelligences, proposed in the last century, is often referenced when discussing how digital tools of this century can support and transform student learning.
So what really is new in education for this century?
Is the issue really that even with all of these supported theories and innovative thinking that schools have not changed to reflect these theories? Or is the issue that educators are revolting against the No Child Left Behind Act and the widespread standardized testing that goes against these theories? Or is it the recent Race to the Top initiative that bears a close resemblance to the changes proposed by the A Nation of Risk study from the early 1980s?
I believe we live in a time like no other history. I believe that education has to evolve to meet the challenges of this world. However, I wonder how much of what we do fundamentally as educators really needs to change. It seems that we still quote theorists of old when we talk about teaching in the 21st Century.
So what can we learn from the past? Are we taking the time to look back at what others have accomplished or the struggles and challenges they encountered or are we too focused on the future? I think we should not have the misconception that the changes that we discuss and the ideas we have are necessarily new. The tools, yes, but not the underlying theories and pedagogy. I am intrigued by this paper I came across describing the "social- and cognitive-connectedness schemata" as a way to describe what learning looks like in the 21st Century.
Perhaps nothing is really new in education when it comes to theories because we are, for lack of a better term, at a tipping point in education. We know that we are cognitively being changed by the digital tools in our lives, but how we are changing is not quite certain yet. It may take a whole century for these changes to deeply affect how we teach and how we learn, or they may not change anything at all. At this point in time I would argue that we don't need to reinvent the wheel when it comes to what we do in our classrooms. I would also argue that the advent of digital tools have helped support the theories of the last century.
I am an avid reader of The Philadelphia Public Notebook, a non-profit newspaper and website dedicated to all things related to public education in Philadelphia. The most recent issue focused on Charter Schools. This piqued my interest as I will be going to a Charter School next year after almost 7 years in the Philadelphia School District. I read an article about the expansion of Charter Schools in Philadelphia and began scanning the comments. What I found was a not so friendly debate about the Charter School movement. Immediately what upset me the most was that two of the commenters were using Anonymous or other pseudonyms--a pet peeve of mine. To see the full conversation you can check out the article and the comments here.
I felt the need to respond as I was disheartened by the unkind banter coming from "Anonymous." I posted this:
Here was the response:
I responded as such:
(I have posted it here as text so it is easier to read)
Anonymous,
Is this the same Anonymous from the first conversation above?
I will first reply to your question: "What do you expect to gain from working there?"
I will gain:
being treated like a professional, not a cog in a wheel
having a say in what I teach, when I teach it and how I teach it
knowing that when my colleague is not towing the line or if his/her teaching is doing a disservice to his or her students that he or she will be let go (yes, I am prepared to be blasted for that statement)
working with a team that is dedicated to a clear mission and vision
not having to teach scripted programs for 2 hours a day
knowing that I am not being governed by a non-elected School Reform Commission run by the State
not wasting hours of instructional time giving my students benchmark tests that are not a true reflection of their learning (not to mention the hours of instructional time spent teaching them how to take these tests along with the PSSA prep)
I am a little confused by your grouping of Charters as 'they.' Charters are all very different. For instance, there are Charters like Mastery and KIPP that are very discipline oriented and are focused on academics and test scores. There are Charters like Independence Charter whose students take full immersion Spanish classes whether it is their native language or not. There are Charters like New Foundations whose curriculum is focused around Service Learning and whose teachers attend national conferences based on teaching Project Based Learning.
You cannot lump all Charters together is my point. They are not a united front by any means.
That said, if all of Philadelphia's public schools had the freedoms given to Charters or even traditional model schools like Penn Alexander, or perhaps if being an Empowerment school actually meant being empowered and not weighted down with rules, regulations and scripted programs I would stay in the district. Unfortunately, the schools that are the most desirable are often protected by the transfer process & tenure or are highly competitive (100 applicants for one position) or no one ever leaves unless they retire. Many of these schools that are site-select only start interviewing before the site-selection process even officially starts, so unless you know someone you are SOL.
As for funding, I too am saddened at watching funding disappear for the arts. However, I wouldn't blame it all on Charters. This is happening all over the country. Partially due to redirected funds, partially due to high stakes testing that does not included these subjects and partially due to the money put out for expensive programs to help raise test scores. It doesn't help that Ackerman got a $65,000 bonus or keeps creating new positions at the top to support her.
As for rallying against Charters, why don't we start rallying FOR the things that will make Charters unnecessary? More choice for schools in how they run themselves, more flexibility for and trust in teachers, a comprehensive study of whether giving students a standardized test every 6 weeks will really help instruction or whether formative assessment can suffice. More high quality, differentiated professional development to ensure that quality instruction is going on in ALL classrooms and accountability for those administrators and teachers who don't tow the line?
I would love to hear people's thoughts on my response or any other parts of the conversation, even if you don't agree with me.
I have been graciously asked by Andrew Marcinek to participate in a panel at ntcamp 2010 on Personal Learning Networks (PLNs) with my friends and colleagues Tom Whitby, Kyle Pace and Steven Anderson. One of the most important resources that a new teacher can have is other teachers. Without a strong base of support, many new teachers leave the profession or find themselves overwhelmed. Building a PLN, whether it be within their own building or through online tools like Twitter, blogs and Nings is vital not only for new teachers but for all teachers.
As a panel we want to make sure we address what the attendees want to hear. Andrew has put together a Wallwisher to crowdsource some questions and topics for us to address as a panel.
Please add to the Wallwisher with some guiding questions or discussion questions for us!
a day of conversation based around topics relevant for new teachers (ntcamp!)
a day of participant-run sessions
I was an organizer of the inaugural edcamp unconference here in Philly and I have been ecstatic watching them spread all over the country. I am even more excited to have the first edcamp for new teachers to be held here in Philadelphia!
Why should I attend ntcamp?
As a true unconference, ntcamp is FREE. It is free from vendors. It is free from death by PowerPoint. Best of all, it is free of charge. Sessions are scheduled the morning of the conference by the attendees themselves. If a session doesn't live up to your expectations or you are free to 'vote with your feet' and choose a different session. Sessions are informal and are a great way to meet other educators with a passion for what they do. Often, conversations extend past the session's time limit into the hallways or lunch.
Who should attend ntcamp?
As the name suggests, ntcamp is geared toward new teachers. However, there really is no limit to who can and can't attend. Anyone who is invested in education is welcome. Ideally, a veteran teacher would be able to bring a new teacher with him or her to experience the varied discussions and resources shared.
One of the most practical and powerful books I've ever read as a teacher that has directly affected my practice is The Power of Our Words by Paula Denton. In it, Denton describes, using specific examples, how what we say and the words we choose with students can transform our teaching and our classroom. It did for me.
This past week at ISTE 2010, the largest educational technology conference of its kind in the world, there was a lot of talk about a session (I'm not sure who ran it or what it was called. If you do, please tell me in the comments!) in which the leader did not let the participants use the word 'but.' For instance, you couldn't say "I would love to use technology in my classroom BUT I don't have enough resources." you would have to say "I would love to use technology in my classroom AND I'm looking for grant opportunities to bring resources into my classroom."
It's amazing how changing that one little word can change your entire outlook on a situation.
So I challenge you: When you start to hear yourself say 'but....,' STOP. Think. Reword your statement to reflect a positive outlook.
For more about overcoming negativity, read this post by Carla Arana called Say NO to Change, which addresses how we need to change our attitudes about change.
Tonight's #edchat conversation both invigorated me and irritated me at the same time. Don't get me wrong, it had nothing to do with #edchat itself, but rather the topic. We have talked ad nauseam about reforming education. We have hashed out what needs to be done, what education should look like and why it's important that we DO something.
So where do we start? How do we start?
As I was watching the tweets go by I began to think: we have a huge community that participates in #edchat. A huge community of taxpayers, parents, community members and educators.
To really move our words into action we need to start with those who make policy--our legislators.
I have drafted an open letter to a legislator that can be edited to fit the needs of any local community. The letter could also be adjusted to be sent to President Obama or Secretary Duncan.
The idea is to use the Google Doc to collect signatures. The understanding would be that once the letter's body has been agreed upon it would not be changed, but people could add their name at the end of the letter.
The letter can be passed around using Twitter, Facebook, email or any other digital method until the desired amount of signatures is acquired. The letter can then be downloaded as a Word document and forwarded to the legislator. I'm hoping to get 200 signatures of parents, teachers, admins and other community members once a version of the letter has been refined for my local community. It is vital that all stakeholders are represented in the digital signatures!
Make your voice heard!
Copy the letter to your own Google Doc and get the message moving!
<p>&amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;Your browser does not support iframes.&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;gt;</p>
Of course, I don't claim that this letter is perfect or speaks for everyone. It is a template to start from.
I'm hoping to get at least 25 people to commit to starting the initiative.
If you are going to participate, please fill out this Google Spreadsheet so we can track our progress and our reach.
If you are a teacher, parent or anyone invested in education in the Philadelphia area, I want to introduce to THE source of information for what's going on in public schools in Philadelphia.
The Philadelphia Public School Notebook is "a nonprofit news service serving thousands of supporters of the Philadelphia public schools. The Notebook serves as an information source and voice for parents, students, teachers, and other members of the community who are working for quality and equality in Philadelphia's public schools." (from their website)
There you can find blog posts, editorials, news stories and resources for parents, teachers and community members. It is updated almost daily. If anything, you can learn from reading the comments on many of the articles. The Notebook is tuned into the heartbeat of the public school system and its readers are real people who reflect the community at large.
Even if you're not a Philadelphia teacher, parent or community member, it is worth a look.
Disclaimer: I am listed on their blogroll. I do not receive any kind of promotion or compensation for appearing there. I am promoting them based solely on the resources and dialogue they provide to the community.
As many of you may know, I was given the honor of being named this year, along with 3 others (Chris Craft,Lisa Sjogren, Adam Bellow), an ISTE Emerging Leader. My new colleague, Julie LaChance was awarded ISTE's Outstanding Young Educator Award. I was excited to meet the awardees as it was certain that we had something in common and that these were people with whom I should be collaborating. It turned out that many of us ran in the same circles and that we indeed share a lot of the same goals and motivations.
Before reaching Denver, I had spent a few days with some colleagues vacationing in the calm before the ISTE storm. As the 'baby' of the group, I found that my outlook, goals and passions did not differ from my elders. One interesting fact I learned was that it seems that ISTE's smallest membership is with educators under 35. A colleague made the observation that perhaps ISTE is irrelevant for younger teachers, who find it commonplace for technology to be integrated into teaching and learning.
I know for a fact that while younger teachers are accustomed to using technology and that there are more technology integration courses being taught, it should not be expected that young teachers are experts in technology integration, receive support in their schools for successful integration or are aware of how technology can transform their teaching. They also may not be aware of trends, policies and projects that are occurring around technology in education. In addition, ISTE provides a venue for young teachers to meet more veteran teachers who have been successfully integrating technology for years.
That said, there was definitely a small number of attendees at the Young Educators' Network event. I have two theories as to why this is. For one, perhaps we don't want to be labeled. Being a newish, younger teacher can often hold a stigma. Younger teachers are seen as novices, even if we don't feel like one. Secondly, yes, we're young, but one aspect of being a teacher is that your colleagues are of various ages. As such, we're used to hanging with colleagues who are of a different age or generation.
I still think that ISTE is relevant for young educators, and I feel that building a network of young educators is important. The 4 other award winners are people for whom I have a lot of respect. They are accomplished and make a huge impact in the field. Were it not for the Young Educator's Network, I would not have connected with them.
In addition, as the youngest members of the organization, we hold the future of it in our hands. We hold the future of education and technology integration in our hands. It is up to us to build the future that we want and to ensure that the best practices that we know and share continue while also fostering innovation and global collaboration. The Young Educator's Network creates a community for us to connect and collaborate.
I do find, however, that even within the Young Educator's community there is a range of experiences and associations. It was easy for us award winners to connect since we were already connected through Twitter or common colleagues. This makes me start to take the title of Emerging Leader more seriously--even if it is a label tacked on by ISTE. I do suddenly feel charged with the duty of moving best practices in technology integration and global collaboration forward. ISTE has provided a network that Twitter, the blogosphere and Ning communities can't always build since not all educators my age are as entrenched in these online communities as I am.
So for those young educators out there, let's take the bull by the horns and stay connected. It is up to us to decide what the future will hold for our students and our profession.
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mshertz
I am an Art & Technology teacher at a high school in Philadelphia. I have worked in Philadelphia for 10 years. My experiences over the last 10 years as well as many other life experiences inspired me to create my blog about teaching.
The views and opinions expressed here are in no way representative of those of my school or its affiliates. | {
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Study & Create
TX-Gender Project for Libraries Seeks to Improve Service to Transgender Patrons
TX-Gender Project for Libraries Seeks to Improve Service to Transgender Patrons
The UNT Libraries Public Services Division is excited to announce a new research project better understand librarians' understanding of transgender issues, and the information and service needs of transgender patrons. The TX-Gender Project for Libraries will develop a research-based resource for librarians on providing excellent patron services to transgendered persons. Libraries are widely recognized as a key source of information for the LGBTQIA community, and for transgender patrons in particular. Libraries are often seen as a safe place to seek information about community and medical resources for transgender people, especially in rural and socially conservative areas.However, librarians’ biases or lack of understanding may have a negative impact on the patron service experience of transgender patrons.
The research goals of the TX-Gender Project for Libraries project are:
to assess the information seeking needs and behaviors of transgender library patrons in Texas; and
to assess the understanding and awareness of Texas public services librarians of transgender issues.
This information will be deployed to develop a research-based resource for librarians on how to provide excellent patron services to transgender persons. Print and web-based resources will be made available to every library in Texas (approximately 10,000 according to Texas Library Association statistics). These resources will be designed to address gaps in librarians’ knowledge, as well as the expectations of the trans* community in terms of patron services and information resource needs. This one-year project will be conducted by staff at the University of North Texas Libraries, with the support and cooperation of the UNT Pride Alliance, and the Texas Library Association GLBT Roundtable.
To participate in the survey for public service librarians and staff, click this link.
Surveys will help us develop web and print resources to educate public service librarians in school, public, and university libraries to provide better patron services to transgender persons. If you have any questions about the study, you may contact the primary investigator, Spencer Keralis at [email protected] or visit the project website. | {
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Petite France, South Korea
I heard and read that there is a French cultural village in Gapyeong, South Korea called Petite Francewhich is located about an hour away from Seoul. It is a recreation of a typical village in Provence and it is entirely dedicated to Antoine de Saint -Exupéry‘s famous character ”Le Petit Prince”.
Being a curious and restless person, I decided to take a day off from my busy schedule and go on a little adventure away from the city.
Come along as we head to Petite France, South Korea.
My first stop? Cheongnyangni station to catch a train heading to Gapyeong Station (which is on the Gyeongchun Line).
I arrived at Gapyeong station only to find that I had just missed the free shuttle bus to the village!
Luckily, the nice lady at the Tourist Information Desk gave me all the information I needed. She even took me to the taxi stand where she gave directions to the driver and before I knew it we were on the way.
He spoke a bit of English and wanted to speak as much as he could! The road to the village is quite impressive and the view? Spectacular. He made an unscheduled stop to show me one of the best photo spots. Was it worth it? Oh definitely! See for yourself.
Talk about having a taxi driver and tour guide at once. It was my lucky day indeed 😉
After driving for 15 minutes and countless turns through the mountain, he stopped one more time to take a look of La Petite France from up the hill before arriving at the final destination.
The very first thing I did upon getting there was to ask the clerk at the entrance how to get back Seoul. She said that there was a local bus running every hour or so. I had to keep that in mind, so I set off to explore the premises.
I will let the pictures walk you through the little village.
There is even an observatory from where you can admire the village and also Mt Homyeongsan and Lake Cheongpyeong.
I must say that I was surprised to see that such a place exists in Korea. If you are really interested in French literature, movies and culture, like I am (I’m a French translator by profession and have studied for many years) and if like the Little Prince, you will find it quite interesting! I think an hour or two is enough to visit most of it.
Sadly, I had to leave and make my way back home. So I got on the local bus, arrived at the bus terminal and hopped on an express bus to Seoul. I was also in for a rare treat. From my bus seat I could admire the sunset. Have a look at this priceless image!
I certainly had a great time and I cannot wait for the next adventure which should be this coming week-end.
I think I just set my own personal record of the number of photos in one single post. Is there such thing as too many pics? Not for a photographer like me 🙂
This place kind of reminds me of MontTremblant for some reason! It’s always nice to have a cultural departure when you’re traveling. I had some amazing Chinese food in Africa- I’m guessing if I were to eat it again today, I’d just find it average, but at the time it was such a welcome departure from the usual chicken, fish, and rice I was eating everyday. Lemon! Ginger! Soy Sauce! I was in heaven!
Sometimes the best adventures happen when you miss a train (or turn a wrong corner)! What a great photo essay of your time in this charming little village. Thanks for the close-up of the mural art, so precious!
Taking so many photos when you’re in South Korea is totally understandable! It’s impossible to get contented with just one shot when you’re in such beautiful area!
I’m glad that you visited La Petite France in Gapyeong! If you watched A Gentleman’s Dignity, this is where they shoot one scene! It’s one of the prides of Gyeonggi Province, and looks best during Springtime because the nature is in full bloom! The colors of the flowers will really remind you of Provence. If only there’s a lavender field there…
And I wish you stayed there at night. When the skies turn dark, colorful lights lit up the whole place, and there’s even this area there where couples can walk through a shaped-heart tunnel lit with pink lights.
If you’re going back to Gapyeong, I suggest that you take the chance to go around the province. La Petite France is just one place you’ll appreciate. There are lots of Botanical Gardens there, which will surely impress you. I suggest the Plantation and the BCJ Garden. You may also want to visit the English Village in Yangpyeong, the setting of Boys Over Flowers. ^^
Hi, Karla,
I’m in the US and watch kdramas. I’ve seen what I now know is Petite France in “Beethoven Virus” and in “My Love From The Star.” I ended up finding your post about it. Thank you for the information and the photos.
About Me
Welcome! I'm Karla, a travel & food blogger and photographer. I aim to educate, inform and entertain thanks to my travels around the world, books, culture, lifestyle and so much more! If you have any questions or wish to work with me, drop me a line: [email protected]. Enjoy your visit :) | {
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Conterra Radio Chest Harness
Originally designed for ski patrol and mountain rescue use, this one size fits all radio harness will instantly adjust to hold any radio snugly to your chest without the use of multiple straps or buckles found on lesser quality harnesses.
Deluxe Hook Knife
This knife is amazing. It has a wide opening near the blade to allow not just lines but entire risers or webbing to be cut. The handle is balanced nicely in your hand. The cutting blade is a simple straight raiser that can be replaced if ever used, just to make sure you have the sharpest blades. Hook knifes are a great idea if your towing over water, a tandem pilot or concerned about landing under a reserve in a less than opitimal environment.
QPS Quick Sack
Front Mount and Flight Deck "Multi"
Our front mount container "Multi" is suitable for most available reserve parachutes. This small and compact front container is supposed to be mounted to the main suspension points (carabiners) and the required Y-bridle is included. The container size is adjustable in order to fit the size of your rescue parachute. | {
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East Lyme agent to head regional association of Realtors
Paul Higgins, a real estate agent with Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage in East Lyme, has been named president of the Eastern Connecticut Association of Realtors for 2013.
Higgins was officially installed as head of the local Realtors group earlier this week at the Spa at Norwich Inn.
"Being a Realtor means more than selling real estate," Higgins, a New London resident, said in prepared remarks. "It means being a part of a community, both of the professionals we work with, and the people we serve."
Higgins was installed by Robert Kimball, president of the Connecticut Association of Realtors and an ECAR member. Robert Kennedy, executive vice president of the state association, served as master of ceremonies. | {
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HONOLULU (AP) All it took was one week back on the bag to remind Jim "Bones" Mackay what he always loved about being a caddie.
It just wasn't enough for this to be the ultimate mic drop.
Mackay traded in his TV microphone at the Sony Open for the 40-pound bag belonging to Justin Thomas.
It was his first time caddying since he split with Phil Mickelson six months ago. Mackay was only a temporary replacement at Waialae for Jimmy Johnson, a good friend and Thomas' regular caddie who has a nasty case of plantar fasciitis that will keep him in a walking boot for the next month.
"The toughest thing about not caddying is missing the competition, not having a dog in the fight," Mackay said before the final round. "There's nothing more rewarding as a caddie, in general terms, when you say, `I don't like 6-iron, I like 7,' and being right. I miss that part of it."
The reward now?
"Not stumbling over my words," he said. "And being better than I was the previous week."
He has done remarkably well since he started his new job at the British Open last summer, except for that time he momentarily forgot his role. Parts of that famous caddie adage - "Show up, keep up, shut up" - apparently can apply to golf analysts on the ground.
During the early hours of the telecast, before Johnny Miller came on, Justin Leonard was in the booth.
"It's my job to report on what I see. It's not my job to ask questions," Mackay said. "I forgot that for a minute."
Leonard was part of a booth discussion on how a comfortable pairing can help players trying to win a major. That prompted Mackay to ask Leonard if he found it helpful at the 1997 British Open when he was trying to win his first major and was paired with Fred Couples in the final round at Royal Troon.
"What I didn't know is we were going to commercial in six seconds," Mackay said. "I would have no way of knowing that, but I completely hung Justin out to dry. He's now got four seconds to answer my long-winded question."
During the commercial break, the next voice Mackay heard belonged to Tommy Roy, the executive golf producer at NBC.
"Bones, don't ever do that again."
It was Roy who recognized the value experienced caddies could bring to a telecast. That's why he invited Mackay and John Wood, the caddie for Matt Kuchar, into the control room at the 2015 Houston Open so they could see how it all worked and how uncomfortable it can be to hear directions coming through an earpiece.
Both worked as on-course reporters at Sea Island that fall.
And when Mickelson and Mackay parted ways after 25 years, Roy scooped up the longtime caddie for TV.
It's common for players to move into broadcasting. Far more unusual is for a caddie to be part of the mix. Mackay loves his new job. Mostly, he loves how it has helped elevate his profession after so many years of caddies being looked upon more unfavorably than they are now.
"I want to be a caddie that's doing TV," he said. "That's what I hope to come across as. The guys think this is good for caddies. And if it's good for caddies, that makes me happy. Because I'm a caddie. I'll always be a caddie."
Not next week at Torrey Pines, where Mickelson won three times. Not a week later in Phoenix, where Mackay lives. Both events belong to CBS.
And not the Masters.
He hasn't missed since 1994, when Mickelson broke his leg skiing that winter.
"That killed me," he said, "but not nearly as much as it's going to kill me this year. I'll wake up on Thursday of the Masters and I'll be really grumpy. I'll probably avoid television at all costs until the 10th tee Sunday. And I'll watch. But it will be, within reason, the hardest day of my life."
There are too many memories, dating to when he was in the gallery right of the 11th green in 1987 when Larry Mize chipped in to beat Greg Norman. He caddied for Mize for two years, and then Scott Simpson in 1992, and Mickelson the rest of the way. He was on the bag for Lefty's three green jackets.
Mackay still doesn't talk much about what led them to part ways, except to say that a player-caddie relationship runs its course.
"If you lose that positive dynamic, there's no point in continuing," he said. "It can be gone in six months or a year or five years. In our case, it took 25 years."
He says a dozen or so players called when they split up, and the phone call most intriguing was from Roy at NBC.
"I thought I'd caddie until I dropped," Mackay said.
He never imagined getting yardages and lining up putts for anyone except the golfer whose bag he was carrying. Now it's for an audience that measures in the millions. Mackay doesn't look at it as a second career. And he won't rule out caddying again.
"It will always be tempting," he said. "I'll always consider myself a caddie. Right now, I'm very lucky and grateful to have the job I do."
Except for that first week in April.
This story has been corrected to show that Mickelson broke his leg in the winter, not the summer. | {
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a group of people brought together for their love of plastic cameras & film photography -
sharing photos, information and ideas
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
sangria, cupcakes & film | the inaugural meeting
meet the founding members:
Angela| the Marketing Pabstketteer photographer, mainly shooting live concerts and musicians from analogue to digital to experimental, have camera will travel, addicted to the Caribbean & Paris Brenda| the doctor, currently taking photos of her patients. the DIY'r of the group, recently made a great tilt-shift lens from a plunger and a medium format lens, Boston Terrier owner/lover Rob| the photo major at art school, experimental photo shoots - many props come from American Science Surplus (including full size weather balloons!), in New Orleans almost every other weekBrandon| the musician, the producer, the iPhonographer resident of the group, loves green bean casserole
the basics:
objectives of the club | to shoot in a more relaxed environment, to shoot for the love of shooting and not always worrying about critiques, to shoot more, to explore more of where we live, to eat and drink, to be more active in learning about photography, to be more creative more often location | taking turns hosting camera nights at each others houses. food and drink always included. gatherings held once a monthactivities | photo walks, photo road trips, exhibit tours, camera swapping, exploring photography themes, movie nights, darkroom work, group Blurb book, group photo show, guest speakers...
"photography remixed" project #1
shoot - rewind - shoot
Everyone in the group was given a roll of film. We made sure that everyone had something different - one 120mm color, one 35mm color, one 35mm black and white, and one 35mm redscale. In the next couple of weeks we will each shoot through our roll of film. When done, we will pass it to the next person to load into their camera to shoot the double exposure. (remember, you must make sure to take underexposed photos otherwise you may get a blurry white out. double exposures are never guaranteed!) It'll be interesting to see the double exposures that we come up with. Photos will be posted on this blog after our next ALC meeting.
2 comments:
Ok so to start off, I would like my description to be changed to reflect the fact that I take photos of my patients with their full knowledge and consent, otherwise I am just known as the creeper of the group:)
SO here is the long awaited exposure times for those of us that are not cheating with the light meter...that is directed at you rob. Just kidding. These are for the Diana, but don't see a reason why they would not be valid for the holga or fisheye.
ISO 400 film:
Daylight: Set the shutter to the N setting which just drops the shutter immediately, no need to hold it open. Then set the apperture to the correct light settings for the conditions, ie sun for full sun, part cloud for partly cloudy, full cloud for cloudy.
Lit indoors: Set the shutter to the bulb or "B" setting, set the aperture to the cloud and open shutter for about 1 second, but no more than that.
Night time: "B", aperture to cloud, and shutter open for between 20-60 seconds. I have gotten good exposure at lit oudoor places like the museum at about 30 seconds.
ISO 100 Film:
Daylight: N shutter setting andthe aperture to on step smaller ie use the cloud when it is partly cloudy out or the partly cloudy when it is sunny out.
All other conditions, just double the exposure time of the ISO 400 film.
********This is for full exposure, to underexpose, I plan on cutting the exposure times in half*********
Hope this helps. Let me know if you need anything else or if this doesn't make sense. | {
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Posted on 31 March 2012
Andes Gold Corporation is a US registered public company currently trading on Pink Sheets (AGCZ). Andes Gold, through its wholly owned subsidiary company Compania Minera P.L. In Eucador, South America) controls a gold mining and exploration concession called the Miranda Alto.
Key Highlights:
• Andes Gold owns two producing mines and one fully operating mill.
• The mill is currently processing 50 tonnes of ore per day
• The capacity of the mill is increasing and is expected to be at 150 tonnes per day by the end of March 2012.
• The average head grade of ore being processed is 1.0 oz gold and 15 g of silver per tonne of ore.
• Andes Gold processes ore from other mines. This increases cash flow and profits.
•On the Miranda vein, the company has 95,000 oz. of proven reserves. Inferred reserves from the 700 m level on Miranda, Azul, Estrella, Sul and Viscaya veins are 600,000 oz.
• Andes Gold continues to develop existing reserves as well as acquire new reserves.
• Andes has bugun reclamation programs on its projects.
Why Invest in Andes Gold Corp.? (Pink Sheets: AGCZ)
• 16,000,000 grams (500,000 oz) Au estimated resources
• Reserves being increased substantially through new concessions and a mining tunnel
• Low cost cash producer
• Superior exploration and development prospects
• Highly liquid gold vehicle
• Leverage to gold price
• High performing management and operations teams
• Delivering value to shareholders
• Company has its own mill to process its ore and is not dependent on other milling operations
Why Gold?
• Gold is fundamentally a currency and in periods of increasing demand for gold the upward price movements can be more rapid and larger than in other currency markets.
• Gold serves as a store of wealth.
• Gold has functional uses in jewelry and certain industrial applications which distinguishes it from other currencies.
• There is a finite amount of gold available unlike paper currencies
• Gold is considered a safe haven during times of geopolitical uncertainty.
Posted on 30 March 2012
MEXICO CITY (MarketWatch) — Ford Motor Co. F +0.20% will invest $1.3 billion in its Mexico operations to build the new generation of one of its most-popular models, the mid-size Ford Fusion, company officials said Friday.
The investment will be made in Ford’s stamping-and-assembly plant in Hermosillo, Sonora, where the company has already built 1.1 million Fusion cars since 2005, said Mark Fields, head of the car maker’s operations in the Americas. The investment will create 1,000 new jobs in two years, he added.
The Hermosillo plant will also build the Lincoln MKZ, Fields said. The two cars will be the first ones to be built on Ford’s new global mid-size platform.
Fields said the two models will be the first offered with a choice of three engines: gasoline, hybrid, and plug-in hybrid, all made in Mexico.
The new investment, Fields added, is in addition to $3 billion spent in Mexico over the last decade to make the new Ford Fiesta, in a transmission factory and in other operations.
Posted on 30 March 2012
Solar-energy-management device maker Enphase Energy Inc. ENPH +22.33% saw its shares jump 25% on their opening trade Friday, the company’s first day as a public stock.
The stock opened at $7.50 on the Nasdaq after pricing at $6 a share, which was the low end of its price talk and well below the range of $10 to $12 a share it previously expected to garner in the offering. Enphase sold nine million shares, more than the 7.3 million shares it was expected to sell.
Traditionally, the solar industry has relied on a central inverter approach that Enphase claims has largely remained unchanged for the past two decades. The company said its microinverter technology has significant advantages over traditional central inverters.
Enphase began its first shipment of microinverters in mid-2008, and has seen them installed throughout the U.S. and Canada. More than 3,700 installers in North America have installed its product through March 1, and their numbers are increasing by approximately 100 new installers per month. In the fourth quarter, it began selling its microinverter systems in parts of Europe.
In 2011, net revenue more than doubled to $149 million compared to 2010. The company’s net loss worsened to $32 million from $22 million on higher operating and interest expense.
The company has never been profitable, and warned it may continue to incur net losses in the future.
Its success depends on continued growth in demand for solar energy. In 2011, the U.S. installed a record amount of generating capacity, more than twice the level seen in 2001, according to the Solar Energy Industries Association, a trade group. The industry expects installations by megawatts to increase 50% this year.
Enphase’s system requires users to incur a higher upfront capital investment than central-inverter products. Its business is also highly competitive; leading inverter vendors SMA Solar Technology AG (SMTGF, SMTGY), Power-One Inc. (PWER) and SunPower Corp. (SPWR) are expected to introduce microinverter products in 2012, and several new entrants to the microinverter market have recently disclosed plans to ship or have already shipped products, including some of Enphase’s customers and partners.
Posted on 29 March 2012
Tibco Software Inc.’s TIBX +4.64% fiscal first-quarter profit rose 29% as new contracts continued to grow revenue in the company’s main services-and-maintenance business.
The software provider also authorized up to $300 million in new stock buybacks, replacing an existing repurchase program that had about $38 million remaining.
Tibco, which makes real-time infrastructure software for Internet and enterprise networks, has continued to book strong earnings growth over the past year as the growing popularity of cloud-computing services boosts its top line.
For the quarter ended March 4, Tibco posted a profit of $20.6 million, or 12 cents a share, up from $16 million, or 9 cents a share, a year earlier. Excluding stock-based compensation, acquisition-related expenses and other effects, earnings grew rose to 20 cents from 16 cents as revenue climbed 22% to $225.7 million.
The company’s December guidance called for earnings of 18 cents to 19 cents a share with revenue between $220 million and $225 million.
Operating margin widened to 10.7% from 10.2% on the revenue jump.
License revenue increased 18% to as revenue from the larger services-and-maintenance segment grew 24%. Tibco closed 20 deals over $1 million in the latest quarter.
Shares were recently off 1.4% at $31.99 after hours. Tibco’s earnings often top Wall Street estimates by wide margins, and the stock had climbed 36% this year through Thursday’s close.
Posted on 29 March 2012
Mizuho Financial Group Inc. plans to merge its group banks Mizuho Bank and Mizuho Corporate Bank on July 1 next year, Mizuho officials said Thursday, Kyodo News reported.
Mizuho, which has so far said the merger date would be in the first half of fiscal 2013 starting in April next year, will officially decide on the date at a board meeting Friday, the officials said.
Mizuho is also planning to merge its group brokerages Mizuho Securities Co. and Mizuho Investors Securities Co. in January next year, they said. The merger had been planned for the latter half of fiscal 2012 through March next year.
The merger of the banks is set three months later than April 1, the starting day of the business year, as it will take time for the banks to confirm their computer systems have no interface problems, they said.
Posted on 27 March 2012
Synnex Corp.’s SNX -0.57% fiscal first-quarter earnings rose 28% as the distribution services company saw stronger margins, but its revenue slid for the first time in 10 quarters on weakness in its distribution business.
Shares sank 7.2% after hours to $40.50 as the company forecast downbeat second-quarter results and missed its revenue projections for the latest period. The stock as of Tuesday’s close was up 45% over the past three months after previous quarters of consistent growth.
The company expects second-quarter earnings of 87 cents to 91 cents a share on revenue of $2.45 billion to $2.55 billion. Analysts polled by Thomson Reuters most recently expected 95 cents and $2.6 billion, respectively.
Synnex distributes computers, servers and software from major technology manufacturers. It had posted improved revenue for several quarters running, though the growth had slowed in recent periods. But earnings have grown year-over-year by more than 25% for the past two years running, thanks in part to improved margins.
For the quarter ended Feb. 29, Synnex reported a profit of $38.2 million, or $1.02 a share, up from $29.7 million, or 80 cents a share, a year earlier. Revenue sank 1.6% to $2.46 billion.
Synnex in January forecast per-share earnings of 89 cents to 93 cents on revenue of $2.48 billion to $2.58 billion.
Posted on 27 March 2012
Shares jumped 9% to $2.05 after hours on the stronger-than-expected results. The stock had fallen 29% over the past year through Tuesday’s close.
Sealy has reported mixed results over the past year as the company struggles to adapt to higher raw materials costs. Its performance topped expectations earlier last year as aggressive advertising helped boost sales of the next-generation Posturepedic line, though the company acknowledged in January that revenue had fallen short of its own goals.
Sealy’s latest profit benefited from stronger margins, which had been declining in recent quarters. The company touted a shift in the mix of product sales to its next-generation Stearns & Foster products, which fetched higher prices and boosted the top line.
Recent results have still attracted criticism from H Partners Management LLC, Sealy’s second-largest shareholder, which has accused private-equity backer KKR & Co. KKR +1.10% of having too much control over the public company. The mattress maker has scolded H Partners in response, saying the fund is unwilling to cooperate with its management’s efforts to discuss specific problems.
For the quarter ended Feb. 26, Sealy posted a profit of $1.2 million, or a penny a share, compared with a year-earlier loss of $902,000, also about a penny a share. Earnings from continuing operations were essentially breakeven a year ago. Revenue climbed 2.2% to $312.3 million.
Analysts polled by Thomson Reuters expected a 2-cent per-share loss with $302 million in revenue.
Gross margin widened to 39.2% from 38.8% on stronger pricing and advances in manufacturing processes, which offset higher commodity prices.
Posted on 26 March 2012
BANGKOK (Nikkei) — Honda Motor Co. HMC +0.37% has decided to build another automobile factory in Thailand, likely in the southeastern part of the country where the risk of flooding is lower than where its existing plant is located, company sources said Monday, The Nikkei reported.
Having just reopened its plant in Ayutthaya Province on Monday, roughly six months after the facility in central Thailand was damaged by floods, the carmaker is moving to boost output capacity while diversifying risk. Honda wants to bring the new plant, which is expected to have an annual production capacity of 120,000 vehicles, online as early as 2015.
Honda is expected to acquire a plot as early as next month. The existing plant in Ayutthaya, which has an output capacity of 240,000 units, is to continue operations. It builds such passenger cars as the City compact sedan and the Brio model for emerging markets. The new plant might churn out such models as large minivans, for which demand is projected to grow in Thailand.
Honda also plans to build an Indonesian factory that would triple its output capacity in that nation to 180,000 units annually. However, despite concerns of flooding, Thailand remains an outstanding manufacturing site because of the concentration of materials and parts suppliers and its strong infrastructure. Other Japanese carmakers, including Toyota Motor Corp. and Isuzu Motors Ltd., are also moving to boost output in Thailand.
Honda’s production in Thailand fell by about 120,000 vehicles due to the floods. Because the Thai plant also served as an export base for parts, its suspension impacted production in such regions as Japan and North America, pushing down global output by 260,000 units. The flooding is seen eroding Honda’s consolidated operating profit by about Y110 billion in the current fiscal year ending Saturday.
Posted on 26 March 2012
Richenhagen’s salary, performance pay, executive perquisites and stock and options awards totaled $8.78 million last year, compared with $6.78 million in 2010. His base salary rose by 5%, to $1.48 million, while his nonequity incentive pay tied to the performance of the company was nearly flat, at $2.12 million.
Richenhagen, 59 years old, received restricted stock awards worth $4.37 million on the day the shares were granted, a 62% increase in the value of his stock awards in 2010. The shares vest over several years, with the cash payments linked to the performance of the farm equipment manufacturer. If all the performance goals are reached, Richenhagen could receive a maximum payout of $9.55 million. He also received stock options worth $960,925, a 19% increase from 2010. The options vest over four years.
Richenhagen received executive perks totaling $93,037 last year, a 59% increase from 2010. Included in this amount was $14,088 in airfare expenses for Richenhagen’s wife to attend Agco corporate events with him. He also received $7,980 for club memberships and $34,813 for car lease payments and costs for vehicle maintenance and fuel.
Richenhagen collected $2.7 million last year from exercising previously awarded restricted stock shares and stock options. This amount was not included in his total compensation for 2011. The value of his pension and other deferred compensation rose slightly last year, to $1.38 million. This amount also was excluded from his total compensation figure.
Agco is the world’s third-largest manufacturer of farm equipment by sales, behind Deere & Co.DE +2.40%and CNH Global NV CNH +2.16%. Agco’s profit in 2011 more than doubled from 2010, to $583 million, or $5.95 a share, as surging prices for farm commodities caused farmers to buy more new tractors and combines. Agco’s sales rose 27%, to $8.77 billion.
Agco, which is based in Georgia, bought grain-storage bin manufacturer GSI Holdings Corp. last autumn in a bid to boost Agco’s revenue and expand its penetration in the North American market, the company’s weakest geographic market. Agco said it anticipates GSI’s sales this year to exceed $750 million, up from about $700 million in 2011.
Posted on 23 March 2012
Peabody Energy BTU -1.18% warned its first-quarter earnings will likely come in at the low end of its prior downbeat projection due to storms and flooding in Australia, which have halted port and rail movements.
“Australia is the world’s largest coal exporting nation, and disruptions such as these point to the tight supply-demand balance that exists for seaborne metallurgical and thermal coal,” said Chief Executive Gregory H. Boyce.
The coal company said earnings for the current quarter would be at the low end of the range of 50 cents to 75 cents a share it projected in January, a view that was well below Street estimates at the time.
Storms in Queensland have stymied port and rail movement, curtailed production at surface mines and restricted underground access, the company said, estimating the impact at around $50 million for the first quarter.
Peabody, the largest U.S. coal producer by output, reported earnings rose 5.9% in the fourth quarter, benefiting from U.S. mining revenue. The company recently completed its roughly $5.05 billion acquisition of the Australia-based coal-mining company Macarthur Coal Ltd. (MCC.AU), increasing its exposure to the growing Asian market.
Shares were recently up 7 cents at $30.62 but have fallen 11% over the past three months. | {
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Lean Cuisine Favorites French Bread Pepperoni Pizza:,Crunchy French bread topped with a flavorful tomato sauce, reduced fat mozzarella cheese and pepperoni slices,Made with real cheese,8 PointsPlus value,U.S. inspected and passed by Department of Agriculture,Lean Cuisine Favorites dishes are delicious go-to classics, always perfect no matter what your appetite. The recipes youâve always remembered with tastes youâll never forget. Lean Cuisine has over 50 protein-packed varieties. They cook up your favorite dishes with wholesome ingredients. Each dish has been carefully crafted by a team of chefs, so you can rediscover the lip-smacking-good recipes you crave and make each day a little more delicious. Lean Cuisine Favorites Pepperoni French Bread Pizza has 310 calories, so you can add on some extras to maintain a healthy lifestyle. | {
"pile_set_name": "Pile-CC"
} |
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