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Taking Stock of the NBA Title Contenders
With one week before the NBA’s All-Star break, the season is getting to the nitty-gritty real quick. Teams in the respective conferences’ second tiers are jockeying for position, while the middle teams are struggling to make the postseason and the bottom-feeders are tanking for lottery ping-pong balls.
As for the first-half kings, the Golden State Warriors and Atlanta Hawks, it’s all about maintaining momentum and good health. Other than the usual worries about Andrew Bogut, Golden State has been remarkably healthy, while the Hawks have only missed defensive specialist Thabo Sefelosha--and that didn’t stop them from winning 19 games in a row, with a perfect 17-0 record in the month of January, an NBA record for most wins in a calendar month without a loss.
Lump in the Memphis Grizzlies, who’ve also only lost ancillary pieces to injury (the ancient Vince Carter), and one can make the argument that to reign atop the NBA standings, you need really good injury luck.
This is what I call a “transition year” in the NBA. What I mean by that is there’s no super-team (like the LeBron-era Miami Heat) out there that’s jelled together yet, and in the absence of said super-team, or other obvious championship-caliber kingpin (unless you count the San Antonio Spurs), the path to an elusive NBA title is clear for an opportunistic squad to walk.
The last transition year was during the 2010-11 season, the first season for LeBron in Miami. He and Dwyane Wade didn’t know how to play together yet, and the Dallas Mavericks, behind a scorching-hot Dirk Nowitzki, took full advantage, beating the Heat four games to two and taking three of the last four games.
It’s likely we could see a Mavs-like champion this season, a team’s one moment of eternal glory before Cleveland gets its act together, or the coming free agency periods this year and in 2016 shift the NBA landscape yet again. It’s very possible that teams like the Warriors, Grizzlies, or Hawks may get even better in the years to come, yet never come as close to winning a title as they are right now.
This time of the season is ideal for taking stock of a team’s chances to climb that proverbial mountain. Excepting the Cleveland Cavaliers (I’m not ready to live in a world where J.R. Smith is an NBA champion), there are ten teams I want to take a look at, in no particular order. (And yes, our own Portland Trail Blazers will be among them.) Why that team is where they are now, why they can win the title, and why they could scrub out.
Let’s go!
Atlanta Hawks
Why They’re Good: As the first team to crack 40 wins this season, as well as a team fresh off a 19-game winning streak, you only need to glance at the standings to see that this is a team to be reckoned with, especially in the weaker East, where the only other teams in the top ten in winning percentage are Toronto and Washington.
On the court, the Hawks play with the precision, grace, and beauty of their namesake. Like a hawk roosting in a tree, staring down the rodent that’ll serve as its breakfast, Atlanta’s Hawks are staring down the rest of the NBA. It’s very easy to feel sorry for the sad-sack eighth seed that has to play these guys in the first round.
Why They Can Win It All: They come at you in waves. One only needs to recall the Spurs last year to know that the tactic of “Our ten guys are better than your seven or eight guys” is very viable. Teams shortening their rotations to hide the weak links on the roster will get capsized by these guys, unless…
Why They’ll Scrub Out: …the opposing stars play like, well, stars. The Hawks rely on team concepts, in all senses of the phrase. Come playoff time, however, every team needs that one guy who can explode for 40, or nail that last-second dagger. Despite their heroics against the Indiana Pacers last year, the Hawks are mostly inexperienced when it comes to the postseason pressure cooker.
This year, everybody’s gunning for them, and the view from the top is something none of these guys are really used to. It wouldn’t be a big shock to see Atlanta crack.
Houston Rockets
Why They’re Good: Two words: James Harden. Like I mentioned Monday, the Beard is enjoying an MVP season, and would likely win it with his mini-Michael Jordan impression if it weren’t for Stephen Curry.
Watching the Rockets’ game against Chicago last night, I saw what makes Harden so dangerous in four plays, all made baskets by Harden. The first involved an evil crossover-stepback combo that staggered Jimmy Butler, an elite perimeter defender.
The second and third involved him using hesitation moves to blow by Butler and Pau Gasol for a layup, then using that same tactic to evade Taj Gibson.
The fourth was perhaps the most disgusting, using that same crossover-stepback combo to shake Butler so badly, he fell on his butt. To be clear, Butler had seen that exact move just a few minutes before, and he actually defended it worse.
Like him or not, that guy’s damn good.
Why They Can Win It All: Harden + threes + post game = Moreyball. Daryl Morey’s formula for success hasn’t found much, well, success (*cough Damian Lillard cough*), but in this transition year, mayhap this will be when the Mad Scientist will finally concoct Houston’s third NBA title in franchise history.
Why They’ll Scrub Out: Kevin McHale’s secretly a sub-par coach, Dwight Howard’s been hurt all year, and Harden could be worn out from all the heavy lifting he has to do for the Rockets to be successful.
That last point is one to keep in mind, for Harden definitely was worn out when last season’s playoffs came around. He did revive in Game 6, but it was Howard who carried the water for Houston against Portland. With the big fella constantly on the shelf, that safety net might have a few holes in it.
Washington Wizards
Why They’re Good: John Wall has emerged as a top-shelf point guard, averaging a double-double in points and assists per game. His defense, athleticism, and vision augment the rest of the deep Wizards squad.
The inside combo of Nene and Marcin Gortat, the dead-eye shooting of Bradley Beal, and the veteran savvy of Paul Pierce are all weapons that can be put to use come playoff time. Nobody really fears the Wiz, but nobody’s exactly lining up to play them either, especially the Chicago Bulls.
Why They Can Win It All: With Kris Humphries and Kevin Seraphin backing up Nene and Gortat, Washington has the bigs to pound down anybody. The Wiz can play almost any style; up and down with the speed demon Wall (and Beal spotting up behind him in transition), inside with Nene or Gortat, going four-wide with Pierce playing as a small-ball power forward.
This team resembles Portland in being almost matchup-proof…when healthy.
Why They’ll Scrub Out: The “healthy” part of the equation never really has been there for this team. Nene, especially, is quite fragile for a muscle-bound seven-footer. Pierce is getting older, Martell Webster has had back issues for years (he’s likely retiring after the season), Beal’s had wrist trouble, and Wall is one bad landing away from turning into Derrick Rose.
Washington also doesn’t shoot many threes. In a playoff series, where your every tendency is painstakingly scouted out, that aversion to the three-ball could cost the Wiz big. Pierce and Beal are good outside shooters, but solid defensive teams will force John Wall to beat them with jumpers.
Memphis Grizzlies
Why They’re Good: I admit to being skeptical of the impact Jeff Green could have on this team, but since being acquired from Boston, Green’s been dynamite. Having a large wing player that can play either forward position not only gives the Grizzlies added versatility, but gives them a chance to keep Zach Randolph fresher for the postseason.
Oh yeah, they have this guy named Marc Gasol, the best two-way center in the NBA, former Defensive Player of the Year. I hear he’s good too.
Why They Can Win It All: The potent inside game with Gasol and Randolph, along with Memphis’ trademark Grit and Grind defense, has been frustrating opponents for years. Add Mike Conley, Courtney Lee, Green, and the deep bench (Carter, Tony Allen, Kosta Koufus, Jon Leuer, Beno Udrih), and you have a title contender.
Why They’ll Scrub Out: The Grizz have fallen short the last three seasons because they didn’t have the offensive punch needed to put teams away. Despite Gasol’s brilliance, this team is one perimeter slump away from suffering the same fate again.
The offense has improved this season for the Grizzlies, but I’ll believe it when they produce while being in the postseason crosshairs.
Los Angeles Clippers
Why They’re Good: The brilliance of Chris Paul, the developing skills of Blake Griffin, and the rebounding, dunking monster DeAndre Jordan answer why the Clippers are good. Paul might be the bigger name (and even that is debatable), but Griffin might be the best player on the team.
Griffin made his name with jaw-dropping dunks, but his outside shot has improved, he’s a post bully when Jordan isn’t in the game with him, clogging the paint, and his passing skills are prodigious for a big man. The Clippers’ offense isn’t as reliant on spacing as those of their peers, and Griffin’s passing skills are a big reason why.
Why They Could Win It All: Paul’s tired of coming up continually short. The team around him is the best he’s ever had in terms of star power and skill, and Doc Rivers is a talented coach and inspiring leader. With the right matchups (a caveat you can give any Western team, I admit), Los Angeles can definitely go all the way.
Why They’ll Scrub Out: The wing players. All they really have are Matt Barnes, Jamal Crawford, and J.J. Redick, and the latter two can’t be played together for long periods due to Redick being undersized and Crawford going all IDGAF on defense.
Barnes is a good defender, but he’s in his mid-thirties, and his outside shot is no longer respected. With Rivers, who’s also the GM for the Clippers, trading away what assets of worth he had to acquire his son Austin, a player still trying to find his niche in the NBA, help on the wing won’t be coming soon, especially after they give Jordan a well-deserved raise after the season.
Golden State Warriors
Why They’re Good: Stephen Curry. Klay Thompson’ rampage. Draymond Green emerging as a defensive dynamo next to Andrew Bogut. Coach Steve Kerr being infinitely more talented a tactician than Mark Jackson. Having David Lee, Harrison Barnes and Andre Iguodala anchor the best bench in the league. Having a 12.9 net rating, easily the highest in the league. Being the best defensive team in the league despite employing Stephen Curry and David Lee.
Take your freakin’ pick.
Why They Could Win It All: See above. The Warriors also are somewhat battle-tested, and Kerr, who played with a couple dudes named Michael Jordan and Tim Duncan, has seen everything in the NBA. If there’s a coach who’s better equipped to steer a team to a title not named Gregg Popovich or Rick Carlisle, please, point him out to me.
Why They’ll Scrub Out: Green has played very well on defense, but I’d like to see the undersized Michigan State product try to defend LaMarcus Aldridge, Zach Randolph, or Dirk Nowitzki for 30 minutes a night. Playing Griffin tough is one thing; he’s short-armed, and plays right into Green’s strengths as a defender. Facing somebody with length could be too much for him to handle.
If Bogut gets hurt yet again, the likes of Lee and Marreese Speights won’t be able to make up the difference.
Damian Lillard of the Portland Trail Blazers
Portland Trail Blazers
Why They’re Good: Take everything I said about Harden, and apply it to Aldridge. Even with a torn ligament in his left thumb, Aldridge has turned things up a few notches, averaging 28 points per game since he decided to play through the injury.
With Robin Lopez returning, Meyers Leonard finding his niche, and Joel Freeland on his way back (not forgetting Air Sasquatch), the Blazers’ big man situation is righting itself just as the stretch run is beginning.
Why They Could Win It All: I can totally see Aldridge going on a 2011 Nowitzki-like tear throughout this year’s playoffs; unless you employ Anthony Davis, Consumer of Universes, or Rudy Gobert, you have no chance of completely stopping this man. Last I checked, neither Davis nor Gobert will be crashing the postseason party.
With Lopez solidifying the middle, and the perimeter players regaining enough of their touch to keep defenses honest, a hot Aldridge could carry the Blazers all the way to the title.
Why They’ll Scrub Out: Damian Lillard and Co. can’t punish teams for loading up on Aldridge, and Portland can’t defend well enough to squeeze out wins.
San Antonio Spurs
Why They’re Good: Unless you’ve been paying no attention to basketball for the last 15 years, you don’t need little ol’ me to answer that. The Spurs may be dealing with injuries, and their record is a mere 30-18, but they remain the Spurs.
Why They Could Win It All: The dirty little secret of the Spurs’ 2014 title run is that after barely surviving the Mavericks, they played three very top-heavy teams with flaws (Portland with inexperience, Oklahoma City with a hobbled Serge Ibaka, Miami with exhaustion), and were able to use their depth and shooting to breeze to the title.
If the matchups break their way again, San Antonio could very well win back-to-back titles, something the Duncan-Popovich Spurs never have achieved. It would be the perfect excuse for one of the five best players ever and one of the five best coaches ever to retire together.
Why They’ll Scrub Out: San Antonio runs into the wrong matchup. Duncan and Manu Ginobili are no longer capable of hoisting a team on their backs for an entire game, and Kawhi Leonard isn’t ready to do so yet. Tony Parker and eight good-to-decent players aren’t enough to survive the ruthless West.
Chicago Bulls
Why They’re Good: Derrick Rose hasn’t had to be the MVP-type player he was before his knees turned to mush, thanks to Jimmy Butler and Pau Gasol. The defense will always be there, but the Bulls, much like the Grizzlies in the West, have supported that great defense with offensive punch both in the starting lineup and on the bench.
Butler’s emergence and Gasol’s resurgence have turned Chicago from a middle of the pack team in the East into a real contender, and although they’re not exactly where they want to be as a team, they have the horses now to run with the best.
Why They Could Win It All: If Rose could conjure up his old magic for a series, or even for a deciding game or two, the Bulls would be the team to beat not just in the East, but in the league overall. They have the defensive chops. They have two stalwarts in Butler and Gasol. They have some bench scoring.
If Derrick Rose can occasionally transform into Derrick Rose, that would complete the blueprint.
Why They’ll Scrub Out: Tom Thibodeau plays his guys waaaaay too many minutes. The man is incapable of processing the fact that his players need little things like “rest,” “recuperation,” and “less than 40 minutes a night.” Former Bull Luol Deng had a spinal tap procedure done during the playoffs in 2013, and Thibodeau actually had the gall to ask Deng to play his usual 40 minutes a night.
Deng just had spinal fluid extracted from his body. That happened because there was something wrong with him, and the doctors needed to literally extract some of his nervous system to find out. Deng, unsurprisingly, said no.
Thibodeau said, “Could you at least give me 30?”
He is running Butler and Gasol into the ground, and come playoff time, they could be too tired to do what they need to do for the Bulls to have a chance.
Toronto Raptors
Why They’re Good: #WeTheNorth is a powerful force, people. The collective will of Canada was enough to push Kyle Lowry, who had never been an All-Star before, into a starting spot this year with the fan vote, over bigger names like Dwyane Wade and Kyrie Irving.
Lowry is the main reason the Raptors have maintained a solid record (they’re tied with Portland and the Clippers, entering Wednesday’s games) despite losing their top perimeter threat, DeMar DeRozen, to a groin tear for much of the season.
The depth of Toronto isn’t as overpowering as Atlanta’s or Cleveland’s, but they have plenty of players capable of hurting you, and the determined look of a bunch of athletes scorned after their seven-game defeat to the Brooklyn Nets last year, with the last loss coming on their own floor.
Why They Could Win It All: Toronto’s defense has lagged compared to last season, but if coach Duane Casey and his team can tighten up again, the Raptors have the personnel to make scoring difficult for anybody, despite the rawness of center Jonas Valanciunas.
Why They’ll Scrub Out: I’m as big a fan of Lowry as anybody, but if DeRozen can’t regain his early-season form, I doubt Lowry and the bigs can carry the Raps past the likes of Atlanta or Cleveland. | {
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Water Matters
One city resource that we must plan ahead for is water. "Water Matters in Wadsworth" was designed to put all information about how we get and conserve our water in one convenient place. We're glad you're here and hope that the information we've compiled will help you better understand this complex issue.
The community of Wadsworth is committed to ensuring that we have enough water in good times and bad. That commitment comes from not only your local government but also from residents and businesses alike. | {
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York Side Table
The unusual design of alternately placed contrasting slats characterizes the backrests and the coffee table top of the York lounge setting. Structure: aged teak. Cushion: in 100% Tempotest acrylic fabric with removable covers in off white. | {
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Our
Iowa Doctor Fined For Surgical Error
People throughout the United States trust their doctors to take the precautions they need to in order to prevent harm to their patients. This is especially the case during surgery which is already a frightening experience. However, if a doctor makes an error, that error can physically and emotionally harm patients.
A doctor in Sioux City, Iowa has been fined by the Iowa Board of Medicine after making a surgical error. Dr. Kevin Hamburger was fined $7,500 for mistakenly removing a woman’s healthy ovaries during a hysterectomy in July 2011.
A hysterectomy is a surgical procedure to remove the uterus. This procedure may be performed for a variety of reasons including abnormal vaginal bleeding, chronic pelvic pain, and cancer of the uterus, cervix, or ovaries. During a hysterectomy the ovaries may also be removed in a procedure called an oophorectomy. When the ovaries are removed a woman enters menopause.
The patient, Erin Rehan, has filed a civil lawsuit. Rehan was told by Hamburger prior to the surgery that her ovaries would not be removed during the hysterectomy. She is seeking more than $10,000 in damages for severe and permanent physical, emotional, and mental injury. The lawsuit accuses Hamburger of both professional negligence and medical battery.
The doctor has reportedly apologized for the error. Hamburger is also required by the Iowa Board of Medicine to describe in a plan how he’ll avoid future errors.
People’s lives are placed in the hands of doctors. A doctor’s years of training usually reassures their patients and their family members that they are in safe hands. Unfortunately there are mistakes made during surgeries throughout the United States. The results of such errors can be minor or severe.
When a doctor makes an error and the patient is harmed they should be held responsible for that error. A medical malpractice lawsuit can help the patient hold the doctor responsible.
But what do you think? I would love to hear from you! Leave a comment or I also welcome your phone call on my toll-free cell at 1-866-889-6882 or you can drop me an e-mail at [email protected] . You are always welcome to request my FREE book, The Seven Deadly Mistakes of Malpractice Victims, at the home page of my website at www.protectingpatientrights.com. | {
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Terms and Conditions
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Deputy Superintendent Paul Noel told WGNO that one man was shot in the head and is in critical condition, and another man was shot in the leg and is stable. Both were transported by EMS to a local hospital.
According to Noel, a group of 10 or 12 young adults had gotten into an argument before gunshots erupted. Police are still searching for suspects and have released an image of a suspect taken from surveillance footage.
Gerald Herbert/APPeople watch as police investigate the scene of a Mardi Gras day shooting in the lower Ninth Ward in New Orleans, Feb. 13, 2018.
Just over an hour later, a second shooting occurred along the Mardi Gras parade route, resulting in one dead, according to WGNO.
NOPD was not able to provide further details on this shooting, other than that it is being investigated as a homicide.
A third shooting at night resulted in two dead and three injured, according to WGNO. It occurred outside of a gas station convenience store, a few miles from the French Quarter.
Gerald Herbert/APA woman is comforted by others as police investigate the scene of a Mardi Gras day shooting that left at least one dead and others injured, in the lower ninth ward in New Orleans, Feb. 13, 2018.
"One of the victims died at the scene. A second victim died at the hospital. As of Tuesday night, there was no word on the conditions of the remaining three victims," according to WGNO. | {
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Electrical workers' union seeks to organize at Millstone
Waterford — The International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers is seeking to unionize operators, mechanics and maintenance workers at the Millstone Power Station.
John Fernandes, business manager with IBEW Local 457, headquartered in Berlin, said Monday that the organizing effort began this spring, prompted by worker dissatisfaction over benefit cuts and inequities in pay rates different workers receive for the same jobs. A previous effort by IBEW to organize about 10 years ago failed to win a majority during an worker election.
IBEW, which also represents workers at Connecticut Light & Power, would like to unionize about 350 of the approximately 1,100 Millstone staff members employed by plant owner Dominion, the “working men and women” rather than the administrators, managers and engineers, Fernandes said. In a case pending with the National Labor Relations Board, Dominion has argued that if a union election is held, it should involve a larger group of employees.
“We believe that if there’s going to be representation, it should be a large group, because of the interconnectedness of different departments,” said Ken Holt, Millstone spokesman.
The company has been sending information to employees urging them not to support forming a union, he said. He declined to comment on assertions by the union about worker dissatisfaction.
“We respect the rights of employees to organize, but we believe that the best way to more forward is in a non-union environment,” Holt said. “That’s the best way to ensure the success of the station and employees.”
The hearing at the NLRB lasted 34 days over two months, and is the longest hearing ever at the Connecticut office in Hartford, said John Cotter, NLRB officer in charge. The hearing was very involved because there are more than 150 job classifications at Millstone, and each one must be considered in determining who will be eligible for the union vote, Cotter said. The NLRB expects to decide by the end of the year which groups will be eligible for the vote, which could be scheduled in about a month after the decision, unless one of the sides files an appeal, Cotter said.
Fernandes said IBEW represented workers at Connecticut Yankee in Haddam Neck until that plant closed, and noted that two other nuclear power stations owned by Dominion in Virginia also have IBEW unions.
Holt said the company maintains that a nonunion workplace provides the kind of flexibility needed so that staff can work together most efficiently and effectively to continue to improve plant processes. | {
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Artist
An Artist is a Trainer Class introduced in Generation IV. They are middle-aged men interested in the subject of art and travel the world to find a masterpiece to draw. They mostly use Pokémon that can "sketch" the player's Pokémon's moves, such as Smeargle, Aipom, or even rare Pokémon like Sigilyph sometimes. | {
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'Guardians' tops Labor Day, summer box office
Sandy Cohen AP Entertainment Writer
Posted:
09/01/2014 11:12:52 AM MDT
Updated:
09/01/2014 03:03:17 PM MDT
Click photo to enlarge
FILE - This undated image released by Disney - Marvel shows, from left, Zoe Saldana, the character Rocket Racoon, voiced by Bradley Cooper, Chris Pratt, the character Groot, voiced by Vin Diesel and Dave Bautista in a scene from "Guardians Of The Galaxy".(AP Photo/Disney - Marvel, File)
LOS ANGELES (AP) — The intergalactic misfits of "Guardians of the Galaxy" are the summer's box-office superheroes.
Marvel's cosmic romp topped the Labor Day box office with a three-day take of $22 million — its third time in first place since its release five weeks ago, according to studio estimates Monday. With North American ticket sales of more than $280 million so far, "Guardians" is also the summer's — and the year's — top-grossing film to date domestically.
Still, summer box-office totals are down almost 15 percent from last year, said Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst for box-office tracker Rentrak.
"This is the lowest summer since 2006 in terms of revenue," he said. "Before 'Guardians,' we were sitting on a 20 percent deficit compared to last year."
"Transformers: Age of Extinction," which opened in late June, also boosted the summer box office with $1 billion in global ticket sales. "Maleficent" was another hit, bringing in more than $230 million domestically.
"This was never expected to be a record-breaking summer," Dergarabedian said, "but it maybe came in under expectations."
The World Cup may have distracted moviegoers, he said. Also, the death of Paul Walker caused the seventh installment of "Fast & Furious" — which might have added around $200 million to the summer box office — to be postponed until next year.
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Last summer broke box-office records with the success of "Iron Man 3," ''Star Trek," ''The Heat" and "Despicable Me 2." Next summer is expected to make history again with hotly anticipated releases including "Star Wars," ''Avengers: Age of Ultron" and Pixar's "Inside Out."
"Summer of 2014 is a transitional summer between two record-breaking years," Dergarabedian said.
The top movies over the lackluster Labor Day holiday were the same as the previous weekend. Paramount's "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" followed "Guardians" with $15.7 million, while Warner Bros.' young-adult drama, "If I Stay" took third place with $11.6 million.
"We went out with a whimper," Dergarabedian said. "We wound up a very exasperating summer on a very quiet note."
Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Monday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Rentrak. Where available, the latest international numbers (through Sunday) are also included. Final domestic figures will be released on Tuesday.
1. "Guardians of the Galaxy," $22.2 million ($19.7 million international).
Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at international theaters (excluding the U.S. and Canada), according to Rentrak:
1. "Dawn of the Planet of the Apes," $51.2 million.
2. "Lucy," $31.2 million.
3. "Guardians of the Galaxy," $19.7 million.
4. "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles," $13 million.
5. "Into the Storm," $12.9 million.
6. "How to Train Your Dragon 2," $10.5 million.
7. "Hercules," $9.8 million.
8. "The Expendables 3," $8.8 million.
9. "Let's Be Cops," $6.6 million.
10. "The Pirates," $5.5 million.
———
Universal and Focus are owned by NBCUniversal, a unit of Comcast Corp.; Sony, Columbia, Sony Screen Gems and Sony Pictures Classics are units of Sony Corp.; Paramount is owned by Viacom Inc.; Disney, Pixar and Marvel are owned by The Walt Disney Co.; Miramax is owned by Filmyard Holdings LLC; 20th Century Fox and Fox Searchlight are owned by 21st Century Fox; Warner Bros. and New Line are units of Time Warner Inc.; MGM is owned by a group of former creditors including Highland Capital, Anchorage Advisors and Carl Icahn; Lionsgate is owned by Lions Gate Entertainment Corp.; IFC is owned by AMC Networks Inc.; Rogue is owned by Relativity Media LLC.
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Tour de obstacle for Froome
Chris Froome arriving at the teams' presentation at Roche-sur-Yon, France, on Thursday. Organisers had lifted a ban on the Briton on Monday after he was finally cleared of doping suspicions linked to his asthma medication.PHOTO: REUTERS
British rider jeered at pre-race parade and faces a tough course in bid for a fifth title
PARIS • A relieved Chris Froome embarks on the Tour de France today, but an army of detractors, an array of talented rivals and a course that does not quite suit him stand in the way of a fifth title.
Organisers lifted a ban on Froome taking part on Monday after he was finally cleared by Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI), cycling's world governing body, of doping suspicions linked to his use of asthma medication.
A bullish Froome said he was delighted to be back on course for a record-equalling fifth title, but organisers felt the need to warn against violence along the three-week course and issue a plea to spectators to respect Froome and his Sky Team.
Froome, however, was roundly booed on his first meeting with the French public on Thursday when Sky took the stage for the official presentation of the teams, and during a 1km jaunt around the small town of La Roche-sur-Yon.
A host of Froome's rivals have urged local fans to treat him with respect, but the advice seems to have fallen on deaf ears.
The jeering will not necessarily surprise Froome, however. He and his Sky team have never been embraced in France, as evidenced more starkly when urine was thrown at the Briton while racing towards his second Tour title in 2015.
Although there was an element of pantomime to the cat-calling, the fear is that once racing gets under way, Froome and his team-mates will become highly vulnerable.
Crowds tend to be much more badly behaved in the mountains, especially up Alpe d'Huez, where tens of thousands of spectators will be within throwing, touching or spitting distance of the riders.
One of Froome's harshest critics, Romain Bardet, on Thursday implored his countrymen to refrain from any action which would sully the Tour's standing.
"It is important that the Tour de France starts in a calm climate," the French rider for AG2R La Mondiale said, stressing that Froome should be "accepted and above all, respected by everyone - the riders, all the stakeholders, the public".
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It is important that the Tour de France starts in a calm climate. (Froome should be) accepted and above all, respected by everyone - the riders, all the stakeholders, the public.
ROMAIN BARDET, French rider and Froome critic, urging his countrymen to refrain from action that would sully the Tour.
He added: "I'm happy the UCI has given an opinion and made a decision on (the salbutamol case). Chris Froome suffered this situation for nine months, as did the world of cycling - we all suffered from that."
Officials have drafted in around 30,000 agents to cope with security concerns and deal with the ever-present risk of terrorism as well as protecting the riders.
The three-week Tour is, as Irish rider Dan Martin of UAE Team Emirates described, "a tale of two halves" this year, with a flattish first part featuring treacherous cobbles and crosswinds, followed by six mountain and four hilly stages packed into the latter part of the 3,351km route.
To compound the added tests facing Froome, route designer Thierry Gouvenou said the switch between the flat and the mountains "is perhaps the greatest challenge of this Tour".
Britain's Mark Cavendish, who has 30 stage wins, said it was, in his opinion, the "hardest Tour route ever seen" and doubted he would make it to the mountains.
Stages where the sloggers will thrive
Five of the potentially decisive stages in this year's Tour de France, which sets off today:
STAGE 3: AROUND CHOLET, 35.5KM TEAM TIME TRIAL
Chris Froome's Team Sky wilted at last September's Bergen world team time trial, as the 2017 Giro d'Italia winner Dutchman Tom Dumoulin led Sunweb to victory over the 45km route.
This one is shorter, and Sky will have thought long and hard about the team make-up in a tactical balance between their power riders and the lightweight climbers they would need for the slog though the mountains.
STAGE 9: ARRAS TO ROUBAIX, 156.5KM
Pure climbers will be fretting about their eventual place on the podium when they look at this one. With 21km of cobbles, the power and endurance required will suit middleweight riders.
It starts and ends early to avoid clashing with the World Cup final in Moscow on July 15.
STAGE 12: BOURG-ST-MAURICE TO ALPE D'HUEZ, 175.5KM
Not one, not two but three feared climbs as this Alpine stage tackles the Col de la Madeleine, the Col de la Croix de Fer and the Alpe d'Huez's 21 mythical turns to an eagerly awaited summit finish.
With almost 71km of climbing in all, defending champion Froome believes the Tour can be won or lost here and likes the look of it.
STAGE 17: BAGNERES-DE-LUCHON TO ST-LARY-SOULAN COL DE PORTET, 65 KM
A short, sharp ride which Tour organisers believe is thoroughly attackable terrain, with a beautiful backdrop and summit finish at 2,215m.
At that height, oxygen is rarefied and this is where only the pure climbers will thrive.
STAGE 20: ST-PEE-SUR-NIVELLE TO ESPELETTE, 31KM INDIVIDUAL TIME TRIAL
Four-time winner Froome and Dumoulin, both solid climbers and good time triallists if they can get this far, are already on many people's minds when they look at this penultimate stage of the Tour.
A 31km, on-your-own, uphill slog faces all pretenders to the title, the podium and the top 10.
AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
This year's race also lacks the kind of long, flat individual time trial where four-time winner Froome often pulverises his opponents, programming instead a medium size time trial in the mountains, where a string of climbers, who would usually lose time to Froome, may actually beat him.
Tour organisers have also reduced the team size, which has been seen as a way of unlocking Sky's stranglehold on the Tour.
Froome can settle many scores if he can parade past an expected 12 million roadside spectators to join the pantheon of five-time winners - Jacques Anquetil, Eddy Merckx, Bernard Hinault and Miguel Indurain - on the Champs Elysees in three weeks' time.
AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE, THE TIMES, LONDON
A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on July 07, 2018, with the headline 'Tour de obstacle for Froome'. Print Edition | Subscribe
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Welcome to the Nexus of Ethics, Psychology, Morality, Philosophy and Health Care
Wednesday, November 30, 2011
Ethics is more than a code. Ethical behavior extends beyond treating our patients to advocating on behalf of our patients.
Even if you do not work with Medicare patients, many insurance companies base reimbursement schedules on Medicare rates.
TO: All Psychologists
RE: Three Weeks to Stop Medicare Cuts
Legislative leaders have begun to discuss options to address critical, time-sensitive issues by the end of the year, including the expiration of unemployment benefits, the Alternative Minimum Tax patch, tax extenders and Medicare extenders.
Now is the time for psychologists to make their voices heard and remind Congress that their patients and practices will soon face a 5% cut to psychotherapy payments in addition to a 27.4% Sustainable Growth Rate (SGR) cut to all services scheduled for 2012 if they fail to act.
Congress has blocked the SGR cut 12 times since 2001 and the APA Practice Organization has successfully secured the psychotherapy restoration 3 times since 2008, but practitioners face a tougher climate this time around in light of the unprecedented focus on deficit reduction and the broadening divide between legislative leaders.
Your profession needs you to take action NOW to ensure legislators are attentive to these critical priorities.
Take Action Now!
Click here to urge your Senators and your US Representative to halt Medicare cuts to psychological services.
Please TAKE ACTION by Tuesday December 6.
Feel free to leave a comment on this blog so that other psychologists know how easy and simple the process really is......as well as the importance of this advocacy effort!
Message:
My patients and practice are only a few weeks away from major reimbursement cuts that will impact patient access and put my small business at risk. As a psychologist and constituent, I urge you to extend the Medicare mental health add-on through 2012.
Congress has repeatedly found extension of the 5% psychotherapy payment restoration necessary to address the unintended impact of CMS's last Five-Year Review on access to Medicare mental health services. An extension is necessary until completion of the current Five-Year Review of psychotherapy codes, which has been delayed into 2012.
As Congress works toward end-of-year action on several pressing priorities, please make my patients and the mental health extender a priority, as well as halting the 27.4% Sustainable Growth Rate (SGR) cut. Thank you for your time and consideration.
Additional Background:
CONGRESS SHOULD PROTECT MEDICARE MENTAL HEALTH PAYMENT
To ensure the viability of the Medicare outpatient mental health benefit, Congress should extend through 2012 the restoration of cuts to Part B mental health services made in 2007.
Mental Health Extender. Congress restored payments temporarily but they now need to be extended. Through the Medicare Improvements for Patients and Providers Act of 2008, Congress partially restored the cuts made by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) "Five-Year Review" through 2009. Subsequent laws then extended the restoration through December 2011. The valuation of psychotherapy codes in the 2011 Five-Year Review has been delayed into 2012. Congress should pass new legislation to extend payments through 2012, until the Five-Year Review is completed.
Effect on Beneficiaries. Extending psychologist payments cut by the Five-Year Review is crucial to protecting access to Medicare mental health services. Psychologists and social workers provide almost all of the Medicare psychotherapy and testing services, but many have indicated that they may have to reduce their caseloads or leave Medicare if they are faced with these reimbursement cuts. The cost of protecting mental health services is very low, increasing costs by only $30 million per year.
Cut By MEI Rebasing. A CMS technical advisory panel will be asked to examine the effect of a 4% cut to Medicare part B reimbursement for psychologists in January 2011 due to "rebasing" of the Medicare Economic Index (MEI). In the 2011 fee schedule, CMS used more recent survey data that showed practice expense and malpractice became a larger share of the payment formula while provider's time became smaller. This increased payments for some services, particularly of professionals who utilize expensive technology. Due to budget neutrality requirements, CMS reduced other reimbursement work values, which hit services of psychologists and social workers the hardest because they are typically provided at lower cost and lower overhead.
These cuts are not related to the Sustainable Growth Rate. Psychologists were saved from a second and even more devastating reduction when Congressional action halted the projected 25% SGR cut through December 31, 2011. Ultimately Congress must replace the flawed SGR formula with one that responsibly and permanently addresses provider payments.
Psychologists will leave Medicare. In a 2008 survey, 11% of psychologists reported that they have dropped out of Medicare participation and a primary reason cited was low reimbursement rates.
New research suggests that people are more likely to lie to strangers when they're communicating via email or instant messages rather than when they are talking face-to-face.
"It's not news that we lie. What's new is that we lie even more online," said study author Mattitiyahu Zimbler, a graduate student and senior researcher at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst.
In the study, the researchers recruited 220 undergraduate students and told them to converse with people of the same gender for 15 minutes, via email, instant message or face-to-face.
The participants introduced themselves to each other and researchers recorded their conversations. Then the researchers asked the participants to look at transcripts and note when they lied.
The researchers found that the participants averaged about 1.5 lies during each 15-minute period.
The lies tended to be minor, often matters of omission. One said, "I am short, credit-wise," instead of acknowledging the failing of classes. Some said they were doing "well" or "good" when that wasn't actually the case; one said "I wanted to be a waitress," when that wasn't true.
Tuesday, November 29, 2011
FOR the last few weeks, the sex abuse scandal at Penn State and the harassment claims against the Republican presidential candidate Herman Cain have been fodder for discussion at my house. The same is true, I assume, around the country.
Putting aside the specifics of each case, one question that has come up is, “What would I do?”
That is, if I saw what seemed to be a crime or unethical act committed by a respected colleague, coach, teacher or friend, would I storm in and stop it? Would I call the authorities immediately? Would I disregard the potentially devastating impact on my job or workplace or beloved institution?
Absolutely, most of us would probably reply. I think so, others might respond. And the most honest answer? I don’t know.
As much as we would like to think that, put on the spot, we would do the right — and perhaps even heroic — thing, research has shown that that usually isn’t true.
After Ricky Wyatt died, the circle that gathered around him to say goodbye was small. Just a clutch of people in a funeral chapel in Tuscaloosa, Ala., friends and family members and some of those who had traveled beside him on a long journey toward justice for the mentally ill and disabled.
The journey was Wyatt v. Stickney, the federal class-action lawsuit filed in 1970 against an Alabama state hospital and later expanded to other facilities. It was the first and most consequential of the legal challenges to the abuse and neglect that had doomed hundreds of thousands of patients to hellish lives in public psychiatric hospitals. It threw open the doors to treatment and to new homes in the community and, for the first time, established standards of adequate care and patients’ rights to receive it.
NEW YORK (AP) — More than 20 percent of American adults took at least one drug for conditions like anxiety and depression in 2010, according to an analysis of prescription data, including more than one in four women.
The report, released Wednesday by pharmacy benefits manager Medco Health Solutions Inc., found that use of drugs for psychiatric and behavioral disorders rose 22 percent from 2001. The medications are most often prescribed to women aged 45 and older, but their use among men and in younger adults climbed sharply. In adults 20 to 44, use of antipsychotic drugs and treatments for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder more than tripled, and use of anti-anxiety drugs like Xanax, Valium and Ativan rose 30 percent from a decade ago.
The statistics were taken from Medco's database of prescriptions and is based on 2.5 million patients with 24 months of continuous prescription drug insurance and eligibility.
Saturday, November 26, 2011
A lawsuit filed in Dallas against one of the nation's largest hospice companies identifies how Medicare's payment methods can offer unintended financial incentives to inappropriately move patients from HMOs into hospice programs and then into hospitals.
In a complaint unsealed last week in a federal court, a former general manager of Vitas HealthCare Corp.'s San Antonio office alleged the company defrauded Medicare through a "conspiracy" with two HMO companies. Vitas and the companies have denied the allegations. The Department of Justice and the state of Texas have declined to join with the plaintiffs in the suit "at this time."
Here's how the complaint alleges the arrangement worked: Since Medicare Advantage pays HMOs monthly per-patient fees, the HMOs had a financial incentive to avoid chronically ill patients, who need lots of treatments. So the HMOs referred many of their chronically ill patients for hospice care at Vitas, which accepted them even though their conditions weren't considered terminal.
Wednesday, November 23, 2011
In the wake of high-profile health-care data breaches in Minnesota this year, Sen. Al Franken on Wednesday examined how sensitive data can be better protected as more of it moves to the "wild, wild West" of the Internet.
Thefts of laptops containing patient data from Fairview and North Memorial hospitals earlier this year were just a small slice of health data thefts in the United States. In a 15-month span, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) found that more than 50 laptops were stolen from hospitals, clinics and medical centers.
The healthcare industry experiences more data breaches than any other industry, according to Privacy Rights Clearinghouse (PRC) data.
PRC maintains a database of privacy breaches from 2005 to the present. When available, the database includes what type of information was breached, how many records were affected, the organization that was storing the data, the types of records accessed, and a narrative of the circumstances surrounding the breach.
In 2011, 170 of 481 publicly disclosed breaches happened in the medical industry. Most of the breaches (50 breaches containing at least four million records) happened after portable data devices went missing. In several cases, the information was on laptops and flash drives that had been stolen or lost.
Tuesday, November 22, 2011
A federal health agency on Wednesday restored to its Web site a database of doctor disciplinary actions two months after removing it from the Internet in response to a doctor’s complaints.
But the return of the information came with a catch. It has a new requirement that anyone who uses it must first promise not to link information in the database with publicly available information, like court files, that would identify individual doctors.
And that was exactly the way journalists for many news organizations had used the national data bank, which masked individual doctors’ names, as material for articles about weaknesses in the oversight of doctors with dozens of malpractice cases and gaps in disciplinary actions.
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But journalists and other researchers have linked specific malpractice payments in court cases with the specific amounts reported in the Public Use file to fairly easily crack the code, add up cases against doctors, and report the results.
Dr. Sidney M. Wolfe, director of health research at the Washington nonprofit group Public Citizen, said it was “obnoxious” and “unacceptable” for the administration to impose the condition on journalists and researchers.
Monday, November 21, 2011
Governor Corbett signed the Safety in Youth Sports Act today in a ceremony at Lower Dauphin High School, Dauphin County. The state General Assembly passed it on November 1. The legislation is Senate Bill 200, introduced by Sen. Patrick M. Browne (R-Lehigh). It was shepherded through the House by Rep. Timothy P. Briggs (D-Montgomery), who had introduced the companion bill, House Bill 200.
This bill established standards for managing concussions to student athletes. In order to return to play the athlete must be cleared by a licensed psychologist trained in neuropsychology, by a physician who is trained in the evaluation and management of concussions, or by certain other health care providers under the supervision of the physician. The Pennsylvania Psychological Association's advocacy was instrumental in this bill's passage. The association's past president, Dr. Mark Hogue stated, "This new law will be extremely important to any athlete who suffers a concussion. Athletes who return to play prematurely are at risk of a second concussion, which can be life-threatening." Dr. Hogue is a clinical and sport psychologist from Erie.
The bill will require the state Departments of Health and Education to develop and post on their websites information on the nature of concussions in athletic activities and the risks associated with continuing to play or practice after a concussion. Student-athletes and their parents or guardians must sign an acknowledgment of receipt of an information sheet on concussions prior to participation in athletics. It will require coaches to complete a concussion management certification training course before coaching any athletic activity. During an athletic contest coaches will be required to remove athletes from competition if they exhibit signs of a concussion.
The legislation will become effective on July 1, 2012, in time for the next school year. It does not pertain to private schools, but only to public schools. It covers interscholastic athletics as well as other sports associated with a school entity, and includes cheerleading, practices, and scrimmages.
Concussions continued to cast a long shadow over the N.H.L. on Thursday.
The Rangers said there was no update on the condition of defenseman Marc Staal, who has not played this season and is still recovering from a concussion sustained in February that the club did not disclose until September.
Pittsburgh’s Sidney Crosby, who has been sidelined by a concussion since early January, was cleared for contact a month ago and has practiced all week, including Wednesday, when he took several hard hits. Despite speculation that he would return for Friday’s home game against the Dallas Stars, Coach Dan Bylsma said Crosby would not play in either of the team’s games this weekend. That leaves Tuesday’s game against the Colorado Avalanche as the earliest possible return date for Crosby.
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The N.H.L. has earned praise this season for taking measures to reduce concussions, including introducing stronger rules against boarding and checks to the head, and strictly enforcing those rules through fines and suspensions. But questions persist about a league policy that allows teams to be vague about disclosure of injuries, and a recent incident suggested that in-game concussion protocols might be inconsistently applied.
Sunday, November 20, 2011
Many cases of child abuse are not reported by primary health care providers, a new study suggests.
Primary care providers (PCPs) are usually doctors but can also be physician assistants and nurse practitioners.
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The PCPs and child abuse experts agreed about the suspicion of abuse in 81% of the cases, but PCPs did not report 21% of injuries that the experts said they would have reported to child protective services (CPS).
Saturday, November 19, 2011
LOS ANGELES (AP) — UCLA’s system of hospitals and clinics warned more than 16,000 patients that their personal information was on a computer hard drive stolen in the burglary of a doctor’s home, officials said Friday.
The UCLA Health System sent letters to the 16,288 patients affected, warning them of possible identity theft and giving them contact information for a data security company the system has enlisted for help.
Someone using the documents for identity theft was “very unlikely,” but there was a possibility, the statement said.
“UCLA’s concern for its patients is absolute, and we deeply regret any breach of confidentiality and the stress and concern it might cause,” it said.
(Reuters) - Electronic medical records, which the Obama administration would like to see widely used, are rarely encrypted so a data breach could be triggered by the simple theft of a laptop or misplaced thumb drive, a privacy expert told lawmakers on Wednesday.
Regulations require healthcare providers to report data breaches unless the data lost had been encrypted.
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"The bottom line is that people have a right to privacy and to know that their data is safe and secure, and right now that right is not a reality," Franken said after the hearing.
Friday, November 18, 2011
All 16 members of the United States Preventive Services Task Force were vetted to ensure they had no financial conflicts that would prohibit them from voting, according to the panel’s vice chairman, Dr. Albert L. Siu.
But three other federal panels that are quietly developing major public health guidelines on the leading causes of cardiovascular disease — hypertension, cholesterol and obesity — operate under less stringent ethics recommendations.
And one potential conflict after another has surfaced among the members, with some receiving speakers’ fees from drug companies, others consulting for pay and others doing company-financed research.
In all, about 20 of the three panels’ members, including some co-chairmen, have been advised that they should not vote on crucial issues as they prepare to issue the health guidelines next year — because they are too closely connected to industries with a keen interest in the panels’ recommendations.
Nearly a decade ago, the work of similar panels was so marred by charges of industry bias that the National Institutes of Health extensively heightened the scrutiny for individual panelists. But the decline in federal financing for medical research continued to pose problems, leaving many researchers to rely more heavily on private industry support. Specific new rules have been adopted to reduce the impact of conflicts of interest on guideline-writing panels.
But the N.I.H. groups, which meet behind closed doors, partly to avoid outside influence, had already been appointed when some of those rules were issued. Their finished work could wield a powerful influence on medical care, insurance and lifelong treatment for hypertension, obesity and cholesterol.
Thursday, November 17, 2011
By Ray Moynihan, author, journalist, and conjoint lecturer, University of Newcastle, Australia
Exploring the new frontier in influence peddling
Just as many doctors contemplate an end to their dance with drug company marketers, a fresh new crew is stepping lively onto the floor: journalists and media organisations looking for easy ways to fund their reporting, travel, and education.
The BMJ reported last week that the Murdoch empire’s flagship newspaper in Australia has accepted an undisclosed amount of sponsorship money from the drug industry for a series of articles on health policy—and that the idea arose from a meeting between advertising agents.
Defending the deal, the Australian’s editor said that independence and integrity were maintained; but as others pointed out, this new form of financial closeness between journalists and the companies they scrutinise raises real concerns.
A few years ago the industry body Medicines Australia started sponsoring annual journalism awards, with the prize for the health journalist of the year award including $A1000 cash (£660; €760; $US1060) and an international study tour. Presumably all recipients will swear that the award and the world trip had no undesirable effects on their future coverage, and they may well be right.
What we're witnessing is a slow and subtle attempt to buy influence and goodwill within the media, which in general have become increasingly rigorous in their coverage of the unhealthy aspects of pharmaceutical marketing.
GlaxoSmithKline Plc (GSK) agreed to pay $3 billion to resolve U.S. criminal and civil investigations into whether the U.K. company marketed drugs for unapproved uses and other matters, its biggest legal settlement.
Negotiations over the terms will be completed next year, the London-based company said in a statement today. The cost is covered by existing legal provisions and will be paid from the company’s cash resources, Glaxo said.
The potential settlement brings Glaxo closer to putting years of legal probes behind it. The company set aside 2.2 billion pounds ($3.5 billion) in the fourth quarter last year in anticipation of reaching an agreement on the cases. Glaxo said it will have about 1 billion pounds of its 2.9 billion pounds in total legal provisions remaining after today’s settlement is completed, and it hasn’t decided what to do with the money.
“This news essentially draws a line under a 10-year legal saga,” Gbola Amusa, an analyst at UBS AG in London who recommends buying Glaxo shares, said in an e-mail. “This removes significant uncertainty on ongoing legal issues.”
Wednesday, November 16, 2011
Alleged incidents of child sexual abuse brought to light at Penn State are disturbing. University stakeholders have been ousted. The campus remains a live wire of anger and confusion. As our hearts go out to children and families who have come forward with their stories, we find ourselves wondering, why did so many people fail to report what they saw or heard about?
Dan Gottlieb, PhD
Dan Gottlieb Ph.D, host of Voices in the Family, is a family therapist in private practice. He is a nationally recognized lecturer in the field of mental health, and a columnist for the Philadelphia Inquirer.
Dan Gottlieb asks: why the cultural hesitation and denial in sexual abuse cases, in general, when the well-being of children is at stake? We'll take a look at the psychology of institutional betrayal as well as prevention of abuse with Jennifer J. Freyd, Michael Stinson, Ken Singer, and Kelly Moore.
The alleged Penn State sex abuse scandal may provide a powerful lesson about institutional corruption — but it’s also a good time for some self-examination. The general consensus among experts who treat sex offenders is that America has taken the wrong approach to dealing with child molesters. In fact, some say that we’re only making the problem worse.
Just last week, the Association for the Treatment of Sexual Abuse conference in Canada surveyed the latest research in the field. The narrative that emerged from the meeting is that we should place a stronger emphasis on something proved to actually reduce the recidivism rate: treatment. The potential for bias here is apparent — it’s like incarceration experts highlighting the importance of incarceration — but studies show that treatment, particularly group approaches, can be highly effective. (Although, as a 2009 report put it, “Despite these advances we, as a field, continue to fall well short of the community’s expectation of ‘no more victims.’”)
The Penn State allegations may seem unthinkable: revered assistant coach and prominent community activist Jerry Sandusky preying on eight children. But such abuses of trust play out in the USA over and over again.
Respected people who set up charitable or social groups for children, only to be implicated in some form of child sexual abuse, are a frightening reality.
"I call them 'institutions of trust,' " says Portland, Ore., attorney Kelly Clark, who has represented more than 300 sex abuse victims. Some predators are so tacitly trusted "that when something like this happens, the instinctive reaction is, 'That can't happen here. We can't allow the mission to be compromised,' " he says.
Abuse experts say the common denominators in many such crimes are parents willing to allow noted people to have unrestricted access to their kids. Among recent cases:
•A Utah judge this month sentenced a 70-year-old orphanage co-founder to three consecutive terms of five years to life in prison after he pleaded guilty to three counts of abuse. Lon Kennard originally faced 43 counts dating to 1995, but most charges were dropped as part of a plea deal. Kennard's victims were among six children adopted from Ethiopia, where he and his wife helped establish an orphanage.
•A Miami jury on Thursday returned a $100 million verdict against a retired Roman Catholic priest accused of sexually abusing dozens of boys since the 1980s in the city's Little Haiti neighborhood. More than 20 people say Neil Doherty, 68, trolled for victims wearing his priest's collar.
Tuesday, November 15, 2011
A colleague's death is hard to contemplate. But the suicides of two psychologists in 2008 — as well as those of noted psychologists Michael J. Mahoney, PhD, in 2006, and Lawrence Kohlberg, PhD, in 1987 — prompted an ad hoc APA committee to look closely at what is known about this hazard and what the profession can do about it.
The group – led by Phillip M. Kleespies, PhD, of the VA Boston Healthcare System and made up of members of APA's Advisory Committee on Colleague Assistance, the APA Practice Directorate and the APA Div. 12 (Clinical) Section on Clinical Emergencies and Crises — examined research in four critical areas: suicide rates, risk factors, impact on others and how colleagues support psychologists in distress. They also examined the current state of prevention and intervention, and suggested ways to enhance training in this vital area.
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"Suicide by psychologists, individuals with special expertise in human behavior, seems to be particularly fraught with challenges and raises concerns specific to psychology such as doubt in the value of therapy," they write. "Identifying risks, reducing the stigma associated with acknowledging hopelessness or despair, and overcoming other barriers to intervention are critical to reducing the incidence of suicide."
A new study finds that the smoking-cessation drug varenicline (Pfizer's Chantix) has too poor a safety profile to make it suitable for first-line use. Researchers from Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center, and other research centers in the US, found the drug, known as Champix outside the US, was 8 times more likely to result in reports of suicidal behavior or depression than nicotine replacement products. They report their findings in the 2 November issue of PLoS One, an online journal of the Public Library of Science.
The findings contradict those of a recent review by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) that found varenicline, which already carries an FDA "black box warning", did not increase the risk of being hospitalized for psychiatric problems such as depression.
Monday, November 14, 2011
Federal agents swarmed several medical clinics and homes in New York City on Wednesday, arresting 10 people on charges of running Medicare fraud schemes that bilked the government out of $95 million, federal officials said.
Another defendant charged in one of the schemes surrendered later to the authorities and a 12th defendant was still at large on Wednesday afternoon, the officials said.
The defendants included three medical doctors, a doctor of osteopathy and a chiropractor, the United States Department of Justice said in a news release.
The cases are part of an aggressive campaign by the Justice Department and the Department of Health and Human Services to combat the escalating problem of health care fraud. In 2007, a special team was formed to combat fraud in Medicare, the federal program that helps provide health care for older people.
The importance of the adoption of Electronic Health Records (EHRs) and the associated cost savings cannot be ignored as an element in the changing delivery of health care. However, the potential cost savings predicted in the use of EHR are accompanied by potential risks, either technical or legal, to privacy and security. The U.S. legal framework for healthcare privacy is a combination of constitutional, statutory, and regulatory law at the federal and state levels. In contrast, it is generally believed that EU protection of privacy, including personally identifiable medical information, is more comprehensive than that of U.S. privacy laws. Direct comparisons of U.S. and EU medical privacy laws can be made with reference to the five Fair Information Practices Principles (FIPs) adopted by the Federal Trade Commission and other international bodies. The analysis reveals that while the federal response to the privacy of health records in the U.S. seems to be a gain over conflicting state law, in contrast to EU law, U.S. patients currently have little choice in the electronic recording of sensitive medical information if they want to be treated, and minimal control over the sharing of that information. A combination of technical and legal improvements in EHRs could make the loss of privacy associated with EHRs de minimis. The EU has come closer to this position, encouraging the adoption of EHRs and confirming the application of privacy protections at the same time. It can be argued that the EU is proactive in its approach; whereas because of a different viewpoint toward an individual’s right to privacy, the U.S. system lacks a strong framework for healthcare privacy, which will affect the implementation of EHRs. If the U.S. is going to implement EHRs effectively, technical and policy aspects of privacy must be central to the discussion.
In a potential security breach at Nemours Children’s Health System, officials say they have lost the personal information of thousands of Florida patients.
Company officials say the patient information was being stored in a filing cabinet at a facility in Delaware. Officials said inside the cabinet were nonpassword protected computer backup tapes containing the personal and financial information of 500,000 Florida patients.
Saturday, November 12, 2011
So far, opposition to DSM 5 has been expressed by the following organizations: British Psychological Society; American Counseling Association; Society for Humanistic Psychology (APA Division 32); Society for Community Research and Action: Division of Community Psychology (APA Division 27); Society for Group Psychology & Psychotherapy (APA Division 49); Developmental Psychology (APA Division 7); UK Council for Psychotherapy; Association for Women in Psychology; Constructivist Psychology Network; Society for Descriptive Psychology; and the Society of Indian Psychologists.
An editorial by the Society Of Biological Psychiatry wondered whether DSM 5 was necessary at all. The community of personality disorders researchers is virtually unanimous in its opposition to the DSM 5 personality disorders section. There has also been widespread opposition to the sections on somatic, autistic, gender, paraphilic, and psychotic disorders.
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Strikingly, there seems to be virtually no support for DSM 5 outside the very narrow circle of the several hundred experts who have created it and the leadership of the American Psychiatric Association (APA) which stands to reap large profits from its publication. There is no group and precious few individuals outside of APA who have anything good to say about DSM 5. And even within the DSM 5 work groups and the APA governance structures, there is widespread discontent with the process and considerable disagreement about the product.
Friday, November 11, 2011
Honorary and ghost authors were involved in 21% of articles published in six leading medical journals in 2008, which shows that this type of inappropriate authorship remains a problem, a new study says.
Honorary authors are people named as authors despite not making a substantial enough contribution to take responsibility for the research. Ghost authors are people who play a major role in the research or who participate in writing the article, but are not named as authors.
The lack of transparency and accountability associated with both types of inappropriate authorship has been a concern for decades, according to the study authors.
"Ensuring appropriate authorship remains an important issue for authors, academic and research institutions, and scientific journals. Full transparency in authorship is essential for maintaining integrity and accountability in scientific publication and ensuring public confidence in medical research. The results of this study should raise awareness among the scientific community about the importance of ensuring appropriate authorship credit and responsibility. Future research should continue to monitor inappropriate authorship and investigate ways that the scientific community could increase its effectiveness in addressing the problem."
One of the Netherlands' leading social psychologists made up or manipulated data in dozens of papers over nearly a decade, an investigating committee has concluded.
Diederik Stapel was suspended from his position at Tilburg University in the Netherlands in September after three junior researchers reported that they suspected scientific misconduct in his work. Soon after being confronted with the accusations, Stapel reportedly told university officials that some of his papers contained falsified data. The university launched an investigation, as did the University of Groningen and the University of Amsterdam, where Stapel had worked previously. The Tilburg commission today released an interim report (in Dutch), which includes preliminary results from all three investigations. The investigators found "several dozens of publications" in which fictitious data has been used. Fourteen of the 21 Ph.D. theses Stapel supervised are also tainted, the committee concluded.
My name is Dr. Rob West, President and CEO of PsychBuilder Inc. located in San Jose, California. My company has developed a unique opportunity for you and your associates. PsychBuilder Inc. developed the first internet-based administration and scoring of the Personality Assessment Symptom Scale-2, the PASS-2. Psychologists have used the PASS-2 for psychological diagnoses and evaluations for a number of years. The PASS-2 is administered online, from any computer, iPad, or iPhone connected to the internet. The test usually takes approximately 40 to 60 minutes to administer. Results will be available to you and the patient online.
Important to an entrepreneurial psychologist like you, this assessment bridges the gap between psychology and primary care. Numerous patients from family practice offices can be given the internet link (http://www.psychbuilder.org/) and a security code to complete the PASS-2. The test is designed to determine if the patient can benefit from psychotherapy, psychotropic agents, or other psychological services. While it is not a complete assessment, it can guide patients to you for further psychological consultation.
After a patient completes the assessment, an email will be sent to you (based on the security code) and the patient within 24 hours, providing a secure link to review the results of the PASS-2. Patient contact information will be part of the administration process.
The cost of the online administration is $25, to be paid by the patient. For this to be a successful venture, we ask you to promote this program to your referring physicians, nurse practitioners, and physician assistants in order to enhance their ability to identify, evaluate and provide needed treatment for their patients.
We have great data on the PASS-2 for reliability and validity in identifying primary care patients who can benefit from psychological services. Unfortunately, many patients struggling with mental health issues in primary care settings are not properly identified or treated.
Because of busy primary care practices, the PASS-2 can be completed at home, if the office does not have internet access for patient use.
The physician, nurse practitioner, or physician’s assistant will offer patients this important opportunity via a specially designed 4 x 6 card. On that card, there will be information that explains the importance of completing this assessment, the cost, and that a licensed psychologist will review the results and contact the patient by phone within 3 to 5 business days.
An important factor is that there is no cost to you, as the psychologist. You will receive a high quality report that offers diagnostic possibilities, suicide potential, and treatment planning options for new patients.
Wednesday, November 9, 2011
This policy brief has four objectives. First, it examines the phenomenon of suicide within the U.S. military community, including both the frequency of suicide and the extent to which suicide is related to military service. It outlines steps taken by the Department of Defense (DOD), the armed services and the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to reduce suicide in the armed forces and among veterans. It then identifies obstacles to reducing suicides further and makes recommendations to address each of those obstacles.
A study focusing on the family and friends of people who were suicidal has highlighted the main challenges they face when trying to judge whether a person is in danger and decide what they should do about it.
The research was carried out by Dr. Christabel Owens from the Peninsula College of Medicine and Dentistry, supported by Devon NHS Partnership Trust and funded by the UK Medical Research Council. The findings are published in the British Medical Journal on 22nd October 2011 (online 19th October 2011).
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The findings of the research show that relatives and friends did not always receive clear and unambiguous warning signals from the suicidal individual, and that, even when it was obvious that something was seriously wrong, they could not always summon the courage to take action.
Family members and friends of those who may be contemplating suicide are confronted by powerful emotional blocks, particularly fear. They may be afraid of intruding into another person's emotional life or afraid of damaging a cherished relationship by 'saying the wrong thing'. The whole situation is emotionally charged, and that affects the way in which people respond.
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Dr. Owens: "It is sad that, in the course of our research, we have repeatedly come across examples of people who did go to their GP, were given a cursory risk assessment and sent home with little or no support, and subsequently killed themselves. In other cases, a relative has taken their concerns to a GP and asked for advice, and has been told that the case cannot be discussed with them for reasons of patient confidentiality and that the person must visit the GP themselves."
Tuesday, November 8, 2011
LEBANON, Ohio — A high school teacher was convicted Thursday of having sex with five students, some of them football players, after a judge rejected an insanity defense that argued the teens took advantage of her.
Stacy Schuler was sentenced to a total of four years in prison for the encounters with the Mason High School students at her home in Springboro in southwest Ohio in 2010. She can ask a judge to free her from prison after six months.
The 33-year-old Schuler, who could have faced decades in prison, cried as she was handcuffed and led out of the courtroom.
The five teens testified that Schuler, a health and gym teacher, had been drinking alcohol at the time of the encounters and was a willing participant who initiated much of the contact. The teens were about 17 at the time. The age of consent in Ohio is 16, but it's illegal for a teacher to have sex with a student.
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Testimony from a defense psychologist had suggested that Schuler's medical and physical ailments, combined with her vegan diet and use of alcohol and an antidepressant, helped impair her ability to tell right from wrong.
A psychologist for the prosecution rebutted that testimony, saying that the use of alcohol does not meet the state standard for an insanity defense and that willingly getting drunk is not a legal defense for a crime. | {
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Introduction
Every web designer should know and understand a Web site’s parameters before lifting a finger to start designing the site. In this section of the Web Standards Curriculum, you will learn the basics required to start designing business Web sites. While this information is useful if you want to build sites for others, it can also serve as a checklist article for sites you want to build for yourself. This is usually the stage that comes after information architecture—you should collect information on what the client wants on their site and how it should be structured, what kind of branding that company uses, and then use that information to build up a visual design mockup that you can ok with the client before you add graphics and colour schemes on to it. Specifically, I’ll cover the following:
Although colour and design are important, you need to understand what the client wants to accomplish with his or her Web site. This information will have a heavy bearing on the site’s look and feel.
You therefore need to manage a checklist of items to learn about the client’s Web site before the design is attempted.
You also need to know more about the company’s previous marketing efforts, including branding. This information will have a bearing on the Web site design.
Based upon all the information gathered from the client, you will create the visual design for the site so that the client can visualize the foundation for his additional graphics and content.
What you need to know
Usually before a Web site design is decided upon, the individual or business should have a plan in place about what the Web site should accomplish. While colour and graphics are important, a plan should be in place for a budget, the intended market and projected goals as well as resources to accomplish these tasks. Is the site just going to give the user information, or is it intended to sell them products or services as well? Will this Web site expand, or is it intended to be a short-term effort to reach a niche market (such as a political campaign site or a site that intends to tap in on a current trend). Will the site include a blog, legal and information pages, photo gallery, e-mail contact form? What else does it need? How does this site compare to the competition?
Last, but not least among all these questions, is whether the company has a brand in place along with marketing guidelines. If not, then this job needs attention before a Web site design is attempted. The logo, branding of merchandise or services intended for a specific market, and a means to reach that market may be beyond your skills. If you haven’t attempted this task before, you might pull in an expert in marketing to help set this business in the right direction. On the other hand, if a plan already is in place, then it’s important to follow the company’s directives so the Web site will fall in place with other marketing materials.
While much of this information may be decided before the proposed site reaches the designer, the answers to these questions can help you decide what type of site to design, the colours to use and the type of graphics to include. But, one thing can be determined up front in most cases—the site should be accessible and usable. Therefore, attention to code and to navigation is a priority in all cases. You can read more about accessibility later in this course (the main accessibility articles are still to be published), and some further points about usability issues from Jakob Nielsen.
The point is to keep the site simple by using HTML and CSS for code and design, respectively. Avoid Flash unless it is appropriate for some elements of the site (much has been done to make Flash more accessible of late, and it is good for some tasks, such as video), and think about where JavaScript and other technical stuff is needed. This will make the site design easier for the
designer and programmer to create (especially if the designer is the programmer) and it will be more compatible across all browsers.
The first steps
To help you along with these issues, I’ll build a simple business site using a set of guidelines that I use for designing Web sites for myself and others. These checklists will include business aspects as well as design issues. For convenience, I’ll use an imaginary business that is already developed, so it has used marketing materials in the past. Printed materials, including a logo and branding are already in place. If you’re starting from scratch, the logo and branding plans will need to be developed first before you begin to develop the Web site.
As a Web designer, I’ll want to know the following information about a business before I begin the site design. I want to make a list of everything that I want on that site design so I don’t need to make radical changes later. This is not an imaginary situation, as the topics below need to be discussed with the business owners/decision makers to make sure that your vision of the project is in line with their vision.
Web site name: Does the name reflect the company and its online efforts? In this case, the Web site name is the company name, which is “Wiki Whatevers.” The company may want to develop a tag line as well if they don’t already use one. The tag line will then be placed with the company name and logo together on the Web page.
Logo and branding: I want to collect any printed matter that was developed prior to this task, including logo, brochures, etc, so I can build a file that will hold information such as phone numbers and addresses. These items will also help me to understand the "tone", branding and style of this business better from their past efforts. If none of this has been developed previously, then I’ll want to hire a logo design team to build a logo (I’m not a logo designer, so I farm that work out—and you can as well by building that price into your billing).
Web site domain name: In tandem with the Web site name, I want to know if the domain name is available. The domain name is the address that a Web site uses for identification, and that the user will type into a browser’s address bar to reach that Web site. The domain name also is used as the link to the Web site from outside resources. The domain name can carry any number of upper level domain registrations, such as “.com,” “.org,” and so on. While a designer usually isn’t responsible for the domain name registration, it helps to know if the domain name has been chosen and registered. In some cases I’ve had to change a domain site name and some site content because the domain name was unavailable. This problem led to a higher charge for the client, which would have been unnecessary had the domain name been chosen first.
Competititon research: It helps to know what competitors’ Web sites contain in terms of graphics and content so that the site you design will enter the market on an equal or better footing than the company’s main competitors.
Information architecture: Does the site need a shopping cart or a blog? What plans for expansion does the site owner have in mind? What structure would be best to link the pages together? These items are important, as you will need to build them into the site design and its navigation. You need to know how the site will expand in the future—this will determine how you build the site as well.
Site content: Has the site content been developed? If so, you’ll want to gain access to the content immediately to help determine the navigation, type design, and layout. Categorizing the content is the best way to develop navigation. The content can help determine the look and feel of the site as well; therefore, if content hasn’t been developed, it might be wise to delay the design. Be sure that the content is relevant and plan for updates, as site content is what keeps visitors returning to a site.
Research web hosts: While the client may have a particular Web host provider in mind, you may need something else entirely as not all hosts provide equal technology support. A Web host is the business that hosts Web sites, and some Web hosts provide access to databases, which you may need for a blog or for cataloging information or products through a shopping cart. Other hosts limit the number of visitors to a site, and this can create problems if the site becomes popular. For a large list of Web hosting providers and their capabilities, visit the Web Host Database (WHDb). Make sure the client has purchased space on this Web host before you begin your site design so that you know your design parameters.
Directed departure: Planning for directed departure means that you/your client gains control over how users will leave the site. Viewers will leave the Web site eventually, so why not plan for their departure through monetized ad placement or through link exchanges? Making plans for this direction now can add value to the site monetarily and/or through offering a service to your site users.
Deadlines: Determine now when the site will go “live”. Usually an eight-week lead time is enough to finalize any small project such as this, as long as the clients have their content ready, they are amenable to colour and layout designs you offer as samples, and no difficult programming is required. Once you have these basics out of the way, you can sit down, read the content, plan for navigation and decide how to best optimize the site for search engines. While you might not be in charge of SEO (Search Engine Optimization), you can work closely with an SEO expert to determine how best to use the site’s content and your code to generate more traffic via keywords in content and in headings and subheadings. Just as you wouldn’t pick out carpets or a couch for a new home before the architect has created the blueprint, neither would you create a visual design for the site until you’ve planned the site’s architecture. The navigation and plans for SEO in this initial stage will save time and headaches down the road. By the time you’re ready to create a visual plan, you’re already familiar with the site’s direction and its contents, and this makes the job of working with colour and graphics that much easier.
The imaginary example site
This imaginary site is a business that provides Open Source code for wikis, and they come up with at least three new code ideas per week. Since the code is free to use and modify, the site owners want to monetize the site (generate money from it) through donations, ad placement, and through extra services offered by their programmers. The site name is “Wiki Whatevers,” and the domain name has been chosen. The content has been developed, and it contains code snippets that need to be cataloged, articles, and bios that feature the programmers involved with this project. The Web host provides MySQL database availability, and it is geared to accept the heaviest of surges in traffic without down time. Now it’s time to pull together the items that will be used on the site:
Using the company’s pre-existing logo, I want to prepare a digital copy to use throughout the client’s Web site. I'll need a scanner to scan the image into a graphic program such as Photoshop or Gimp. I’ll size the logo for the site later, once I’ve determined the layout. I’ll save the image at 72 dpi, which will allow for faster download time. I probably will use this logo for #4 below as well.
I’ll use photos of the programmers on the staff page (or “About" page), so I’ll need digital images for this project. They will either provide photos for scanning or send digital images. If they send digital images, I’ll want an image with more detail than I’ll eventually use, so a 300 dpi image is good, or a full-sized image that I can reduce later to my own specifications.
The client has decided to use a blog, since they already have sufficient content to keep this blog active for the next few months. Fortunately, the client has chosen a Web host provider that is familiar with blogs and has the necessary capabilities to handle databases and high traffic—including spikes in traffic. This host also provides several solutions for expansion, a great offer if the client wants to grow. If the host’s up time is guaranteed, the client will be happier if he or she can stay with the same host throughout this growth phase down the road. This ability to stay with a host provider for years makes life much simpler.
Using FTP (there are several to choose from on the market, such as the Open Source products Filezilla, or fireftp for Firefox, or a proprietary client such as CuteFTP), I’ll upload a static page that announces the upcoming site. “Under Construction” is a terrible phrase to use, as visitors to the site may not return if they don’t know your “grand opening” date. Instead, use a page that states the name of the company, what they will offer, a date that the site will be active, and a contact (email is fine—if this is a bricks-and-mortar business, use a street address and phone number as well). Even better, utilize an email form that individuals can use to be notified when the site goes live. This last suggestion provides clients with potential consumers even before the site opens for business.
Using the content/structure information received from the client and the fact that they want advertising space designed into all pages, I’ll design the architecture for the site and plan the navigation and textual links. I’ll also use this copy to plan for keywords for the site’s SEO.
Using the colours in the logo, I’ll choose two or three colour schemes to present to the client for approval.
Then, I’ll choose other photographs or illustrations from a stock photo place such as iStock or Comstock. But, be sure to shop around, as some stock photo businesses offer sales and other deals that you may not be able to pass up. Using stock photography is not that expensive, and it saves headaches concerning copyright issues. I’ll also need any images that the company has produced—or that they will produce—to accompany any code, "how-to" articles and blog entries.
Note: These last two steps will be covered in the next article in the series; bear in mind that you want to get approval from the client for the visual mockup layout before you start putting colours and graphics all over it!
The logo
The logo is a vital part of any company’s branding. While most businesses will not rush a logo as this piece of artwork will represent their business for many years, other clients will be less concerned with the image that represents a company. I can tell you from experience that a company that doesn’t spend time and money on a professional logo usually will never spend that money—no matter how logical your arguments to the contrary.
The Wiki Whatevers company owners all attended Georgia Tech, so they used their Alma Mater’s colours—gold and black—in the logo design. But, while the logo is simplistic, at least it may prove easy to work with in colour and layout. Figure 1 shows the logo:
Figure 1: The Wiki Whatevers logo.
The issue here is that I just scanned in a print logo, wanting to use the same logo online. The print colours, which are CMYK (Cyan, Magenta, Yellow and Key, or black), will not match the Web colours that consist of RGB (Red, Green, Blue). So, I’ll need to try to do a little colour matching to get the Web colours to match the logo as closely as possible. There are four ways to accomplish this goal:
Contact the printer to ask what colours were used to print the Wiki Whatevers logo on previous printed matter. Usually, the printer will use Pantone colours, and Pantone provides tools that help designers match print colours to Web colours. This Pantone Colour Matching system is something that the printer may have on hand, so that printer can help match the print colours to the appropriate matching Web colour without spending money on Pantone tools.
Eyeball the printed matter with the Web colours to try to match as closely as possible. In some cases, the colours may be vastly different. In other cases, the colours may seem too close to warrant a change.
Scan the print image in a scanning program that accepts CMYK and use Photoshop’s Pantone Colour Swatches to match as closely as possible. This last solution works only if your scanner accepts CMYK and you own Photoshop software. In my case, I was able to get that gold to match perfectly from the mascot image at the Georgia Tech Athletic site. The gold is #eab200, and the black is, well, black (#000000). The background, which is a dark green-blue (#002123), was used in the drop shadow in the logo. So, what could have been problematic was made easy through a simple bumblebee mascot, as seen in Figure 2:
Figure 2: A portion of Georgia Tech’s mascot used to match logo colours.
Note: Very seldom will you run across a business that hasn’t used a digital image of their logo or brand online for items such as business cards and letterhead, if not for an actual Web presence. However, many of these businesses seem to accept the colours that the Web presents, rather than change the colours to match their printed matter. So, don’t always rely on Web colours for a company’s site, especially if those colours don’t match the company print matter such as brochures or letterhead. Instead, ask the company which colours they prefer—they may not have noticed that the colours were different in the first place.
The Layout
For the layout, and for simplicity’s sake for this tutorial, I will demonstrate one layout. I chose a blog layout that promotes the most frequent changes to the body copy at top, easy access to navigation between the header and that recent body copy, and access to previous posts “below the fold” on the home page. The term “below the fold” originates from newspaper production. When a newspaper is on the stand, the reader will see only that copy placed “above the fold” in the newspaper (ie the physical fold in the paper). That copy—including images—is important, as it needs to entice the reader to purchase the paper.
The same “above the fold” theory applies to web site design. Anything that shows on a monitor when a visitor enters a site is “above the fold”. Any copy that a viewer needs to scroll down to view is “below the fold”. So, the trick is to keep a web site visitor’s attention with the first images and copy that they view on any monitor, no matter the resolution (which is just one good reason to test your web sites on a number of different monitors/screen resolutions—an issue addressed later in this article). A rough example for the initial layout for Wiki Whatevers is shown in Figure 3:
Figure 3: Rough layout (wireframe) for the Wiki Whatevers home page
This layout will remain the same throughout the site, but may change for the archived pages to list the article and blog entries without images. The reason for this consistency is so the viewer doesn’t become confused. Once users “learn” how to use a site, they usually don’t like to see changes from page to page. Here is what this specific design will contain:
Header: The header is small, as I didn’t want to make the logo take up too much space on the page. While the logo is a minor feature, the colours within that logo will contribute to the overall colour scheme for the site. The header is at the top, a traditional placement, and the logo will link to the blog’s home page. Linkage from the logo is convenient and many users have become accustomed to using the logo as a means to return to the home page on any given site
Navigation: Placed immediately below the header, the navigation is obvious and easy to use. This navigation also will be repeated in the footer. I repeat the navigation in the footer simply because I’m from the old school where navigation is repeated in simple text for those users who don’t display images in their browser. Since I'm not sure at this point whether I’ll use images for the navigation at top, I automatically include textual navigation somewhere else on the page as well—usually in the footer. This text helps those blind readers who use a screen reader to “read” a Web page. Whether you place that navigation text at the top or the bottom of the page is irrelevant except to the design, as blind readers can scan a page from bottom to top and vice versa as quickly as a sighted person. With that said, it is up to the designer and his/her client whether or not to repeat the navigation anywhere on a given page. If you use images for navigation and do not repeat the navigation links in text, then be sure to include descriptive alt attributes for those navigation images. This way, users who use a screen reader or who turn off images will still know what those images are for. See the relevant section of article 17 for more about correct use of alt attributes.
Most recent blog entry: The most recent blog entry deserves highlighting, and the ability to make this entry a major focus on the page “above the fold” is advantageous to both the client and his readers. As soon as the viewer surfs to this site, this is the copy that he or she will see. This obvious placement, however, means that the client will need to continuously update the site on a consistent basis or risk losing return visitors —people are unlikely to keep returning to a blog if there is no new content being published on it.
Previous blog entries: This is where previous blog entries will reside—about three to five entries should be enough to let viewers know, at a glance, exactly what to expect from this site on an ongoing basis. Images might be nice here but they are not necessary as this area is located below the fold, so it is not as important for catching the viewer’s eye. The decision to use images may be based on whether download time is an issue, or if the previous article actually needs an image to entice the viewer to click through to the full article/blog entry.
Right column: This is where viewers can gain access to blog entries listed by category, archives, and other types of site content. Examples of other pages include an "about the company" page, a site index and contact information. It’s important to decide how you want to list these items in a side column, as the blog will build upon the categories you create, the pages you build and the archival material. As you grow the site, these lists will become longer, possibly to the point where —in this case—the categories may be the only list that a viewer will see “above the fold”. The clients may decide that the “pages” are more important than the categories, and the list shown above may be altered to place pages above categories. As a side note, this list does not include everything that can be included in a side bar or side column. Some clients may feel that two columns would be better, making the blog a three-column, rather than two-column blog as shown above.
Footer information: Footer information is vital and important, as it provides viewers with background information about company and its Web site at a glance instead of having to dig for it. Company name, possibly a repeat of the logo, address, email address, links (to contact form, privacy notices, disclaimers, legal information), and news summaries are all good candidates for being included in the page footer. As mentioned before, you can also repeat the navigation as a text only version.
Advertising: In this layout, the advertising is positioned following the recent blog entry and the previous blog entries in a horizontal banner. This provides the client with the flexibility of choosing ad text or banner art for their advertising needs. This type of layout for advertising places just one ad “above the fold” and another ad “below the fold”. This amount of advertising is plenty enough for most sites. Additionally, it relegates advertising to a secondary position, below the body copy for the site’s contents.
This layout allows the viewer to quickly move from body copy to navigation without scrolling, and it also allows users to view other topics that the site may cover with further links into the site’s categories at the very least. Even if the viewer never scrolls down past the red “fold” line, the layout provides all the major elements that a viewer might need, all placed “above the fold. ”
About Advertising on a Site
It is to the client’s advantage, and a service to the reader if the advertising on a site is content-relevant. In other words, if the content on the site is about flowers, then ads for that site might include landscaping services, catering (to compliment floral arrangements), etc. So, for a site that provides open source materials, you might seek advertisers that are relevant to open source content. Google Adsense, as one source, would help in this regard, as the ads are content-relative. The use of this type of advertising is a great idea until traffic grows enough to entice other advertisers to your site. However, always think about the SEO implications before you accept ads, as some advertising may adversely affect the client’s standing in search pages. Some good SEO resources are as follows:
Note: You may not be responsible for site advertising as a designer unless you're designing a site for yourself, but if you plan to work with an advertising or design agency in the future, you may want some input into the advertising at these design firms. The more you know about what makes a site successful, the more success you may encounter in your design career. When possible, learn as much as you can about marketing (for yourself and for your clients) and search engine optimization tactics.
Checking Layout with validation and the client
Before this layout is implemented using code, I want to confirm the layout(s) (or wireframes) with the client. One tactic I use to convince the client that any one layout is better than the other is to remind them that coding additional layouts does cost money. This helps the client pick one layout, with the idea that the code can be tweaked later to make some structural changes.
The next step is to code the layout and then validate that code. I use the W3C Markup Validation Service and the W3C CSS Validation Service to confirm that the HTML and CSS used to build the layout contains no errors. You can upload files directly from your computer to these validation services, so you don’t need to upload them to the client’s site to test them. This test allows the designer and/or the programmer to find any errors on the front end that can be resolved before the site becomes saturated with code from images, advertising and other items added to the pages.
Accessibility is another big concern—making sure the site is usable by people with disabilities such as blindness or motor deficiencies. This isn’t as easy a validation process as validating your CSS and HTML. There are checkers available, such as TAWDIS, but ideally you should test with real users and do a qualitative analysis of your sites for accessibility—a mechanized checker can’t conclusively say whether a site is accessible or not, although it can give some indication as to what is right and wrong. They sometimes make mistakes as well. There will be much more information about accessibility published in the next part of the course, so watch this space!
You should also test the layout across the different available browsers so that you know your web site can be viewed by the maximum number of web users possible. You can do this by having Mac, Windows, Linux and Mobile systems available, all with various browsers installed, or use emulators such as VMWare Fusion to emulate different systems on one computer, but this is rather fiddly and longwinded. Another option is to use browser-capturing services such as BrowserCam, as this service is fast, convenient, covers a number of different browser possibilities (including much older browsers). They offer a 24-hour free trial so you can see if this service is right for you, and after the free offer, the charge to use this service is worth it, especially if you design a large number of sites and test on a large number of different browsers.
Finally, it’s a good idea to check in with the client to let them know that the code has been generated for the layout and that it has been validated; you should also let them know how many changes were needed to the wireframe to get it to work across browsers. Only after the code is generated, validation finalized, and go-ahead from the client received should you begin to add colours, images, and any other code such as for advertising. Although this work may seem tedious, it’s best to confirm all the validation and get client approval before adding the icing on the cake. Otherwise, you may find yourself working harder than you want as you find code problems and browser incompatibilities after the fact. Additionally, any artwork or body copy can prove a distraction for the client when they are trying to review the actual architecture of the site.
Once you’ve completed this process, you can then begin to work on the site’s text, images, and colours. How do you begin to do this? Find out in the next article!
Summary
The web designer often wears many hats, because Web site design is based upon many factors. Will that site grow over time, or will it remain static? Can the Web host provide consistent quality service and room to grow, or will that client need to move from Web host to Web host with new additions to the site? And, if the designer cannot sufficiently perform all design issues, does that designer have a network of people on hand to help?
So, beyond colour and graphics, a foundation needs to be laid to build that Web site upon. The business of building a site affects the design, and any issues that might become problems down the road can be ironed out in the planning phases. This ability to resolve issues before they arise makes for a professional designer. Once the foundation has been laid and the architecture and wireframe of the site has been developed, the designer then can begin to work with colour schemes to develop the full Web site for client approval. | {
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We would like to share with you our Top 5 list of our favorite peanut butter cookies recipes. These super mouth-watering recipes will make you feel tempted to run to the kitchen and make them all at once
We have made a Top 5 list with our favorite french toast recipes so you can start your day with a super tasty breakfast! They are all dairy-free, simple to make and delicious. There are with banana, with pumpkin, with cinnamon, with cherries, you have it all in 5 fantastic different recipes, check it out! […]
Everyone loves pancakes but with so many variations out there it is difficult to find the best recipe. Some of them have lots of ingredients and seem pretty difficult to make so we made a top 5 list of our favorite pancakes recipes which we consider to be simple, delicious and of course, 100% vegan! […]
Cooking is not always an easy task, you have to decide what to cook, get the ingredients, and follow the steps, until everything is ready to enjoy a delicious meal. One of the things that we do not always take in consideration at the time of cooking is the kitchen equipment. The truth is they make […] | {
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Saturday, June 05, 2010
Renowned Nuclear Physicist, Dagwood Splits The Atom, Part 1
If anyone can do it, it's Dagwood.Culled from the archives of Professor Mike Fontanelli, curator of the Alexandrian Library of Cartoon art.I wish Dagwood had been teaching when I was at school. Maybe I would have paid attention.More exciting adventures in education to come...
10 comments:
Wow! Comic strip characters can be educational and fun at the same time after all.
No normal kid would want to read out of a boring textbook with cold, lifeless diagrams and drawings, no matter what "level" of class they're in or how smart they are. Imagine if my chemistry teacher from this year had given my whole class something like this to read and learn from, instead of all those worksheets and reading guides. Maybe there wouldn't have been so many failing grades. It's all common sense.
Comics were just absolutely COOL back in the day! They'd cram cool stuff in there every chance they got! You know why they'd have those little text stories in comics? Because if they had a certain amount of pure text in a comic book, then they got a lower rate on postage and shipping! It's true!
Years ago I struck up a friendship with one of the old pulp writers--Ryerson Johnson--and he told me all about it. He wrote dozens of these little one and two-page shorts for the Binder brothers (E. and O. Binder, well known for their serial ADAM LINK, ROBOT) who took on contracts for Dell Comics and DC Comics and needed help to fulfill their legal obligations. They'd contracted to write more of the damned things than they could manage, so they farmed them out to guys like Ryerson. The "Dagwood Splits the Atom" was likely something to keep the text at a high enough level to get the lower rates and qualify as a certain type of publication.
Old comics were ten billion times better than the shit that's on the stands today.
It's fun to see a educational and fun comic at the time. Rare are those like this who can perform this kind of educational absurdity.
This is maybe why i mostly dislike modern comics these days no matter the genre. They are all pretentious and made by people who never meet others peoples than the ones from others comic-books. And that's count Manga too.
No joke, I was actually on vacation but the whole time I watched Ren & Stimpy and Invader Zim, and I actually had a dream that I got in CONTACT with you, lol.(Btw, your dream self almost never answered me and laughed all the time XD Either tell your dream self to get more social, or make sure he stops acting like Eddie *Kidding*) | {
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As regular CFZ-watchers will know, for some time Corinna has been doing a column for Animals & Men and a regular segment on On The Track... particularly about out-of-place birds and rare vagrants. There seem to be more and more bird stories from all over the world hitting the news these days so, to make room for them all - and to give them all equal and worthy coverage - she has set up this new blog to cover all things feathery and Fortean.
Genetic diversity is essential for a species to be able to adapt to environmental change, and when habitat loss divides a population into small, isolated fragments, that can spell trouble. Northeastern California is at the far western end of the range of Greater Sage-Grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus), and the fringe population there is declining due to the ongoing invasion of their sagebrush habitat by cheatgrass and juniper. To determine whether the genetic diversity of birds in the region is suffering as a result, Dawn Davis of the University of Idaho and her colleagues spent three years collecting blood samples from California sage-grouse on their breeding grounds for a new study forthcoming in The Condor: Ornithological Applications. While they found no evidence that individual leks, or breeding sites, in California are genetically isolated from each other, and the overall genetic diversity of the California population was just as high as that in the core of the species' range. However, this doesn't mean that the future of these vulnerable birds is secure.
Every spring, sage-grouse gather at breeding sites called leks, where males put on elaborate displays to attract females. Davis and her colleagues collected blood from 167 grouse at 13 lek sites between 2007 and 2009.Their results suggest that there is a continuing exchange of genes between California leks, and possibly even with the adjacent Nevada population. "Sage-grouse occupy the western edge of their distribution in northeastern California and our study area was dominated by invasive annual grasses and encroaching conifer which has led to declines in sage-grouse populations," explains Davis. "Our study found that despite population declines and habitat loss, leks were not genetically differentiated, which was unexpected."
Offshore wind farms which are to be built in waters around the UK could pose a greater threat to protected populations of gannets than previously thought, according to a new study by researchers at the universities of Leeds, Exeter and Glasgow.
It was previously thought that gannets, which breed in the UK between April and September each year, generally flew well below the minimum height of 22 metres above sea level swept by the blades of offshore wind turbines.
However, while this is the case when the birds are simply commuting between their nest sites and distant feeding grounds, this new study shows that they fly at an average height of 27 metres above sea level when actively searching and diving for prey.
Crucially, the study also shows that the birds' feeding grounds overlap extensively with planned wind farm sites in the Firth of Forth, heightening their risk of colliding with turbine blades.
The researchers estimate that up to 12 times more gannets could be killed by turbines than current figures suggest, although they stress that the figure is based on calculations using current typical turbine sizes, which could be different to those actually installed, and that there is great uncertainty over actual turbine avoidance rates.
Tuesday, 29 September 2015
Posted on: 28 Sep 2015
A male Guadalcanal Moustached Kingfisher has been photographed for the first-time ever on the Solomon Islands – the species had not seen since the 1950s.
Scientists in the remote highlands of Guadalcanal in the Solomon Islands, have been on the island surveying the endemic biodiversity and working with local partners to create a protected area.
Chris Filardi, director of the project, wrote on his blog: "After several days of work, it is clear we are on the shores of an island in the sky. Species we encounter here are of two worlds – one that descends to the humid, coastal plain and another that rises into the cool, cloud-raked mountains of Tetena-Haiaja. Just as the white sands of an island beach divide land and sea, the ascending Chupukama ridge marks the transition from a world of known lowland organisms to a sky island filled with scientific mystery.
"In the western Pacific, first among these 'ghost species' is Moustached Kingfisher, a bird I have sought for nearly 20 years. Described by a single female specimen in the 1920s, two more females brought to collectors by local hunters in the early 1950s, and only glimpsed in the wild once. Scientists have never observed a male. Its voice and habits are poorly known. Given its history of eluding detection, realistic hopes of finding the bird were slim."Continued...
Steven Huynh was reunited with a curious crow after he thought it had attacked him on Friday. (CBC)
A cyclist who was attacked by a crow in East Vancouver has since been reunited with the bird, only to discover it's no common Corvidae.
Steven Huynh's first encounter with the crow didn't go well — he was on his way to work when it flew towards him and pecked at his hand and climbed onto his back.
Huynh had stopped to look at the crow before it attacked him, because he had noticed a man petting it on the sidewalk. After reviewing the comments on his Facebook and YouTube posts of the attack, Huynh decided to return to the site of the encounter.
It was then that he found out the crow has a name: Canuck.
The bird hangs around Cassiar and Hastings streets near the home of Shawn Bergman, who said his landlord's son helped rehabilitate the bird when it fell from its nest, and it's hung around ever since.
"He does just approach people," said Bergman. "He's just really more curious than anything."
Bergman thinks Canuck may have been attracted to the reflective strip on Huynh's backpack when he cycled by.
As for Huynh, no hard feelings.
"After re-looking at it now, it's just like a friendly encounter. It's not an attack at all," said Huynh
Monday, 28 September 2015
JUNEAU, Alaska - When two National Park Service interpreters stopped to watch a bird outside their offices in Glacier Bay, they didn't realize it was the first time the species had been spotted in Alaska.
"When we first spotted it, it sort of looked like a yellow-rumped warbler, but then we started to notice its behavior was different, and it had a longer beak," Schaller said. "We started realizing that this was something new."
It's surprising to hear about the species in Alaska: The yellow-throated warbler usually spends summers in the Midwest and winters as far south as Cuba and the Dominican Republic.
Sunday, 27 September 2015
PUBLISHED: 19:36, Tue, Sep 22, 2015 | UPDATED: 19:59, Tue, Sep 22, 2015Suspected to be an Acadian flycatcher from North America, the historic landing on the beach at Dungeness in Kent is about to spark the biggest mass gathering of twitchers in years.
Thousands of twitchers are expected to descend on the south easterly tip of the country overnight to catch a sight of the small robin-sized bird that should, by rights, be basking in the tropical forests of Panama or Colombia.
Somehow it has been caught up in a fast-moving Atlantic weather system that has taken it from its nesting grounds in eastern USA to the famous gravel headland overlooking the English Channel.
Dungeness is renowned for its huge nuclear plant as well as being the backdrop of music videos and atmospheric crime dramas.
Prothonotary Warblers are stunningly beautiful and highly migratory birds closely tied to their preferred breeding habitat: swamps and other forested wetlands in the eastern United States. Scientists have noted that Prothonotary Warbler populations have experienced precipitous declines in recent years, prompting new research investigating the little known migratory behavior of this remarkable bird. As part of this effort, researchers from the U.S. Forest Service Pacific Southwest Research Station, Klamath Bird Observatory, Louisiana Bird Observatory, and Audubon Louisiana attached several geolocators—ultra-lightweight devices that record the time of sunrise and sunset each day—using a back-pack harness on several Prothonotary Warblers to identify their migratory routes and core wintering areas. The information collected by each geolocator was used to estimate the daily longitude and latitude of the bird.
The European commission has referred Malta to the EU’s top court over the controversial tradition of hunting birds migrating across the Mediterranean every spring, officials have said.
Malta has been at odds with Brussels for years over the issue. Critics of the practice say it is cruel as birds are killed before they can breed, but supporters defend it as a longstanding custom.
“The European commission is referring Malta to the court of justice of theEuropean Union over its decision to allow finch trapping on its territory as of 2014,” the commission, the executive body of the 28-member EU, said.
The European court of justice found Malta guilty in 2009 of permitting the hunting of birds during their return from Africa to breeding grounds in Europe, before they had a chance to reproduce.
But while spring hunting is outlawed by the EU birds directive, Malta applies yearly for a short period of exemption. Maltese voters also narrowly approved the continuation of the hunts in a referendum in April.
The European commission said the yearly exemptions should be used “judiciously, with small numbers and strict supervision” but added that “these conditions have not been met in this case”.
Friday, 25 September 2015
The spoonbill species is of European conservation concern and a very rare breeding bird in the UK
The single bird is an easy spot being pure white and mixing with Canada Geese and Black Tailed Godwits as well as any number of assorted duck species. The Spoonbill is one of those birds who's name is descriptive of the birds features, its bill is shaped like a spoon which it uses with elegant sideward sweeps of their bill catching all sorts of small mud dwelling creatures.
RSPB experts say in the breeding season adults show some yellow on their breast and bill tip.
A new bird species - the red-flanked bluetail (Tarsiger cyanurus) - has been observed in Latvia, ornithologists told LSM's Latvian news website on Friday.
The portal latvijasputni.lv announced that on September 25 Dmitrijs Boiko, an ornithologist at the Latvian Natural History Museum, has caught a member of the new species in a net with the intention to ring it.
This find marks the 362nd bird species that has been found to be in Latvia, according to Kārlis Millers of the Latvian Bird Fund.
According to Wikipedia, the red-flanked bluetail is a species that breeds in mixed coniferous forest with undergrowth in northern Asia and northeastern Europe, from east Finland across Siberia to Kamchatka and south to Japan. It winters mainly in southeastern Asia.
Update from KSU below – A rare Egyptian Vulture (Avultun Abjad), nick-named Tobia, from a conservation reintroduction programme in Italy, spent last night on Malta being guarded by BirdLife Malta and the Police.
Tobia was born on 17the of June this year in captivity, before being released into the wild in Calabria, Italy, earlier this month. He is satellite tagged, meaning that the programme can track his every move. He left Calabria on 18th of September, and arrived on Malta yesterday afternoon.
Nicholas Barbara, BirdLife Malta Conservation Manager, said, “Egyptian Vultures are incredible birds, and very rare visitors to Malta. It is fantastic to see them here; however it is a sad reflection of the situation on our islands that when birds like this arrive they have to be guarded by the police. Rare birds are prized by some hunters, Tobia managed to leave safely but just a few days ago 2 spoonbills were not so lucky.”
Thursday, 24 September 2015
Hundreds of hungry and exhausted seabirds are continuing to flood a Fairfield bird rescue center because of rising sea temperatures, leaving the center strapped for resources and volunteers.
Over the last few weeks, more than 250 mostly young, starving common murre chicks have arrived at the International Bird Rescue's San Francisco Bay Center, according to the nonprofit's spokesman Russ Curtis.
"Most of them are starving," Curtis said. "Their weight is way down, their body temperatures are low, and they're mostly feather and bone, which is not good for a young bird that needs lots of calories."
About 10 to 12 common murres on average are being delivered daily to the center from all over Northern California, but predominantly from the Monterey, Santa Cruz, San Mateo, and Marin areas. The number of birds being delivered to the rescue center daily is the number that usually comes over the entirety of a month, center officials said.
RSPB Scotland has today welcomed the decision by the planning committee of Dumfries and Galloway Council to reject proposals for the Spango wind farm.
The plans by Community Windpower Ltd for a wind farm 4km north of Sanquhar, threatened to damage an internationally important wildlife site. The proposed 14 turbines would have been located on part of the Muirkirk and North Lowther Uplands Special Protection Area (SPA), which is designated for its importance for species such as hen harrier, peregrine, merlin, short-eared owl and golden plover.
Planners at Dumfries and Galloway Council had recommended refusal for the proposal following a number of outstanding objections, including objections from RSPB Scotland and Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH).
Every day for sixty million years, seabirds have performed mind-boggling acts of derring-do: circumnavigating the globe without rest, diving more than 200 meters in treacherous seas for a bite of lunch, braving the most unpredictable weather on the planet as if it were just another Tuesday and finding their way home in waters with few, if any, landmarks.
But now seabirds, like so many other species, may have met their match.
Conservationists have long known that many seabird populations are in decline, but a recent paper in PLOS ONE finds the situation worse than anticipated. According to the researchers, seabird abundance has dropped 69.7% in just 60 years – representing the deaths of some 230 million animals.
“I was very surprised with the result, it was considerably greater than I’d expected,” said Edd Hammill, co-author of the paper, with Utah State University. “What we should take away from this is that something is serious amiss in the oceans.”
Ben Lascelles, a Senior Marine Officer with Birdlife International, who was not involved in the study, said he found the research alarming because the decline appeared practically indiscriminate, hitting a “large number of species across a number of families.”
Seabirds, which include any bird that depends largely on the marine environment, comprise nearly 350 species worldwide – an astonishing variety of extreme-loving birds. For example, the indefatigable wandering albatross, which sports the largest wingspan on the planet; the child-sized Emperor penguin, the only bird that breeds during the Antarctic winter; and the tiny storm petrel that practically capers on the water as it feeds – they are named for St. Peter after all.
Summary:A reduced fear of humans can be the driving force behind the characteristics that have developed since wild animals became domesticated, according to research by ethologists at Linköping University (LiU).
About 8,000 years ago we began to domesticate animals -- a process that fundamentally changed the way animals and people live. Domesticated animals of today have characteristics that distinguish them from their wild ancestors, including size, colour, reproduction and behaviour.
In a fresh study the LiU researchers show that many of these changes can have been driven by a simple fact: the animal populations that humans selected to domesticate grew increasingly tame. The study is now published in Biology Letters.
The researchers used a population of red junglefowl (Gallus gallus), the wild ancestor of all domesticated fowl. For five generations they selected animals with a congenital reduced fear of humans, and bred their offspring. For comparison, they also bred a separate line from the fowl that were most fearful of humans.
Tuesday, 22 September 2015
Summary: North Americans might be seeing new species of birds in certain areas of the continent in the near future. According to research, Eurasian birds are beginning to develop a presence on our continent, which could end up having a negative effect on native species.
Vladimir Dinets, research assistant professor of psychology, recently published a paper in the Journal of Field Ornithologyexamining the threats of global warming and its effects on wild animals. The warming climate is allowing various species in North America and Eurasia to get closer to, and even cross, the Bering Strait, a natural barrier only 50 miles wide. Birds from Eurasia, in particular, are crossing into North America.
Dinets, who has traveled extensively on both sides of the Bering Strait, notes that in the past 20 years, the vegetation of the region has changed dramatically. What used to be hundreds of miles of open tundra is now dense shrubland. And more southern bird species use this change to colonize new areas. For example, the savanna sparrow has recently begun breeding in Siberia, while the great spotted woodpecker has made it to Alaska for the first time.
Summary:Genetic diversity is essential for a species to be able to adapt to environmental change, and when a population is divided into small, isolated fragments, that can spell trouble. To determine whether the genetic diversity of Northern California's fringe population of sage-grouse is suffering as a result of habitat loss, researchers spent three years collecting blood samples from birds on their breeding grounds.
There were few winners from the death of coal mining in northern England in the 1980s, which saw thousands of jobs lost and disused collieries and factories allowed to turn into wasteland.
One winner, however, was the willow tit, a tough little northern bird just about managing to survive its own battle against extinction by making the region’s post-industrial landscapes its home.
The willow tit, with its puffed-out grey chest and sooty-black cap, has seen its population decline by more than 80 per cent over the past 50 years and around 3,500 pairs are now all that remain in Britain.
They live almost exclusively in the marshy scrubland that has taken over the old mining and manufacturing sites in Lancashire, South Yorkshire and the Midlands that closed during the Thatcher years.
But now the feisty birds – a “red listed” species because they are so at risk – are under threat again as part of plans by the Government to make it easier for developers to build on disused industrial sites.
Conservationists fear that moves to build thousands of new homes could sound the final death knell for the willow tit. They say the birds’ plight needs to be considered carefully before the bulldozers start to roll.
Summary: The authors monitored the social and foraging behaviors of wild flocks of house finches, a common backyard songbird, and the spread of a naturally-occurring bird disease called Mycoplasmal conjunctivitis, which is similar to "pink eye" in humans but cannot be contracted by humans.
Sunday, 20 September 2015
BirdLife Malta ‘confirms’ shot protected birds during the first two weeks of autumn hunting
15 September 2015, 9:45am
At least three Honey Buzzards were shot leaving one injured and two dead, during the first two weeks of the autumn hunting season, BirdLife Malta said.
Injured Honey Buzzard (Photo: BirdLife Malta)
The news comes as Kaccaturi San Ubertu issued a statement reminding hunters of the 7pm hunting curfew as from today until 7 October. It also warned that it will not tolerate any abuse.
“BirdLife Malta has confirmed that it has received its first shot protected bird for this year’s autumn hunting season. [Yesterday] afternoon BirdLife Malta’s staff recovered an injured Honey Buzzard from a field in Siggiewi after it was alerted by a member of public,” BirdLife said.
An X-ray image revealed nine pellets in the bird’s body and a fracture to its left wing. The bird has been passed over to the ALE for rehabilitation.
Feathers have been ruffled by a noisy cockerel in an East Riding town - leading to demands for a ban on the birds in built-up areas.
More than 20 residents have in Brough signed a petition over the cockerel at a house on Wold View and its “annoying” screeches.
Although already subject to a ‘bird ASBO’ - it only supposed to be allowed out at 9am weekdays and 10am at the weekend - neighbour Martin Credland told East Riding councillors that as he was leaving home this morning “it was giving ten bells.”
East Riding Council launched an investigation after Mr Credland complained six months ago.
Sound equipment was installed in his house and an officer visited several times to take noise readings - but they concluded a wood pigeon they had picked up on the recording was even noisier.
But Mr Credland insisted today wood pigeons were the “norm” and cockerels were “not native and not acceptable in the neighbourhood.”
Mr Credland, who is also chairman of Elloughton cum Brough town council, said: “When we bought the house 18 years ago the wood pigeons were part of it. The cockerel has a different noise and tone, it’s more annoying.
“The council came to an agreement with them which they don’t 100 per cent adhere to, it has been breached many times.
Friday, 18 September 2015
HYDERABAD: The Telangana government has banned the display of the State bird, Palapitta at temples during Dasara festival. In a recent notice issued to all temples across the state, the Endowment Commissioner warned of strict action against defaulters.
In Telangana, Palapittas are believed to bring luck when seen on the eve of Dasara festival. Every year, innumerous birds would be captured by poachers and displayed at temples. Often, the birds would be treated inhumanly in this process.
In a press release, the Humane Society of India, an organisation that works for protection of animals, stated that poachers typically capture the birds a month before the festival. They tie the legs of birds with a thread, trim their wings and stick them with glue to prevent them from flying. The birds are usually starved till the day of Dasara and kept in small cages for public viewing. Most of these birds die in captivity or immediately after being released.
Scientists are looking for ways to help protect these animals, but that can be hard since many birds spend half the year traveling.
"We can't even begin to understand how the various factors come into play to cause the declines we are seeing," said Kristen Ruegg, a research biologist with UCLA.
As part of a new research effort called the UCLA Bird Genoscape Project, announced Wednesday, Ruegg and a team of researchers will create maps showing where specific sub-populations of birds go as they migrate.
They started with the Wilson's Warbler, a song bird found in various parts of North America.
They used a new method of genome analysis to identify signature traits of various sub-groups of Wilson's warblers.
They then took DNA samples of various warblers across North America and used that to trace each bird back to its home population.
The RSPB's Rupert Masefield tells how there's a new advocate working to help an endangered bird clinging on here.
When I'm not at work, I like to spend as much of my free time as possible exploring the countryside around East Anglia and I feel privileged to have had some pretty special (in my view) wildlife experiences: seeing and listening to singing skylarks soaring above farmland, and watching reed warblers flitting back and forth from their nest deep in the reeds while I paddled past in my canoe this summer.
But my forays into the countryside in search of nature this summer have also brought disappointment. This year, I haven't seen or heard a single solitary turtle dove, let alone two of them. And this is a bird that used to fill the countryside with its colourful appearance and soothing call.
Admittedly, I haven't made a special trip to one of the few remaining sites where there are known to be turtle doves breeding, but isn't it worrying that I should have to make such an effort to see a bird that 50 years ago bred here in its hundreds of thousands?
Thursday, 17 September 2015
The Government were accused of a U-turn after ministers promised there would be no 'fracking' on sensitive environmental sites, but then offered as many as 60 key wildlife sites across the West to gas companies to look for shale gas.
The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds launched a fierce attack on Conservative environment secretary Amber Rudd yesterday, accusing her of backtracking on a promise, after they looked carefully at the possible exploration licences put up for grabs around the West.
The RSPB said it has identified more than 60 of the region's important wildlife sites that it said are at risk from fracking, mainly in Gloucestershire, Somerset, Wiltshire and Dorset.
The Society said at least 66 Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs) in the South West have been included in the 159 oil and gas licences that the Government have offered to energy companies to date.
Bad weather last week might have kept boats and two-legged visitors away from the Isle of May but the nature reserve staff have been welcoming some rare feathered travellers.
As well as some common migrant birds, the arrival of a juvenile Honey Buzzard was the first to cause a flutter of excitement. Only the seventh to be recorded on the island, it did not stay long and soon headed for the Lothian coastline.
However, on Monday the eagle-eyed staff spotted a Red-footed Falcon, the first to be seen since 1973 and only the third recorded on the May.
A bird expert at Blackpool Zoo is about to embark on an international expedition to help protect one of the world’s rarest birds.
Zoo keeper Johnpaul Houston will be joining scientists from all over the world on the trip which aims to protect they rare scaly-sided merganser.
The expedition is the start of a 10-year project, which aims to create an International Single Species Action Plan – a joined up approach to protecting migratory species, which span many countries and cultures.
Johnpaul will travel to eastern Russia and the Lazovsky State Nature Reserve, which is also one of the last strongholds of the Amur tiger and the Amur leopard, as part of the project to protect the rarebirds breeding sites and wintering location.
He said: “I feel incredibly honoured to have been invited to take part in this expedition.
“As part of my work on this project Blackpool Zoo will be named on the project for the next 10 years, an involvement in which is exceptionally rare.”
Analyzing fossils of birds found in the Talara tar seeps of northwestern Peru, researchers have found that the desert region most likely was once a grassy landscape bustling with life.
The bird fossils, dating back to the late Pleistocene epoch of around 15,000 years ago, were recovered from tar seeps—places in the land where natural tar bubbles up from beneath the Earth’s surface—in the Talara desert. The birds would have mistakenly landed on the inky ooze, which was camouflaged by water or dust, and sunk to their death.
The researchers recovered 625 bird fossils from 21 different species, a few of which are now extinct.
“It suggests that not all that long ago, the neotropics [the tropical zone of the Americas and temperate zone of South America] had more songbird species than even today," study author Jessica Oswald, a postdoctoral researcher at Louisiana State University, told Live Science, adding that that’s pretty impressive, given that the neotropics have more songbird species than anywhere else even today.
Tuesday, 15 September 2015
Summary: Humans are extremely choosy when it comes to mating, only settling down after a long screening process involving nervous flirtations, awkward dates, humiliating rejections and the occasional lucky strike. But evolution is an unforgiving force -- isn't this choosiness rather a costly waste of time and energy when we should just be 'going forth and multiplying?' What, if anything, is the evolutionary point of it all? A new study may have the answer.
Summary: The devastating impact has been revealed of illegal logging on bird communities in the understory layer of Ghana's Upper Guinea rain forests, one of the world's 25 "biodiversity hotspots" where the most biologically rich ecosystems are most threatened.
Summary: Birds stopping for a break during their grueling migratory flights face a difficult tradeoff: They need to fuel up with food as efficiently as possible, but they need to avoid predators while they do it. To learn more about how they make choices about food availability and predator risk, researchers spent two years capturing birds during fall migration along the coast of Maine. | {
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BioIntelligence Symposium 2014
Please do not forget your ID card to access the Institut Pasteur, it is mandatory.
Institut Pasteur
28 Rue du Docteur Roux
75015 Paris
By Metro or Bus:
By Metro: Get off at either Volontaires (line 12) or Pasteur (lines 6 and 12) station. These stations are just a 5 minutes walk from the Institut Pasteur. Be Careful! Pasteur Station will be closed on the line 6 but still reachable with the line 12.
From Paris airports:
The journey from Paris airports to the Institut Pasteur takes from 45 minutes (if you are coming from Orly airport) to 90 minutes (if you are coming from Roissy-Charles de Gaulle airport)
Different routes are possible from Orly airport:
By Orlyval, you must buy a special ticket to travel between Paris and Orly via Antony which is valid throughout the metro and RER networks. At the Antony RER station, take RER line B to Denfert-Rochereau station. Then take line 6 to Pasteur station.
By Orlybus, you must also buy a special ticket to travel by bus between Paris (Terminus at Denfert-Rochereau) and Orly. From Denfert-Rochereau take the metro (line 6 direction Charles de Gaulle - Etoile) to Pasteur station.
You can take the Air France bus to Paris-Montparnasse. You can either walk about 15 minutes or take the metro (line number 6 direction Charles de Gaulle - Etoile) to get from Montparnasse-Bienvenue station to Pasteur station.
An Orlyrail shuttle will also take you to the RER C (Aéroport d’Orly station)
Finally, the Jetbus will take you to the Villejuif-Aragon metro station, terminus of line 7.
Different routes are possible from Roissy – Charles de Gaulle airport:
Cars Air France:
CdG - Porte Maillot - Arc de Triomphe
CdG - Gare de Lyon - Gare Montparnasse
Metro/RER:
Go to the RER station at the airport accessible from terminals 1 or 2, or use the free Aéroports de Paris shuttles if your flight lands at the other terminals. Take the RER B to Denfert-Rochereau. Then take line 6 to Pasteur station. By Roissybus This bus goes from the airport to rue Scribe, near place de l’Opéra. Tickets are on sale at line terminus, in the airports and on board buses.
By train, from Paris' main SNCF stations:
Paris has several SNCF (railway) stations. Below are the routes by metro between the Institut Pasteur and the main stations.
Montparnasse station
This is the closest station to the Institut Pasteur. You can either walk about 15 minutes or take line 6 to Pasteur station.
Saint Lazare station
Take line 12 to Pasteur station (about 20 minutes)
Gare de Lyon station
Take line 14 to Bercy station. Change to line 6 to Pasteur station. Journey time is roughly 35 minutes.
Austerlitz station
Take line 5 to Place d’Italie. Change to line 6 to Pasteur station. Journey time is roughly 30 minutes.
Gare de l’Est station
Take line 4 to Raspail station. Then change to line 6 to Pasteur station. Journey time is roughly 35 minutes.
Gare du Nord station
Take the RER B to Denfert-Rochereau. Change and take line 6 to Pasteur station. Journey time is roughly 35 minutes. | {
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A timeless match is a match that was amazing to watch when it took place and will always be amazing to watch no matter what year it is. A dated match is one that was incredible to watch then but doesn't carry that same excitement now.
The story of the winner becoming champion really added to the drama of the match as all 30 men were vying for the title.
The match itself was flawless in execution and they really delivered in all aspects of the match and the result was Owen Hart's skyrocket to the top tier of the company.
Steamboat and Flair entered a feud, seemly due to their class of lifestyles clashing, Flair the flamboyant Playboy and Steamboat, the traditional family man, there life styles may have clashed, but the quality of their wrestling ability was second to none.
At 1992 Royal Rumble, Ric Flair won his first ever WWF World Championship, when he won the vacant title by winning the 30-Man Royal Rumble.
Flair entered the Rumble as number 2, the final 4 men were Randy Savage, Hulk Hogan and Sid Justice.
As footage from their Chi-Town Rumble match is shown, Flair says that it would normally take them 15-20 minutes just to get things really rolling in their matches.
While many believe that their latter two matches (Clash 6 and WrestleWar) were the better of the three, a lot of people believe that Chi-Town Rumble is the best and its omission is the only downside of the Steamboat chapter .especially since Ricky Steamboat won the NWA Title from Ric Flair that night in Chicago.
The only true gripe that I have with this chapter is the fact that it’s missing their first encounter at the Chi-Town Rumble where Steamboat won the NWA Title from Flair to begin with.
I recited in the Ghetto some of his poems in many meetings and small performances organized in order to collect some money for starving inhabitants of our houses, streets and for refugees expelled from their small towns, whose number was rising tragically every day.
Some part of his poetry he, Szlengel, hid in a double tabletop, which after nearly 20 years was found by a Pole in Jozefow (a small town near Warszawa) who was chopping this table probably for winter fuel...
Fans are treated to several great matches between the two over the next four months with Steamboat winning the title at the February Chi-Town Rumble, a classic best two out of three falls match at an April Clash of Champions show, and Flair regaining the title in May at the WrestleWar pay per view.
The show ends with Flair being attacked by Terry Funk, who was one of the ringside judges.
Mesi, along with father and co-manager Jack Mesi, denied any notion the undefeated Town of Tonawanda heavyweight suffered bleeding in his brain during his March 13 bout with Vassiliy Jirov in Las Vegas.
(APR 24) Michael Sprott, the journeyman fighter who surprised Danny Williams to win the British and Commonwealth heavyweight titles earlier this year, sets out his first defence tonight, in his home town of Reading.
WESTMORLAND — The Rumble in the Desert novice boxing exhibition sponsored by the Westmorland Police Activities League and Boxing Against Drugs boxing club will be at 5 p.m.
Given Steamboat’s victory over the champion, the logical step was for the two to compete in a title match, which was promptly set for the Chi-Town Rumble in February.
Sure enough, by the end of the match, not only had Steamboat avenged Flair with a fantastic performance (especially considering how long he’d been out of wrestling for!), but he had managed to pin the heavyweight champion of the world.
In the run up to the match, the rivalry cemented its potential to go down as one of the best ever by introducing a great storyline to back the splendid in ring action. | {
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It is hereby declared to be the public policy of the
City of Oswego to preserve, protect and improve its environment and
its air, land and water resources in order to promote the health,
safety, welfare and comfort of the inhabitants of the city.
The improper disposal of industrial and chemical wastes
and other hazardous substances is resulting in an adverse impact on
the health, safety and welfare of the people of the City of Oswego.
The need for safe and environmentally sound waste management is especially
acute with regard to the incineration or disposal, by burning or by
other means, of such wastes.
Any sudden, unexpected or unforeseen condition which poses
an immediate threat to the public health, safety or welfare as to
require immediate action or a condition which is reasonably believed
to require immediate action to enforce the provisions and regulations
of this Article.
Any waste or combination of wastes which poses a present
or potential hazard to the health and welfare of humans, living organisms
or the environment. It includes, but is not limited to, those materials
listed in the current 49 CFR 172.
The presence in the environment of one (1) or more conditions
or air contaminants formed as a result of a waste disposal process,
which are in quantities which are or may be injurious to the public
health, safety and welfare and interfere with the comfortable enjoyment
of life and property.
Any privately owned building, premises, equipment or other
property used for the storage, containment, processing and disposal
of wastes. Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, this
term shall include privately owned and operated incinerators and similar
disposal facilities.
Permit required. No person shall establish or operate
any facility for any method of waste and hazardous waste processing
and disposal without having first obtained a permit from the Common
Council in accordance with the provisions of this section.
A person shall be in violation of this Article if
he allows property or land under his control to be used for the disposal
of any waste, hazardous waste or containers for such wastes unless
permission for such use has been granted by the Common Council.
A person shall be in violation of this Article if
he permits or causes the release of toxic pollutants or toxic substances
of any kind at any waste disposal facility or upon property or land
under his control or occupation.
Compliance with all regulations required. As of December
31, 1980, no person shall construct, operate or cause to be used any
waste disposal facility unless it is capable of being operated in
full compliance with the provisions of this Article, in addition to
the applicable federal and state regulations. The application for
a permit and the permit itself shall both clearly state this condition.
Where an environmental quality review is or shall
be required by any federal, state or local law, the applicant shall
furnish all the necessary information and bear the expense of preparation
of any environmental impact statement.
The City Engineer shall review and consider all permit
applications submitted to the Common Council for the operation of
waste disposal facilities and, after consideration, recommend, with
documentation, to the Common Council that a permit be granted or denied.
The Common Council shall issue a permit if, after
such review and consideration of the City Engineer's report, it determines
that such a facility will be in compliance with the standards and
requirements of this Article.
The issuance of any permit shall be contingent upon
the applicant furnishing to the city a bond or other security in the
amount of five hundred thousand dollars ($500,000.), naming the City
of Oswego as obligee. The condition of the bond or security shall
be that, if the principal fails to comply with any of the provisions
of this Article or for any reason ceases to operate or abandons the
disposal facility, the obligor and the sureties on the bond or security
shall reimburse the city, to the extent of the bond or security, for
any and all expenses incurred in restoring or dismantling the facility.
Unless otherwise provided by the Common Council, any
permit issued shall be valid for one (1) year, with provision for
renewal. The application for renewal shall contain a statement of
any changes in the information submitted in the last approved permit
application and shall be made, in writing, to the Common Council at
least thirty (30) days in advance of the expiration of the permit.
If the permit is not renewed, the applicant shall be notified, in
writing, of the reasons therefor.
No
such permit shall be granted to or renewed for an applicant who is
in violation of any City of Oswego code, ordinance or local law (hereinafter
"violations") or who owes property taxes, water or sewer fees, special
assessments, fines for violations of City ordinances or any other
fees or past due monies of any name or nature owed to the City of
Oswego (hereinafter "unpaid monies").
In the event that the applicant has accrued violations or unpaid
monies, such permit or renewal thereof shall be denied regardless
of whether such violations or unpaid monies relate to a parcel of
real property for which the application is made or another parcel
owned by applicant or are personal to the applicant.
In the event that the applicant has accrued violations or unpaid
monies, such permit or renewal thereof shall be denied regardless
of whether such violations or unpaid monies occurred or accrued before
the effective date of this local law.
Such permit, once granted, shall be revoked in the event that
the applicant accrues violations or unpaid monies, or violations or
unpaid monies are discovered, after the permit is granted. The revocation
shall take effect five business days after receipt by the permit holder
of notice from the City of Oswego of the pending revocation. Upon
such revocation, all permitted activities and privileges shall immediately
cease.
The applicant must reapply for the issuance of such revoked
permit by submitting a new application and paying all necessary application
fees, and any such permitted activities or privileges may only be
resumed once a new permit has been granted.
All requirements set forth herein shall also apply to nonperson
entities and such permit or renewal thereof shall be denied to an
entity, or revoked, if a person with a substantial interest in such
entity owes such unpaid monies or has accrued such violations. A "person
with a substantial interest" shall mean an ownership interest of more
than 10% of, membership on the governing board of, holding an office
in or holding the ability to cast or control more than 10% of the
votes in such entity.
Notwithstanding the provisions contained in this section to the contrary,
when in the opinion of the Director of Code Enforcement the issuance
of a permit is necessary to prevent harm to life, safety, or the general
welfare of the public, the Director of Code Enforcement shall be authorized
to issue said permit for the sole and exclusive purpose of bringing
such violations into compliance with the Code of the City of Oswego.
Nothing contained herein shall relieve the property owner from complying
with all other applicable sections of the Code including, without
limitation, the provisions contained in this section.
No person shall construct or operate any disposal
facility which will emit more than five (5) grains per one hundred
(100) SCF of particulate matter and which cannot comply with the ambient
air quality standards for New York, as set forth in the New York Codes,
Rules and Regulations.
It shall be a violation of this Article to operate any waste disposal facility in such a manner as to allow the emission into the atmosphere of any air contaminants and particulate matter in excess of that allowed by Subsection A or in such quantity as may be detrimental to any person or the public or endangers the health, safety and welfare of the members of the community or which causes or has a tendency to cause damage to property or business.
The operation of any waste disposal facility equipped
with any type of air-cleaning device or other pollution control equipment
shall be conditioned upon demonstration and approval of a system for
treatment of pollutants and contaminants withdrawn by that equipment.
No person shall cause, permit or allow any waste or
hazardous substance to be handled, transported, stored, incinerated
or disposed of in any manner which allows or causes such waste material
to leach, leak, run off or enter the land or surrounding waters or
waterways, or both.
Records shall be kept of the receipt and disposal
of each barrel. These shall include the date of receipt and disposition,
the name and address of the generator of the waste and a complete
description of the contents of said barrel or container.
All waste material must be subjected to complete chemical
and physical quantitative and qualitative analysis before it is disposed
of, and a record of such analyses shall be kept available for inspection
by the City Engineer or his representative.
All employees of the disposal facility are to be instructed
in the proper inspection procedure and cleanup techniques on no less
than an annual basis, and records of such instruction shall be made
available to the City Engineer or his representative when the facility
is operating and at any other reasonable time.
The owner of any waste disposal facility may be, required
to conduct emission tests and submit written reports of measured emissions
during start-up and at regular intervals thereafter. The cost of such
testing shall be borne by the home owner of the disposal facility.
For the purpose of determining compliance with
the provisions of this Article, the owner, operator or authorized
representative of any waste disposal facility shall, upon request,
grant free access for inspection by the City Engineer or his authorized
representative.
Before undertaking such an inspection, the Engineer
or his authorized representative shall present to the owner, operator
or agent in charge of the facility appropriate credentials and a written
statement as to the reason for the inspection.
When a malfunction or emergency situation at any disposal
facility occurs which creates emissions which exceed any of the provisions
of this Article or any of the applicable state and federal regulations,
the owner and/or operator of the facility shall immediately notify,
by telephone, the following:
If, after having received such notice, the City Engineer
finds that continued operation of the disposal facility is contributing
to pollution of the air or water, or both, of the city and that such
pollution poses a danger to the public health, welfare and safety,
he shall order the facility to cease operation.
Such an order must be complied with immediately, and,
upon issuance of such an order, the Common Council, if requested by
the party affected by the order, shall schedule a hearing on the matter
within five (5) days.
Any person who knowingly violates the provision of
this Article shall be subject to a fine of one hundred dollars ($100.)
or to imprisonment for a period not to exceed three (3) months, or
both. Each day of violation shall constitute a separate offense.
Action pursuant to Subsection A shall not be a bar to enforcement of this Article by injunction or other appropriate remedy. The City Attorney shall have the power to institute and maintain any and all enforcement proceedings.
Nothing in this Article shall be construed to abridge
or limit the right of any person to damages or other relief or account
of injury to person or property and to maintain any appropriate action
or proceeding therefor.
Any permit granted under the provisions of this Article
may be suspended for not longer than sixty (60) days for violation
of any provision of this Article or whenever, in the written and documented
opinion of the Common Council, the New York Department of Public Health
or the New York Department of Environmental Conservation, the continued
operation of any waste disposal facility would endanger the health,
welfare or safety of the public. The notice of suspension may be served
upon the owner personally or by leaving a copy at the facility with
the person in charge.
Any permit may be revoked at any time for violation
of any provision of this Article. Revocation may occur only after
the Common Council has held a public hearing at which the owner and
other persons interested in the facility shall have had the right
to be heard.
In the case of a suspension, upon written notification
from the owner that all violations for which the suspension was invoked
have been corrected, the City Engineer or his authorized representatives
shall inspect the disposal facility within five (5) working days after
receipt of the notice. If it is determined from this inspection that
the violations have been corrected, the Common Council shall immediately
terminate the suspension by written notice to the owner.
If any court of competent jurisdiction shall adjudge
any provision of this Article to be invalid, such judgment shall not
affect any other provisions of this Article not specifically included
in the judgment.
If any court of competent jurisdiction shall adjudge
invalid the application of any provision of this Article to a particular
structure, site, facility or operation, such judgment shall not affect
the application of the provisions in question to any other structure,
site, facility or operation not specifically included in the judgment.
Where the conditions imposed by any provision of this
Article are more restrictive than comparable conditions imposed by
any other applicable law, ordinance, rule or regulation, the provision
which establishes the higher standards for the promotion and protection
of the public health, safety and general welfare shall prevail.
For purposes of protecting and providing for
the public health, safety and welfare, the governing body may impose
additional requirements for the operation of waste disposal facilities,
consistent with the intent of this Article.
Any individual, association, partnership, firm or corporation
in any business dealing with construction or the collection of junk;
and any individual, association, partnership, firm or corporation
which owns a truck which is not licensed for refuse collection.
Any individual, association, partnership, firm or corporation
who owns, controls or operates motor vehicles with the intention to
haul waste for a fee and operates a vehicle with a gross weight in
excess of 18,000 pounds.
Any individual, association, partnership, firm or corporation
who owns, controls or operates motor vehicles with the intention to
haul waste for a fee and operates a vehicle with a gross weight under
18.000 pounds.
The owner, agent, lessee, tenant, occupant or other person
who manages or controls a building, house or lot who or which causes,
creates or contributes to the origination of refuse or who is responsible
for its storage, removal or disposal.
Waste collection shall comply in every detail
to the standards set forth in this Article and with all applicable
county, state and national laws. No person shall engage in any form
of waste collection operation without obtaining a license from the
Common Council.
It shall be unlawful for any person to dump,
place, deposit or permit to be deposited upon any public or private
property, or upon any street, sidewalk or other public place in the
City of Oswego, any garbage, ashes, rubbish, yard wastes, building
debris or other objectionable wastes, except as hereinafter provided.
No person shall make or assist in the making of any
fire for the burning of any waste product refuse of any kind, including,
but not limited to, garbage, paper, paper products, cartons, tree
trimmings, leaves, brush and lawn or garden debris of any kind, at
any time in any public street or public place within the City of Oswego.
No person shall conduct on-site open burning of rubbish
generated by residential activities, including, but not limited to,
garbage, rubbish, paper, paper products, cartons, tree trimmings,
leaves, brush and lawn or garden debris of any kind at any time or
any place, including his own property, within the limits of the City
of Oswego.
All residents who utilize the county landfill for
the disposition of their own solid wastes must obtain an annual sticker
or punch card issued in accordance with the rules promulgated by the
Oswego County Department of Public Works, Solid Waste Division.
Licenses required. No collector shall collect any
solid wastes within the City or transport any solid wastes over the
streets of the City without having first obtaining a license from
the City Clerk. Solid wastes originating from the collector’s
own property shall be excluded from the licensing requirements.
Collector’s application for a license. All applications
for a collector’s license shall be in writing and shall contain
such information as the Common Council shall require and shall be
verified by the applicant. Applications for a license shall be obtained
at the office of the City Clerk on forms provided by said office.
The applicant shall file with his application a certificate or affidavit
of insurance as hereinafter set forth and shall play the required
license fee. Upon receipt of such application properly executed, the
City Clerk shall refer the same to the Common Council for its approval
before issuing the license.
Insurance. The certificate or affidavit to be filed
with the application shall be executed by the representatives of a
duly qualified insurance company evidencing that said insurance company
has issued liability and property damage insurance policies covering
the following:
The certificate or affidavit shall specifically evidence
the following amounts of insurance coverage which shall remain in
effect for the term of the license, name the City of Oswego as additional
insured and shall provide that written notice be given to the City
Clerk 30 days prior to any change in the conditions of the certificate
or expiration or cancellation thereof:
Upon notice from the City Clerk that an application
has been received, the Common Council shall make or cause to be made
an inspection by the Police Chief, or his designee, to determine that
all New York State inspection requirements have been complied with
and in addition to any and all requirements contained the Solid Waste
Collection Ordinance; and if the same meets the requirements herein
specified, the Common Council shall file its approval with the City
Clerk.
Additional inspections or investigations of equipment
and operations may be made from time to tin at the discretion of the
Police Chief. A violation of the conditions of this article may result
in a fine and/or a revocation of the applicant's license as may be
determined by the Common Council.
Issuance of license. Upon receipt of approval from
the Common Council, the filing of the proper certificates and affidavits
of insurance and the payment of the license fee, the City Clerk shall
thereupon issue the applicant a license. All licenses shall expire
on December 31 following the date of issue.
Renewal of license. Renewal licenses shall be issued
in the same manner and subject to the same conditions as original
licenses and also shall be subject to any additional requirements
in effect at the time of application for renewal.
Issuance of duplicate licenses. Whenever proof by
means of a sworn affidavit shall be submitted to the City Clerk that
a license issued for the purpose set forth in this article has been
lost or destroyed, the City Clerk may, upon payment of $5 by the applicant,
issue a new license in lieu of the one that has been lost or destroyed.
Revocation of license. Upon receipt of three or more
complaints against a licensee, the Common Council, after a hearing,
shall have the power to suspend or revoke a license granted or renewed
pursuant to this article for violation of any part of this article
or any applicable rules, regulations, codes or ordinances relating
to the collection, handling, hauling or disposal of solid wastes.
Condition of vehicles. All vehicles used in the transportation
of solid wastes within the City shall be kept in a sanitary condition
and shall be so constructed so as to prevent leakage in transit. The
body of the truck shall be wholly enclosed or shall at all times be
kept covered with an adequate cover. Loading of vehicles shall be
done in such a manner as to prevent spilling or loss of contents.
Frequency of collections. Collection of solid wastes
from private residences shall be made not less than once a week. All
acceptable wastes in approved containers placed out for collection
shall be collected at each pickup. Collections of garbage from stores,
hotels, restaurants, clubs, boardinghouses or other commercial establishments
must be made on a regular schedule.
Pickup service. Each waste collection licensee hereunder
shall provide an adequate and prompt response to all complaints from
patrons on missed service and improper handling and shall promptly
furnish the missed service and correct the improper handling. Such
service shall be promptly available to service complaints from any
City official for material improperly deposited within the limits
of the streets or highways during transit.
License required. No contractor shall collect any solid wastes within the City or transport any solid wastes over the streets of the City without first having obtained a license from the City Clerk and having paid the approved license fee as set forth herein (§ 207-20C).
Any collector who violates any provision of this article
or fails to comply with the orders of the local Police Department
shall be liable for a fine not exceeding $500 for a single violation
or a failure. Each day during which a violation continues shall be
deemed to be a separate and distinct violation.
Any other person who violates any provision of this
article or fails to comply with the orders of the local Police Department
shall be liable to a fine not exceeding $100 for a single violation
or failure. Each day during which a violation continues shall be deemed
to be a separate and distinct violation. | {
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In search of myself
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A Thousand Splendid Suns…
I read Khaled Hosseini’s The Kite Runner ten years ago, as a girl. I enjoyed the depth of his writing, but felt that it lacked style. The story was gripping and the writing was brutally honest, but there was a little something that I felt was lacking. It is difficult to explain without coming across as presumptuous. Today, a decade hence, the Afghan born doctor cum writer crawls back into my (grown up) heart all over again, with A Thousand Splendid Suns.
The book touches upon Afghanistan, fresh from its upheaval of monarchy and takes us through its journey of war, Soviet occupation and finally, the dark regime of the Taliban. When Mariam’s mother gives her lesson for life at the beginning of the story, little do we realize how much impact those few words have over not only Mariam’s life, but also Laila’s (the other protagonist) :
“Only one skill. And it’s this : tahamul. Endure.”
Mariam’s life is made up of one difficult situation after another, one pain after another. The reader’s heart feels her pain but just like her, is helpless. You almost endure it all over again. And again. Suddenly I think of these lines from The Kite Runner : When
You know that what Mariam really wants is to escape it all, like in those lines above, but she is trapped into her life, that husband, that country and her mother’s curse : to endure. When you think of women like her, who are still battling reality in patriarchal societies all over the world, your heart is sure to bleed and suddenly, your own life feels like an enormous luxury.
The descriptions of Herat and Kaboul evoke very strong feelings about the places and country. The Boudhas of Bamiyan, the minarets of Herat and the night life in Kaboul stay etched in your mind long after you have closed the book. It is the city of Kaboul that is behind the title, too.
Beautiful, isn’t it? As a person who gives away her soul to certain places and cities, I could totally identify with it.
If Mariam’s curse was to endure, Laila’s was to wait. Waiting for love, waiting for clouds to pass, waiting for times to change.
“Of all the hardships a person had to face, none was more punishing than the simple act of waiting.”
While Laila’s story can retain some hope, Mariam’s is devoid of any. Probably the story of many women in Afghanistan and in many other societies as well. Khaled Hosseini’s might touch upon aspects of politics or history but the central story is always that of these two women, stuck together by kismet, born into a world and a time that was cruel to its women. The book is poetic and poignant, very hard to put down once begun. It is an extremely heart-wrenching tale of life, that goes on, despite all odds.
“Each snowflake was a sigh heard by an aggrieved woman somewhere in the world. All the sighs drifted up the sky, gathered into clouds, then broke into tiny pieces that fell silently on the people below. As a reminder of how women suffer, how quietly we endure all that falls upon us.” | {
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Science fiction. Fantasy. The universe. And related subjects.
Main menu
Every so often I come across a gorgeous book of scientific illustration that I just have to own. There is just something that reaches inside of me to the junction of science nerd, book geek, and appreciator of art and twists. When I saw the cover to Evolution, I knew it was going to be one of those books, and once I flipped it open, I was not disappointed. The book is just full of Patrick Gries’ stark black and white photos of articulated skeletons, restored and posed, and it is a real pleasure for the eyes. You can soak in the strange shapes of sea mammals, the hauntingly familiar skulls of monkeys and the weird adaptations that make flight and gliding possible for a strange range of vertebrates. Jean-Baptiste de Panafieu is an evolutionary biologist, and he provides a concise primer on the hows and whys of evolution, using the images to paint the story of adaptation, convergence and divergence.
I’m cursorily aware of the debate between anatomical illustration and photography. The tension between the realism of photos and the abstraction of illustration, for one thing: a photo of blood vessels might not be the best tool to explain blood vessels, which seems counter-intuitive until you start to think about how much clarity a good illustration can give, because it isn’t beholden to reality. It can be a Platonic Ideal, so to speak.
Photography is limited by the subject—there is no such thing as a “perfect specimen”—but it also has…well, the undeniable benefit of being real. (Not to go into too much philosophy of art and representation; “real” is maybe the wrong word to use.) Still, maybe “debate” is a strong word, because this isn’t zero sum; illustrating can be used alongside photography, as a compliment, and vice versa. Or, as we see in Evolution, one style of representation can be elevated to a sublime position, where art and science meet.
I have a personal history with bones. As I mentioned in my review of How to Think Like a Neandertal, I studied anthropology in college, including forensic and evolutionary, so I’ve had my mitts on a fair share of bones. Human, proto-human, other primates and pig bones, mostly, come to think of it. Now, I admit to being nothing more than a scientific dilettante, but it did shape my relationship to the text.
As a primer, Evolution excels, but it isn’t really an advanced guide to the subject of evolution. What that means is that for me, a lot of the text was redundant, but conversely, if you have a beginner or intermediate knowledge of biology, you will find it rewarding. De Panafieu writes in an accessible way about the mechanisms of evolution, along with the common pitfalls and incorrect assumptions people tend to make about how evolution works.
Still, as clear and concise as the writing is, there is no doubt that the star of this book is Gries’ photography. Besides being beautiful, besides the macabre attraction of them, besides the just…memento mori aspect of the book, it is incredible as a explanatory tool. I mentioned the flight and gliding pictures, but the spread of marine mammals, from otters to seal lions to seals to dolphins and whales is another really gripping one. The differences and similarities suggests intuitively a plausible march into the sea for these mammals, without falling into the fallacy of positing an actual phylogenic relationship. How it does that is beyond me, but it is the power of visual storytelling.
The biggest problem with Evolution? No extinct animals! Come on, nobody goes to the Natural History Museum and skips the dinosaurs! That is just crazy. That aquatic mammal thing I was just talking about? How great would that have been spiced up with some fossils? The march from dinosaurs into birds? Tell me you don’t want to see that! With, you know, the proper disclaimer that evolution isn’t a linear progression or ascent, of course. I think I’m looking at it wrong, though. I don’t think it is a problem with Evolution…but rather an opportunity, for a companion volume. Heck, call it Fossils. Fill it with the same recipe of ingredients as Evolution: smart writing that doesn’t patronize you and killer black and white photos.
Mordicai Knodewould also recommend this volume to any aspiring necromancer. I’m sick of seeing badly animated undead skeletons; where is the work ethic in young practitioners of the black arts these days? Speaking of dark magic, there is nothing that rivals Mordicai’s Tumblr and Twitter! | {
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Tag Archives: brain pickings
I found this little quote box called the “Holstee Manifesto” posted on a newsletter/blog called “Brainpickings” that my consultant sent my way (photo by me). According to the “about”section, “Brain Pickings is a discovery engine for interestingness, culling and curating cross-disciplinary curiosity-quenchers, and separating the signal from the noise to bring you things you didn’t know […] | {
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St. Martin's Healthcare
News
Circle of Friends Tea scheduled for February 10
Published: January 9, 2018
The 12th annual Circle of Friends Tea will take place at 12:30 pm, Saturday, February 10, at First United Methodist Church, 1203 E. 7th St in Auburn. DeKalb Health is serving as the years "High Tea" partner. Guests will be treated to a delicious luncheon, a variety of hot teas, and an exquisite assortment of homemade desserts, which have made this annual event famous. Doors will open at 11:30 am.
Tickets for the event are $30 per person, or $240 for a table of eight. Tickets are available by visiting or calling the clinic at 357-0077 or on-line at smhcin.org. Tickets may also be purchased at these Auburn businesses:Lyn-Maree's, 209 N Main St; Little Sprouts Children's Boutique, 111 N. Main Street, or Yes to the Dress, 304 N. Cedar St. No tickets will be sold at the door.
Local bridal salon, "Yes to the Dress" will present a walk down memory lane, featuring reminiscent past wedding gown designs to present-day styles...
Immunizations Available
Published: January 8, 2018
Immunization may be available from the DeKalb County Health Department for children 18 years and younger as well as a limited supply of adult vaccines. Please contact the DeKalb County Health Department for the most up to date information at (260) 925-2220. DeKalb County Health Department | {
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More Doleful Responses
From Tom Hintz: “Now that your true colors have come out (a dyed-in-the-wool bleeding heart liberal), I need to correct you on just a couple of points. (To try and refute all of your points would be more of a waste of my time.) To start with, look at a graph of capital gains tax receipts since before the increase in 1986 to now. Although there was an initial pop in revenues prior to enactment of the new law, revenues have never lived up to expectations and overall have declined, not to mention the unfavorable effect the tax increase probably has had on the economy. A decrease would probably have the opposite effect. Also, for us ‘rich’ folk out here trying to save for our children’s education and our retirement (I don’t count on social security being around) and with a good deal of equity in our homes, I don’t think you can say that the capital gains tax cut primarily benefits the rich. I do know that when the law changed in 1986, my capital gains tax increased 100% (from 14 to 28%)!!!”
I agree there would be a short-term increase in tax receipts, as people who’ve been waiting for years for a lower capital gains tax took profits. (With such a sharp cut in the tax, I think you could also expect a pretty sharp break in prices, with a lot of new eager sellers.) I’d like to see a smaller, more gradual capital gains tax cut.
For better or worse, the estimate I saw is that 55% of the benefit from the reduced capital gains tax would go to the 1% wealthiest Americans (better for me, being one of them; worse, perhaps, for everyone else, on whom the cost would fall). One way to avoid the capital gains tax bite on your retirement money is to keep it within tax-sheltered vehicles like IRAs, and so on. Another way to minimize the capital gains tax bite: to follow the lead of successful investors like Warren Buffett and not sell too often. A third (since you mention the equity in your home) is to take advantage of the tax exemption when you buy a new home, and/or the one-time over-age-55 $125,000 exemption on your primary residence.
But the great bulk of the Dole tax cut isn’t the capital gains tax cut. It’s the 15% income tax cut. That’s where I have the real quarrel.
“As far as your reference to Dick Armey, he never suggested using cuts in education to pay for the gasoline tax repeal. Why don’t you dig out the entire video clip of his answer and stop relying on what you read in the paper. He was using education as one example of where we have increased spending dramatically without showing much for it. Maybe using this as an example was a poor choice, but he still has a valid point.”
I was actually relying on the video clip I saw on the news. But if he didn’t really mean it, I’m relieved. I do know that a lot of kids in this country are without textbooks, sitting in overcrowded classrooms. Money doesn’t solve everything, but it can buy books and pay teachers. Economically speaking, it’s probably better to invest in kids than, say, give wealthy septuagenarians tax breaks. Nothing against wealthy septuagenarians; but that’s not where the leverage is. Their productive years are largely over; there’s little chance of their becoming violent criminals or lifelong burdens on society.
“One final word. Back in the early 50’s, people payed about 13% in federal income taxes. Now they pay 21%. A married professional couple, both working, have over 40% of there money taken from them today. (21% federal, 15% FICA, other local, state and sales taxes.) The federal budget in 1960 was around $100 billion. Now it is $1.5 trillion. Get the picture? And if you think you don’t deserve the tax decrease, you can always pay the government more than you legally owe. Hey, and if enough of you rich liberals on Wall Street and Hollywood get together, you might even erase the budget deficit by yourselves!”
Now, there’s an idea. Actually, back in the 50’s the top federal income tax bracket was 90%; today it’s about 39.6%. So I’m not sure the rich are over-taxed at these rates, either historically or by comparison with other countries. As for the huge federal budget, it is huge. You’re right. But as one of my columns last week asked, what would you cut painlessly to pay for Dole’s $548 billion tax cut? And if not painlessly, on whom would you inflict the pain? Not me, obviously — and I’m grateful for that — and not you . . . so who? Medicaid recipients? Veterans? School kids? As you know, most of that $1.5 trillion goes to seniors, via Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid, and to defense.
But I certainly appreciate your frustration, as well as your taking the time to write. I just can’t figure out a way to cut taxes 15% and balance the budget. And I don’t think Bob Dole believes it for a minute.
From Cola Allen: “It is NOT Mr. Clinton’s or Mr. Dole’s or even Mr. Perot’s money you discuss. These ‘tax dollars’ are my kid’s tuition, medical coverage, vacations – OOPs – would have been. Since these are tax dollars my kids don’t get THOSE dollars.
“No sane person would suggest that we don’t have to balance the Federal budget. My ideas are rather simplistic. The I.R.S. is the most inefficient method of revenue collection a madman/pol could devise. I believe it to be an information gathering arm of the government (but please don’t tell them). Close the I.R.S. and save BILLIONS per year and we have NOT taken a crumb of welfare food or nuclear missile out of the budget yet!
“The number of man hours private citizens and business spend keeping the I.R.S. fed each year could be put to use growing the G.D.P. and becoming very strong globally. What to replace the I.R.S. with? I don’t know, a national sales tax has potential. Better minds than mine can easily handle that question.”
I’m not sure it’s the I.R.S. you mean to replace so much as the wildly complex tax code the I.R.S. is charged with enforcing — a creation of Congress. I’m all for simplifying it, though by and large it is the business end that is complex and time-consuming. Most people can get their personal taxes done in an hour for $50 or $100 at H&R Block (or wherever).
One problem is that any change that costs a taxpayer more will be opposed by that taxpayer — and rich special interests can block most reforms — while any change that costs less will widen the deficit. So the best time to make changes is when (a) they’ll result in lower taxes across the board (and thus encounter little opposition) and (b) lower taxes are the right prescription for the economy (i.e., in the midst of a recession).
You already know I don’t think this is a sensible time to be cutting taxes dramatically. But what a double-shame, if we do, not to couple it with tax-simplification that, as I say, is probably only possible to get people to accept when it lowers their taxes.
Just to cut everybody’s taxes 15% — besides unfairly favoring the best-off and being stupid right now — blows the opportunity to use the tax cut to “buy” tax simplification.
From Dean Van Druff: “Has it ever occurred to you that you could raise revenues by lowering taxes?”
Yes. And it certainly works in a situation where taxes are so high they’ve crippled the economy or people simply refuse to pay them. But that’s not the situation now. (If it were always the situation, we could lower taxes to zero and still increase revenues. No?) I think in today’s circumstance the term for this is “wishful thinking.” (In an earlier day, it was “voodoo economics.”) | {
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Remembering that he was once one of them, Carney resisted channeling Cyrus Beene from the ABC hit Scandal and brushing off reporters with "asked and answered" when asked repeatedly about President Obama's response to the news that the Justice Department had secretly obtained phone records of Associated Press reporters.
He instead explained 15 times that the president is "a strong defender of the First Amendment and a firm believer in the need for the press to be unfettered in its ability to conduct investigative reporting and facilitate a free flow of information."
Based on Twitter reports, "unfettered" was the word that stuck in most reporters minds, but Carney used "balance" more — 21 times — as in the need to strike one between the desire to protect national security interests by preventing leaks of classified information that could endanger American lives and an "unfettered" press.
On the IRS matter, Carney chose to reserve comment until a report from the agency's inspector general has been released. And, to reporters' frustration, he frequently said "if the reporting is true on this," even though the agency has already admitted to improperly targeting conservative groups.
"It is our understanding that its release is fairly imminent, and once we have that report, we'll be able to assess next steps," Carney said when asked what the consequences of Obama's outrage would be. "But you can be sure — and I would point you to the president's response yesterday — what his feelings are about this kind of action, if it in fact took place."
Benghazi also was a hot topic that according to Carney Republicans have politicized.
While Obama "has committed himself to doing, to finding out who did it, finding out why and to taking the steps to ensure our diplomatic personnel are protected and our facilities are protected, so that what happened in Benghazi doesn't happen again," he said, GOP lawmakers have from the start tried to "score political points," which is "unfortunate."
Asked if the White House is feeling under siege from unfolding scandals, Carney replied, "Absolutely not."
"We are focused on, you know, these fundamental issues that the American people sent this president to this office twice now to focus on," he said, like growing the economy and creating jobs.
BET Politics - Your source for the latest news, photos and videos illuminating key issues and personalities in African-American political life, plus commentary from some of our liveliest voices. Click here to subscribe to our newsletter. | {
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Daddy Zeus is in the house and this session is streaming live over the internet. Our members are calling the shots through chat. Derek Pain is tied up and he has three doms interrogating him. Master Avery takes charge and works over the muscle captive. Derek Pain endures excruciating nipple clamps, cbt, electricity, heavy flogging, the water tank, bc and a hard fuck from Master Avery.
Unedited live show is in the Live Show Archive for 7 days. Thank you
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macOS Sierra - Technical Specifications
General Requirements
Some features require a compatible Internet service provider; fees may apply.
Mac Hardware Requirements
For details about your Mac model, click the Apple icon at the top left of your screen, choose About This Mac, then choose More Info. These Mac models are compatible with macOS Sierra:
MacBook (Late 2009 or newer)
MacBook Pro (Mid 2010 or newer)
MacBook Air (Late 2010 or newer)
Mac mini (Mid 2010 or newer)
iMac (Late 2009 or newer)
Mac Pro (Mid 2010 or newer)
Feature Requirements
Handoff, Instant Hotspot, and Universal Clipboard
Supported by the following Mac models:
MacBook (Early 2015 or newer)
MacBook Pro (2012 or newer)
MacBook Air (2012 or newer)
Mac mini (2012 or newer)
iMac (2012 or newer)
Mac Pro (Late 2013)
Handoff requires an iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch with a Lightning connector and iOS 8 or later.
Instant Hotspot requires an iPhone or iPad with cellular connectivity with a Lightning connector and iOS 8.1 or later. Requires Personal Hotspot service through your carrier.
Auto Unlock
Supported by Mac models introduced in mid 2013 or later.
Requires an Apple Watch with watchOS 3 and an iPhone 5 or later.
Siri
Requires a broadband Internet connection and microphone (built-in or external).
Apple Pay on the Web
Supported by the following Mac models:
MacBook (Early 2015 or newer)
MacBook Pro (2012 or newer)
MacBook Air (2012 or newer)
Mac mini (2012 or newer)
iMac (2012 or newer)
Mac Pro (Late 2013)
Requires an iPhone 6 or later with iOS 10 or an Apple Watch with watchOS 3.
Phone Calling
Phone calling requires an iPhone with iOS 8 or later and an activated carrier plan.
SMS
SMS requires an iPhone with iOS 8.1 or later and an activated carrier plan.
AirDrop
AirDrop between Mac computers and iOS devices is supported by the following Mac models:
MacBook (Early 2015 or newer)
MacBook Pro (2012 or newer)
MacBook Air (2012 or newer)
Mac mini (2012 or newer)
iMac (2012 or newer)
Mac Pro (Late 2013)
AirDrop to iOS devices requires an iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch with a Lightning connector and iOS 7 or later.
AirDrop between two Mac computers is supported by the following Mac models:
iCloud requires iOS 5 or later on iPhone 3GS or later, iPod touch (3rd generation or later), iPad Pro, iPad Air or later, iPad or later, or iPad mini or later; a Mac computer with OS X Lion 10.7.5 or later; or a PC with Windows 7 or Windows 8 (Outlook 2007 or later or an up-to-date browser is required for accessing email, contacts, and calendars). Some features require iOS 10 and macOS Sierra. Some features require a Wi-Fi connection. Some features are not available in all countries or regions. Access to some services is limited to 10 devices. | {
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Notable for 2015
Research Other Years
Most reviewers say the 2015 Scion FR-S isn’t particularly plush inside, noting that it has a simple, driver-oriented design that’s built primarily with plastics. The FR-S pleases test drivers with its supportive front seats, which are comfortable enough for long trips. However, most point out that the FR-S doesn’t offer much space in the trunk or back seat.
"The cabin of an FR-S isn't exactly luxurious. Scion has made few concessions to style and it's an environment that emphasizes driving, punctuated only by a blend of Toyota and Subaru switchgear and materials." -- Edmunds
"The FR-S' cabin is a highly commendable driver's domain that's all about athletic ergonomics. It's plain and simple, with black plastic trim and leather and a few red inserts on nearly all surfaces." -- Motor Trend (2013)
"The cabin of the FR-S isn't opulent, but it is a comfortable fit." -- Autoblog (2013)
Seating
The four-seat Scion FR-S pleases critics with its supportive front seats, which some reviewers say are comfortable enough for longer drives. They note that it’s easy to find a comfortable seating position, and that forward visibility is excellent from the driver’s seat. However, most agree that space is extremely limited in the back seat.
"The FR-S's front seats offer firm support for hard driving, but remain comfortable over long-distance travel as well. Drivers of just about any size can find a suitable driving position, and the low-profile hood allows an expansive view of the road ahead." -- Edmunds
"To Toyota's credit, the rear seat back folds flat to increase utility, but the space provided for humans is marginal at best." -- AutoTrader (2014)
"Slide behind the wheel of the first-ever rear-wheel-drive Scion and settle into the Recaro-style seats. Severely sculpted, with black fabric, red stitching, and prominent bolsters, they immediately telegraph the performance intentions of this 2+2-seat coupe." -- Automobile Magazine (2013)
"The Recaro lookalike bucket seats are mounted low, and they offer plenty of torso-friendly bolstering and support. The cloth seats are manually adjustable for height, seatback rake and distance from the wheel, so we didn't have any problem getting comfortable." -- Autoblog (2013)
Interior Features
A USB port, Bluetooth and an eight-speaker Pioneer audio system with a 6.1-inch touch-screen display come standard in the 2015 Scion FR-S. A voice-activated BeSpoke audio system with navigation and smartphone app integration is available as a dealer-installed option.
Some reviewers prefer the additional features that the available BeSpoke audio system provides, while others appreciate the instrument cluster’s clear, legible gauges.
"There is a standard touchscreen-based audio system, but we recommend opting for the upgraded BeSpoke system as it includes navigation and smartphone app integration." -- Edmunds
"A white-faced analog tachometer, with a 7,500 rpm redline, takes center stage in the primary instrument cluster. There is a 160-mph analog speedometer to its left and a coolant temperature and fuel level gauge to the right. All are easy to read." -- Autoblog (2013)
Cargo
The 2015 FR-S has 6.9 cubic feet of trunk space, which is slightly more than the Mazda MX-5 Miata offers, but still not a lot of space for the class. Although the FR-S’ trunk is small, some reviewers note that folding the rear seat down provides enough space for two sets of golf clubs.
"Trunk space is also small at 6.9 cubic feet, although folding down that mostly useless backseat expands cargo-carrying abilities considerably." -- Edmunds
"And with the admittedly marginal rear seats folded, you have enough trunk and stowage area for the set of racing rubber you want to use on track days." -- AutoTrader (2014)
“With the rear seat folded, there's enough room in its trunk for a full set of mounted wheels and tires, a gas can, tools, and a helmet. Take all that out … and you'll have space for two golf bags.” -- Motor Trend (2013)
A Hassle-Free Car Buying Experience
* Guaranteed Savings not available in all states. In these states, a Target Price is shown, which is a market-based example of what you can reasonably expect to pay for your vehicle as configured. Your configured vehicle may not be available or in-stock at the Certified Dealer. With Guaranteed Savings, the selected TrueCar Certified Dealer guarantees that you will receive at least a certain, stated minimum savings amount off the base Manufacturer's Suggested Retail Price ("MSRP"), including any vehicle-specific manufacturer incentives that may be currently available. Guaranteed Savings only applies to new, in-stock vehicles at the selected TrueCar Certified Dealers. Incentives subject to certain terms, conditions and restrictions; see your TrueCar Certified Dealer for details.
** Between 4/1/14 and 6/30/14, the average estimated savings off MSRP presented by TrueCar Certified Dealers to users of TrueCar powered websites, based on users who configured virtual vehicles and subsequently purchased a new vehicle of the same make and model listed on the certificate from Certified Dealers, was $3,221, including applicable vehicle specific manufacturer incentives. Your actual savings may vary based on multiple factors including the vehicle you select, region, dealer, and applicable vehicle specific manufacturer incentives which are subject to change. The Manufacturer's Suggested Retail Price ("MSRP") is determined by the manufacturer, and may not reflect the price at which vehicles are generally sold in the dealer's trade area as not all vehicles are sold at MSRP. Each dealer sets its own pricing. TrueCar does not broker, sell or lease motor vehicles. | {
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“Butscher’s first volume is praiseworthy in many ways. He has patently undertaken huge amounts of research and often provides vivid local color. He treats Aiken’s various irregularities and cruelties with a commendable disinterest. . . . He speaks lucidly about the evolution of Aiken’s work.”
—New Yorker
“Butscher’s book shows in astounding detail [Aiken’s] struggles, his problems, and his development.”
—St. Petersburg Times
The first of a planned two-volume biography, Conrad Aiken: Poet of White Horse Vale follows Aiken’s early life from his birth in 1889 to 1925 when he stood on the threshold of both nervous breakdown and poetic success. It was then that Aiken began to face his paradoxically idyllic and tragic Savannah childhood and to confront the events of February 27, 1901. On that day, the eleven-year-old Aiken heard gunshots punctuate a nightlong argument between his mother and father. Running into the next room, he discovered his mother murdered and his father dead by suicide.
Sounding the deep reverberations of those events in Aiken’s mind, Edward Butscher follows the poet’s life and work as he sought to regain, in some permanent form, the idyll he had lost as a child. Butscher tells of Aiken’s determined efforts to gain recognition for his verse in the fevered cultural circuits of the early twentieth century—from his friendship, begun at Harvard, with T. S. Eliot, through frustrating excursions into the literary society of England and repeated trips on the poetic “trade route” from his home in Boston to Chicago and New York, to often sharp encounters with such powerful cultural barons as Ezra Pound, Amy Lowell, and Harriet Monroe. Hoping to build his reputation on a series of detached poetic “symphonies,” to keep depression from boiling over into madness and suicide, Aiken skirted the border of his deepest memories and fears—a border he would cross in the works that lay ahead.
Edward Butscher is the author of several critical works on modern poetry, including the controversial biography Sylvia Plath: Method and Madness. He is also the author of four collections of poetry and the novel Faces on the Barroom Floor. Butscher is working on the second volume of Aiken’s biography. | {
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Paid extra to get it packed well. Received it loose in the box filled with shredded paper. Power supply hit and damaged deck. The deck itself is not operational. Plays tape for a minute and then stops. Communication was always delayed by days. Could not r
LMP1966
on 11/13/2015For ads:
135078
[email protected]'s feedback to
LMP1966
on 11/13/2015* He waits months and never asked for a refund. There was no shipping damage but a slight ding already present in photo. The deck was fully operable but required to have the tape slack taken out and regular use which is a common issue with Nak decks.
*****
Great Communication - CD player as described - Recommended Seller
crooner
on 09/14/2013For ads:
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[email protected]'s feedback to
crooner
on 09/14/2013***** Thanks for the great transaction. Glad that it arrived safely and all is OK. | {
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} |
AMD CodeXL & NVIDIA GeForce Tools To Help Devs With DX12 Optimization
AMD and NVIDIA will host several presentations during the Game Developers Conference (GDC) 2016, scheduled for March 14-18 at San Francisco’s Moscone Center. We’ve told you about many of them, but there’s still two very interesting ones we haven’t reported about until now.
Both NVIDIA and AMD will be showcasing their developer tools in dedicated sessions, with the overarching goal to help studios in their transition to the low level APIs (Microsoft’s DirectX 12 and Khronos Group’s Vulkan).
A new era is beginning in PC graphics; low-level graphics APIs and VR headsets for masses that introduce a new set of challenges for how to program graphics for next-gen games. This talk will cover the latest offering of developer tools for DirectX 12 development and VR. Developers will learn how to recognize the new API concepts through demos and walkthroughs, as well as how to profile DirectX 12 with the new Range Profiler. The audience will also learn how to take advantage of NVIDIA Nsight Visual Studio Edition to develop VR applications.
AMD CodeXL is a suite of tools for software developers that demand extreme performance from their software and hardware. The new CodeXL 2.0 release introduces tools for game developers who use Microsoft DirectX® 12 and Vulkan programming. This presentation will review these capabilities, including: capturing and visualizing the timeline of a frame, analyzing multi-threaded host and GPU interaction, pinpointing hotspot API calls, exposing inefficient GPU utilization and much more. In addition we’ll review how to develop and build Vulkan programs containing multiple shaders, and analyze the resource demands of their generated ISA on multiple target platforms without executing them.
The presentation will also review CodeXL CPU Profiling and Power Profiling capabilities.
These tools should definitely help game developers in their transition to DX12 (and Vulkan), which is bound to gradually happen between 2016 and 2017. Overall, there are lots of interesting presentations scheduled for GDC 2016; while most of them won’t be live streamed, slides are usually shared afterwards by the developers themselves. | {
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Best Stocks for Long Term Investment in India 2019
Long term Investment always pays. Only buy something that you’d be perfectly happy to hold if the market shut down for 10 years. It is famous saying by the Investment Guru Warren Buffett.
You are likely to get a better return in the stock market if you hold the stock for a longer period. Let’s try to understand this by practical example. Rakesh Jhunjhunwala popular stock market investor is holding stock of Titan since 2002-2003. He bought Titan at the average price of 5 Rs. As of now, the stock price of Titan is Rs.1100. Overall CAGR return of this stock from 2002 to 2019 is 37%.
From the above example, we can clearly say that long term investment in the stock market is advantageous, provided you invest in the right stock. I know it is difficult to identify the best stock for long term investment for DIY (Do Yourself Investors). You need to carry out extensive research and evaluate various parameters of stock such as earnings growth, past performance, dividend, market cap, future earning potential etc. If you don’t do your homework properly before investing you may lose your money. You have to be firm in making the selection of stock. If you don’t know how to select stock here is a method to identify Best Stock for Long-term Investment. I called it as ten point’s strategy for the selection of stock.
How to Identify Best Stocks for Long term Investment?
You need to consider the following ten points while selecting best stocks for long term investment.
#1 Fundamental of the company
The first important factor of consideration is fundamental of the company. Fundamental means the intrinsic value of a stock. The method of doing an analysis of finding intrinsic value is also known as fundamental analysis of the company. Fundamental analysis seeks to establish how underlying values are reflected in stock prices.
This analysis will help you to find out the best companies for the investment. If a company is not fundamentally strong there is no point in discussing products, services, future prospects of the company.
Fundamental analysis is done by checking financials of the company. I use 8 different financial ratios and 2 key indicators to know fundamentals of the company. The details about financial ratios and key indicators are given below.
Net Profit – Net Profit of the company should be increasing for last 5 years
Revenue – Revenue or net sales of the company should be growing YOY
Earning Per Share (EPS) – EPS should be high or growing for last 5 years
Price to Earnings Ratio (P/E) – Low compared to companies in the same industry
Price to Book Ratio (P/B) – Low compared companies in the same industry
If company fulfil above criteria you can evaluate company for the next point.
Price is what you Pay. Value is What you Get – Warren Buffet
#2 Longevity of Business
A second important point to check about business is Longevity of business. Longevity of business means offering product or services for longer duration that completely satisfy customers requirement and withstand in the competitive market.
Above thing is also endorsed by Raamdeo Agrawal. As per him you should look at – How long business growth story will continue? Predicting longevity is a pure judgment based on experience. This gives confidence of investing in stock.
#3 Product and Services Offered by the Company
You should also look at the quality of the product and services offered by the company is the next point for the consideration. Invest in the company with which offer superior products and services. Never select a company where a product or business model is not known.
Ignore the stock market, ignore the economy, and buy a business you understand – Warren Buffett.
#4 Future Business Potential
Never select company based on the current business situation. As you are planning to invest for the longer duration evaluate company from future business perspective. Try to evaluate if people will be using company product and services after few years. If product and services is having future demand company is likely to make good profit.
E.g If you are looking at the stock of finance company you should look at present loan demand, market share and potential growth in the demand of loan offered by that company in the future.
You should focus on the Future Productivity of the assets – Warren Buffett.
Innovative products or Unique selling point is the next important point to consider while selecting the best stock for investment. Let’s try to understand this by practical example. Reliance Jio is one of the largest Indian Mobile network operators. Jio is constantly innovating and launching new products. Few examples are Jio TV network, Jio App, Portable router, Jio Phones etc. The unique selling point about Jio is free voice call, Slashed data rates, Affordable devices, easy activation etc. You should look at innovation and unique selling points while selecting the company.
#6 Surplus Cash and Debt Free Status
Another important point to consider is surplus cash and debt free status. Money is required for running every business or doing expansion. Surplus cash or debt-free status always help in the growth of the company.
Debt Free companies are companies with zero debt. Zero debt indicates that the company’s financial health is very good. They are capable to withstand any type of economic conditions. The best example of debt-free company in India is Bajaj Auto. Bajaj Auto generates enough revenue to finance all internal operations and investment requirements. This stock has generated very good returns for the investors.
#7 Management of the Company
Another important point to consider is the management of the company. The management of the company should be honest, dependable, dynamic and capable of handling any adverse situation. The management should consist of visionary leaders and capable of making money and generating new business opportunities.
#8 Past performance of the stock
It is always recommended to check past performance history of the stock. You should check out at least past three years performance of the stock before making investment. Past performance history is one of the indicators about the stock.
#9 MOAT of the Company
A concept of MOAT is very old. This concept is first invented by Benjamin Graham and Warren Buffett. The meaning of MOAT is the competitive edge of the company against the competitor. The competitive edge of the company can be because of multiple reasons such as monopoly product & services, affordable price, use of monopoly technology, high entry barrier etc.
E.g Reliance enjoys a monopoly situation in refinery business in India due to the high entry barrier of cost and regulations. Another example could be Asian Paints. Asian Paint is holding the largest market share in the Indian paint industry due to a competitive edge.
#10 High quality less popular stock
One should not only look for the popularity of the stock. Popular stock can give return however return possibility is higher in High quality less popular stocks. This theory is applied by a stock market investors such as Dolly Khanna and Porinju Veliyath.
After looking at important points to shortlist stocks let’s look at few stocks which can fulfill some of the mentioned conditions.
Best Stocks for Long Term Investment in India -2019
#1 Britannia
The first best stock for long term investment in India 2019 is Britannia. Britannia is a food company with products like biscuits, bread, dairy, cakes etc. Britannia has good consistent profit growth of 32.75% over 5 years. A company is maintaining healthy dividend payout. Fundamental of the company is sound. A company is virtually debt free. They have a competitive edge over other peers. Britannia is constantly innovating and launching new products. The company has a very good future business potential. The stock has given very good performance in the past. You can invest in Britannia with long term perspective 5 years and above.
#2 Titan
The next stock for long term investment in India is Titan. Titan is one of the favorite stocks of Rakesh Jhunjhunwala. The net profit margin of Titan is growing. The revenue of the company is growing. EPS company is growing. The company is maintaining a healthy dividend payout. A company is not completely debt free. However, they are innovating a lot by launching new products such as eyewear, perfumes, belt, wallet etc. Titan has a very good competitive edge over peers. Strong management and very good past performance are other positive aspects of this stock.
#3 HDFC Bank
HDFC Bank is next recommended stock for long term investment in India 2019. HDFC Bank is fundamentally strong stock. A net profit margin of HDFC Bank is growing YOY. Revenue of HDFC Bank is also skyrocketing. EPS of HDFC is growing. HDFC Bank is innovating by launching various digital initiatives such as Humanoid Robot IRA, Bank on Chat, Instant Loan at ATM etc. HDFC bank enjoys a competitive edge over others. They have very good future potential. This company is backed by visionary management. This stock has generated very good returns in the past. You can invest in HDFC bank with long term perspective.
Over to You –
Do you hold any of the stock mentioned above?
Do you think above methodology of identifying stock for long term investment works?
Raviraj is the man behind moneyexcel.com. He is graduate in finance, engaged in blogging since 7 years. Moneyexcel blog is ranked as one of the Top 10 Personal Finance Blog in India. He is not affiliated with any financial product, service provider, agent or broker. The purpose of this blog is to spread financial awareness and help people in achieving excellence for money. Please note that the views expressed on this Blog/Comments are clarifications meant for reference and guidance of the readers to explore further on the topics. These should not be construed as investment advice or legal opinion.
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a sample gif
This Gif entitled a sample gif was created from the youtube video 2 years ago.
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This animation was originally created from the Grand Canyon Total Cloud Inversion: December 11, 2014 video from 00:09 to 00:17.
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You may have heard of VPNs by now, or even used one in a business context. But did you know that, besides allowing you to connect to your work network while outside the office, a VPN may be a useful, smart bonus to your personal endeavors? In other words, if you haven’t already, you might want to try using a VPN at home, too, since VPN advantages surpass by far its disadvantages when it comes to Internet browsing and sensitive data protection.
A VPN might not be the obvious choice when you’re considering strengthening the privacy of the personal information stored on your gadgets and enhancing your online security. Yet, a Virtual Private Network may do just that for you – and much more.
What is a VPN?
A VPN (Virtual Private Network) is a tunnel by means of which you may access the Internet in a more private, secure way. How? By channeling all your network traffic into its network and replacing your IP address with a new one which then translates to anonymity, increased privacy, and access to blocked (be it geo-restricted or otherwise) websites, among others.
So, what are VPN advantages and disadvantages, if you’re considering using one? We’ve come up with a compelling list of pros and cons that will help you find the right answer to that pesky question: “Should I use a VPN?”
VPN advantages
A VPN connection may come in handy when considering the following:
It allows you to access a public connection safely – If you want to use a Wi-Fi connection in a public space, you may want to do so through a VPN in order to protect your privacy. The reason? If you skip the VPN, your online activity will be accessible to prying eyes who know what to look for.
It increases online security – Speaking of online safety, browsing through the internet via a VPN, regardless of the connection you use, is a great way to protect your web data. In other words, besides a strong antivirus and the standard firewall, a VPN adds another welcome layer of protection against online security threats, as it acts more efficiently than a proxy, for instance, protecting all online traffic.
It allows you to watch your favorite shows from all corners of the world – Geo-restriction is annoying, yet ever present. A VPN may help you access geo-blocked websites – those that you may enjoy solely if you’re in the USA, for instance; or it may allow you to keep watching your favorite local shows even when travelling outside your home country’s borders.
It allows for anonymous downloads – We are not talking about piracy, but about useful, legal online file downloads which may not be accessible if you lack a VPN connection – in case your internet service provider is throttling with your speed connection or the files you try to download are geo-restricted, a VPN will turn out to be a very useful solution.
It may improve internet speed – It isn’t as uncommon as you might think for providers to play tricks on your internet speed. If you’re having trouble watching your favorite series or shows on online video streaming platforms, a VPN may be of great use – since it hides your online activity, it helps you bypass whatever restrictions imposed by your internet provider which might actually mean you get to watch yet another episode of your beloved show instead of waiting forever for it to load.
VPN disadvantages
As useful as it may be, a VPN is not fail-proof. Therefore, let’s take a look at VPN disadvantages as well:
Most reliable VPNs are not free of charge – You may subscribe to a free Virtual Private Network, but for safety reasons, you may want to opt for a paid monthly subscription. Take the following into account – no online service is actually “free”, which might mean that a free-of-charge VPN may come with a hidden bonus – i.e. it might sell data from your online activity to ad-providers, among other nasty surprises.
You will have to do some research to ensure good connection speed – That is to say that a VPN, by encrypting all your network traffic for anonymity reasons, usually takes a lot of resources which means that it might become annoyingly slow. It isn’t always the case though, but for good speed connection, you may have to opt for a paid VPN.
Not all VPNs can be trusted – To expand on previous points, you should be also aware of the fact that VPN IPs aren’t unique, but shared by various people, which may lead to several unsavory scenarios, such as IP address blacklisting and IP spoofing, to name a few. Therefore, it is very important to subscribe only to reputable, trustworthy VPNs that you’ve researched thoroughly beforehand.
You may find VPNs to be more complex than you’d like – A complex, secure VPN is something to look for, but that might actually translate to a number of unwanted problems. An intricate mix of protocols, network topologies and hardware equipment, and service providers makes up a VPN channel – and you may discover that not all its components “play” well together. That may entail more stress and even money setting up a good, well-functioning VPN connection.
All in all, should I use a VPN?
Taking into account all these VPN advantages and disadvantages, you may conclude that, though a VPN is a great and definitely useful idea, it isn’t always very easy to set up or understand. But since knowledge is power, all you need is to do your VPN research properly, compare VPN providers, ask for advice from people already using VPNs, and then make an informed decision. A VPN is not something you should give up on very easily, despite its few setbacks. Try it for yourself and let us know how it went!
Alex is a SEO content writer with more than 5 years of experience. Having worked as a copywriter and SEO specialist for many successful projects in the past, his knowledge and ability to adapt bring great value to our team. | {
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Launch Day
The theory (as it currently stands) is to give each book we publish its own web site. Why? Because the topics we are publishing are so diverse, we felt the focus should be on subject area rather than the publishing company. | {
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The recent State of Britain’s Hedgehogs 2018 report, published by the British Hedgehog Preservation Society and the People’s Trust for Endangered Species, show hedgehog numbers have fallen by about 50% over the last 20 years. The report found that there has been a severe decline in rural areas, but there are signs that populations in urban areas may be recovering. Dawn Giesler, the founder of scuseme, a recommendation website that connects people in Cambridge with local independent suppliers and tradespeople, gives some tips on how to help our spiny friends thrive in our gardens.
If you make small changes to your outdoor areas and gardening habits, you can help create a ‘hedgehog haven’ and protect Britain’s national species. By encouraging hedgehogs to take up residence in your garden you will provide them with a safe home throughout the year and play a small part in encouraging their survival.
Hedge not fence
Plant hedgerows instead of using fencing to encourage hedgehogs to socialise. However, if you must fence, cut a small hole 13cm x 13cm (the size of a CD) to connect your garden with others. As urban gardens are increasingly fenced in and cut off, hedgehogs are unable to move between gardens to find food and mates. scuseme local handymen can help here if you need it.
Go wild
Leave a patch of garden naturally wild with overgrown corners and wildflowers to encourage hedgehogs. By recreating the hedgehogs’ natural habitat, they can use twigs and dead vegetation to build their nests. It also creates a habitat for the insects which hedgehogs eat.
Tread carefully
Check for hedgehogs before using strimmers or mowers, particularly under hedges where animals may rest and hide. Beat the top of vegetation lightly to scare away hiding wildlife.
Compost cautiously
Take care when turning your compost with heavy equipment. Spread the heap before October/November ahead of hibernation. Empty your bin after April, once hibernation season is over. A good compost heap provides hedgehogs with a great hibernation and hunting environment.
Leave leaf litter & logs
Leave areas of the garden ‘wild’, with piles of leaf litter and logs. Damp leaves provide the perfect shelter for ground beetles, worms and other tasty bugs. Leaves also provide the perfect nesting material for hedgehogs, which can move their bed several times throughout winter. Log piles encourage a rich feast of earwigs, centipedes and woodlice, perfect food for ‘hogs! Woodpiles will also provide refuges for wildlife to hide in. Local supplier of logs.
Hedgehog home
Check sheds, patios and paving carefully for any sleeping critters before removing or relocating them. Hedgehogs and other wildlife may nest under these structures as their homes. You can also make a simple hedgehog home by placing a piece of board against a wall.
Discard pellets
Use one of many “natural” alternatives to slug pellets, like sprinkling crushed eggshells or coffee grounds around the plants you need to protect. If you must use pellets, place them under a slate which is inaccessible to hedgehogs. But even so, hedgehogs can die after eating slugs which have the pellets inside them. If you want to get rid of slugs in an eco-friendly way, encourage wildlife into your garden which eats slugs: like hedgehogs! A gardener’s friend.
Be alert
Cover drains and holes and place bricks at the side of ponds to give hedgehogs an easy route out. Build bonfires as close to time of lighting as possible and check them thoroughly before lighting. Remove sports or fruit netting when not in use to prevent hedgehogs becoming entangled and getting injured.
Feeding Hedgehogs
Hedgehogs are greedy animals and can eat half their weight in just one day. The hedgehog’s natural diet mainly consists of slugs, ground beetles, caterpillars and worms. During cold or dry periods, these creepy-crawlies become much scarcer in gardens, so hedgehogs will benefit hugely from a shallow dish of water and supplementary feeding.
Hedgehogs will relish any combination of chicken or turkey flavoured dog or cat food in jelly (not fish or beef), hedgehog food, or cat biscuits. Place in a shallow dish and put in a sheltered area of your garden around sunset. Make a feeding station that is difficult for anything larger than a hedgehog to access to avoid the food you put out being eaten by pets or foxes. Don’t feed hedgehogs cow’s milk or bread: they cannot digest the bread and cow’s milk gives them bad diarrhoea. Also don’t give them salty food like bacon and corned beef.
Did you know?
The mating season for hedgehogs is from April until August, with up to two litters a year. The female makes a nest of grass, well hidden in the undergrowth, and has two to four hoglets that are born spikeless (you can guess why), with closed eyes. She suckles them and they grow quickly. They leave the nest after about three weeks and become independent.
The hedgehog has about 16,000 prickles on its back. These normally lie flat but are raised by special muscles in times of danger. The head and legs are also tucked in, making the animal into a spiky ball, protecting it against most predators. Sadly, it is this same response which also results in so many hedgehogs being killed on our roads.
As many as 10 different hedgehogs may visit a garden over several nights, which could mean ‘your hedgehog’ is a number of different individuals visiting at different times.
Hedgehogs hibernate to bypass the cold months of the year when food becomes scarce. If the weather is warm (as it is increasingly) and food is put out for them every night, some hedgehogs do not feel the need to hibernate and will stay active all through the winter. Even so, hedgehogs do not hibernate continuously; they get up for a few days at a time throughout the winter to top up their reserves. Making hedgehog homes in the garden and providing food will help them get through the cold periods. Find out a little more about the hedgehog | {
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C & O Canal
In the Spring of 2013 I took a bike ride down the C & O Canal from Cumberland, MD to Washington, DC. Along the way I was able to photograph some of the more memorable scenes. The Canal is designated a National Historical Park and is part of the National Park Service. The park is an excellent place for hiking, biking, camping and boating. See the NPS website at: http://www.nps.gov/choh/index.htm
I hope you enjoy my photos and they bring back fond memories for some of you. | {
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WASHINGTON, September 22 (IslamOnline.net) - U.S. Presidential hopeful Wesley Clark, the former general who led NATO forces during the Kosovo campaign, revealed on Monday, September 22, that the Bush administration had set-up a five-year plan to invade seven Muslim countries after the 9/11 attacks, beginning with Iraq, then Syria, Lebanon, Libya, Iran, Somalia, and finally Sudan.
In his book "The Clark Critique" excerpts of which were published by this week's Newsweek edition, the four-star retired general wrote that following the September attacks, the U.S. administration became preoccupied with the idea of "state sponsorship" and "draining the swamp" of terrorism.
"In the aftermath of the attacks of September 11, many in the Bush administration seemed most focused on a prospective move against Iraq. This was the old idea of state sponsorship-even though there was no evidence of Iraqi sponsorship of 9/11 whatsoever," the anti-Iraqi war Democrat said.
"But there was more. This was being discussed as part of a five-year campaign plan and there were a total of seven countries, beginning with Iraq, then Syria, Lebanon, Libya, Iran, Somalia, and Sudan."
The Vietnam veteran said that Washington saw that it would be effective to attack a state than "to chase after individuals, nebulous organizations, and shadowy associations."
" For this was not something I wanted to hear. And it was not something I wanted to see moving forward, either," he said.
'What A Mistake!'
The decorated general criticized the Bush administration for its narrow-mindedness in combating terrorism and neglecting the main swamp of terrorism.
"What a mistake! I reflected as though the terrorism were simply coming from these states," Clark wrote.
He also questioned the so-called threats posed by the Iran-backed Hizbullah and the Palestinian resistance movement Hamas, which, he said, is aided and supported by Syria, concluding that "neither Hizbullah nor Hamas were targeting Americans."
Clark blamed as the prime source for terrorism the "repressive policies, poverty, corruption and radical ideology" of U.S. allies in the region, naming them explicitly as Egypt, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia.
"And what about the real sources of terrorists-U.S. allies in the region like Egypt, Pakistan, and Saudi Arabia? Wasnt it the repressive policies of the first, and the corruption and poverty of the second, that were generating many of the angry young men who became terrorists?" He asked.
"And what of the radical ideology and direct funding spewing from Saudi Arabia?
"The way to beat terrorists was to take away their popular support. Target their leaders individually, demonstrate their powerlessness, roll up the organizations from the bottom," he added.
U.N. Support
The former NATO commander further disapproved of the U.S. unilateral action in the so-called global war on terror, noting that it should put greater effort into broader preventive measures by seeking U.N. and NATO support.
"And if we wanted to go after states supporting terrorism, why not first go to the United Nations, present the evidence against Al Qaeda, set up a tribunal for prosecuting international terrorism?
"What about our NATO allies, whose cities were being used as staging bases and planning headquarters? He wondered.
In paying no heed to the international law, he concluded, the United States would "dissipate the huge outpouring of goodwill and sympathy it had received in September 2001 by going it largely alone."
Who Is Clark?
Like former U.S. President Bill Clinton, Wesley Clark grew up in Arkansas and went on to become a Rhodes scholar at Oxford University, where he took a Master's Degree in Philosophy, Politics and Economics.
But he had set his heart on a military career. He graduated top of his class at the West Point military academy, and won a Purple Heart in Vietnam after his infantry unit came under fire.
He worked his way up to the top of the chain of command, and led NATO forces in the alliance's first-ever war, in Kosovo in 1999.
Since leaving the military in May 2000, Wesley Clark has set up a strategy consultancy and joined an investment bank based in his home town.
On September 17, Clark announced his decision to seek the Democratic nomination to run against George W. Bush before supporters in his hometown of Little Rock, Arkansas.
Just days after entering the presidential race, Clark has jumped to head of the class, according to a new poll that puts him ahead of the nine other Democratic contenders and within a few points of Bush.
The national survey by Newsweek shows Clark winning the support of 14 percent of registered Democrats, outpolling former Vermont Governor Howard Dean, who came in second with 12 percent.
Clark has received so far $750,000 in donations to his campaign for the U.S. presidency in the first five days since he entered the race.
My good friend, with whom I'm flying today, said it very well; "One person killed by a terrorist is an outrage, two to five people killed by terrorists is an abomination, 3,000 killed is a statistic, which looses the names of the victims, thus its impact."
Our country's peoples must all be on dope to put this behind us, especially when so much more of this is before us. Too bad the major media in this land are so anti-Bush that this high ranking twirp isn't flamed.
This is another example of exactly what Clark is; a self promoting liar. Either way I see it Clark has a Clintonesque approach to the truth. If such plans existed they would surely be classified and Clark would be in breach of his security oath. If the plans never existed Clark has surely lied about them.
One could make a case that these recent remarks from Clark, Clinton, Kennedy are not mere accidents or harmless political diatribe but intentional comments meant to interfere with UN negotiations as well as international help in Iraq.
Disclaimer:
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Ordering, Shipping & Returns FAQs
Ordering
How can I check my order status?
You will receive an email notification when we process your order. You can also visit our Order Status page to check your status or see tracking information at any time.
When will I be charged for my order?
Your card will be charged when we pick your item and are preparing it to ship. For special-order or customized items, you will be charged before your order is produced. When your card is charged, you will receive an email notice.
I’m looking for an item that I saw in the store but can’t find on your site.
Our stores have a massive variety of longhorn gear, not everything is available on the website, but we’re happy to take a phone order for it! Call us at 800-255-1896 option 1 to place an order.
Can I get my Texas Ex or my Lifetime Longhorn discount on my online order?
Yes, just enter TEXASEXES or LLH in the coupon redemption field and your member number in the Comments section and we’ll adjust your order after it is received. The discount will be applied to all regular-priced longhorn items. There are some exceptions, which will be noted on the website.
My item is on backorder, when will I receive it?
Backordered items are items that are out of stock temporarily. Typically, these can ship out anywhere from 1-3 weeks. We try to locate fill your order from one of our branch store locations, or we’ll wait until the re-order arrives. Your payment will not be charged until your item is in stock and ready to ship. If you need your backorder more quickly, we’re happy to provide some recommendations for similar products we can ship right away.
How do I cancel or change my order?
Contact us immediately by Live Chat or by calling 800-255-1896 option 1 for assistance. If your order has not yet shipped, we will try our hardest to update it before it does. If your order has already shipped, you can ship it back to us for a return or exchange. See the full process at www.universitycoop.com/returns.
Why does my bank account show two transactions for the same order?
When you check out on our website, your credit card will go through a pre-authorization process that may show up on your statement as a pending $1.01 charge. This charge will never post to your account and should disappear in a few days.
Can I pick up my order at a branch store location?
At this time, we offer store pick-up at our Austin location.
Why was I charged sales tax?
We are located in Texas. If your order is shipping to Texas, you will be charged sales tax. Orders shipping out of state will not be charged sales tax.
I received my order, but one of the items is damaged or defective.
How do I place an order if I live outside the US?
From your Shopping Cart, select International Checkout to process an order being billed or shipped to anywhere outside the U.S.
Shipping & Returns
How quickly will my order arrive?
We try to ship orders out within 48-96 hours of receiving them. During peak times, our turn-around time might be slightly longer. Use our Shipping Chart to determine how quickly UPS will deliver your order to you. In general, most orders shipping to Texas will arrive in a day or two. If you need your order by a specific deadline, feel free to call us or Live Chat with us for assistance.
Do you ship to PO Boxes?
We do ship to PO Boxes, but you will not receive tracking information from USPS and the turn-around time may be delayed. We recommend shipping to a physical address wherever possible.
Do you ship out orders signature required?
No, we do not require signatures for our packages. UPS, however, may require a signature for your item if they do not feel comfortable leaving it on your doorstep.
Help! UPS lost my package!
We’re here to help! If you cannot locate your order and UPS says it’s delivered, or if it’s been stuck in transit for a long time, contact us for assistance and we’ll take care of the issue right away.
How do I return my order?
We’re happy to send you a free UPS return label to send your item back for an exchange. For full procedures, visit our Returns page.
How long will an exchange take?
Typically, traditional exchanges will take about 3 weeks for the replacement item to reach you. We do offer a Quick Exchange process for you to receive your new items more quickly if you prefer.
I need to exchange my order, but I need the new item very soon.
Our Quick Exchange process is perfect for that. Call us to place a new order for the replacement item (we’ll give you free shipping), and then ship the original item back to us for a straight refund.
I received my item as a gift, can I exchange it?
Yes, you can exchange it in one of our stores or by shipping it back to us. We’ll issue any refunds back to a gift card instead of the original payment. | {
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Hanebrink designs bike for Blue Peter presenter's Antarctic challenge
US Hanebrink bike brand has supplied the bike for Blue Peter presenter Helen Skelton's ride to the Antarctic, reports the BBC.
Skelton is riding the specially-built bike for 500 miles, hoping to become the first person to use a bike to reach the South Pole in 20 days.
The bike has to function in -25C temperatures, which can potentially drop further still to -50C. Windspeeds can reach up to 125 mph and average at a mere 80mph. However, @AlaskaJill has posted a blog posting and tweeted on why she thinks the bike won't be used much: "[Skelton] has already kite-skied many more miles than she's ridden. I expect that trend to continue."
Hanebrink's Dan Hanebrink and Kane Fortune took three months to finish the specially designed bike. They had previously created one for explorer Doug Stoup, who biked it for around 200 miles in Antarctica's Heritage range.
"The bike has never been tested in conditions quite as extreme as Helen is doing," said Fortune.
Bike Design
The frame has been made from seamless aluminium aircraft tubing, heat treated to withstand extreme temperatures. Wind tunnel tests with Skelton allowed for fine-tuning.
The frame itself has a lower centre of gravity, with the back wheel set back further than usual. The bike features a rear-only disc brake, designed to provide as little drag as possible. Fluid in hydraulic brakes would freeze, so simple mechanical brakes have been used.
The extra tough saddle has been made of organic leather and copper rivets, while the metal cage pedals have power straps designed for Skelton's snow boots - allowing her to pedal with full 360-degree power as if she was riding in standard shoes. The handlebar is equipped with adjustable clip to allow adjustments on positioning.
The hand-made wheels and wheel hubs with sealed bearings weigh 1ib each. The tubeless rubber tyres measure 20-inch and 20cm-wide, weighing almost 8lb each. Designed to bulge over the rim for stability and traction, the wide surface area of the tyre distributes the rider weight over the width of the tyre. Air pressure will be adjustable, according to pressure.
BikeBiz has a commitment to retail that goes beyond just ensuring that every store receives the magazine every month. The editorial team prides itself on its coverage of retail - from debating issues to providing information that will aid sales. | {
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Applications Available Now for ESO Music Director Andrew Grams’ Masterclass for Adults Feb 9
Posted by d.handler, Community Contributor
Andrew Grams Masterclass for Adults no-fee applications are available now at ElginSymphony.Org
Andrew Grams Masterclass for Adults no-fee applications are available now at ElginSymphony.Org (Posted by d.handler, Community Contributor)
Community Contributor d.handler
The Elgin Symphony Orchestra (ESO) is now accepting applications for its first ever adult masterclass with world-renowned conductor and ESO music director Andrew Grams, to be held Saturday, February 9, 1:00-3:00 pm at the Gail Borden Public Library, Elgin. Applications from adult (including college) ensembles or soloists are available now at ElginSymphony.Org and are due January 1, 2019. There are no application fees and all instruments may apply. The general public is invited to attend ESO masterclasses, which are always free. For more information about the application process, contact Wendy Evans at [email protected] or call 847.888.4000.
As part of its ongoing mission, the Elgin Symphony Orchestra provides educational opportunities and community engagement "believing that symphonic music enriches humanity." Masterclasses are one facet of this effort to improve musicians' and non-musicians' understanding of the essentials of music. Free educational programs include the Listeners Club held the Wednesday before each classical concert at Gail Borden Library in Elgin and The Greenfields of Geneva. Monthly radio programs on 101.5FM WHRU-LP Huntley Community Radio allow any individual the opportunity to be a part of the ESO learning community. Musically Speaking Pre-Concert Chats offer Maestro Grams and/or a visiting artist the opportunity to share background information on the weekend's concerts. Ainsworth Concerts for Youth™ open the hearts and minds of over 7000 school age children to the beauty of symphonic music each spring. This year's theme is ESO World Tour with a focus on music from around the world and features young artist Claire Arias-Kim on violin. Traveling Ensembles visit schools to instill a joy of listening and learning about the various instruments and sections of the orchestra. Musicians Care offers musical solace to patients at Sherman Advocate Hospital, Elgin, Advocate Good Shepard and JourneyCare in Barrington. More information on all ESO educational activities can be found at ElginSymphony.Org.
With a unique combination of intensity, enthusiasm and technical clarity, American conductor Andrew Grams has steadily built a reputation for his dynamic concerts, ability to connect with audiences, and long-term orchestra building. He's the winner of 2015 Conductor of the Year from the Illinois Council of Orchestras and has led orchestras throughout the United States including the Chicago Symphony, Detroit Symphony, National Symphony Orchestra, St. Louis Symphony, Cincinnati Symphony, Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, Philadelphia Orchestra, Dallas Symphony, and the Houston Symphony.
Now in his 6th ESO season, Andrew Grams became music director of the Elgin Symphony Orchestra after an international search. His charismatic conducting and easy accessibility have made him a favorite of Elgin Symphony audiences. He has extended his contract with the ESO through 2021. A frequent traveler, Mr. Grams has worked extensively with orchestras abroad, including the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, Montreal Symphony Orchestra, Vancouver Symphony Orchestra, Orchestre National de France, Orchester der Beethovenhalle Bonn, BBC Symphony Orchestra London, Sydney Symphony, Melbourne and Adelaide Symphony Orchestras, and New Zealand Symphony Orchestra. Last season, Mr. Grams conducted Roosevelt University's Chicago College of Performing Arts Orchestra, Barcelona Symphony Orchestra, Sacramento Philharmonic, the Tulsa, Santa Rosa, Kalamazoo, and Omaha Symphony Orchestras, Sewanee Symphony Orchestra, the Residentie Orchestra in The Hague, Netherlands and New York City Ballet's George Balanchine's The Nutcracker®. This season, Mr. Grams will conduct the Sacramento Philharmonic, Dallas Symphony, Curtis Symphony Orchestra, Zagreb Philharmonic, Fort Worth Symphony, Civic Orchestra of Chicago, Detroit Symphony, Amsterdam Conservatory of Music, National Orchestral Institute, Colorado Music Festival and Minnesota Orchestra Sommerfest.
Born in Severn, Maryland, Mr. Grams began studying the violin when he was eight years old. In 1999 he received a Bachelor of Music in Violin Performance from The Juilliard School, and in 2003 he received a conducting degree from the Curtis Institute of Music where he studied with Otto-Werner Mueller. He was selected to spend the summer of 2003 studying with David Zinman, Murry Sidlin and Michael Stern at the American Academy of Conducting at Aspen and returned to that program again in 2004. Mr. Grams served as Assistant Conductor of The Cleveland Orchestra from 2004-2007 where he worked under the guidance of Franz Welser-Möst, and has since returned for several engagements.
As an accomplished violinist, Mr. Grams was a member of the New York City Ballet Orchestra from 1998-2004, serving as acting associate principal second violin in 2002 and 2004. Additionally, he has performed with ensembles including the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, Orchestra of St. Luke's, Brooklyn Philharmonic, and the New Jersey Symphony. To learn more about Andrew Grams, visit andrewgrams.com, @andrewhilarygrams on Facebook and instragram.com/andrewhgrams.
Now in its 68th season, the Elgin Symphony Orchestra (ESO) offers programming unmatched for an entertaining, informative and relaxing cultural experience. The ESO's won Illinois Professional Orchestra of the Year a record-setting four times - in 1988, 1999, 2005 and 2016. The ESO strives to create an enjoyable entertainment experience that goes beyond the magnificent music performed by some of the best musicians in the country. There is accessible, free parking around the Hemmens Cultural Center and valet service available. The event often features musicians performing in the lobby before concerts, and patrons can purchase unique, music-themed gifts at the Elgin Symphony League Boutique. Pre-concert chats are given by music director Andrew Grams, guest artists and others one hour before most performances. Saturday night patrons are invited after concerts to meet Andrew Grams, guest artists and ESO musicians at Mingle with the Musicians, held at area restaurants. Music historian Jim Kendros offers free Listeners Club discussions the Wednesday before ESO Classics Series concert weekends at Greenfields of Geneva and the Gail Borden Public Library. Flex passes are available for choosing concerts at a later date, and if a patron can't make a concert, the ESO offers free exchanges to subscribers and to single ticket buyers for a small fee. The ESO is a world-class orchestra presenting quality musical explorations of some of the greatest music ever written, conveniently located close to home in the western suburbs. The ESO-Transforming the Symphony Experience. ElginSymphony.Org.
This item was posted by a community contributor. To read more about community contributors, click here. | {
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(10-12-2013 06:45 PM)Luminon Wrote: Scientists are very rigid and conservative and that allows them to go in deep research. They don't change a paradigm unless under very unscientific circumstances of a revolution.
I disagree. I don't think scientists are "rigid" just because they aren't focused enough on what interests you. Also I'm not sure what you mean when you refer to "revolution"?
I find it rather odd that you'd cite Einstein as your example. You know what he did? Postulated something completely beyond the then current paradigm. Then the scientific community confirmed it. The scientific method works.
For now, let's say I feel like a New Age atheist more and more. For me an "energetic imbalance" or "energy deficiency" is a very real thing (and it gives an extra twist on the post-Christmas party hangover). For me, a threat of getting punched in the aura by a hippie is not a laughing matter It has to be a Tai Chi punch, of course
(12-12-2013 05:05 PM)grizzlysnake Wrote: It really is kinda funny. first step laugh it off. Second step confirm if remark is serious and if so, laugh even louder. You ever heard of yellow bamboo? Look it up you'll see what I mean
Well, I was mostly joking, two smillies are evidence of that, I thought. I think that being able to laugh at myself is a virtue, don't you think?
I looked up YB and it seems the mechanics are a bit far-fetched. Stopping an attacker by "supernatural" means is like trying to stop a train by sending a letter to the railways while the train is already up & running at you.
From what I know about the energy mechanics, it's not a blunt instrument to fend off attackers. It's a very subtle instrument to manipulate your nerve and endocrine system and consciousness. Using it on other people, well, I've got little to no experience with that. I'm glad that I can feel at all that other people's energy even exists, not hoping to be stopped by it.
Yes, I saw some healing and other external applications, but mostly very obscure. The most visible physical manifestation I saw was turning a psi-wheel, I could control the direction of rotation and when to stop and start. But it was tiring and didn't work every day. (of course I covered my nose and mouth)
(12-12-2013 05:05 PM)grizzlysnake Wrote: It really is kinda funny. first step laugh it off. Second step confirm if remark is serious and if so, laugh even louder. You ever heard of yellow bamboo? Look it up you'll see what I mean
Well, I was mostly joking, two smillies are evidence of that, I thought. I think that being able to laugh at myself is a virtue, don't you think?
I looked up YB and it seems the mechanics are a bit far-fetched. Stopping an attacker by "supernatural" means is like trying to stop a train by sending a letter to the railways while the train is already up & running at you.
From what I know about the energy mechanics, it's not a blunt instrument to fend off attackers. It's a very subtle instrument to manipulate your nerve and endocrine system and consciousness. Using it on other people, well, I've got little to no experience with that. I'm glad that I can feel at all that other people's energy even exists, not hoping to be stopped by it.
Yes, I saw some healing and other external applications, but mostly very obscure. The most visible physical manifestation I saw was turning a psi-wheel, I could control the direction of rotation and when to stop and start. But it was tiring and didn't work every day. (of course I covered my nose and mouth)
Oh please don't, just don't. Psi-pog right? Ugh...that was back in my "soul searching" days. What I meant about yellow bamboo is that it only works on those who believe it does. Even if you think its not you moving the pin wheel could it be something else? Idk the fucking wind? Look at a candle, no incense look at the trail of smoke you might not feel wind but the smoke reacts to it. You can see it move. Can you perform your trick in a vacuum?
(12-12-2013 06:03 PM)grizzlysnake Wrote: Oh please don't, just don't. Psi-pog right? Ugh...that was back in my "soul searching" days. What I meant about yellow bamboo is that it only works on those who believe it does. Even if you think its not you moving the pin wheel could it be something else? Idk the fucking wind? Look at a candle, no incense look at the trail of smoke you might not feel wind but the smoke reacts to it. You can see it move. Can you perform your trick in a vacuum?
I don't have a vacuum. But firstly, any intrusion such as draft or heat would be random and secondly, if there was a draft in the room, a paper psi-wheel would start moving by itself when set up and left alone as well. I covered my mouth and nose to make sure my breath was not moving it.
It might be actually an electro-static charge generated by hands that turns the paper wheel, the trick is in alternating it, so that the wheel gathers a rotational momentum. If I did it the brute force way, the wheel would just turn like a compass as much as I moved my hands around, it didn't rotate. That would jibe with my hypothesis. Whatever this "energy" is, it seems to have a significant electro-static component.
(12-12-2013 06:03 PM)grizzlysnake Wrote: Oh please don't, just don't. Psi-pog right? Ugh...that was back in my "soul searching" days. What I meant about yellow bamboo is that it only works on those who believe it does. Even if you think its not you moving the pin wheel could it be something else? Idk the fucking wind? Look at a candle, no incense look at the trail of smoke you might not feel wind but the smoke reacts to it. You can see it move. Can you perform your trick in a vacuum?
I don't have a vacuum. But firstly, any intrusion such as draft or heat would be random and secondly, if there was a draft in the room, a paper psi-wheel would start moving by itself when set up and left alone as well. I covered my mouth and nose to make sure my breath was not moving it.
It might be actually an electro-static charge generated by hands that turns the paper wheel, the trick is in alternating it, so that the wheel gathers a rotational momentum. That would jibe with my hypothesis. Whatever this "energy" is, it seems to have a significant electro-static component. | {
"pile_set_name": "Pile-CC"
} |
Ah, Wimbledon. The refreshing English drizzle. The grunting. And, those names! Just like any global sporting event, Wimbledon is a phonetician's dream and tennis announcer's nightmare. As a recent New York Times article points out, poor chair umpire Pascal Maria had to oversee a match between Alex Bogomolov Jr. and Alexandr Doglopolov. No amount of vocal warm-ups could prepare anyone for such a feat.
BBC commentator David Mercer, attending his 39th Wimbledon, told the Times he writes details about each player on an index card, with personal details in ink and phonetic pronunciation in pencil -- sometimes the players take issue with an announcer's pronunciation. When a game gets heated between players with tough names, some announcers will use the nationality (the Slovak, the French) to avoid mistakes.
In the multicultural spirit of Wimbledon, we've put together a list of just some of the most tongue-twisting and mellifluous names umpires and announcers will be faced with at this year's tournament. (Bogomolov and Doglopolov excluded -- those were just an amuse-bouche.)
Stanislas Wawrinka
Wawrinka hails from Switzerland and has played in seven Wimbledon Championships. He holds four career titles, three in singles and one in doubles. He and Roger Federer won the gold medal for Switzerland in the 2008 Summer Olympics men's doubles.
Flavio Cipolla
OK, the Italian player's name isn't that difficult to pronounce. But we just think anyone named Flavio deserves to be on every name list ever from now until eternity.
There are many more Wimbledon names worthy of a plaque in a linguistics lab, and we encourage you to use the tournament as a phonetic warm-up for the London Games, where you'll encounter Irish swimmer Sycerika McMahon, Russian pole vaulter Yelena Isinbayeva and Indian archer Chekrovolu Swuro.
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Last month, LaDainian Tomlinson signed a one-day contract to retire as a San Diego Charger. A few days later, Roger Clemens was acquitted on all accounts of obstruction and lying to Congress about the use of performance-enhancing drugs. Meanwhile, the New Jersey State Senate will vote Thursday on a resolution aiming to request that Major League Baseball retire the No. 21 in honor of Roberto Clemente, as they did in 1997 with Jackie Robinson's No. 42.
Besides the involvement of superstar athletes, these stories seem to have little in common -- but by simply scanning the back of their jerseys, you'll find that they all wore the No. 21. And they're not the only sports legends to sport the number:
21. Sammy Sosa
Even with 609 career home runs, a National League MVP, six Silver Slugger Awards and seven All-Star appearances, Sammy Sosa will always have doubt on his legacy because of performance-enhancing accusations. Still, it is impossible to deny the grip he and Mark McGuire had on the country as they chased Roger Maris in 1998.
20. Michel Briere
Briere's story is tragic. He played just one season in the NHL before an automobile accident led to his death in 1970. In that one season, however, he showed flashes of future superstardom. He led the Penguins in team scoring in the playoffs with eight points, including a series-clinching, overtime goal to beat the Oakland Seals and send the Penguins to the second round. He finished that year's playoffs with three game-winning goals.
19. Tiki Barber
Barber, a three-time Pro Bowler and All-Pro, is the Giants' all-time leading rusher (10,449 yards) and sits 23rd on the NFL's all-time rushing list. He rushed for more than 200 yards in a single game five times and holds multiple franchise records for the Giants. He retired while still in his prime, burning some unfortunate bridges within the organization. He attempted a comeback in 2011 but found no suitors.
18. Mike Eruzione
Eruzione was the captain of the gold medal-winning 1980 Olympic hockey team, and scored the winning goal against the Soviet Union in the "Miracle on Ice." He retired after the Olympics, knowing his legend was already secured.
17. David Pearson
Second place in NASCAR history with 105 wins, Pearson, who drove car No. 21 for much of his career, was the Grand National Champion three times and has been inducted to three separate Hall of Fames: The International Motorsports Hall of Fame, the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America and the NASCAR Hall of Fame.
16. Cammi Granato
Granato was the captain of the Olympic gold medal-winning U.S. hockey team in 1998. In May 2008, she was one of the first women to be inducted into the International Ice Hockey Hall of Fame. Later that year, she was the first women ever inducted into the United States Hockey Hall of Fame, and in 2010, she and Angela James were the first ever women inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame.
15. Paul O'Neill
On Sept. 3, 1985, Paul O'Neill made his debut for the Reds, cracking a single in his first bat. He went on to collect 2,107 hits, 281 home runs and 1,269 RBI, along with a career .288 batting average. While his numbers aren't quite as gaudy as some of the other major leaguers on this list, O'Neill played with a passion unmatched by most. He could often be seen taking out his frustration on water coolers in the dugout and was labeled as a "warrior" by George Steinbrenner. And don't forget, he's also a five-time All-Star and World Series champion (four with the Yankees, one with the Reds).
14. Borje Salming
A defenseman for the Maple Leafs and Red Wings starting in the early 1970's, Salming was "The King" well before LeBron was even born. One of the first Europeans to head west for the NHL, Salming holds the NHL record for most career points by an undrafted defenseman (787) and was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1996.
13. Dominique Wilkins
Wilkins, otherwise known as "The Human Highlight Film," is responsible for some of the most egregious acts of posterization of all time. While he is probably most well-known for his dunk contest showdowns against Michael Jordan -- Wilkins is a two-time champ -- don't try to undermine his place in NBA history: He was a nine-time All-Star, is 11th on the all-time scoring list (26,668 points) and is a member of the Basketball Hall of Fame.
12. Bill Sharman
Sharman teamed with Bob Cousy in the 1950's to form one of the greatest backcourt duos in NBA history. A four-time NBA champion and eight-time All-Star with four All-NBA first team selections, Sharman ranks 11th all-time in free throw accuracy (88 percent). The Hall-of-Famer averaged 18 points per game for his career.
11. Charles Woodson
An eight-time Pro Bowler and seven-time All-Pro, Super Bowl champion and former Defensive Player of the Year, Woodson is one of the top cornerbacks in NFL history. The proof is in the numbers: He's 20th in all-time interceptions (54), 17th in interception yards (896) and second in interceptions returned for a touchdown (11).
10. Bob Lemon
Lemon is a seven-time 20-game winner, a seven-time All-Star and a two-time World Series champion with a 1948 no-hitter under his belt to boot. But his mark on the game goes beyond his 207 wins and career 3.23 ERA, Lemon was also an outstanding hitter. He's second all-time for pitchers (if you don't count Babe Ruth) with 37 career home runs.
9. Kevin Garnett
An NBA champion and gold medalist, Garnett has been dominating the league for 17 years now. The 2003-04 NBA MVP is a 14-time All-Star with nine All-NBA and 12 All-Defensive selections. He's 18th on the all-time scoring list (24,270 points) and 12th in rebounds (13,313). And, as many players around the league will attest, he's one of the premiere trash-talkers of his era.
8. Peter Forsberg
Forsberg was a force in his 19-year career (13 in the NHL), winning two Stanley Cups with the Colorado Avalanche and four gold medals with Sweden, along with a multitude of individual honors, including the 2002-03 Hart Memorial Trophy as league MVP. He's fourth all-time in assists per game (.889) and eighth in points per game (1.25).
7. LaDainian Tomlinson
Tomlinson was the definition of a workhorse: Third all-time in career touchdowns (162), fifth all-time in career rush yards (13,684) and holds the record for most overall touchdowns in a single season (31). He was the 2006 NFL MVP and a five-time Pro Bowler. And the man wasn't just one-dimensional as he threw seven touchdowns during his 11-year career.
6. Warren Spahn
With 363 wins (good for sixth all-time) and a career ERA of 3.09, Spahn is widely considered the best southpaw to ever pitch. The Warren Spahn Award is given each year to MLB's best left-handed
pitcher. Spahn won at least 20 games 13 times, including a stretch of five consecutive seasons. A 14-time All-Star who threw two no-hitters, Spahn became a World Series champion and Cy Young Award winner in 1957 as a member of the Milwaukee Braves.
5. Stan Mikita
A Stanley Cup champion and two-time NHL MVP, Mikita helped create and sustain the offensive juggernaut that was the Blackhawks of the 1960's. He led the NHL in scoring four times, was a nine-time All-Star and ranks 29th in career goals (541) and 31st in career playoff goals (59). His true claim to fame? A fictional donut shop named "Stan Mikita's Donuts" in the 1992 comedy "Wayne's World."
4. Roger Clemens
The Rocket wore No. 21 from his rookie season with the Red Sox through his tenure with the Blue Jays. He didn't win his first World Series until he was traded to the Yankees in 1999 and had to switch his number. But while wearing No. 21, Clemens won 233 games, five Cy Young awards, became the only pitcher to ever strike out 20 batters in a single game twice and won the AL MVP in 1986.
3. Deion Sanders
"Prime Time" was one of the most feared corners in NFL history (who also found some time to be an MLB outfielder). A perennial Pro Bowler and two-time Super Bowl champion, the 1996 Defensive Player of the Year ranks fourth in both career interception yards (1,331) and interceptions returned for a touchdown (9). Not convinced? He's also one of only two players in NFL history to score a touchdown in six different ways: Interception return, punt return, kickoff return, receiving, rushing and fumble recovery.
2. Tim Duncan
Nicknamed "The Big Fundamental," Duncan has quietly catapulted himself into the forefront of the "best power forward ever" discussion. With the help of a perfect low-post bank shot, Duncan is a four-time NBA champion with three Finals MVP's, a two-time NBA MVP, and a 13-time All-Star. And to think that he originally dreamed of being an Olympic swimmer.
1. Roberto Clemente
The Pirates right fielder assembled quite the resume during his 18-year career. Along with a .317 batting average and exactly 3,000 hits, he compiled 15 All-Star appearances and 12 Gold Gloves. He was a two-time World Series champion (series MVP in 1971) and the 1966 National League MVP. Even more impressive was his charity work off the field. Clemente died in an airplane crash
while en route to deliver relief supplies for earthquake victims in Nicaragua in 1972.
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Joel Allen was just 26 when he quit his job as a software developer to pursue his lifelong dream of inventing a get-rich-quick scheme.
Things didn't pan exactly as planned: He ran out of money, fell in love and found his calling as a carpenter.
But a brilliant new idea struck him. Allen could use his carpentry skills and materials gathered from Craigslist to build an incredible treehouse on government land in the wilds of British Columbia. He'd live for free in style, right in the middle of one of the most inflated housing markets in the world.
Allen's treehouse, Hemloft, has been featured on his blog and in Dwell magazine. We asked him to share his story and some pictures.
It all started with a dream of early retirement and unemployment. "I was formerly in software and I liked it, I was making good money," Allen told BI. But the business went belly-up in 2006 and he was forced to live off his savings. Now Allen had a new mission: Come up with a million-dollar idea and live large. But by the end of 2007, he was living in his car.
Reality hit hard in the spring of 2008. "I was left penniless, at the crossroads of returning to software, or trying something new," Allen said. But a chance meeting with a "magical-looking character" named Old Man John turned Allen on to carpentry. "He was living the life that I had been pining after," Allen wrote on his site. And "I wanted his ability to construct whatever creative idea came to mind."
Allen's dad had built their family home, but his son didn't know a single thing about carpentry. Pressed to find employment and learn the skill quickly, he gave himself a one-week intensive course in carpentry by building a shed for his parents that was an exact replica of their home. The 12-hour workdays paid off: Within a week Allen had landed a job working on a multi-million dollar home overlooking Alta Lake.
Another chance encounter with a laborer nicknamed "Free Range Ryan" got Allen interested in "sport sleeping," a game where players compete to find the craziest place to sleep. Allen had been mulling over the idea of building a treehouse to keep the game going, but wanted something "a bit more elegant."
Summer of 2008 was spent roaming Whistler for hours in search of the perfect tree to erect the treehouse on. Allen made a list of requirements: The tree should be serene, close to a road and running water, proportionate to the treehouse, and in tune with its design. It also needed a view.
Once Allen found his tree, it was time to get to work. He had to be discreet about it though, this was government land. He wasn't afraid of getting arrested, but didn't want to chance it either. So he carefully listened for traffic and pretended to check his car's hubcaps. "I kept forging ahead, hoping no one would find it," he said. "It was pretty much a road that nobody ever used except residents."
As a carpenter, Allen knew what to toss and what could be reused. Among his finds were a double-glass sliding door (valued at $400), ash hardwood floor (worth $1,500) and clear cedar without any knots.
Allen liked the idea, but worried what would happen if strangers (and the government) found out. "I had two options: I could rent a pit bull and a shotgun and neurotically circle the premises for the next ten years of my life, OR … I could just not care, and welcome whatever curious prospectors wander in my direction," he wrote. He decided to throw caution to the wind ...
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While Kentucky's Anthony Davis is considered a can't-miss lock for the first pick in Thursday's NBA draft, there are plenty of men who came before who seemed like decent bets for great success. While superstars have emerged from the first pick, and most wind up with noteworthy careers, there's always a chance they'll be failures, relative to their draft status. This is a list of the guys that had the most trouble living up to the hype.
1989 - Pervis Ellison - Kings
"Never Nervous Pervis" was a force for Louisville, winning Most Outstanding Player while leading his team to the national title in 1986. The Kings took him with the first pick, but he saw limited action his rookie year due to injury. Danny Ainge went so far as to change his nickname to "Out of Service Pervis." Injuries hampered Ellison throughout his career, limiting his career totals to 9.6 ppg and 6.7 rpg.
1995 - Joe Smith - Warriors
Smith was the College Player of the Year at Maryland in 1995, and was selected No. 1 overall by the Warriors that same year. Smith became the definition of a journeyman in his NBA career, playing for 11 different clubs in his 15 years as a pro. Smith finished his career averaging 10.9 ppg, and only played more than 70 games in a season six times.
1998 - Michael Olowokandi - Clippers
Long before the days of Lob City, the Clippers were known for their head-scratching personnel decisions. Drafting Olowokandi first overall was chief among them. Olowokandi was a force at small Pacific University, but those skills did not translate to the NBA. He averaged double-digits in scoring only twice during his career and never blocked more than 2.2 shots per season. He retired after the 06-07 season, finishing his career with 8.3 ppg and 1.4 blocks per.
2000 - The entire draft class
Just take a look the first five picks: Kenyon Martin, Stromile Swift, Darius Miles, Marcus Fizer and Mike Miller. Woof. Widely considered as the worst NBA Draft of all time. Only three of the picks even made it to an All-Star Game (Martin, Jamaal Magloire, Michael Redd). Only 9 of the 58 picks ended up with double-digit scoring totals for their pro careers.
2001 - Kwame Brown - Wizards
Quite possibly the poster child for NBA draft busts. Brown was selected straight out of high school and can be viewed as a cautionary tale about going pro too soon. He was viewed by many as not being mature enough at the time, and it showed. He has spent most of his career feuding with teammates and getting in trouble with the law. Currently on his seventh NBA team, Brown has averaged a mere 6.8 ppg thus far.
2007 - Greg Oden - Trailblazers
Oden was an absolute monster while at Ohio State and was everyone's consensus number one pick. Unfortunately for Oden (and Portland) he has spent more time in the operating room than on the court. Numerous knee surgeries have all but ended his career and he is currently without a team. While he is still only 24, many wonder if his body will allow him to dominate in the NBA.
Players taken after Oden: Kevin Durant, Al Horford, Joakim Noah.
Did we miss anyone? Were we too harsh on a player's career? Let us know in the comments.
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Elgin Baylor
While a junior at Seattle University, Baylor led the Chieftains (now the Redhawks) to the school's only Final Four appearance in 1958. Baylor's squad fell to Kentucky 84-72 in the final, but that did not take away from his remarkable tournament performance. With 135 points in five games, Baylor was awarded the tournament's MOP Award. One month later, he was drafted first overall by the Minneapolis Lakers. Baylor's Hall of Fame career included 23,149 points, 11,463 rebounds and 11 All-Star Game appearances. But Baylor never won an NBA Championship.
Assuming the universe remains intact by Thursday night, Anthony Davis will be a New Orleans Hornet. He will likely cap off a three-month period that will have seen him win the NCAA Most Outstanding Player Award and become the first overall pick in the NBA Draft.
Davis would not be the first to accomplish this feat. A total of 12 players before him have won NCAA Tournament MOP Awards and been first overall draft picks. Of those players, Davis is in some pretty good company: Eight are Hall of Famers.
Don't look down. But if you're wearing "mandals" (or dating someone who does), you need to read this. Mandals are -- you guessed it -- man sandals. As one of the ultimate first world problems, man sandals are extremely difficult to do right, unless you are totally comfortable looking like a camp counselor, river guide or frequenter of music festivals.
We scoured the web in search of the best and worst mandals around. We hope this list helps you avoid being confused with Ug from "Salute Your Shorts."
Don't: The Grunge Factor
Even when Dr. Martens were cool, we're pretty certain Kurt Cobain and Chris Cornell weren't donning the sandal version. Not only do they weigh down your feet with the bulky rubber sole, there's barely enough ventilation for even a mild summer day. You don't want your sandals to be slingback hiking shoes.
Don’t: Support System
We’re not knocking the classic look of rubber flip-flops, which are welcome by the pool or on the beach. But when they're flat and flimsy, rubber flip-flops can wreak havoc on your feet. Invest in a pair with some cushioning and arch support, which we'll get to in the "do's."
Don't: The Italian Job
If you're not an Italian businessman, please avoid narrow, leather numbers that could be described as "handsome." Girgio Brutini does make some fine shoes, but this pair doesn't belong on this side of the Atlantic, unless you are Cesare Prandelli on holiday in Montauk.
Don't: Unhappy Camper
Unless you really are spending your summer as a white water rafting guide, chances are, shoes like this are unnecessary. (But if you are a rafting guide, we salute you, brave sir.) For those of you just looking for cushioning and support, you might as well wear a good pair of sneakers and some breathable cotton socks.
Do: Flip-Flop in Style
Reefs are known for combining cushioning with support, which means you could probably get away with wearing these flip-flops to the ballpark -- though they won't protect you from that guy who inevitably fails to catch the foul ball. The sole of this pair is made to dry fast, so they're great for poolside or seaside.
Do: New Neutrals
Every dude at your local pub will be wearing black, brown or tan flip-flops. Yawn. Charcoal is unexpected and makes this pair of Calvin Klein's almost, dare we say, striking? As striking as a pair of flip-flops can be.
Do: Go Californian
Rainbow makes a great pair of flip-flops, but if you need to step it up to something a little more formal, their hemp slip-ons are a nice alternative to your office footwear. Paired with some classic chinos or slim fit jeans, you could get away with these at your company barbecue.
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1. Pull-Ups
The pull-up is an amazing way to strengthen your upper back, trapezius muscles, shoulders and abs. If you really want to train like an MMA fighter, you have to be able to perform many, many pull-ups. (Quick review: pull-ups involve your palms facing away from your body. Chin-ups, which are easier, involve your palms facing toward your body.) If you have trouble doing even one—with good form, meaning smooth and under control, not relying on momentum—don’t worry. They’re hard. Build up your back muscles with bent-over rows and lat pulldowns. Then move on to assisted pull-ups, chin-ups and finally the real deal.
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Gentlemen, just because you're going to the beach doesn't mean you can get away with an utterly uninspired daily combo of board shorts and undershirts. Whether you're jet setting with your significant other or hoping to find one on your travels, why not put a little effort into your warm weather look? We promise you she'll appreciate it.
On The Plane
Just because you're sitting in coach doesn't mean you need to look like you're going home after your first year of college. Everyone (even men) can get chilly on planes, so layering is key. Try a patterned hoodie in an oceanic hue over a neutral tee and khakis or your softest -- but not holeyest -- jeans. We love this striped burnout hoodie from Billabong.
The Perfect Tee
OK, so you've been a slave to the gym all spring in anticipation of your beach trip. We hate to break it to you, but you can't go shirtless everywhere. Whether you're migrating from your hotel room to the pool or from the tiki bar to the buffet, you'll need a breathable tee that goes with your swim trunks, favorite lounge shorts and jeans. Try this v-neck from Alternative Apparel in a range of neutral hues.
The Short List
If you're feeling alone in your confusion over shorts, don't. Shorts pose problems for every guy who's stylish enough to stay away from cargos but perhaps not built like Brad Pitt. Most beach vacations will call for something a step up from swim trunks and a step down from slacks, so take this advice from AskMen.com, "Avoid anything with cargo pockets or other details that will visually bulk you up. Instead, select a pair with a classic flat-front cut that skims your body but has some breathing room, falls to your knees, and comes in a neutral color." You really can't go wrong with this pair from Banana Republic, whether you're on the golf course or walking through town in search of duty-free tequila.
Get Colorful
You'll need some color to go with your neutral shorts, and to show the locals you're not some buttoned up city boy. Cobalt blue, shocking green and even shades of purple can wake up your look. The bold and the brave can try this lilac Ralph Lauren polo, paired with your shorts or some slim-fit khakis. Other colors to try (hey, you're on vacation) are cobalt blue, grass green and even a rum punch red.
Reasons to Keep Your Pants On
While we're feeling bold, why not throw some bright pants in the mix to ensure you stand out amongst the crowd of beige and white on the cruise ship? Bold bottoms are best kept for those fortunate enough to be blessed with a lean waistline, so if that's not you, never fear. These sun-faded red Tommy Hilfiger chinos also come in navy and khaki. Pair them with a clean white tee or crisp button-down.
Trunk Time
In the last year or so, vintage-style trunks (think "Moondoggie") began challenging the longer board shorts that have been in style for so long. If your quads are stage- worthy, we say go for it. But for everyone else, there's nothing wrong with sticking to board shorts, as long as you find a contemporary pattern with a bit more edge than those ubiquitous Hawaiian flowers. We love the color options -- and price -- for these trunks from Zara.
Get Shady
Now that your body is covered, it's time for your eyes. Ray-Ban Wayfarers aren't going anywhere anytime soon, and that's OK. They're as timeless a navy suit. But the folks at Details offer a well-edited array of alternatives. Try this pair that combines the trendiness of plastic frames with the timeless shape of aviators.
Mug Shot
Sorry to sound like your mom, but you can't forget sunblock. Nothing is less sexy at dinner after a long day in the surf than a lobster red face. Protect your lovely mug with a nice, non-greasy lotion that keeps the burn, and the oily shine, at bay. This stuff is so good, you'll have to hide it from your girlfriend.
Sole of the Matter
We would never tell you to leave your precious flip flops out behind. But, please, toss in an alternative pair of footwear for cocktails at the resort’s patio bar. GQ is recommending boat shoes this season – but not these aren’t your grandpa’s. Bid farewell to tired plaid, navy or beige and go for scene-stealing stripes or even a shot of neon. This pair from Cole Haan would be welcome on our boat. Not only is the yellow sole unexpected, your feet welcome the Nike Air technology hidden in the shoe.
There you have it. You won't need anything else this summer but a good time. Now get it together and get out the door.
It was these nine female professional tennis players who rebelled against the United States Lawn Tennis Association (USLTA) and later set up the Virginia Slims Circuit which went on to become the WTA Tour. They revolted against the extreme inequality in the amount of prize money paid to male tennis players and to female tennis players.
Prior to the establishment of the association, male and female tennis players were treated quite differently in terms of the prize money they received.
As per reports, at the first open tournament, the 1968 British Hardcourt Championships held in Bournemouth, men's singles champion Ken Rosewall earned $2,400 while the female winner received only $720.
The situation was very similar during the second Grand Slam tournament of the open era, when male winners received more money than their female counterparts. The situation became worse in 1970 when tournaments offered four times more prize money to men than they did to women.
To end this inequality, the nine tennis players started a campaign aiming to reduce the inequality between the prize money purses for men and women.
Although the team met with many failures during their initial attempts, they were eventually allowed to set up their own tour of eight professional tournaments in 1970. This independent women's professional tennis circuit provided more equal prize money than had been provided previously by the USLTA and other organizations.
Despite the USLTA's suspension of the "Original 9" from its tournaments, by the end of the year the Virginia Slims Circuit reportedly was able to boost its numbers from nine to forty members, which helped pave the way for the first annual Virginia Slims Circuit in 1971.
Start the slideshow to catch a glimpse of some rare undated pictures of the "Original Nine" along with their recent images at the 40th Family Circle Cup tennis tournament.
The ‘Original Nine’ WTA Starters
Members of the "Original Nine" are seen in this undated handout photo released to Reuters April 7, 2012. Back row (L-R): Valerie Ziegenfuss, Billie Jean King, Nancy Richey, Jane "Peaches" Bartkowicz, Kristy Pigeon. Front row (L-R): Judy Tegart Dalton, Kerry Melville Reid, Rosemary "Rosie" Casals and Gladys Heldman, mother of Julie Heldman. The "Original Nine" are the founding members of the Women's Tennis Association. The photo was originally taken nearly 40 years ago.
The Original Nine, +40 Years
Members of the "Original Nine" are seen in this undated handout photo released to Reuters April 7, 2012. Back row (L-R): Valerie Ziegenfuss, Billie Jean King, Nancy Richey, Jane "Peaches" Bartkowicz, Kristy Pigeon. Front row (L-R): Judy Tegart Dalton, Kerry Melville Reid, Rosemary "Rosie" Casals and Julie Heldman, daughter of Gladys Heldman. The "Original Nine" are the founding members of the Women's Tennis Association. This photo was the recreation of a photo originally taken nearly 40 years ago.
Side By Side
Members of the "Original Nine" are seen in this combination of undated handout photos taken 40 years ago (top) and later, released to Reuters April 7, 2012. In the top picture: Back row (L-R): Valerie Ziegenfuss, Billie Jean King, Nancy Richey, Jane "Peaches" Bartkowicz, Kristy Pigeon. Front row (L-R): Judy Tegart Dalton, Kerry Melville Reid, Rosemary "Rosie" Casals and Gladys Heldman, mother of Julie Heldman. Julie Heldman sat at the same spot occupied by her mother 40 years ago in the bottom picture. The "Original Nine" are the founding members of the Women's Tennis Association.
Casals and King
Rosemary "Rosie" Casals (L) and Billie Jean King talk about the 40 year history of the Family Circle Cup tennis tournament and what it has meant to women's tennis in Charleston, South Carolina April 7, 2012. Both Casals and King were part of the "Original Nine", founders of the women's professional circuit.
Casals and King, Pt. II
Rosemary "Rosie" Casals (L) and Billie Jean King talk about the 40 year history of the Family Circle Cup tennis tournament and what it has meant to women's tennis in Charleston, South Carolina April 7, 2012. Both Casals and King were part of the "Original Nine", founders of the women's professional circuit.
Governor Haley Honors the Nine
South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley (front C) address the crowd as she recognizes the "Original Nine", founders of the women's professional tennis circuit, during a special presentation of the 40th anniversary of the women's professional tennis association at the Family Circle Cup tennis tournament in Charleston, South Carolina April 7, 2012.
High Five
Billie Jean King (R) high-fives members of the "Original Nine", who started the Women's Tennis Association, at the 40th anniversary of the Family Circle Cup tennis tournament in Charleston, South Carolina April 7, 2012.
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On Friday and Saturday, the 2012 NHL Draft will put more 200 of the top hockey prospects around the world into NHL hands. Some will be hits, some will be busts and some will just be pretty darn average choices.
For teams scrambling to find last-minute draft choices, maybe a look at Wednesday night's NHL Awards winners would be a start. When were all of these NHL stars selected?
Evgeni Malkin: Hart, Lindsay Trophies
The 2011-12 MVP and Most Outstanding Player of the Pittsburgh Penguins narrowly missed the top spot of the 2004 draft. The Washington Capitals decided on a different Russian with the first choice: Alexander Ovechkin. With two Harts and three Lindsays already for Ovechkin, the Capitals are not exactly kicking themselves in the shins. But Malkin does have one big thing Alexander the Great lacks: A Stanley Cup title.
Henrik Lundqvist: Vezina Trophy
The league's top goaltender was a relatively unknown 18-year-old Swede in 2000 when the Rangers made him a seventh-round pick, 205th overall. King Henrik played his first five professional seasons in Sweden, before making his Big Apple debut in 2005. Now, 252 wins later, the pick appears well worth the wait. As for some of the top goalies drafted before Lundqvist, ninth overall pick Brent Krahn and 45th overall pick Mathieu Chouinard have played in one total NHL game each, 60th overall pick Dan Ellis has never played more than 44 games in a season and Ilya Bryzgalov currently runs a circus on Broad Street. Oh, and first overall pick Rick DiPietro ... he's played in 47 games over the past four seasons but still has nine years left on his 15-year deal. And people wonder why Islanders fans are bitter.
Erik Karlsson, Norris Trophy
A draft day trade landed the 15th pick in the Senators' hands, as Ottawa fans anxiously watched events unfold at Scotiabank Place. Steven Stamkos, a 2012 Hart Trophy finalist, was taken with the first overall pick. After Stamkos, six defensemen were chosen from picks 2-14. At the 15th slot, the Senators still felt they could scrape out defensive talent in 18-year-old Swede Karlsson, this season's top defenseman. Among the six defensemen selected before Karlsson, only Drew Doughty of the Kings has been a Norris Trophy finalist.
Gabriel Landeskog, Calder Memorial Trophy
Like Lundqvist and Karlsson, Landeskog was an 18-year-old Swede when the Avalanche drafted him second overall last year. Unlike Lundqvist and Karlsson, Landeskog wasted no time making his NHL debut. The winger started his rookie-of-the-year campaign just months after draft day. Landeskog's 52 points were tied for the most among rookies in 2011-12. As for the one player drafted before Landeskog, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins -- he was the other rookie with 52 points. For now, it is too early to judge the 2011 draft class.
Patrice Bergeron, Selke Trophy
In a star-studded draft (14 All-Stars were taken in the first round), this season's top defensive forward slipped to the second round at 45th overall. Although all 30 first-round draft choices of 2003 reached the NHL, it is hard to argue there was not a spot for a member of the Triple Gold Club (Olympic gold medal, World Championships gold medal and Stanley Cup).
Max Pacioretty, Masterton Trophy
Pacioretty, winner of the award for the "player who best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship and dedication" is a bright spot from a very weak draft. Of the 211 players drafted, only three players, first overall pick Patrick Kane, ninth pick Logan Couture and 129th pick Jamie Benn have been named to All-Star Games. Pacoretty's career is on the rise, though, as he recovered from a vicious Zdeno Chara hit in 2011 that ended his season to post 65 points in 2011-12.
Brian Campbell, Lady Byng
The Panthers defenseman, winner of the 2011-12 award for sportsmanship and gentlemanly conduct combined with a high standard of playing ability, was a sixth-round draft choice of the Buffalo Sabres in 1997. Despite the low draft choice, Campbell has enjoyed a successful career of a Stanley Cup title, four All-Star appearances and 365 total points. Campbell has proven he is not your everyday sixth-round defenseman.
Daniel Alfredsson, King Clancy Trophy
One of the NHL's greatest stars in the past 15 years and this year's top humanitarian, Alfresson was not viewed as a top player at the 1994 draft. While most scouts were skeptical of the Swede, John Ferguson of the Senators' front office convinced Ottawa to pull the trigger on him in the sixth round. Alfredsson is the only member of the 1994 class to have more than 1,000 points (1,082).
Mike Fisher, NHL Foundation Award
Six years before Carrie Underwood auditioned for "American Idol", the Predators center was a second-round pick of the Senators in 1998. Fisher was coming off just a 49-point season in the Ontario Hockey League, and he did not appear to have first-round talent. The center stayed in the OHL one more season, posting 106 points to make his naysayers groan. He has had a steady NHL career, scoring between 32 and 53 points in each of the last seven seasons. Centers the Senators passed on to take Fisher: Brad Richards and Pavel Datsyuk. The NHL Foundation Award is given to the player "who applies the core values of hockey -- commitment, perseverance and teamwork -- to enrich the lives of people in his community."
Shane Doan, Mark Messier Leadership Award
1995: Seventh overall.
Doan, drafted by the Winnipeg Jets (now the Phoenix Coyotes), watched six teams miss out on his 788 career points. Bryan Berard was the first overall pick by the Senators, and he was immediately traded to the Islanders in a deal that sent second overall pick Wade Redden to Ottawa. Berard experienced a short-lived mediocre career, while Redden hit a short-lived prime and has spent the last two seasons in the AHL. Third pick Aki Berg and sixth pick Steve Kelly both had very short careers, as well. But Doan may not have been the top player available at No. 7. Jarome Iginla, a career 1,073-point scorer, was drafted 11th overall. The Mark Messier Leadership Award is given to the "individual who leads by positive example through on-ice performance, motivation of team members and a dedication to community activities and charitable causes."
ThePostGame brings you the most interesting sports stories on the web. | {
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Each year there is a list of places that host the best new year parties country wide. These parties put the best known DJ’s to work and make your night a wonderful experience to remember and cherish. Since you maybe looking for events to attend this new year in Delhi, here is a list of parties that may help you choose the right one.
It’s time for the new year again, don’t push yourself to pick a party you’ve got no knowledge about only because it looks fancy. There is a great NYE party happening at 3 destinations where you don’t really have to be dancing around. You can watch and enjoy the party seated at your table if you wish while you sip and savor the new year flavor. Leave your worries to us. The party starts at 9 pm and ends by 1 am. Hurry and book your passes now.
This is the kind of party where you can relax and enjoy the night while you eat and drink to your heart’s content from an imported variety of beverages, main course and snacks. If you’d like to stay over after the party , that you can avail. The party starts at 8pm and ends by 2am. Book your passes today.
Get yourself ready along with your kids to party the new year eve and ring in with them. They will be accommodated separately and are not allowed anywhere near the adult area. Exotic dance performances apart from DJ music will be on to keep you entertained for the night. An unlimited supply of food and drink of premium quality will be available for you to feast on. Start your party at 7:30pm and it will last until 12:30am. Hurry up and book your passes now.
If you are going to be in Delhi in and around new year, this is probably the place where you should be at. Bring your family and friends to this place where an unlimited supply of indian made foreign liquor is available along with starters and main course. Get your family and kids to this awesome night of celebration. The party begins at 8pm and goes on until 12am. Book your passes today.
There are many themed parties at this time of the year and the venues are dressed accordingly. Similarly, this party is featuring DJ Gaurav named as Black and White NYE Party be at this party to rock yourselves on this night. You’re pass is inclusive of food and beverage of unlimited quantity and the party starts at 8pm and ends at 12am. Hurry up and book your passes today. | {
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Doppler's Earbuds Are Way More Than Just Wireless Headphones
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Doppler's Earbuds Are Way More Than Just Wireless Headphones
Doppler
Doppler Labs, the company behind the straight-outta-science-fiction earbuds that let you control the volume of the world, has a new product out today. It's called Here One, and you guessed it, it's another set of wireless earbuds. But these aren't just for tweaking the sound mix at a concert, or tuning out subway noise. Here One is all that, plus everything you'd expect from a standard set of wireless headphones, and then even more stuff on top of that.
The Here One buds will cost $299 when they ship in November. This company's never been short on ambition or confidence: Doppler calls them "the last thing you'll ever put in your ears." (Sorry, Q-tips.) The Here Ones are, at the simplest level, a set of wireless headphones. They can stream music, take calls, interact with Siri and Google Now, and the like. Normally I wouldn't spell these things out for a pair of headphones, but Doppler's previous Here buds couldn't do those things. What they could do, and what the Here One buds supposedly do even better, is let you filter and change the noise of the real world. Using the companion app, you can change frequency response, tune out things like baby screams and train screeches, or turn up the volume of the people in front of you. There are multiple directional mics inside the Here One buds, so the sound editing becomes even more powerful.
Doppler
Doppler really loves the idea that its products work for absolutely everyone, no matter their situation. "We are not a medical device," says Doppler CEO Noah Kraft. "But we do think that there is this crazy false binary, that people either can hear or can't hear." When you first set up your Here Ones, you'll go through a customization process, so the software can learn the particulars of your ears and hearing and thus attenuate sound specifically for you.
Once you're up and running, you'll also be able to mix real-world sound with whatever you're listening to, in what Doppler calls "layered listening." Instead of jamming headphones into your ears to drown out the world, you can have it sound as though your music's playing from a speaker a few feet away. You can hear Chance The Rapper and whoever you're talking to, or listen to Radiolab on your bike and still hear the cars flying by.
Doppler's only one of a number of companies working on truly wireless headphones. If the last buds are any indication, the Here Ones will be among the most comfortable and usable of the lot. But don't ask Doppler to be proud of that. "The interesting engineering is not the wireless headphones," says executive chairman Fritz Lanman. "That’s the table-stakes stuff." He's right: soon enough, everyone from Apple to Samsung to Microsoft is going to try and sell you wireless earbuds. Doppler's trying to go way beyond that, to change the way users hear altogether. To put a computer in their ears, and see what happens next. | {
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Alongside Intel's launch of its Sandy Bridge-E processors next week, we'll be unveiling something of our own - an overhauled CPU test suite. Our last major update occurred in late 2008, so we had quite a bit to tweak, add, remove, or replace with the latest iteration. Over the course of the coming week, I'll be making a few posts in our news section like this one, explaining some of the new tests we're introducing, why they make for a great CPU benchmark, and of course, why they're relevant.
The first benchmark I wanted to talk about is also the most time-consuming and complicated: SPEC's CPU2006. Don't let the five-year-old name fool you; the benchmark received its latest update a mere two months ago. The goal here is to test both the compilation and execution performance of a machine. In addition to stressing the CPU, CPU2006 also takes full advantage of the memory sub-system and also the compiler. | {
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It will be located across Triangle Square and will serve as a permanent home to the Huntington Beach campus congregation, which previously met at the Ocean View High School.
The campus will officially open on February 1, coinciding with Super Bowl Sunday .
Pastor Moses Camacho, a pastor for over 18 years, will lead the campus. He started his pastorship at the Ocean View High School back in the year 2011.
He was previously at Berean University for seminary work and Cal State Fullerton and Azusa Pacific University for studies.
Camacho noted that his passion for ministry is derived from his desire to connect people with a church family, to help develop quality relationships with God, and to build a strong community.
In an interview with the Orange County Register, the pastor spoke of the opportunities the new campus can provide.
"I am excited about being a church that will be able to provide phenomenal family programs to make them stronger. Saddleback does an amazing job with being the premier place for families. I often hear from others how they have been so encouraged by what Saddleback offers on a weekly basis," Camacho said.
He said the Saddleback Church provides a great weekend experience listing a myriad of gatherings for say, men, women, single mothers and students that happen.
Saddleback most recently opened a campus in Los Angeles on Easter Sunday last year.
In addition to its many campuses in the United States, the church also has campuses in the Philippines, Germany, Hong Kong, and Argentine. More campuses are being developed over the course of the next few years. | {
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This is part of CNET's Technically Literate series, which presents original works of short fiction with unique perspectives on technology. The first installment of "Time in a Bottle" can be found here, and the second installment is here.
When Meg accepted her first commission to create a house from scratch—a three-bed, two-bath, suburban Minnesota family home, circa September 1987—she viewed herself as a tactile craftsperson, which the VR and hologram people weren't and could never be, and the home, 121 Hillside, would be 3D re-creation's first masterwork, and in ambition and materials engineering, also a big step beyond the early AM-produced homes like Tennessee's Curve Appeal and Amsterdam's 3D Print Canal House. Meg had to charge the client a million dollars a month, mostly to attract and retain the best associate re-creators. Meg was cheap, but good help, still, was not. She'd asked for a few months from Jose Luis, but since he'd 3D printed the fabricated heart that saved the president's life, he'd been off the grid.
The last time she'd seen him, he'd set his club soda next to her glass of wine, and told her that she was the personification of what he despised about himself as a scientist and a person. You've built your career around a narcissistic, manipulative concept that I can understand, but would never express, he said. You're using our life-giving, inclusive science for vanity. How dare you hold up a mirror and call it growth. You behave in a way that would make me feel terrible about myself.
I'm sorry that we don't agree, she'd told him. I'm still about to do something that's never been done before, and it's all for somebody else.
So you say, he said.
She'd asked for a few months from Jose Luis, but since he'd 3D printed the fabricated heart that saved the president's life, he'd been off the grid.
But it was for someone else; it had to be.
Studying thousands of photographs and videos, visiting the location dozens of times, noting every variable of sensation, every imperfection and aberration, she at last moved to the former warehouse of a long-absent garden sprayer company in a small Minnesota town and disappeared into this most leviathan of projects. Even with 16 machines, 15 associate re-creators and 21 assembly assistants, it took 13 months to fabricate and assemble the countless pieces, including every scratched piece of furniture, every stained mug and chipped bowl, every yellowed book and folded magazine, every ash-streaked brick in the fireplace. It was here that Meg realized that the true power of bespoke fabrication was in its imperfections, and these were the features that her customers had always, from the beginning, most fervently and emotionally responded to. Everything is born perfect and anonymous, she told the client. Our flaws give us our names. Here are yours, she said, and opened the door to a house that the client hadn't experienced in over 50 years.
The client wept, instantly. The smells, she said. How did you get the smells right?
So many sources, Meg said, trying not to stare at the tears on the client's face, and trying harder not to take pride in them. Your diaries, when you mentioned your favorite meals and what your family had for dinner. The supermarket receipts you found in your mom's old handbags. What brand of cigarettes your father smoked and the fact that he smoked in the garage. The probability of mildew in the downstairs bathroom and laundry room. The age and type of fabrics in the carpeting and upholstery. The number of photographs in which I witnessed open windows. The fact that the banister was home-repaired with wood glue and varnish in June of 1987. We did the best we could.
As the client entered the modest kitchen. she fell on her knees, clutching her head in a storm of sobs, overcome by memory and who knows what these memories accompanied. Certainly, there existed no age-worn protocol yet for a re-creator's demeanor during a client's emotional apotheosis. At an impasse, Meg likened her station's mien to that of an expert heart surgeon or a top-line funeral director, in that she had to both act like she's done this a million times to instill confidence and compliance, and also act like this client was the first or only client ever, to ensure connection and satisfaction. A warm but brief hug seemed appropriate, followed by a few concluding words of validation and assurance. Then she handed the client the keys to a house that, atom by atom, had no natural place in our world, but was the most terrifically real place in the universe, to one person.
Returning to her house in California for the first time in over a year, Meg received a letter from Jose Luis in the mail the first full day she was home. As her friend's career had evolved, he used phones and computers less and less; postal mail was an expensive and inconvenient affectation, but it was the only way to reliably communicate with him.
Meet me at my new home, he said, and included the coordinates.
She hadn't seen him since a year before she'd started on the Minnesota project; she had no clue if he'd committed himself to yet another monstrously generous, world-changing project, until her car rounded a corner and she witnessed what he'd done.
She couldn't have imagined, after all of the years he'd insulted the subjective nature of her work, its sentimentality, its vanity and uselessness, that he'd have spent two years on an island in Puget Sound creating a replica of Meg's childhood summer home. Right down to the long glass porch that extended over the ocean from a rooftop patio.
As her friend's career had evolved, he used phones and computers less and less; postal mail was an expensive and inconvenient affectation, but it was the only way to reliably communicate with him.
Meg, at first, had no reaction. She viewed the house as though it were a toy or snow globe. She approached it, and as the grumble of driveway gravel summoned unrehearsed familiarities, she reached for an emotion she'd anticipated, an emotion that remained elusive.
He had done an even better job than she'd done, recapturing the funky smell of an unpopular guest bedroom, the scratches on a doorjamb, the coffee ring stains on the interior of a University of Michigan mug, her mom's stubborn lipstick on a champagne flute.
She stared out the kitchen window at the glass floor of the deck and saw Jose Luis. He looked tired, gaunt, desiccated. There was less of his body, and she felt less of him in it. Still, he smiled, holding a glass of wine. She arrived upstairs and saw a bottle of 1961 Mouton Rothschild on a table, livid and realistic, with a full decanter beside it.
This was actually the easy part, he said. Chemically synthesizing what a 1961 Bordeaux looked, smelled and tasted like the summer that your mom died, and under similar meteorological conditions. I was just going to make a single glass, but it was so much fun, I went ahead and made the whole bottle. It doesn't literally need to be decanted, but that's how you had it, so here you go.
Meg accepted the wine and stood out on the glass deck, looking beneath her feet at the ocean. She felt the glass vibrating between the wine and her fingers. The wine was as viscous and fragrant and miraculous as the real thing.
Is this enough? He asked. Is this what you needed?
Facing away from him, swirling the wine in her glass, she walked down to the kitchen, and held her reactions and emotions to herself, as she realized what her right hand was involuntarily doing, awakening the wine, opening up a slightly different complex of flavors than she'd experienced all those decades ago, just different enough to summon a falsehood into this near-perfect past. She drank the wine, thinking to herself that she couldn't quite remember what it even tasted like, opened her eyes, felt grateful for the passage of time, and felt relief that everything was the same.
That concludes "Time in a Bottle." Part 1 can be found here, and Part 2 here. Read more fiction from our Technically Literate series here.
Illustration by Roman Muradov.
Technically Literate: Original works of short fiction with unique perspectives on tech, exclusively on CNET.
CNET Magazine: Check out a sampling of the stories you'll find in CNET's newsstand edition. | {
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Sean Kirst: Stories of suffering, triumph from those who fled nations Trump mocked
It was one of those stories that you had to read twice, to fully take it in.
In a meeting with lawmakers Thursday, President Trump reportedly said this nation does not need more people from countries that he labeled with a well-known pejorative, a graphic affront. It was part of a discussion involving immigrants from Haiti, El Salvador and the collected nations of Africa.
For the record, the president took to Twitter Friday morning to deny using "that language," claiming Democrats in the room invented it. While the White House did not deny he made the remark, Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., who was at the table, said it was not only a word the president used, but one he used repeatedly.
The slur, in itself, would be bad enough. What is most jarring about the entire conversation is the way it turns a great American truth upside-down, the way it directly equates people from suffering nations with the ugliest and cruelest conditions that they fled.
It is a false and heartbreaking comparison. It flies in the face of our national story, from the Irish who came here to escape a devastating famine to the generations of Jews who found safety from persecution and genocide.
The ethic displayed by these new arrivals is often as far as imaginable from the brutal nature of this White House conversation. Men and women once stripped of safety and decency turn their lives into statements of American gratitude.
The proof is in the upstate tales that quietly happen all around us.
I think of the Somali-Bantu children learning at an afterschool program run by the Sisters of St. Mary of Namur, on the West Side. Many of their families witnessed bloodshed or suffered unbearable loss. The children, in many cases, went years without any traditional schooling.
"They had absolutely nothing," said Sister Kathleen Dougherty, who coordinates the program. "They've endured so much, yet they come here and try to find jobs, and they send their children to school, and they just get right at it.
"If President Trump would come and spend one day with our children," she said, "he would see things a little differently."
I think of John Dau, a "Lost Boy" of the Sudan. While still a child, separated from his family amid terror, he fled for months through the wild after government troops burned his village. He dug by hand in the dirt to help bury his friends, a rule of dignity and civility observed even by these starving children.
Dau managed to survive until he reached a refugee camp. As he grew older, stripped of home and family, he sat in a threadbare school and listened to his elders. They warned him that knowledge and learning would be his only hope, a discipline he'd need almost as a means of faith.
He bought in. Eventually, he brought that passion here. His new freedom was a gift. Dau earned degrees, shared his story and started a foundation.
Before long, he became a legend.
I think of Majay Donzo, forced as a child to leave everything behind – even a favorite doll – in the frantic rush to escape bloodshed in her Liberian hometown of Monrovia. As a teenager, she offered gratitude for her father, who insisted she keep her focus on learning. She spoke of how her mother would rise in a refugee camp at 3 a.m. to boil water, allowing Majay and her siblings to bathe before school.
The great dream, the gateway, was public education. On her first day of school in the United States, Majay rose when the teacher walked into the room, a gesture of respect she'd learned in childhood.
Her American classmates, stunned at such a thing, began to laugh at her.
Majay was a star student. Today, she is a college graduate, working with AmeriCorps to help stem the opioid epidemic, a young woman who hopes her next step will be medical school.
Finally, I think of Nasser Fitwi, blinded by measles as a child in his native Eritrea. He overcame that condition to become a literature instructor, a man who triumphed over daunting odds, until upheaval changed his life and made him a refugee.
In this nation, at first, he was a blind man, alone. I remember seeing him from a distance, a slender guy with a cane who made his way between snow banks on busy streets.
His life, at every step, involved transcending barriers. He quickly emerged as a quiet leader in his new community, an interpreter for others overwhelmed by a new language, a man who pushed aside his struggles to lift up those around him.
Does a newcomer like this bring value to this nation?
He is blind only to those who never learn his story, to those who truly are the ones who fail to see. | {
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The Schumergate Joke Theft Controversy, Explained
Because I think women in comedy hating other women in comedy is played out and unproductive, and also because I was raised in the midwest, I would like to begin this blog with a compliment to Amy Schumer. First, Amy, if you have a Google alert set up with your name and you’re reading this, this is my favorite sketch you’ve ever done. It’s catchy, smart, well-executed, and makes a hilarious point that women’s butts are both sex-objects and poop machines. Mazel.
Next, let me say Amy Schumer has built an incredible career, and I am excited and proud to have a woman on top. Schumer-gate is an inspiring reminder that women not only can, but must go beyond the traditional realm of what we can and cannot joke about in order for us to flourish as individuals and as a whole.
Now, on to the meat!
A couple of weeks ago and counting, a group of well known comediennes publicly accused Amy Schumer of serial joke thievery, which is a big deal in the comedy world. A very big deal. Though the comedians eventually retracted their accusations on Twitter—to be fair, when my reps found out I was blogging about Schumer, their advice was: “be careful. She’s really hot right now.” —the aftershock resonated enough that Schumer appeared on The Jim Norton Advice Show to defend herself. Then a guy named Brandon Farley made a YouTube mash up of Schumer’s self-defense along with side by side comparisons of Schumer’s jokes and the jokes she is accused of stealing, some of which are verbatim, and some of which are a little bit of a stretch.
Schumer argues that none of her material was stolen or inspired by anything pre-existing, but rather that they are all a product of parallel thinking, the notion that two or more comedians can come up with the same premise and execute similar jokes without either of them actually stealing it. Like, if I did a Sarah Palin impression and then blamed SNL for ripping it off. No dice.
The accusations against Schumer piqued my interest. She has been heralded as the feminist second coming but self-describes her on camera persona as “that girl from the television who talks about her p*ssy all the time.” (Inside Amy Schumer “Last Fuckable Day”)
I’ve hunkered down, read the articles, watched the clips, crunched the numbers and divided the accusations into three distinct sections.
1. . This Sketchy Sketch
Parallel thinking aside, Exhibit A is a tough nut to explain away.
Schumer has pledged to take a polygraph test on the next season of her show to prove that she never intentionally stolen a joke, either for her stand-up or her sketch comedy. I would argue that’s beside the point. If you find out your sketch is overly similar to one that pre-exists it, it's a great time to apologize and move on, especially if you have a well respected body of work like Schumer does, on which to fall back. It does nothing but improve the street cred of the show to acknowledge that they made a mistake. If the writers did in fact plagiarize the sketches (Slap Chef and Dating a Magician have also come into question), then they took a huge risk that ended up getting them in more trouble than those millions of online views were worth. Fool you once.
2. . Girl Fights
The next chunk of accusations comes mostly from other female comedians who lambasted Schumer not only for stealing, but for doing it exclusively from female comedians, which they say is Schumer's serial offense: that she pushes down other female comedians for the benefit of her own career. I don’t know about all of that, but I did watch the side-by-side comparisons of the jokes, and here’s my takeaway: whether Amy Schumer is stealing jokes intentionally or not is less important to me than the larger conversation about the painfully narrow range of topics female comedians are expected to cover.
Schumer's consistant move is to provide the female perspective on a male dominated conversation of what women should and should not be. When Amy Schumer accepts the Trailblazer Award at Glamour UK’s Women of the Year Awards and says: “I'm 160 pounds, and I can catch a dick whenever I want,” the implication is that even though we all know that being fat is bad, she doesn’t care because she's still fuckable, which is one of the most important things a woman can aspire to be. Fair point, but the more you say it, the less effect it has.
The heart of the matter, I believe, is that Schumer is pulling from a fairly shallow well, and she may have hit the bottom. Remember when Paris Hiltontried to trademark “That’s Hot!” and got laughed out of copyright court? I don’t think Amy Schumer stole Jenny Slate’s “vaginas make underwear look dirty” joke from Obvious Child. It’s a simple premise, and neither comedian put enough spin on the joke to make it a trademark joke. There’s no crime in that. Observational comedy is based on observation, but when it happens again and again, there becomes reason to take note.
3. . Her Patrice O’Neal Closer
The premise of the run of jokes is this: name a hilarious sex position and then describe the hilarious thing that it is. Both Schumer and the late Patrice O’Neal used the bit in their respective specials. Fair game. It’s a funny premise with infinite possibilities. So, how did it happen that out of all the possiblitiies, both comedians used extremely similar positions with extremely similar descriptions? I don’t know. Whether Schumer stole it from O’Neal or not, they both stole it from Urban Dictionary who published this in 2004.
Guys, it’s a literally infinite premise. Use your imagination.
4. . Really, The Joke Theft Isn't The Point
The worst possible outcome of this would be the fall of Amy Schumer, which doesn’t look likely either way. A year ago she was accused of being racist by The Guardian, and she came out just fine. What I do hope does happen is that Schumer takes advantage of her position as one of the untouchables to tell a story other than that of the female perspective on societal standards set by the male gaze.
Male gaze? I know, I'm ruining it. Analysis is the enemy of comedy. One more, and we can all get back to watching YouTube, I promise.
In the late 18th century, English philosopher Jeremy Bentham came up with a design for a prison called the “Panopticon” pan meaning all, opti meaning see, con meaning… I don’t know. It’s just how the Greeks ended their words. In it, the prisoners’ cells were arranged in an inward facing circle with a single guard in the middle who could not be seen by the inmates. Eventually, Bentham argued, you could remove the guard entirely and because the prisoners could see each other, and because they assumed they were being watched by the guard, the prisoners would self-monitor, and no one would misbehave.
Women in comedy are all the rage right now. We are starring in TV shows, hosting major awards shows and landing lead roles major studio movies (as long as we’re under 45). Whether or not Amy Schumer stole jokes is less important than the reality that unless women start allowing themselves each other to touch on other topics, we remain forever confined to an an echo chamber of "any hole's fine!” (Amy Schumer’s 2015 SNL Monologue in reference to Bradley Cooper.)
Women don’t have to write material that is gender dependent any more than men do. All we have to do is use our imaginations. When Schumer soundbites herself as a little girl performing home video versions of “The Amy Show” it touches my heart. I think a lot of us can relate to the feeling of wanting to be heard. It’s on us now to decide what we wan to say, however, and therein lies our challenge ahead. | {
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Featuring the life and training of Wicked Hounds border collies: Terra, Shimmer, Ink and Rosi, Zen and the token small dog, Tex!
...ready for action !
Friday, October 1, 2010
Royal Return
I decided I would run Terra at the Royal Show.. we had to enter quite far in advance, before she went lame. I was going to take her to training once before the event, but then got bitten quite badly on the knee by a dog at work on the Tuesday before the show, so training was out (actually walking was out!) We elected not to compete in the teams and instead just did masters on the Monday. Armed with 10 weeks of NOT training my expectations were very low..all I wanted was a sound dog at the end of the day!Her first run was masters jumping, and she was a little tentative but had a nice run up until the final 3 jumps..she didn't read the fairly hard rear cross very well and spent the last 2 jumps turning to look at me to ask 'where? where?'..'straight ahead of you! aaargh'! Go-ons have never been Terra's strong point and the lack of training have not made them any stronger! 2nd place. In masters agility she had a LOVELY run up until the 3rd last bar..which she dropped. Bugger. Fastest time but 5 faults. I walked her out for ages and put her away. A couple of hours later I got her out holding my breath (previously this was when she was lame). She had a very slight hobble of one step but then immediately walked normally. A cautious hooray! So Terra goes back into training and hopefully we can finish the year off. She will continue her rehab treatments to try and strengthen her wrists.
Shimmer is still on rest..ho hum. Looking into some surgical options for her. More later. | {
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Ratings News – 19th October 2017
Remember: ALL SPOILERS must be put inside the spoiler tags. If you post spoilers without tags your comments will be deleted. Repeat offenses will result in you being banned. Please stay on Topic. If you want to chat about anything at all please use the Open Discussion Threads.
Last Week’s Final Adjusted Ratings
About the Daily Ratings – Please Read if you are new to Ratings
Each day (except Sunday) during the main TV Season we post the TV Ratings for the previous nights primetime shows for the major broadcast networks (ABC, CBS, CW, FOX, NBC). Cable Network ratings will be added to the Ratings Database.
The first item that gets posted (normally around 2pm GMT) is the early overnight analysis based on the early household numbers (these are not the same as the Total Viewers and 18-49 Demo numbers that are posted later).
Next, if available, we will post the Top 25 Market 18-49 Ratings to give you a rough idea of the ratings to following.
Later on (normally between 4pm-5pm GMT) we post the official early overnight Total Viewers and 18-49 Demo numbers in the table above (We also where possible now post the 18-34 and 25-54 Demo Numbers).
Finally, later in the evening (10pm-11pm GMT) or the following day, the final adjusted ratings numbers are released, these are then posted in the Ratings Database. The Final Adjusted numbers are what we use for all our Renew/Cancellation Tables, Full Season Tables, Ratings Scorecards etc (see below). Friday’s Final Adjusted Ratings are normally available on the following Monday.
If you are new to ratings or still confused, we recommend you read this excellentRatings FAQ. | {
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Kennedy Ends His Final Club Ties
Senator withdraws from Owl Club after conservatives criticized his membership
Senator Edward M. Kennedy ’54-’56 has severed his ties to the all-male Owl Club, a spokeswoman for the eighth-term Massachusetts Democrat told The Crimson today.
Kennedy’s affiliation with the Harvard final club drew national attention after the senator criticized Supreme Court nominee Judge Samuel A. Alito, Jr. for having once joined Concerned Alumni of Princeton (CAP), which opposed the integration of women at Alito’s alma mater.
An article in the Washington Times on Thursday morning first drew attention to Kennedy’s Owl Club ties. Later that day, conservative radio host Rush Limbaugh said on his broadcast: “Do you remember what the Owl Club was? Exactly what [Kennedy] was trying to make people think that CAP was at Princeton: a bunch of rich white kids who only wanted to associate with themselves.”
Kennedy spokeswoman Laura Capps called the comparison between Harvard’s Owl Club and the Princeton alumni group “absurd.”
"Senator Kennedy joined Harvard's OWL club in 1954 before women were admitted to the campus and long before they were integrated into campus life,” Capps wrote in an e-mail today. “He has decided to discontinue his membership, believing that it is a mistake to continue to be affiliated.”
“No one can question Senator Kennedy's lifelong commitment to fighting for civil rights, equality and justice,” the spokeswoman wrote. “And it is absolutely absurd to compare this social organization with CAP, a political organization established to keep women and minorities out of Princeton," she added. | {
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The second night of the third and final installment of Oration Festival took place at the Húrra bar in Reykjavik, Iceland on the night of March 8, 2018. It proved to be just as thoroughly enjoyable as the first night (reviewed here), although the music took more deathly turns, and ultimately concluded in a marvelously bewildering and beguiling way.
As before, the group of friends from Seattle and elsewhere who’ve been sharing this experience with me convened for food and drink about two hours before the first band was scheduled to begin the night. Yes, two hours, because our group has a proven tendency over the course of many previous festivals to talk like there’s no tomorrow, lose track of time, and arrive late if we’re not careful. Which of course is what happened last night even with the two-hour head start.Continue reading » | {
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Scots appoint new sevens coach
Ex-Borders and Edinburgh full-back Calum MacRae will take over the reins as Scotland Sevens head coach for season 2014-15.
Ex-Borders and Edinburgh full-back Calum MacRae will take over the reins as Scotland Sevens head coach for season 2014-15.
Following this year's Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, current head coach Stephen Gemmell will return to his position as Scottish Rugby's head of performance development.
MacRae, who hails from the hometown of rugby sevens, Melrose, said: “I have always said if a coaching opportunity arose in Scotland I would look to be considered. The time frame for this offer fell in line and it couldn't have been better for my coaching career.
“Having played sevens I know the unique environment it represents at the top level and how important it is for developing players. I'm looking forward to working with a talented group of individuals, to produce world-class sevens and, ultimately, XVs performers.
“My role at Newcastle Falcons was very adaptable and I worked under a number of quality coaches, in Dean Richards, who helped make this move possible, Gary Gold, John Wells and Graham Steadman and I will be looking to implement what I have learned from them.
“Going forward I believe the high pressure and intensity of professional rugby is a good environment for me to have been brought up in. At the beginning of my term with the Falcons it was like a baptism of fire and as a team we have been up against the odds on a number of occasions in the past three years. However, we bounced back from dropping out the top division and have retained our place this year.
“Melrose is my home town so it's a huge honour for me and my family to coach the short game at the highest level. I have a huge amount of love and passion for the game and I know that I will transfer that into the performances of the players I'll be working with.”
MacRae will begin coaching Scotland Sevens with a similar squad to previous years with a series of signings and contract extensions announced last week.
Also committing to the abbreviated national team today is current scrum-half, Russell Weir and prop, Michael Fedo, who both are recovering from injuries sustained in the 2013-14 Sevens World Series.
MacRae played professionally for the Border Reivers between 2002 and 2007 before heading north to the capital where he played for Edinburgh until 2009. After this he had short stints with Worcester Warriors and Venezia Mestre, in Italy, at which point he was approached by Alan Tait to join Falcons.
He has also represented Scotland at under-19, under-21, 7s and A level; with 13 caps in the latter two teams. Though not winning full honours, Frank Hadden included him in his extended squad between 2006 and 2008 for all November Tests and Six Nations campaigns and the 2007 Rugby World Cup.
MacRae last played for Scotland 7s in Hong Kong and Adelaide in 2009 and was also a member of the squad that competed in the 2005 Rugby World Cup 7s in Hong Kong. He scored 115 points for the abbreviated national team, comprising of nine tries and 35 conversions.
Scottish Rugby's Director of Rugby, Scott Johnson, said: “I'm delighted that Calum has agreed to return to Scotland to lead Scotland 7s in the new chapter that will follow this summer's Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.
“Calum is a Melrose man and therefore has a wealth of experience and huge passion for sevens rugby, which he has played at the highest level for his country.
“I have no doubt he will use this understanding and the knowledge that he has garnered in the Premiership, where he has cut his teeth as a coach, to lead and influence the Scotland 7s team going forward.
“Having only hung up his playing boots four years ago, Calum is a young and exciting coach who I look forward to seeing grow in this role and I wish him all the very best.” | {
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Livejournal users’ discontent with SUP’s activity has reached it peak: on March 21st the Day of Silence is planned to be held, i.e. no posts and commentaries will be written. SUP’s decision to stop registering new accounts with no advertising provides further impetus for discontent. It is the English-language users, who have proposed to boycott, but not the Russian-language subscribers, who are traditionally criticizing SUP’s website.
The subscribers to a popular online blog service Livejournal call on everybody to participate in the Day of Silence on March 21st. The strikers intend not to create any content in LJ, i.e. write neither comments nor posts, from Friday midnight to Saturday midnight GMT (that is 3 a.m. Moscow time). The strikers require the Russian company SUP, which is Livejournal’s owner, to recall its decision made last week to stop registering new basic accounts (such accounts are free of charge and they contain no advertising), to officially inform about the changes made to the service and to hold preliminary discussions with the Livejournal’s Supervisory Board. It should be noted that SUP has not officially announced its decision to stop registering basic accounts. As soon as the given decision became public, it has been heavily criticized by two of four members of the Supervisory board, i.e. Danah Boyd and Livejournal’s founder Brad Fitzpatrick.
The SUP Company owned by the businessman Alexander Mamut seized control over Livejournal Russian segment in autumn 2006. In a year the company acquired the right for the whole service. Over the given time the Russian language users of the service filed a lot of claims both political and technical against the company. However, under the current circumstances it is not the Russian language users, who have shown discontent with SUP’s activity. Beckyzooly user from US initiated the strike having published a corresponding appeal in the English community No_lj_ads. ‘We would like to show solidarity of Livejournal users, as we consider the basic account owners as valuable providers of content and friends’, - says Beckyzoole.
Always available up until this point has been another account level, the Basic Account. This featured up to six userpics, a small choice of styles and designs, lower functionality and less access to some bells and whistles, but overall it was a good, simple free blog. And most importantly, there were no ads.
After the acquisition of Livejournal by SixApart, another account level was added, the Plus Account, which had some of the bonuses of a Paid account (more userpics, text messaging, more styles available), but with the added presence of ads all over one's journal. | {
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Background The idea is that an active lifestyle rich in social interactions and active engagement may mitigate age-related decline and reduce healthcare costs. The main aim of the AGNES project was to investigate the potential of new Information and Communication Technology (ICT) environments to help maintain the independence and wellbeing of elders. The innovative applications developed in this research project could have wide application for a large number of older adults living alone. Method We used a web-based social network platform, enhanced with devices to detect users´ states and collect activity data. The effectiveness of the ICT-based solution was assessed throughout the project with user and control groups in Spain, Sweden and Greece. User interviews and psychological testing were conducted at the beginning of the project and after a year of deployment of the equipment. Both groups completed the same assessment protocol. Results & discussion We found that only the user group showed an improvement from pretest to posttest in the affective dimension of the wellbeing SPF-IL scale. This dimension relates to the degree of confidence, social acceptance, and level of satisfaction with the people around them. Exploring new ways to maintain the cognitive and functional state of older users is today a critical issue, for individuals, their families, and for whole societies. The study suggests the potential of AGNES to improve older adults’ perceived wellbeing. However, more research may be needed to determine if AGNES is a tool to maintain mental health and independent living in older adults, especially those with MCI.
Objective: To explore seniors’ experiences of the intervention process after participating in a social internet-based occupational therapy intervention.
Method: A qualitative interview study was conducted. Twelve women and 3 men (66–87 years old), from the completed intervention study participated. The study was placed in northern Sweden. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews. The interviews were analyzed using the constant comparative method, and two categories with subcategories were generated in the analysis.
Results: The seniors experienced a need to participate in social internet-based activities (SIBAs) due to their decline in social activities and the ever-increasing digitalization of society. In the intervention process, the seniors’ experiences reflected two divergent directions. The first consisted of seniors who had experiences of being hampered in participating in the SIBAs in the intervention process. They did not completely reach their intervention goals, but they did describe increased ability to use SIBAs and increased self-reliance. The other direction of the process reflected experiences of reaching their goals in the intervention, and they developed habitual participation in SIBAs as well as increased participation in social activities outside the Internet.
Conclusion: The social internet-based intervention can support seniors to overcome the obstacles that prevent them from participating in SIBAs. By participating in SIBAs, the seniors might enrich their social activities and social contacts both on the Internet and outside, if the intervention is individually targeted to meet their needs. | {
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The estimated resident population of the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) at 30 June 2002 was 321,800 people, an increase of 2,500 from June 2001.
POPULATION OF THE AUSTRALIAN CAPITAL TERRITORY, 30 June
The ACT's population grew by 0.8% in the period from June 2001 to June 2002. This growth was less than the increase of 1.3% experienced between June 2000 and June 2001, which was the highest recorded since 1992-93. This compared to a national growth rate of 1.3% during the period June 2001 to June 2002. At June 2002 the population of the ACT made up 1.6% of Australia's population.
The Statistical Subdivision (SSD) of Gungahlin–Hall experienced a population increase of 6% between 2001 and 2002. This was the fastest population growth for all SSDs in the ACT. The Statistical Local Areas (SLA) of Dunlop (26%), Barton and Amaroo (each 22%) experienced the fastest population growth for all SLAs in the ACT over the same period.
ANNUAL POPULATION CHANGE, 30 June
AGE AND SEX STRUCTURE
At June 2002 there were 97.3 males for every 100 females in the ACT, compared to98.4 males for every 100 femalesin Australia.
The population of the ACT is younger than the total Australian population. At June 2002, the median age of the ACT population (the age at which half the population is older and half is younger) was 33.5 years, compared to a national median age of 35.9 years.
Within the ACT, SSDs of Gungahlin–Hall and Tuggeranong had the youngest populations, with median ages of 30.1 years and 31.5 years respectively, followed by Belconnen (33.0years) and North Canberra (33.3years). South Canberra (38.4 years), Woden Valley and Weston Creek–Stromlo (each 38.9 years) had the highest median ages.
The ACT has lower proportions of people at all ages over 55 years than Australia, but higher proportions of people aged between 10 and 55 years. The proportions of young adults (aged between 18 to 26 years) in the ACT are particularly high compared to Australia, reflecting the number of people in this age group who move to Canberra to undertake tertiary education or employment.
AGE STRUCTURE OF THE POPULATION–ACT and Australia, 2002
Population under 15 years
The population aged under 15 years was 64,900 (20% of the population of the ACT) at June 2002. Over a quarter (26%) of the population of Tuggeranong SSD was aged under 15 years. In the Tuggeranong SLAs of Conder, Theodore, Gilmore and Banks, this proportion was around 30%. Gungahlin–Hall SSD (25%) also recorded a high proportion of children aged under 15 years.
Population 15 to 24 years
The population aged 15 to 24 years was 52,200 (16% of the population of the ACT) at June 2002. The highest proportion of people in this age group was in North Canberra SSD (21%), followed by Belconnen SSD (18%). The SLAs with the highest proportion of people aged 15 to 24 were those with large student populations, in particular Acton (80%), with the Australian National University, and Duntroon (69%), with the Australian Defence Force Academy.
Population 65 years and over
The population aged 65 years and over was 28,200 (9% of the population of the ACT) at June 2002. The highest proportions of people aged 65 years and over were in the SSDs of South Canberra (15%), Woden Valley (14%) and North Canberra (13%). Over one fifth of the population of the SLA of Deakin, in the inner south, were aged 65 years and over.
POPULATION AGEING
Consistent with the national trend, the population of the ACT is continuing to age. The median age of the ACT population (33.5 years) has increased 0.2 years since 2001, 3.7 years since 1992 and 6.3 years since 1982. By comparison the median age of the Australian population has increased 6.0 years since 1982.
Over the last three decades the ACT has experienced a steady decline in the proportion of the population aged under 15 years and a steady increase in the proportion aged 65 years and over. Since 1992 the number of children aged under 15 years has decreased by 5% (from 68,300 to 64,900), while the population aged 65 years and over has increased by 49% (from 18,900 to 28,200), and the population aged 85 years and over has more than doubled (from 1,200 to 2,700).
Unless otherwise noted, content on this website is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 2.5 Australia Licence together with any terms, conditions and exclusions as set out in the website Copyright notice. For permission to do anything beyond the scope of this licence and copyright terms contact us. | {
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Major League Baseball - World Collection
Within the current period of Major League Baseball, when strikeouts are rampant, the fact that Matt Cain of the Giants struck out fourteen hitters could be printed nowhere near the entrance page of any newspaper besides on the West Coast. A few more details of that game from 5 years ago, nevertheless, stay unmatched even today.
For example, these fourteen whiffs accounted for more than half of the batters Cain faced that day, and four of them got here against future batting champion Jose Altuve. Retiring all 27 batters within the Houston lineup might imply only one thing, which is that on that day Matt Cain pitched a perfect game.
A rare feat for certain, an ideal game had solely been accomplished 20 times before that 2012 season, and Cain's was just the twenty second in baseball history. Remarkably, just weeks before, proper hander Philip Humber of the White Sox hurled an ideal game for Chicago towards the Seattle Mariners.
Although Humber managed to whiff former Most Valuable Participant Ichiro Suzuki, the Chicago starter ended with five fewer strikeouts than would Cain during his perfect game. In actual fact, Humber got here near dropping his flawless fight within the bottom of the ninth, when he went to a full depend on two of the three hitters in that inning earlier than getting each to swing and miss.
The truth that two good games had been thrown in the same season, as commentable because it was, did not however set a record. Just two years before in 2010, Main League Baseball had witnessed two perfect games in the same season. Imagine it or not, these two pitching gems happenred in the identical month, 프리미어리그중계 just a bit of over weeks apart.
On Might 9 Oakland left hander Dallas Braden retired all twenty seven Tampa Bay hitters, managing just six strikeouts in a game that took just over hours to complete. Precisely twenty days later Roy Corridoraday of the Philadelphia Phillies threw a one against the Florida Marlins, putting out eleven hitters within the 1-zero victory.
Thus the almost unimaginable feat within the 2012 season had already been achieved two years earlier, however on August 15 Felix Hernandez made it indeed a historical year. The ace of the Seattle Mariners had a flawless outing towards the Tampa Bay Rays, the identical crew that had been victimized by Oakland's Dallas Braden just two years before. | {
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BALTIMORE (WJZ) — There are estimates that over 360,000 people around Baltimore are food insecure, meaning they don’t know where their next meal is coming from.
As Mike Schuh reports, a church picked up on an idea by the governor to help alleviate the problem. This year’s “Day To Serve” was on October 10th.
Much of the 5 million pounds of food coming into the Maryland Food Bank arrives in large semis, so it’s not unusual to see one at the loading dock.
But a semi that just arrived from Utah? That is a little more rare. But it came from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and was paid for by local church members.
“So this is 40,000 pounds of food, it comes from donations from our members of our church and it’s packaged in Salt Lake, there’s a distribution center there, and the truck was loaded and packed up and driven out here to provide this donation,” says Elder Kevin Calderwood.
In all, between the food and the shipping costs, $50,000 was donated.
And while random things that come in from food drives and collections is always welcome, pallets and pallets of the same product — like peaches or pasta — help in a different way.
“Well, we don’t have to sort it,” says Nancy Smith, of the Maryland Food Bank. “We know what we’re getting. This is… highly sought after food. Forty thousand pounds in one that is shrink wrapped of highly sought after food is like gold to us.”
Church members collected the money as part of Governor Hogan’s Day of Service Initiative. His wife was at the food bank to say thanks. As the youngest of eight children, she remembers when food was scarce in her childhood.
“In countryside, poor, and after Korean War, I know how much food is important for people,” says Yumi Hogan. “So this is a tremendous donation.”
As large as the donation is, they say it will have all been distributed within a week. | {
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The TimeBuilders: Pyramid Rising 2
Great Pharaoh Touti and his friends are back for an epic adventure that will take you on a journey along the Nile in Time Builders: Pyramid Rising 2! When the priest Hapu discovers an ancient papyrus scroll foretelling the cataclysmic end of Egypt's eighteenth dynasty, he learns that in order to save the kingdom, eight majestic temples must be built, and quickly, before the four moons cycle ends. Are you ready to face this ultimate challenge? | {
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NEW LOOK
Land Transportation Office spokesman Jason Salvador shows the new design of driver’s license. The new plastic cards are color-codedyellow for conductors, blue for professionals and non-professionals, and orange for student drivers PHOTO BY MIGUEL DE GUZMAN | {
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Replica Tomb of the Unknowns
$ 14.95$ 17.95
The Tomb of the Unknowns, near the center of Arlington National Cemetery, contains the remains of unknown American soldiers from World Wars I and II, the Korean Conflict and the Vietnam War. This faithful replica is an understated personal memorial that projects gravitas and honor wherever it sits. | {
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Hit and Run Car Accidents: Who Pays?
On behalf of Law Offices of Paul K. Schrier, PLLC posted in Car Accidents on Wednesday, December 28, 2016.
A hit and run car accident is not something that most drivers think about - unless and until it happens to you. You return to your car in the parking lot to discover a broken tail light, a dented fender, and no one around to explain what caused them.
You're on the highway when another car moves too close and too fast, leaving a long and deep scratch on the passenger side door, then quickly drives away before you can get a plate number. You have become a hit and run victim, which makes you angry, and your anger expands when you realize, as your lawyer will tell you, that without someone to provide his or her insurance coverage, the answer to "Who pays for this?" is probably going to be you and your insurance company.
Hit and Run Dos and Dos and Do Nots
Things to do after a hit and run accident include:
Get as much information as you can, such as car model or license plate number, from possible eye witnesses.
Take pictures of your damaged car and the accident scene.
Report the car accident to the police as soon as possible.
Laws in all 50 states require certain procedures to be followed after a hit and run car accident. It depends upon whether only property damage is involved, whether a person, such as a passenger or pedestrian, was hurt, or whether the hit and run caused someone's death, such as a passenger or a pedestrian.
Talk to a personal injury lawyer about the state laws that govern what to do if you are the cause of an accident with a vehicle and no one else is on the scene. If that happens, you are required to make a reasonable effort to find the driver, such as leaving a written note for the driver of the injured vehicle and identifying yourself.
Things not to do after a hit and run accident:
Don't try to follow the fleeing car.
Don't leave the accident scene except to move your car out of traffic or off the highway to a safe place.
Hit and Run Protection
How can you protect yourself from a hit and run accident? You can make sure that your own auto insurance offers you that protection. If you only have insurance that is mandated by your state, you will not be covered for a hit and run. That protection comes from uninsured motorist coverage, which may be added to your insurance policy.
The most common types are Uninsured Motorist Bodily Injury coverage (UMBI) or Uninsured Motorist Property Damage coverage (UMPO), which covers any damage to your vehicle Check with your auto insurance company to make sure that you are covered in case of a hit and run.
If you have been involved in a hot and run accident or any type of car accident call the experienced Florida personal injury lawyers at Paul K. Schrier, PLLC today. They have recovered over 500 Million dollars for injury victims and can help you.
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Heroes and discussion in Brighton!
Phil Hewitt
38 Degrees live – a lively evening of speeches by local heroes, political discussion and a debut solo performance from Rudimental’s Bridgette Amofah – comes to Brighton for the first time.
Speakers include Laura Thorne who started a career as a yoga instructor after being diagnosed with MS; Jo Gooden, founder of ethical and sustainable brand RubyMoon who is helping women across the world set up businesses; and Peter Macfayden, author of Flatpack Democracy.
The night will be at Brighton’s Komedia on March 28 from 6pm.
Spokeswoman Ellie McKeon said: “Brighton’s first-ever 38 Degrees Live event is set to include lively, upbeat discussions about local politics and will be a chance to hear about inspiring goings on, people, issues and opportunities in the area.
“Taking place at Brighton’s Komedia on March 28th from 6pm, attendees will hear from some ground-breaking individuals as the campaigning organisation draws people together to consider politics alongside arts, culture and entertainment.
“Guest speaker Peter Macfadyen, author of Flatpack Democracy, will kick off the evening telling the story of how a small group of people in Somerset transformed their council into being entirely independently led. Attendees will then discuss in groups how Peter’s lessons could work here in Brighton.
“Attendees will also hear about how following a shock diagnosis with MS, Laura Thorne went on to become a yoga instructor and is now setting about sharing her experience and skills with people to help them ‘appreciate themselves, others and the beautiful world we live in.’
“Jo Godden, winner of a 2016 People. Environment. Achievement. (PEA) Award, will share her experiences of running an ethical and sustainable company, RubyMoon, whilst helping women set up and grow businesses across the globe.
“Finally, Peter Deadman, co-founder of Infinity Foods & Brighton Natural Health Centre, will warn that however much money is pumped into the NHS, the dangers of an ageing population and the rise in chronic non-infectious disease, will overwhelm all attempts to treat our way out the crisis.
“According to Peter, the only logical step is a real commitment to encouraging people to take more responsibility for their own health through sensible diets, appropriate exercise, mindfulness and more.
“To finish the evening, a very special guest, Bridgette Amofah from Rudimental, will round off the evening by performing a few tracks from her forthcoming debut EP for the very first time.”
Peter Barden, Live Event producer for campaigning organisation 38 Degrees, said: “38 Degrees Live is a wonderful opportunity for residents to come together for an inspiring evening, exploring the stories of local heroes that are creating real change in the city and beyond. We are particularly looking forward to exploring new ideas to modernise the political agenda, and having this fantastic group of authors, artists and innovators on board should see some interesting ideas explored! 38 Degrees is incredibly honoured that the talented Bridgette Amofah will be a part of the evening.”
Tickets for 38 Degrees Live in Brighton are £3, include a complimentary drink.
They can be booked at https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/38-degrees-live-brighton-tickets-32433157447.
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North Mankato Changes Tobacco Age To 21 (If Mankato Does Too)
With a 3-1 vote, the North Mankato city council passed a ban on tobacco sales until age 21.
But the ordinance change won't go into effect unless their neighbors across the river in Mankato make the same change.
The vote tonight would have been 4-1, had council member James Whitlock been there.
But, as he expressed in a letter to council, he was in Rochester receiving cancer treatment that he links back to his time as a smoker.
North Mankato City Administrator John Harrenstein read the letter before the vote.
Billy Steiner was the lone 'no' vote.
After the vote, however, city staff was directed by Mayor Mark Dehen not to publish the new ordinance until Mankato passes their own, thereby keeping it from becoming official city code, saying that he expects Mankato to take up the issue in the next month or so. | {
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Central Illinois churches react to new Boy Scouts policy
A month has gone by since the Boy Scouts of America National Council voted to begin accepting openly gay scouts, effective next year.
Churches in Illinois that sponsor Boy Scout troops are divided on the issue. The Central Illinois District of the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod oversees more than 150 Lutheran congregations. Its president, the Reverend Mark Miller, says they’re continuing to sponsor the scouts. But Miller says they don’t want the Boy Scout policy to confuse people about their opposition to same-sex relationships.
“I think there’s a real genuine concern in regards to should we coalesce with everybody else and say their rule change does not adversely affect our relationship with the Boy Scouts of America. What does that say in regards to the clear message we want to present.”
Miller says if the Boy Scouts starts accepting openly gay leaders, or restricts the church from voicing its opposition to homosexuality, his organization would likely distance itself from the scouts.Meanwhile, Decatur’s First United Methodist Church houses Boy Scout meetings, and its pastor says that’s not going to change. Pastor Kent King-Nobles says they don’t discriminate against people based on sexual identity, and he doesn’t consider the new Boy Scout policy to be a big issue for his congregation. | {
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Why Healthcare Providers Need to Assess More than Just Physical Health
October 17, 2018 by DispatchHealth
It’s simple to think that all diseases and disorders can be easily diagnosed and treated. That’s often what we see on television and in movies. A sick person goes to the doctor and describes his symptoms. The doctor tells him what’s wrong and prescribes a remedy. The patient gets better.
But real life is rarely so cut and dry.
The truth is, health is a lot more complex than this. There are literally hundreds, if not thousands, of factors at play. And in a clinical setting, the doctor typically only gets to see and hear about a handful of them.
Most people are aware that genetics plays a large part in health. If your father had heart disease, you’re more likely to get it too. If grandma died of breast cancer, you better schedule regular mammograms.
We’re also aware that risky behavior can lead to bad health outcomes. IV drug addicts are more likely to contract HIV. Those who have unprotected sex with multiple partners are at risk for sexually transmitted diseases. If your diet is mostly junk food, you need to watch out for diabetes.
But according to the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation, genetics and individual behavior only account for about 70 percent of the risk of premature death. Another 10 percent is healthcare. So what makes up the remaining 20 percent? Social determinants.
Social Determinants
There are a broad range of social determinants that have an impact on an individual’s health. These include economic stability, physical environment, education, food, community, and more. While we often don’t think of these factors in terms of our health, they can have a strong and lasting impact.
Economic stability can keep a person from having adequate or nutritionally complete food to eat. It also can lead to a great deal of stress, which we all know is not good for our health. For the truly desperate, it can even mean not having a safe, warm place to sleep at night, or living in a home that is in disrepair. Each of these can negatively impact health.
The physical environment can make a huge difference in whether or not an individual stays healthy, or is able to recover after an illness or injury. Toxic exposures like mold and fungus can cause breathing difficulty and flare-ups of asthma or other pulmonary conditions. And heavy metal exposures can be deadly over time.
Without proper education, individuals may be unaware of risks and unable to properly manage health. Low education levels also often lead to jobs in which individuals may be exposed to toxic environments or physically demanding work, leading to physical stress and injury.
In some countries, food is considered a part of healing. Even here in the U.S., we know the healing properties of a good bowl of chicken noodle soup. But too many diets today consist primarily of fast food or other poor choices for health. This can lead to vitamin deficiencies, or conditions like diabetes which can be caused by eating too much of the wrong thing.
Finally, though we often don’t realize it, community has been shown to be incredibly important for optimal health. Loneliness and social isolation are just two of the social determinants that can negatively affect health. Meanwhile, proper social support allows us the freedom to look after our health in a more proactive way.
House Calls and Social Determinants
One of the most positive aspects of the modern-day house call model is the care provider’s ability to go beyond the physical symptoms presented to them and also identify and address any underlying causes. DispatchHealth, for example, is redefining healthcare delivery through the most advanced on-demand, in-home healthcare model in the country. While a DispatchHealth medical team provides high-quality acute care in the home, the clinical team may notice exposures and other issues that you would never even think to mention in a clinical setting. DispatchHealth’s medical teams assess each patient’s physical, social and psychological wellness. And with the house call method, medical staff usually have far more time to spend getting to know the patient’s situation, so they can spot problems like social isolation or economic stressors more easily than in a quick office visit.
Heading in the Right Direction
With companies like DispatchHealth paving the way, it’s clear that the healthcare industry is heading in the right direction by incorporating social determinants of health into a more wholesome, integrated approach to patient care. With this approach, healthcare providers are finally able to care for the patient in the right place, at the right time and with the right knowledge. | {
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The UFW, the LA Times, and the “liberal media”
On the bright side, the fact that the story ran illustrates the basic bogosity of the claim that the LAT, NYT, WaPo, etc., constitute a “liberal media” to which the Murdoch empire merely provides an equal and opposite spin. When the LAT sees a good news story, it runs that story, without any reference to whether it’s going to hurt Democrats or the liberal cause. (Sometimes that’s true even when the story itself turns out to be a crock, as with the phony “Chinese political contribution” story that the LAT broke just before election day of 1996, preventing the Democrats from retaking the House.)
I’m not saying that the mainstream press achieves a perfect balance, if such a thing were even definable. But by and large they’re in the journalism business, not the political-organizing business. That’s the difference between them and Fox News or the Washington Times or the New York Post.
Criticize the mainstream media when they blow it? Sure. No institution ought to be free of criticism, and the more important the institution is, the more criticism it needs. But the right-wing attack on the mainstream media, like the parallel attacks on the courts and the universities, is part of a campaign to eliminate any credible source of criticism of the Beloved Leader and the God-and-Mammon coalition he leads and serves.
Update: Stephen Kaus does a nice takedown of the Roggio nonsense that Glenn Reynolds, among others, has been pushing. Michael Hilzik, in two long posts (#1 #2) that have attracted furious denunciation but haven’t been shown to be wrong in any important particular (though I wouldn’t, myself, have made the comparison to Stalin), provides chatper-and-verse refutation of a fairly typical Red-bloggic screed against the “mainsteam media.” | {
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I got one, PT 1. Our company uses MTCS in the lake district for various training programs and also the competence scheme.
As you said IMCA issues guidlines and various companies base there schemes round them.
"Competency Packets" fall into the same category as "ROV Training Courses". The value is in the eye of the beholder -- maybe worth your baht or not -- and these are "FOR PROFIT" ventures. Buyer beware. Certainly, follow the money trail connection to any agency requiring the packet.
As noted elsewhere, it is quite proper for an agency to require your data in their form, an altogether different story if you are asked to do this under the pretense of some bogus "industry standard" that may simply be putting money in the agency coffer.
There are plenty of reputable agencies willing to place qualified candidates without requiring them to purchase "Competency Packets". And a little homework will show they service the same clientele as those which do.
Must be 7 or 8 yrs a go the company I was working for got a whole batch of plastic ATM style cards printed up.. A photo and a blurb about IMCA standards.. Think they cost about a Dollar each to make... Lot more than they were worth IMHO... Didn't get any cert though.. Isn't that what the ''ROV pilots log book'' is for ? Does anybody still have those ? Think I stopped filling mine out around 1993... Must be somewhere in the garage.. no fookers ever asked to see it anyhow...
What is the point of any of this if the companies can print whatever they want.. next they will be issuing 'stripes' to sew on your coverals..
A proper accredited sceme would be good as it would prove to the client that they actually had experienced crew.. not some chancers fitted in by the HR dept.. It would mean exp guys got paid and prevent trainess from being mis-represented But it will never happen...
Didn't these all hail from the C & W days? If you had the certs you could earn an extra gold braid or maybe just half if you didn't drink G 'n T's with the OM. They were issued by SubServ Ltd around 10 'ish + years ago, under the guise of being an IMCA affiliated, IMCA aligned cert and a requirement for working offshore. They covered HV, PT1, PT2, SE and SSE I think...maybe there is something new out on the street now?
As Turtle said, the money trail usually ends up at the agency, but one couldn't draw conclusions and possibly link Subserv to SubservPro...
I think the ad shouts for a general 'phish' for peeps as opposed to a specific job anyway...but I stand corrected if the ad is updated with some more purposeful data.
I have a received letter from my company stating my grade and pay rate every time that I have been upgraded. Can this be considered a competency cetrtificate?
I have never seen any other certificate.
ExcavatorDrivers wrote:
Quote:
I think the competency scheme is great. I worked really hard for a year to get my supv ticket. It was hard because my technical background was quite specific mending machines in a laundrette. Anyway, I am now able to go out with the respect the ticket gives me and show the old supervisors how things should be done. Don't you just hate those long-in-the-tooth good ol' boys who really know nothing and can't accept new and easier ways of doing things?
So do you actually have a competency certificate stating that you are an ROV supervisor? If so, under whose authority was it issued?
Come and get it! You too can be a Real Certified Pilot Guy. Simply send your self addressed, stamped envelope to "Certs-R-Us" along with your check for 99 quid. For this introductory period, all requirements (except the dough) can be waived -- no problem! Your Big Offshore Guaranteed Unregulated Sertification card will get you in the door with any Project Manager who has been in the business for more than 30 seconds. Send today and we'll include at no charge ($199 value) the popular Best Undersea Long List Super Highpoints of Industrial Technology course.
All joking aside can someone tell me why a competence certificate has a validation date on it??
What happens after the 3 year period??
More money for the competence company as they re-certify you for doing the same job.
kerrchinnggg
All joking aside can someone tell me why a competence certificate has a validation date on it?? What happens after the 3 year period?? More money for the competence company as they re-certify you for doing the same job.
kerrchinnggg
So have you got or seen a competency certificate? Apparantly one with a three year expiry date? Which competency company? Certification under which authority?
It means they paid IMCA money to join as members. It means absolutely nothing. It does not make them any better or more qualified/authoritive that anyone else.
I remember when 'IMCA' was the big buzzword in my old company's office.. Everthing was 'IMCA this...'' 'IMCA that..."
And then...... They discovered that they had to pay to be a member
Last we heard about it... until the cheap plastic cards arrived (with an IMCA logo) and we were all 'gradfathered' in... Guess it was cheaper to print cards than it was to actually join.. It's just not worth the paper it's written on. You can either do the job to the required standard for the project.. Or you can't.
Back in the 'old days' if you weren't up to scratch they just used to 'run you off...' That was the only 'competancy' scheme' they needed..
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NATURE WALK – The New Jersey Meadowlands Commission and the Bergen County Audubon Society on March 3 at 10 a.m. will host a free two-hour walk of Mill Creek Marsh in Secaucus that features raptors, waterfowl and early spring migrants. To RSVP, contact Don Torino at: [email protected] or (201) 230-4983.
Assemblyman Ruben Ramos Jr. announced Thursday that he is running for mayor of Hoboken, the first official challenger in a race against Mayor Dawn Zimmer this November.
“For years I’ve been an advocate for our city,” Ramos said. “Now more than ever, I believe Hoboken needs a leader with a clear vision for the city, a leader who is willing to work with all sides for solutions. For that reason, I am officially announcing my candidacy for mayor.”
Running on Ramos’ slate for City Council are Joe Mindak, publisher of hMAG, former Rotarian of the Year, and co-founder of the Hoboken Dads’ Group; Laura Miani, a finance industry professional, open space advocate, and trustee at Stevens Cooperative School, and Eduardo Gonzalez, a board member of the Hoboken Housing Authority, a portfolio manager at a large institutional bank, and trustee at Elysian Charter School.
Ramos and his wife, Norma, live in Hoboken with their three children, Gail, Isabel, and Ryan. Mindak, Miani, and Gonzalez each lives in Hoboken, is married, and has two children who attend school in Hoboken.
“We’re men and women of various backgrounds, we’re parents, businessmen and community leaders working together on a vision for Hoboken’s future,” Ramos said. “There’s no single solution to the challenges in our community, and we want to have a conversation with the community about how we can make Hoboken a better place to live. We’re not afraid to stand up and negotiate for Hoboken, even if it’s politically unpopular.”
Ramos has represented Hoboken and the 33rd Legislative District in Trenton since 2008. “As a public servant, I cringe when I see officials shortchanging the people over politics,” Ramos said. “I’ve found, above all else, people want solutions. They are tired of one-sided politics and a failure to recognize or respect different points of view. I’ve been fighting for thoughtful and much needed reform and I will continue to do so as mayor.”
Ramos said he has worked across the aisle to reduce out-of-control pension and benefit costs. He said he crossed party lines in 2010 to ensure a fiscally responsible budget was passed and prevented a government shutdown. He expects to bring the same leadership to City Hall.
“We can be a city united, a city thriving, safe, and beautiful,” he said. “We need to stop the factionalism and create a common vision. This campaign will present our vision for this city; we’re a slate comprised of different backgrounds working together for a common vision for Hoboken.”
Ramos’ council candidates will face the council-at-large candidates allied with Mayor Dawn Zimmer, including Ravi Bhalla and David Mello.
Eric Legrand bELieve Fund Fundraiser March 9
A fundraiser event for legendary Rutgers football player Eric Legrand will be held on Saturday, March 9 from 1:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. at the Turtle Club, on the corner of Tenth Street and Park Avenue.
At a recent RebuildHoboken.Org gala, Rotary member and business owner Rory Chadwick won a lunch with the football icon during a silent auction. Chadwick decided the next day to turn his private lunch into a public fundraiser and give back to Legrand in the way he has given back to others.
“He has inspired me on countless days to be the best I can be because if he can work as hard as he does to make his comeback then I can do anything I set my mind to,” he said. “His presence will also give that hope and thought to others who get to meet him. Simply having that lunch with him would be somewhat selfish given how he has basically inspired the USA and I want others to experience that inspiration too and at the same time raise money to help Eric walk again.”
Legrand suffered a severe spinal injury on Oct. 16, 2010 during a game at MetLife Stadium. Doctors at Hackensack University Medical Center determined that Legrand was paralyzed from the neck down. Doctors also informed his mother that he would more than likely need the aid of a respirator to breathe for the rest of his life and had a suspected chance of 0-5 percent walking.
Legrand was later signed to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers but announced his retirement from football to free up a roster spot on the team.
However, to date Legrand has proven many doctors wrong. He now breathes without a respirator and has shown upper body mobility. Last year Legrand won the Jimmy Valvano award for Perseverance at the ESPY Awards.
Legrand and many other former Rutgers players who are now in the NFL are scheduled to attend the fundraiser. Tickets will be made available at www.hobokenturtleclub.com and available in two tiers. General admission is $52 and includes a complimentary drink, free food and a Christopher Reeve “Believe 52” bracelet. There will also be a limited number of VIP tickets sold at $152 which will also include a 30 minute happy hour meet and greet with Legrand.
Legrand will also sign personal items, in which he uses a Sharpie marker in his mouth and has been rumored to have good penmanship doing so. There will be a silent auction and prizes raffled off as well.
Legion Park and Elysian Park Community Meetings this Tuesday
The City of Hoboken will host a community meeting on Tuesday, Feb. 26 to solicit input from the public on Phase 2 of improvements to Legion Park, a pocket park located at 1225 Willow Ave. The meeting will take place from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at the Fox Hill Gardens community room, 311 13th St.
Phase 1 of improvements to Legion Park were completed in April 2012 and included new playground equipment and safety surface as part of a city-wide parks improvement project.
In addition, a public hearing will be held on Wednesday, Feb. 27 at the Hoboken Historical Museum, 1301 Hudson St. for the public to review and provide feedback on proposed improvements to Elysian Park. In advance of the meeting, the proposed plan can be viewed at www.hobokennj.org/elysianpark. Residents are invited to attend any time between 7 p.m. and 9 p.m.
Small business information seminar at Hoboken Public Library
The first of three informational workshops for small business owners or hopeful small business owners will be held on Thursday, Feb 28 at 6 p.m. at the Hoboken Public Library. The first seminar focuses on sales and marketing strategies and actions. The workshops will provide attendees with valuable information and experience on the important aspects of creating and managing a successful small business. For more information call (201) 420-2347 or email [email protected] or visit www.hobokenlibrary.org.
Purim in the Stadium!
The Chabad Jewish Center of Hoboken will on Sunday, Feb. 24 celebrate Purim at the Hoboken Elks Club, at 1005 Washington St.
Fun for the entire family will begin at 3 p.m. and will include a magic show, plate spinning, balloon sculpting, ventriloquism, a multi-media Megillah reading from the kids of the Chabad Hebrew School.
The celebration will include a buffet dinner, hamantashen, a concession stand, and an open bar.
Folks who dress up in their best “sports fan” attire have a chance to win a prize. (This is where the “in the stadium” part of the celebration comes in!)
Admission is $25 for adults and $15 for children. Children enrolled in the Hebrew School pay the discounted rate of $7.50.
For more information, or to RSVP, call (201) 386-5222 or visit www.JewishHoboken.com
Hudson County Community College celebrating sixth annual community literacy day
Hudson County Community College (HCCC) announced this week that it will hold the Sixth Annual Literacy & Family Day on Saturday, March 2 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the college’s Culinary Arts Institute/Conference Center, located at 161 Newkirk St., just two blocks from the Journal Square PATH Station in Jersey City. There is no charge for admission, but all children must be accompanied by an adult.
HCCC President Dr. Glen Gabert said the event, which is prepared and presented by the college’s Academic Affairs Division and the Culinary Conference Center, is an annual celebration of the birthday of Theodore Seuss Geisel, who is better known to generations of Americans as Dr. Seuss, author of “Green Eggs and Ham,” “The Cat in the Hat” and 44 more beloved children’s books.
The event will include a whole host of interactive activities for children of all ages, including a Dr. Seuss Reading Theatre, a preschool reading station, game table, arts and crafts, Dr. Seuss-themed refreshments and giveaways.
“This is a great opportunity for families from all over the County to come together for a lot of fun, and more importantly to teach our youngest children about the importance of reading,” Dr. Gabert said. “It’s also one of the few family events to be found that is free,” he added. | {
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I was born traveling; my first trip was at 6 weeks of age. My parents, who lived in Germany then, took me camping on the shores of Lake Garda, Italy, in August 1974. (They camped. I mostly just lay there.) By the time we'd moved to Utah when I was 3, I was a seasoned traveling toddler, having made a bunch of transatlantic flights between our home in Munich and my grandparents' homes at opposite ends of the United States. My parents were both schoolteachers and consequently not wealthy, but they prized experience, especially travel, above possessions. It's a priority I took to heart: When I have the money and the time, I'm on a plane.
Destinations, both domestic ("Gayest Cities in America,") and foreign ("Vienna's Got Balls," "Rock Out in Sweden"), are the subject of our special section this issue.
"Nothing so liberalizes a man and expands the kindly instincts that nature put in him as travel and contact with many kinds of people," wrote Mark Twain in a letter in May 1867. Is this something we as LGBTs understand inherently? It seems we do. In the U.S., 85% of gay men and 77% of lesbians have a passport, compared with only 37% of the overall population.
Travel provides enormously valuable lessons, imparting a perspective that only being outside your homeland can provide. Those American voters suspicious of Barack Obama because he lived in Indonesia as a child ignore the fact that Newt Gingrich (hopefully a distant memory of a candidate by the time this reaches you) spent formative years in Europe. While most of Gingrich's views are anathema to me, his epiphany on a battlefield in France when he was 15 prompted him to enter politics to prevent future carnage, surely a noble goal.
Dissolving prejudice and learning history are great aims. But travel is also fantastically exciting. So pack your bags, and I'll see you on the road. | {
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'Idol' Kelly Clarkson to sing anthem at Super Bowl
Clarkson has been chosen to sing the national anthem before the NFL championship game at Indianapolis on Feb. 5, a person familiar with Super Bowl entertainment plans told The Associated Press on Wednesday.
The person spoke on the condition of anonymity because no announcement has been made. The league is expected to reveal the anthem singer later this month.
Since becoming the first winner of "American Idol" a decade ago, Clarkson has sold more than 20 million albums worldwide and had more than a half-dozen singles reach the top 10 in the Billboard Hot 100.
Among her hit songs: "Since U Been Gone" and "My Life Would Suck Without You." Her latest album, "Stronger," was released last year. Clarkson is currently on tour and appeared as the musical guest on "Saturday Night Live" last weekend.
Also slated to participate in the Super Bowl pregame festivities at Lucas Oil Stadium: country music couple Miranda Lambert and Blake Shelton, singing "America the Beautiful."
Grammy-winner Lambert released her latest album, "Four the Record," last fall. Shelton is a judge on "The Voice," a singing competition on NBC, which is broadcasting the Super Bowl this year.
The NFL announced in December that Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee Madonna will perform at halftime of the league's title game.
At last year's Super Bowl between the Packers and Steelers in Dallas, pop star Christina Aguilera flubbed a line while belting out the national anthem.
When she was supposed to sing the line "O'er the ramparts we watched, were so gallantly streaming," Aguilera instead repeated an earlier line, with a slight variation — drawing plenty of attention on social media such as Twitter.
Afterward, Aguilera released a statement saying: "I can only hope that everyone could feel my love for this country and that the true spirit of its anthem still came through." | {
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Airtrixz will resume operations today
Airtrixz paused operations on 1st of January 2015 due to the structural changes that were going to be made in Softrixz. Along with Airtrixz, operations of other divisions of Softrixz were all paused. Today after four months Airtrixz will be resuming operations.
Unlike Airtrixz other divisions of Softrixz won’t be resuming operations, they will follow the time frame that was announced back in December 2014. Airtrixz will be resuming operations to cover BUILD 2015.
You may expect some posts right away today about BUILD from Airtrixz also posts covering the topics that will be talked on BUILD. But Airtrixz may not post anything after it for a upwards of 12 days. This delay in posts for upwards 12 days is to organize the team and brief The Airtrixz Team that has been away since December. We are sorry for any inconvenience caused during the last three months and also for the coming few days. | {
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Wembley Way is a blur as fans stream to the match. They're expecting 18,000 Poland fans to be among the crowd tonight. The big team news for England is that Chris Smalling will play at right back in place of the suspended Kyle Walker | {
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Answer
The solution is $\Big(-\infty,-\dfrac{2}{3}\Big)\cup\Big(4,\infty\Big)$
Work Step by Step
$|5-3x|\gt7$
Solving this absolute value inequality is equivalent to solving two separate inequalities, which are:
$5-3x\gt7$ and $5-3x\lt-7$
$\textbf{Solve the first inequality:}$
$5-3x\gt7$
Take $5$ to the right side:
$-3x\gt7-5$
$-3x\gt2$
Take $3$ to divide the right side and reverse the inequality sign:
$x\lt-\dfrac{2}{3}$
$\textbf{Solve the first inequality:}$
$5-3x\lt-7$
Take $5$ to the right side:
$-3x\lt-7-5$
$-3x\lt-12$
Take $3$ to divide the right side and reverse the inequality sign:
$x\gt\dfrac{-12}{-3}$
$x\gt4$
Expressing the solution in interval notation:
$\Big(-\infty,-\dfrac{2}{3}\Big)\cup\Big(4,\infty\Big)$ | {
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Zooey Deschanel Exits CAA for UTA (Exclusive)
The ‘New Girl’ star will appear in the Bill Murray comedy ‘Rock the Kasbah’ this fall.
Zooey Deschanel has left CAA for UTA, The Hollywood Reporter has exclusively learned.
The actress and musician stars on Fox’s New Girl, although her titular character will be absent for four episodes when the comedy returns for its fifth season, as Deschanel is pregnant. She will, however, appear in theaters this fall in Barry Levinson’sRock the Kasbah, which stars Bill Murray as a washed-up music manager who shepherds a young singer through an Afghan reality singing competition.
Before her Emmy- and Golden Globe-nominated turn in New Girl, Deschanel was already known as an indie film darling, starring in pictures including (500) Days of Summer, All the Real Girls and The Good Girl. Her other movie credits include Almost Famous, The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, Yes Man and Elf, one of the many films in which she employed the pipes she showcases as one-half of the indie duo She & Him, which released its fifth studio album last December. Deschanel is also co-founder of the female-friendly website and production company HelloGiggles.
Deschanel was actually at UTA for a brief stint in 2013 before returning to CAA, her agency for most of the past decade. UTA, of course, has become the new home for a dozen CAA agents and countless clients — including Chris Pratt, Will Ferrell and Sarah Silverman — over the last couple of months.
She continues to be represented by attorney Steve Warren at Hansen Jacobson. | {
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The driving record of Marco Rubio and his wife were recently made public, and they have numerous violations between them. Does a presidential candidate need a good driving record?
79% of writers and pundits say no see all 14 opinions below
What do you think?Does Marco Rubio's Driving Record Matter?
Writers and pundits who say or about the topic, "Does Marco Rubio's Driving Record Matter?"
last 24 hours | reasonWhat Marco Rubio's Driving Record Tells Us About Social Conservatism - Reason (blog)"...Roping in his wife's driving record helped inflate the numbers to make the insignificant story seem at least marginally worth reporting. But it also invited easy parody by conservatives, who noted that, taken together, Rubio and Pontius Pilate were responsible for the crucifixion of Jesus Christ and that, between them, Rubio and Colombia are responsible for most of the world's cocaine production.Funny stuff but it drives home a point many conservatives would, in different circumstances, prefer to dispute...." see full article
1005 days ago | richmondMarco Rubio: Marked man - Richmond.com"...Marco Rubio's once-promising political career lies in ruins, after a leading Northeastern media outlet disclosed the Florida senator's multiple illegal activities and his shocking financial failures. In less than two decades, Rubio who is a Republican presidential candidate, by the way, at least the last time we checked accumulated four traffic tickets and was sentenced to attend driving school on at least one occasion. His wife's record is even more disgraceful 13 driving-related tickets, a rate of approximately one every 18 months.Only days after The New York Times, a daily newspaper based in Manhattan, exposed Ticketgate, it followed with an in-depth investigation of the Rubios' finances. Rubio, whose father immigrated to the United States from Cuba and worked for many years as a bartender to support his family, was discovered to have used student loans to finance part of his education. While the future senator did manage to pay those loans back, it also was revealed that he recently lost money on the sale of a second home he had purchased in the state capital while serving in the Florida Legislature. Rubio and another legislator bought the house before the meltdown in the U.S. housing market, which he was apparently too stupid to anticipate...." see full article
1008 days ago | theweekMarco Rubio's problem isn't gotcha stories - The Week Magazine"...First was a silly report in The New York Times about his traffic violations. He had earned four in nearly two decades of driving around Florida. Politicians tend to be late and in a hurry, so Rubio probably rates better than average on this score. And the fact that the same report didn't uncover any uncouth workarounds that were made available to him because of his political life actually speaks well of him. His supporters tweeted jokingly about Rubio going on rampages of trivial offenses, with the hashtag #RubioCrimeSpree.The second story, about his personal finances, is a bit more complicated. Rubio has made a campaign virtue of the fact that debt including college debt has occasionally crimped his family budget. He admitted forthrightly in his biography that he was a sloppy accountant. The Timesreported on his missteps but dropped in some facts that would make you question Rubio's judgment. He was unusually bad at saving from his income. He even liquidated a retirement account, presumably at huge expense, to cover expenses. He also, after receiving a huge contract for his book, bought an $80,000 boat...." see full article
1010 days ago | latimesIs the GOP heartland ready to embrace Marco Rubio? - Los Angeles Times"...Recent media scrutiny about Rubio's personal debt and his family's many traffic tickets may only be helping him among ordinary Americans. At the speech, one Iowan jokingly offered driving lessons. The campaign has taken it all lightly, starting the satirical Twitter hashtag, #RubioCrimeSpree.They attribute nearly $100,000 in online donations over the last few days to people sending money in response as a gesture of support.At some point, Rubio will need to sit down at the kitchen table and display the skills and resources necessary to tell voters his vision for the nation, much like he did when he was a long-shot Senate candidate going door-to-door five years ago in Florida...." see full article
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1011 days ago | commdiginewsMarco Rubio goes full Woodrow Wilson - Communities Digital News"...This week's Marco Rubio scandal is that the junior senator from Florida and his wife are not good drivers. That bombshell hit the New York Times on Friday, riveting media attention for much of the evening.If anything, their need for speed provides the best argument for electing Rubio president: It will keep the Rubios off the road for four to eight years and protect American motorists, since the Secret Service will do all their driving for them.Unfortunately, the public good done by electing Rubio president would be undone by his foreign policy approach. On Thursday, Rubio appeared on Fox News's Outnumbered, where he gave he thoughts on nation-building...." see full article
"...Thanks to the new technology and multiple forms of communication, the liberal stranglehold on presenting the news its way has been somewhat breached. And the liberals are confused. So it is time to seize the opportunity and make them crazier, but more importantly, to get our narrative out, our way. The reaction to the sacred New York Times' Shocking Revelations that Mr. and Mrs. Marco and Jeanette Rubio (retro identification, I know) accumulated 17 minor traffic violation tickets in the past 18 years is an example of what can be accomplished. After the article was published, the citizenry did not automatically rise up and declare Rubio's candidacy dead. Instead, many conservative media outlets laughed at the story, calmly pointing out worse unmentioned similar behavior from now President Barack Obama (D), which he finally paid...17 years later, after a local paper not the NY Times dug up the scandal...um, news. ..." see full article
"...The Times also considers Mrs. Rubio's driving record, and finds that she has a number of citations and was involved in a fender-bender so minor that no police report was filed.In the annals of bad political driving, the Rubios do not even merit a footnote. The standard case study was Senator Edward Kennedy, but one of the examples that stands out in my mind is that of George Stephanopoulos who, when he was running the Clinton White House, managed to get himself arrested for leaving the scene of an accident and driving with an expired license after failing to negotiate a parking space in front of a bar in Georgetown. He popped a bunch of mints; there was no drunk-driving charge. I remember the episode because of one detail: Stephanopoulos was driving an old Honda CRX, which I found disappointing at the time I'd assumed that senior White House advisers drove better cars...." see full article
"...Undoubtedly as important to them as the never-ending Clinton Foundation payoff scandals and record destruction or the administration stonewalling on the IRS targeting of administration critics and political opponents, the paper assigned three people -- Alan Rappeport, Steve Eder, and Kitty Bennett -- to report on Marco Rubio and his wife's traffic infractions since 1993. (He had all of 4, his wife had more.) Worse than giving space to such nonsense it turns out that they got the story from Clinton opposition researchers and then, when caught out megaphoning them, pretended they'd dug this up themselves. ..." see full article
1015 days ago | rejoicemagazineNY Times Goes After Rubio, Wife — FOR TRAFFIC TICKETS - Rejoice Magazine"...In an expansive piece, nearly 800 words, the once-lofty paper details Marco's and Jeanette's traffic history, dating back to 1997. In 18 years, the pair has gotten 17 tickets "for incidents that included speeding, driving through red lights and careless driving."But hold onto your hats, people: The GOP candidate got four. His wife got the other 13. Explosive!Working their incredible sources (strike that, two reporters just did "a search of the Miami-Dade and Duval County court dockets"), the paper detailed each of the infractions, and even linked to them so discerning politicos could see for themselves. ..." see full article
1016 days ago | ijreviewNY Times Reported on Rubio's 17 Traffic Tickets. Now, If You Want to Look at ... - IJ Review"...Rubio and his wife may have received 17 traffic violations over the course of eighteen years, but their violations were paid in a timely manner. On the other hand, while Obama may have paid for his parking tickets eventually, it still took him seventeen years to do it.Obama received 17 parking tickets in Cambridge between 1988 and 1991, mostly for parking in a bus stop, parking without a resident permit and failing to pay the meter, records from the Cambridge Traffic, Parking and Transportation office show...." see full article
"...No matter how the New York Times heard about the Rubio driving story, it's clear from the Free Beacon piece that the candidate's citations have been a matter of curiosity for a couple of weeks among organizations looking to slow him down. Which is all fine and healthy: The Erik Wemple Blog doesn't care one whit whether the New York Times got the story from American Bridge, American Aqueduct or American Culvert. All that matters is whether the piece is newsworthy.Here, the newspaper clears that bar, like an exhausted hurdler. As Twitter has noted in many clever ways, four traffic citations in 18 years don't add up to much, though the fact that Rubio's driver's license was facing suspension in 2011 is noteworthy. Asked about thresholds for this strain of accountability reporting, Ryan responded via e-mail: The vote for president is the most personal vote that Americans cast, argued Ryan. Voters want to know about these candidates not just as policy-makers, but as people. It is not at all unusual or unexpected for us to scrutinize candidates' backgrounds and their lives through public records. It is very standard scrubbing. ..." see full article
1016 days ago | legalinsurrectionNYT's 'scoop' on Sen. Rubio's driving record ... - Legal Insurrection"...Hilarious journalistic undertaking makes its way around the internet, is subjected to wholly justified mockery, and then the intrepid staff at the Washington Free Beacon began poking around. We often jest that the NYT functions as a progressive mouthpiece because of their consistently liberal bent. In this case, it's entirely true. Early Friday afternoon, Brent Scher of the Washington Free Beacon published an article revealing who requested Rubio's driving records...." see full article
1016 days ago | mediaiteFox's Greta Slams NY Times for Article on Rubio's Traffic Citations - Mediaite"...Van Susteren conceded that it was fair to examine a presidential candidate's driving record, but took issue with the article's presentation. She noted that the article, written by three people, was covered in a way that jacked [its] number up order to increase it's own newsworthiness. She pointed to the headline, saying that it pinned all 17 citations on Mr. Rubio, when he only had 4 to his wife's 13. Why are Mrs. Rubio's driving infractions pinned on him? He wasn't driving those 13 times, she was! The headline is written to pin her driving record on him. Headlines matter that is what most people read and then stop. Collapsing the two driving records in that one headline smears the candidate. She is the one with the driving problem ..." see full article
1017 days ago | patchMarco Rubio, Wife Have a Need for Speed, Records Show - Patch.com"...The couple has collectively agreed to attend driving school on four separation occasions, the Tampa Bay Times reported. Marco Rubio's troubles behind the wheel began before his political career launched. It seems he was cited for careless driving back in 1997. He's also been cited for speeding, running a red light and failing to stop at a sign, the Times noted. Jeannette Rubio's citations include a number of speeding claims and she's faced license suspension on three separate occasions.All told, the couple has paid out more than $1,000 in fines since 1997, Time.com reported.News of the Rubios' driving escapades broke Friday, just one day after fellow Floridian and Republican Jeb Bush announced that he had a big announcement coming for the public on June 15. Speculation is that will be the day when the former Florida governor will officially announce his candidacy for the White House. Rubio announced weeks ago...." see full article
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whether you’re a small or big business ownership, it’s incredibly important to know how to create a healthy, professional, and enjoyable work environment for your team. meg’s advice is spot on, easy to follow and perfect for any type of business. thank you again to meg for sharing her excellent advice!
We all know that finding and hiring great people is an essential ingredient to all successful biznesses. But, once you have assigned the telephone extensions and e-mail addresses to your dream team —now what? Even for those of us fortunate enough to be managing people of deep talents, sharp minds and strong motivations, there is a moment where we gulp – not only are we in charge of the actual work product, but also of the work environment. Every pack needs a leader and it’s up to you to make the office community thrive! Read on for some of my experiences, observations and tips gleaned from many different creative office environments.
1. How do YOU like to work?
No matter how many New Years’ resolutions you make, you are who you are, and in this context you are The Boss. So, take stock of your work habits and recognize the practical fact that if YOU are functioning happily and naturally, your team will as well. Study your own preferences before attempting to arrange the work flow and practices of those around you. Strange as it sounds, your team will find your habits more fascinating than you could imagine, and will (almost always) adapt theirs accordingly. Examples:
If you like meetings, then build multiple group meetings into the weekly schedule. A Monday morning meeting to determine the week’s priorities, a Thursday team meeting to see how projects moved along and to share updates, a Friday meeting to wrap up the week.
Conversely, if you find meetings overwhelming or simply not helpful to your work style, then appoint someone else to lead the group gatherings that are important to your particular business, and stay away. However, do let people know that you will talk one-on-one with them to review their work, overcome their obstacles and to share ideas. No one will be insulted by your absence if you explain this alternate style is how you work best.
Early Bird or Night Owl? Set and communicate the office hours to suit your needs (…within reason)
Do you prefer e-mail or voicemails? Choose a dominant remote communication style that you like, and ask others to follow.
Do you like clean surfaces and tidy folders, or are you stimulated by piles of product, prototypes and paperwork? Again, make this approach known to your team so that the very environment can be conducive to YOUR motivation.
These work style preferences are critical elements of office environment and will not only make YOU more content and productive, but will become part of the vernacular that is unique to each workplace and binds people together.
2. Trust and Ownership
Every harmonious environment has intangible ingredients of its culture that make it not only function smoothly but simply feel good as a place to come each day. It is so important for people to feel individually trusted and valued for their intelligence and ideas, and ‘in charge” of their function. Here are a few small tips on this very big subject:
Aretha Franklin had it right; R-E-S-P-E-C-T goes a long way.
Make each person a “specialist” at their assignments. Use concrete, active language to highlight the responsibility bestowed, such as “I would like you to study XYZ and make a proposal to me…” “I would like you to lead the ABC project …” ”I would like you to participate in the client meeting and present the 123 section.” Think of the pride your employee will feel when repeating to themselves or to others “the leader of our firm selected me to do such and such …”
Seek to find particular areas of passion in each team member, outside of their daily duties. Rely on the well-organized worker to ‘own” the office supplies or coordination of a major presentation; ask the articulate and kind worker to draft your customer reply letters or proof your writing; ask the stylish young assistant to advise on what to wear for your magazine interview.
Innocent Until Proven Guilty. Easier to say than do. Always recognize that even someone who made a silly mistake or a forgetful omission, most likely failed out of ignorance, not spite. So start slowly when questioning a problematic situation, go easy in asking for a fact pattern, and then allow the “case” to build {NB: recurring performance problems need to be handled differently—let’s cover that challenging subject in another Biz Ladies forum}.
Enable people to disagree with you by trying hard to listen and understand. You want your team to feel valued and not afraid to speak their minds. (Besides, you might learn something you didn’t expect).
3. Praise publicly, lecture privately
A comfortable environment is one where people feel that their efforts are recognized publicly, and that their mistakes or foibles won’t be on display. Find opportunities to praise and don’t be bashful.
When something goes well—a new product starts selling, a client order comes in, a tough meeting goes better than expected—reflect on who helped make it happen and commend everyone involved.
People love to hear not only how they helped the process but how they helped YOU think through a situation, overcome a creative block, get courage to make a cold call, etc. You will not seem weak (unless done to excess) but instead, it will build loyalty with graceful recollection of the different ways different people helped your firm, or YOU personally, achieve a goal.
Conversely, try not to criticize or even excessively coach someone in front of the group. Even if you are firmly in the right, and the employee is old fashioned wrong, everyone squirms to hear a peer dressed down.
4. Good Humor, all the time
Some days it seems there is literally nothing amusing about work. Yet, a sense of humor is by far and away one of the best management tools to help people feel connected and comfortable. Work to try to never take yourself too seriously, at least not in front of your team.
5. Stiff Upper Lip
A comfortable and compelling work environment is one where individuals “get” the culture, know their roles—formal and informal—and can find bursts of enjoyment through shared experiences, humor and triumph. It is also one where the Boss maintains her cool, and is confident even through periods of distress and disharmony. It is not easy to do this—while supervising the work flow, handling clients, balancing the budget, remembering birthdays and who had the parking space closest to the building last month. When you need your leadership spirits reinforced, or your methods renewed, rely on a peer in another firm, to avoid revealing your flagging self to your own team. You can really let your “hair down” with an external biz friend in a way that will not confuse your own team, or give them an unpleasant incident to sip at the water cooler. They want you, and need you, to be up beat, solution-oriented and not to carry grudges—and you need an outlet for your natural human emotions and frustrations that will not impact the ongoing atmosphere of your workplace.
6. The Little Things
We all know that little things do mean a lot to a lot of people. If you can, here are some handy gestures that can contribute to a compelling environment:
Birthday celebrations—remember this dates and buy a card or bring a cake to celebrate the day.
Potluck meals, with or without a theme.
Early closings before holidays.
Group outings—could be museum night, a great movie, a hike.
Sharing books and magazines.
7. Being Successful
Figure out how you like to work and what are YOUR essential cultural elements.
–Work habits, individual ownership, and small gestures all contribute.
Communicate each person’s value and the respect you hold for them.
–Listen to your dissenters as carefully as you can.
–Praise the good wherever you find it.
Bring good humor to your interactions every day.
Direct your frustrations elsewhere, not on your people.
Be yourself…people follow people they like and understand.
ABOUT MEG TOUBORG
Meg combines her love of design, fashion and culture into her career as “the business side of creative people and entrepreneurs.” Her past roles have spanned from product development, to sales, to operations and marketing and licensing for premium brands such as Saks Fifth Avenue, Coach, Kate spade and Waterworks. She has three children and enjoys involvement in the public schools. In 2007, Meg became an entrepreneur herself and with her business partner, founded Design Investors LLC in Westport, CT.
ABOUT DESIGN INVESTORS LLC
Design Investors LLC was established with a singular objective: to support the growth and profitability of the design industry’s most promising products, business services, and media companies. The firm partners with founders and management teams of portfolio companies to infuse creativity with capital, and reinforce business plans with an extensive resource network and many years of relevant management experience. Appreciating the unique vision and opportunities available to each investment, Design Investors works side-by-side with companies to maximize value through building market leadership positions. www.designinvestors.com
Design*Sponge reserves the right to restrict comments that do not contribute constructively to the conversation at hand, contain profanity, personal attacks, hate speech or seek to promote a personal or unrelated business. Our goal is to create a safe space where everyone (commenters, subjects of posts and moderators) feels comfortable to speak. Please treat others the way you would like to be treated and be willing to take responsibility for the impact your words may have on others. Disagreement, differences of opinion and heated discussion are welcome, but comments that do not seek to have a mature and constructive dialogue will not be published. We moderate all comments with great care and do not delete any lightly. Please note that our team (writers, moderators and guests) deserve the same right to speak and respond as you do, and your comments may be responded to or disagreed with. These guidelines help us maintain a safe space and work toward our goal of connecting with and learning from each other. | {
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“I gave my word once. I’m in this unit for good or bad, hell or high water,” you say, meaning every word. As scary and strange as this all is, there’s nowhere you’d rather be.
“Thank you, Cadet,” Terra says, her eyes warm with appreciation. “You owe us nothing, but you’re prepared to give everything. I will do my best to make sure you are safe. I have no desire to see anyone hurt any further than they already have been.”
O.M.G I am going to be releasing a new book soon. Soon as in a week or two or something like that. Soon as in, something exciting and N.E.W! Soon as in, ohhhh yesssss some hot lesbian discipline with a top who knows how to keep control and a bottom who knows how to keep the top on her toes.
For now, I return you to Cadet and friends in their cave.
Grisham’s fingers move slowly inside you, teasing and pleasuring you with a slow touch as you attempt to answer Terra’s question.
“Uhm… yes, ma’am,” you mumble, avoiding looking Terra in the eyes. It’s surprising how Grisham seems so willing to act out like this, claiming you right in front of Terra. Or maybe that’s the point. Maybe she’s still not really over the way Terra treated her back at base. You’re not sure you would be.
“Well I hope you’re settled now,” Terra says. “Because what I have to say is serious.”Continue reading →
Grisham’s climax comes hot on the heels of her moaned surprise as you work her pussy with eagerness not only to give her an orgasm, but to prove that you are a capable lover. For the first time since your meeting, you are not a helpless pawn in a game that doesn’t even seem to be Chess. With every little lick and lap, you are in control, bringing her pleasure. This is the most equal you’ve felt since joining the Academy, and to be able to finally have the woman who has spanked you and stripped you quivering at the tip of your tongue feels amazing.Continue reading →
(This installment begins to get explicit and Cadet gets sexually proactive. You have been warned. Or titillated.)
You give Grisham a playful little grin and nip at her lower lip, harder this time.
“I’m willing to take the consequences of my actions, ma’am,” you murmur, grinding against her as your lips meet in another kiss.
Her hand slides up your back and her fingers grasp your hair. She holds your face less than an inch from her mouth and shakes her head firmly. “I am not going to sleep with you, Cadet. Not while I’m commanding you.”
“Really? Because it feels like you’re already halfway to fucking me,” you moan as her fingers continue to press against your sex.Continue reading →
“So, uhm, back at the base, when you took all my clothes off me… Sarah says that’s not any kind of standard disciplinary procedure,” you say. “She thinks you were, uhm…”
“It’s not standard,” Grisham agrees. “What is standard is putting you in a cell for as long as it takes to break you and chewing you out every opportunity I get. What is standard is loading you up with enough kit that you can barely walk and making you run until you drop. What’s standard is taking a cane to your butt until it looks like a washboard. No offense, Cadet, but I don’t think you can take standard, so I got inventive.”
“I’m going to take Sarah out,” Terra says, reaching around to unsnap the cuffs holding Sarah’s wrists. “We need to walk and talk. Grisham, would you stay here with Cadet, please?”
Terra’s tone with Grisham is a world away from how it was. You wonder what happened between them once they realized you and Sarah had escaped again. Maybe they joined forces and came to terms. Or maybe it’s just Terra’s relief at finally telling Sarah what really happened all those years ago that’s making her speak with more respect. Either way, they seem to be getting on well now.
Terra and Sarah depart. You’re left sitting up against the cave wall in your sleeping bag with Grisham standing over you.
“I guess this isn’t going to be the same kind of emotional reunion for us as it was for them,” you quip, noting her stony stern expression as her dark eyes bore down into you.Continue reading →
First things first, a huge THANK YOU to pippin of Sapphic Kinks, who made the hot new banner for this series. Sapphic Kinks is a website like no other, an artful repository of everything lesbian and kinky.
Secondly, I’ve started work on what I am hoping will be a new book. It’s a crossover between Lesbia and the Iskendar series which more or less began my F/F web writing seven years ago. It’s the evolution of what was going to be my next Ayla based book, and I’m having fun with it, hopefully it will be fun to read too. So updates may or may not be slower or faster here as I do that. Okay, back to Cadet.
“Get the hell off me, Grisham,” Sarah snarls. Grisham has her pinned hard. It doesn’t look comfortable at all, the way she’s pushed into the uneven ground. It would probably hurt you, but Sarah’s more physically resilient in a lot of ways.
“Hell no, girl,” Grisham says. She kneels up and snaps a pair of handcuffs on Sarah’s wrists. “You’re going to be spending a lot of time in my jail,” she adds. “You’re going to see a lot of me. We’re going to get real close, you and I.”
You’ve heard that threatening tone before, when you first met Grisham. Of course, in your case, you ended up with a nice hot shower and a comfortable bed. Sarah probably won’t be that lucky.
“I’m not going to spend more than a day in your jail,” Sarah snaps back. “You think I can’t break out again? You think I’m not going to turn those concrete walls of yours into dust? Hell, I’ll chew my way out of there if I have to.”Continue reading →
Sarah asks the question as you clean up the plates and cookware and pack them away. If you have to leave quickly, you’re going to want to be prepared and packed. You’re not even sure if you’ll bother with the sleeping bag, as there’s a decent chance Nina and Grisham will find you before you get to sleep. Even with Sarah’s impressive burst of speed, they were only a matter of minutes behind you at the outset. Maybe you’ve extended your lead, or maybe they’re just outside that stone barricade, waiting for you to come out like a pair of rats in a hole…
“Hey, did you hear me?”
“Huh?” You look at Sarah. “Sorry, what?”
“Grisham,” she snorts. “You were mostly naked when I found you in her room.”
“No,” you say. “I didn’t sleep with her. She wasn’t trying to sleep with me anyway.”
“Uh huh, she was just getting you naked, because why, procedure? There’s no military procedure that puts a soldier in panties,” Sarah arches her brows. “She was trying to sleep with you, Cadet.”
“She specifically said she wasn’t.”
“Right. Because that’s how it works. She could be two knuckles deep inside you and you’d think she wasn’t fucking you,” Sarah snorts. “You’re so damn innocent.”Continue reading →
Leaving you standing there groggily, Sarah runs back and grabs a bag out of the chopter – along with several weapons. She tosses a rifle in your direction. “Catch!”
You catch it out of reflex more than anything, holding it gingerly out in front of yourself. You’ve never handled a weapon like this before, and you’re not sure exactly what you’re meant to do with it. It’s not like you’re going to use it on Grisham or Terra.
“Catch again!” She throws a backpack in your direction. You grab it and pull it on, no idea what is inside.
You’re not sure you made the right choice, but you’re loving the sense of freedom which comes with making what might be a huge mistake. As nervous as you are, your smile remains pasted on your face as you sit next to Sarah, who thankfully seems adept behind the controls.
“Huh,” Sarah says, glancing over her shoulder. “Looks like they launched quicker this time. Must be learning.”
You stick your head out the window and look. What you see through them makes your stomach drop more than the sudden dipping and diving of the aircraft. There are several helis in pursuit, but one is far closer to you than any of the others. Their helichopter has a different livery than the one you’re in. Yours is solid black. The one chasing you is black with gold trim across the rotors and nose. It seems to be faster. A lot faster, judging by the way it’s gaining on you. The closer it gets, the more you think… oh god, it is! Continue reading →
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THE CHRONICLES OF LESBIA
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Hello!
Welcome to the sapphic blog of Loki Renard. This is where I put all things F/F spanking and other things that take my fancy. It's a cross between a personal blog, and a place where I post my F/F works in progress, lesbian romance. lesbian discipline and lesbian spanking (favorite topics of mine) and other such related itemages.
Here are some books I've written, you can check out samples or get the full books over on Amazon: | {
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The title of the book on the other hand is called ‘The Year of Magical Thinking’
I’ve have never in my entire life read the first chapter of a book and felt like crying, I mean proper sobbing.
I know I’m deeply in touch with my mind and heart but that there is what I call thought provoking literature.
I was on the train as it happens, and every now and then, well after every 6 or 7 sentences of shock I closed the book, glanced outside at the lanscapes of the countryside and held back salty tears and breathed deeply…
Yes passengers on the train stared hard, but I was too busy thinking about the written contexts of this book and what the hell I would’ve done if the circumstances she carefully depicted had happened to me…. | {
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A fifth-year senior safety at USD, Robbie Beathard has occasionally slipped into a practice or meeting late.
His excuse?
He was huddling with university President Mary Lyons.
Sitting in the Torero Stadium press box after a recent practice, Beathard nonchalantly, and devoid of airs, said, “Mary Lyons and I know each other.”
Beathard is a four-year member and past president of the Alcalá Club, a student organization that works with Lyons as an official representative of the university. The Dalai Lama’s USD speaking gig last year? The Alacá Club escorted him around campus.
The NCAA produces haughty commercials espousing its role in helping produce student-athletes. When looking for a fresh subject, the NCAA would be wise to line up Beathard.
There would be a need, though, for more hyphens — student-athlete-lead singer in a band-budding accountant-potential political candidate.
USD (1-2) visits Stetson (1-2) in DeLand, Fla., on Saturday. When the Toreros take the field on defense, Beathard — no relation to former Chargers General Manager Bobby Beathard — will line up at strong safety, where he has started since his junior season.
Academically, he’s a dean’s list regular, boasting a 3.78 GPA, and will graduate with an accounting degree in January. He has signed a contract with PricewaterhouseCoopers, the accounting heavyweight, and is scheduled to begin work next fall.
“He’d be a guy you might look up some day and he’ll be mayor of San Diego, a congressman, a senator,” Lindsey said. “He is really, really polished.”
Robbie Beathard, a safety for USD's football team, preforms as a lead singer for the band "The Room Downstairs" at a welcome to new students day at USD.
— Earnie Grafton
Robbie Beathard, a safety for USD's football team, preforms as a lead singer for the band "The Room Downstairs" at a welcome to new students day at USD.
— Earnie Grafton
Less than 24 hours after USD opened the season with a loss at Cal Poly on Aug. 31, Beathard was dressed in khaki shorts, white socks, skater shoes and a taut baby-blue USD athletic polo, satisfying his musical bent.
Beathard is the lead vocalist for The Room Downstairs, which was performing at the Student Life Pavilion as part of a welcome weekend for incoming freshmen.
The band, composed of Beathard and four former San Diego State students, has been playing for 2½ years. It performs regularly at Pacific Beach bars and twice has fronted for acts at the House of Blues.
A La Jolla High product who has never taken a vocal lesson, Beathard describes the group’s music as a fusion of reggae, rock and funk.
“I think the music is what our age likes,” USD backup quarterback Kyle Miller said. “It’s chill, music people like to listen to while hanging out or if you want to dance, you dance.”
Robbie Beathard, a safety for USD's football team, preforms as a lead singer for the band "The Room Downstairs" at a welcome to new students day at USD.
— Earnie Grafton
Robbie Beathard, a safety for USD's football team, preforms as a lead singer for the band "The Room Downstairs" at a welcome to new students day at USD.
— Earnie Grafton
“He’ll cover a song, but it doesn’t sound like the song,” said John Loggins, 40, USD’s associate director for community service learning. “They’re songs people know but they play them in a way that’s uniquely theirs. It’s a fun thing. You feel connected to the music.”
The Room Downstairs’ drummer, Max Eckstein, is amazed that Beathard can juggle so many plates without them crashing on the floor.
“He doesn’t sleep,” Eckstein said. “I’m pretty sure he’s a robot on the inside. I haven’t cut his arms because I know his mom would be (mad), but I know he’s a robot.”
Beathard, the third-leading tackler on the team with 19, said football has impacted his life more than academics, more than music, more than anything outside of faith and family.
“Football constantly places you in uncomfortable situations,” he said. “Lifting weights, running in the heat, collisions, dealing with failure, the mental preparation. I know what it’s like to have that uncomfortable feeling in your gut and working through that.”
In November, Beathard will turn 23. He has played football since he was 12. By a vote of teammates, he’s the team’s lone captain. Come late this fall, he will almost certainly run his arms through the shoulder pad straps and snap a helmet tight for the last time in his life.
“Transforming into something else is a scary, scary thought,” he said. “But I’ll have to deal with it, I guess.”
The man can jam
Robbie Beathard's three favorite musical groups
Sublime
Reel Big Fish
Lynyrd Skynyrd
Robbie Beathard, a safety for USD's football team, preforms as a lead singer for the band "The Room Downstairs" at a welcome to new students day at USD.
— Earnie Grafton
Robbie Beathard, a safety for USD's football team, preforms as a lead singer for the band "The Room Downstairs" at a welcome to new students day at USD.
— Earnie Grafton | {
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Growth Plan Changes Town - But Not By Very Much
BELLE ISLE — In the year 2000 the city will have changed, but not drastically, city officials say after going over growth plans for the next 10 years.
Planners predict only a slight increase in population and housing for the small southeast Orange County city of about 5,000 people. The city has about 2,000 homes.
City officials last week were going over the comprehensive growth plan that must be submitted to the state by Jan. 1. The plan, revised every five years, sets the city's goals and policies to provide for its growth.
Residents will have another chance to voice their views Nov. 27 when the Planning and Zoning Board meets.
Mayor Charles Scott said he doesn't see the city staying the same.
''I think we're going to be forced to change,'' he said. ''I think the Central Connector will make an impact and it could be negative or positive.''
The Central Connector is a proposed six-lane toll road that would join downtown Orlando to the international airport. Scott said people may see the connector as a positive factor for living in the south part of the county.
Scott said in 10 years the city could grow to as many as 8,000 people if the city annexes several developed neighborhoods. Belle Isle officials have been approached by some homeowner associations that have expressed an interest in coming into the city. Representatives from an undeveloped 160-home project have also talked with city officials about becoming a part of city.
City Planning Director Thomas Tempia said Belle Isle grew 73 percent from 1980 to 1989 to 5,164 people, mostly due to the annexation of six neighborhoods.
Scott said there is not a great deal of vacant land within the city. There are a few commercial properties left on McCoy Road.
The plan also anticipates coordinating with Orlando, Orange County and the East Central Florida Regional Planning Council to avoid duplicating services. Putting the plans into practice becomes complicated because of the time involved.
''They are not the kind of things you can close yourself in an office and do,'' he said. ''Some of the things have to be approved by council and in four to five years there could be a brand-new council that may have different ideas.''
Tempia said most of the policies in the plan are to be implemented by the end of 1993. By 1995, policies should be in place to provide areas for recreation and preserve the environment. | {
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Commercial fishing paperwork and recording – technology improvements
Breadcrumb
Red tape issue
The system of hard copy log book recording for commercial fish landed could be streamlined, using portable devise based electronic reporting. Most commercial fishers are currently required to fill out daily hard copy log books to record their catch. Two fisheries in Victoria currently use app based technology to report their catch, which provide benefits to the fishers and Fisheries Victoria. For most fisheries, fishers need to fill out and maintain hard copy log books, and Fisheries Victoria employees manually enter all hardcopy data into a database for the purpose of annual reporting, compliance checks, and fisheries management assessments and planning . Fishers pay for this service through cost recovery levies.
The development of an electronic system, such as a smart phone application (app), or e-logbook, could save fishers and government money and time, improve efficiency and accuracy in fisheries data collection and processing (including providing real time data), and improve monitoring of compliance. Any proposal would need to be developed in consultation with fishers and funding found to develop the app and fund IT system changes.
The Department of Treasury and Finance acknowledges Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people as the Traditional Custodians of the land and acknowledges and pays respect to their Elders, past and present. | {
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Implants PPC
If you’re missing one or more teeth perhaps you have stopped:
Sharing smiles, laughs, even jokes with friends
Enjoying social occasions and meals with company
Feeling passionate about work and new opportunities
Missing teeth can lead to more health problems in your mouth and throughout your body. Dental implants offer a tremendous advantage. Implants mimic the form and function of your natural teeth providing a long-lasting, cost-efficient, permanent solution.
At Lawson Dental, Dr. Lawson can help restore the health and appearance of your smile so you can enjoy meals again, speak to others without embarrassment or worry, and share kindness with your beautifully natural smile.
Absolutely positive in all ways. I’ve been seeing Lawson Dental in Bozeman for over two decades and have been totally satisfied. Oral hygiene, fillings, extractions and crowns; I’ve had them all with consistent good results.
— Kenneth H.
Schedule Your Consultation
Expert Smile Care
Whether your case is simple or highly complex, Dr. Lawson can meet your needs. He has over 25 years experience in implant and aesthetic dentistry, and since graduating from dental school, has consistently invested in maintaining his dental knowledge by attending continuing education courses all over the United States. He uses the latest techniques, equipment and procedures, so rest assured that Dr. Lawson and his team will help provide you a smile that restores your confidence and appeal. | {
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Incorporation Services Incfile Features
Incorporation Services Incfile Features
IncFile opened their doors in 2004 and they’ve turned into one of the most popular LLC formation services given that, forming over 250,000 services – Incorporation Services Incfile Features. There are a great deal of services that can assist you form an LLC online, but IncFile has actually handled to take a popular space for themselves in this highly competitive market– recently ending up being as popular as LegalZoom.
This is incredibly outstanding thinking about LegalZoom, the most well-known service charges $99 + state cost to form an LLC. ” IncFile has 15 years of experience, with over 250,000 organisations formed given that they opened in 2004. ” Even though their rates are lower than all rivals, there’s a full year of registered agent service (which is a requirement for all LLCs) consisted of in every LLC development plan offered by IncFile. ” If you start an LLC with IncFile, they include lifetime company notifies that send you emails whenever there’s a due date coming up for annual reports, service licenses, declarations of information, and more.
Incorporation Services Incfile Features
Not only do they preserve high average rating scores, however they have several thousand reviews (currently over 10,000) offered online. ” They generally have good client service. IncFile’s assistance associates are well-informed and friendly, and all of their customers get endless phone and e-mail support. ✖ In the past, IncFile’s customer assistance has been tough to reach sometimes.
While this is typical in the industry, for the most part Northwest is the one LLC service that has a little much faster action times and exceeds and beyond with every response to our concern. ✖ Even though their complimentary development LLC service is an excellent offer, you’re going to deal with more upsells and possibly higher overall costs as an outcome.
Incorporation Services Incfile Features
Up till a couple of months earlier, IncFile charged $49+ to form an LLC. Now, their brand-new and reduced rate will form an LLC for free. Plus, IncFile includes a year of signed up representative and a great deal of other great features– at no charge. Compared to other LLC services, this is one of the finest offers readily available online.
If you want to examine out the complete details of each alternative for yourself, have a look at their pricing page.: The posts of organization are the files required to form your brand-new LLC. IncFile will prepare these documents and file them with your state to formally produce your business.: They search your development state’s organisation database to make sure that your wanted organisation name isn’t currently taken by another entity.: A signed up representative (legally required to form an LLC) accepts crucial files on behalf of your company, then forwards them to you.
Incorporation Services Incfile Features
IncFile offers this service complimentary for one full year, after which there’s a $119 annual cost, however there’s definitely no commitment to renew this service.: If you have a question or issue, it does not matter if you formed your LLC last week or in 2015– their assistance representatives are offered to help you through phone from 10am to 7pm ET weekdays.: IncFile’s slick real-time tool lets you know what step your order is in at all times.: A 30-minute (no-obligation) consult session with a qualified tax professional. Incorporation Services Incfile Features.
Includes everything from the Silver bundle, plus …: This is a 9-digit number that basically works as a Social Security Number for your business. With an EIN, you can open an organisation savings account, file business taxes, work with workers, and more. You can get your own EIN reasonably easily from the Internal Revenue Service, however IncFile can save you a long time and effort by doing it for you.: An operating arrangement is a file that describes the ownership structure of your service, in addition to laying some guideline for the way your company will run.
Incorporation Services Incfile Features
Depending upon which state you form your organisation in, this can cut your turnaround time from a matter of weeks to a matter of days.: You’ll get access to IncFile’s legal agreement design templates. This is a library of 25+ commonly used service types and files written by a lawyer that you can tailor for your needs.: Through IncFile’s partnership with a web advancement service called SnapWeb, you’ll get an expertly designed basic website from a pre-made template.
IncFile has so much experience in the market (15 years) that it’s simple to discover client feedback, which can give you a glimpse of what to anticipate as one of their customers. We dove into IncFile examines all across the web, and figured out that their customers experience some quite precise pros and extremely few cons.
Incorporation Services Incfile Features
In other words, very couple of competitors can compare IncFile’s outstanding customer reviews.: 4.8 out of 5 stars (11,664 evaluations): 4.6 out of 5 stars (112 reviews) There’s rather a few provider using LLC formation nowadays, so if you do not like what IncFile needs to use, there are plenty of other options.
At $39 they consist of a year of registered representative service and a handful of other extremely useful functions like adjustable operating agreement. Plus, out of over 1,400 consumer evaluates online, 97% of those people were delighted with ZenBusiness (Incorporation Services Incfile Features). If you’re searching for a terrific general experience that offers very close value to IncFile, check out our other top rated LLC service, Northwest Registered Agent.
Incorporation Services Incfile Features
Finally, LegalZoom is the most popular business for LLC developments, as they have actually served countless customers throughout the years. Their prices aren’t terrific starting at $99, particularly thinking about that they do not consist of registered agent service, however their experience is 2nd to none (Incorporation Services Incfile Features). When it boils down to choosing, IncFile has much more benefits than drawbacks.
If you’re on a budget plan however still desire aid creating an LLC, IncFile is among the top LLC formation services out there. You can select from their entirely complimentary LLC service or from their premium paid packages. We don’t be reluctant to advise them to many business owners. The main time we wouldn’t advise utilizing IncFile is if you predict requiring lots of customer care assistance or desire more included features.
Incorporation Services Incfile Features
If you’re searching for a fully-featured LLC service, we suggest ZenBusiness. After reviewing and ranking all the leading LLC formation services, IncFile came out as one of the very best due to the fact that they will form an LLC free of charge and have highly rated consumer evaluations. It’s definitely worth thinking about if you’re starting a service on a tight spending plan.
Is IncFile Actually A Totally Free LLC Development Service?Impressively, yes, IncFile will form an LLC free of charge. They used to charge $49 for their base package but have refined their systems over the last 15+ years to offer a service that will form an LLC online for free. All you pay for is the state filing cost – Incorporation Services Incfile Features.
Incorporation Services Incfile Features
IncFile also provides paid business formation bundles for $149 and $299 that consist of more functions and faster processing times. We’re simply most impressed by their complimentary deal. (See IncFile.com) If I Choose to Utilize IncFile, Which Package Ought to I Choose?We personally choose either their $0 Silver package or their $149 Gold bundle.
If you would rather include an EIN, an operating arrangement, and several other features, we like the Gold package too. Desire a closer look? Have a look at IncFile’s rates page. How Does IncFile Compare to Other LLC Services?As you probably understand, there are a great deal of online LLC formation services.
Incorporation Services Incfile Features
Does IncFile Have Good Customer Support?For one of the most part, IncFile has terrific customer support, with valuable and friendly representatives. The only knock on their assistance is that sometimes it can take a while to get a reaction during peak times. Do They Have a Refund Policy?While some rivals provide 100% fulfillment assurances, IncFile does not – Incorporation Services Incfile Features.
Can I Kind an LLC on My Own?Some entrepreneurs do pick the Do It Yourself route when it concerns LLC development, but it’s a hassle. It needs a rather good time financial investment, and you’ll have to research your state of formation’s particular requirements as well. In addition, you won’t get the practical continuous compliance pointers provided by IncFile, or any of their other practical features.
Incorporation Services Incfile Features
In general, this is just necessary if you aren’t yet all set to enter the development procedure. If you’re prepared to begin your business, there’s no reason to book your name prior to forming your LLC with IncFile.: Specific states (like Alabama) require you to reserve a name prior to you form your company.
Can I Type an LLC Without Physically Remaining In the United States?Yes, there is no requirement that you be present in the U.S. to form an LLC. In truth, you do not require to be an American resident or homeowner to form an LLC either, as foreign nationals are allowed to own and run LLCs much like American citizens are.
Incorporation Services Incfile Features
They’re another affordable LLC service that has similar worth to IncFile. What Is the IncFile Customer Support Telephone Number and Email?You can contact IncFile via phone by calling 844-830-8267. Instead of publishing a specific e-mail address, they have an email contact type on their website. Incorporation Services Incfile Features. When you submit your message, an IncFile representative will connect to you via e-mail as soon as possible.
For instance, their offer to set up an organisation savings account requires sharing your details with Bank of America, and their “business site and domain name” offer requires sharing your information with a site structure company called Snapweb – Incorporation Services Incfile Features. If this is an issue for you however you wish to utilize IncFile, you can let them know that you wish to opt-out of their unique deals.
Incorporation Services Incfile Features
Does IncFile?Compared to LegalZoom, IncFile keeps the upsells to a minimum. Many other business incorporation services put a significant amount of pressure on you to purchase pricey add-on functions that drive your overall expense way up, but IncFile does not bother us in this regard. It’s all extremely stylish.
If you require to accelerate your formation turnaround time, you can upgrade to their expedited service which can decrease your processing time from weeks down to just a couple of days in some states. My LLC Needs an EIN. Is It Worth the $70? This is a difficult question to respond to without knowing the particular requirements of your special company.
Incorporation Services Incfile Features
The benefit of not having to get one through the Internal Revenue Service deserves it to a lot of entrepreneurs, and they like having their articles of organization and EIN confirmation in the very same place. However, we would totally comprehend if you ‘d rather conserve some cash and obtain your own EIN from the IRS directly.
See how IncFile compares toother top rated LLC services Begins at $0If you desire a totally free LLC service( state filing cost not included).
Incorporation Services Incfile Features
Forming an organisation with Incfile begins with selecting which bundle is right for you. What’s great is that their starting bundle is really affordable at $0 + state fee. In total though, there are 3 plans you can select from: Silver, Gold, and Platinum. Incfile offers a lot of worth at all three levels, consisting of the core functions in the screenshot listed below with any plan you choose.
While other incorporation services present up of 50 various features on their sites, Incfile concentrates on the most helpful basics to keep it from getting overwhelming. Below is a screenshot of everything you’ll get in the Silver package, which is the most budget-friendly. To determine which choice is best for you, we’ll need to dive into the distinctions between these 3 packages.
Incorporation Services Incfile Features
While you might not require all these functions, it’s likely you’ll need among them enough to validate the $100 rate distinction in between Silver and Gold., we’re still a little uncertain. As you can see, the only additional functions consisted of for the additional $150 are a business site, domain name, and contract library.
The Platinum plan is the just one that consists of expedited filing, so if you remain in a hurry, spending an extra $50 to expedite your order may make best sense. However, if you’re not in a rush to get your service formed and more than happy with Incfile’s basic filing times (which vary by state), We believe the Gold tier is the finest value for your dollar.
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Incorporation Services Incfile Features
Incorporation Services Incfile Features
IncFile opened their doors in 2004 and they have actually turned into one of the most popular LLC formation services considering that, forming over 250,000 businesses – Incorporation Services Incfile Features. There are a lot of services that can assist you form an LLC online, however IncFile has actually managed to take a prominent space for themselves in this extremely competitive market– just recently becoming as popular as LegalZoom.
This is incredibly excellent thinking about LegalZoom, the most widely known service fee $99 + state cost to form an LLC. ” IncFile has 15 years of experience, with over 250,000 businesses formed given that they opened in 2004. ” Although their rates are lower than all rivals, there’s a full year of registered representative service (which is a requirement for all LLCs) included in every LLC development plan used by IncFile. ” If you begin an LLC with IncFile, they include lifetime company alerts that send you emails whenever there’s a deadline showing up for yearly reports, organisation licenses, statements of info, and more.
Incorporation Services Incfile Features
Not just do they preserve high average ranking scores, however they have numerous thousand reviews (presently over 10,000) readily available online. ” They generally have excellent consumer service. IncFile’s support associates are well-informed and friendly, and all of their customers get endless phone and e-mail support. ✖ In the past, IncFile’s client support has been difficult to reach sometimes.
While this is typical in the industry, for the many part Northwest is the one LLC service that has slightly faster response times and exceeds and beyond with every response to our concern. ✖ Although their totally free formation LLC service is a fantastic offer, you’re going to handle more upsells and possibly higher overall costs as a result.
Incorporation Services Incfile Features
Up till a couple of months back, IncFile charged $49+ to form an LLC. Now, their new and affordable rate will form an LLC for free. Plus, IncFile consists of a year of signed up representative and a great deal of other good features– at no charge. Compared to other LLC services, this is among the very best deals available online.
If you wish to inspect out the complete details of each alternative for yourself, inspect out their pricing page.: The short articles of company are the documents required to form your new LLC. IncFile will draft these documents and file them with your state to formally create your business.: They browse your formation state’s company database to ensure that your wanted company name isn’t already taken by another entity.: A signed up representative (lawfully needed to form an LLC) accepts essential files on behalf of your service, then forwards them to you.
Incorporation Services Incfile Features
IncFile provides this service complimentary for one full year, after which there’s a $119 yearly cost, but there’s definitely no obligation to renew this service.: If you have a concern or issue, it does not matter if you formed your LLC last week or last year– their assistance associates are readily available to help you through phone from 10am to 7pm ET weekdays.: IncFile’s slick real-time tool lets you understand what step your order is in at all times.: A 30-minute (no-obligation) seek advice from session with a licensed tax professional. Incorporation Services Incfile Features.
Includes everything from the Silver plan, plus …: This is a 9-digit number that basically works as a Social Security Number for your business. With an EIN, you can open an organisation savings account, file organisation taxes, work with staff members, and more. You can obtain your own EIN reasonably quickly from the IRS, but IncFile can conserve you a long time and effort by doing it for you.: An operating contract is a document that lays out the ownership structure of your business, in addition to laying some guideline for the way your company will operate.
Incorporation Services Incfile Features
Depending upon which state you form your service in, this can cut your turnaround time from a matter of weeks to a matter of days.: You’ll get access to IncFile’s legal agreement templates. This is a library of 25+ typically used service forms and documents written by an attorney that you can personalize for your needs.: Through IncFile’s partnership with a web advancement service called SnapWeb, you’ll get a professionally created standard site from a pre-made design template.
IncFile has so much experience in the market (15 years) that it’s simple to find customer feedback, which can provide you a look of what to anticipate as one of their clients. We dove into IncFile reviews all across the web, and figured out that their consumers experience some quite precise pros and extremely few cons.
Incorporation Services Incfile Features
In other words, really few rivals can compare IncFile’s superb client reviews.: 4.8 out of 5 stars (11,664 reviews): 4.6 out of 5 stars (112 reviews) There’s quite a few provider using LLC development these days, so if you do not like what IncFile needs to use, there are plenty of other alternatives.
At $39 they consist of a year of registered agent service and a handful of other very useful features like personalized operating contract. Plus, out of over 1,400 consumer examines online, 97% of those people enjoyed with ZenBusiness (Incorporation Services Incfile Features). If you’re looking for a fantastic overall experience that offers exceptionally close value to IncFile, check out our other leading rated LLC service, Northwest Registered Agent.
Incorporation Services Incfile Features
Lastly, LegalZoom is the most popular business for LLC formations, as they’ve served countless consumers throughout the years. Their prices aren’t terrific beginning at $99, especially considering that they do not include registered representative service, however their experience is second to none (Incorporation Services Incfile Features). When it boils down to deciding, IncFile has far more advantages than downsides.
If you’re on a budget however still want aid developing an LLC, IncFile is one of the leading LLC development services out there. You can pick from their entirely free LLC service or from their premium paid packages. We don’t be reluctant to recommend them to a lot of business owners. The main time we wouldn’t recommend utilizing IncFile is if you predict requiring great deals of client service support or want more consisted of features.
Incorporation Services Incfile Features
If you’re trying to find a fully-featured LLC service, we suggest ZenBusiness. After reviewing and ranking all the leading LLC formation services, IncFile came out as one of the best due to the reality that they will form an LLC for free and have actually highly rated customer reviews. It’s absolutely worth considering if you’re starting a business on a tight budget plan.
Is IncFile Actually A Complimentary LLC Development Service?Impressively, yes, IncFile will form an LLC for totally free. They used to charge $49 for their base plan however have actually refined their systems over the last 15+ years to use a service that will form an LLC online totally free. All you spend for is the state filing cost – Incorporation Services Incfile Features.
Incorporation Services Incfile Features
IncFile also provides paid business formation packages for $149 and $299 that consist of more functions and faster processing times. We’re just most pleased by their totally free deal. (See IncFile.com) If I Decide to Utilize IncFile, Which Plan Must I Choose?We personally choose either their $0 Silver bundle or their $149 Gold package.
If you would rather include an EIN, an operating arrangement, and numerous other features, we like the Gold bundle too. Want a better look? Take a look at IncFile’s pricing page. How Does IncFile Compare to Other LLC Services?As you probably know, there are a great deal of online LLC formation services.
Incorporation Services Incfile Features
Does IncFile Have Great Consumer Support?For one of the most part, IncFile has excellent client service, with handy and friendly representatives. The only knock on their assistance is that sometimes it can take a while to get a reaction throughout peak times. Do They Have a Refund Policy?While some competitors use 100% satisfaction warranties, IncFile does not – Incorporation Services Incfile Features.
Can I Form an LLC on My Own?Some entrepreneurs do choose the DIY route when it concerns LLC development, however it’s a trouble. It requires a rather good time financial investment, and you’ll need to research your state of development’s specific requirements too. In addition, you won’t get the helpful continuous compliance suggestions provided by IncFile, or any of their other hassle-free functions.
Incorporation Services Incfile Features
In basic, this is only essential if you aren’t yet all set to go into the formation process. If you’re ready to begin your business, there’s no reason to schedule your name prior to forming your LLC with IncFile.: Specific states (like Alabama) require you to book a name before you form your company.
Can I Type an LLC Without Physically Being in the United States?Yes, there is no requirement that you exist in the U.S. to form an LLC. In truth, you do not require to be an American citizen or homeowner to form an LLC either, as foreign nationals are enabled to own and operate LLCs simply like American residents are.
Incorporation Services Incfile Features
They’re another budget friendly LLC service that has equivalent value to IncFile. What Is the IncFile Consumer Support Contact Number and Email?You can get in touch with IncFile via phone by calling 844-830-8267. Rather of publishing a particular e-mail address, they have an e-mail contact type on their site. Incorporation Services Incfile Features. When you send your message, an IncFile representative will reach out to you by means of e-mail as quickly as possible.
For example, their deal to establish a service savings account needs sharing your info with Bank of America, and their “company site and domain” deal requires sharing your information with a website building business called Snapweb – Incorporation Services Incfile Features. If this is a concern for you but you want to utilize IncFile, you can let them know that you wish to opt-out of their special deals.
Incorporation Services Incfile Features
Does IncFile?Compared to LegalZoom, IncFile keeps the upsells to a minimum. Numerous other company incorporation services put a substantial amount of pressure on you to purchase costly add-on features that drive your total expense method up, but IncFile does not bother us in this regard. It’s all very classy.
If you require to speed up your development turn-around time, you can upgrade to their expedited service which can reduce your processing time from weeks to just a couple of days in some states. My LLC Requirements an EIN. Is It Worth the $70? This is a hard concern to address without knowing the specific requirements of your unique business.
Incorporation Services Incfile Features
The benefit of not having to get one through the Internal Revenue Service deserves it to a great deal of business owners, and they like having their articles of company and EIN confirmation in the exact same location. Nevertheless, we would completely comprehend if you ‘d rather conserve some money and obtain your own EIN from the Internal Revenue Service straight.
See how IncFile compares toother leading ranked LLC services Begins at $0If you desire a totally free LLC service( state filing fee not included).
Incorporation Services Incfile Features
Forming a service with Incfile starts with picking which bundle is right for you. What’s nice is that their starting plan is truly inexpensive at $0 + state fee. In overall though, there are three bundles you can select from: Silver, Gold, and Platinum. Incfile provides a lot of value at all 3 levels, including the core features in the screenshot listed below with any bundle you select.
While other incorporation services present up of 50 various functions on their websites, Incfile concentrates on the most helpful basics to keep it from getting frustrating. Below is a screenshot of whatever you’ll get in the Silver bundle, which is the most cost effective. To determine which choice is best for you, we’ll require to dive into the distinctions in between these three packages.
Incorporation Services Incfile Features
While you may not require all these functions, it’s most likely you’ll need among them enough to validate the $100 cost distinction between Silver and Gold., we’re still a little unpredictable. As you can see, the only additional functions consisted of for the additional $150 are an organisation website, domain, and agreement library.
The Platinum bundle is the just one that consists of expedited filing, so if you’re in a rush, investing an additional $50 to accelerate your order may make best sense. Nevertheless, if you’re not in a rush to get your business formed and more than happy with Incfile’s basic filing times (which vary by state), We think the Gold tier is the finest worth for your dollar. | {
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About
Speeches.io is a site dedicated to presentations and speaking literacy for all users. With the exception of private content behind the membership wall, all content remains the property of the original owner and is derived from public sources. | {
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General Aviation: Wheel and Brake Update
Dale Smith
They’re small, lightweight and they are one of the most highly stressed, ofttimes abused part of any aircraft. What are "they"? Aircraft wheels and brakes of course. And if you don’t believe that they lead very stressful lives, just take a look at any runway. See all those 100-foot-long skid marks? The wheels and brakes are at the center of all that stopping power. Sure the tires take their share of the licking, but that’s another story.
The truly amazing thing is, whether you’re looking at a Cessna 172 or a Boeing 777, the technology found in today’s wheels and brakes hasn’t really changed much. "Technology from a design standpoint has not really changed a lot over the past 15 to 30 years," explained John Bakos, manager, sales and marketing, Parker Hannifin, Cleveland Wheels and Brakes. "The calculations are all the same, but what everyone is looking for today is lighter and stronger."
Bakos explained that the use of computers has made the design process easier. Design calculation software, solid modeling, thermal analysis and FMEA (Failure Mode and Effects Analysis) are some of the computerized tools used in the design process of today’s wheels and brake systems.
"Weight is paramount, so we are being forced to look at ways to develop designs and materials that provide the same performance at lighter weights," he said. "The more rigorous, robust design requirements of corporate, military and commercial aircraft pretty much dictate the use of forgings, which are more expensive to manufacturer. The typical GA aircraft uses lighter, less expensive magnesium castings. The trade-off is magnesium’s susceptibility to corrosion if nicked or scratched."
But just because wheel and brake manufacturers are spending most of their time fine-tuning today’s designs, that doesn’t mean they are not working towards the future. According to Bakos, there has been a trend towards electric brakes. Right now they are focused on the new commercial aircraft like the Boeing 787, which is slated to be the first to have them. And that’s primarily due to their higher cost and size, which will probably be a barrier to their entering the business and general aviation markets for a long time to come.
Brake Maintenance 101
Wheel and brake maintenance hasn’t changed much through the years. "Pretty much the [maintenance] procedures have been in use since Charles Taylor’s days," Bakos said. "We are bound by the FARs and regulations."
"When you look at today’s maintenance procedures you don’t have to re-invent the wheel here," he continued. "The processes really do work pretty well, providing the mechanics follow them." And therein lies the proverbial "rub." Technicians, (none reading this story of course) become so familiar with doing the same type of work over and over again that they tend to create their own "shortcuts."
Bakos stressed that if the technicians would take the time to read and follow the manuals there would be a lot fewer problems with wheel and brake maintenance. All the major wheel and brake manufacturers have established certain procedures that they recommend for proper inspection and maintenance. "That’s why we write the manuals," he said.
Speaking of manuals, Cleveland makes it really easy for technicians to get the latest information. They have a dedicated Web site: www.clevelandwheelsandbrakes.com, where they post all service bulletins, maintenance manuals, illustrated product catalogs, parts lists — everything that anyone needs related to the inspection of their wheels and brakes is right there.
If your cave doesn’t have Internet access, then Cleveland makes all the same information available in printed form and on CD-ROM. "There is absolutely no excuse for people not having the information they need," Bakos said.
So what if you’re stuck with a problem that you can’t figure out by reading the manuals? Not a problem. Cleveland has a dedicated e-mail directly to their technical service department. "We monitor that continuously," he said. "If that’s not fast enough, technicians can call and talk to a technical support specialist. The information you need is readily available no matter where you are and how you want to get it."
But, aside from the simple error of just not reading the manuals, when asked what the most common mistake technicians make when working on wheels and brakes he was quick to come back with an answer. "Not torquing bolts properly, both on the wheels and brakes," Bakos replied. "We hear ‘the bolt broke.’ Why did it break? Well, they weren’t torqued properly."
As an example of this mistake, Bakos said that when technicians install new discs or linings, they tighten the caliper bolts down and find they cannot turn the wheel. If that’s the problem, you need to look for a depression in the metal around the bolt holes on the face of the cylinder. It’s a magnesium or aluminum casting with a steel back plate, so the housing is going to give. "Typically they are over-torquing the back plate bolts," he explained. "It crushes the cylinder. They use their ‘calibrated elbow’ to put 100-inch pounds on it instead of the specified 65."
Like most problems, this one is easy to avoid. Just make sure you use a calibrated torque wrench and follow manufacturer specifications. Simple enough!
Bakos said that another big mistake is not properly lubricating the grease seals. "On some of our wheels have felt grease seals that need to be oiled or greased before they are installed to help keep moisture out of the wheel." That’s critical because moisture leads to internal corrosion, which can kill a wheel pretty fast.
Of course, there are limits to the amount of corrosion that can be removed from a wheel. Removing too much material can affect the design integrity of the part and can lead to further damage or even wheel failure. So keep those wheels as clean and dry as you can.
Keeping moisture out is the primary reason you never want to use a pressure washer to clean wheels and brakes. That will just force moisture up through cracks and seals. It not only encourages corrosion, but also contaminates the lubricants that are in there. Corrosion and loss of bearing lubrication are two of the major causes of wheel failures.
So you not only want to avoid using a hose on the wheel, but you also want to make it a standard practice to lubricate the bearings at every tire change or more often if specified by the wheel manufacturer’s maintenance procedures.
Stop! Time to Inspect Those Wheels and Brakes
The only way to spot cracks, nicks, corrosion and other issues that will eventually lead to catastrophic wheel failure is through routine visual inspection of the wheel and brake system. (Yes, it’s spelled out in the manufacturer’s maintenance manual.)
When it comes down to inspections it’s really pretty straightforward. The goal is to try and find issues that are detrimental to the life and performance of the wheel and brake. On the wheels you are looking for nicks, cracks and corrosion. If you find a cracked wheel you replace it. If you find corrosion, you dress it out and paint it — and keep watch for signs of more corrosion down the road.
For the brakes, inspection is focused on the condition of the mechanism and how much lining is left on the brakes. Inspection practices are different though depending on the types of aircraft you are working on. "Corporate jets and larger aircraft use what are called ‘internal brakes,’" Bakos said, "where the brake assembly is housed inside the wheel and uses a combination of rotating and stationary discs, similar to a bicycle coaster brake."
"Typical general aviation airplanes use an ‘external brake’ system. The disc is bolted to the wheel and the brake is essentially a ‘C’ clamp that is very similar to an automotive caliper," he continued. "The advantage is the disc is outside the wheel in the air stream for better cooling while taxiing. The better the cooling, the less chance you have of fading brakes." External design wheels and brakes are also less expensive and typically provide lower maintenance costs.
Another advantage of the external design is you can change the linings without having to jack up the airplane. Just unbolt the calipers and pull them off, change the linings, bolt it back together (with the proper torque values) and you’re done — well, almost. Bakos stressed the need to properly condition the linings after they’re changed.
Danger! Contents Under Pressure
While you’re checking the wheels and brakes it’s also a great time to give those tires a close look. Maintaining the proper tire pressure can go a long, long way to helping the aircraft’s wheels and brakes perform their roles trouble free.
"We recommend following the tire manufacturer’s guidelines," Bakos said. "Because changes in tire pressure will dramatically affect the life of the wheel." While airlines and most corporate operators routinely check tire pressure, the typical GA pilot/owner doesn’t. They’ll go fly once a week and if the wheel isn’t touching the tarmac it’s good to go. That’s why the majority of tires found on these aircraft are tube-type. They typically hold air pressure better than tubeless tires.
Another critical thing for technicians to keep in mind about tires and pressure is the potential hazard of working on a wheel with a fully inflated tire. As a good safety practice, any time you are going to remove the wheel and tire from an airplane remove all of the nitrogen or dry air from the tire. Sheered bolts or cracked wheels can lead to a catastrophic wheel failure. Way too many technicians have been seriously injured or even killed by an exploding wheel.
"Properly inspected and maintained, this stuff can seemingly last forever," Bakos said. "I’ve seen wheels and brakes that have been in service since the mid-1950s. You just have to take proper care of them."
Breaking in Those Brakes
Along with routine inspections and proper installation of the brakes, Bakos said that another part of ensuring you get all the stopping power and life that the brakes and linings are designed to give is to make sure the brakes are properly "conditioned" when they are first installed.
The first thing to remember is that metallic and organic linings are not conditioned in the same way because they have different operating characteristics. Mr. Bakos was kind enough to provide the following conditioning tips right out of the Cleveland maintenance manual.
According to the guidelines, these conditioning procedures will wear off any high spots and generate sufficient heat to create a thin layer of glazed material at the lining friction surface. Normal brake usage should generate enough heat to maintain the glazing throughout the life of the lining.
Properly conditioned linings will provide many hours of maintenance -free service. A visual inspection of the brake disc will indicate the lining condition. A smooth surface, one without grooves, indicates the linings are properly glazed. If the disc is rough (grooved), the linings must be re-glazed. The conditioning process should be preformed whenever a rough disc condition is observed. Light use, such as taxiing, will cause the glaze to be worn off rapidly.
It’s also a good idea to measure the brake disc thickness during tire changes and other maintenance intervals. Cleveland specifies a minimum replacement thickness for each part number disc. To ensure proper operation and the designed performance levels, it is imperative to replace worn (below limits) brake discs. | {
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Under the Radar: Many townships, little scrutiny
Official: 'Word was that no one was paying attention'
BY DAVID GIULIANI [email protected] 800-798-4085, ext. 525
Jan. 25, 2013
Alex T. Paschal/[email protected]
Caption
Hamilton Township Supervisor Stacy Gonigam defends the Lee County township's budget surplus of $140,819, which is the largest per capita in Lee and Whiteside counties. "We're always saving for something, a truck or a piece of equipment," Gonigam said. "Roads are expensive."
Alex T. Paschal/[email protected]
Caption
All townships must turn in their annual budgets to the county clerk. At the Lee County Courthouse, many of the township budgets that are submitted are handwritten.
Townships are used to being in the background.
Few people attend their board meetings. Reporters almost never go. And some politicians talk about doing away with townships altogether.
Every year, every township must turn in its budget to the county clerk.
Whiteside and Lee counties each have 22 townships. An employee in the Whiteside County clerk's office can't remember anyone ever asking to see the township budgets, with the recent exception of a Sauk Valley Media reporter.
Many of the budgets are handwritten. Some don't include the balances in their general and road funds. Still others are turned in months after the July deadline.
One township, Whiteside County's Portland, hadn't even turned in a budget as of late November.
Other levels of government sometimes have fierce debates over how to spend their money. The Lee County Board, for instance, split over its last budget.
But Sauk Valley Media couldn't find one instance in which a township trustee in Whiteside or Lee counties voted against a budget.
Each township has a supervisor, four trustees, a clerk, a highway commissioner and an assessor (often shared with other townships).
That dramatically increases the number of elected officials. Lee County, for instance, has 199 township and county elected officials. That compares to just 12 in Boone County, Ark., which has no township government. Both counties have populations of about 36,000.
How does Boone County do it?
In Arkansas, county governments handle township functions, as is the case in most states. That's also true in 18 of Illinois' 102 counties, mainly in the south.
Official sees duplication of equipment, staff
Illinois townships consume a small fraction of property tax bills, so little attention is paid to them. Over time, however, townships can build sizable budget surpluses.
In the past fiscal year, the combined surpluses for the road and general funds for Lee County's townships amounted to more than $3.2 million, or $90 a resident. That compares to Lee County's general fund, which has been running deficits year after year.
In Whiteside County, the townships' surpluses are more than $2.5 million, or $42 a person, and that's not including the four townships – Albany, Erie, Portland and Ustick – that didn't provide timely balance information to the county.
Townships have a few basic functions – taking care of roads, assessing the taxable value of properties, providing emergency assistance to the poor. They're allowed to spend their money on other things, though. This year, for instance, Sterling Township bought a building to house a youth club. And at least two Lee County townships, Willow Creek and Hamilton, have paid for attorneys to fight wind farms.
Few challenge the idea of townships; proposals to chip away at them die in the state Legislature.
Vern Gottel, the supervisor of Palmyra Towship (population 2,906) in western Lee County, agreed with the main argument for townships: They're closest to the people.
"Townships are quicker to respond to individual complaints such as potholes and snowplowing," he said.
But he said he can see the benefits of consolidating township functions.
"When you look at the big picture, there is duplication of equipment and staff," he said. "If you folded them together, you'd save money."
He also said township highway commissioners have a lot of power.
"The road commissioner is the second most powerful person in the state," Gottel said. "If you have a good commissioner, it's fine. If you don't, you're not getting anywhere."
'I'm getting too old for this'
Nachusa Township, population 493, which is east of Dixon, was months late in turning in its budget to the county clerk.
The longtime supervisor, Dick Appelquist, said the township struggles to get information to the state comptroller and the county clerk.
"The word was that no one was paying attention," Appelquist said. "I guess they are."
He provided the balance information over the phone to Sauk Valley Media.
Appelquist, 83, who has been supervisor for 30 years, said the township can't find anyone to take his place.
"I'm getting too old to do this," he said. "Everything is going on the Internet this year because of paperwork. I don't have a computer or the Internet. I grew up with a pencil eraser and books. I don't want to tell the boys I want to quit. I've got a good board."
So what about consolidating townships?
No way, he said.
"If you start combining these townships, someone will get left out," he said. "They've been trying to bust up townships. We're getting along fine. Why do we want to change?"
Whiteside County's Albany Township, population 1,076, hasn't provided information on its balances to the county.
Its supervisor, Dan Bitler, didn't explain why. But he is a fan of township government.
Without townships, rural areas may be ignored when it comes to road maintenance and snowplowing, he said.
"Albany is the wrong end of the county," Bitler said. "Sterling and Rock Falls get the majority of everything from Whiteside County."
To make his case, he looks to Iowa, which doesn't have separate township governments.
"Go look at the roads in their rural areas," Bitler said. "They're all gravel. We have a lot better road system. Wouldn't you rather live on a blacktop road?"
Snowplowing is a particular concern, he said.
"After the snow is done, our township road commissioner has all the roads plowed. How soon would the county be down here to get them plowed? If all the townships went countywide, people would have to wait for services."
Small townships, bigger surpluses
Newton Township, population 450, in western Whiteside County, has a combined surplus of the road and general funds of $96,633. That works out to $208 for every resident.
Supervisor Jerry Norman said townships need to build up surpluses for big purchases.
"A new maintainer may be a quarter million [dollars]," Norman said. "These surpluses don't get very far if we need a piece of equipment. We have to have these fund balances.
“The other thing is that we came off a winter without any snow. The road fund is drained when you have a lot of snow."
Many smaller townships have higher surpluses per resident. Lee County's Hamilton Township, population 205, is the smallest in both Whiteside and Lee counties. Its surplus of $140,819 is the largest per capita – $686 per resident, or $2,744 for a family of four.
Hamilton Supervisor Stacy Gonigam said the township needs the surplus.
"We're always saving for something, a truck or a piece of equipment," she said. "Roads are expensive."
"No one would miss the townships if they were gone, except for those who work for them," said Longworth, author of "Caught in the Middle," which argues for consolidating outdated forms of government. "We don't have any idea what townships do. It's wasted taxpayers' money."
When townships started more than two centuries ago, he said, they were useful.
"They're an example of Jeffersonian democracy, where government is close to the people," said Longworth, who also is a senior fellow at The Chicago Council on Global Affairs. "When most people lived in small villages, townships amounted to something.
"When transportation in this part of the country was very difficult, getting to the county seat was an all-day chore," he said. "We've had 200 years and several thousand miles of interstates since then."
But getting rid of townships won't be easy, he said.
"A lot of people have jobs with townships who don't want to lose them," Longworth said. "These are people who are desperately holding on to jobs when their function has passed."
Tips on Townships?
Do you have information on townships that you would like to see us report? Give reporter David Giuliani a call at 800-798-4085, ext. 525, or email him at [email protected]. | {
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It was a frustrating and slow morning Wednesday for thousands of Internet customers in North Carolina, Virginia and Tennessee when massive service provider CenturyLink experienced network problems.
Derek Kelly, market development manager for CenturyLink, said by noon the service had been restored.
“On the morning of Nov. 14, we experienced a fiber cut due to third-party construction, which caused intermittent service outages in North Carolina, Virginia, and Tennessee over the course of 3 1/2 hours,” Kelly said in a statement.
Craven County officials reported their computers were “up and down” most of the morning.
Dennis Holton, Craven County’s director of information technology, said he received about 20 calls from different county departments about the service disruption.
“It’s been inconvenient,” Holton said. “We haven’t been able to get on the websites and do research and our emails have been working and not working, fluctuating. After I was able to find out what was going on, I managed to get an email out to tell everyone Eastern North Carolina had a CenturyLink network issue going on.”
The county’s Emergency Communications Center was also affected but not significantly. There were delays looking up criminal information and doing Department of Motor Vehicle checks, Holton said.
“It wasn’t a solid outage,” Holton said. “The service would work five or 10 minutes and then be out 10 or 15 minutes.”
Mark Trail, director of information and technology for the city New Bern, said the city’s Internet service was not disrupted. The city has Internet service with Suddenlink and only has CenturyLink service as a backup.
CenturyLink is the primary service for the county, Holton said.
CenturyLink is the third largest telecommunications company in the United States.
Eddie Fitzgerald can be reached at 252-635-5675 or at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @staffwriter3. | {
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Lantau Island Photos
Lantau Island Travel Tips
Highly recommend to spend a day at the only outlet mall in Hong Kong called Citygate Outlets. They obtain over 80 premium brands with year discounts of 30% to 70%. Suggest to check out their website... | {
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Has any one had experience raising meal worms? As I understand it, you need to keep the beetles in a secure environment at ideal temperature. Is it worth the effort to raise ones own, or just better to purchase from a local pet store?
I raise my own mealworms. They are very low maintenence and extremely prolific if you raise them correctly. Basically you need 3 main containers because mealworms are cannibals and they will eat their own eggs and pupae (vulnerable stages). When a bin gets crowded I usually keep a fourth container specifically for pupae, but it is very small - usually a large jar with a screen on top suffices with some shavings. Something you can stick your hand into and pull out the beetles as they transition from pupae to beetle form. The adult beetles are flightless and do not make noise but can have an odor - very mild and hard to describe - guess you could say it smells like stale wood when the pen(s) need cleaning.
Here is my basic setup: 3 large storage bins with locking lids that I bought cheap from a local grocery outlet, with the tops cut out and mesh attached to the plastic perimeter of the old lid. This screen/mesh is to provide maximum ventilation and to keep my infatuated cats out. I thus far have never had issues with mealworm escapes and I've had them for 3 years, so keep in mind that the mesh is mostly to keep meddling creatures out and not to keep the bugs in. I used half inch mesh. Anyway, I keep each tub filled about 1/5 to 1/4 of the way with white pine shavings, sprinkled liberally on top with oatmeal and then that is accompanied by a couple slices of carrot or slices of potato. I prefer carrot slices because they don't mold as easily. I refresh their veggie supply weekly (taking out the old stuff - which they usually bury under the shavings) and give more oatmeal as needed. On the very top of everything I lay a paper towel, which I mist daily in hot weather, every other day in mild weather. The only thing you must avoid with mealworms is a musty, moldy environment. They need good ventilation.
Temperature isn't so much of a problem if you keep them inside. Obviously they are not fond of freezing temperatures and this can kill them. However, a temperature range from 40-90 degrees F suits are all liveable conditions, although the cooler extremes are "surviveable" and NOT "thriveable" temperatures and they cannot exist at these temperatures indefinitely. Optimally they do best at 70-80, but mine do o.k. at 60. At 70 degrees their entire lifecycle is completed in about 6 months. If they are cold little buggies then their lifecycle can take much much longer (a year or more). So, they would be most happy if you keep them inside - although I would suggest somewhere where a lot of people won't notice because I have found that several of my friends are a big grossed out by my live mealworm collection, or "maggots" as some people refer to them.
Now for the nitty gritty on who goes in what bin. Okay, first I'd like to explain that mealworm eggs are very small. I have never personally been able to spot them, but I have been told they exist in the fine particulate matter at the very bottom of the mealworm bin (which otherwise consists of oatmeal dust and mealworm poop - which, by the way, makes excellent compost). So here is what I do: when I first started I kept all my worms in one bin (bin #1). Then, as they morphed into adults, I placed them in bin #2 that was set up for them. I would place them in bin #2 for about 1-2 months and then stop putting beetles in bin #2. This is because I want to give them enough time to breed and die. It is important for the babies to have adult beetle carcasses to feed off of for protein and calcium, but not have competition from adults. So then I put beetles from the original bin into bin #3 until the original bin is empty. Clean the original bin and start the cycle over again. Oh, and as for cleaning, you can keep the shavings and reuse them if you wish. Only the fine powder at the bottom really needs to be dumped. Sounds complicated but it's really quite easy when you get the hang of it. Honestly, the hardest part is the setup.
I have found that the above method has yeilded me thousands of mealworms. You can keep all the bugs in just one box together but they will cannibilize and you will find that their population will stabalize at somewhat lower numbers, maybe up in the low thousands if you have a big enough box - but in my experience chickens can go through thousands of mealworms easily
Anyway, hope this helps and happy mealworm raising.
Kristen
Edited to add: looks like there is some good advise on the links before my post! They've been raising the bugs longer than I... | {
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Eliciting useful reference checks
They haven't been to jail but have they left a trail?
November/December 2006
ByDr. Carol Johnson, Educator Associate
Employers sometimes quake in their boots when they can't get detailed references for possible new hires. But fraud examiners can help their bosses glean information from references that can prevent disastrous hiring decisions and costly frauds.
You've verified the job applicant's education credentials. You've completed a criminal history check and a credit check. You've called past employers, who have verified her dates of employment, but that's all they'll tell you. She's never been charged with a crime or gone to jail, so is she a safe hire?
The ACFE's "2006 Report to the Nation" indicates that only 8 percent of fraud perpetrators had prior convictions for fraud.1 You might interpret this statistic to mean that 92 percent of fraud perpetrators have never committed fraud before, so they haven't left a trail. But the statistic probably means something quite different - that many have committed fraud before but never faced the music. If they haven't been prosecuted, how can we check job references in a manner that will help reveal their trail of misdeeds?
Consider the following true cases that have recently come to my attention:
A minister suspected of child molestation was passed on to another church with a glowing letter of recommendation that focused on his better traits. Since that time, he has passed through two more churches. No prosecutions have ever taken place.
The minister's wife, a nurse, was terminated for stealing pain medications from her patients' intravenous drips and substituting saline solution. Since that time, she has passed through six more medical employers. No prosecutions have ever taken place.
An employee at a property management firm was fired for embezzling and took a job three blocks down the street within the week. No prosecution took place, and no one was asked for a reference.
Following 10 years of parents withdrawing children from a daycare provider's home because of strange behavior exhibited by their children, the provider was charged with homicide in the death of one of the children. According to news reports, she was feeding the babies liquor to keep them from crying. She was prosecuted.
Related Articles
The ACFE's Nominations Committee has selected six candidates to compete for two positions on the Board of Regents; The ACFE awards 30 scholarships in 12th year of Ritchie-Jennings Memorial Program; Chairman Wells was named among AccountingToday’s most influential people; The Board of Regents has made disciplinary actions; ACFE's chief executive officer completed a half-Ironman triathlon.
Starting Out is a column for and about higher-education students and new graduates who are learning fraud examination principles. This column is a revised version of a paper on the Adelphia fraud that was written for Dr. Leonard Stokes' fraud examination class at Siena College of Loudonville, N.Y.
In the ACFE's "Interviewing for Auditors" course, which I teach, participants are given an opportunity to identify their problem areas in the interview process and have a chance to focus on the knowledge they'd like to receive from the course. Below are submissions from two participants and my responses. | {
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Legal battle for alleged ex-owner of crypto platform BTC-e’s extradition continues as France attempts to question him in Greece.
France reportedly attempts to get a second chance in legal battle with Russia for alleged ex-owner of crypto platform BTC-e’s extradition
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Alleged former owner of crypto exchange BTC-e Alexander Vinnik was indicted and subjected to a "fake" interrogation by French prosecutors on Tuesday, August 28, his attorney Timofey Musatov told Russian news outlet Izvestiya Thursday, August 30.
Musatov claims that his client Vinnik was brought to a court in Greece where he is currently awaiting extradition and then informed about official charges in France.
Musatov also told Izvestiya that French prosecutors attempted to hold a "fake" interrogation without informing his lawyers, which he insists was a violation of Vinnik’s rights.
He further explains that under Greek law only local security forces can conduct investigation procedures in the country. Vinnik’s attorney raises the question to reporters of why "French citizens though involved in prosecution can proceed with investigation in another country with no relevant permission."
According to Izvestiya’s report, Musatov did not specify which particular accusations Vinnik is facing in France nor did he mention the questions Vinnik was allegedly asked during the examination.
Vinnik was arrested by Greek police in July 2017 under the order of the U.S. Department of Justice, who accused him of fraud and laundering $4 billion in Bitcoin over the course of six years.
As Cointelegraph reported this July, France charged Vinnik in absentia of “defraud[ing] over 100 people in six French cities between 2016 and 2018” and requested his extradition. That same month a Greek court ruled to extradite Vinnik to France, but his attorneys appealed against the court’s decision in the Greek Supreme Court.
At the time of Greece’s ruling, the Russian government also intervened in Russian national Vinnik’s case, asking the court to extradite him to his home country.
The decision over which country will eventually apprehend Vinnik is up to Greece’s justice minister. The next hearing will reportedly be held on Tuesday, September 4, in the Supreme Civil and Criminal Court of Greece. | {
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Federation President: 'We Are United in our Support for Israel'
Editor's Note: Sherrie Savett, president of the Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia, delivered the following remarks at the Israel solidarity rally on July 23.
I am overwhelmed by this show of support for Israel. The fact that there are hundreds and hundreds of us here today, standing with our family in Israel, shows that this rally is highly necessary, for us and for the people of Israel. Thank you for being here.
I want to share the beautiful words of Rabbi Neil Cooper of Temple Beth Hillel-Beth El, who cannot be here today because he is in Israel, regarding today’s rally: “To stand with Israel is not about politics. It is not about right and left, it is about right and wrong. Standing up for Israel in her time of need means to put aside...internal differences in order to come together and show that we are united in our support of and solidarity with Israel.”
I have been in constant contact with friends and representatives in Israel, and they told me something that surprised me: The men, women and children of Israel feel isolated. The Israelis are the most resilient people I have ever met. They are forever committed to living "normal" lives, despite living in the Middle East's sole democratic state. But nothing is normal right now. They have been barraged by on average 140 missiles a day for the past two weeks. They are being attacked by air, by sea and on their land in the South.
In some areas, especially in our Federation's partnership community Netivot-Sedot Negev, which is less than seven miles from Gaza, children cannot go to school or camp. Adults cannot work or run errands. They cannot be more than 15 seconds from a shelter. Taking a shower can be positively nerve wracking. Everyone is on edge. Children are simply traumatized.
The support of North American Jews and non-Jews — our support — is a major boost to the Israelis. Our support, both emotional and financial, really, really matters to the Israeli people. This rally today is critical.
Approximately six million Israelis are living under fire. Over the last two weeks, nearly 2,000 rockets were fired at Israel. Twenty-nine members of the IDF and three civilians have lost their lives. May their memories be for a blessing. This loss of life is a tragedy.
I must firmly say — every life lost is a tragedy, not just an Israeli life. Every person who has perished in this war was beloved by their family. We profoundly mourn the loss of innocent life on both sides of this painful conflict. We pray that peace to the region will be restored soon. Peace requires partners. Hamas must stop these daily and indiscriminate attacks. Their victimization of Israelis, as well as their own innocent people, whom they use as human shields for storing weaponry, is deplorable. It is time to put an end to the violence and prevent further unnecessary death and despair that has imperiled lives in both Israel and Gaza.
This is not a war of Israel’s choosing. We are being relentlessly attacked by Hamas, who is the clear aggressor. Prime Minister Netanyahu has make the key point that Israel uses its missile defense to protect its citizens, while Hamas uses its citizens to protect its missiles. Israel identifies targets that are rocket launchers and caches of lethal missiles, and, before bombing, the IDF warns Palestinian civilians to evacuate by dropping leaflets, phone calls and other means. Hamas urges these civilians to stay at the sites to be bombed or forces them to go back in.
Israel’s objective remains to restore quiet and security for the people of Israel. Israel is steadfast in its commitment to achieve these objectives.
But the violence rages on. What country can be expected to sit idly while rockets are fired at its citizens — at its children? Israel was forced into this operation in order to defend its people and its cities. No country could or should allow its citizens to be attacked in this way without responding. Our Federation has brought all of us together today to unite our voices in saying: ISRAEL HAS A RIGHT TO DEFEND ITSELF.
As you are aware, U.S. and European airlines suspended flights to and from Tel Aviv yesterday, and today the FAA extended its ban for another 24 hours. Now, more than ever, we must demonstrate our unwavering support for and solidarity with our brothers and sisters in Israel. Your presence here today is vitally important. We are videotaping this rally and sending the video to our Federation's partner community, so they know how much the people of Philadelphia care for them.
We all see disturbing images in the media from around the world showing anti-Israel and anti-Semitic demonstrations. It becomes increasingly important for Israel to see images and to hear words of solidarity and love. Please know that your voices will be heard, your attendance today will be noted and your presence will be greatly appreciated by Israelis and Jews around the world who feel more vulnerable than we do living in our wonderful country.
I know some of you traveled far to be here today. I know some of you cut short your work day, and even cancelled vacations, to make sure you were here today. Thank you for giving Israel such a special place in your heart.
While Federation was the organizer of today's event, we certainly did not do it alone. More than 80 co-sponsors partnered with us to ensure all of us were here to stand with Israel today. I cannot thank these synagogues, schools and organizations enough for their vital support.
I want to extend a very special thank you to Councilman Jim Kenney who made all of the arrangements for us to hold this rally at LOVE Park. I also want to thank the Jewish Exponent, which has been such a steadfast partner of our Federation and Israel. I thank Terry Steen and Steen Outdoor Advertising, which very, very generously donated signage and billboards for today. I also thank our entire congressional delegation for their support of the House and Senate Resolutions in support of Israel. A number of elected officials who couldn't be here today have shared statements of support with us. I urge you to view these statements at jewishphilly.org/statements, and to thank these friends of Israel. | {
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Park Si Wan Sings “The Way We Loved” for “Emergency Couple” OST
Former “Super Star K” season five contestant Park Si Wan released the music video for “The Way We Loved” from the OST of the popular tvN drama “Emergency Couple.”
“The Way We Loved” is a catchy pop ballad and also Park Si Wan’s first song for an OST. The music video follows Song Ji Hyo and Choi Jin Hyuk’s characters on the drama “Emergency Couple.” Fans of the drama will be able to relieve some of the couple’s best moments, so far, from the drama. In “Emergency Couple” Song Ji Hyo and Choi Jin Hyuk play a divorced couple who meet again as doctor in the same hospital. | {
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We invite you to share your experiences and to post information about advocacy, research and other gifted education issues on this free public discussion forum.CLICK HEREto Log In. Click herefor the Board Rules.
Honestly, with an EG/PG kiddo, the extracurriculars are what keeps her sane. This is the method through which we've been able to teach her skills like perseverance, responsibility, doing one's BEST when it won't be THE best, etc. It certainly hasn't been possible through academic means. (Gosh, thanks school for listening to us and working with us on this-- NOT... ) As for 4-H lowering odds of admission to competitive private colleges... er-- well, I'd like to think that most of the places that are looking for Polo and third-world-orphanage building as extracurriculars are NOT the kinds of places that DD is wanting to go, anyway. I'm also guessing-- STRONGLY-- that this statistic is skewed heavily by kids who look very "ag" oriented. Naturally, there are any number of reasons why a kid who has done a decade of market-animal projects wouldn't be a great fit at Yale. Just saying. Archery or digital arts, though? I'm thinking probably not the same.
Do be willing to consider international post-secondary. We are-- and we have some VERY significant barriers to doing it because of DD's medical issues and our plan for me to use renewed employment at DD's location to pay for her post-secondary education.
Depending on how accelerated your kiddo is, they may/may not really have any opportunity to contribute financially to their college costs. Realistically, this is DD's situation-- she has a savings account with a staggering sum of money in it-- for a MC kid who just turned 14, that is. She saves VERY well. She just doesn't have a regular source of cash the way a 16yo with a summer job would. For kids who are 12-16, or those who are disabled somehow, contributing to college savings is just not terribly realistic when you're looking at college costs in the many thousands annually. And to be clear, unless you're looking at local community colleges-- that IS what the costs are going to be, even at local state flagships, for most families.
From what I can tell, as long as the stock market doesn't crash again in a HUGE meltdown, private schools will be increasing in costs at about 3-4%. I wouldn't count on that with public institutions-- it COULD be that low, but it could look like CA, too, depending upon what individual state legislatures feel compelled to do. Anywhere that unemployment numbers are high, take a look at how well-funded higher ed is within that state... because that is directly tied to tuition increases. The unemployment rate in a state is tied to its overall economic health-- and how the state is handling it also tells you something about long-term priorities/methodology. For an example of what I mean, NC used to look like a very good bargain even for out-of-state students, and because of the commitment to affordable higher ed there, UNC-Chapel Hill also has a very high level of elite students admitted. On the other hand, during the past year, the state of NC has been quite busy slashing spending in that sector (and others)-- so as a long-term bet, this is no longer such a good one. We will be wary, and we're only trying to look 5 years ahead. Even that is quite challenging in the public sector.
Another thing that we worry about a bit with DD's triple acceleration is what colleges will THINK about that during admissions-- will MIT think "there's no way that we want a 15yo living in the dorms" or will they not care? Is there some way to point out that she WON'T be living on campus, but off-campus with a parent?? Should we? I know that a lot of parents really feel that the dorm/house experience is an integral feature of college, but we don't (and we have other reasons why it isn't feasible anyway-- so even on a campus which requires it, she'll be exempt).
_________________________Schrödinger's cat walks into a bar. And doesn't. | {
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2017 is already a banner year for solar in the United States. Following on record levels of deployment in 2016, the solar industry has been hitting a series of new records, with utility-scale solar costs falling below $1 per watt, power purchase agreements being reported at under $0.03 per kilowatt-hours, and the leading state, California, getting 13% of its electricity from solar on an annual basis. But at the same time that the solar industry is seeing these successes, there are new challenges. While the overall solar market continues to grow year-over-year, the national residential PV market declined in the first quarter of 2017, largely due to difficulties in California and the other largest markets. Some of this is due to political pushback, and the modifications to state-level implementation of the Public Utility Policies Act of 1978 (PURPA) are in some cases closing off new state markets. This is to say nothing of the national political picture, where the Trump Administration has made moves to threaten renewable energy, including proposals to slash funding for support through the U.S. Department of Energy. But while Trump can’t stop the progress of solar, the challenges to integration of high levels of wind and solar are already showing in California, which is leading to new fights over not only solar, but the future of the grid. As such, at the opening ceremony 10th anniversary of Intersolar North America in San Francisco, the mood is decidedly combative. MC and California Solar Energy Industries Association (CALSEIA) Executive Director Bernadette Del Chiaro started the event with a social media audience participation exercise to put pressure on the California Assembly to pass SB 700, which would spur the creation of $1.4 billion in consumer rebates for energy storage systems. But as states such as California are grappling with what to do next, the divide between the actions of progressive states that are grappling with a changing grid and states that have turned their back on the Energy Transition are stark. 2017 Champion of Change Award Winner and New York State Energy Czar Richard Kauffman during his acceptance speech referenced a statement by early 20th century Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandeis, who described states as the “laboratories of democracy”. “There are states that are going forward, and there are states that are going in another direction,” noted Kauffman....
We can’t deny that the world’s climate is changing fast. The ice in Antarctica is melting, animals are going thirsty, plants are dying and heat is becoming deadly. With these circumstances happening, countries around the world are now taking their steps to make our world cleaner by using renewable energy with the Paris climate deal, and while President Trump does not fully support this deal, California and other western states are banding together to reduce carbon emissions and save hundreds of millions of dollars — and now a Canadian province will join them. British Columbia’s main electric utility said Tuesday it will join the Energy Imbalance Market, a California-led program that makes it easier for utilities to trade electricity across state lines. The energy-sharing program has allowed solar and wind farms across the West to boost production, displacing planet-warming fossil fuels. The initiative also has saved western utility customers $174 million since 2014, according to the California Independent System Operator, which runs the imbalance market. Right now, California utilities rely on climate-polluting natural gas to support renewable energy, firing up gas plants when solar farms shut down in the evening. BC Hydro joining the imbalance market won’t solve that problem — far from it — but its hydro plants could help California save a little more afternoon solar power for use at night. President of the California Independent System Operator, Stephen Berberich said “”I get my inspiration from Germany. I watch how they’re operating with Norway in particular, and using that Norway hydro fleet to help Germany integrate their renewables.” The western energy-sharing program isn’t the first time California and Canada have worked together to fight climate change. Since 2014, the Canadian province of Quebec has participated in the Golden State’s cap-and-trade system, a market-based program that forces climate polluters to pay for their emissions. Ontario joined earlier this year, and has been selling pollution permits at joint auctions with California and Quebec. As the California grid operator announced its partnership with BC Hydro on Tuesday, Trump still hadn’t taken a position on the Paris climate accord, the historic agreement struck by nearly 200 countries in 2015. The president promised on the campaign trail to “cancel” the international climate deal, but so far he’s delayed a decision on whether to leave or remain. Whatever Trump decides on Paris, his...
2017 is already a banner year for solar in the United States. Following on record levels of deployment in 2016, the solar industry has been hitting a series of new records, with utility-scale solar costs falling below $1 per watt, power purchase agreements being reported at under $0.03 per kilowatt-hours, and the leading state, California, getting 13% of its electricity from solar on an annual basis. But at the same time that the...
We can’t deny that the world’s climate is changing fast. The ice in Antarctica is melting, animals are going thirsty, plants are dying and heat is becoming deadly. With these circumstances happening, countries around the world are now taking their steps to make our world cleaner by using renewable energy with the Paris climate deal, and while President Trump does not fully support this deal, California and other western states are...
We all know how fast China’s solar growth is, at the end of 2010, China had just 800 MW of solar capacity installed within its borders, but by the end of 2015, the number skyrocketed 50 times — that’s 43,500 MW in total, the largest installed solar base of any country in the world. Seeing this improvement China did, researchers from Stanford University said in a new report “the U.S. should capitalize on China’s formidable...
An announcement about the initiative which is called Clean Energy Standard was made by Governor Andrew Cuomo to tell the people that the New York State Public Service Commission already approved the initiative that will require 50 percent of the state’s electricity to come from renewable energy sources by the year 2030. A report issued from Cuomo’s office stated that the initiative will rely on renewable energy sources such as...
The use of solar energy is increasing rapidly. Many more solar projects are coming more public buildings are making the decision to install it on their roofs. But even though the use of solar power increased rapidly, many more unused opportunities still exist and waiting to be used. Clean Energy Community Foundation has stimulated such practices within the state for years. Environmental centers, schools, and other public facilities...
A new guide has been published by US Solar Energy Industries Association for landowners that are = interested in leasing their land for use by solar developers. The guide covers the important aspects of how to work with a solar developer, from initial site visit to lease finalization. See the guide HERE. SEIA’s interim president Tom Kimbis said â€the solar industry is committed to full understanding of solar by consumers, including... | {
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America on its knees after Russia funds a cute puppies page
What is perhaps most unprofessional, unethical and even immoral about the U.S. mainstream media’s coverage of Russia-gate is how all the stories start with the conclusion – “Russia bad” – and then make whatever shards of information exist fit the preordained narrative.
For instance, we’re told that Facebook executives, who were sent back three times by Democratic lawmakers to find something to pin on Russia, finally detected $100,000 worth of ads spread out over three years from accounts “suspected of links to Russia” or similar hazy wording.
These Facebook ads and 201 related Twitter accounts, we’re told, represent the long-missing proof about Russian “meddling” in the U.S. presidential election after earlier claims faltered or fell apart under even minimal scrutiny.
For example, not only have major questions been raised about whether Russian intelligence operatives were behind the “hacking” of Democratic emails, but the Senate Intelligence Committee announced on Wednesday that two early elements of the Russia-gate hysteria — minor changes that were made to the Republican platform and a brief meeting between Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak and then-Sen. (now Attorney General) Jeff Sessions at Washington’s Mayflower Hotel — have been dropped as innocent or inconsequential.
But like all good conspiracy theories, once one allegation is dismissed as meaningless, it is replaced by another and another.
In the old days, journalists might have expressed some concern that Facebook “found” the “Russia-linked” ads only under extraordinary pressure from powerful politicians, such as Sen. Mark Warner, D-Virginia, the vice chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee and a leading legislator on the tech industry. But today’s mainstream reporters took Warner’s side and made it look like Facebook had been dragging its heels and that there must be much more out there.
However, it doesn’t really seem to matter how little evidence there is. Anything will do.
Even the paltry $100,000 is not put in any perspective (Facebook has annual revenue of $27 billion), nor the 201 Twitter accounts (compared to Twitter’s 328 million monthly users). Nor are the hazy allegations of “suspected … links to Russia” subjected to serious inspection. Although Russia is a nation of 144 million people and many divergent interests, it’s assumed that everything must be personally ordered by President Vladimir Putin.
Yet, if you look at some of the details about these $100,000 in ads, you learn the case is even flimsier than you might have thought. The sum was spread out over 2015, 2016 and 2017 – and thus represented a very tiny pebble in a very large lake of Facebook activity.
But more recently we learned that only 44 percent of the ads appeared before Americans went to the polls last November, according to Facebook; that would mean that 56 percent appeared afterwards.
Facebook added that “roughly 25% of the ads were never shown to anyone. … For 50% of the ads, less than $3 was spent; for 99% of the ads, less than $1,000 was spent.”
So, as miniscule as the $100,000 in ad buys over three years may have seemed, the tiny pebble turns out really to be only a fraction of a tiny pebble if the Russians indeed did toss it into the 2016 campaign.
What About the Puppies?
We further have learned that most ads weren’t for or against a specific candidate, but rather addressed supposedly controversial issues that the mainstream media insists were meant to divide the United States and thus somehow undermine American democracy.
Except, it turns out that one of the issues was puppies.
As Mike Isaac and Scott Shane of The New York Times reported in Tuesday’s editions, “The Russians who posed as Americans on Facebook last year tried on quite an array of disguises. … There was even a Facebook group for animal lovers with memes of adorable puppies that spread across the site with the help of paid ads.”
Now, there are a lot of controversial issues in America, but I don’t think any of us would put puppies near the top of the list. Isaac and Shane reported that there were also supposedly Russia-linked groups advocating gay rights, gun rights and black civil rights, although precisely how these divergent groups were “linked” to Russia or the Kremlin was never fully explained. (Facebook declined to offer details.)
At this point, a professional journalist might begin to pose some very hard questions to the sources, who presumably include many partisan Democrats and their political allies hyping the evil-Russia narrative. It would be time for some lectures to the sources about the consequences for taking reporters on a wild ride in conspiracy land.
Yet, instead of starting to question the overall premise of this “scandal,” journalists at The New York Times, The Washington Post, CNN, etc. keep making excuses for the nuttiness. The explanation for the puppy ads was that the nefarious Russians might be probing to discover Americans who might later be susceptible to propaganda.
“The goal of the dog lovers’ page was more obscure,” Isaac and Shane acknowledged. “But some analysts suggested a possible motive: to build a large following before gradually introducing political content. Without viewing the entire feed from the page, now closed by Facebook, it is impossible to say whether the Russian operators tried such tactics.”
The Joe McCarthy of Russia-gate
The Times then turned to Clinton Watts, a former FBI agent and a top promoter of the New McCarthyism that has swept Official Washington. Watts has testified before Congress that almost anything that appears on social media these days criticizing a politician may well be traceable to the Russians.
For instance, last March, Watts testified in conspiratorial terms before the Senate Intelligence Committee about “social media accounts discrediting U.S. Speaker of the House Paul Ryan.” At the time, Ryan was under criticism for his ham-handed handling of a plan to “repeal and replace” Obamacare, but Watts saw possible Russian fingerprints.
Watts also claimed that Sen. Marco Rubio’s presidential bid “anecdotally suffered” from an online Russian campaign against him, though many of you may have thought Rubio flamed out because he was a wet-behind-the-ears candidate who performed robotically in the debates and received the devastating nickname “Little Marco” from Donald Trump.
Watts explained that these nefarious Russian schemes left no discernible earmarks or detectable predictability. Russians attack “people on both sides of the aisle … solely based on what they [the Russians] want to achieve in their own landscape, whatever the Russian foreign policy objectives are,” Watts complained.
Watts’s vague allegations appear to have been the impetus behind Sen. Warner’s repeated demands that Facebook find some evidence to support the suspicions. After Facebook came up empty twice, Warner flew to Silicon Valley to personally confront Facebook executives who then found what Warner wanted them to find, the $100,000 in suspected Russia-linked ad buys.
So, it perhaps made sense that the Times would turn to Watts to explain the rather inexplicable Russian exploitation of puppies. According to Isaac and Shane, Watts “said Russia had been entrepreneurial in trying to develop diverse channels of influence. Some, like the dogs page, may have been created without a specific goal and held in reserve for future use. ‘They were creating many audiences on social media to try to influence around,’ said Mr. Watts, who has traced suspected Russian accounts since 2015.”
In other words, if you start with the need to prove Russian guilt, there are no alternative explanations besides Russian guilt. If some fact, like the puppies page, doesn’t seem to fit the sinister conspiracy theory, you simply pound it into place until it does.
Yes, of course, Russian intelligence operatives must be so sneaky that they are spending money (but not much) on Facebook puppy ads so they might sometime in the future slip in a few other ideological messages. It can’t be that perhaps the ads were not part of some Russian government intelligence operation.
The Russ-kie Plot
But even if we want to believe that these ads are a Russ-kie plot and were somehow intended to sow dissension in the U.S., the totals are insignificant, a subset of a subset of a subset of $100,000 in ad buys over three years that, as far as anyone can tell, had no real no impact on the 2016 election – and surely much, much, much less than the political influence from, say, Israel.
If we apply Facebook’s 44 percent figure, that would suggest the total spending in the two years before the election was around $44,000 and much of that focused on a diverse set of issues, not specific candidates. So, if some Russians did spend money to promote gay rights and to push gun rights, any negligible impact on the 2016 election would more or less have been canceled out between Clinton and Trump.
Yet, over these still unproven and speculative allegations of Russian “links” to these Facebook ads, the national Democrats and their mainstream media allies are stoking a dangerous and expensive New Cold War with nuclear-armed Russia.
I realize that lots of Democrats were upset about Hillary Clinton’s humiliating defeat and don’t want to believe that she could have lost fairly to a buffoon like Donald Trump. So, they are looking for any excuses rather than looking in the mirror.
The major U.S. news outlets also have joined the anti-Trump Resistance, rather than upholding the journalistic principles of objectivity and fairness. The Post even came up with a new melodramatic slogan for the moment: “Democracy Dies in Darkness.”
But yellow journalism is not the way to shed light into darkness; it only blinds Democrats from seeing the real reasons behind Trump’s appeal to many working-class whites who feel disaffected from a Democratic Party that seems disinterested in their suffering.
Yes, I know that some Democrats are still hoping against hope that they can ride Russia-gate all the way to Trump’s impeachment and get him ridden out of Washington D.C. on a rail, but the political risk to Democrats is that they will harden the animosity that many in the white working class already feel toward the party.
That could do more to strengthen Trump’s appeal to these voters than to weaken him, while hollowing out Democratic support among millions of peace voters who may simply declare a plague on both parties. | {
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PRO FOOTBALL; Salary-Cap Constraints Cause Titans to Release George
The team granted his request and released him Wednesday in a move forced by salary-cap pressures and perhaps the declining skills of George, the franchise's career rushing leader.
''The best thing for Eddie George would be for him to finish his career here,'' General Manager Floyd Reese said at a news conference. ''For a number of reasons we were unable to get that done.''
George, an eight-year veteran who will turn 31 in September, rejected the Titans' latest offer and asked for his release on Monday so he would have time to find another team before training camps open next week.
The Titans wanted George back but at a reduced salary. The team's final offer was $1.5 million in base salary, considerably less than the $4.25 million he expected to make this season.
The Titans' offense has also changed and now emphasizes the passing of Steve McNair, the co-most valuable player in the National Football League in 2003.
Reese said there was a disagreement over a $1 million roster bonus the Titans paid George in March. The team considered it part of his salary for this season, but George said it was part of the previous deal.
George's agent, Lamont Smith, told The Associated Press on Wednesday night that the Titans did not consider the deals given to Deuce Staley by Pittsburgh or Charlie Garner by Tampa Bay. Staley, 29, signed a 5-year, $14 million contract with the Steelers that included a $4 million signing bonus. Garner, 32, signed a 6-year, $20 million deal with the Buccaneers that also included a $4 million signing bonus
With 2005 and 2006 unresolved in the Titans' offer, George also doubted he would be able to achieve some of the incentives.
''They can try to spin it however they want to,'' Smith said. ''The bottom line is they let a player go that gave his heart and soul to that team for the last eight years, and they didn't make a real effort to retain him.''
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The Titans are looking at the free-agent running back Antowain Smith, who reportedly visited them on Tuesday. Smith, who has averaged 3.9 yards a carry in his seven seasons in Buffalo and New England, has won two Super Bowls with the Patriots.
''How do we replace him?'' Reese said. ''Well, we're going to have to replace him with more than one guy. It's going to be impossible to find one guy to do all the things Eddie did.''
Questions about George's future with Tennessee began last season because the Titans, in salary-cap trouble, could not afford to keep him. Tennessee tried to clear salary-cap space in February by reworking George's deal, which runs through 2006, but he declined.
Titans Coach Jeff Fisher said he expected the Titans' remaining backs, the veteran Robert Holcombe and the second-year player Chris Brown, to play a greater role in the offense.
''I think George gave this organization his heart and his soul, and I'll be forever grateful for that,'' Fisher said.
George has said he wants to play for a Super Bowl contender. He has mentioned Tampa Bay, Dallas and Philadelphia, his hometown. He is only the second N.F.L. running back to rush for 10,000 yards while never missing a start. Jim Brown is the other. Only Walter Payton (170) has started more consecutive regular-season games than George's 128.
Last December, George became the 17th running back to surpass 10,000 yards. He has 64 touchdowns for the franchise that drafted him out of Ohio State, where he won the 1995 Heisman Trophy.
''I could draft running backs for the next 30 years and I may never draft another Eddie George,'' Reese said. | {
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Excellent opportunity to own a prime CORNER property along vibrant Victoria Drive. The property is located on the corner of East 40th and Victoria Drive directly across the street from the LONDON DRUGS development and in the heart of a strong commercial corridor. This is a 2 storey building consisting of 2,068 sf of main floor space which is currently occupied by insurance and notary businesses with 1,402 sf of second floor office space which is occupied by 3 separate tenants. There is room for 6 parking stalls at the rear of the property. This is a superb holding property with excellent future development potential. Please contact listing agents for more information.
Come and see this great, solid, well cared for house, first time on the market since 1968. Excellent location close to Nootka Elementary and Windermere High School and half a block to Renfrew Community Centre. Total living space includes 2,185 sq ft, 3 parking spaces behind, one of which is covered. A great, low maintenance back yard with potential space for RV trailer as well. Such a nice, quiet neighbourhood for you to enjoy.
Come and see this great, solid, well cared for house, first time on the market since 1968. Excellent location close to Nootka Elementary and Windermere High School and half a block to Renfrew Community Centre. Total living space includes 2,185 sq ft, 3 parking spaces behind, one of which is covered. A great, low maintenance back yard with potential space for RV trailer as well. Such a nice, quiet neighbourhood for you to enjoy. OPEN HOUSE: Saturday & Sunday, April 8-9th 2:00-4:00pm. Welcome!
Come and see this great, solid, well cared for house, first time on the market since 1968. Excellent location close to Nootka Elementary and Windermere High School and half a block to Renfrew Community Centre. Total living space includes 2,185 sq ft, 3 parking spaces behind, one of which is covered. A great, low maintenance back yard with potential space for RV trailer as well. Such a nice, quiet neighbourhood for you to enjoy. OPEN HOUSE: Saturday & Sunday, April 8-9th 2:00-4:00pm. Welcome!
Demand still outpacing supply
A shortage of residential property listings coupled with strong demand, particularly for condos and townhomes, continued to impact Metro Vancouver’s housing market in March.
Residential property sales in the region totalled 3,579 in March 2017, a decrease of 30.8 per cent from the 5,173 sales recorded in record-breaking March 2016 and an increase of 47.6 per cent compared to February 2017 when 2,425 homes sold.
Last month’s sales were 7.9 per cent above the 10-year sales average for the month.
“While demand in March was below the record high of last year, we saw demand increase month-to-month for condos and townhomes,” Jill Oudil, Real Estate Board of Greater Vancouver (REBGV) president said. “Sellers still seem reluctant to put their homes on the market, making for stiff competition among home buyers.”
New listings for detached, attached and apartment properties in Metro Vancouver totalled 4,762 in March 2017. This represents a decrease of 24.1 per cent compared to the 6,278 units listed in March 2016 and a 29.9 per cent increase compared to February 2017 when 3,666 properties were listed.
This is the lowest number of new listings in March since 2009.
The total number of properties currently listed for sale on the MLS® system in Metro Vancouver is 7,586, a 3.1 per cent increase compared to March 2016 (7,358) and a 0.1 per cent decrease compared to February 2017 (7,594).
The sales-to-active listings ratio for March 2017 is 47.2 per cent, a 15-point increase over February. Generally, analysts say that downward pressure on home prices occurs when the ratio dips below the 12 per cent mark for a sustained period, while home prices often experience upward pressure when it surpasses 20 per cent over several months.
“Home prices will likely continue to increase until we see more housing supply coming on to the market,” Oudil said.
The MLS® Home Price Index composite benchmark price for all residential properties in Metro Vancouver is currently $919,300. This represents a 0.8 per cent decrease over the past six months and a 1.4 per cent increase compared to February 2017.
Sales of detached properties in March 2017 reached 1,150, a decrease of 46.1 per cent from the 2,135 detached sales recorded in March 2016. The benchmark price for detached properties is $1,489,400. This represents a 5.0 per cent decrease over the past six months and a one per cent increase compared to February 2017.
Sales of apartment properties reached 1,841 in March 2017, a decrease of 18.3 per cent compared to the 2,252 sales in March 2016.The benchmark price of an apartment property is $537,400. This represents a 5.2 per cent increase over the past six months and a 2.1 per cent increase compared to February 2017.
Attached property sales in March 2017 totalled 588, a decrease of 25.2 per cent compared to the 786 sales in March 2016. The benchmark price of an attached unit is $685,100. This represents a 1.3 per cent increase over the past six months and a 1.4 per cent increase compared to February 2017.
Come and see this great, solid, well cared for house, first time on the market since 1968. Excellent location close to Nootka Elementary and Windermere High School and half a block to Renfrew Community Centre. Total living space includes 2,185 sq ft, 3 parking spaces behind, one of which is covered. A great, low maintenance back yard with potential space for RV trailer as well. Such a nice, quiet neighbourhood for you to enjoy. OPEN: Saturday, April 1st 2:30-4:00pm. Welcome! | {
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