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July 17, 1986, was a rough day for the Lawrence firefighter community, as one of their own was killed while fighting a fire.
Now, current and retired firefighters and other law enforcement officers are fighting to keep the man responsible for setting that fire in the Kansas prison system as long as possible.
“He has never said he’s sorry, never apologized, never shown any remorse,” Jim Davies, a former Lawrence firefighter, told two members of the Kansas Parole Board on Friday morning in Topeka.
David Winebrenner pleaded no contest to first-degree murder for setting the fire that killed firefighter Mark Blair, a seven-year veteran of the local fire department and the first firefighter to die in the history of the department, which was formed in 1859. Blair was killed when a roof beam collapsed on him while he was searching for occupants during a house fire at 3028 Rimrock Drive.
“The result is tragic,” said Lawrence-Douglas County Fire Medical Chief Mark Bradford. “It is something that in the fire service we don’t take lightly; neither do the courts.”
Winebrenner — who was 21 at the time — set fire to his parent’s home while they were sleeping inside. He received a life sentence for first-degree murder in October 1987, but comes up for parole from time to time. His father said he started the fire because he was angry about not being able to drive the family’s new truck.
He’s eligible to be released from the prison system in June. Kansas Parole Board members Robert Sanders and Patricia Biggs heard comments from the public Friday morning in Topeka. Chairman Paul Feleciano was absent.
“We were in this house to search for victims and Mark lost his life,” Lawrence firefighter Doug Green told the parole board.
The three-member board will meet with Winebrenner on May 11 and issue a decision by the first part of June on whether Winebrenner, now 44, will be released from the prison system in June.
“Anyone who takes the life of someone in emergency services should be held to the highest standards,” Lawrence Police Capt. Dan Ward told the board. “Twenty-three years is not it. We strongly oppose the parole.”
Winebrenner was denied parole in 2006 and has been at various Kansas penitentiaries since being sentenced, prison records said.
Last August, he was transferred to the Wichita Work Release Center, a minimum-security prison in which inmates are required to maintain full-time employment in the community and are allowed to leave confinement to perform their jobs. The institution works to prepare inmates for release into society, according to the Kansas Department of Corrections’ Web site.
In the past, Winebrenner’s parents, who escaped the fire, have supported their son’s release from prison. They did not appear at Friday’s parole board public comment session, as they did in 2006. The public also has the opportunity to address the board Monday in Kansas City and Wednesday in Wichita.
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The Rev. Shaun LePage, pastor, Community Bible Church, 906 North 1464 Road:
How about some advice from King Solomon, son of David?
The Bible calls him the wisest man who ever lived; the greatest and wealthiest king of his day.
And the greatest failure.
As an old man he tried to warn young people not to make the same mistakes he made. Looking back on his failures, he wrote nine words every young person needs to soak up: “Remember your Creator in the days of your youth.”
Solomon started well — humble before God. But he collected women, wine and wealth. This led him astray. “Remember your Creator”? Young Solomon did just the opposite. He raised his fist to heaven and shouted, “Forget you, God! I’ll do what I want!” But Old Solomon said, “Remember!”
Notice what he called God: “Creator.” No matter what you’ve heard, never let go of this fact: There is a Creator. You don’t get everything from nothing — only from a Creator. It’s foundational to the meaning of life. Remembering you’re not the Creator keeps you humble. Remembering he created you in his image will keep you from self-loathing.
There’s nothing more important “in the days of your youth” (and beyond) than to “remember your Creator.” Elsewhere, Solomon wrote, “Be happy, young man, while you are young!” Youth is good. Youth should be enjoyed. But there are God-given parameters for how youth should be enjoyed. The Creator designed you and knows what is good, right and best for you. If you “forget” him and ignore what he said in the Bible about how to live, you can expect your life to go the same direction Solomon’s did: empty, meaningless, disastrous.
It’s timeless and precious wisdom. Never forget it: “Remember your Creator in the days of your youth.”
— Send email to Shaun LePage at firstname.lastname@example.org.
Robert Minor, professor emeritus in Kansas University’s religious studies department, 1300 Oread Ave.:
Everyone has advice for graduates. What advice about religion can a religious studies professor add to all this?
Well, graduate, at some point you’ll be confronting, maybe considering, one of the religions. Accept or reject it, but don’t make a few mistakes when doing so.
Whatever you decide, know about your options. Don’t accept something as if it is your only choice just because it’s the only one you’ve heard about from the people and authorities you’ve met.
This means that every decision is going to require research. No important decisions are handed to us — their success results from personal mental work. The more important the decisions, the more they demand it.
When you listen to what people say about a religion, remember that every individual speaks only for his- or herself, their own beliefs, their own understanding of what their scriptures, traditions, and institutions say. They might claim that they speak for their god, their bible, or orthodoxy, but there are others, in every religion, even among the recognized authorities, who disagree while making identical claims to speak for more than themselves.
The history of religions demonstrates that religions change. In each version, the faithful believe their understanding is the eternal, unchanging truth, but the fact is one can find in the history of any of the so-called great religious traditions as wide a variety of interpretations and claims as there are varieties of cultures and peoples.
Finally, consider that religious decisions are more often made on the basis of other factors than intellectual ones. Crucial is geography — people are most likely to end up in the religious traditions of their community or parents.
In fact, joining a religious group is more often motivated by the person’s emotional needs for a sense of social connection and an accepting community.
— Send email to Robert Minor at email@example.com.
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Posted by Rob Moseley
The Oregon football team fell victim to one of the drawbacks of the Pac-12 scheduling model in its very first year, as the Ducks won't play in Los Angeles in 2011, according to the schedule just released by the conference.
The Ducks will make conference road trips to Washington and Stanford within the Pac-12 North division, and will make cross-division trip to Colorado and Arizona. Oregon hosts USC and doesn't play UCLA.
Chip Kelly has said he won't know if the Ducks will suffer from not playing in Los Angeles annually until a few years into the new format, and the first chance to get some evidence will come just next year. Los Angeles is obviously the biggest recruiting region in the Pac-12, and some feel that not playing there annually will be a distinct disadvantage.
Here's the schedule:
Sept. 3 Oregon vs. LSU, in Dallas
Sept. 10 Nevada at Oregon
Sept. 17 TBA
Sept. 24 Oregon at Arizona
Oct. 6 California at Oregon
Oct. 15 Arizona State at Oregon
Oct. 22 Oregon at Colorado
Oct. 29 Washington State at Oregon
Nov. 5 Oregon at Washington
Nov. 12 Oregon at Stanford
Nov. 19 USC at Oregon
Nov. 26 Oregon State at Oregon
Dec. 3 Pac-12 title game
The Sept. 17 date had been filled by a nonconference game with Utah, but now that the Utes are in the Pac-12 it will have to be replaced. The Oct. 6 game against California will be played on Thursday, presumably on ESPN.
Each year, Pac-12 teams won't play two opponents from the other division. In 2011, Oregon misses one potential conference heavyweight in Utah, and one potential conference who-knows in UCLA.
The Sept. 24 game against Arizona is Oregon's Pac-12 opener, but it isn't for the Wildcats, who face a tough battle with Stanford the week before. The only UO opponent with a bye prior to facing the Ducks is Colorado.
At first glance this is a reasonably favorable schedule but for the lack of a trip to Los Angeles. The final three games are rough, but won't be nearly so if Jim Harbaugh and Andrew Luck of Stanford have moved on to the NFL by this time next season, as some predict.
Also, assuming that last nonconference game is in Autzen, the fact that the Civil War is in Eugene means the Ducks have seven home games, a lucrative year for the budget.
Finally, this schedule is the first in what the league says is an eight-year rotation to be implemented. In 2012, the Ducks will face the same cross-division foes, in the opposite locations. So Colorado and Arizona will come to Eugene, and the Ducks will play at USC and Arizona State.
The 2013/2014 opponents from the Pac-12 South are Arizona, UCLA, Colorado and Utah, so no USC or ASU. In 2015/2016, the Ducks will play ASU, USC, Colorado and Utah, so no Arizona or UCLA. And in 2017/2018, the Ducks get Arizona, ASU, UCLA and Utah, and miss USC and Colorado.
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SALLEY, ALEXANDER S., 1871-1961
From The Citadel Archives Guide
0.5 linear ft. (l box).
Secretary of the South Carolina State Historical Commission, genealogist, Citadel graduate 1892.
Letters 1889-1891 from friends concerning home town news (Orangeburg County). Invitations to dances, picnics and graduations at Wofford, Columbia Female College, University of South Carolina, The Citadel. Meeting and reunion notices 1891-1922 from the Association of Citadel Men.
Appointment, 1905 April 1.
Salley's appointment as Secretary of the Historical Commission by Secretary of State, J.T. Gantt and the Governor.
. Columbia, S.C.: The State Company, 1906.
AF South Carolina Seal
. Columbia, S.C.: The State Company.
. Columbia, S.C.: The State Company, 1938.
AF Flag-South Carolina
- Back to MAIN PAGE
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Defining a Data Request
HBIC is committed to saving paper by providing all data by e-mail wherever possible and is working to ensure that the file sizes is not a constraint. Maps will be sent as PDF documents and species lists and accompanying information will be sent as Word or PDF documents. In necessary, however, HBIC can supply data by post - please indicate your preference on the form.
A request can be made for any area specified either as:
- A radius from a defined point supplied as a six figure national grid reference (see OS National Grid References 44kb for help) or point marked on a map, or
- A corridor of a specified width either side of a defined line, or
- A specific site/area which is well defined on a map or GIS shapefile
HBIC can provide details of the following within the search area:
Statutory and Non-Statutory Sites - GIS maps showing the boundaries of statutory and non-statutory sites. Sites of Importance for Nature Conservation (SINCs) within the search area will also be listed in a summary table containing the SINC name, area and details of the relevant SINC criteria.
Habitat and Land Use Mapping - GIS maps showing the known distribution of habitat types across Hampshire. Maps can show either the UK BAP Broad habitats or the UK BAP Priority habitats within the search area (see BAP Priority Habitats Status for the latest comments on the status of the mapping and BAP Habitats Legend 391kb for a list of the habitats and their map symbols).
Protected and Notable Species - A list of species that are legally protected or otherwise notable within Hampshire, including; species that are listed in the UK BAP or in the Hampshire BAP; species listed on certain schedules of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981; Red Data Book species; species with county, national or international conservation statuses; European Protected Species (see Species Legislation and Notable Statuses 260kb for more information).Species records will be listed by taxonomic group and scientific name, and will include common names, site locations and grid references, dates of last recorded sightings and the number of known records, summary of any legal protection and conservation statuses.
Site Survey Reports - Copies of ecological survey reports for specified sites (where these are available).
Further details of the data held by HBIC and a list of contacts for other sources of information in Hampshire are available from the links below:
Return to Data Requests page
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Hampshire Talented Athlete Profiles
Isobel Pooley- International high jumper
(image (c) Tony Margiocchi)
Isobel competes for Aldershot District & Farnham Athletics Club and is currently studying at the University of Nottingham. She counts National U20 titles and a UK Championship silver medal as amongst her most notable achievements to date. Her personal best (PB) is 1m86, which she set when winning the England U20 Championships in Birmingham in February 2011. She has already enjoyed success in 2012, starting her indoor campaign with jumps of 1.78m and 1.80m respectively.
SHIOW: Tell us about your goals for 2012 and the London Olympics
IP: My goal for this year is to qualify for the 2012 Games which would mean beating my previous personal best by 9cm for a guarenteed place on the GB. I am still in a very early stage of my career as an athlete so I cannot expect to be a finalist in London although it would be a dream come true to become an Olympian this year!
SHIOW: Describe you favourite sporting moment to date
IP: The moment of realisation when I looked up at the bar on my winning jump at UK School Games in 2009, and realising I had cleared it, earning myself a completely unexpected gold medal and putting the World Youth Heptathlon Champion (who had previously been leading the competition) into silver medal position.
SHIOW: What are your top tips for aspiring young athletes?
IP: Put 100% into every training session, they are just as important, if not more important than competitions, so make sure you always focus and try your hardest, and then you will get the most out of your training and will be able to perform better in competitions.
SHIOW: What one piece of kit or equipment could you not live without?
IP:My GB warm up trackies, I wear them nearly every day around the house - they are so warm and comfy; plus when I come home cold and tired from training I can put them on, see the little union jack and be reminded what I’m doing it all for... the chance to represent our nation at sport. It’s a great motivator.
SHIOW: And who is your sporting hero
IP: Jessica Ennis.
SHIOW: Who has most influenced your success
IP: My parents always encouraged me to beleive in myself and gave me the courage to "stick at" training even when it got difficult. Having a delicious home-cooked dinner waiting for me was always a great motivator during cold winter sessions!
SHIOW: Describe yourself in ten words...
IP: Tall, Dedicated, Committed, Easygoing, Intelligent, Attentive, Animal-loving, Ambitious, Observant, Friendly
Sports Development Officer (Performance)
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By Archives Staff
Primary Creator: Butz, Earl L. (Earl Lauer) (1909-2008)
Extent: 30.5 Cubic feet
The papers of Earl Laur Butz (b. July 3. 1919). Earl Butz was an alumnus and faculty member of Purdue University and served as Secretary of Agriculture under the Nixon and Ford Administrations during the 1970s. The papers include documents, photographs, letters, scrapbooks, correspondence, biographical material, speeches, and subject files. Major subjects in the papers include: Gerald Ford, Richard Nixon, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the Alaska Pipeline, the environment, international economic policy, energy, natural resources, timber, Purdue University, and the Republican Party. Files on Butz's various travels to other countries such as the Soviet Union, Europe, Mexico, and the Middle East are included.
Please see PDF Finding Aid for collection inventory.
Earl Butz was born in Albion, Indiana. He recieved a BS in Agriculture in 1932 and his Doctorate in Agricultural Economics in 1937, both from Purdue University. Butz stayed on at Purdue after receiving his Doctorate to teach in the agriculture department. From 1946 to 1954 he was head of the agricultural economics department. Butz was Dean of Agriculture from 1957 to 1967. From 1968 to 1971 Butz was Dean of Continuing Education and President of the Purdue Research Foundation. Under President Dwight Eisenhower he was Assistant Secretary of Agriculture and from 1971 to 1976 Butz became Secretary of Agriculture. He resigned as from that post in 1976.
Access Restrictions: The majority of this collection is open for research.
Use Restrictions: Boxes marked "Closed Files" have restricted access due to donor request.
Physical Access Note: Collection is located onsite.
Preferred Citation: MSF 64, Earl L. Butz papers, Archives and Special Collections, Purdue University Libraries
Perils of Prosperity, by Earl L. Butz, Reprinted from Journal of the American Society of Farm Managers and Rural Appraisers, October, 1945, pp. 109-114.
Dr. Earl Butz To Head Agriculture Economics, Purdue Alumnus, Vol. XXXIII, March-April, 1946.
Butz to Purdue: Thanks a million, by Muneera Naseer, Journal and Courier, Tues. May 11, 1999, p. 1.
Lafayette Leaders: Earl Butz - Educator, public servant, and the farmer's friend, by Lillian Price, The Lafayette Leader, November 14, 1997, p. 4
3 photographs of Butz:
<li>September 12, 1972 - David Treen, Alexandria, Louisiana w/ Secertary Butz.
<li>September 8, 1972 - Gardner Patterson, Asst. Dir. Gen., GATT; Secretary Butz and Oliver Long, Dir. Gen., GATT.</li>
<li>Office photo of Earl Butz (exact location and date unknown).</li>
20 years after fall, Butz at peace with past, by Will Higgins, The Indianapolis Star, Sunday, November 23, 1997, p. A1.
Former US Secretary of Agriculture shares his story, by Jessica Webster, The Purdue Exponent, Monday, May 11, 1998, p.3 (2 copies).
Sickle & Sheaf Special Issue: Brothers of the Century, 1904-2004, Alpha Gamma Rho, paragraph on p. 18.
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Undergraduate major and minor. M.A. in Foreign Languages and Literature.
Hebrew language and literature, including poetry and drama; rabbinic literature; Yiddish language and literature; and Jewish civilization and culture. The Jewish Studies Certificate Program includes study of Jewish art, music, and theatre; Holocaust studies and anti-Semitism; and Israeli history and life
Hebrew, Yiddish, and English; other languages, including Greek, Latin, German, and Arabic, will have relevant materials.
Related Subject Collections|
Anthropology, Classics, Comparative Literature, Comparative Study of Religion, History, Linguistics, Philosophy, and Political Science.
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Executive In Residence
Wittenberg’s Business Department Welcomed Financial Entrepreneur Marty Uhle,’85
November 10, 2010
Springfield, OH – Wittenberg students and faculty gathered in Kissell Auditorium on Tuesday, November 9th to hear Marty Uhle, President and CEO of Vantage Financial Group Inc., this fall’s Business 2010 Executive-in-Residence. Uhle’s keynote lecture was a humorous look at his wild ride from banker to entrepreneur and all the legal and political potholes along the way.
Mr. Uhle's industry experiences included a position as Senior Vice President of the KeyBank Payment Services Division in Cleveland, and also as Chief Operating Officer of Unified Merchant Services, a NationsBank/First Data joint venture based in Charlotte, NC. Uhle then served as President and Chief Operating Officer of Heartland Payment Systems, Inc. (NYSE symbol HPY), and its predecessor, HPS, LLC, from November 1998 to October 2004. During this time, he also was instrumental in establishing the North Olmsted, Ohio-based Heartland Payroll Company, a wholly owned subsidiary of Heartland Payment Systems.
Along with hearing about Uhle’s career path and accomplishments, he also shared advice for students who will be entering the work force. He encouraged students to consider themselves as a start-up enterprise and to keep their overhead low—no fancy cars, expansive wardrobes, or high-value mortgages. Uhle stated it was important to remember the EX-factor: gain EXposure, relevant EXperience, and compile EXamples of your skills. These factors will help students stand out among their peers and will help them to get a job. He also encouraged students to pay attention to politics and legislative activities, for these will have an impact on the job hunt. Uhle’s final advice was to avoid falling victim to negative on-line exposure through social networking. Employers are watching.
Uhle’s presentation was followed by a dinner with a small group of students and faculty. The next day he made presentations in the financial management classes at Wittenberg discussing various financial topics and job market issues.
Uhle is no stranger to Wittenberg University being an active member of the Wittenberg Board of Directors. He also has two sons, Steven ’13 (major: business) and Ryan ’11 (major: financial economics), attending Wittenberg. Uhle’s father and brother Chris also attended Wittenberg.
By: Katherine Martin ‘11
The Business Executive in-Residence program, begun in 1978, brings business executives to campus to spend face time with business majors and minors. Executives spend one or two days sharing insights in numerous classes and also deliver a keynote address to all business majors and guests. Executives, drawn from all fields of business, all sizes of businesses, and representing various levels in their business careers, also share meals—and career advice—with students.
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DEP Home : Water : Stream Damage Caused by Stormwater Pollution
Report stream bank erosion and stream damage caused by stormwater pollution or contact DEP:
Many of Montgomery County's older urban and suburban areas were developed in an era when paved surfaces (roads, parking lots, driveways) were built up without concern for what would happen to rainfall runoff. Stormwater management was not as big a concern as it is today. These areas did not develop with adequately sized stormwater drainage systems and stormwater ponds to receive, detain, and filter runoff before it flowed into streams. As a result, during rain events runoff flushed into streams unmitigated. Damage to the local creeks and streams that flow through these neighborhoods was the unfortunate result.
Storm drains deliver rainfall runoff directly into streams, which in older areas without good ponds and volume management has destroyed stream structure and biological life.
Streams are fragile systems, and often they are unable to withstand the cumulative impacts of urbanization. Types of stream damage include:
The following are examples of stormwater-related stream problems encountered in many of the County's historically urbanized areas.
Exposed tree roots and eroded stream banks.
Eroded channel bottom, which exposes the sewer pipes crossing underneath.
Presence of trash, oil, yard waste, and other illicit discharges brought in by stormwater pipes.
Trash and debris flowing into major rivers in violation of Clean Water Act standards and Stormwater Permit Regulations.
Highly eroded stream banks.
Potential damage to property.
Destruction of biological life.
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The 2012 summer Olympics in London kicks July 27. While a number of classic rock artists have been rumored to have been invited to play, Jimmy Page wasn’t one of them, and he isn’t happy about it.
At the closing ceremony of 2008′s Beijing Olympics, Page performed Led Zeppelin’s “Whole Lotta Love” with pop singer Leona Lewis, next to a British red double-decker bus, in a segment symbolizing the Olympics moving from Beijing to London.
According to The Telegraph, the guitarist is “very upset” that he has not been asked to perform, or even invited to the opening ceremony at the London Olympics.
“Of course, I’m feeling rather hurt,” he said. “We put so much into Beijing, but weren’t helped by the Chinese giving us next-to-no practice time.”
As for who is actually performing at the opening and closing ceremony, that still remains a secret. There had been talk of The Rolling Stones, but that was quickly dismissed by their agent.
For more information on the summer 2012 London Olympics, click HERE.
- Kate Murphy / 98.5WNCX
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- To: xanadu@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Subject: Wired article
- From: msa@xxxxxxxx (Michael Abrams)
- Date: Thu, 1 Jun 1995 15:11:05 -0500
- Reply-to: xanadu@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
[To unsubscribe, send email to xanadu-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx]
Outstanding to see _Wired_ do a _long_ piece on Xanadu/Ted. I cancelled my
subscription some months ago, but June issue seems to mark a re-birth of
its more nobler ideals (vis., Issue #1's Prologmena). What better place to
put its (first!) X/T article.
Speaking of X, I notice that the Web page seems frozen circa 11/94. Is
this a bad omen? Is there REALLY going to be an Internet-based Xanadu?
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The Science of Beauty
“While beauty may be skin deep, ‘pretty’ is still a very compelling argument.”
What is beauty? How do we know when someone is beautiful? Is it really in the eyes of the beholder? Is it specific to individual preference? Is beauty something that is culturally indigenous? Is one race naturally more beautiful than another? Are beautiful people better than the rest of us? Are beautiful people naturally shallow? These are all valid questions that most people tend to make incorrect assumptions about. The answers may surprise you (as they did me). As it turns out, a lot of what is commonly associated with beauty is largely based on bias and a lack of understanding of the factors that make someone beautiful. In this post, I explore all of these in great detail. So whether you’re beautiful or aesthetically challenged, you may find this post of great interest.
The Importance of being Beautiful
Being physically attractive seems to make or break your case in life whether or not you choose to admit it. In fact your face is your primary ambassador and your body is the key to your success – in every conceivable way. Beautiful people have an effect on other people that is so profound and unprecedented, that even if you were a totally rotten individual, most people would treat you like royalty anyway – just because you’re nice to look at.
Even before all races were treated with equality, beautiful people from all ethnic groups were savoring that opportunity. The rules, whatever they were, did not apply to them. They could break the law and get away with it. They could publicly embarrass themselves and people would worship them anyway. They could cheat on their spouses and people would revere them equally. Being beautiful means that the world is your footstool.
Survival of the Prettiest
Why does the world instinctively revere beautiful people? It’s because of our DNA. Every human being is hard wired to prefer beautiful people. There is a very good reason for this. Every human brain is genetically programmed to recognize beauty as a sign of genetic perfection. Beauty is a representation of health and genetic viability. It indicates to men that the woman being viewed is a perfect candidate for housing his children. It indicates to women that the man being viewed as a perfect source of Y chromosomes that will maximize the chance of her child’s survival. There’s no way for humans to look inside each other to determine who has a higher level of genetic perfection than another. This is why physical beauty becomes necessary. It is a reflection of the genetic perfection on the inside of the biological machines we call our body. Therefore beauty is not quite as “skin deep” as stipulated by the popular expression.
Of course, nobody actually thinks about these things when they view a beautiful person. We just feel it in our instinct. We are compelled to want beautiful people around us because our DNA naturally impels us to. Beauty is nature’s way of maximizing the probability that the best genes have the best chances of survival while minimizing the probability that imperfect DNA will ever be passed on to offspring. This natural genetic “cleansing” process in turn ensures that humanity on a whole has the best chance of continued survival. All of this is manifested through the inextricable correlation between beauty and genetic health.
This is why models like Priyanka Chopra who had no previous training as an actress could go on to become a famous Bollywood star shortly after winning the Miss World pageant in 2000. The same can be said of many other models who turned to acting after achieving a plateau in their modeling career. Women like Ali Larter, Milla Jovovich and Charlize Theron are now reaping great success as actresses, largely in part because they’re beautiful. They never had to go through the same kind of rigors many successful actors had to face.
Being beautiful also make life considerably easier and more fulfilling. A recent study conducted by ABC’s 20/20 shows that people literally react more warmly to someone who is in trouble if they are beautiful. It’s not that these people are prejudiced. They are just reacting to their own genetic instinct.
People seem to subconsciously associate physical attractiveness with “trustworthiness”. So a relatively unattractive person trying to hitch hike on a lonely highway will have a considerably harder time getting a ride into town than someone who is drop dead gorgeous. Humans are subconsciously shallow like that.
Life is a DNA Gambit
The representation of genetic perfection is critical to survival because of how easy it is for the cell division process in the womb to go terribly wrong. DNA splicing during pregnancy has several billion ways of going awry. The process is as complex as it is prone to failure. It’s like trying to build a machine with 140 trillion parts from a schematic of 30 million instructions. Multiply those numbers and you have the ultimate permutation of Murphy’s law on steroids. This is why pregnant woman are so heavily cautioned to keep in the best of health and to avoid smoking, alcohol and certain drugs. All of these external factors can massively impair this extremely delicate process.
Because of the inherent complexity involved during DNA splicing (as well as population dispersion), in most cases, people are born with an average of 30% of their DNA being bad – hence giving them an “average” appearance (which is really a misnomer, as I’ll discuss in a bit). Beautiful people are those who have less than 30% of their DNA being bad, thus giving them a much better chance at advertising their innate perfection than everyone else. Either way, everyone is hard wired to recognize symmetry as being beautiful – even people who have 30% bad DNA. So it doesn’t matter what the politically correct will say. While beauty may be skin deep, ‘pretty‘ is still a very compelling argument.
The Definition of Beauty
Scientists describe beauty as being a summation of averages. Geometrically, it is a configuration of symmetrical lines. Mathematically, beauty is expressed as a ratio of 1.618. Some of this may seem like high minded science to you, but it is all pre-programmed into everyone’s brain. You don’t need to think about it or understand how it works because it’s already a part of your genetic wiring. This is what allows us to recognise beauty instantly and automatically.
Because of this, we can instantly tell when an artist’s rendering of the human form is unrealistic as in the case of artwork or animation. This is what also allows us to tell when someone’s appearance seems “off“, when we can’t quite place what it is. It’s just that part of the brain that interprets visual and other information matching it against nature’s hard coded standard of beauty.
Before we can adequately define what beauty is, we need to understand the implications associated with the genetic phenomenon we commonly call “race”. DNA (Dioxyribo-Nucleic Acid) is a binary system of switches, which represent an instruction set for producing life. “Flipping” several of these switches on or off in particular sequences produces various genetic permutations – very much like how computer programs only differ by various permutations of ones and zeroes.
Genetically speaking, race is nothing more than:
The perception of homogenous congruity among ethnic groups resulting from a consistent replication of specific DNA patterns.
By DNA pattern, we are actually referring to a phenotype of human DNA. A phenotype (in layman’s terms) is a particular physiological configuration, such as blue eyes, dark skin, long hair and so on. When humans migrated out of Africa, various groups clustered together in specific regions on earth. After several generations of reproduction, a set of DNA patterns became more commonplace in each group. This created the consistent replication of a particular DNA sequence in each group, thus leading to the phenomenon we call “Race” today.
The human genotype has over 30,000-factorial possible phenotypic permutations. That number is equivalent to 30,000 x 29,999 x 29,998 x …… 3 x 2 x 1. That’s how many possible variations of the human genotype can be produced from our DNA. Don’t try to work that out on your calculator. It will simply overload. In fact, that number is too large to be represented inside any computing machine that exists today without using cloud-based or serially attached computing cluster farms (like those used to build the super computers that predict the weather).
Now that you have an idea of how incredibly complex Human DNA is, this puts everything else into context:
Only 3% of our DNA produces the phenotypes we associate with race. But a phenotyptic permutation is just one of several hundred million possible variations of that same 3%. So our appearance is just one of many millions of possible “shades” or “flavours” of the same DNA. If the earth was much bigger, we would have many, many more distinct races, instead of variations of the three most populous ones we have on earth today: Negroid, Mongoloid and Caucazoid.
Technically speaking, the phenomenon we call “race” doesn’t really exist. In fact, the word “race” is really a misnomer. We invented words like Caucasian, Asian, Negro and so on in our ignorance before we discovered DNA. So whenever we look at someone and observe their racial ethnicity, all that we are seeing is the representation of less variety in human DNA – and that is the major problem with race when it comes to beauty.
The Scientific Definition of Beauty
The original “race” of human beings had every DNA switch turned on. However, as groups migrated, some of these switches were “turned off”, largely by interbreeding in particular environments. The DNA “switches” that did not maximize chances of survival in particular environments were “turned off” after several generations. So each race represents a DNA permutation in which some switches have been turned off. The more switches are turned off, the more “hyper specific” the genetic representation of the appearance of a person in that race. When it comes to beauty, hyper specificity is bad. The more hyper specific a phenotype, the fewer “switches” are turned on, and thus, the less attractive that person appears to be.
Hyper specificity is the opposite of a genetic average. People with more of their ‘appearance switches’ turned on, are said to be more “genetically average” than others. People who are more genetically average tend to be more beautiful. So when we say that someone is “average” looking, the word ‘average’ in this context is a misnomer. The word “average” in gene science insinuates total inclusiveness of all genetic components to some degree – not the frequency of the recurrence of specific components (which is what produces the phenomenon we call ‘race’).
Therefore scientifically speaking, the more genetically average the components of someone’s appearance, the more beautiful they are perceived to be. The less genetically average the components of a person’s appearance, the more hyper specific they are, and thus the less beautiful they are perceived to be. Beauty in humans can therefore be scientifically defined as:
Any phenotypic configuration that represents the most average genetic permutation of human DNA.
People who are more distinctively Negro, Caucasian or Asian than their counterparts in the same ethnicity are notably less attractive than people who are more genetically average in each race. People who are more beautiful tend to rarely display any of the phenotypic qualities commonly associated with their ethnic origin. A classic example is the sample of women who have won the Miss World pageant. Women from Asian territories who have won the pageant have been noted to be distinctively less “Asian” in appearance than their kin. The same can be said of women from other ethnic groups.
This is why people who are of mixed ethnicity are generally regarded as being more beautiful than individuals from each of their parents’ contributing race. The hyper specificity of each race is eliminated in offspring when the DNA from parents of differing races is spliced. In every embryo, nature is so programmed that it only takes the very best genes from each parent to make up the embryo. This maximizes the chances of that embryo surviving birth and living a healthy life. This is also why offspring of mixed races tend to have the best qualities of both races and none of the typical hereditary illnesses common to either.
The automatic recognition of this law of averages is why Caucasians sometimes seek elective surgery to give them more pronounced physical appearances such as face lifts, botox treatment, or even tanning their skin for that golden-brown appearance. This is also why those of African descent living in western cultures seek chemical options for the treatment of the hair (often with the use of implanted hair in women) to give themselves that appearance, while showing preference within their own communities for fairer skinned phenotypic representations.
The law of averages explains both scenarios succinctly since the average of all genetic extremities (of any particular race) is generally preferred by all races and cultures. This average represents what the original race of humanity once looked like. This is one of the key reasons why less distinct races like Latinos, East Indians, and multi-ethnic Caribbean descendants have been top picks at international beauty pageants. Each of these ethnic groups contain the average of all the qualities that are universally recognized by our DNA as being beautiful. They are not hyper specific to any genetic extremity we would call a “race”.
The Geometric & Mathematical Beauty of the Body
A person who is considered to be beautiful also possesses perfect symmetry in the physical shape of their bodies. By this we mean that whatever curves are represented on one side of the body are perfectly mirrored on the other. Symmetry also refers to the curvaceous shape around the muscles of the limbs and the cheeks of the face. Symmetry covers the shape of the eye sockets, the concave curvature of the nose bridge relative to the arch of the eyebrows which should be mirrored in the lips by a ratio of approximately 1.618 – also known as the Golden Ratio.
Symmetry is what allows the female brain to recognise the size of the biceps in a man’s arm relative to the muscles in his lower arm. It allows her to recognize the breadth of the shoulder which is at a ratio of 1.618 with his stomache, which is at the same ratio with his thighs, which are the same ratio with the width of his knees and ankles.The same ratio also exists in the length of the thighs in comparison to the length of the shin.
Women automatically fixate on a male’s upper body because it is a relatively good representation of a strong, healthy specimen. This ratio of all physical elements of the body are hardwired into a woman’s brain. She doesn’t know it, but it’s how she determines which male is more handsome (and thus, more suitable) than another.
Symmetry is what allows the male brain to recognise the size of a woman’s buttocks relative to her breasts as a ratio of 1.618 . It allows him to recognize the width of her chest as being the same ratio with her hips with her waist being the complete inverse in ratio with both her breasts and hips. This sends a signal to a man that the woman has a well formed birth canal and has hips perfect for having children.
The same ratio applies to her relative height to his. Even if a woman is short, if the ratios on her body retain adherence to the Golden Ratio of 1.618, she will still be regarded as being symmetrically perfect. This ratio is genetically hardwired into a man’s brain. He doesn’t know it, but it’s how he determines which woman is more sexually appealing than another.
Now I should mention that no person actually goes out with a ruler and a calculator to make these measurements and do the calculations to determine beauty. All of these mathematical and geometric quantities are hard wired into every human’s brain. So we make these recognitions automatically. However, in the case of humans who are considered to be beautiful, measurements were taken by scientists and the magic numeric ratio of 1.618 turned up in all cases.
Where humans were found to be physically imperfect (thus indicating that they are a genetically undesirable host), the ratio disappeared. So beauty is not just the recognition of an appearance. It’s the recognition of the mathematical and geometric quantity of this Golden Ratio of 1.618 that is programmed into our psyche by our DNA.
Misconceptions about Beauty
There are a lot of misconceptions about beauty. Many were propagated by people who are not beautiful, which is not surprising. The human mind is such that it is hard wired to develop the propensity to level the playing field – if only in one’s mind. This function of the mind is the same function that would cause a drowning man to cling to a straw. As such, the following misconceptions were all produced by people who misunderstand beauty and (in most cases) come up with misconceptions that allow them to feel less cheated by nature:
Misconceptions of Cultural Preference
If you are one of those who say that beauty is a function of culture, you would be wrong. If you raise a child of one ethnicity in a community that is predominantly of another, that child is still more likely to choose a genetically average (i.e. beautiful) member of the community as a mate. If that child becomes aware of other humans outside of its community (by way of the media or travel for example) who have a more genetically average appearance than those living in the community in which it was raised, it is naturally going to develop an attraction for a specimen from that group.
This is why people are more likely to become engaged in interracial unions if they live in countries in which the majority of the population is not representative of their own ethnicity. The same principle applies for every race. Therefore, beauty is not in the eye of the beholder. The recognition of beauty is genetically determined. We can recognize a beautiful person even if we lived in a cave for decades and saw only unattractive people our entire lives. This is why some ancient cultures have been documented to worship people from more modern civilizations when they visit for the first time.
With that said, some will argue that each culture may have its own standard of what is perceived to be beautiful. While that is true, it doesn’t mean that members of that culture will necessarily adhere to those standards. Cultural standards were created in a box (so to speak) oblivious to the rest of the world. However, with the advent of the age of mass communication, people break away from those standards all the time. In fact, it has been proven that people who stick to their cultural dictation of beauty are doing so largely because of a psychological fixation on the need to belong which is more important to them than their capacity to recognize beauty in its purest form.
Misconceptions of Race & Cultural Indoctrination
Some people are of the opinion that beauty is perceived by individuals based on cultural indoctrination. This, they assert, is why women of non-Caucasian descent (particularly women of African descent) are “brain-washed” so to speak by the media to think that white women are more beautiful. This is far from the truth. This assumption is based on an illusion of perception.
Television and other forms of media tend to feature people who are more genetically average in appearance – meaning (again) that they are more attractive. It doesn’t matter whether they are Negro, Caucasian, Asian, Latino or of any other phenotype. The Caucasian women who appear on television and in the media represent that law of average among Caucasians – meaning that the more physically attractive than other Caucasians from the gene pool and are thus more likely to appear on Western television. The same rule applies to women of other phenotypes as well.
However, as television production is more commonplace among Caucasians in the west and in Europe, it is only natural that Caucasians would be more prominently featured. This however doesn’t imply that the media has a predilection for Caucasians nor is it making a statement about the standard of beauty among women being determined by Caucasians. No single race has a monopoly on beauty. We all carry the genetic components to produce that effect. However, depending on our selected mates, we may either promote or prohibit the propagation of such genes in our offspring.
With the advent of globalization and the shrinking of the global village provided by the internet, there has been a notable drift towards the “middle” in the recognition of all races by media entities. They are beginning to recognize more people around the world outside of their own ethnic bubble who are also quite beautiful. On the news networks like CNN for example, news anchor women such as Soledad O’Brien are becoming more commonplace. She is of mixed ethnic descent, having one black and white parent. Again, this is a perfect example of the law of genetic averages playing out on television.
Misconceptions of Selection and Recognition
Some people argue that beauty does not guarantee selection and is thus a frivolous or inconsequential factor in the selection of a mate or that it represents a failure to recognize beauty’s necessity. This is far from the truth. Selection of a less genetically average phenotype says nothing about nature’s failure to recognize beauty in its purest form. In fact, the distinction must be made that selection and recognition are mutually exclusive. So if someone selects a mate that is not particularly beautiful, it doesn’t mean that they lack the capacity to recognize beauty.
There are a number of factors to consider when evaluating selection. In addition to beauty, there are opportunistic and psychological proponents that affect selection. For example; less attractive people who encounter beautiful people are sometimes intimidated by them and are thus less likely to court and subsequently select one as a mate. So in this case, the function of selection has little to do with genetic recognition, and more to do with a psychological phenomenon called an “inferiority complex“.
In another example, people who have had to deal with the intense competition for the attention of someone who is beautiful, are less likely to select a beautiful person as a mate. People who have been repeatedly hurt psychologically by beautiful people are also less likely to select them as mates. People who simply resent beautiful people just because they are beautiful are also unlikely to select such a person as a mate. These conditions of selection apply to everyone equally.
In each of these cases, all of the people in question can readily recognize beauty. What they do with that recognition however is more a function of psychological or opportunistic circumstance. It doesn’t nullify the necessity of being beautiful and it does not take away from its impact on the selection of a mate. In fact, such claims are hypocritical. For if the very same persons who make this assertion were selected by a beautiful person, the odds that they would turn them away are negligible.
Misconceptions of Shallowness
On the flip side, many beautiful people also have a hard time finding a mate that is suitably mature and genuine – provided that they are willing to look that deep. If they aren’t, then they could be termed as being shallow. This is not usually the case, however. More often than not, it’s largely a function of manageability.
Beautiful people attract so many people that they usually have a lot more work to do with respect to narrowing down the selection in order to pick a mate. Beautiful people attract everyone – including mostly people who have characteristics that are undesirable (which is why some women say “beauty is a curse”). Unattractive people by comparison tend to settle for physical mediocrity, since they don’t get that much attention in the first place.
Now because beautiful people have so many to choose from, it is impractical to give each and every single suitor a chance at love with them. The entire process may take a lifetime. It is therefore more pragmatic to pick out only the most beautiful people from the lot (who will number in the minority most of the times) and then narrow those down for people who fit the qualities they desire. Being beautiful automatically means that one has the best pick of the gene pool. However, this selection process is not necessarily fool-proof since pretty people with poor personalities often get picked first.
This propensity for more efficient mate selection is what unattractive people often perceive as “shallowness“. When beautiful people primarily select other beautiful people, they are not usually conscious of the fact that they are doing it, since the process is automatic. If unattractive people were likewise genetically gifted, their behaviour would be no different.
Misconceptions regarding Wealth, Fame and Talent
There are many people who are of the opinion that only the rich are beautiful or only the beautiful become rich. They go on to say that because the world naturally prefers beautiful people, they are more likely to become wealthy or famous. While there is some truth to this perception, it is largely based on a correlation propagated by popular culture and the media. The truth is quite the opposite.
Most of the rich, famous, talented people in the world aren’t beautiful. Most of the beautiful people in the world are neither rich nor famous nor talented. However, because the media primarily highlights people who are beautiful, rich, famous and talented, the rest of the world tends to fallaciously think that beauty, wealth, fame and talent are inextricably linked. Of course, only people who spend too much time in front of the Television are inclined to think in such narrow minded terms. There are several logical explanations for these misconceptions:
When Beauty predicates Wealth
A beautiful person tends to be confident because of the same genetic parameters that graced them with a beautiful face. Confidence propagates boldness and boldness is strongly correlated to wealth. This is because people who are willing to take risks tend to become wealthy. However, not every beautiful person is bold and so this remains just a correlation.
On the flip side however, wealthy people are able to afford the medical treatments that will either create beauty in themselves or enhance their existing aesthetic appeal. Most of the time, famous people who are beautiful are just average looking people (not to be confused with genetic averageness) who can afford the botox, the plastic surgery and all the other medical enhancements to which they subject themselves in order to achieve that deceptively attractive look. Most movie stars are not very attractive at all without their makeup. Therefore the perceived connection between beauty and wealth in this case is largely economic. The rest is artificial, force-fed media propaganda.
When Beauty predicates Fame
Where there are famous people who are also beautiful, it is very likely that their attractiveness played a key role in their fame – but not necessarily. If we omit those who just happen to be wealthy (thus giving them the capacity to afford to artificially induce beauty), then the remainder are most probably famous because they’re beautiful. Most of these people tend to be models or actors. This means that they had to have some talent to backup the pretty face. You tend to need both to become famous at all.
When one is both beautiful and talented, that’s what later leads to becoming wealthy. While talent does not predicate beauty, it does predicate fame. Beauty is rare. Talent is also rare. But people who are both beautiful and talented are rarer still. So whenever such people are discovered, the media wastes no time in pushing them into the limelight – eventually making them rich. You will see this phenomenon quite frequently manifested on American Idol where contenders are judged not only by their ability to sing, but their physical and marketable appeal.
The Role of the Media
The truth is that programs like American Idol (and virtually every other media-scripted “reality” show) employ multi-million dollar marketing companies to scour the demographics in western civilization for people who are both beautiful and talented. Out of the hundreds of hours of footage and thousands of candidates, they trim down a typical episode to feature only the most attractive and talented of the lot. This is what you see on TV – and is thus what leads to the common misconception of a correlation between beauty, fame, wealth and talent.
The primary beneficiaries of this marketing campaign are media and cosmetic industries. This is also why television personalities appear to be largely beautiful people. A substantial portion of television audiences who tune in to a particular program tend to subconsciously do so exclusively because they like seeing pretty people on TV. This in turn, charges up the ratings and thus the price that media companies can charge for an advertisement slot during a given program. Now you know why you see so many ads that promote anti-aging in women during prime time.
Propensities of Pretty People
Everybody who is pretty knows that they are pretty. People who know that they are not also know as much. Knowing makes all the difference and that’s why pretty people tend to behave differently from everyone else. Whether they wallow in the obviousness of their genetic superiority or use it to get their way with the rest, every pretty person knows that they wield insurmountable power over the rest of humanity. With that said, the following propensities tend to be conspicuous among some people who were born beautiful:
The Entourage is the quintessential people accessory for many pretty people. An entourage is basically a pretty person’s closest group of friends (an inner circle, if you will). They may themselves be attractive, but are never more attractive than their pretty person. They usually sit around the table like scavengers and feed from the scraps of the kill of their pretty kin. The pretty person in a male entourage is called an Alpha Male. The female equivalent is usually called the Queen Bee. Entourages are more popular among women than men.
The members of an entourage complement their existence with the aura of their pretty monarch who in turn benefits greatly from having the extra hands (and brains) at their disposal. The entourage is nature’s way of evening out the odds for less attractive people who have a harder time fighting for the win on their own. Moral support is always helpful. So in a way, an entourage is a useful, somewhat symbiotic relationship.
The Yo-Yo Friend
A ‘Yo-Yo’ friend is a close confidant of pretty people who is usually an unpretty member of the opposite sex that is incredibly useful. The Yo-Yo friend is usually that geeky guy that a hot girl keeps around to fix her computer when it’s broken. They are also that unattractive fat chick who fawns over the school jock and is more than willing to do his homework while he goes on a date with the aforementioned hot chick.
Basically, yo-yo friends have little or no self respect. They are usually so nice that they don’t even realise that they’re being used. Yo-Yo friends are not usually included in an Entourage because the pretty person has a reputation to uphold (an Entourage usually says something about a pretty person’s status). They will usually accept any explanation for being excluded from the entourage. However, despite this disparity, Yo-Yo friends are fiercely loyal, and will Kamikaze anyone who threatens their pretty person (even if it’s another pretty person). Yo-Yo friends are so labelled because:
Fun Fact: Yo-Yo’s were originally invented as a disposable, yet very effective long range weapon.
Pretty people naturally prefer other pretty people. But even no matter how much one pretty person is enamoured with another, there is always someone prettier still. While most people will either outgrow this propensity as they get older (falling in love with the who and not the what), pretty people tend to ignore this and go for an “upgrade” whenever possible. Because they’re beautiful, they know they will be forgiven for wanting to upgrade. This behaviour is more common in men than women (since women love with their emotional right brain, unlike men who are more savvy with their logical left).
The most famous example of this propensity is the recent ditching of F.R.I.E.N.D.S star, the lovely Jennifer Aniston for the sultry Tomb Raider femme fatale, Angelina Jolie by A-list movie star Brad Pitt. Most men would categorically agree that Angelina Jolie represents absolute genetic perfection among brunettes – so much so that she trumps most blondes and other multi-ethic acolytes.
Gene scientists were actually very excited to see what the children of Brad Pitt and Jennifer Aniston would look like. However, as insensitive as it sounds, when news first hit that he’d “upgraded” to the ultimate brunette, they almost wet their pants with blissful euphoria. The genetic implications of their offspring are staggering.
Upgrading is immature and childish – not to mention a grotesquely selfish abuse of human emotion. However it’s a powerful genetic unction that is tough to resist. Now while I can never assert what the full back story behind the Brangelina phenomenon could be, I can only feel bad for all the Jennifer Anistons in the world. It’s hard cold proof that nature is a bitch that has time and again shown preference for functional perfection over all else.
The Snob Complex
It is a commonly well known fact that many beautiful people never develop cognitively beyond the age of 14 (in the case of men) and 16 (in the case of women) respectively, regardless of their level of education. This was the point of the popular television program Beauty and the Geek and similar Ashton Kutcher offerings. With that said, this explains the often rotten behaviour of people who were born pretty (like Jennifer Lopez).
Because they have such a powerful effect on people, many pretty people never usually have to work on being more mature. This is one of the reasons why pretty people often abuse their friendships. It’s not because they’re evil people. It’s largely because many of them have life so easy, they genuinely don’t know any better. Some of them behave that way out of frustration from having drawn the attention of so many people. They genuinely don’t know how to handle the fame. This is why many celebrities hire publicists to do that job for them.
The Ditz Conjecture
Pretty people are sometimes hopelessly clueless about their world for all the same reasons they develop snobbish propensities: They’re beautiful – and it’s so intoxicating that they rarely focus on anything else. So they become a lot like grown children stuck in adult’s bodies. Some pretty people use this cluelessness to assert that they “have people” (see “Entourage” above) to figure that out for them. This is called the Ditz Conjecture, because it is a way for people to assert their beauty as the only thing they really need to justify their existence. The problem with this conjecture is that everybody gets old. If you knew what happened to Tara Reid recently, then the rest is self explanatory.
Not all pretty people like Entourages, keep a Yo-Yo friend, upgrade their lover, act snobbish or make Ditz Conjectures. In fact, unless you were born in the cradle of the most decadent societies on earth, it is highly improbable that as a pretty person, you would be inclined to manifest any of these unpleasant propensities. Thankfully, most of the pretty people in the world are just as beautiful on the inside as they are on the outside. It’s just that those pretty people are often drowned out by the noise being made by pretty people with bad attitudes on MTV.
Life is made up of two components:
A pretty person who is raised in an environment that heavily values sobriety, responsibility, education and selflessness will become someone that is genuinely loved by everyone for all the reasons humans have the capacity to love anyone. Pretty people who are not born in such environments often underestimate the value of their beauty and instead use it for just its surface value – thus grossly underestimating their (and everyone else’s) worth. Thankfully, there are more beautiful people out there in the former than the latter category. I know this because many of them are my friends.
I will admit however, that I have met my fair share of beautiful people with ugly interiors. It is that experience that has led me to realise that less attractive people have beautiful personalities because of their aesthetic deficit. They have to make up for this genetic deficiency by being easily liked. As such ugly people are really God’s abstract art pieces. So the next time you meet someone, spend less time looking into their face and more time looking into their soul. It’s amazing the bevy of surprises you may find.
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It’s no secret Bryan is a big hunter. In fact, he’s been known to sport his camouflage all over town and even on stage. He recently signed up for a multi-year contract with Cabela’s to be a brand representative. In the commercial he shows how his hunting preparation is akin to gearing up for a big show.
“It’s in my rehearsals. It’s in my dressing room. It’s in my favorite stage. It’s in my nature,” he says as he gets ready for a day of hunting.
And just in case you’ve been wondering just how he gets ready for a show, Luke Bryan shows everyone in his latest episode of LBTV.
Commercials and hosting awards shows aren’t enough for Luke Bryan, as he just announced he’ll be headlining the Faster Horses Festival.
-Rob Stone, 99.5 WYCD/Detroit
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How to : Find Art ThievesPlease this journal, so that a lot of people can read it.How to : Find Art Thieves by =Kara-a
I noticed that a lot of people don't know how to search for their photos on the internet, so here is a short tutorial. Unfortunately there isn't much you can do about art thieves, but i still think it is important to look out for them.
1. visit Google.com
2. Go to the page of the photo you want to search and click "show image"
3. Copy the Link and paste it into google.
4. This page should open, click "search by image".
5. Now you can browse trough the results.
6. The less results the happier you should be.
EDIT : You can also use websites like : tineye.com and iqdb.com
This was pointed out to me by some people, personally i have no experience with them, but i am sure that they work too.
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Many of the most puzzling parts of New Haven — the patternless one-ways streets, the never-finished Highway 34 West and the eternally vacant Coliseum, are products of an era that began 50 years ago, when building and bulldozing en masse was the norm. Under Mayor Richard C. Lee, New Haven led the nation in its efforts at urban renewal.
Serving eight consecutive terms as mayor from 1953 to 1970, Lee came to power at a time when the restoration of urbanism — the idea of making cities desirable to live in — was at the forefront of the federal government’s agenda. During his reign, Lee directed the spending of more than $430 million in federal grants, built 31 new schools and two large department stores, and relocated some 25,000 people from their homes. No other city in the United States at the time could equal the commitment to such a large scale redevelopment of its business and residential districts. The changes that ensued often came at the cost of entire neighborhoods, historic architecture and downtown vitality.
In recent years, the Elm City, spurred on by a nationwide emphasis on urban development but humbled by the mayor that took on the impossible, has scaled down its ambitions and is trying to correct some of Lee’s mistakes. Still, current Mayor John DeStefano Jr. is undertaking the largest downtown redevelopment program since Lee.
Today, DeStefano faces a political and economic climate significantly different from the 1950s, but much of the community’s criticism of Lee, such as his undemocratic process of urban planning and inattention to the maintenance of low-income neighborhoods, remain the same.
Even if some believe the current administration has not improved on Lee’s shortcomings on the community level, its efforts to redevelop rather than create anew indicate a lesson learned from the failed overhauls of entire neighborhoods that characterized Lee’s urban renewal.
A different mentality
When Lee came to power, he inherited a city that, like many others across the nation, was struggling economically. Manufacturing and industry were being consolidated outside of cities, and the rise of the automobile was accelerating the development of residential suburbs.
As part of a government-led master planning process, the mayor took on the task of rebuilding the city from scratch. Unlike today, when the current administration has recognized that downtown New Haven thrives on its restaurants, culture and local retail, Lee thought the key to survival was big business and retail, School of Architecture professor Alan Plattus said.
“These were very different eras and very different ideas of how a city works,” Plattus said. “Now people realize downtown is never going to be a big commercial center.”
Another key difference, Plattus said, is that today’s efforts toward revitalizing New Haven come primarily from private developers seizing opportunities to profit, while the driving force in the ’50s and ’60s came from federal funding and local government.
The Housing Act of 1949 served as the main engine behind New Haven’s urban renewal. The act contained a provision that encouraged the use of eminent domain to buy up small businesses and residences and combine them into large parcels to auction off to developers. School of Management professor Douglas Rae said the act destroyed the “human texture” of the city, leaving enormous dead zones, such as the Knights of Columbus area, that still exist today.
Lee employed the Housing Act to tear down many low-income residential neighborhoods in order to replace them with businesses.
Ward 7 Alderman Frances Clark, who has been involved in New Haven arts and social agencies since Lee’s era, said the Lee administration’s main focus was placing as much big retail as possible downtown.
“City planners took pieces of New Haven, broke them up, and created redevelopment plans,” Clark said. “Some of them turned out to be wonderful, but in other parts housing was thoughtlessly torn down and very bad decisions were made.”
Judith Schiff, the chief research archivist of the University library, grew up in New Haven under Lee. Schiff said that without hindsight, it is difficult to hold one person or theory accountable for what happened to New Haven.
“This was before the age of preservation, so the idea was to get rid of decaying buildings,” Schiff said. “It was cheaper and more efficient to knock them down and just build new ones in their place.”
Rae said the single most important lesson the current administration should learn from Lee’s era is that replacing large, unused structures with similarly brutal structures is a huge mistake. Rae pointed to the upper Chapel Street district, an area that entrepreneurs brought back to life with high-quality local retail, as a model for downtown redevelopment.
“Although moving big chunks at a time feels more efficient and sensible, the city should allow some of the large parcels to be subdivided into smaller parcels, encouraging the creation of mixed-use neighborhoods to revitalize formerly dead zones,” Rae said.
The downtown project
The heart of New Haven’s urban development, both in the past and today, lies in Ward 7. Formerly home to Macy’s and Malley’s as well as the soon-to-be-demolished Coliseum, Ward 7 is the site of the current Downtown Gateway Project, which plans to bring Gateway Community College and the Long Wharf Theater to the downtown area.
Optimistic that New Haven would become a modern city, Lee’s administration recruited big-time entrepreneurs, ultimately investing more than $25 million into what became known as the Church Street Project. A project of such massive scale necessarily dislocated and inconvenienced numerous small businesses, who tied the city up in litigation for the next two years, slowing down the construction process.
Other problems with the project arose even after it was finished. The opening of a hotel, office tower, department stores and a shopping mall excited New Haven residents, but the area quickly became overcrowded and ran into parking problems, Schiff said.
Some residents have voiced concern that the current administration is getting itself into the same mess by bringing Gateway Community College downtown.
“If I couldn’t find parking at Macy’s, I can’t imagine what it will be like when thousands more students are in the area with an additional parking lot that is not nearly large enough to fit them all,” Schiff said.
Like Lee, DeStefano chose to take on a downtown project that could depend largely on public funding. New Haven Urban Design League president Anstress Farwell said she thinks the mayor’s refusal to consult with business leaders and private developers about the project before turning to the government was a fundamental mistake that followed Lee’s legacy too closely.
“If the mayor wanted to make sure that the project he was doing really had value, he would first look at it from many different angles,” Farwell said. “While Lee might have been taking on too much with his downtown project, DeStefano is not taking on nearly enough.”
A major difference between the Church Street Project and the Downtown Gateway Project lies in the current administration’s efforts to attract small local retailers for the ground floor of the college buildings.
But Rae said although he thinks the problem of parking in the Downtown Gateway Project is surmountable, he is not confident that the need to recruit high-quality street-level retail throughout the area will be satisfied. Rae said he does not think the community college or the state government are sufficiently equipped to attract businesses.
Andy Horowitz, the director of the New Haven Oral History Project, who last year created an exhibit on Lee’s urban renewal, said he thinks that DeStefano is under too much scrutiny to attempt what Lee did with his downtown project.
“The Gateway project looks a lot like the urban renewal project of the 1960s because it is so massive, but there is a new insistence on ensuring the presence of pedestrians and creating a vibrant, 24-hour street life that DeStefano has to answer to,” Horowitz said. “They wouldn’t have done that in the 1960s.”
But community members have recently voiced complaints that the current city government is not as inclusive of New Haven residents in its decision-making process as it should be. Ward 2 Alderman Joyce Chen ’01 said that during public hearings about the demolition of the Coliseum, a product of Lee’s era, the city largely ignored suggestions for preservation and reuse of the building.
“The DeStefano administration tends to formulate plans that are already so developed by the time they bring them to us that it seems like a done deal,” Chen said. “Once they’re set in their initial plans, they never really give other options full consideration.”
Farwell said she does not think decisions about urban development have grown any more democratic between Lee’s era and today.
“Critics were ignored during the Lee administration, and this administration has also pursued its projects through a closed process,” Farwell said. “The public is not brought into decision making at an early stage, which it is not a valid process for making decisions about the use of public funds.”
DeStefano said he thinks this criticism misses the fundamental difference between his and Lee’s administration. The most significant departure from government policy in the ’50s and ’60s, DeStefano said, is that today the focus is not on the physical development of the city.
“Lee’s mindset was to build a city with buildings, but I think you build a city with the people in those buildings,” DeStefano said. “We take the community’s safety and education into account, which is more of a priority than the actual physical reconstruction.”
The role of automobiles and highways
By the 1950s, the demand for cars was increasing daily, and old city streets built for pedestrians and trolleys could not support new levels of traffic. City planners argued that New Haven needed highways in order to sustain itself. These plans played out in the form of the Oak Street Connector, also known as the Richard C. Lee highway, which would diverge from the Interstate and provide three exit ramps at various points downtown.
Marketed as the best way to facilitate smoother traffic flow into the city, the Highway Department accepted the plan. In leveling off the area, more than 600 families and businesses had to be relocated, a product of the Redevelopment Agency’s vision to replace slums with projects that would usher in prosperity.
In an interview for the New Haven Oral History Project, former Oak Street resident Robert Silverman said he was frustrated with the process by which the Redevelopment Agency used eminent domain to assume ownership of community organizations in the area.
“You could classify Oak Street back then as a slum, but it was a thriving slum,” Silverman said.
With the increased accessibility to the I-91 and I-95, the major focus of street design became making it as easy as possible to get in and out of the city. New Haven roads, intersections and turns were all made larger and mostly one-way, a change the Department of Transportation recommended for the safety of drivers.
Local architect Robert Orr ARC ’73 said he thinks the street redesign detracted from the vitality of the city because only drivers, and not pedestrians, were kept in mind. Retail works best where the streets are tight, two-way, and parking is available on both sides, Orr said.
“When cars feel safer, they go faster, and no one wants to stop in the downtown area,” Orr said. “During Lee, the entire focus was getting people in and out of the city as fast as possible. Life was oriented entirely around the automobile.”
As an increasing number of housing developments sprung up in the suburbs, New Haven suffered from the nationwide trend toward a middle class that increasingly chose to live in the suburbs. This decentralization directly countered the fundamentals of urban renewal.
“When the Lee administration decided to create all one-way streets, they weren’t necessarily thinking about the fact that they were serving people who lived in the suburbs and were trying to get out of the city, not into it,” Clark said. “The mayor was forced to accept the fact of suburbanization, but he didn’t think about the ramifications.”
Today, New Haven is still a city very much based around the automobile, and Farwell said she thinks neither Lee nor DeStefano created city plans that were sufficiently conducive to changing times.
“What Lee started was a city based on cars, and that has not changed in this administration’s way of looking at the city,” Farwell said. “We need to think about how to rebuild the city in terms of what is necessary now and where the world is forcing us to go in the future.”
Orr said he believes it would be feasible to reverse Lee’s work and go back to two-way streets in New Haven. In the past decade, a new industry of traffic engineers has emerged that make pedestrians a priority in street design, due in part to the rapid rise in gas prices.
But this shift back to city residences has brought with it a new set of problems reminiscent of those during Lee’s time. Instead of replacing low-income neighborhoods with highways, the current administration is expanding its focus on luxury housing, amplifying the gentrification process.
Chen said during her four years in office, she has seen numerous cases when the city used eminent domain to force out of the city those who cannot afford rental rates in luxury housing complexes.
“New Haven is becoming less and less affordable to live in, and although the city is cleaning up neighborhoods, we are losing a portion of the community in the process,” Chen said.
A city back on the rise
The 1970s and 1980s saw a decline in urbanism that hit New Haven especially hard. The riots in the summer of 1967, which occurred almost entirely on business streets in low-income neighborhoods and incurred about 225 arrests, was widely interpreted as a failure of Lee’s programs to help those living in the inner city, further tarnishing his legacy. Crime rates continued to rise, and people without advanced education expressed increasing frustration at their lack of job opportunities or a voice in city politics.
Having worked closely with the Lee administration during the redevelopment era, Yale turned its focus inward in the years that followed and the shape of the city deteriorated. Only when the University began to suffer as a result of the city’s poor reputation did it begin to make a more active effort, Plattus said. New Haven was making it difficult to attract students and professors.
University President Richard Levin has made it a cornerstone of his tenure to improve Yale’s partnership with New Haven. But Plattus said the city’s revival in the past 10 years is primarily the product of a nationwide demographic of people who have had enough of the suburbs and prefer urban living.
“The dynamic you’re seeing now is a national one,” Plattus said. “Residential redevelopments are taking place all over the country, and cities such as New Haven that have culture and entertainment in their centers are doing very well with this.”
Plattus pointed to Hartford as an example of another city that has taken off in the past 10 years with similar, if not greater, success. To facilitate recovery, the Capital City Economic Development Authority was created seven years ago to oversee Hartford’s redevelopment. Dean Pagani, a spokesman for the authority, said he attributes Hartford’s rapid transformation to the authority’s concentration on a variety of small projects throughout the city, rather than the “Big Bang Theory” of one huge initiative.
“New Haven is taking a similar approach in that no one is trying to build a mammoth development and promising it will save the city,” Pagani said. “The key is a combination of building on your assets, like Yale, and developing the whole city together in pieces.”
Between the time of Lee’s urban renewal and the current efforts at redevelopment, Yale became the largest employer in New Haven. As a result, it necessarily increased its ties to the city and the mayor. DeStefano said an emphasis of his administration today is to look at Yale as a cultural and educational resource instead of as a job creator. He said the focus on collaborative action between Yale and New Haven, as well as between New Haven and its surrounding regions, was not present during Lee’s urban renewal.
“I think there’s a larger sense today of how New Haven is part of a web of relationships,” DeStefano said. “The larger challenge today is a different one than in the ’50s and ’60s, which is, ‘How do we create [development] that recognizes the economic model we’re working with does not end at town lines.’”
Rae said he gives Yale credit for its “institutional learning curve,” due in part to Levin’s managerial skills. He said the University learned its lesson after proposing to build a 13th and 14th residential college in 1973 and finding no allies in City Hall.
With many of New Haven’s newer neighborhoods and retailers thriving, especially in the areas directly around Yale, Plattus said he thinks the present prospects for New Haven are promising. But this revitalization and prosperity has not found its way into poorer neighborhoods, Plattus said.
“To the credit of DeStefano, I think his administration is sensitive to this problem, maybe even more so than Yale, who is only interested in the immediate surrounding area,” Plattus said.
But as Lee learned the hard way, the more the city attempts to achieve without the participation of its residents, the more likely it is to fail. Chen said she thinks the Board of Aldermen has grown increasingly inclined to oppose DeStefano in matters where his administration has not opened its ears to the community.
Overall, Clark said, an emphasis on keeping the past in mind while moving forward is necessary to keep New Haven alive.
“I’ve been here for so long that I’ve seen all the ups and downs,” Clark said. “I’ve seen what works and what doesn’t and how we learn from our mistakes. Things that are right for a city at one point go away, so there is no use being nostalgic.”
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Added on Jun 23, 2012 in Blog
Just a little demo I did for my watercolor class. About 7.5 x 5.5″. More pictures of the class itself and the wonderful studio space that I am thrilled to have my workshops in, will follow
Wonderful… I am getting ready to paint some pears today. For a recipe, and an article submission.
Thank you! And good luck! Would love to see those pears
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Bath Deals in Austin
A day spa is a place to relax as beauty professionals look after aesthetic needs, whereas a night spa is a place crammed with monsters. Stay on the bright side with this Groupon. Choose Between Two Options $34 for a spa package for one (a $70 value) $68 for a spa package for two (a $140 value) Each spa package includes the following: 30-minute spa massage (a $25 value) Aromatherapy whirlpool bath (a $15 value) Vichy shower body exfoliation (a $30 value)
Some people treat their car like it's their best friend by giving it a nickname or a sponge bath. Clean your companion with this Groupon. Choose Between Two Options $29 for an on-location exterior wash and wax for a car or sedan (a $120 value) $39 for an on-location exterior wash and wax for a truck or SUV (a $140 value)
Every deal, one place.
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Ohio Book Store Coupons and Deals
You got away with giving the cliché card and chocolates for Valentine's Day, but if the next big event in your loved one's life necessitates a more unique gift, your search can stop at the Ohio Book Store, where today's deal gets you $20 to spend on books, leather embossing, and binding services for $10. As Cincinnati's oldest bookstore, this Main Street locale boasts four floors of hard-to-find books that would be the perfect presents for the bibliophile in your life. And its in-house embossing and binding services are perfect for personalizing family heirlooms or binding business proposals. Whether you need an antiquarian book or an embossed briefcase, this deal is quite an original.
Every deal, one place.
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Skin Couture Coupons and Deals
The Fine Print
Voucher valid until September 10, 2013. Services are by appointment only; based on availability. 24-hour cancellation or voucher is forfeited. Cannot be combined with other offers. Limit 1 voucher(s) per user, 1 voucher(s) available for gifting. Tax and gratuity not included. For full terms and conditions, please visit http://now.spafinder.com/terms
"Your skin is with you your entire life - you must understand and nurture it through the hands of time." -Debra Van Kallen, Owner of Skin Couture Whether you choose waxing, the Swedish Rapture massage, or a customized facial, you are in for a treat at Skin Couture. This Beverly Hills salon has developed a loyal clientele of discerning customers--many of whom are celebrities--thanks to top-notch facilities and consistently perfect results. Debra Van Kallen is a waxing and eyebrow shaping legend in the beauty business, and her gold standard applies to all the treatments at Skin Couture. Come for the wax, and stay for the relaxing massage and skin smoothing session!
The Fine Print
• Must be redeemed within six months of date of issuance.• Deal must be redeemed with your iCityCerts card.• Lost or stolen iCityCerts cards will not be reissued.• iCityCerts card must be surrendered at point of redemption.• Full value of the Deal must be used in a single transaction.• Limit one iCityCerts card per visit, per person.• By appointment only.• If you cancel within 24 hours of appointment, you forfeit the right to reschedule.• Limit three Deals per person; purchase as many as you like as gifts.• Tax and gratuity not included. DailyCandy suggests tipping on the prediscount amount. It’s the nice thing to do.
• Beverly Hills | 490 S. San Vicente Blvd., ste. 8 (map)• 323-655-8313• skincouture.net• Tues.-Sat., 10 a.m.-6 p.m.
When the going gets tough, the slough gets it going. Enjoy the possibility of smoother skin with today's deal from Skin Couture Spa Studio: For $45 (regularly $105), get a 90-minute hydrating Oxygen Facial, or for $32 (regularly $65) get a Brazilian wax. Treat your derm to the 90-minute Oxygen Facial at this intimate Beverly Hills skin boutique, complete with relaxing, softly lit rooms and aromatic oils. Start with an exfoliation, and follow through with a custom blend of pure oxygen and liquid vitamins that are designed to rehydrate stressed skin. Or help soften skin down below with a Brazilian wax that is customized to your needs. Led by a master esthetician, this boutique studio specializes in getting the tough and the rough to get going. Want more? Check out Skin Couture Spa Studio on Facebook.
Your Labor Day weekend was great and all...until you remembered Breaking Bad cut their season short and won't be back on until next summer. Seriously, WTH (what the Hank)!? Calm down! We're offering a one-hour Swedish massage at Skin Couture for $29 (reg. $75). Swedish massage loosens muscles with smooth gliding strokes and light kneading. The technique is particularly effective in releasing muscle tension, improving circulation, and lulling you into a blissfully relaxed stupor. After all that pampering, you'll be more relaxed than Skylar after a glass bottle of wine.
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The Corner Pub Coupons and Deals
The Fine Print
Merchant will abide by gift certificate state laws. No cash or credit back. Must be used in one visit. Not valid on tax or gratuity. Voucher cannot be combined or used in conjunction with any other offer, coupon or promotion. One voucher per table, per visit. Not valid on holidays, St. Patrick's Day or Super Bowl Sunday.
$15 for food and drink ($30 value) Offering a great selection of craft beers and seasonal favorites 17 High Definition televisions making it a great place to watch any event Bar open until 2 a.m. every night The Corner Pub is a 21st Century Irish pub with classic Irish fare featuring traditional pub fare as well all set in an inviting family atmosphere. They offer 17 HD televisions so you can catch all the action of your favorite sports team. It makes a great establishment to hold a private party or it can be the place you designate to catch up with your friends for a great night out.
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|<< Exodus 34 >>|
Young's Literal Translation
The Tablets are Replaced
1And Jehovah saith unto Moses, ‘Hew for thyself two tables of stone like the first, and I have written on the tables the words which were on the first tables which thou hast broken;
2and be prepared at morning, and thou hast come up in the morning unto mount Sinai, and hast stood before Me there, on the top of the mount,
3and no man cometh up with thee, and also no man is seen in all the mount, also the flock and the herd do not feed over-against that mount.’
4And he heweth two tables of stone like the first, and Moses riseth early in the morning, and goeth up unto mount Sinai, as Jehovah commanded him, and he taketh in his hand two tables of stone.
5And Jehovah cometh down in a cloud, and stationeth Himself with him there, and calleth in the Name of Jehovah,
6and Jehovah passeth over before his face, and calleth: ‘Jehovah, Jehovah God, merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abundant in kindness and truth,
7keeping kindness for thousands, taking away iniquity, and transgression, and sin, and not entirely acquitting, charging iniquity of fathers on children, and on children’s children, on a third [generation], and on a fourth.’
8And Moses hasteth, and boweth to the earth, and doth obeisance,
9and saith, ‘If, I pray Thee, I have found grace in Thine eyes, O my Lord, let my Lord, I pray Thee, go in our midst (for it [is] a stiff-necked people), and thou hast forgiven our iniquity and our sin, and hast inherited us.’
The Lord Renews the Covenant
10And He saith, ‘Lo, I am making a covenant: before all thy people I do wonders, which have not been done in all the earth, or in any nation, and all the people in whose midst thou [art] have seen the work of Jehovah, for it [is] fearful that which I am doing with thee.
11‘Observe for thyself that which I am commanding thee to-day: lo, I am casting out from before thee the Amorite, and the Canaanite, and the Hittite, and the Perizzite, and the Hivite, and the Jebusite;
12take heed to thyself, lest thou make a covenant with the inhabitant of the land into which thou art going, lest it become a snare in thy midst;
13for their altars ye break down, and their standing pillars ye shiver, and its shrines ye cut down;
14for ye do not bow yourselves to another god — for Jehovah, whose name [is] Zealous, is a zealous God.
15‘Lest thou make a covenant with the inhabitant of the land, and they have gone a-whoring after their gods, and have sacrificed to their gods, and [one] hath called to thee, and thou hast eaten of his sacrifice,
16and thou hast taken of their daughters to thy sons, and their daughters have gone a-whoring after their gods, and have caused thy sons to go a-whoring after their gods;
17a molten god thou dost not make to thyself.
18‘The feast of unleavened things thou dost keep; seven days thou dost eat unleavened things, as I have commanded thee, at an appointed time, the month of Abib: for in the month of Abib thou didst come out from Egypt.
19‘All opening a womb [are] Mine, and every firstling of thy cattle born a male, ox or sheep;
20and the firstling of an ass thou dost ransom with a lamb; and if thou dost not ransom, then thou hast beheaded it; every first-born of thy sons thou dost ransom, and they do not appear before Me empty.
21‘Six days thou dost work, and on the seventh day thou dost rest; in ploughing-time and in harvest thou dost rest.
22‘And a feast of weeks thou dost observe for thyself; first-fruits of wheat-harvest; and the feast of in-gathering, at the revolution of the year.
23‘Three times in a year do all thy males appear before the Lord Jehovah, God of Israel;
24for I dispossess nations from before thee, and have enlarged thy border, and no man doth desire thy land in thy going up to appear before Jehovah thy God three times in a year.
25‘Thou dost not slaughter with a fermented thing the blood of My sacrifice; and the sacrifice of the feast of the passover doth not remain till morning:
26the first of the first-fruits of the land thou dost bring into the house of Jehovah thy God; thou dost not boil a kid in its mother’s milk.’
27And Jehovah saith unto Moses, ‘Write for thyself these words, for, according to the tenor of these words I have made with thee a covenant, and with Israel.’
28And he is there with Jehovah forty days and forty nights; bread he hath not eaten, and water he hath not drunk; and he writeth on the tables the matters of the covenant — the ten matters.
The Radiant Face of Moses
(2 Corinthians 3:7-18)
29And it cometh to pass, when Moses is coming down from mount Sinai (and the two tables of the testimony [are] in the hand of Moses in his coming down from the mount), that Moses hath not known that the skin of his face hath shone in His speaking with him,
30and Aaron seeth — all the sons of Israel also — Moses, and lo, the skin of his face hath shone, and they are afraid of coming nigh unto him.
31And Moses calleth unto them, and Aaron and all the princes in the company return unto him, and Moses speaketh unto them;
32and afterwards have all the sons of Israel come nigh, and he chargeth them with all that Jehovah hath spoken with him in mount Sinai.
33And Moses finisheth speaking with them, and putteth on his face a vail;
34and in the going in of Moses before Jehovah to speak with Him, he turneth aside the vail until his coming out; and he hath come out and hath spoken unto the sons of Israel that which he is commanded;
35and the sons of Israel have seen the face of Moses that the skin of the face of Moses hath shone, and Moses hath put back the vail on his face until his going in to speak with Him.
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Because André’s excellent post raised a couple of questions, I decided to do a video on how to implement the rankings filter. It explains how to do the first and second filter André mentioned in his post, I’ve added a third filter to lowercase the campaign term, and the final filter is André’s awesome add ranking to keyword filter. Check out the video, and if you have any other questions, please ask them in the comments:
By the way: the explanation was done on the account for the site top kinderboek. This is a site we work on at OrangeValley, you can buy children’s books there, and all the profit from it goes to charity!
The code to copy paste for the fourth filter:
- Field A, campaign term:
- Field B, referral:
- Output, user defined:
$A1 (page: $B3)
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I ‘met’ Amy Palko a few weeks ago: we are both participating in Nona Jordan’s Get Right with Money e-course. I was immediately attractd to Amy’s softness and authenticity, and after a while, realised that I had read her e-book back in December. I’d been moved to tears by some of the essays in that book. But I didn’t realise that Amy was THAT Amy until recently!I’m fascinated by the work she does around the Divine Feminine and how she incorporates Jungian archetypes into her work. I like the idea of healing the hurt parts of ourselves using archetypes and images of powerful goddesses, whether you believe in them or just use them symbolically. So I was delighted when Amy agreed to do an interview with me!Here it is:Have you always been interested in Mother/Goddess work or did it come as a result of your soul searching?
Interview with Amy Palko: the power of the Goddess
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Fix yourself a tasty drink and settle in. You'll find tools here for inspired living, fuss-free yoga, and radical self-acceptance.
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Community Awareness and Fundraising Volunteers [ More info ]
Organize and/or assist with fundraising projects and events throughout the year. May include providing assistance with planning, recruitng sponsors and volunteers, logistics and participating in the events.
Hospice Richmond Hill
Corporate Contact Volunteer [ More info ]
Professional business person to assist with securing corporate sponsors, using his/her corporate contacts.
Centre for Dreams (The)
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People who like this movie also tend to like movies such as
The Chronicles of Riddick, Stargate, Serenity, Alien 3, X-Men Origins: Wolverine, Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior, X2, Starship Troopers, Resident Evil and Demolition Man.
Fans of this particular movie tend to dislike other sci-fi movies such as Star Trek Nemesis, Solaris and Mega Shark Vs. Giant Octopus.
People who like this movie are more likely than most to think of themselves as Knowledgeable, Individualistic, Imaginative, Introvert and Grouchy. Their general interests are more likely to include Science, Video Games, Computers and Technology, Movies and Archaeology.
This movie is particularly popular among supporters of the Liberal Democrats. This movie is particularly popular among readers of The Independent on Sunday.
People who like this movie tend to like brands such as Aero.
People who like this movie say their favourite actors are: Joss Whedon, Bruce Willis, Patrick Stewart, Simon Pegg, Christian Bale, Gary Oldman, Dan Aykroyd, Bill Murray, Harrison Ford and Clint Eastwood.
TV programmes shown in the UK they tend to like include Futurama, Firefly, Star Trek: The Next Generation, Stargate SG-1, The X-Files, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Hill Street Blues, Red Dwarf and Bones. UK TV personalities they tend to like include Kenny Everett, Kenneth Williams, Dara O'Briain, Griff Rhys Jones and David Attenborough.
Books they are statistically most likely to enjoy reading are: The Stainless Steel Rat, The Last Hero, Second Foundation, Lords and Ladies, Sourcery, Foundation and Empire, Small Gods, Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?, Dune and Guards! Guards!.
People who dislike this movie describe it as Overrated.
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Fink - Perfect Darkness
The lovely - Lucy Rose - Middle of the Bed
Josh T Pearson - Sweetheart, I Ain’t Your Christ
Ben Howard - Keep Your Head Up
John Martyn - Go Easy.
The Tallest Man on Earth - The Dreamer
Damien Romano - “She Was The World To Me”
Brilliant - you’ll all love this.
City and Colour - What Makes a Man.
All I’ve been listening to - Dallas Green.
Sorry I’ve not been posting much.
William Fitzsimmons in all his beardy glory - “Just Not Each Other”
This guy’s music is beyond brilliant, it just resonates.
Because I’ve not put any Johnny Cash on.
Johnny Cash - “Hurt”
The best cover ever?
Black Crowes - She Talks To Angels
Brilliant band, brilliant music.
Some very very very early Mumford and Sons - “The Banjolin Song”
Played on a balcony, the video quality’s not brilliant but the musical ability certainly is.
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If you're in the process to stop smoking, get your e-cigarettes from a pharmacy. The Medicines Control Council says that the product is subject to medical scheduling and can only be sold at pharmacies.Read more
Young children are vulnerable and dependent on their parents to protect their health and wellbeing. Luckily it is not rocket science, and these five principles provide a good start to keeping your young children happy and healthy and to teach them good habits for remaining in good health as they get older.
"All couples and individuals have the right to decide freely and responsibly the number and spacing of their children and to have access to the information and means to do so." (United Nations Population Fund).
Bisphenol A (BPA) is an organic compound found in polycarbonate plastics which is used to manufacture many types of household articles including baby bottles. Recent scientific evidence found BPA to be harmful in that it plays a role in numerous diseases including diabetes, liver disease, heart disease and cancer.
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24/7 Monitoring Without a Phone Line.How it works
Do you want professional ADT monitoring for your Grand Junction home security system but don't have a landline? No problem. The CellGuard® package lets your home security system connect to the ADT Customer Monitoring Centers wirelessly. You stay connected to 24/7 alarm monitoring without getting a landline.See Packages
Arm and disarm from anywhere.How it works
If you're out and about and want to change the status of your home security system in Grand Junction, now you can. ADT Pulse℠ in Grand Junction also includes text and email alerts. You won't get overwhelmed with alerts because you get to customize them to meet your needs. With ADT Pulse℠, you get water/flood sensors to help you avoid water damage in your home.See Packages
Talk directly to ADT dispatchers
through your keypad.
You can get a direct connection to a customer monitoring professional with your home alarm system. With 2-Way Voice, your security system's wireless control panel can act as an intercom. Even in a situation where you can't make it to your wireless control pad, you are covered with this feature. The microphone can be used up to 75 feet away.See Packages
Your home and family deserve the best to help protect them. ADT is the number one security provider in the country. Over 6 million customers trust ADT home alarm monitoring, which has over 140 years of experience.
ADT doesn't let you go without monitored protection. When it comes to your home, you wil always have help keeping it secure, thanks to ADT's 4 customer monitoring centers. There is always someone there to help watch out for your home safety thanks to the interconnectivity of these centers.
True around-the-clock alarm system monitoring service is what sets ADT apart. Only ADT has four interconnected customer monitoring centers. Your home alarm sends alerts to the nearest one. But if something happens to one of the centers, your alarm system will default to another center. You get continuous home security monitoring.
―Valued at $850!Learn More
Grand Junction residents can get FREE* equipment, valued at $850, just for getting security monitoring! That's not an insignificant savings. In fact, it's the equivalent of having 22 months of basic home alarm monitoring covered. Don't miss out.See Packages
*With $99.00 customer installation charge and purchase of alarm monitoring services. See important terms and conditions to this offer below.
to help protect your home.Learn More
For the most part, Grand Junction security companies only give you 3 free sensors with their basic home security system. That's not the case when you sign up through Protect Your Home, an ADT Authorized Dealer. To help you get the ultimate in home protection, you'll get 6 FREE+ home alarm door or window sensors.See Packages
Many places will make you wait weeks or even days before your security system is installed, but not Protect Your Home in Grand Junction, TN. You can have a professional technician install the ADT monitored security system in your Grand Junction home within 24-hours^.See Packages
*With $99.00 Customer Installation Charge and Purchase of Alarm Monitoring Services.
See Important Terms & Conditions to This Offer Below.
†Not available in all areas
The FBI Uniform Crime Report estimates that 9,063,173 property crimes were committed in 2011 across the nation. The report also shows that 24% of those offenses were burglaries. Grand Junction data is currently unavailable, but burglaries increased 0.9% from 2010 to 2011. A burglar alarm can help you protect your home from rising crime rates.
Property Crime-9,063,173 occurrences
Larceny Theft-6,159,795 occurrences
Motor Vehicle Theft-715,373 occurrences
Without a security system...
With a security system...
Because there are approximately 2571 people here, you have a 1 in 864 chance that your home will be burglarized. To help keep you safe, there's one choice to make. Studies show that having a security system in your home, such as those monitored by ADT can make you 3 times less likely3 to be robbed.
Home alarm systems in Grand Junction cost less than what you risk to lose if you experience a break-in. According to the FBI, there was about $15.6 billion lost nationally in 2011 because of property crimes. And U.S. homeowners lose about $4.8 billion because of burglaries. How does this affect you? A home burglary can cost Grand Junction residents about $2,200. Investing in an affordable ADT monitored home alarm system is worth it.
Yearly average cost of burglaries
for Grand Junction5:
That's enough to buy you:
First Class Postage Stamps
Roundtrip flights from NY to LA
You may save 20%
You're doing your part to help protect your home from a robbery and insurance companies recognize that. When you help protect your home with ADT monitoring in Grand Junction, you will receive a certificate you can present to your insurance provider that may help you reduce your homeowners insurance by up to 20%.See Packages
(certain restrictions apply)
An ADT monitored security system will help you protect your Grand Junction home. With a monitored security system, your home is 3 times less likely3 to be targeted by a burglar. But if you do get burglarized while your home is being monitored, ADT may pay up to $500 of your insurance deductible.See Packages
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(certain restrictions apply)
If you're unsure about getting home security, consider this. ADT monitoring in Grand Junction comes with a guarantee that you'll be satisfied with the service you receive or you may get your money back. ADT will make every attempt to resolve any problems or concerns you may have, but if it isn't possible, you may receive a refund for the installation and monitoring fees incurred during that time.See Packages
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” Clinton Tarver has been serving hot dogs to hungry locals in downtown Lansing, Mich., for the last five years, but a brush this week with a pro-union protest literally upended his small business in a matter of minutes.
During a protest against right-to-work legislation in Michigan’s capital, Tarver’s catering supplies were destroyed when demonstrators tore down the tent where he was serving and trampled his gear.
“Everyone that had a ticket I had given a hot dog to,” the 63-year-old owner of Clint’s Hot Dog Cart and Casual Catering told FoxNews.com. “So when two guys, one with a mask, came to get their hot dogs, I didn’t think anything of it because they had tickets and I was just there for a job.”
He described the action that ensued as “violent.” Only minutes after he’d handed the two men their hot dogs, the pair tore down the tent, turned over his serving tables, smashed his hot dogs, tossed a cooler filled with sodas and spilled his chili.
“I kept explaining that I was just here to do a job, that I wasn’t on anybody’s side, but when people started calling me racial slurs, my friend who works at the Capitol told me I had to get out of there, so I crawled out,” said Tarver, who is black.”
- Union thugs destroy Mich. hot dog vendor’s business, vendor remains gracious (twitchy.com)
- LABOR OF SHOVE:Hot Dog Vendor’s Gear Trashed at Union Protest (foxnews.com)
- Union Thugs Yell ‘Nigger Uncle Tom’ As They Destroy Clint Tarver’s Iconic Hot Dog Cart (mikesright.wordpress.com)
- Lansing business owner alleges racial abuse, loses equipment in Right to Work protests at state Capitol (mlive.com)
- The Naked Face Of Leftism: The Real Rascists Unmasked (thecampofthesaints.org)
- Union Goons Destroyed Man’s Hot Dog Cart While Calling Him ‘N*gger’ and ‘Uncle Tom’ (pjmedia.com)
- Black Businessman Targeted by Michigan Union Mob (moonbattery.com)
- Sorry Protesters: Your Jobs Are Being Sent To China And They Aren’t Coming Back (conservativeread.com)
- Fox News contributor punched in face at pro-union protests in Michigan (foxnews.com)
- union bastards.. (oforchristsakes.wordpress.com)
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Produced and Directed by Bill Hanna and Joe Barbera.
Credits: Animation – Dick Lundy; Layout – Sam Weiss; Backgrounds – Joe Montell; Story – Warren Foster; Story Sketches – Dan Gordon; Titles – Art Goble; Production Supervision – Howard Hanson.
Voice cast: Announcer, Director, Elephant – Don Messick; Huck, Leroy – Daws Butler.
First Aired: week of October 26, 1959.
Plot: Huck tells a TV adventure show how he captured Leroy the Lion.
Jack Benny ran into an assortment of odd characters on his radio show, but none stuck out more than John L.C. Sivoney, the slow-thinking sweepstakes ticket-winner whose goofy, redundant rambles were punctuated with a building, wheezy laugh or bawl. Jack broke up. The audience howled. And Jackie Gleason remembered, because he borrowed the character for his TV show, stuck him in a bar with a tender named Joe and created Crazy Guggenheim.
Crazy was played by a man named Frank Fontaine, who witnessed first-hand how one’s character can overwhelm and typecast an actor. Fontaine could do more than act as if his thoughts were fighting a frozen brain and tongue. He was an accomplished impressionist—his first break was on the amateur portion of Fred Allen’s radio show in the mid ‘30s doing imitations—and evidently got tired of doing virtually the same low-IQ, asthma-laugh routine week after week on the Gleason show. The story goes Gleason unexpectedly heard him singing in his dressing room and decided to put him on the show crooning old-time songs in his normal voice. It’s reminiscent of how Jim Nabors wanted to show the world he wasn’t some half-wit hayseed but instead could burst into a stirring baritone version of The Impossible Dream. People seem to have viewed Fontaine’s singing as a kind of a curiosity. But they loved Crazy.
And so did the people at Warners cartoons. Bob McKimson and Tedd Pierce came up with Rabbit’s Kin (1951), where they handed his voice to Stan Freberg and put it in the throat of an incredibly stupid mountain lion named Pete Puma. You’d have sworn there were a whole series of Pete Puma cartoons in the ‘50s because everyone remembers him. But there was just this one, re-run over and over. Later, Friz Freleng would borrow the same voice and stick it in an alley cat named Sam in the Sylvester-Tweety short Mouse and Garden (1960). Sam was voiced by Freberg’s friend and cohort Daws Butler.
But that wasn’t the only time Daws did the voice, and Warners wasn’t the only cartoon studio which borrowed it. Hanna-Barbera remembered Fontaine, too, and Daws inserted his version of the voice into a king-of-beasts adversary for Huckleberry Hound in Lion-Hearted Huck, a first season cartoon written by Charlie Shows. When Warren Foster arrived to write the second season, he dragged the lion out of retirement, gave him a name, added a cynical edge and created Somebody’s Lion.
I love the opening of this cartoon. I don’t mean the pan of the jungle, although it’s nice. What’s great is Foster’s sense of observation. Huck is on an atyptical 1950s interview show about daring adventures, yet Foster’s already noticed that even the most daring adventurers can come across as stiff in the phoney world of television. And phoney it is. For all of Huck’s interview responses to the chatty host are completely scripted as he struggles badly to read them off a cue card. So there you have Foster’s commentary about television, one of many he injected into stories over the years at Hanna-Barbera. To add to the satire, Huck continues to glance back and forth from the camera to the cue cards, even leaning over to get a better look. Daws Butler contributes with a halting delivery, wonderful in its obviousness.
On top of that, the director sounds completely bored and his pre-show countdown is stuck at “two” while a production assistant constantly puts Huck’s pith helmet back in place because it keeps dropping over the hound’s eyes.
Watching all this on TV in his cave (the entrance is decorated with a gold plaque with a crown) is Leroy. Huck reveals (in his normal delivery; the cue card joke’s over, son) that after the show, he’s going to hunt Leroy again—and has a surprise for him.
Leroy: That fu-nny, fu-nny hunter. I love westerns. But a good comedian kills me.
The wheezing, inhaling Fontaine laugh follows. The inhaling is in six drawings, with the timing between them varying. Leroy loses his whiskers along the way. I’ve slowed them down so you can take a look at how Lundy did it, as least in this part of the cartoon. There are five more times (not all drawn the same way) where we see the laugh and several more times when we just hear it.
What’s the surprise? “Huntin’ him, Maharajah-style,” Huck confides to us as he rides an elephant that goes up and down behind the bushes so his legs don’t have to be animated. Leroy loosens the buckle on the seat holding Huck atop the elephant. Huck slides underneath and hangs upside down for a conversation. Leroy asks for “the usual elephant hunting license.” Unlike most cartoon characters, Huck does and whips it out for inspection.
So the gags can now begin. Huck shoots Leroy in the tail, which he puts out on a tree like a cigarette butt (“He’s one of the good ones,” Leroy observes in one of Foster’s favourite lines). The lion responds with the old mechanical mouse bit (used by Foster in Sahara Hare). Huck expects the trick and informs us his elephant isn’t afraid of mice. Afraid you’re wrong, Huck. The elephant, with the hound aboard, climbs a tree and hangs onto a branch. The elephant’s weight does the expected. “You know somethin’?” Huck says to us after popping his head up from under beast on the ground, “That’s a right heavy elephant.”
Leroy gets the worst of it now. First, he surreptitiously empties Huck’s six shooter, counting the bullets to make sure he has all of them, then pretends to be a midway target (with an appropriate wind-up mechanical sound effect) asking Huck to shoot him. He does. “A seven shooter. What won’t they think of next?” the chortling lion comments.
Huck puts out a sign. ‘Lions Club Meets Today Behind Rock.’ Leroy peers behind the rock. “I got a hunch I shouldn’t ask the next question,” the lions tells the audience before asking where the Lion’s Club is. “Right here!” cries Huck. Pow he goes with a club.
The final gag has a lot of padding for dialogue but it involves an old cartoon gag—Leroy hides a cannon inside a box camera and convinces Huck to have his picture taken. We all know what’ll happen next. Leroy accidentally turns the camera around and shoots himself. We don’t see it happen, of course, because that takes a lot of drawings. Instead, the black blanket (or whatever it’s called) that covers Leroy moves, the camera (shooting the cartoon, not the one Leroy is using) shakes and wisps of smoke rise above the blanket.
Back we are at the TV studio watching Huck “Well, I see you finally did it,” the off-camera host joyously exclaims, “You caught Leroy.” How did he do it? Leroy tells us in his own words. “What’s to tell?” hyucks the lion, wearing a paper bag over his head to hide the gunshot injury. “He was just lucky, I guess.” And we get a wheezy inhaled laugh for a final time.
Frank Fontaine’s career had yet to hit its heights, but Leroy’s was finished. Warren Foster seems to have given a bunch of antagonists from the Charlie Shows cartoons— the dog next door, Pierre, Chief Crazy Coyote, Leroy—a try then went off in his own direction. As for Fontaine, he went on to fame with Gleason, gave his wife labour pains on eleven occasions and had friends bail him out when his home was seized in a $450,000 tax dispute with the U.S. government. On the night of August 4, 1978, he walked off stage after his fourth encore in a benefit in Spokane for the Fraternal Order of Eagles, collapsed, and died of a heart attack. He was 58. And after all those years of others doing his duncey voice in cartoons, Frank was about to do it himself. He had been working on a pilot for a TV cartoon show called ‘Happy House’ at the time of his death.
It’s interesting to see Lundy has drawn both Huck and Leroy with half of one eye-lid closed in portions of the cartoon.
Lots of Spencer Moore music here, including one of a number of bassoon effects in L-1158. Huck “dum-dee-dums” ‘My Darling Clementine’ twice in the cartoon over the stock music. The last cue from Jack Shaindlin starts with a fast march, then a trombone going up five notes and back down in an octave, like a scale, but the sound cutter just uses the first part and the stab at the end. And we get that ‘march of the hiccuping squirrels’ muted trumpet music of Shaindlin’s that I haven’t been able to identify.
0:00 - Huckleberry Hound sub-main title theme (Hoyt Curtin).
0:13 - ZR-49 LIGHT EERIE (Geordie Hormel) – Pan across jungle and TV truck.
0:26 - TC-204A WISTFUL COMEDY (Bill Loose-John Seely) – Huck in studio.
1:14 - TC-301 ZANY WALTZ (Loose-Seely) – Leroy’s cave entrance, Leroy watches TV.
1:45 - L-1154 ANIMATION COMEDY (Moore) – Huck on elephant, “That lion must’ve gone into hidin’”
2:39 - LAF-25-3 bassoon and zig-zag strings (Shaindlin) – Conversation under elephant, Leroy shot, mouse zips toward elephant.
3:54 - LAF-2-12 ON THE RUN (Shaindlin) – Elephant scared by mouse; lands on ground on top of Huck.
4:05 - L-1158 ANIMATION COMEDY (Moore) – “You know somethin’” line.
4:11 - L-1139 ANIMATION COMEDY (Moore) – Leroy grabs gun, empties it of bullets; Huck shoots him.
4:49 - TC-303 ZANY COMEDY (Loose-Seely) – “What won’t they think of next?”
4:56 - L-81 COMEDY UNDERSCORE (Moore) – Lions Club scene.
5:45 - TC-202 ECCENTRIC COMEDY (Loose-Seely) – Picture-taking scene.
6:32 - fast circus sports ‘scale’ music (Shaindlin) – Huck in studio, Leroy has bag on head.
6:59 - Huckleberry Hound sub-end title (Curtin).
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Designer Outlet Centre Update
November 06, 2012
Vancouver Airport Authority has selected a preferred location for the development of the Designer Outlet Centre at a new site near the Canada Line Templeton Station on Sea Island. The new site is located on the northeast corner of Sea Island and provides direct access to the Canada Line rapid-transit that connects Vancouver International Airport to Richmond and Vancouver. The decision was made after conducting feasibility studies on the Russ Baker Way site and the Templeton site, and following consultation with the community.
The Designer Outlet Centre, scheduled to open in Fall 2014, is an exciting partnership with Europe’s leading owner, developer and manager of designer outlets, McArthurGlen. The Designer Outlet Centre will increase the region’s destination appeal and generate an estimated 1,000 new jobs.
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Another one of my blogger collaborations, this time with the eternally stylish Miss Margaret Zhang of Shine by three. Check Margaret's blog later for the styling references. Such a delight to spend a morning with this pretty lady in the sun. Here's to hoping I get around to doing plenty more collaborations with bloggers who inspire me in the not too distant future.
Been hating on the internet, email and social networking lately... the inescapable truth...knowing I will be spending such a large portion of my life staring into a glossy screen. Rebellion!
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New Delhi: The Taj Mansingh hotel, an iconic building of India's capital, will continue to be operated by Tata Group's Indian Hotels Company (IHC) for at least another year, said informed sources.
According to the sources, the New Delhi Municipal Council, which owns the property, Thursday decided to extend the lease of Taj Mansingh hotel with IHC by one more year.
The hotel is being run by IHC on a 33-year lease, which expired last year and was extended till October 2012.
The source confirmed that Indian Hotels, which paid the NDMC 10.5 percent of its gross revenue annually as rent, will now be required to pay 17.5 percent of annual revenue for the extended period.
The civic body will decide whether the Taj Group will continue to run the property on re-negotiated financial terms or if the property will be auctioned, inviting bids from other parties.
Additional Solicitor General of India, R.K. Khanna, in his legal opinion to the NDMC, has advocated the public auction.
The legal opinion was sought following the suggestions of Ernst & Young, the consultants to NDMC's that the civic body may choose the auction option, but also opined that from a risk management and commercial perspective, NDMC stands to benefit the most if the existing contract is renegotiated and extended.
First Published: Friday, September 28, 2012, 08:39
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Maderna has been resting currently in the MDM Hospital in the city since February 11.
It may be recalled that both Maderna and Malkhan Singh Bishnoi, who had been admitted in the private hospitals in Jodhpur in the garb of the treatment, had been ordered by the ACJM (SC/ST Cases) court to be shifted to their respective jails with immediate effect after the court found their stay in the hospitals without any purpose.
"Following this order, Bishnoi was shifted to Ajmer jail on February 11 but Maderna again admitted himself to the MDM Hospital citing pain in heart and back," told Ashok Joshi, Senior Special Counsel for CBI.
A medical board was constituted by the hospital, which checked him but all the medical reports of Maderna in the hospital have been found to be normal.
Joshi said that despite his normal reports, the hospital administration has no yet discharged him even after the lapse of 15 days, which again shows that Maderna is not willing to leave Jodhpur feigning health issues.
"Now we have pleaded from the court to ensure compliance of its order of February 4 to shift Maderna to Jaipur jail," the CBI counsel added.
36-year-old Bhanwari, who was an auxiliary nurse, had gone missing from Jodhpur's Bilara area on September 1, 2011.
During the CBI probe, it was found that she was abducted and killed and her body burnt at Jaloda. Her remains and belongings were later dumped in the Rajiv Gandhi Lift Canal, which were recovered by the CBI.
Jodhpur: A local court has sought reply from the jail and hospital administration following an application by the CBI objecting to the stay of Mahipal Maderna, one of the key accused in the Bhanwari Devi murder case, in hospital despite orders to be shifted to Jaipur jail.
First Published: Wednesday, February 27, 2013, 20:50
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From Zelda Wiki, the Zelda encyclopedia
|Inhabitant(s)||Christine, Chef Bear, Schule Donavitch, Hippo Model, Zora|
|Item(s)||Pineapple, Piece of Heart|
|Related place(s)||Mabe Village, East of the Bay, Martha's Bay|
Animal Village is a small village of animals appearing only in Link's Awakening. The animals here all live together peacefully and are able to speak the same language as Link and the inhabitants of Mabe Village. It is located in the southeastern corner of Koholint Island, just west from Yarna Desert. To the south is the region known only as East of the Bay, to the west is Martha's Bay, to the northwest is Ukuku Prairie, and to the north (but inaccessible from it) is the Face Shrine.
The inhabitants consist of rabbits, squirrels, a goat named Christine, a bear, an alligator artist named Schule Donavitch, a hippo, and a Zora. All the animals seem to be enamored with the singing voice of Marin, who goes with Link to sing the Ballad of the Wind Fish to all of the inhabitants that live there. Otherwise, the animals constantly remind Link that Marin must come back someday to sing them another song.
One of the residents of the town says that the Animal Village is a sister city to that of Mabe Village. The reason that these two villages were never seen to have closer bands than what was shown was mainly because of the uprising in monster sightings and attacks that spanned the area connecting the two together.
- ↑ "Hey! Did ya know Animal Village and Mabe Village are sister cities? Yes, even though they aren't large enough to be called cities... Anyway, I heard from a very good source that they have a Dream Shrine in Mabe, and that it has something good inside... Is that true?" — Rabbit (Link's Awakening)
- ↑ "Lately there have been a lot of monsters in the area, so we can't go to Mabe Village... I wonder how Marin is doing?" — Rabbit (Link's Awakening)
|Regions in Link's Awakening|
|Click on an area|
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Need the latest headlines in hair trend news? Come back every Monday for the The Frizz Report for the top styles, hair transformation, and runway trends of the previous week.
Lauren Conrad has done it again! After creating a global hair color craze as thousands of girls attempted to reacreate her rainbow hair tips, LC and her best friend colorist Kristin Ess decided to go with Ombre highlights of yet another color – Peach!
I think the tips look dreamily good (and also make me crave some serious Orange Dreamsicle – just me?), but I wonder how long this color will last. Some speculate that her first tye-dye color job was not even real hair color – or not even her in the pictures! What do you think? Should she stick with the color? Would you wear it? [Read more from Allure]
Call me crazy, but I haven’t seen Katie Holmes in the spotlight of much of anything minus tabloids since she married Tom Cruise and became a mom. However, a refreshingly real interview with the actress about daughter Suri and her future plans for a fashion label will accompany her appearance on the cover of Marie Claire’s November 2011 issue.
I never noticed it before, but how much to Katie and the newest member of the royal family Kate Middleton look alike? They could be twins! Especially in one of the shots of Katie in Marie Claire’s spread where she has her hair styled in a soft blowout – all I could think of was Princess Kate. All in all, I’d call her cover appearance and interview in Marie Claire a win. [See more shots of Katie in Marie Claire]
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I have a new piece up at Pragati Magazine this morning, which focuses on a book review of Makers by Chris Anderson:
….If anything, Anderson has managed to understate the velocity with which the technology is advancing and the creative uses to which users are putting their machines. Since the publication ofMakers, a succession of news stories have revealed everything from Formlabs’ slickly designed Form 1 machine to users printing functional (if fragile) assault rifles, car bodies and biomedical surgical replacements for missing pieces of the human skull. One gets the sense that the genie is out of the bottle.
Anderson is not merely making a technologically oriented argument , but a profoundly cultural one. In his view, the existence of the Maker movement, operating on the collaborative, “open-source” ethos is an iterative, accelerative driver of economic change that complements the technology. Anderson writes: “…In short, the Maker Movement shares three characteristics, all of which are transformative:
Read the rest here.
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The final day arrived. I was not feeling confident. There was a open practice on Thursday night that helped some but I did not feel i was there yet.
We did our morning line up and thankfully no Shiza. We were told everyone will take the written test at the same time before the shooting test.
We went to the rear section for the written test. Those testing for Sandan, Yondan and Godan were all in the same room. We had different questions of course.
Unlike my Nidan test with three questions today we only had one this time. Explain Goju-jumonji. Ok cool I am ready for that. I wrote it out and was ready to leave, however they wanted to check the answer sheets for everyone first. That turned out to be a good thing. As I was sitting there waiting I kept reviewing my list of the five crosses in my head. Something did not seem right. Finally it came to me I had put the last cross as the neck and Yumi should form a cross. It was my sensei who wad checking the English answers, I asked for mine back and was given it. I changed the word Yumi to Ya. After turning it back in and having it checked and ok’d I was given permission to leave. Wheeww that was close and over. Now the hard part.
The gym had been changed so there was one shajo. I had heard the makiwara room was open for those who wanted. However that changed shortly after I heard. There were no backing nets in the makiwara room since they put them out on the testing area. Therefore no Markiwara practice before the test. That could have been a help, but was not meant to be.
My group approach me to get a couple more practice line up/ entry’s in before our turn. We practice again over to the side, watching our timing and steps.
My stomach was not happy.
I made my self busy taking pictures of my dojomates, stretching and warming up. I found an out of the way spot on the upper floor and did some tai chi practice.
After lunch it was my turn to line up. My stomach really really turned sour. As I sat I did Chan breathing drills to help calm things. Then it was show time.
Our entrance was good we were smooth and organized. My first shot was a miss. Just off the target to the left but center level. The bad part, my thumb came off my fingers in Tenouchi, ugh! Ok I thought I have another chance.
Next shot I adjust a bit, but it was still a miss but the exact same spot as the first but on the right side of the target
Also even thought really thought about keeping the thumb down and I did, the middle finger came loose. I was toast! I know they were watching closely since I knew they were taking note on my Tenouchi. It was disappointing but not unexpected. I exited my Sensei said you were fighting the bow. Most of your pull came from your arms not your body. Don’t give up hope but it is only a slim chance they will pass you with the two misses and they were not grouped together, along with the shallow draw. I said I was not expecting to pass, it was ok.
I went and changed clothes and hung out the rest of the afternoon and watched the rest of the testing. I was pleased to see my friend pass the first part her Renshi shoot then her oral. Finally it was time for her second shots. Messages were relayed from LA to Davis and over to north Carolina where her husband was updated about the status of things.
Sadly she missed both last shots everyone was disappointed for her. It was a sad ending.
Around late afternoon the results were posted. It was noisy as people rejoiced on their passing. I did not even bother to go look. I knew I did not pass. I came across a line up mate and asked how he did. He said no one in our taichi passed. In fact out of all the Nidans only two out of about at least 15 or more people passed. Things get real serious at this level. I saw that at last year’s test with the large amount of no passes. With such a large amount of company I did not feel lonely not passing. I had been prepared for the outcome.
All of those testing from my dojo for Shodan passed. Good for them as I had heard not all do, some only get 1 kyu.
As I was leaving I saw Kubota Sensei. He gave me his slight smile, I bowed…we will meet again.
PS: Thanks to those who took my picture. I nice treat for this blog. _/|\_
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Undergoing a major renovation and addition, this former Cape style home has been expanded with a new fresh contemporary look and a Deep Energy Retrofit. The traditional half story on second level has been converted to a full second floor by raising the roof. The introduction of a two story living space provides much needed relief from the lower ceiling height of the first floor. The elongated and increased south-facing glazing helps to passively heat the home and bring daylight deep into the living space. Above the garage, a wide-open space accommodates a home photography studio.
The house, built in the early 1950s with small dark rooms, has had few updates since its original construction. The new renovated version of the home includes an open floor plan, increased southern glazing, and a bright kitchen that opens to the main living area with a vaulted ceiling.
This Deep Energy Retrofit includes a super-insulation strategy (R-71 Roof, R-45 Walls, R-26 Foundation, R-17 Slab, and U-0.22 Windows) combined with aggressive air sealing, a high efficiency air source heat pump, heat recovery ventilation, and 8 kW of solar electric. The resulting home yields exceptional energy performance with a HERS index of 12, making it roughly 88% more efficient than a new code-built home, which is net zero energy possible depending upon occupant behavior.
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Paul Boche by Dennis Weber
Sun Rays, Redwood Forest, California
photo via meg
Going Up by *Trichardsen
Detail from Waterhouse’s “Gather ye Rosebuds While We May”, 1909. (via)
Click on the image to see the detail in a zoomable context. Detail from Astronomer by Candlelight, Gerrit Dou
Swallows in a Snowstorm by kdee64 on Flickr.
(Source: attrvctive, via bettyvain)
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Razor V-17 Youth Multi-Sport Helmet (Satin Pink)
Multi-sport helmet for youth comes with extra pads for a secure comfortable fit. 11 vents guarantee a cool head at all times.... Read more
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- Multi-sport helmet for youth comes with extra pads for a secure comfortable fit
- 11 vents guarantee a cool head at all times
- Side release buckles adjust and fasten in a snap
- Complies with CPSC standards for persons age 8 - 14 years
- Fits head sizes 21.5 to 23 inches; for ages 8 to 14; complies with CPSC standards
- Como Children Pink Wrist Elbow Knee Pad Sports Support Set
- Pink Kids Knee Elbow Wrist Protective Guards Pads for Inline Ice Skate
- Razor V-17 Youth Multi-Sport Helmet (Black Gloss)
- Como Children Skating Sports Wrist Elbow Knee Pad Guard Pink
- Razor E100 Electric Scooter
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The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (or CDC) is an agency of the United States Department of Health and Human Services based in unincorporated DeKalb County in the Atlanta metropolitan area, Georgia, United States adjacent to the campus of Emory University and northeast of downtown Atlanta. It works to protect public health and safety by providing information to enhance health decisions, and it promotes health through partnerships with state health departments and other organizations. The CDC focuses national attention on developing and applying disease prevention and control (especially infectious diseases), environmental health, occupational safety and health, health promotion, prevention and education activities designed to improve the health of the people of the United States. The CDC would be responsible for the "containment" of the initial outbreaks, it would be heavily defended and one of the last places to lose contact with the rest of the world. Gaining access to the CDC would heavily increase survival chances.
Zombie attack planEdit
"Wonder why Zombies, Zombie Apocalypse, and Zombie Preparedness continue to live or walk dead on a CDC web site? As it turns out what first began as a tongue in cheek campaign to engage new audiences with preparedness messages has proven to be a very effective platform. We continue to reach and engage a wide variety of audiences on all hazards preparedness via Zombie Preparedness; and as our own director, Dr. Ali Khan, notes, "If you are generally well equipped to deal with a zombie apocalypse you will be prepared for a hurricane, pandemic, earthquake, or terrorist attack." So please log on, get a kit, make a plan, and be prepared!"
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Since Linsday Lohan can only kiss pure, virginal lips (uhm…yeah…), she had an issue with kissing Charlie Sheen on the set of “Scary Movie 5.”
Keep Up With Zona De Sabor On Facebook
DListed is reporting that America’s Favorite Trainwreck wouldn’t kiss Charlie when the script called for it. Even before it came time to kiss Mr. Tiger Blood, La Lohan was complaining to her friends that she had to smooch on him. (This is his thanks for bailing you out of your tax problems? Gee, thanks…)
What do you make of Lindsay’s proclamation? Tell us at @ZonaDeSabor!
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RC Cola Royal Code Stop Today
Get yourself to the Circle ‘S’ at Highway 66 and Sharon Road in Newburgh today between 4p-5p and see Chelsea to get the RC Cola Royal Code. All you’ve got to do is come by and get a code worth 5,000 All Access points. And if you buy an RC product while we’re there, Chelsea will give you another code worth an additional 10,000 points!
If you’re a member of 103GBF ALL ACCESS, you can use those points to try and win prizes like a 32-inch 1080p LCD HDTV…or $75…or a bunch of other great stuff.
If you’re still not a member of ALL ACCESS…why the hell not? Sign up right now!
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Worst Tattoos ever? Perhaps!
As a man with nearly 50 tattoos on my skin, I am very lucky to have gotten most of my work done by great local artists. Some people aren’t as lucky, apparently. This video features some not only bad tattoo work but also some pretty poor choices by the the people who got them. Enjoy!
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Our new-ish studios are known for being a bit more...let's say "woodsy" than our old location. A few of us have already mentioned our interactions with nature, but last night I had my first brush with a wild animal.
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President Barack Obama hit up Harlem’s historic Apollo Theater last night with a new message: “Let’s stay together.”
While speaking Thursday night during a fundraiser at the Apollo, the Prez showed off some of his singing skills as he channeled legendary soul singer Al Green’s classic hit “Let’s Stay Together.”
“I…I’m so in love with you,” sang the President.
Obama then pointed backstage and explained to the cheering crowd:
“Those guys didn’t think I would do it. I told you I was gonna do it. Don’t worry Rev, I cannot sing like you, but I just wanted to show my appreciation.”
It was a star-studded fundraiser, as about 1,400 supporters attended the event, which included performances from Al Green and India Arie.
Take a look as the President does his best Al Green impersonation.
Bill Clinton may have played the sax, but Obama sings!
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Back to Conference page
The 13th World Conference on Tobacco OR Health
Building capacity for a tobacco-free world
July 12-15, 2006, Washington, DC, USA
Objective: To demonstrate that tobacco smoking coexists in clusters with other risk factors for non-communicable diseases.Pakistan is in the phase of epidemiological transition with rising burden of non-communicable diseases. Lifestyle factors such as smoking and passive smoking unhealthy diet, physical inactivity, anxiety and depression, increases the risk for developing noncommunicable diseases.
Methods: In a household survey, using structured questionnaire, information was obtained to assess lifestyle risk factors (smoking and passive smoking, unhealthy diet, physical inactivity, anxiety and depression,)
Results: Among 534 adults (25-65 years),in a defined community of Karachi, Pakistan. Overall, 44% of adults had at least one, 30% had two, 18% had three and 5% had four lifestyle risk factors for non-communicable diseases. Overall, 40% of the respondents were exposed to passive smoking and this exposure is slightly higher among men however the difference was not significant statistically (Men: 42% versus Women: 38%; p = 0.38; OR = 1.2 95% CI: 0.8 – 1.7). Ten percent of the respondents in the study were current smokers. This study shows that majority of the adults had lifestyle risk factors for non-communicable diseases and clustering of these factors is common. Passive smoking was prominent and needs attention. The findings suggest for public health practitioners and clinicians to address these factors with integrated approach to prevent and delay the onset of developing non-communicable diseases.
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Intel has announced and debuted its latest newest processors for 2010. I know this isn’t a big deal because processors are released all the time. Well actually this is a big deal of sorts.
The Core i3 and Core i5 are part of the newest family of Intel chips released for 2010. The Core i5 and i3 are the first Intel laptop processors to combine two processor cores and a graphics function in one chip package (previously, the graphics chip was in a separate chipset), resulting in better overall power efficiency.
Why does this matter? Well for one it allows Intel to provide better integrated graphics.
With Intel® HD Graphics, the processors deliver stunning visuals and smooth high-definition (HD) video playback. It’s also the industry’s first integrated solution to deliver multi-channel Dolby* TrueHD and
DTS* Premium Suite home theater audio. In addition, Intel HD Graphics support mainstream and casual 3-D gaming without the need for an add-in video card, and offer full support for the new Microsoft Windows* 7 operating system.
The Core i3 and i5 part ways on Turbo Boost technology, which speeds up or slows down individual cores to meet processing or power efficiency needs. This will only be offered in only in the higher-end Core i5 and i7 processors.
Another interesting feature is Hyper-Threading, which makes a comeback after being dropped from the Dual Core, Core 2 chips supposedly for power inefficiencies. Both the i3 and i5 come with Hyper-Threading, which can double the number of tasks–or threads–a processor can execute, which according to Intel can give a Core i5 twice the preformance of a similar Core 2 Duo E5200 processor.
Now when Intel makes processors where do they go? Into desktops and laptops and some manufacturers debuted both entry level and high end laptops with Core processors at this years CES trade show.
The Acer Aspire AS7740-5142, starting at just $750 the i3-powered is one of the lower end new notebooks.
- 2.13 Intel Core i3-330M Processor with Intel Hyper-Threading Technology
- 4GB DDR3 1066MHz Memory
- 500GB 5400RPM SATA Hard Drive; 4X Blu-ray Disc/DVD-Super Multi Double-Layer Drive
- 17.3″ HD+ Widescreen CineCrystal LED-backlit Display; Intel Graphics Media Accelerator HD
- Windows 7 Home Premium (64 Bit edition)
- 4X Blu-ray Disc/ DVD-Super Multi double-layer drive
Apart from the new shiny processor and the huge bus speed of the RAM (1066 MHz), the finally sticking point is the built-in Blu-ray drive that makes it a legitimate HD player.
Also selling for the same price is the Aspire AS5740G-6979 which ships with an i5 processor and has similar specifications except for the optical drive, which is a DVD-RW drive and not Blu-ray. It seems not to be shipping yet.
Dell has also introduced laptops using Core i3 and i5 processors inside.
These are not the only laptops with i3 or i5 processors but I like showcasing budget and medium priced laptops. For this same reason I didn’t include the Core i7 which is seen in more high end and premium laptops. Tell me if you don’t like this approach in the comments.
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Recently a Japanese netizen commented and uploaded a video of a car center advertisement on an online community. The author claims that PSY ripped off the dance and Gangnam Style is plagiarized. Japanese netizens believe that it is indeed plagiarized, while Korean netizens have been defending PSY by saying:
“In this case, wearing cowboy hats would also be plagiarism.”
“There must be thousands of horse dances in the world.”
Nothing has been confirmed yet and is all netizen suspicion, but I hope that this will be resolved. Claiming plagiarism is an extreme offense, especially for someone who is getting so much attention world-wide.
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Gold had hit yet a new six-month high of $1,779.10 per ounce in early bird trading today after the Bank of Japan decided to ease via an expanded asset purchase plan. The theory is that gold bugs will swarm into a frenzy any time that monetary easing comes up as it devalues the currencies against hard assets. Apparently the news was not enough to stoke inflation and devaluation fears.
The Japanese asset purchasing came to about $125 billion and may have been more targeted at the strong yen rather than at true stimulus. After all, Japan’s economy has been in a two-decade slide. It may not be anywhere close enough to move the needle.
To add to the mix, the Bank of England’s latest minutes showed that while it kept rates and its quantitative easing unchanged, some members saw a need for further stimulus in the near future as business investment and labor conditions are expected to remain weak ahead. The Federal Open Market Committee’s QE3 in the United States is a half-trillion or so in dollar terms, but it is open-ended and can be increased as the FOMC lengthened out its incredibly low rate stance out to at least mid-2015.
China has started its own $175 billion infrastructure stimulus and has been trying to stimulate its banks. Europe is now going to embark on a round of bond buying, which was said to not be limited yet still sterilized (sure!).
The problem we are seeing today is that the metals are just not following the trend. Maybe Japan is just the last QE announcement that the markets can expect for a while. Gold is still up, but its price is up only 0.2% and less than $1,773 per ounce. It is important to recall that gold was less than $1,600 as recently as mid-August, before Jackson Hole and before the market became certain that QE3 was coming.
The SPDR Gold Shares (NYSEMKT: GLD) is up $0.08 at $171.80 and ETFS Physical Swiss Gold Shares (NYSEMKT: SGOL) is up marginally. The Market Vectors Gold Miners ETF (NYSEMKT: GDX) is indicated up $0.06 at $54.38.
iShares Silver Trust (NYSEMKT: SLV) is down almost 0.5% at $33.55. What is interesting is that the shares of silver miners are higher, with Hecla Mining Co. (NYSE: HL) up almost 0.8% at $6.59 and Pan American Silver Corp. (NASDAQ: PAAS) is up 0.3% at $21.55. Silver Wheaton Corp. (NYSE: SLW) may not be up that much but a ratio of its share price to the price of silver is getting elevated.
ETFS Physical Platinum Shares (NYSEMKT: PPLT) is up marginally as another platinum mine has erupted with more violent labor strikes. This was an Anglo Platinum mine in South Africa.
JON C. OGG
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This has been an interesting year when it comes to health of the banks. Wells Fargo & Co. (NYSE: WFC) is now the defacto healthiest of the 7 safest banks in America. That was no easy determination because J.P. Morgan Chase & Co. (NYSE: JPM) was the biggest and has that fortress balance sheet. After a share buyback announcement yesterday, we are taking a look at which bank actually can buy back its shares of common stock over the next year or so.
On Tuesday came word that Wells Fargo’s board of directors approved its $0.22 dividend but also that the board increased its authority to add 200 million more shares to its common stock repurchase plan. The bank already repurchased approximately 17 million common shares in third-quarter 2012 and an additional estimated 9 million shares through a forward repurchase transaction expected to settle in fourth quarter 2012. At the same time, Warren Buffett of Berkshire Hathaway Inc. (NYSE: WFC) said that he has yet again added to his massive holdings of Wells Fargo. While those shares are not retired and while dividends still have to be paid on those shares (unlike repurchased and retired shares), Buffett’s shares might as well be the next best thing to a bought-back share because it is unlikely to be thrown back into the free-float.
What is so interesting about J.P. Morgan Chase is that the giant bank suspended its share repurchase program in the wake of the London Whale losses. The bank could easily absorb that loss, but the pressure is on for banks to hold capital now unless it is absolutely free and clear capital that will not be needed for any future reserves. The London Whale losses are now effectively all but over. In the latest earnings conference call, Jamie Dimon did say that he thinks the bank should be able to buy back a substantial amount of its common stock in 2013 and still meet its Basel III capital requirements. As of the end of April, Dimon had spent about $1.3 billion buying back common stock out of what was a new $15 billion buyback plan.
Wells Fargo effectively said it would be allocating almost $7 billion more to repurchase shares, if you use prevailing market prices. J.P. Morgan has a massive amount of stock that it can buy back that is even larger, but Dimon is effectively still somewhat under scrutiny and he may have to wait for the outcome of the election before he makes any major moves on this front.
JON C. OGG
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Location: Beirut Hall
Co-produced with Buzz Productions
Julien Clerc charmed his audience during two performances at the Beirut Hall. Fais-moi une place, Melissa, Femmes je vous aime are some of the hits he performed during these two amazing concerts.
Currently there is no video for this event!
Check back soon for updates...
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Photo Credit: 303Photo
Hey 303Cycling followers! Summer is full on and you need some new cool cycling gear, something better than that Elmo jersey you girlfriend got you. Do you want a chance to win a new 303Cycling jersey or a 303Cycling tshirt (yes, win means for free..)?
We have been running a contest on our Facebook since Tuesday morning and you should check it out.
How do I enter the contest?
You go to our Facebook page and “like” us. Then, you post your favorite cycling picture to our wall before 11:59PM Tuesday, July 12.
What qualifies as a cycling picture?
Any cycling related pictures work - landscape, race, or just plain fun. They just need to be your own, original picture with no obvious photoshopping.
"I posted a picture and it’s after 11:59PM on Tuesday, July 12….so now what?"
We will be the judges and pick 5 finalists and then let the judging up to all of you. We will pick 1st and 2nd place Thursday evening based on the “likes” and release the information next Friday, July 15th. 1st Place will win a new 303Cycling jersey and 2nd place will receive a 303Cycling tshirt.
We have had some good entries so far! Let's see the pictures people! Share this with your friends (or not if you are the competitive type….) and get them in on the action. Be creative with gaining support for your photo – the number of “likes”, comments, and whatever else you can come up with will help sway your entry into the final 5! Start now and head to our Facebook page!/>
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Ok, so I had my 2 week follow up appointment with my surgeon today and he assured me everything I am going through is normal. This was validating and I’m sure you can imagine what I had been imagining. Or maybe you can’t. It was dramatic, people.
Upon entering the exam room he said “So, how are we doing?”
Eloquent 38 year old that I am, I said “You didn’t tell me it would suck this bad.”
He laughed uncomfortably.
I’m in a better place mentally though, in less pain..sort of, and have updated my expectation management software to the current (and more realistic) version.
Can I just take a moment to recognize Peter Provost? The guy is a champ. Truly. And I would have been committed to the loony bin had it not been for him these last few weeks. The guy’s phenomenal under pressure. I will miss him being my driver, personal assistant and all around sherpa.
So, I stumbled up on the following advice last year and like a good little nerd, I copied it and put it in my calendar on 12/5/11 with the header “EMILY: READ THIS”. (I love when I do stuff like that) Imagine my delight when I opened it and read what fits PERFECTLY into my desire to “keep it low key”
(via Blooma Blog – I’m sorry I don’t have the link and now I can’t find it!)
Be in charge of your holiday season. Don't let other people or advertising medium impose their expectations on you. Keep in touch with your deepest feelings.
• Keep it simple. You arrange the pace and space. (So important for keeping your kids sane, too!)
• If the loss of a loved one, financial troubles, or any serious anxiety surround you this holiday, make the season as simple and as positive as possible for yourself.
Holiday Bill of Rights:
• You have the right to take care of yourself: eat right, exercise, and get enough rest.
• You have the right to mixed emotions: happy, sad, frustrated, guilty, afraid, and thankful.
• You have the right to solitude—for planning, thinking, reflection, introspection, prayer, and relaxation.
• You have the right not to accept party or dinner invitations.
So good, right?
Our darling tree is up. A lovely wreath is on the front door. We play Christmas music every day and talk about the excitement of Christmas. I have a few activities planned (Botanic Gardens lights & Denver Gay Men’s Chorus Christmas Show) but other than that, we’re keeping it…say it with me…LOW KEY. And I couldn’t be more delighted.
Sending you some zen and coziness on this lovely Tuesday.
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This year started off really interesting.
After lots of training projects and a new Cycles and Compositing DVD that will be out soon I started to do some modeling for 3D printing, ordered by a 3D printing company based in Leipzig (www.realityservice.de)
They get a lot of different requests and jobs, with different topics, and as a freelancer I can do some of the modeling work, while RealityService gets the printing done. Some people want to have 3d prints of certain flowers, others want some architectural visualization, and some companies want to have their game characters 3D printed, like for example Wooga.
Wooga is ‘one of the largest social game developers for web and mobile in the world’, based in Berlin. During the last months I transferred some of their 2d game characters to 3d models, using Blender’s excellent toolset of polymodelling functions as well as the powerful sculpt mode. The interactive Cycles Viewport Rendering was a great way to generate previews for the client.
I’m very much looking forward to Blender 2.67, for which Campbell Barton is developing tools specifically made for 3d Printing. That will make it possible to measure the volume of a mesh, check wall thickness, do automatic mesh cleanup and more.
During the last 2 months me and René Hänsel, a colleague of mine, modelled 3 characters, and did the cleanup and printability improvements for a 4th character that the client provided.
As a little extra these 4 characters where then put on a small platform. Last week, during Cebit, the German chancellor Angela Merkel visited Wooga in Berlin, where the 3d print of the 4 characters made by realityservice was presented to her as a gift.
Angela Merkel with 3D Modell © f.büttner/wooga
Isn’t that awesome? A Blender modelled 3d print in the hands of Angela Merkel? I don’t know, I think that’s pretty cool. :)
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released 17 February 2012
Original Produced by: DJ N2O, Will Plowman (A Future Without), Abi Stannard, Charles Fletcher, & Covert
Filmed and edited by: Donnie McDonald, Lauren Callaghan and Myles Hancock [Foundation Degree in the Arts (FDA)]
Backing vocals from Freya Goble.
all rights reserved
feeds for ,
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Category Archives: child reading
Watching my son read in front of dozens of people about his food allergies might just break your tear ducts.
In the nine or so months that I went without blogging, my 5-year-old son Noah has grown a lot. He is also becoming a fabulous little reader. Back in September, he gave a little speech to about 100 or so … Continue reading
Noah, my 4-year-old son, is becoming quite the reader. When I picked him up last weekend, he had this book in his hands about the solar system. (From Usborne Children’s Books.) I’m like, “What are you gonna do with that?” … Continue reading
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Wednesday, September 16, 2009
Fire Brian Fuentes: Red Sox 9, Angels 8
Brian Fuentes needs to no longer be the Angels' closer. Two consecutive infield singles was horrible; the BS call by the home plate umpire in Nick Green's at-bat is unconscionable, but it wouldn't have mattered if Fuentes hadn't sucked in the first place.
That is all, for the moment.
Update, morning after edition: Apparently first base umpire Jeff Kellogg's check swing call earlier in the at-bat was also bogus, as Scioscia complained bitterly to the press afterward:
"What was the count -- 3 and 4, to Green?" Angels manager Mike Scioscia asked a media crowd gathered around his desk in the visitors' clubhouse.I dunno. But I still blame Fuentes for that.
The sad thing is that it marred multiple comebacks in the face of a foe that the Angels have really had to work to beat in recent years, and all while the Sox were down two of their best hitters. The worst part is the smirking Sawx fans who can't get their heads around the fact that they were given the game. Still, Fuentes had Boston to two out with nobody on and imploded. You just can't do that.
Steve Bisheff reminds us — aside from the things I've had problems with in this game, i.e. Fuentes — that Vlad got drilled in the ribs in this one, and he'll probably be out a few games. But even I'm not sure I want Howie Kendrick in there every day, as his striking out with the bases loaded attested. But then, I look at his monthly splits and he seems to be still doing pretty well overall.
Maybe those two calls, especially the last one, were a giant eff-u to Scioscia, who barks a lot about balls and strikes. On the other hand, he'll have the Angels playing as hard as ever tomorrow.
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In my essay, “A War Zone I Can’t Escape,” which ran in the magazine a couple of weeks ago, I wrote about how the urban, decimated streetscape of the Middle East city in the combat video game that my stepson was playing had looked disquietingly similar to my native city Beirut, which during my childhood was enmeshed in a civil war between Lebanon’s innumerable, and irreconcilable, militias (outside forces, like Syria and Israel, also played considerable roles).
I was surprised to discover, then, the work of Mark Tribe, a New York-based artist who uses digital landscapes created for first-person shooter video games and films of militia training sites as the basis for his project “Rare Earth.” (Tribe is also married to Emily Eakin, who wrote an article on Napoleon Chagnon that appeared in last weekend’s issue of the magazine.)
Anchored by a series of screenshots of tranquil-looking scenes used as backgrounds for warfare in video games, Tribe’s “Rare Earth,” which was shown last summer at Momenta Art in Brooklyn, highlights the increasingly murky line between the fictionalized terrain of virtual combat and the real-life environment of militia drill exercises. In collaboration with the artist Chelsea Knight, Tribe had been working on another project, “Posse Comitatus,” for which he and Knight had turned militia movements into a dance performance that they filmed. For “Rare Earth,” he made five videos, each composed of a single static shot of an upstate militia campground whose topography is chillingly indistinguishable from that of the game-derived stills.
The mesmerizing rural vistas in “Rare Earth” that Tribe has rendered into high-resolution pigment prints call to mind the exquisite landscapes by the Hudson River School, Pieter Bruegel the Elder, Jan van Goyen, J.M.W. Turner and Caspar David Friedrich.
But while landscapes can be seductive, and even comforting, it is easy to overlook the fact that they are not neutral territory. “They’re always some kind of projection of our desires: economic interests, imperialist designs, or military fantasies,” says Tribe, who is the founder of Rhizome, a new-media arts organization, and assistant professor of modern culture and media studies at Brown University. The images he extracted from combat video games, he says, “are yet another example, a new genre of landscape representation that is freighted and fraught with complex agendas having to do with violence and power, preparedness, self-defense, camaraderie and manhood.”
Tribe’s project on the virtual renditions of nature — the most sedate aspect of combat video games — is thought-provoking and revelatory. “It is interesting that most game publishers invest tremendous resources in producing beautiful, vivid, lush landscapes as backdrops for violent conflict,” he said. “They seem to see nature as the ultimate stage on which to perform acts of aggression.”
Tribe and Knight’s ongoing “Posse Comitatus” will be exhibited at the Palais de Tokyo in Paris from June 20 to Sept. 8.
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West Bridgewater held its annual town election Saturday. While candidates greeted residents at the transfer station and at the Spring Street School voting place, few voters cast a ballot. Sun-burned candidates and supporters gathered in the school to hear the results.
West Bridgewater voters returned two incumbents to office. Long term assessor Cheryl Smith won easily over challenger Stephen Currier. In a three-way race for selectman, finance committee member Maura Moroni lost by only 17 votes to two-term selectman Jerry Lawrence.
“Maura’s been a great contestant,” Lawrence said. “She’s a great asset to the town of West Bridgewater, I hope she continues her service. I thank the voters of West Bridgewater for their vote of confidence in the selectmen.”
“I support Jerry having won again,” Moroni said. “I’ll do it again next time.”
Town Clerk Nancy Morrison characterized the turn-out as not as great as it could have been.
“More people could have turned out to vote,” Morrison said. “It was a little slower than I expected.”
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UPDATE. Congrats to the US Women's Soccer team. They are wearing Gold! They defeated Japan today 2-1.
It was 2 days ago when Alex Morgan scored the game winner in double overtime to defeat Canada. What a great game for the US team. Today, they go for the gold.
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Did Lady Gaga Indirectly Respond to Madonna’s ‘Born This Way’ Diss Onstage?
At the Born This Way Ball tour date in New Zealand, Lady Gaga delivered a lengthy monologue while seated on her motorcycle piano before launching into her “love yourself” anthem ‘Hair.’ The speech felt like an indirect response to Madonna‘s sorta shady mashup of ‘Express Yourself’ with ‘Born This Way’ and ‘She’s Not Me.’
Gaga stated, “There is a level of resilience within this room, something that you’ve done to the universe. Everyone tried, everyone tried all year and everyone is still trying, but you could never invalidate the power of ‘Born This Way,’” she added. “It’s about respect. It’s about loving who you are.”
It’s not overt, but it certainly feels like the Mother Monster’s way of commenting, without getting too nasty or going the mud-slinging route. It was classy, too. Rather than make a rude comment, she elevates the power of ‘Born This Way’ as a concept.
Gaga continued, “Anything shallow or insubstantial or anything that is vain or ego-driven means nothing to me. All that matters to me is seeing you f—ing smile. I love you with all my heart,” she gushed. “I wanted you to know how f—ing powerful you are. You are powerful. Nothing can stop you.”
She also went on about her role in the cultural and musical world, which also felt like a comment on Madonna’s treatment of her and about their places in the pop music food chain. “I wasn’t here to make pop music better,” Gaga exclaimed. “I was put here to ruin it, burst its bubble, turn it inside out, explode it and vomit it all over the world.” Spoken like only Gaga could.
Gaga finished, “With this last record, I thought, ‘Now that I have all this fame and fortune, let me do something that means something.’ I wrote this song. This is for you. Anyone who doesn’t fit in or feels they are trying to be destroyed by the greatest forces on earth. Nothing can destroy you. You are free as your hair.”
Is Madonna one of the greatest forces on earth, trying to destroy Gaga, the little monsters and the very notion of ‘Born This Way?’ It’s not like we’re making a leap here. (And we just had an image of Madonna-as-Godzilla, trying to stomp all over the castle of the Born This Way Ball tour stage.)
When you look at Madonna’s trying-too-hard mashup and Gaga’s words here, Madge looks silly, cheesy and catty, whereas Gaga looks like a pro and a true crusader,using pop music as a tool and instrument of change.
The score after the first round: Gaga, 1. Madge, 0.
Watch Lady Gaga Perform in New Zealand
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The design of control systems used in many robotic foraging systems bear a remarkable similarity to the models of behavior biologists suggest for social insects. This is no accident of course; roboticists have been "stealing" from the biological literature for years. In particular, social insect systems provide a number of useful mechanisms for coordinating effective multi-agent behavior using only local interaction rules. In this paper, however, we will turn the tables to show how computer science and robotics technologies can be applied to the task of understanding social insect behavior. We will also examine the feasibility of automatically "extracting" models of behavior through observation, then running those models on teams of mobile robots.
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Millions of Americans with asthma and allergies have difficulty affording health care, including purchasing prescription medicines. Many lack health insurance and simply do not have the money to pay for the medicines and access to physicians they need. Patient assistance programs have helped many receive free or discounted medicines, but many more still need help.
To address this unmet need, multiple coalitions of pharmaceutical research companies, doctors, other health care providers, patient advocacy organizations, and community groups have come together to form different prescription and financial resource groups to help patients who lack the coverage they need through the public or private program that they currently have.
For more information, and to see a list of all of these programs with contact information, please click here.
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Any attempt to equalize wealth or income by forced redistribution must only tend to destroy wealth and income. Historically the best the would-be equalizers have ever succeeded in doing is to equalize downward .. "I have no respect for the passion for equality, which seems to me merely idealizing envy."
There can be little doubt that many egalitarians are motivated at least partly by envy, while still others are motivated, not so much by any envy of their own, as by the fear of it in others, and the wish to appease or satisfy it. But the latter effort is bound to be futile. Almost no one is completely satisfied with his status in relation to his fellows.
But the main objective test of a social proposal is not merely whether it emphasizes equality more than abundance, but whether it goes further and attempts to promote equality at the expense of abundance. Is the proposed measure intended primarily to help the poor, or to penalize the rich? And would it in fact punish the rich at the cost of also hurting everyone else?
This is the actual effect of steeply progressive income taxes and confiscatory inheritance taxes.
All this does not mean that we should hesitate to take any measure truly calculated to relieve hardship and reduce poverty. What it does mean is that we should never take governmental measures merely for the purpose of trying to assuage the envious or appease the agitators, or to buy off a revolution. Such measures, betraying weakness and a guilty conscience, only lead to more far-reaching and even ruinous demands. A government that pays social blackmail will precipitate the very consequences that it fears.
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November 04, 2007, Herald Sun:
A THIRD of all killings in Victoria are committed with knives - more than any other weapon.
And every day about eight knife crimes are reported to police. That is an average of one every three hours.
The spread of attacks with knives, swords, glasses and syringes is revealed in an analysis of police and statistical data.
Critics say Melbourne's "stab city" reputation has been festering for years, but is only now being taken seriously.
A Sunday Herald Sun investigation has found knives were used in 2742 offences in the past financial year. That is nearly 229 a month.
The extent of the problem was revealed as stabbings at weekend parties become regular occurrences. Teen gangs have taken to arming themselves with meat cleavers, daggers, samurai swords and hunting knives.
There were 1162 stabbings and assaults involving knives in the past financial year ...
Former Deputy Commissioner Bob Falconer, who was also WA chief commissioner, said the real knife figures would be even higher.
"There's a large number of gang and knife offences not reported by victims for a range of reasons," he said.
"There's a lot of knife wound injuries treated at hospitals and police wouldn't be told."
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If you grew up in Latin America or in a Latino household in the U.S. , "Sabado Gigante " was undoubtedly part of your Saturday evening -- the jingles, the models, the product placement "seamlessly" inserted between segments, and the unforgettable "El Chacal de La Trompeta," a hooded executioner-type figure who blasts his trumpet to eliminate and embarrass singing contestants, have all made the show one of the most successful of Spanish language television.
Only a Hispanic variety show would have its audience particpate in a booty-shaking contest: "La Colita."
Every aspiring artist had to stop by Don Francisco's show. Enrique Iglesias and Paulina Rubio launched their careers in the Hispanic market in the US by going on "Sabado Gigante." Decades before reggeaton fever, El General from Panama was rubbing elbows with Don Francisco and even Shakira made the right of passage on the show eons before she was a blond crossover mega star.
For many Latinos, "Sabado Gigante" is still a staple, a weekly event that unites family members across generations. This week, "Sabado Gigante" celebrates 50 years of being on-air, officially the longest-running TV show in the world, according to the Guinness World Records.
We dove into the "Sabado Gigante" vaults at Univision and hand-picked some of the show's most memorable moments, including Sofia Vergara's first appearance, early Luis Miguel, Chayanne, and Gloria Trevi and the unforgettable Selena.
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According to the Los Angeles Times, a passenger in the Lexus told the California Highway Patrol that Chung also shouted, "No brakes! No brakes!" right before the crash. The Lexus was traveling an estimated 80 mph on Interstate 10 when it crashed at the Overland Avenue exit ramp. The Times also said that a woman who claimed to have witnessed the crash wrote on the Los Angeles Fire Department's web site that she saw a "look of terror" on Chung's face during the incident.
However, prosecutors say the evidence "appeared to suggest" that Chung was mistakenly pressing on the gas pedal instead of the brake, which was a factor in the decision to drop charges. According to Lynch, "there's an issue in many people minds as to whether or not it goes beyond simple negligence and amounts to criminal negligence."
Lynch acknowledged that the defense maintained that "because it was a Toyota product maybe there was sudden acceleration syndrome, an electronic defect in the car itself."
Click Here for the Blotter Homepage.
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The angry customers who cursed at her were bad enough, and the fetish perverts who called late at night to ask what type of shoes she was wearing freaked her out.
But the death threats really sent Tina Parcell over the edge.
Parcell was working as a customer service representative for MCI when an irate customer "threatened to slit my throat if I didn't get his name off the do-not-call list."
After she hung up on him, Parcell realized that the caller had her first name, last name and location, and that he only lived an hour away from her. She immediately told her manager, took a break to compose herself and warned her family members.
Her story is typical for customer service reps, those anonymous call-center operators whom we all love to complain about.
Since several recent controversies over customer service, such as Sprint booting 1,000 problem customers who complained too much and the infamous recording of a hapless AOL customer trying to cancel his service, they've become a convenient scapegoat for unsatisfied consumers.
As more people complain about the quality of customer service, the lives of members of the "headset mafia" haven't been getting any easier either.
In recent years, customer service reps are under greater pressure to deliver results in the least amount of time. As a result, their jobs are among the most stressful in America, on a par with 911 operators, according to a recent survey by Health magazine.
Due to several factors, especially the use of automated phone systems that frustrate customers to the point of outrage by the time they reach a live rep, along with job cutbacks and strict company rules governing everything from bathroom breaks to the length of calls, many customer service reps are feeling stressed out.
Part of the problem is that reps are pressured to get through calls as quickly as possible. "Sometimes I talked to up to 60 people a day, or 80 on a 10-hour shift," said Parcell. "You're goaled for how long they're on the phone with you. Performance raises and incentive bonuses are tied to those numbers."
Click here for the secrets you never knew about how customer service reps operate.
Click here a list of customer service do's and don'ts.
Douglas Hanna, a customer service consultant in south Florida, worked as a call center rep for about five years. "For some corporations, you're just a cog in a call center," he said. "They put a lot of pressure for how long you can take on the phone, and how many customers you can get to not cancel their service. You have to have so many retentions a month. You can't stay on the phone for more than six minutes. At some companies you're not allowed to give honest feedback, and you're pressured to upsell a customer."
As a result, reps get a bad rap because they're squeezed on both sides, by their bosses and customers, said Ivy Meadors, a former customer service rep who now consults for call centers through her company, High Tech High Touch Solutions.
"Management is giving them strict rules to follow, which end up angering the customers they're talking to," she said. "If someone's calling you the F-word and you're getting a constant barrage of negativity, it gets to you. I've seen many reps break down into tears."
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It's been a six-year battle for Mike Dillon, who is trying to save his home from a foreclosure the courts say should never have happened.
It began in 2001, when the company servicing Dillon's loan was sold. According to Dillon, he made a payment in 2001 to his servicer, but it had been sold to Fairbanks Capital, Dillon said. Fairbanks told him his payment was not received.
"The payment disappeared," said Dillon of Manchester, N.H. "The check never came back to me, and the first...Full Story
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The kennedy center honors, stars from new york joined president obama to salute the honorees. Lara, huge talent. Unbelievable to see, david letterman and the top receiving the awards for the arts.... See More
The kennedy center honors, stars from new york joined president obama to salute the honorees. Lara, huge talent. Unbelievable to see, david letterman and the top receiving the awards for the arts. It's hard to see who was more excited stars of hollywood or washington. New bff hillary clinton and meryl streep. ♪ Reporter: Everyone rocked as foo fighters, kid rock and lenny kravitz belted out some of zeppelin's greatest hits. ♪ Reporter: And it took a bevy of famous comedians to pay tribute to late night comedian david letterman. Was he a brilliant, successful parody of a talk show host? Or some midwestern goon who was a little bit off? when I was a teenager, dave was my justin bieber. and I like to think of myself as his selena gomez. Reporter: But it was ray romano who was able to hit the emotional highlight of the evening as he celebrated his notoriously shy friend and mentor. What johnny carson was for you, you are for the rest of all of us here. I don't want to get -- I'm not good at that. I know you're not good, to hell with it. My father passed away, I never told him I love him. Dave, I know you're only 65, you look good. The heart's working. I ain't taking any chances. I love you, david letterman. that is great. What a night. That is one of my favorite shows. We never missed it every year. So many comedians feel that way about david letterman. I know. Great respect. Time for weather, sam.
This transcript has been automatically generated and may not be 100% accurate.
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Question: Are there any vitamins or supplements I can take to improve my age-related macular degeneration (AMD)?
Answer: If you're diagnosed with age-related macular degeneration, your doctor may recommend that you take certain vitamins and minerals, and we actually only recommend that if you reach a certain stage of macular degeneration. So when the doctor looks in they may see drusen or deposits of a certain size, and if you have those, vitamins and minerals are recommended. The other situation would be if you have advanced disease in one eye and the other eye [is] in pretty good shape, we would again recommend that you take vitamins and minerals.
There was a big study called the AREDS which looked at vitamins and minerals in age-related macular degeneration and the vitamins recommended based on that study are beta-carotene, vitamin C, E and zinc. And the best way to figure out what to take there once your doctor goes over it with you, is to look in the pharmacy for vitamins and minerals that have that AREDS on the label.
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Cancun's allure is world-famous. A tropical oasis accented by a rich history, Cancun is as popular with day tripping cruisers as with sun worshipping vacationers, in large part for the warm weather it has to offer year-round. But don't think Cancun is little more than beaches, bars and tourist traps. Alternative experiences abound, and here are a few.
See the Museum, Skip the Beach
How about a little culture between tanning sessions on the shore? After a six-year, $15 million investment, the Maya Museum opened in November 2012 in Cancun's hotel zone. Ancient Mayan culture is promoted through hundreds of artifacts, including 14,000 year-old skeletal remains discovered in the underwater caves of Tulum. The adjacent San Miguelito archaeological site is open to the public as well.
See Isla Holbox, Skip Isla Mujeres
Isla Mujeres was so named by Spanish conquistadores, and it's been a wildly popular visitor destination ever since. But consider the island of Holbox for a more remote island experience. Don't expect to find many phones or cars here. It's all about unspoiled beaches, instead, as well as mangroves, coconut plantations and flamingoes, which are readily seen flying overhead. Feel like relaxing? Lounge on a hammock knit by the locals. Hungry? Fresh local seafood abounds. Want to explore? Rent a bike at friendly Holbox Village. To get to this 25-mile-long exotic island, board the public ferry in Chiquila.
See Tres Reyes, Skip Chichen Itza
For many tourists – more than a million a year – the day trip to ancient Mayan archaeological epicenter of Chichen Itza is a no brainer; it's why it was crowned one of the New Seven Wonders of the World in 2007. But for a genuine taste of Mayan culture, consider a visit to the community of Tres Reyes, instead, where indigenous families display aspects of ancient village life, natural conservation and religious rituals for their visitors. And why not get blessed by a shaman while you're there? For insights and relevant info, consider taking a tour from Cancun with a bona fide company, like Alltournative (which offers discounts of up to 15 percent if you book online).
Swim with Whale Sharks, Skip the Dolphins
Swimming with dolphins can be magical. But Cancun offers something unique: the chance to swim with whale sharks, which are more abundant here than anywhere else in the world during the summer months. With a 50-foot span, a 15-ton heft and a jaw-span of up to four feet, these are large creatures to say the least. But gentle. And several accredited, licensed guides lead tours out to sea – from Isla Holbox or Punta Sam – to swim with them. Each June, Isla Mujeres hosts the Whale Shark Festival.
See Xel-Ha, Skip the Beach
The beach will most likely be your favorite spot to lounge and relax. But if you're ocean-bound in search of tropical underwater wonder, but would rather avoid battling the incoming waves, pay a visit to Xel-Ha, a natural aquarium located near Tulum, south of Cancun. This lagoon attraction is home to hundreds of species of tropical fish and natural fauna, making it an ideal spot for snorkeling and diving; the underwater limestone caves are a big draw. The ecological park is also home to exotic birds, lizards, a turtle park, a shark zone and dolphins. Adults get the run of Xel-Ha for $79, and kids for $40, although tickets pre-bought through the park's website come at a discount.
Do the Cooking School, Skip the All-Inclusive
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"I think that he thought we were going to get in trouble, so he wanted to make it seem like it was more of an accident," Wei, 19, testified in a New Jersey court today.
Wei took the witness stand to testify against Ravi, 19, who is accused of activating a webcam to spy on his roommate, Clementi, 18, just days before Clementi killed himself by jumping off the George Washington Bridge.
Both Wei and Ravi viewed the images on Wei's computer. Wei, who was originally charged with two counts of invasion of privacy, entered a pretrial intervention program that required her to perform 300 hours of community service in exchange for the charges being dropped.
Today, Wei said that Ravi texted her multiple times when she was being interviewed by police about the alleged spying, asking her what exactly she was confessing to investigators.
"Did you tell them we did it on purpose? What did you tell them when they asked why we turned it on? I said we were just messing around with the camera," Ravi said in messages.
Ravi is charged with witness tampering for the messages he sent to Wei, in addition to invasion of privacy, bias intimidation, and hindering arrest.
Wei responded to Ravi's messages saying that she had told investigators "everything" that had happened on Sept. 19, 2010, when Ravi came to her dorm room after Clementi asked the room to himself for the night.
Ravi proceeded to show Wei how he set up his webcam to be remotely activated, and used Wei's computer to turn it on. The pair watched "briefly" as an image of Clementi and another man standing up and kissing came on the screen, Wei said. They then turned the webcam off, she testified today.
"We were both just kind of really shocked, like, I can't believe we just saw what we did," she said. "It shouldn't have happened and we saw something that we didn't expect to see and it just felt weird."
Following the initial viewing, Ravi left the room and Wei's roommate, Cassandra Cicco, and Cicco's friends came to the room and asked to view the webcam. Wei activated the camera again for "like two seconds," before shutting it off, and the girls left, she said. The image on the screen was similar to the one previously, with Clementi and another man standing and kissing, this time with their shirts off.
Rutgers Jury Won't Hear Why Clementi Wanted Room Change
On cross examination, Wei said the Ravi wanted to peek into the room because Clementi's date was an older man and did not appear to be a Rutgers student. She told the court that Ravi feared that the man would steal his iPad.
Earlier today, Judge Glenn Berman ruled that the jury will not be allowed to hear Clementi's complaint to the school that his roommate used a Webcam to spy on him.
The complaint was included in Clementi's request for a dorm room change after he caught roommate Ravi watching him while on a gay date, and later tweeting that Clementi was going to have a second date.
Clementi listed as his reason for wanting a different dorm rooms as: "Roommate with webcam spying on me/want a single room."
Clementi's shocking death became the focal point for a national campaign to stop cyber-bullying and homophobic bullying among students.
Prosecutor Julie McClure, who has called Ravi's actions "malicious, purposeful, and criminal," claimed today that the online request showed that Clementi knew about the spying and felt intimidated by Ravi. McClure said in the first day of the trial that Ravi targeted Clementi because he was gay.
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My dear sweet, little sister;
an annoyance sent by angry storks.
Oh, how with floppy tongues they flock.
She is a nymph and I, Medusa.
If only they would love me the way they love her.
Her room is as pink as embarrassing thoughts.
Cushions flower on her bed like rose quartz.
The curtains flush with a secret,
falling crushed on the carpet.
The only survivor is a nervous wooden door.
I despair of her blushing room.
I want to throw black paint on her walls,
to make a million black holes
and draw out the crimson bloom
like venom from a fraying wound.
Yet, she knows the criticism I give that cuts,
is only out of an older sister’s love.
I remember the night before her operation
she crawled into my bed at 4.00 am
and I held her while she shook.
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(Also published at Viewpointonline.net)
Deconstructing Zaid Hamid
All truths are easy to understand once they are discovered. The point, however, is to discover them
Zaid Hamid is a TV-phenomenon popularized by his programmes like Brass Tacksand Iqbal ka Pakistan. Twelve episodes of Iqbal ka Pakistan have been examined by this author in last six issues. Episodes 13 and 14 of Iqbal ka Pakistan, are reviewed below.
Ali azmat confessed at the start of the show that he does not even remember how many episodes of their show have been televised and predicted that he would be killed because of 'this' revolution.
ZH:- The message of Iqbal has been oppossed by molvis, modernists(including capitalists,comunists and people who like democracy) and freemasons.
Comment:- This comment would have been true,if it was made in 1930s or 1940s. After Iqbal's death, his poetry has been used by Islamists(molvis) and Socialists alike,for furthering their agendas. Iqbal and his ideology were a bane to Mullahs during his life time and his lectures aimed at Reconstruction of Islamic thought were considered heretical by orthodox clergy. The situation changed dramatically after Iqbal's death and now his poetry can be heard in the sermons delivered by clergy and by Islamist political leaders. Regarding freemasonary and its alleged opposition of Iqbal, a lot has been written in previous articles.
ZH:-People who opposed creation of Pakistan are rejected by God.
Comment:- That includes most of Hindu and Sikh population of India and also millions of Muslims in India. This kind of sweeping declarations showcase the narrow mind set of Mr. Zaid Hamid. Pakistan was not built exclusively for muslims,as Mr. Jinnah told the Constituent Assembly on 11th August, 1947. There were a lot of non muslims living in the areas that formed Pakistan. We were supposed to ensure minority rights and provide them equal opportunities to live better lives.
ZH:- Terrorists in Pakistan are actualy people who never liked creation of Pakistan.
Comment:- This is another sweeping statement that is not exactly based on facts or research. This statement declares that all the terrorist activities in Pakistan are supported by India and Afghanistan. (Similar allegations have been made by ISPR in last few years). While it is partially correct,it does not take into account the ideology of Takfeer(translated as Rejection). The ideology of Takfeer, proposed in the modern times by Syed Qutub, states that anyone who opposes their definition of faith is excluded from faith and killing him/her is not a sin. This ideology is the basis of brutality of Pakistani Taliban and Al Qaeda. It is worth mentioning that similar ideology was used for the first time by Khawarij, in attacks against Caliph Ali and Caliph Ma'aviya. I would like to refer him and anyone interested in root causes of terrorism in Pakistan to Syed Saleem Shehzad’s book, “Inside Al Qaeda and Taliban” and “The Looming Tower” by Lawrence Wright.
ZH: Modern Science learnt everything from Muslims.
Comment:- It is true that during the reign of Abbasid Caliphs, a lot of muslim scientists did amazing and in some cases groundbreaking work in fields of science. However the notion that “Everything” was learnt from muslims is not true. It should be mentioned here that the attitude of rulers and clergy, towards scientists in those times was pathetic. They were considered heretics. Also, most of the scientific advances occurred when a particular sect i.e “Mu’tazila” were in power. Regarding the myths about “Islamic Science”, read this.
During a question,Ali Azmat mixed the identities of Sharif of Mecca and the House of Saud. That happens when you are doing a show about historical revivalism without learning any basic history.
ZH:- Seculars are immoral people. Religion should not be separated from Politics.
Comment:- The concept that non-religious people are inethical has been propogated ad nauseum by religious people. Blogger, Hazrat Nakhuda says, “Morals and Ethics have evolved to their current state. The "evils" of the society cheating, stealing, wars and oppression taught us that these things are wrong because they hinder the establishment and progress of a cooperative and effective group. It wasn't divine intervention. It was evolution of human thought. In order for societies to function it became necessary to put in some guidelines and rules. Societies that refused to set these guidelines failed to grow ("Survival of the fittest"). Members of that society either moved to another society (immigrations/asylum) or fell victim to the law of the jungle. While the societies which were more advanced intellectually survived better than the others.” Regarding the assertion that “Religion and Politics are inter-linked and should not be separate”, I would like to point towards the last 1432 years of Islamic history. Apart from the reign of the first 4 pious caliphs and Caliph Omer bin Abdul Aziz, the custodianship of matters of state and custodianship of matters of religion have not co-existed. This has happened because there is no prescribed method of government in either Quran or Hadees, the basic texts of Islamic faith. In Pakistan, religious parties have never had an elctoral success and have acted more as pressure groups and proxies in the hands of establishment than act politically.
ZH:- AIDS was spread just to sell medications.
Comment:- Being a medical student and a research-oriented person, I can testify that NO such thing has ever been reported or even discussed in Medical Science Journals or forums. AIDS(Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome) is caused by a virus, HIV(Human Deficiency Virus). It was first reported in homosexual males in early 1980s. This disease affects the immune system of body i.e. the defence mechanism of body against pathogens. We are exposed daily to hundreds of pathogens but we do not get sick until our immune system is weak. In AIDS, the immune system loses its strength and patient can easily get sick and recover with difficulty. To put things in perspective, a patient of AIDS can die even from common cold. Thankfully, durgs are available that can protect from frequent illnesses in AIDS patients. In Pakistan, those drugs are provided free of cost by National AIDS prevention and control Programme which is actually funded by World Health Organization and World bank. Meanwhile, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation donated a grand total of US$287 million to variousHIV/AIDS researchers. The Clinton Foundation has helped bring AIDS care and treatment to over 750,000 people living with HIV/AIDS around the world. Can the comment by Zaid Hamid be justified in light of all these figures.?
ZH:- Kufr can be in form of our politicians, in form of Baitullah Mehsud or in form of Zionists.
Comment:- Zaid Hamid is applying the aforementioned concept of “Takfeer” on whoever he does not like. While his opposition to brutal terrorists like Baitullah is laudable, he loses the plot suddenly and includes his favorite target groups i.e. politicians and “Zionists”.
These are the few mistakes/debate-able points that I found, as the rest of these episodes was spent in word to word recitation and translation of Iqbal’s work from some book. There was also repitition of mistakes that we have discussed in the previous issues.
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The Perfect Office - Katana Bookend, HAL 9000, Polaroid Android Camera and More
Mon, 01/14/2013 - 00:11
We've seen some great gadgets and equipment for designers. So many cool stuff, that we could actually assemble infinite perfect office spaces! Every week we'll assemble a perfect office, and we'd like you to help us. What equipment would the perfect office have?
Today we got the super fun Katana bookend to bring life to your shelves. Also, there's the super useful removable chalkboard wallies. Many of you will love the TYLT Band Wall Charger for Apple Gadgets... pretty slick design. For all the 2001: A Space Odyssey fans out there, there's the mind-blowing HAL 9000 replica. And what about the first Android based camera? Here's the Polaroid IM1936. Don't forget that you may suggest via twitter: @paulogabriel - I hope you enjoy these! Cheers. ;)
Katana Bookend is a bookend that looks like the books being impaled through the heart by a sword. Actually, it is just two halves of a fake sword attached to heavy faux books that sit on either side—and blend in—with your own collection. (at Like Cool)
Removable Chalkboard Wallies
These 9″x12″ slate gray chalkboard panels are brilliant! Use inside a kitchen cupboard, a kid’s locker, on the fridge, or even right on the wall. The panels are repositionable, removable, and won’t harm most wall coverings. Chalk is included so you can start writing your notes and doodles wherever you choose! (at The Gadget Flow)
TYLT Band Wall Charger
A company called TYLT, design an iPhone charger that replaces wire with a flat ribbon to keep your bag clutter free. Dubbed the “Band Wall Charger,” the new charger wraps the ribbon around the cylindrical plug for clean and organized storage. (at Like Cool)
HAL 9000 Life-Size Replica
The HAL 9000 Life-Size Replica wasn't just based on memories. This replica is based on the actual studio blueprints, for exactly perfection (even down to the original studio files for the HAL 9000 label). In the film, the lens was a very rare and expensive Nikkor fish-eye lens. The HAL 9000 Life-Size Replica features a custom-ground replica, with a sticker of the writing on the Nikkor lens (in case you want your HAL to be accurate down to the close-ups).
But wait, there's so much more. Of course the HAL 9000 Life-Size Replica has a red LED eye. And of course he talks (one of 15 movie quotes, randomly cycled through). But get this: HAL 9000 also responds to your voice. That's right, say something to HAL longer than 1.2 seconds, and it'll activate a sound clip. OR, point almost any IR remote at him and press a button for a sound clip.(at Think Geek)
Holga DSLR Filter Turret
Imagine how convenient it would be if you can change the filter of your camera just as quickly and easily as dialing a number! This neat little SLF (Special Lens & Filter) Turret on a Holga Lens would do just that for you! There are 18 types of special effect lenses and filters on the turret. After installation of the Holga Lens, you can “dial” for your choice of filter and you are ready to shoot in no time! The product will provide a touch of “Holga” to your images.Compatible to all Canon DSLR. (at The Gadget Flow)
Polaroid IM1836 Android Camera
Not content to live life as an Android-powered point-and-shoot, the Polaroid iM1836 Android Camera combines the power of a smartphone with the flexibility and optical quality of an interchangeable lens camera. It comes standard with a 10-30mm zoom lens, and offers compatibility with all Micro Four Thirds lenses via an adapter. Specs include an 18 megapixel sensor, Android 4.1, built-in Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, 1080p video recording, a 3.5-inch capacitive touchscreen, and one-button sharing to Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Flickr, and Vimeo. The countdown to the first Android-powered DSLR starts... now. (at Uncrate)
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By Suzanne Kelly.
Some 100 people of all ages and backgrounds packed an Aberdeen University lecture room on 22nd March; most of us were not entirely sure what to expect.
Mark Edwards – internationally known photographer, writer and witness to 40 years of global problems was there to deliver his ‘Hard Rain’ lecture and still photography presentation.
By the time he had finished it was clear that each person present had taken away food for thought on a host of global issues, however much or little they had known before they arrived.
Mark made a brief introduction explaining the Hard Rain Project’s genesis. At the time of the first moonwalk in 1969, Mark was traveling in the Sahara desert’s unforgiving landscape, got lost, and was subsequently rescued by a nomadic tribe. They offered him food, shelter and a fire to sit by, and then they produced a radio. Bob Dylan’s ‘A Hard Rain’s a Gonna Fall’ came out of it; a track inspired by the Bay of Pigs Cuban Missile Crisis.
Edwards considered his personal situation, the simple nomadic lifestyle, and the moonwalk and out of these events grew his idea of illustrating each line of this moving, evocative song. Some 40 years on, the Hard Rain project was touring the world. It features still photography taken from all quarters of our world, and illustrates the issues, which we have to face urgently. Edwards took his Aberdeen audience:
“…on a journey through the past to a future which is ours to change.”
The photographs are as beautiful and as diverse a collection as you could possibly imagine – Edwards has captured virtually all aspects of humanity and of the earth. These photographs and Mark both bear witness to the increasingly urgent issues we must solve now: famine, destruction of habitats, human suffering, war, climate change, waste, disrespect and misuse of people, animals and the planet. The things Mark has seen in his travels have not led him to despair; he retains faith in human initiative and human spirit, which he sees in the shantytown inhabitants’ resourcefulness.
As to the photographs: there is a bulldozer in the Amazon cutting a scar through the lush jungle; there is a sea of ghostly, dead tree stumps in an arid wasteland; there are dead and dying women and children from around the world. I am haunted by a photo of an oil-covered bird taken in Brazil, which is accompanied by the line from Hard Rain ‘I’ve been out in front of a dozen dead oceans’.
This photo presumably was taken years ago, but it could have been the recent Gulf of Mexico oil disaster. (You have to ask yourself why one oil disaster was not enough to ensure we never let it happen again).
But I am most haunted by (as were several of the students I spoke to including Deepu Augustine and Rita Lwanga) of a poignant image of a newborn baby lying on its side, small hands and feet visible, wrapped in a hooded garment, dead. It was lying in a shallow, womb-like grave about to be buried. The number of children who starve to death is legion.
As Mark says when addressing all the various issues:
“Perhaps our greatest mistake is taking our easy lifestyles for granted.”
Edwards explains that “we broke the first law of nature” – for instance how the death of a leaf and its natural decomposition create fertile soil on which new life will grow. The problem is that we have created a host of chemicals, which do not break down. He does not bombard us with numbers and statistics, but those he does use are unforgettable. In discussing our chemical dependence and proliferation of chemicals throughout the food chain globally, he says that any pregnant woman anywhere in the world today will have somewhere between 8 to 17 kinds of pesticides in the placenta.
Mark describes himself as a witness; he does not have all the answers. But he will tell you that we urgently need to increase education around the world, end child labour (which is nothing short of slavery: buyers of cheap imported goods and clothing please do take note), pay fair prices for crops, encourage family planning, and end extreme poverty. Another statistic he has hit us with: the GDP of the world’s 48 poorest countries is equal to the wealth of the world’s three richest people.
A series of photos taken in Haiti show the human impulse to slip away from rational thinking and regress to superstition (a ‘voodoo’ ceremony to pray for long-overdue rain is depicted), and later work shows a flock of brightly-clad Haitian school children. Edwards then makes interesting comparisons between the 1930s American Dustbowl draught and Ethiopia’s similar situation today. He compares Industrial age London’s shantytowns to today’s third world shantytowns, they both were born of similar circumstances and had similar problems and potentials.
“The past is not over and the future has happened many times”
- or put another way – those who do not know the lessons of the past are doomed to repeat its mistakes and tragedies.
His bleak, depressing photos of urban sprawl were based in Mexico City; but if we are not careful the same thing can easily happen in Aberdeenshire on a smaller scale.
The difference in the quantity of goods the Americans have is staggering and it does not make them any happier
We are, after all, getting rid of acre upon acre of (supposedly protected) green belt land to build hundreds of identikit houses, a 21,000 seat stadium where we currently have important wildlife and rare plants, and a car park/mall is planned for our only city centre green sink and beauty spot – Union Terrace Gardens.
Rather than increasing public transport, we plan to cut a highway through our countryside with the AWPR. And we are going to shoot (sorry, cull) the Tullos Hill Roe Deer, as our elected officials have deemed that building fences or protecting saplings with plastic are more expensive options). Mark makes a remark that some politicians are:
“…defending political positions they know are no longer appropriate…”
I think I do not need to look any further than Aberdeen City Council for an example of Mark’s assertion. I get the feeling that 99% of Edward’s audience is receptive and probably actively concerned for our environment – I find myself wishing we could get the local Council to see ‘Hard Rain’.
Edwards shows us a family in Bhutan; they are outside their home and have all of their, not very many, possessions spread around them. Next we switch to an American family of four – again in front of their home with all of their goods. The difference in the quantity of goods the Americans have is staggering and it does not make them any happier: Bhutan is, in fact, the country with the highest percentage of happy and satisfied people on earth.
Edward’s talk is part of the Aberdeen University Students’ Association Climate Change Projects.
Jamie Peters is the Climate Change Project Co-ordinator and he advised me that the Climate Change project has been packed full of events this past week including; tree planting, cookery demonstrations, gardening, meetings and discussions. Reusable bottles and bags were distributed as well as bookmarks with tips on energy saving and recycling. The Climate Change Project at Aberdeen University:
“aims to improve life around the campus, provide something fun for students to get involved in and at the same time save 1,000 tonnes of CO2.”
Fraser Lovie, a policy adviser at the University, congratulated the Climate Change Project for bringing Mark Edwards and his exhibition to Aberdeen and welcomed Mark’s hints that a new touring exhibition, based on Hard Rain, is in development, that will support the behavior change agenda in Universities and Colleges.
STOP PRESS: At the time of writing, it is uncertain whether funding will be found to keep the Climate Change Project going: I certainly hope they will continue their work.
After a glass or two of wine and a few words with Mark Edwards and others (he is affable and keen to talk), I made my way home. Another Bob Dylan song came into my head – ‘The Times They Are A Changing’;
“… if your time to you is worth saving, you’d better start swimming or you’ll sink like a stone, for the times they are a changing’.”
Change has never happened faster in human history than it is happening now. But exactly what are we changing our world into?
Regent Walk is the scene of the Hard Rain Project outdoor exhibition, which accompanied this lecture; it will be up for a month. I urge you - go and see it.
SOME FOOD FOR THOUGHT:
Quotations from the Hard Rain Project Lecture
* “In the next 24 hours deforestation will outweigh the carbon footprint of 8 million people”
* “If forests are the lungs of the world, we have had one lung removed”
* “All humanity is in trouble; time is the enemy; indifference is the enemy”
* “We have Stone-Age impulses, Medieval beliefs, and God-like technology”
* “There is no ‘them and us’”
Q&A from the Hard Rain Website:
“Mark has been traveling and taking photographs in over 150 countries in the last 40 years. He first decided to illustrate the global environmental crisis in 1969, and Hard Rain really began to take shape as a live presentation in 2000. The DVD has been in development for about a year, since interest in the presentation has exploded.
“How many cities/countries has Hard Rain been seen in?
“The exhibition has been seen in over 50 cities, with a tour of India immediately following Copenhagen. The presentation, on which the DVD is based, has been seen in hundreds of venues on every continent.
“How has Dylan lent his support?
“Dylan and his label, Columbia Records, have been extremely supportive of Hard Rain right from its public launch as an exhibition at the Eden Project in 2006. They have also been very supportive of Hard Rain by allowing us to use the lyrics in the exhibitions.
“This year, the Royal Photographic Society recognized Mark Edwards and Bob Dylan by presenting them with the Terence Donovan Award for their achievement with the Hard Rain Project.”
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Deb McMahon is a retired educator and political activist living in Des Moines.Tweet
2:00 PM, January 24, 2013
McMahon: The price of loyalty
What does loyalty really mean? I like the definition of loyalty provided by Fred Reichheld in his book, “The Loyalty Effect.” He defines loyalty as the willingness to make an investment or personal sacrifice to strengthen a relationship. There are all kinds of loyalty. One can be loyal to their family, their spouse, their friends, their country, their company, their political party, even to a brand name.
I am loyal to certain brands. I love Heinz Ketchup and would never purchase another kind. I love Anderson Erickson milk, dips and cottage cheese. I truly can taste the difference. Those are rather minor examples of loyalty and certainly do not fit the definition provided by Reichheld.
I am loyal to my family, my sisters and brother, my Dad, my husband and my daughter and our extended family members. I will stand up for them and never allow anyone to say disparaging remarks about them. They are my heart and soul.
My friends who know me, accept me and love me in-spite of my human frailties, are my buddies I turn to when I need a good laugh or a good cry. They are deserving of my loyalty and can always count on it. It is a small price to pay for their friendship.
I am also loyal to my country, which I love, President Barack Obama, whom I love, and my political affiliation. I demonstrate my loyalty by proudly displaying bumper stickers on my car, making sure to never miss voting in local, state and national elections and supporting my candidates with volunteering my time.
As a retired teacher, I was proud of the fact that I taught In Des Moines Public Schools. I continue to demonstrate my loyalty by being a lifetime member of NEA and ISEA, supporting schools with my tax dollars and my voice. Teachers are truly the unsung heroes in our communities.
One cannot discuss loyalty without mentioning our pets. My little dog, Minnie, a miniature daschund, is as loyal as she can be. There is a saying that states, please let me be the kind of human being my dog thinks I am. That sums it all up. Minnie’s tail that never stops wagging when I arrive home, her half crooked smile she gives me when she is happy and her everlasting love demonstrates what it means to be loyal.
If you need a picture of loyalty, look no further than the pictures of military personnel returning from war and the dogs racing gleefully to welcome their owners home. If that does not touch your heart, then you need another lesson on loyalty!
A Better Iowa
This is a virtual town hall to focus on the greatest public service issues confronting Iowa. Consider it a digital gathering of community conversations where your ideas, opinions and solutions will be shared, studied and even debated.
We will share content that tackles Iowa's challenges and celebrates its successes.
But we need you, too. Bring your brain. Share your ideas. Add your voice.
Opinions & Editorials from around Iowa
- Iowa's Top Tweeters
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WATER POWERED PEOPLE LIFT (MODEL I-20)Return to Search Results
Record 9 of 9.« Previous Product
Water Powered People Lifts, model I-20, is a pool lift designed for use with in-ground pools and spas by individuals with mobility disabilities. These lifts are powered by water pressure from a standard garden hose require no electricity or cranking and so require few moving parts. Once the garden hose is connected to the 180-degree, three-way valve, pressure created by the water in the lift's aluminum cylinder raises and lowers the hard plastic shell seat. Seat travel may be stopped at any time during operation with the water valve. The Rota-lock locking system prevents the seat from moving while the user is entering or exiting the seat. The lift socket (similar to a ladder socket) is the only permanent installation. The lift'sbase post with the attached seat is lowered into the socket when needed. The socket provides the rotation point for the lift. OPTIONS: Padded headrest, padded footrest, upper and lower seat belts, additional standard socket, and a socket plate for use with wooden decks are available.
Notes: Custom models are available for above-ground pools and spas and lakes. ** Liftsmith LTD. and Rotalock are trademarks of Liftsmith LTD. ** The manufacturer states most city water systems provide adequate pressure to operate the lift; for those using wells, a water pump may be used to facilitate operation.
Price: Contact Manufacturer.
This product record was updated on September 27, 2010.
This product is available from:
Liftsmith LTD12706 St. Clair Drive
Middletown, Kentucky 40243
Telephone: 800-982-5715 or 502-245-5487.
Link to more products from Liftsmith LTD
« Previous Product Return to Search Results
Record 9 of 9.
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Out of Stock Vehicle Locating
- 50 state ABS dealer network
- Negotiate competitive pricing on your purchase
- Quick turnaround and processing
- Clear, consistent communication
- All foreign and domestic makes and models
- Optional 50 state titling service
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Contact Regina Pitts for more information.
(615) 834-0486 |
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3D Scanning & Rapid Prototyping used to perfect Knife Handle Design
Jefferson Spivey has been building and marketing his Sabertooth survival knives since 1968. In that time, the handle design has only changed a few times so when a change does take place, Spivey insists that the design be perfect. The latest version of the handle was designed in CAD and Spivey liked the way it looked so he released the tooling for production. He made one mistake that he said would never happen again though. He did not have a prototype model built of the new design.
Upon receiving the first production pieces, Spivey proceeded to assemble the handles to a blade. He started using the knife for its intended purpose of cutting, sawing, and hacking but noticed after a few minutes that it just didn’t feel right. The handle seemed too thick in the finger area. Some associates told Spivey that it was fine and he should just go ahead with production but Spivey said he “just wouldn’t feel right trying to convince someone to buy a knife that wasn’t perfect”
Now Spivey had to figure out how to fix the problem. He proceeded to painstakingly modify one of the handles by hand and eventually got it just the way he wanted. He now had to get this new design into the CAD model. He turned to Absolute Geometries, a 3D Scanning Service Bureau located near Austin, Texas for help. The handle was sent to Absolute Geometries and they used 3D Laser Scanning to produce a digital replica of the modified handle. The handle was scanned with a Faro Laser Scanarm. This scanner captures thousands of 3D measurement points per second and creates what is known as a point cloud model. From the point cloud model, Absolute Geometries was able to create new CAD surfaces of the modified area. They did this by converting the point cloud model to a 3D mesh file. The mesh file is created by attaching the points together to form triangle surfaces that have a surface normal. The mesh file was then cross sectioned and used as a guide to create the new surfaces. The new surfaces were incorporated into the original CAD model and then verified to the original scan data using Rapidform XOV.
Rapidform XOV is computer-aided inspection software that uses scan data to verify as-built parts. The scan data is aligned with the CAD model so that the differences in the data can be identified. In this case, Absolute Geometries needed to verify that the modified CAD model matched the hand crafted handle that Spivey had created as closely as possible. The data was aligned and a 3D Color Deviation model highlighted any areas that did not match. Reference dimensions were taken at several areas to verify the deviation. Because the handle was modified by hand, there were a few areas that did not match exactly but it was more important to have smooth tangent surfaces. The new surfaces proved to be accurate and this time a Rapid Prototype model was created.
Absolute Geometries used an Objet Eden500V 3D Printer to build a very detailed model of the new design. The Eden500V builds parts in .0006” layer thickness and .0016” resolution. A UV sensitive resin is printed onto a platform and cured with a UV light bulb attached to the back of the print head. After one layer of a part is “printed”, the platform lowers and the printing process is repeated until the part is complete. The Objet prototype was assembled to a blade and this time Spivey was very pleased with the feel.
To keep from completely rebuilding the tool cavity, the tool maker dropped the parting line and then used EDM to burn in the new surfaces. New handles that met Spivey’s specifications where then produced. Without 3D Scanning and Rapid Prototyping, it would have been very difficult to turn Spivey’s hand modified handle into production parts. Looking at a design in CAD is never the same as holding it in your hand.
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Absolutely Nothing To Wear : StripesPosted: October 16, 2011
I was never really in to stripes for myself until quite recently. I have always been in to stripes for my boys. They just seem to suit them from end to end. Stripes have always been notoriously unflattering, they widen everything – I’m talking horizontal here, vertical is a whole different story and needs to be approached with extra caution. My children were both tiny babies and giant toddlers but regardless I wrapped them both in as many straight lines as I could get my hands on. The stripe – for adult or child - has to be right though and it’s worth investing a bit of time and money in to finding the ones which really do work.
When it comes to the children I am a Polarn O Pyret addict. They do a stripe better than any other I know. From leggings – which I absolutely swear by for little boys – to long sleeved tees, all in ones, socks, hats and pants, they are the very very best. They have lasted me through two incredibly active boy babies and are still going strong.
So, after years of telling me that stripes made his “eyes go funny”, my husband recently came back from New York with bundles of stripey offerings for both me and the children. I hadn’t asked for anything apart from a denim shirt from Levis – which he found and is perfect – but I did mention that J.Crew might be worth a visit if he did feel
guilty for leaving me for 10 days that I might need anything else. That was as much direction as he was given and blimey did he do well. I am now the proud owner of 4 of the very best J.Crew stripey tops I never even knew existed. Each one a little bit different in colour or style and very well considered indeed. I would never have been this generous on myself. I’m in stripe heaven and I may be here for some time.
So to end this rather self satisfied post about stripes you might be pleased to know that J.Crew have a UK online store now which is very good news for wardrobes everywhere. And there seems to be a bit of a sale on at the moment so definitely worth a look.
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Review: Attack the Block
Attack the Block is the story of aliens landing in a specific part of London, England and some street savvy boys decide that they are going to defend “The Block.” In a non-surprising twist the nurse they mugged earlier follows them around, wielding a knife herself at points, as they successfully fend off the creatures from outer space. I’ve been telling people, “Think The Wire, with aliens.” Then people look at me like I’m an alien. Come to think of it, they may have been looking at me like that before I even opened my mouth.
My boyfriend, who watched the movie with me even though he is not particularly fond of Sci/fi and only watched it because I said I think it looks like The Wire with aliens and he loves The Wire, said, “That was just ridiculous enough to be entertaining.” High praise from a man who often finds things ridiculous. Including me. Which is not an insult, but rather apt description of yours truly. I named my blog Absurdly Nerdly after all, both acknowledging my quirky side and making up a word at the same time. I personally, really really really liked Attack the Block. Was it a bit ridiculous? Yes. But what sci/fi show or movie isn’t? I love sci/fi because it is ridiculous. And for a few moments I turn off my attorney brain and suspend my disbelief.
What I liked about the movie was that it had the perfect timing of all great mysteries. That, even though the clues have been dropped through out the movie, it isn’t until a second before the main characters figure it out that I figured it out. I had an inkling of what reason the aliens might have for attacking The Block, but all the pieces of the puzzle did not come together for me right away. The character development was good, the cinematography was good, the story line was good. Overall, a good and entertaining movie.
This is not a movie you want to watch with my Dad. Mostly because he uncannily guesses the weirdest plot twists and is always, I do mean always right. I felt I let him down a little when I wasn’t able to guess the ending. But frankly it was fun for me to not know. And it is always fun for my Dad to guess and to ruin it for everyone else. Seriously. He has this evil little chuckle. That I inherited. Maybe that is why people look at me like I’m an alien. Thanks Dad.
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|Gretchen Anna Reis and Lee John Pape with godson Jack Bleidt, May 17, 1936|
About a year ago, my (new friend) "Awin" commented on another post on this blog, sayng Aunt Gret "was a friend of my Grandmother, Amy Zender Windler of Ridgeville, Chicago. I have a painting Gretchen did in 1908 and gave to my grandmother. It is beautiful. I have always been looking for another of her paintings."
Then, about two weeks ago, I received an e-mail (via this blog) from someone who said Aunt Gret "was a wonderful water color artist. I have a painting of hers signed Gretchen Reis-Pape 1/11/40. I think we also may have another painting. We bought them at an auction in Holly, Michigan, a few years ago. I have searched for years to get info on the artist."
Gretchen was born April 4, 1886, in Evanston, Illinois, the oldest of the seven children of Joseph A. Reis and Margaret Muno (who were both born in Illinois of German parents). She's listed as an artist in various Evanston city directories from 1909 through 1933 (although she obviously continued painting after that). She married my uncle Lee John Pape between 1925 and 1927, and they lived in Wilmette after that. They had no children. She died on April 20, 1947, and is buried at St Henry's Cemetery in Chicago.
When nephew Jack Bleidt was born on February 13, 1929, Gretchen and Lee became his godparents. Gretchen made the clever card at right (noting that J.C.B., John Carl Bleidt, was born between Abe Lincoln and St. Valentine), which Jack's mother, Lee's sister Martha Elisabeth Pape Bleidt, saved in Jack's baby book.
Great Aunt Martha also saved the little watercolor drawing below, from the Easter greeting Aunt Gret sent her godson on March 29, 1929.
I asked my family if they had any of Aunt Gret's paintings. My Aunt Betty said, "I had a painting of Aunt Gret's hanging in my bedroom on Lunt Ave. I don't know what happened to it after they sold [2093 W.] Lunt Ave. Now wish I did. As I recall it was of a girl holding a straw hat with the wind blowing her hair."
In 2005, Awin noticed a note in her father's handwriting on the back of the painting that says, Your grandmother, Amy Windler, was a close friend of Gretchen Reis, who drew this picture. Gretchen was engaged to Mr. Sontag but he left her at the altar.”
Wow! That could be a yet another story (two Sontags, Henry and Arby, were of the right age and were members, like Gretchen and her family, of St. Nicholas Catholic Church in Evanston). This does help explain why Gretchen married Lee Pape so late in life (she was around 40) for that era.
Awin also sent me a link to a painting by Gretchen that she found on eBay.com about a year ago. Here is what the seller wrote:
"Recently we were contacted by an upper end Antique & Asian Gallery in Chicago's Magnificent Mile. They asked if we would take some consignments, of course we jumped at the chance...Up for auction is a wonderful winter landscape painting, signed G. Pape 1904 [sic]. Attributed to Gretchen Anna Pape (1866 [sic]-1947) of Evanston, Illinois. She was an easel painter from the turn of the century. It depicts a winter forest landscape with the light of the full moon. It has a cabin barn with an open door and what looks like a blacksmith working at his anvil. This was restretched somewhere shortly after it was done. It measures approx. 42" x 28". We couldn't find a bio on Gretchen Pape."
Their (mis-)information appears to have come from page 2525 of the 1999 edition of Who Was Who in American Art, 1564-1975 : 400 Years of Artists in America, which has an entry for:
Gretchen Anna Pape (Mrs.), painter, b. 1866/ d. 1947, Evanston, IL. Addresses : Wilmette, IL
Additionally, it's unlikely the painting below was done in 1904, as Gretchen was not Mrs. Pape at that point - unless she signed the painting after her marriage.
© Amanda Pape - 2012 - click here to e-mail me.
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"When dozens of suspected fighters showed up for a so-called peace conference in Baquba on Tuesday, they told the governor sponsoring it why they would not lay down their weapons ahead of elections."
.... Many of the men - from clerics and tribal leaders to ex-army officers and professionals - just wanted to know when U.S. forces would leave. .. "I would have signed it [an oath printed in Arabic and English] if it said no attacks on Iraqi forces, but no attacks on U.S. forces when they are occupying the country?"
.... "This pledge commits you to not even speak against the Americans. I cannot sign it," said cleric Fouad Attiya, 40."If I call from my mosque for occupation forces to leave my country does that make me a terrorist? Is this the freedom and democracy they are bringing us?"Suspected fighters vent frustrations
January 19, 2005
andNo takers as U.S. offers forgiveness to insurgents
January 19, 2005Now here is a whiff of democracy !
"As it now stands, there are three situations under which American forces could withdraw: we achieve our goals and depart in triumph; we are asked to leave by the Iraqi government; or we leave Iraq in chaos but spin it as a win. There are obstacles or drawbacks to all three.
Achieving our goals may be impossible now with the current levels of insurgency and distrust. Iraqi leaders may be slow to show us the door if we are guaranteeing their security.
Lowering our standard of success is unlikely to increase American credibility either at home or abroad.Why not let the Iraqis themselves decide?
(my italics) Ask Iraqi voters in a referendum six weeks after the national elections if they think foreign soldiers should withdraw immediately. Let the Iraqis debate what the absence of American forces will mean for their families and nation. Tell them we'll hold the referendum every nine months until they vote us out or we determine it's time to leave."Should We Stay or Should We Go?
January 19, 2005Would this proposal not encourage/assure the participation of all Iraqis?Better still, include that choice in the 'democratic national elections', as is often done in other referendums. The sooner you know, the better, no?You ready to take over?Hear ye, hear ye! Come and get some freedom
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Ready for today's Beat 360°? We post a picture, and you provide the caption. Our staff will join in, too. Tune in tonight at 8 and 10 p.m. ET to see if yours is our favorite!
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May 13th, 2004: Chapter Meeting at the home of Dr. Gabe and Dr. Maria Virella
The last meeting of the 2003-04 year was held May 13th at the home of Dr. Gabe and Dr. Maria Virella. Our secretary Mark Wimberly made a brief summary of the recent events and activities promoted by our chapter, including the AOA Medical Jeopardy competition and the EORO trip to watch the RiverDogs take on the Lake County Captains.
The inter-chapter jeopardy game pitching an MUSC team and a USC team was held on May 29, 2004. This year's game was a nail-biter, with two opposing teams of excellent caliber. USC's team was ahead at the end of the first two boards, but MUSC's team won the event by answering correctly the final jeopardy question, on which they had bet all their gains! The two teams were invited to a late lunch at Vickery's, in Mount Pleasant, by our Councillor which allowed all the participating students to interact in a very friendly and collegial atmosphere.
Ryan Butts has arranged to do an education talk at a private school in Mt. Pleasant. They have no school nurse, and thought our talk could be very helpful. We are scheduled to give the presentation on Thursday, May 20th at 2:45. If anyone is interested in helping Ryan Butts and Wayne Kelley with this project, email Ryan at firstname.lastname@example.org
Dr. Alan Brown, our treasurer, and Thel Lipscomb, our executive secretary, summarized the state of our chapter's finances. The dues collection totalled eight thousand dollars, enough to cover all the opperating expenses of the chapter, including the portion of the banquet cost that is subsidized by the chapter. We also did well in fundraising for the Pitts-Aiken Scholarship, raising over $18,000, in great part due to generous contributions from Dr. Aiken (Hugh Aiken's father) and Dr. Steve Schabel. In the following discussion it was decided not to charge dues to the newly elected student members and to create a small ad hoc committee to look into the possibility of instituting a second AOA scholarship. The committee will include Drs. Brown, Othersen, G. Virella, Ms. Liscomb and Mr. Bernard (COM4).
Elections for the 2004-2005 officers were then held. Wayne Kelley was elected President, Ryan Butts was elected Vice-President, and Mike Bernard was elected Secretary. Dr. Alan Brown will continue his three-year term as Treasurer. The meeting was then ajourned by Mark Wimberly.
Ryan Butts adresses the audience From the left: Ryan Butts, Mike Bernard, Wayne Kelly
April 29, 2004: AOA Medical Jeopardy
The annual AOA Medical Jeopardy competition between the Alpha chapter at MUSC and Beta chapter at the University of South Carolina was held at MUSC on April 29th. After a slight delay caused by a flat tire, the Beta chapter arrived at MUSC and the heated competition began in BSB 202. The USC team took an early lead over the MUSC team, consisting of Peter Grayson, Bhisham Chera, Josh Hermsen, and junior Wayne Kelley. However, Josh started the "Double Jeopardy" round off with a bang, correctly answering the $1000 question. The game was tight throughout the Double Jeopardy round. MUSC won in Final Jeopardy! ("This is the hometown of Joseph Goldstein, the recipient of the 1985 Nobel Prize in Medicine), risking it all on their final question ("What is Sumter, SC?"). After the competition, all AOA participants from both teams were treated to lunch at Vickery's on Shem Creek by Dr. Virella.
The visiting Team from USC The home team. From the left: Bisham, Wayne, Peter, and Josh
The two contingents had lunch at Vickery's
April 25th, 2004: AOA Takes EORO Out to the Ballgame
As part of our annual service project, AOA hosted an outing with Each One Reach One to see the Charleston Riverdogs take on the Lake County Captains. The children had an opportunity to play catch on the field with the Riverdogs before the opening pitch at 5:05. Some of the children also had a chance to participate in on-field games between innings, and were able to meet the RiverDogs players for autographs after the game.
April 16, 2004: Annual Banquet
This year's banquet was held at the Embassy Suites Hotel, in Downtown Charleston. Our speaker was Dr. Ludwig Lettau of Lowcountry Infectious Diseases in Charleston, who gave a interesting talk on humor in medicine entitled "Laughter is Infectious." Our councillor, Dr. Gabriel Virella, was recognized for receiving the Robert J. Glaser Distinguished Teacher Award. The new student and faculty inductees were also recognized and presented with their AOA key and certificate.
Tuesday, March 16th, 2004: Chapter meeting at the home of Dr. Key
On March 16th, the monthly chapter meeting was held at the home of Dr. Lyndon and Dr. Janice Key. Sarah Wolpe was elected to receive the Hiram Curry Award, honoring a fourth year medical student who embodies the principles of service in medicine. Dr. Bert Pruitt was elected to receive the Volunteer Faculty Award for his mentoring of MUSC students in the field of Gynecology. The student election process was discussed and revised. Various models based upon the 2003-04 AOA election results were presented. Please see the following link for a summary of the newly approved election model for next year.
Tuesday, March 16th, 2004: AOA Medical Jeopardy
On March 16th in the 2West Amphitheater, we had the annual AOA Medical Jeopardy Competition. Competing this year were 3 teams of formidable intellect. Team Red was Dr. Stephen Schabel from Radiology, Dr. Donna Johnson from OB/GYN, 4th year Brandon Runyan, and 3rd year Jason Clark. Team green was Dr. Jay Brzezinski of Internal Medicine, Dr. Roger Newman from OB/GYN, 4th year Natalie Massie, and 3rd year Wayne Kelley. Team Yellow was Dr. Jan Basile from Internal Medicine at the VA, Dr. Sam Kini from Emergency Medicine, 4th year Josh Hermsen, and 3rd year Kathleen Williams. It was a heated competition, filled with witty banter and buzzer issues, but was overall a successful event. Finally, the yellow team prevailed due to impressive performances by all, but especially by the soon-to-be surgeon Josh Hermsen. The next big event is the annual MUSC vs USC College of Medicine AOA Jeopardy Challenge. This event will take place on April 29th.
Wednesday, March 12, 2004: Education Project
As part of our continuing monthly service project, AOA students Robert Hooker, Peter Grayson, Ryan Butts, and Wayne Kelley spoke at Windsor Hill Elementary to approximately 85 faculty members on "Common Medical Problems Encountered in the Classroom."
February 18, 2004: Chapter meeting at the home of Dr. David Soper
The February meeting was held at the home of Dr. Soper. Faculty and housestaff were elected into AOA after a discussion of CV's and qualifications. Dr. Gerard Silvestri and Dr. Prabhakar Baliga were elected as faculty members. Dr. Christopher Robinson, Dr. Lejla Aganovic, and Dr. Patrick Thomas were elected as housestaff.
Wednesday, January 28, 2004: Education Project
The AOA monthly service committee spoke at Windsor Hill Elementary school to a group of guidance councilors representing several schools around the lowcountry. AOA students Peter Grayson and Ryan Butts delivered the talk on "Common Medical Problems Encountered in the Classroom." The Windsor Hill guidance councilor immediately rebooked AOA to speak at a Windsor Hill faculty meeting on March 10th at 2:30 pm.
January 22nd, 2004: Chapter Meeting at the Home of Dr. Steven Schabel
The January meeting was held at the home of Dr. Steven Schabel. The evening was highlighted by a presentation on the history of scotch given by Dr. Schabel and a scotch tasting.
Business conducted at the meeting: The meeting was called to order by chapter president Peter Grayson who thanked Dr. Schabel and his wife for hosting the event. Mark Wimberly, chapter secretary, announced that the chapter raised $2,120 at the chapter Christmas party to benefit Hospice of Charleston Kids Path Program. Mark also thanked Dr. Bruce Theirs for contributing a significant portion of this. Mark then thanked the chapter for their participation in last semester's service project, held in December, which benefited the Hospice Kids Path Program. Mark announced which members were present at the event, which included taking children enrolled in the Hospice program to see the Festival of Lights at James Island County Park. Dr. Del Bene announced and congratulated Dr. Gabe Virella for receiving the Robert J. Glaser Distinguished Teacher Award given by the national AOA. This award included a monetary prize to Dr. Virella, the AOA chapter, and to the MUSC College of Medicine. Peter Grayson then ajourned the meeting.
January 2004: Congratulations to Our Councillor
Dr. Gabe Virella was recently awarded the Robert J. Glaser Distinguished Teacher Award. This award is given jointly by AOA and the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) and recognizes excellence in medical student teaching. The honor echoes the many teaching awards Dr. Virella has received while at MUSC, including several "Golden Apples" for his efforts in the field of Microbiology and Immunology. Along with the award, MUSC received a check for $5,000 dedicated to teaching activities, and our AOA chapter received a check for $1,000. For more information, please visit the following link
Wednesday December 17th: AOA students kicked off the Education Project
Three AOA students (Stephanie Eschenbach, Chris Pruitt, and Peter Grayson) delivered a lecture to the faculty of Knightsville Elementary school on "Common Medical Problems Encountered in the Classroom." For a copy of the lecture please click here. The lecture was given to a packed house of over 75 faculty members. The students fielded questions regarding the current state of the Physician-Teacher relationship. Roger Lee, a writer for the Summerville Journal, wrote an article about the event. AOA is currently looking to present the talk to more schools on a monthly basis.
December 2003, Holiday Spirit
This past December has marked a very active time in the Chapter's committment to service. AOA members participated in the Each One Reach One (EORO) project as described in the entry below. AOA members will continue to participate in future EORO events on a monthly basis. Further, many thanks go out to Robert Hooker for his efforts in organizing the AOA Christmas toy drive. We were able to provide the Department of Social Services (DSS) with many toys to help brighten the holidays for some underpriviledged children. Finally, many thanks to Dr. and Mrs. Reves for hosting our annual Christmas Party. At the party, we raised $2,120 in donations to the Kids Path Program of Hospice of Charleston, including a sizeable donation from Dr. Bruce Thiers. This money will also help the EORO program, a subsidiary of Kids Path. Anne-Marie Shores, the founder of EORO, has expressed deep gratitude for AOA's efforts as a founding donor to her program.
Monday, December 8th: AOA students participated in the launch of Each One Reach One
AOA students started a collaboration with Each One Reach One (EORO), a division of the Kids Path Program Hospice of Charleston. The students participated in taking 20 children to the James Island festival of lights. After that, the children returned to Hospice of Charleston and had cookies and hot chocolate prepared by Johnson and Wales students. AOA students also helped run an arts and crafts table for the children to construct journals and photo albums to document the event. Pictures of the event can be found here.
Thursday, Nov. 20, 2003: Chapter meeting at the home of Dr. Karl Byrnes
The meeting was called to order by Peter Grayson. Peter thanked Dr. Byrnes and his wife for hosting meeting. Mark Wimberly spoke about upcoming service project being held on Dec. 8th to benefit Hospice of Charleston. Robert Hooker spoke on monthly service project. Robert told members that there will be a collection box for gifts to be placed in location around campus. One will be in the office of Thelma Lipscomb with a second box in the Student Programs Office. Peter Grayson then introduced guest speaker Dr. Casey Fitts. Dr. Fitts spoke about the state of the insurance crisis within our country. He also told about a pilot program he started to benefit the medically uninsured who did not qualify for Medicaid. Meeting was then adjourned by Peter Grayson.
Wednesday, Nov. 19, 2003: AOA FALL LECTURE
Dr. John Sleasman, Robert A. Good Professor of Immunology and Chief of the Division of Allergy and Immunology, Department of Pediatrics, University of South Florida, College of Medicine, was our Fall Speaker. Dr. Sleasman gave the opening lecture at the 11th AIDS Symposium. The topic of his lecture was "The Interaction between HIV and the Immune System: Implications in Treatment and Vaccine Development". The Basic Sciences Auditorium was full to capacity and the lecture was very well received.
Saturday, November 8: Our councillor is recognized as Distinguished Teacher
Dr. Gabriel Virella, Professor of Microbiology and Immunology, and councillor for our AOA chapter, received the AOA Robert J. Glaser Distinguished Teacher Award at a black tie dinner offered by the Association of American Medical Colleges, during their annual convention. Dr. Virella was one of four honorees recognized for their contributions to Medical Education.
The Awards banquet. At the left, Dr. Virella, Dr. Michael Drake (AOA President), and the three other award recipients: Dr. Joel Felner from Emory University School of Medicine, Dr. Lawrence Wood, from the University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine, and Dr. Barry Mann from Drexter University College of Medicine. At the right, MUSC's contingent: Drs. Amy Blue, Jerry Reves (Dean), DelBene (Associate Dean of Education) and Virella.
Saturday, September 27: AOA Heart walk
Several members of AOA helped in this walk for charity. Pictures and narrative to follow soon.
Saturday, October 18: Annual Picnic
The picnic was at Dr. and Mrs. Peter Gazes home. It was a great success. There were approximately 60 people in attendance. We held a brief meeting welcoming the new inductees and briefly discussing each committee. Wayne Kelley took the first sip of adult beverage, and he has been elected the arduous task of drinks coordinator for the upcoming year.
September 19: New Inductees Meeting
The new members of AOA met at the recovery room for a brief meeting to sign up for committees. Attendance was very good, and there was a lot of excitement to start working on upcoming projects.
September 11: First Meeting and Elections
Junior AOA members and several faculty convened at Dr. and Mrs. H.B. Othersen's house for our first meeting of the academic year and new member elections. After a short time socializing and catching up with friends, members got down to business electing the new senior and junior members into AOA. As there were many fine candidates this year, the discussion was long and at times heated. The end result, however, was a great class of inductees.
August: CV Workshop
Mark Wimberly MS4 and the Center for Academic Excellence put on this workshop to help students perfect and polish their well-padded CV's. Especially useful for the third and fourth years getting ready for residency applications, the workshop focused on style, formatting and things to leave on and off this important document. For those that did not make the workshop, please see the CAE on the web or in person for crucial help in making your CV perfect.
August: First Recipent of the Pitts-Aiken Scholarship starts his medical education at MUSC
In the Academic Year of 2003-04 the alpha chapter of AOA in South Carolina instituted a $8,000.00 scholarship, known as the AOA Pitts-Aiken scholarship, honoring the memories of Dr. Pitts, whose generous endowment to AOA funds the scholarship, and Dr. Hugh Aiken, AOA member of the class of 1996, whose tragic and early death we still mourn. The recipient of the scholarship was selected by a committee of AOA members (students, faculty and alumni) from a list of candidates provided by the Dean's Office. Outstanding academic qualifications and other attributes that suggest potential for leadership in the profession and community were considered in selecting the recipient of the scholarship.
The first recipient of the Scholarship, James Ken Byrd, graduated Magna cum Laude from the Honors School at USC with a major in Chemistry and minors in Biology and Medical Humanities. During his career at USC he was eleected to Phi Beta Kappa, served as Student Senator, Vice-President of membership for Omicron Delta Kappa, and Director for Academic Affairs of Delta Tau. He was also involved in fundraising and community service activities.
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Financing is really a fiscal deal through which one particular party (the borrowed funds supplier) confirms to supply another party (the consumer some money using the aspiration of total repayment. The specific regards to funding are often typed out through a promissory note or other agreement. The client should accept the particular repayment conditions, such as the balance due, rate of interest and payment dates. A few loan providers can also designate fiscal fees and penalties pertaining to missed as well as late commitments.
Must be bank loan can contain a lot of invisible costs by way of example interestobligations and also financial expenses, a lot of people often stay away from for starters until it could be important.
Purchasing a brand new vehicle as well as property more often than not needs some kind of loan from your financial institution, whether it is a bank mortgage or even a private bank loan while using seller.
Financing a greater education and learning may possibly also require a government-backed schooling loan. Rates on these kinds of large lending products might be fixed during the time of the application form or even can vary depending on the government excellent interest rate.
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The Saint of the Day for July 20 is St. Apollinaris.
Apollinaris came to Rome from Antioch with the prince of the apostles, by whom he was consecrated bishop, and sent to Ravenna to preach the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. He converted many to the faith of Christ, for which reason he was seized by the priests of the idols and severely beaten. At his prayer, a nobleman named Boniface, who had long been dumb, recovered the power of speech, and his daughter was delivered from an unclean spirit; on this account a fresh sedition was raised against Apollinaris. He was beaten with rods, and made to walk barefoot over burning coals; but as the fire did him no injury, he was driven from the city.
He lay hidden some time in the house of certain Christians, and then went to Aemilia. Here he raised from the dead the daughter of Rufinus, a patrician, whose whole family thereupon believed in Jesus Christ. The prefect was greatly angered by this conversion, and sending for Apollinaris he sternly commanded him to give over propagating the faith of Christ in the city. But as Apollinaris paid no attention to his commands, he was tortured on the rack, boiling water was poured upon his wounds, and his mouth was bruised and broken with a stone; finally he was loaded with irons, and shut up in prison. Four days afterwards he was put on board ship and sent into exile; but the boat was wrecked, and Apollinaris arrived in Mysia, whence he passed to the banks of the Danube and into Thrace.
In the temple of Serapis the demon refused to utter his oracles so long as the disciple of the apostle Peter remained there. Search was made for some time, and then Apollinaris was discovered and commanded to depart by sea. Thus he returned to Ravenna; but on the accusation of the same priests of the idols, he was placed in the custody of a centurion. As this man, however, worshipped Christ in secret, Apollinaris was allowed to escape by night. When this became known, he was pursued and overtaken by the guards, who loaded him with blows and left him, as they thought, dead. He was carried away by the Christians, and seven days after, while exhorting them to constancy in the faith, he passed away from this life, to be crowned with the glory of martyrdom. His body was buried near the city walls.
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The local Cingular store closed today at 5:00 p.m. in preparation of selling the iPhone starting at 6:00 p.m. I’m told that the first person arrived to start the line at 5:30 a.m. By about 12:30 p.m. there were 20 or so people in line. By 5:00 when Matt arrived to start holding my place in line, there were about 45 people in line ahead of us. Some of those were just waiting with some one else who planned to buy a phone, while some of those may have been wanting to buy more than one phone. A salesperson was putting wrist bands on customers waiting in line. By 6 o’clock, when the doors opened, there were perhaps 20 to 25 more people waiting behind me.
Most of the people in line looked younger than me. Substantially younger. While there were a few seniors, the crowd consisted mostly of college students and 20-somethings, I think. I fancied that many were graphic artists and worked in marketing jobs.
Two TV stations were present, filming and interviewing some of those waiting. Alas, my opinion was not solicited.
At 6:47, the 8 GB models sold out. At 7:20, the 4 GB models sold out. I made it into the store at 7:25.
So, if I’d arrived to wait perhaps 15 minutes sooner, I could have purchased a 4GB model. For my work purposes, a 4 GB model would have been sufficient, I’m sure. To buy the 8 GB model (for an additional $100), the salesman thought that it would have been necessary to be in line by 2:00. I’m not confident of that estimate, but it’s as good a guess as any.
When we’d received our wristband, we’d been told that if they ran out, we could place a direct order and that the iPhone would arrive on Monday for no additional shipping charges. However, by the time the iPhone stock had run out, the salesmen were being more careful with the promises that they were making. Instead, we were told that since we’d waited in line, we had priority over all of the Internet orders and that ours would be shipped to us even prior to new iPhones being shipped to the retail stores. The salespeople thought that was possible that the iPhone would arrive on Monday, but if not, surely sometime next week.
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"A beauty parlour has become the first in Britain to offer makeovers, fake tans and facials exclusively for children and toddlers, it has emerged," says everybody's favourite Conservative broadsheet The Daily Telegraph before going to list the services available at the salon, Trendy Monkeys of Brentwood, including "fruit smoothie facials, mini pedicures, manicures or make-up application, hair “up-dos” and haircuts." And all this in the same week as the Government's new proposals to combat the sexualisation of children! Keen eyes will note that brazilians and vajazzles do not appear.
Trendy Monkeys. Doesn't look all that sexual, does it? Unless monkeys in tutus do it for you. They probably do for some people, but we'd prefer not to Google anything like that just in case we see images.
Apparently, girls as young as one year old can be treated to ""Princess pamper parties", which costs several hundred pounds" which begin with them and up to five friends being "picked up in a pink limousine" and taken to the salon, where doting parents "can pay for extra services including spray tans while having a photographer follow them around."
Professor Judy Hutchings of the Centre for Evidence Based Early Intervention told the paper that the salon represents "not just the sexualisation but the commercialisation of children." We dislike the sexualisation of children as much as any other normal adult, but the commercialisation bit is stretching things a bit far. The same could be said about The Beano, Ladybird books, Dinky cars and all the other kiddies' products that were with us in that delightful bit of the 1950s with the rosy glow around it, when children were innocent creatures of joy and light and went around with scabby knees saying "brilliant!" and drinking lashings and lashings of ginger beer. Precisely the same thing is going on in the half-timbered cottages of the Black Forest where Geppetto hand carves toys for sale to tourists, in the Tridias shops that were so beloved among the upper middle classes for their traditional toys and lack of the latest kill-em-up videogames, and everywhere else that toys or anything else marketed at and for children has ever been sold.
Tellingly, the Toryrag points out early on in the story that the salon, which opened last weekend, "is located in an area featured in the ITV reality television show The Only Way Is Essex." Two members of the cast were in fact at the opening of the salon, as revealed by The Daily Mail which, predictably, takes a similar line to the broadsheet and has a picture of the celebs in question in Marbella ("Marbella? How vulgar!"). Which rather begs the question: what do we have here? A story which raises legitimate concerns over the way children are being raised in modern society or an opportunity for the newspaper's readers to enjoy a spot of "haw haw, look how tasteless the working classes like the ones in that dreadful programme (which none of us watched, of course, because we're much too highbrow) are, aren't we so much better than them?"-style upper middle class snobbish solidarity over their breakfast coffee this morning?
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Week @ Acme 3/7
Greetings from Carrboro,
The first “professional” wine tasting that I ever went to was in an apartment over Cliff’s Meat Market. Easily 20+ years ago. The stairs squeaked terribly. Certain steps were even marked with duct tape to avoid so as not to fall through. It was a warm Spring night. Late by most standards. Just after work for us. People climbed out the apartment window and sat on the roof behind Cliff’s to smoke. It was midnight before we started.
I don’t remember all that much about what we learned. Or what the occasion was. I do remember that the table was covered with lots of candles. And that early on, a girl spilled a rather too-full martini into the bowl of pretzels. But one thing stayed with me. I tasted really, really great Pinot Noir. It was exotic and delicious and simply the best thing that I’d ever tasted. I pulled an old order ticket out of my pocket and wrote the words PINOT NOIR on the back. And then I put the paper in my wallet – right behind my driver’s license – so I’d never forget.
Tomorrow night – Thursday, March 8th – Acme is having our own little Pinot Noir shindig. But upscale and Acme-fied. We’ve teamed up with Patricia Green Cellars from Oregon. And Jim Anderson is coming out from the Oregon Wine Country to showcase some of their most sought after wines (wwwpatriciagreencellars.com). And, well, we thought we’d cook some delicious food to go along with the wine. What the hell. That is what we do, after all. Please note that it’s a small dinner, so seats are limited. To say the least. $50 per person for the five course dinner. Reservations are required (919 929 2263). We will start at 6:30. Menu is below. It’s going to be splendid. And no one will spill a martini in your dinner. Promise.
Spring is a good thing.
Well, that’s all the news from Carrboro. The staff at Acme look forward to serving you soon.
The Staff at Acme
Patricia Green Cellars Dinner
Thursday, March 8th
Black River Farmstead Goat Cheese Risotto, Grilled Fennel, Spring Peas
2010 Sauvignon Blanc
Pan-Seared Scallops, Creamed Leeks, Wild Mushrooms, Truffle
2010 Reserve Pinot Noir
Braised Lamb, Cous Cous, Parsnips, Mint
2010 Pinot Noir ‘Bishop Creek’
Smoked Pork Cheeks, Butter Beans, Bourbon Carrots
2010 Estate Pinot Noir & 2010 Estate ‘Old Vine’ Pinot Noir
Dark Chocolate Terrine, Preserved Strawberries
2010 Notorious Pinot Noir
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Between making plans to film her new movie “The Getaway” with Ethan Hawke and spending quality time with Justin Bieber, Selena Gomez has a lot on her plate. But that’s not stopping her from continuing to support UNICEF and raise awareness about the hunger crisis in Africa. Through the power of social media, Selena is rallying her fans to raise funds to feed children in the Sahel region of West and Central Africa. As Selena says in the beginning of her PSA bellow, “Right now more than a million children can die in the Sahel Region.” This is an urgent matter and Selena wants all of us to help out.
According to UNICEF, out of all the celebrities and influencers who shared this call to action, Selena sparked the most conversations. Props, girl! She also recently shared a pic of her and her new volunteer partner who will be accompanying her during her next UNICEF trip.
From the looks of it, when it comes to taking action, Selena is just getting started. On Friday, she stopped by “On Air with Ryan Seacrest” and announced her appointment as the first ambassador of the Ryan Seacrest Foundation, which builds broadcast media centers at children’s hospitals. The goal is help kids and their families heal through providing a place for patients to explore the creative outlets of radio, television and new media. Keep up the inspiring work, Selena!
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Groups are smaller communities within the larger ActiveRain. Join groups created by others. or start your own and
get others to join
This is the place to view the past and present contests put on by ActiveRain and its members. Everyone can join the
group and help encourage each other. Current contest will be highlighted posts so it's easy for you all to see. Let it
Curious as to what others in your profession think about a certain product or tool?
AR's community takes the time to leave honest and transparent reviews of their experiences
so you can be a bit wiser about your purchase.
Broken down by categories and subcategories for easy finds
Get an unfiltered look at what real users are saying
Leave a review yourself for others to benefit from
Add new products as you use them and gain points for doing so
ActiveRain University (ARU) provides free on-line training. We coach, consult and support real estate professionals about real estate trends, technology and social media.
ARU Calendar provides class types and registration links
Watch short tutorials on updating your photo, inserting a hyperlink and much more
Sign up for the Daily Drop so you don't miss out on AR's daily happenings
Find answers to most FAQ's
Whatever it is you're into and wherever you are, AR surely has a group for you to join.
Brand, off the wall, specific subject matters…whatever it is you're looking for.
Each time you write a post you can syndicate your post to 5 groups.
And if by chance you don't find what you're looking for, start a new group today!
Get your content in front of more eyes
Search by location or type
Feel free to start your own group
Find some that are close to home and close to heart
Each month AR runs numerous contests as a way for our members to engage in activities
that will boost their business and increase their visibility in the community and beyond.
Earn points by partaking in these contest and climb the leaderboard
Do what's good for you and your business by participating
If you have an idea for a contest, just let us know
Stay motivated and on track with new contests popping up each month
Ask a Real Estate Question
Here's another avenue for you to build relationships with others. Share your expertise with someone searching for answers.
Play the teacher role and help someone out today
Your Homepage will alert you of new questions in your state
A wonderful way to open a door to a possible new client
Ask a question yourself to get help
These state pages or hyper-local pages provide content directly related to a specific geographical location.
State, County, City and Neighborhood pages make it easy for consumers to find what they're looking for.
Post your listings, school information, local events, market reports and more
Consumers peruse these pages for information
Farm your niche market and cover all the happenings in your neighborhood
Remembering 9-11 - 09/11/08 10:48 AM
Remembering 9-11It's easy to remember where you were that day. Just what you were doing. On this busy morning I am taking a moment to honor all those that died. All those that ran for thier lives. All that lost someone dear. But also, all that suffered in others ways as well. This event didn't just effect those that were there. It has had a lasting effect on us all. This photo is from Reuters A member of the New York fire department holds a picture of a September 11, 2001 attack victim, who was a (1 comments)
Twilight ~ Masterpiece to Movie - 09/06/08 01:28 PM
Twilight ~ Masterpiece to MovieFor me, it happens every time. I fall in love with a story. My mind so vivid that, reading the book, I see the characters faces, expressions. Smell the air, see the places they live. Hear their voices. A movie played out in my mind. Perfect. Then.... the rights are sold. The movie created. Never the same. Never as good as it was in my mind. It's true, I long to watch it played out on screen. But I am always so disappointed. Do these directors READ the book first? Or do they jump blindly into a (3 comments)
What to Blog on Active Rain - 09/05/08 03:12 PM
What to Blog on Active RainHere's my question.... What do you expect to see from blogs on Active Rain?I've read tons of blogs. Tons. Everything from book reviews to marketing tips... and everything in between. During that reading I have also read many complaints about blogs NOT related to real estate. Do most people feel the same?I was under the impression that the biggest reason for blogging was to allow others to get to know you. Maybe I'm wrong? But doesn't talking about things other than real estate do just that? Allow others to get an idea of who you are. (8 comments)
I LOVE this series!!!! LOVE LOVE LOVE!!!!! It all started when my son, Coty, started reading it. I was thrilled and curious at what had this 13 year old boy finally reading. He rejected the video games, turned off the tv.... and even denied the slew of nightly calls from various girls that was his life! This kid was hooked! Last Thursday night I found myself with the evening free and nothing left to read. I picked up his copy of New Moon. I knew it was the second book of the series, but was sure (4 comments)
Disclaimer: ActiveRain Corp. does not necessarily endorse the real estate agents, loan officers and brokers listed on this site. These real estate profiles, blogs and blog entries are provided here as a courtesy to our visitors to help them make an informed decision when buying or selling a house. ActiveRain Corp. takes no responsibility for the content in these profiles, that are written by the members of this community.
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Groups are smaller communities within the larger ActiveRain. Join groups created by others. or start your own and
get others to join
This is the place to view the past and present contests put on by ActiveRain and its members. Everyone can join the
group and help encourage each other. Current contest will be highlighted posts so it's easy for you all to see. Let it
Curious as to what others in your profession think about a certain product or tool?
AR's community takes the time to leave honest and transparent reviews of their experiences
so you can be a bit wiser about your purchase.
Broken down by categories and subcategories for easy finds
Get an unfiltered look at what real users are saying
Leave a review yourself for others to benefit from
Add new products as you use them and gain points for doing so
ActiveRain University (ARU) provides free on-line training. We coach, consult and support real estate professionals about real estate trends, technology and social media.
ARU Calendar provides class types and registration links
Watch short tutorials on updating your photo, inserting a hyperlink and much more
Sign up for the Daily Drop so you don't miss out on AR's daily happenings
Find answers to most FAQ's
Whatever it is you're into and wherever you are, AR surely has a group for you to join.
Brand, off the wall, specific subject matters…whatever it is you're looking for.
Each time you write a post you can syndicate your post to 5 groups.
And if by chance you don't find what you're looking for, start a new group today!
Get your content in front of more eyes
Search by location or type
Feel free to start your own group
Find some that are close to home and close to heart
Each month AR runs numerous contests as a way for our members to engage in activities
that will boost their business and increase their visibility in the community and beyond.
Earn points by partaking in these contest and climb the leaderboard
Do what's good for you and your business by participating
If you have an idea for a contest, just let us know
Stay motivated and on track with new contests popping up each month
Ask a Real Estate Question
Here's another avenue for you to build relationships with others. Share your expertise with someone searching for answers.
Play the teacher role and help someone out today
Your Homepage will alert you of new questions in your state
A wonderful way to open a door to a possible new client
Ask a question yourself to get help
These state pages or hyper-local pages provide content directly related to a specific geographical location.
State, County, City and Neighborhood pages make it easy for consumers to find what they're looking for.
Post your listings, school information, local events, market reports and more
Consumers peruse these pages for information
Farm your niche market and cover all the happenings in your neighborhood
you've been under a rock for the past 20+ years, you know exactly who Dr. Alan Greenspan is, or
was. Among a list of accomplishments, he was
Chairman of the Federal Reserve from 1987 to 2006 starting
under Ronald Reagan and serving (or being served by) a succession of
Presidents until his retirement as the housing market started to crash
down around his ears. Like me, you've probably heartily agreed with him
at times and vehemently disagreed with him at others. But regardless of
your take on him, it's impressive to see him in person and a tribute to
NAR that he would come speak with us and field questions. At 83 he is a
vibrant and dynamic speaker, possessed of both emotion &
gravitas as well as a sense of humor.
Greenspan started his address by noting one profound truth that if we
learn nothing else from this current situation it is that we are now and
forever integrated into the world economy as never before.
While other countries fortunes have risen and fallen on the status of
the U.S. in the past, it's very much a two way street today with
segments of our economy tied irrevocably to China, the EU and
middle-eastern oil interests. And while more and more nations look to
us for fiscal leadership during these trying times, others are calling
for expansion of the global money market to include indices other than
the US dollar.
went on to say that recent events have also illustrated a disconnect between the stock market and
the economy. Not to say the stock market isn't tied to the
economy very closely but it has become apparent that there is a much closer relationship to human psychology
than previously considered. Depending on what the media tells them,
their own personal circumstances or even what their neighbors think,
the stock market can experience major exuberance or major depression
counter intuitive to what the financial market might indicate. In the
current cycle that attitude is increasingly tied to real estate with the price of homes being the key
determinant in market equity. When by various estimates
anywhere from 25% - 50% of US homeowners are under water, it has a
serious and deleterious impact on that equity position and on the
security and investment attitudes of a wider swath of the general
public than can be accounted for by those personally affected.
Returning people's trust in government and their financial institutions
will be paramount in stabilizing this attitudinal component of the
are starting to see today a significant shift in monetary policy and a
much greater availability of money. He believes we are seeing the 'seeds of bottoming'
especially in areas like California, Arizona, Florida and Nevada.
Prices haven't bottomed out quite yet but he expects these areas that fell the farthest the fastest
to show improvement before the rest of the country. That improvement
will be governed not so much by monetary policy or even availability of
funds at this point, but on inventory. And in that arena we still face
a 'couple bumps in the road'.
also pointed to failures in the risk management capacity of certain
industries noting that he and others mis-read
the ability and/or willingness of managers to perform in their own
self-interest or self-preservation when it came to
application of risk portfolios and actively seeking out people to give
loans to that were demonstrably unable to repay them. To that end he
discussed the concept of being 'too
big to fail' and the fallacy of that statement. He stated
that both Fannie and Freddie
are not inherently stable in their current form and
suggested that both those organizations be split into smaller entities
where the failure of one does not pressage a systemic collapse.
the Q&A one member asked if his monetary policy of reducing the
interest rate to 0% might have contributed to the 'easy money' problem
and that the subsequent run-up to 6+% might have exacerbated the
problem? He has no doubt been taken to task on this one before as he
had a ready answer discussing the lag time between rate shifts and
housing curves, the disconnect between interest rates and mortgage
rates and the general role of the Fed. In this response I found some of
his remarks to be somewhat
disingenuous and, while they make be technically accurate,
don't take into account his own reference to the role psychology plays
in the market. Of course he did say that the impact of consumer
psychology is a more recent realization so maybe he discounted that
from his thinking at the time. But from a man whose simple declaration
of 'irrational exuberance' a few years back sent the market into a
tail-spin, you'd think the psychological impact on consumers and the
market would have been painfully apparent some time back. In your own
experience, when consumers hear that interest rates are down, what is
their first thought? That mortgages rates are also down, right? Even
many Realtors and lenders don't understand the difference.
was also some question of the expansion
of the Fed into policy making during his tenure - which he
again dismissed as untrue. He said that in some cases the Fed reacts to
policy while in other cases policy may in fact respond to the Fed but
that it was never his intention to make the Fed a policy making arm of
any Administration. Coming from the man who was arguably a major factor
in policy decisions for 2 decades and 4 Presidents, that may be a bit
of an understatement on his part.
he was very forthcoming, personable and energetic. While I may not
always agree with his policies, I have a great respect for him as an
individual and for the job he performed so admirably for this country
through numerous challenges.
Disclaimer: ActiveRain Corp. does not necessarily endorse the real estate agents, loan officers and brokers listed on this site. These real estate profiles, blogs and blog entries are provided here as a courtesy to our visitors to help them make an informed decision when buying or selling a house. ActiveRain Corp. takes no responsibility for the content in these profiles, that are written by the members of this community.
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If it's just plastic, you'll never get a black mark. To get color on plastic, you need to mask and color fill (or just color fill if you are less sloppy than I).
The cool color changes you see on other gear is due to the painted or anodized metal case. To get black on unpainted and unanodized metals, you will need Cermark or something like it. There are now colored versions of Cermark out but I've not tried them.
70W Epilog Legend 24, bought it new in December 2002
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