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Hey all
Just read this on tsn.ca:
I don't know if Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News knows something we don't know or if it is just wishful thinking. He is still predicting Ricky Romero and J.P Arencibia will be in Texas by the time the season starts. He also believes the Rangers can land Zach Greinke and Nick Swisher.
Link http://www.tsn.ca/mlb/story/?id=410114
Probably means nothing because AA seems to keep most things tight lipped, but maybe he knows something?
Personally I am far from ready to give up on Ricky. He should bounce back, I think he was putting to much pressure on himself with all the injuries.Trying to be to perfect or maybe it was his injury.Before last year his career ERA was 3.60.
I like JPA too. Not too sure why everyone wants too trade him. JPA was a 20 hr 80 RBI guy in his first 2 seasons in the league. All while concentrating on his defence. I think its a pretty good bet that JPA will hit for a better average (250+) in the future and hit 25+HR's and 80+RBI's. JPA seems tough and Durable.What scares me about D'arnaud is his health, not sure if he can stand up behind the plate.If we move a catcher i would trade D'arnaud. Maybe at the Deadline for King Felix?
Anyway i think these guys are going no where. Thoughts?


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(BPT) - School is out and summer vacations are in full swing. But while many of us are relaxing, thieves are working overtime. Summer is theft season, at least according to Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) statistics that show more home thefts occur in June, July and August than any other month of the year. What families might not realize is that their everyday habits could be making their home more vulnerable to theft.

Nationwide Insurance recently asked home and condo insurance homeowners a series questions surrounding the protection of household personal property to determine how, or if, families are protecting their home from thieves.

"The survey revealed some risky, interesting consumer behaviors," said Pete Lore, associate vice president of property technical claims for Nationwide. "For example, most of us know locking our doors will make our home safer, yet a quarter (25 percent) of homeowners surveyed admit to leaving the front door of their house unlocked when leaving home at least once in the past year."

If these common mistakes turn into habits, then it could increase their chances of becoming the next theft victim.

Don't help a burglar get in:

* Thirty-nine percent of homeowners admit they leave their doors unlocked more often or about the same as their parents did when they were growing up, despite a more than 200 percent increase in theft over the last 40 years

* Homeowners make themselves more vulnerable to theft by leaving windows unlocked on either the ground floor (35 percent) or second story and above (34 percent) at least once in the past year

* About one-third (30 percent) of those surveyed hide a spare key outside their home

* Forty-one percent of homeowners aged 18-34 post social media updates while they are on vacation

Turn on prevention measures:

* Although many (79 percent) homeowners report having at least one common theft prevention measure (e.g., alarm system), three in ten homeowners (30 percent) do not use any, putting their home at unnecessary risk

* Twenty percent of homeowners with an alarm system don't activate it during the day, even though that's when most thefts occur

Thieves know where your valuable items are:

* About three in 10 homeowners (29 percent) say the bedroom - the room that thieves visit first - contains the most valuables

* Many homeowners admit they do not document or keep track of their belongings (44 percent)

Home theft takes little time, but can be costly for homeowners. Burglars usually spend no more than 60 seconds breaking into a home, but the average cost to replace stolen belongings among victims of home theft is $3,584, according to the Nationwide survey. That's why it's important to implement even the simplest preventative measures, such as:

* Locking your doors and closing your windows before leaving the house

* Storing your jewelry and other precious items in unexpected places or safes

* Taking an inventory of your possessions and backing them up with images

* Installing motion-detecting lights around your property to deter burglars

* Informing local authorities or a trusted neighbor when you will be gone for an extended period of time. Ask them to drive by your house and check on it occasionally

* Refraining from promoting your travel online; burglars can use social media to find out who is not home

* Putting a hold on your newspaper and mail delivery while you are away or having someone pick it up for you

subset: commoncrawl


text: Its Fleet Week in New York this week, when the City is awash with sailors in full navy regalia whose ships have docked there for the annual celebration. As I witnessed last year, this can be quite a visual spectacle. The uniforms haven't changed since the days of Gene Kelly and Frank Sinatra's 'On the Town' and the sight of lots of men in the whitest of whites set against that most urban of city backdrops is quite something.


text:
OS 188.8.131.526 for the Curve 8520 has been leaked! While 8520 users are not expected to get an OS 6 upgrade, it's nice to see RIM has not left you in the dust and is still upgrading your operating system. No word as to what improvements should be seen with this leak, but we can always hope for increased speed and battery life. If you try the update, please be sure to let us know what you think and what improvements you see by taking part in our discussion forum.
Warning: Please remember that this IS NOT an official release OS. If you wish to install this OS keep in mind that this may cause your phone to not function correctly. BlackberryOS and any other BlackberryOS Official sites are not responsible. If you are not comfortable and/or unsure as how to upgrade to this OS, please click the link below.


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Erik Brown, the wine and beverage director at the Oregon Grille, wants you to forget any preconceived notions you may have when you set foot into his bar.
Forget the Hunt Valley restaurant's fine dining reputation; the scenic, horse country setting; the "jacket-required-after-5-p.m.-in-the-dining-room" rule. No, when you belly up to his bar, you're among friends and family. Friends and family who want to make you ridiculously strong, delicious hand-crafted cocktails.
Brown's approachable bartending style is responsible for the Grille's cocktail renaissance — a program of seasonal, fresh specialty drinks intended to create "that wow factor." He'll even let you help name them. He draws inspiration for his cocktails — most either original creations or takes on classic Embury recipes — from regular patrons, creating flavors they like, whether they know what exactly is in the drink or not. The Belgian Harrier is a menu standout for both reasons: It has an impressive look and taste and plenty of customer-created appeal.
It might not sound romantic, but the Harrier is a love connector. Upon finding out what flavors two customers on a first date each liked to imbibe, Brown whipped up a nameless cocktail of Hendrick's gin, St. Germain and Campari, muddled with a little basil, agave and lemon. Months later, the pair came in, still together, and asked for the same drink. Brown ended up mixing a pitcher of them to share around the bar. Eventually, someone asked, "So what's the name of this drink?" One of the Grille's regulars, a 90-year-old WWII veteran who rarely (and Brown does mean RARELY) speaks chimed in, "You call it the Belgian Harrier."
Brown recalls these were the first and last words he said the entire night. The Harrier, I learned, was a jet from the 1960s. And the Belgian PART? Brown has no clue … but I guess when a man's been alive for nearly a century, you listen to him.
Good thing Brown did. The Belgian Harrier is an even, balanced, delightful sipper of a cocktail that you can order any time of year, with or without a meal, and enjoy. I love any drink that incorporates the iconic bitter aperitif Campari, but what really makes this drink sophisticated and accessible to any palate is in the layering of flavors that Brown has thoughtfully brought together. The Harrier is a take on the gin-based Negroni, sweetened with both the elderflower from the St. Germain and the agave rather than vermouth. Added to the cucumber base of the Hendrick's, it helps to create a light, gin garden party in your mouth. Brown tops the drink with a beautiful "salad" of shaved cucumber and a flamed twist of orange peel because, as he notes, "We taste with our nose first, then our mouth."
Here, the atmosphere, while posh, is actually quite casual and laidback. No jackets are required in the bar — just a sense of adventure with the entertaining, quick-with-a-story Brown at the helm. Order the Harrier, sit back, and make a few new friends.
How to Make The Belgian Harrier
1/2 count Campari
1 1/2 oz. Hendrick's Gin
1 1/2 oz. St. Germain
7 leaves fresh basil
1/8 tsp. fresh lemon
Blue agave nectar
Muddle basil, lemon and agave in shaker; add Campari, Hendrick's and St. Germain. Shake vigorously, then pour over ice in a snifter glass. Garnish with shaved cucumber and a flamed orange twist.
Where to Get The Belgian Harrier
1201 Shawan Road, Hunt Valley


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And here i was thinking they were talking about Joan Rivers...
the seagrass has been able to reach such old age because it can reproduce asexually and generate clones of itself. Organisms that can only reproduce sexually are inevitably lost at each generation, he added.
So actual news story is that Australian scientists have decided that a clone of an organism is the same organism, although they are not the same organism.
On a less snarky note, the article says it's the oldest living species. Which is a completely different story.
TY, you beat me to it.
It's almost like saying I'm 80,000 years old because I inherited a gene from a Neanderthal.
No, it's like saying you're 80,000 years old because a Neanderthal with the amazing ability to grow back both halves when cut up like a sea star/starfish has left you behind.
But don't take the Telegraph article too seriously: they couldn't even get the species name correct. (There's an 'a' on the end that's missing.) Here's the journal article in PLoS ONE [plosone.org].
From the PLOS article:
The scenario of a km-range spread achieved exclusively through clonal growth requires that the clones reach a minimum age of about 12,500 years. Applying the same estimates to the genets shared between the two pairs of meadows, located 7 km apart between Formentera and Ibiza and 15 km apart around a cape in Formentera (Fig. 3), yields a minimum age estimate between 80,000 and 200,000 years, projecting the origin of the clones well into the late Pleistocene. Although there is no biologically compelling reason to exclude this possibility, we consider it to be an unlikely scenario because local sea level changes during the last ice age (from 80,000 to 10,000 years) would place these sampling locations on land (the sea was 100 metres below its present level).
Anyway, it just drives home the point- if you really want to understand the issue, go back to the source material, not the media summary that was done on a tight deadline. It raises a question though- if seagrass really grows that slowly, how do you get these vast colonies? One possibility is storms. Since seagrasses are in nearshore environments, that means that storms can tear them up; currents can then pick up and move the plants, perhaps for miles. Every once in a while, some of those uprooted plants might luckily get transplanted into a hospitable habitat down current, and you can get a single colony rapidly spreading out over a huge area. Effectively, the plant could seed itself without actually using seeds.
...Except that by the virtue of being able to grow shoots in the correct direction, the patch of grass can 'move' in such a way to remain alive.
On that note... Here is a 12,000 year old creosote bush [ourwindowonnature.com], and its the same plant. So, though it may not be the oldest lawn in the world, it is probably the oldest single life form (with perhaps the exception of certain ancient bacteria which might be virtually immortal.)
This argument holds no water. Your cells replace almost completely every few years, does that make you a different organism than before?
Just to be clear, the actual plant isn't nearly that old. The original plant that started the cloning process was 200,000 years old.
So are they the same plant or not? If a clone has a mutation or a transcription error is it really the same plant? Or did they have no transcription errors?
Hmmm all true, i can't disagree.... I think in terms of organism though, I would call them a separate organism if the connection is servered. Otherwise, its all just one plant. A single fungus can kill both parts if its connected, a single bacteria. The parts can share nutes or signaling hormones...one plant.
Once its severed, and each part lives or dies of its own accord. then.... separate organisms.
So... all the Navel orange trees, despite being clones, are their own organism. However, a forest of bamboo..
Well.... I think we should draw the distinction when it matters, and not when it doesn't. In the end labels are just labels. If application of a specific label does't male sense, or there isn't enough information to apply it, then don't.
However, when the distinction matters, and when there is enough information to make it....thats where I would tend to draw the lines.
Okay I can see that if they grow by runners. I was thinking they produced seeds asexually too make "clones". If somehow the roots or runners where cut then do they become two individuals? If so then does that mean that for some plants the distinction is just mechanical in nature and not genetic? I would also assume that they would tend to evolve more slowly than other organisms since their only mechanisms for change are transcription errors in the cloning process.
Sorry if my questions seem a bit dim. Out of
Nah, you're spot on. Plants are indeed ridiculously complicated and slow at doing things. We estimate most higher plants have about four to five times the number of genes that humans do, and we still have very little idea about why they might decide to just grow instead of reproducing sexually, but it may be due to a malfunction (vaguely equivalent to a tumour that causes you to grow an entire copy of yourself sticking out of your left arm, recursively.) Because plants are so good at recovering themselves w
Yeah, and besides, heliocentrism is racist because it promotes the European "ideas" of Copernicus over the venerable African wisdom of Ptolemy!
Mother nature called. She said that was very quaint and reminded humanity as a civilization that it would not be getting any dinner for the next five hundred years unless it smartened up, bathed, and cleaned its room, and stopped making excuses about imaginary friends that live in the sky.
I am a biologist. Ask me questions in my journal. I'll give car/computer analogies if possible!
That didn't sound like a car analogy to me...
Mother nature called. . . , and stopped making excuses about imaginary friends that live in the sky.
As opposed to imaginary friends that run nature (and complain about certain margarine brands, as I recall)?
This is Ford complaining about the propriety of GM producing Corvettes that can reach double the maximum speed limit, and announcing that they will be reintroducing the Shelby GT, in the same announcement (to give the required car analogy).
If someone says something is >6,000 years old, you should take that to mean, "God gave it an apparent age of X-6000 years at creation".
The Jehovah's Witnesses I met said any object allegedly over 6000(ish) years is a trick of Lucifer's to lead you from faith.
I laughed at them then (also their maths - a generation is exactly 20 years?!), and then again a few years later when the world didn't unexpectedly end like they predicted on the day they predicted. I've never quite figured out why Satan is so enamored with this world, since all the angels were granted God's power (and if Satan thinks it is too difficult to make his own world, faking r
I've never quite figured out why Satan is so enamored with this world
He's got an enormous coke habit.
Also: whores
Don't worry. They didn't say it was 200,000 years old. They said according to their measurements it appeared to be 200,000 years old. Once they get past a certain date, they don't have any documentation of how old something is and they are simply relying on one set of measurements to confirm another set of measurements.
I'm sure they did their best and were very very careful, but in the end the measurements are still based on assumptions that have no empirical proof. I'm not saying they are wrong, I'm
Religion on the other hand is resting on fact-free foundation of faith
Incorrect. More on this lower down.
frequently in direct contradiction with actual scientificly established fact.
The funny thing about "scientifically established fact", is that it is all so often proved wrong. There are plenty of "scientific facts" held to be fact 100 years ago, that are now scoffed at. But of course, THIS year, is the year that science knows EVERYTHING, right? that's good to know. I guess the scientific future is very boring, since everything is now known, and 100% correct. Excellent.
Decent religions are based on fact. Yes, facts that conflict with "science". T
Could we put this one to rest, maybe?
Seriously, I can't recall the last time I heard a religious person make the claim. It's 100% sarcastic atheists. It's getting to be the airline food joke of the geekverse.
It might be the same genetic organism as from 200,000 years ago but is any part of that single organism alive today actually that old? Or are we just talking 200K years since its DNA was last involved in sexual reproduction?
Or are we just talking 200K years since its DNA was last involved in sexual reproduction?
Oh, that reminds me! My wedding anniversary is coming up soon...
That's a good point, but you know, if some human's body managed to survive 200,000 years by regenerating all of its cells in a configuration that allow it to remain almost unchanged in appearance and function over that time period, you might well consider that human to be 200,000 years old, even though not one atom of the human is the same as that of their body when they were in their first century of life.
If we define an individual as a process instead of as a static object, you can come up with different
But Prof Duarte said that while the seagrass is one of the world's most resilient organisms, it has begun to decline due to coastal development and global warming. "If climate change continues, the outlook for this species is very bad," he said.
But if it's 200k years old, hasn't it already survived some serious climate change?
Much as I tend to agree with the global warming consensus , that particular type of sentence does unfortunately have a habit of appearing in a lot of enviromental/biological pieces these days. It seems to be almost a standard issue cut and paste warning that [insert species here] will be affected by climate change unless we DoSomethingNow(tm). And in so doing devalues any serious debate.
It's actually addressed meaningfully in the journal article [plosone.org]. I won't quote the section at you since that would be spam, I've already done it, and I'm just compulsively replying to people because people being wrong on the Internet is clearly the noblest cause ever, but there you go: it is, in fact, the rate of change in environmental conditions, not merely that it's occurring.
A guy is driving down the highway at 100 MPH. He's told that a sudden stop at this speed will kill him. "Nonsense," he says. "My speed has been 0 MPH before, and I didn't die then."
it is, in fact, the rate of change in environmental conditions, not merely that it's occurring.
Which would be weird, given the rate of current change is rather modest compared to the Dansgaard–Oeschger events and other natural climate fluxuations over the past 200K years, particularly in the Mediterranean basin.
Don't get me wrong: I'm (mildly) skeptical about AGW (I'm a computational physicist and a great deal of climate modelling is done by climatologists who are decidedly not computational physicists) but this running about in panic in response to the issue du jour is just sad. Not everything is caused by or related to the global climate change, and it really does cheapen the debate and coarsen the public's response to events when Every Single Thing is immediately related to (and blamed on) climate change.
I'd think it far more likely that any trouble this species is in is due to the profound ecological changes in the Mediterranean in the past century due to pollution and over-harvesting of fish and whatnot, but where's the sexy big-issue "society is to blame" in that?
It's not the temperature, it's the rate.
There has been at least one, and possibly a few supervolcanic eruptions in 200,000 years. The sharp climate change rate due to those would have made current global warming trends look like statistical noise in comparison.
That's not to say that humans can't affect species in specific ways all their own, but that requires the "standard climate disaster" warning to be modified to make that clear or some skeptics will start to have a point about the lack of rigor in statements coming from some scientists.
But if it's 200k years old, hasn't it already survived some serious climate change?
That was different. We're talking about man made climate change, which is obviously much worse and must be stopped.
In a sense, correct. Human-induced climate change threatens to happen far faster than natural climate change, over a period of decades or centuries rather than tens of millenia. That type of sudden shift doesn't occur naturally short of a globally significent event like a supervolcano eruption.
So have there been any supervolcano [wikipedia.org] eruptions in the past 200,000 years that should have killed this plant off?
I'm not trying to debate the merits of global warming here. I'm just agreeing with the ancestors of this post who say that trying to pull the global warming debate into every single things is BS.
It says the following in the journal article [plosone.org]:
Nevertheless, even though such phenotypic plasticity possibly evolved across millennia, it may well be challenged by the unprecedented rate of environmental change imposed by current global climate change [55], including temperature increase and ocean acidification, and recent anthropogenic pressure on coastal areas resulting in changes in water quality, eutrophication, and nutrient load, particularly in seagrass meadows [56].
Please spend the rest of the day in silent introspection.
One: citation 55 is a study [nih.gov] demonstrating that actual sea grasses have been disappearing at an accelerating rate. Please don't make claims without doing basic research.
Two: scientific hypotheses and speculation are generally built from plausible extrapolations from available data. Please don't pretend that we know so little about the universe that we can't predict basic elements of the near future of a closed system. You're insulting thousands of years of work in mathematics and science with your shamanism.
demonstrating that actual sea grasses have been disappearing at an accelerating rate.
Great. No argument with that fact the amount of sea grass is changing. No argument that the climate is changing. These are measurable facts without debate. The causal links and speculation to what correction should be made is the question.
But as is common with any challenge to the religion of global warming, the questioner is labeled a "denier", sometimes presented with circumstantial proof, and insulted.
Science that cannot tolerate to be questioned is not science.
Please spend the rest of the day in silent introspection.
I forwarded this to my boss. He didn't buy it.
There's been plenty of dramatic short term changes too, like the Little Ice Age. Climate change, over the history of the Earth, happens at all manner of timescales - it's not the smooth(ish) sinusoidal wave many mistakenly view it as. Study this graph [wikipedia.org], which shows just the last two millenia for multiple examples.
Look at the post just above mine. The temperature is NOT the only thing that's changing.
I didn't claim it was. I merely pointed that your claim that changes only took place on a scale of centuries to millenia was false.
These changes are also long-duration ones, not short-term crisies that can be waited out like a volcano eruption or El Nino.
Were I talking about a short term crisis, you'd have a point. I should also point out, these are not sentient organisms that can choose to wait out a crisis -
Yes, but previous changes took centuries and millenia, not decades
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dansgaard%E2%80%93Oeschger_event [wikipedia.org]
"In the Northern Hemisphere, they take the form of rapid warming episodes, typically in a matter of decades, each followed by gradual cooling over a longer period. For example, about 11,500 years ago, averaged annual temperatures on the Greenland icepack warmed by around 8 C over 40 years, in three steps of five years (see,[2] Stewart, chapter 13), where a 5 C change over 30-40 years is more common."
Please stop spreading nonsense. There ar
But if it's 200k years old, hasn't it already survived some serious climate change?
Sure it has. And every time it's been like playing russian roulette with 5 live rounds, and most of its peers have been wiped out. And now there's only this little patch left, and we're putting 5 rounds in the chamber once again. It may be particularly resilient, but it may as well just have been lucky.
Tsk, tsk, you simply do not get more funding for biological research now-a-days unless you mention that climate change is going to kill the species you're studying... *unless*, of course, you are given funds to study it in more detail.
First lets get this out of the way "Obligatory Dick Clark comment"
These plants haven't been cloning perfectly for 200,000 years, there is drift and errors in cloning too.
First lets get this out of the way "Obligatory Dick Clark comment"
These plants haven't been cloning perfectly for 200,000 years, there is drift and errors in cloning too.
So is that why a billion year old amoeba supposedly doesn't count?
First lets get this out of the way "Obligatory Dick Clark comment"
These plants haven't been cloning perfectly for 200,000 years, there is drift and errors in cloning too.
So is that why a billion year old amoeba supposedly doesn't count?
More importantly, when did Dick Clark jokes become obligatory around here?
Newsflash: clones are never perfect anyway. The thing is, they've been physically attached this entire time. A plant 'clonally reproducing' is nothing more than one organism putting up a bunch of completely redundant backups. It may or may not partially die off due to an accident, but the thing is that it's a single network that's been fragmented by the passage of time, not an organism deliberately reproducing. Since the distinction where one organism ends and the next begins is a made up human one, you pro
Since the distinction where one organism ends and the next begins is a made up human one, you probably shouldn't waste your time trying to figure it all out.
So exactly the same as every other distinction, then?
All edges are imposed on the world by human attention, and nothing else. Consider the distinction between "land" and "water". In some contexts we simply treat the edge between them as ideal. In other contexts we introduce other concepts: beach, littoral, intertidal zone, and so on. But when you get close to it you notice that the edge is both constantly fluctuating and "soft": the "land" is always a bit wet. Where land ends and water begins is a mad
Saying "older than the oldest known species" is silly, since we can be pretty sure from both fossil and genomic evidence that modern humans have been around for about 200k years, and we're a pretty young species. "The current known oldest organism" would have been better.
How does it taste?
Well, if nothing's eaten it in 200ky, then it must taste pretty crappy.
http://ctext.org/zhuangzi/tree-on-the-mountain [ctext.org]
Zhuangzi was walking on a mountain, when he saw a great tree with huge branches and luxuriant foliage. A wood-cutter was resting by its side, but he would not touch it, and, when asked the reason, said, that it was of no use for anything, Zhuangzi then said to his disciples, 'This tree, because its wood is good for nothing, will succeed in living out its natural term of years.' Having left the mountain, the Master lodged in the house of an old friend, who was glad to see him, and ordered his waiting-lad to kill a goose and boil it. The lad said, 'One of our geese can cackle, and the other cannot - which of them shall I kill?' The host said, 'Kill the one that cannot cackle.'
Next day, his disciples asked Zhuangzi, saying, 'Yesterday the tree on the mountain (you said) would live out its years because of the uselessness of its wood, and now our host's goose has died because of its want of power (to cackle) - which of these conditions, Master, would you prefer to be in?' Zhuangzi laughed and said, '(If I said that) I would prefer to be in a position between being fit to be useful and wanting that fitness, that would seem to be the right position, but it would not be so, for it would not put me beyond being involved in trouble; whereas one who takes his seat on the Dao and its Attributes, and there finds his ease and enjoyment, is not exposed to such a contingency. He is above the reach both of praise and of detraction; now he (mounts aloft) like a dragon, now he (keeps beneath) like a snake; he is transformed with the (changing) character of the time, and is not willing to addict himself to any one thing; now in a high position and now in a low, he is in harmony with all his surroundings; he enjoys himself at ease with the Author of all things; he treats things as things, and is not a thing to them: where is his liability to be involved in trouble? This was the method of Shen Nong and Huang-Di. As to those who occupy themselves with the qualities of things, and with the teaching and practice of the human relations, it is not so with them. Union brings on separation; success, overthrow; sharp corners, the use of the file; honour, critical remarks; active exertion, failure; wisdom, scheming; inferiority, being despised: where is the possibility of unchangeableness in any of these conditions? Remember this, my disciples. Let your abode be here - in the Dao and its Attributes.'
My translation?
"If you want to live to be 200,000 years old, don't be anyone's bitch."
That's some pretty big error bars you're rocking there.
Just the same stunt as carbon daters have been pulling for years: keep sending in samples until the lab either gives get a range that agrees with the thesis you've already written or book that you're trying to sell, or you run out of funding.
Like Chicken?
As it has no nose at all!
100+ posts and no "John McCain" jokes?
I don't know whether to be proud of slashdot, heartbroken, or depressed that my sense of humor is 4 years out of date.
Who's John McCain?
"We don't care. We don't have to. We're the Phone Company."


text:
CHICAGO — Police say a 15-year-old boy has been fatally shot in the head on Chicago's South Side.
Police Department spokesman John Mirabelli says three men approached the teen and opened fire in the Auburn Gresham neighborhood Thursday night.
The boy was taken in critical condition to Advocate Christ Medical Center where he was pronounced dead. The gunmen ran from the scene.
Mirabelli says detectives are investigating but have no information on a possible motive and no suspects are in custody.
He says authorities are not immediately releasing the boy's name pending notification of his family.


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Happy Easter and Passover to all of our "neighbors"!
All of us at the Avenue wish you and your families a beautiful holiday full of blessings and love.
Speaking of love, boy do we feel loved after last week's challenge!! We are just blown away by all of the entries! We are so flattered that so many people choose our challenges every week. As usual we struggled to choose just one winner. I completely understand why most challenges use the Random Generator to choose their winners! But we don't and here is the winning entry for this week:
Challenge #12 Winner!
Janine from Cards and Copics
Please contact us at: firstname.lastname@example.com
Challenge #12 Winner!
Janine from Cards and Copics
Please contact us at: email@example.com
Our Top 3
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Ladies please grab your badges!
Our theme this week is FLOWERS
and we have two sponsors! If you love cute you'll love both of them!
This week's Guest Designer comes from sunny South Africa and makes the most gorgeous cards with such detail both inside and out! Her talent just amazes us! Amelia was a previous winner and you'll see why we've asked her to come back. You should check out her blog, just click the link below.
Amelia from Stamped for the Occasion
Now onto our own very talented ladies!
Rachel from Blossom Cards
is one of our newest Design Team members!
Meljen's Designs
Edie from Don't Tell Me You Made That!
Meljen's Designs
Angelique from EngelDesignsScrap
Berni from Chasing the Dream
Tracey from CandiCraftCards
Sheila from lalacrafts
Lesia from Mema's Crafts
JoAnn from J. Atterbury Creations
Sue from Crafty Sue's Creative Corner


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Company Description Are you passionate about sports - do you love to talk sports with friends and fans? Social media startup SPORTalk is currently seeking Sports Content Promoter Interns for your school! SPORTalk is a social media platform that connects you with friends and fans around pro and college sports events you care about most. Job Description What you'll be doing: Contributing sports content to the SPORTalk team and game walls for your school Promoting SPORTalk by building excitement and buzz around your school's football and basketball teams through social media and other marketing avenues\u00a0 Managing the SPORTalk Twitter account for your school Qualifications Who is a Sports Content Promoter Intern? You are: Currently enrolled in the undergraduate program\u00a0 Outgoing, passionate, involved, a leader in your school, have a large network of friends and are acquainted with student organizations\u00a0 Known for making things happen\u00a0 Goal-oriented, enthusiastic, and reliable\u00a0 A good communicator\u00a0 Active in content creation and sharing across social networks such as Facebook and Twitter\u00a0 A sports fan who is knowledgeable about sports and attends college football games Additional Information This position will offer you the opportunity to build your resume with real experience and: Be part of the team that launches this exciting new sports social media platform Gain skills and experience in a variety of areas, including social media marketing, sports marketing, digital marketing, and entrepreneurship Enjoy flexibility in terms of hours and location Be part of a network of like-minded professionals across North America Obtain school credit (as allowed by your school) Upon successful completion of your internship you will receive a written recommendation and you may list SPORTalk as a reference for any future job. Additional Information: The intern will work under supervision of the SPORTalk Team Manager, and on-the-job training will be provided via teleconference. We are committed to ensuring that the internship experience is challenging, informative and educational. Interns will gain a good understanding of social and digital media and sports marketing. This is a non-pay internship To learn more about SPORTalk: Download the app: appsto.re\/us\/Wtw95.i\u00a0 Visit www.sportalk.com View 1-minute video about SPORTalk: https:\/\/vimeo.com\/sportalk\/about All of your information will be kept confidential according to EEO guidelines.
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Jimmy Buffett Tickets
You won't often find Jimmy Buffett's name on a Top 40 chart and you probably won't hear his music much on the radio, but along with his Coral Reefer Band he has developed one of the most loyal fan bases in music. Millions of Parrotheads buy Jimmy Buffett concert tickets every year, and his live shows have become legendary. If you want to have an unbelievable concert experience in Margaritaville, order your Jimmy Buffett tickets right now. His newest adventure, the Songs From St. Somewhere Tour, begins in April with summer concert dates extended across the country.
Jimmy Buffett Tour Dates & Concert Schedule
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- Select your Jimmy Buffett Tickets from our inventory
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Shipping & Availability When purchasing Jimmy Buffett tickets online, you will be taken to our Jimmy Buffett Tickets page. You will then be able to pick which Jimmy Buffett event you would like to purchase. All tickets listed are seated together. All of our Jimmy Buffett tickets are shipped via Federal Express. Please note that we do not deliver on Saturday unless, that option is specially requested on your order . Our ticket inventory is updated hourly. If for any reason the tickets are no longer available, you will be able to cancel your order or request a different area.
Buffett Concert Ticket Info
For Jimmy Buffett fans, it is always five o'clock somewhere, at least according to his popular duet with Alan Jackson. There are very few singers who can brag that they have the legions of devoted fans that Jimmy Buffett has had throughout his four-decade career as the most famous singer to ever come out of the Florida Keys. Jimmy Buffett fans are well known by their moniker "Parrotheads," and the Parrotheads turn out in droves and flock to every single show their favorite performer plays, making Jimmy Buffett concert tickets the perfect gateway to a night of fun, relaxation and forgetting about all your problems by wasting away again in Margaritaville.
Even though Jimmy Buffett got his start as a musician and still continues to tour and record, his career has now spread over into many other arenas, including book writing and restaurant entrepreneurship. Today Jimmy Buffett owns a stake in the Margaritaville and Cheeseburger in Paradise chains of restaurants, both of which are based on the titles of his hit songs. He has also written three number one bestsellers, which are "Tales From Margaritaville," "Where is Joe Merchant?" and "A Pirate Looks At Fifty." Buffett, who also does a lot of charity work, writes children's books, makes cameo appearances in films, owns minor league baseball teams and partnered with Anheueser-Bush to create LandShark Lager, which has become a very popular beer and for a time was the corporate sponsor of Sun Life Stadium, home of the Miami Dolphins.
Every Jimmy Buffett show is different and you just never know what's going to happen. Few performers can involved the audience like Buffett does, so you are always in for a unique experience at one of his shows.
Just because Buffett fans are so devoted does not mean you have no shot of ever finding Jimmy Buffett concert tickets at the price you need and the venue you want. In fact, tickets to the full Jimmy Buffett tour schedule can be found at GoTickets.com. We make it easy to find the best Jimmy Buffett seats at the best price.


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IUCN –The World Conservation Union, Gland, Switzerland (7.12.2005) - The leopard (Panthera pardus) is the most persecuted large cat species in the world.
Leopards have been eradicated from vast tracts of their former range, due mainly to habitat loss, depletion of natural prey, and human persecution. Despite this, leopards are often seen as a low conservation priority. An ever-increasing number of leopards are being destroyed by farmers, pastoralists and illegal hunters. Yet, while numerous studies have been executed on the ecology and behaviour of leopards, the conservation needs of the species have never been addressed. In response to this, and as a result of increased hunting in the region, the Mun-Ya-Wana Leopard Project, involving members of the SSC Cat Specialist Group, is investigating the long-term sustainability of leopards in northern Kwa Zulu-Natal, South Africa, across a mosaic of different land-uses and persecution levels. The project aims to assess the population status and establish an agreement between landowners on the consumptive and non-consumptive use of leopards in the region, while ensuring that a viable population persists. Read the full project brief and preliminary results on the Cat Specialist Group website.
For further information contact
Andrew McMullin, IUCN Species Programme Communications Officer
Tel: +41 (0)22 999 0153
Email: firstname.lastname@example.com


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Ramon Dominguez Interview: February 14, 2013 [11:13]
Jockey Ramon Dominguez, injured in a spill at Aqueduct Racetrack on January 18, discusses his rehabilitation and desire to resume riding in an interview with NYRA television analyst and former jockey Richard Migliore.
Ramon Dominguez - Saratoga Record-Setting 66th Victory [07:26]
Ramon Dominguez winning the Saranac Stakes and simultaneously setting the all time record for wins at a Saratoga meeting with 66.. eclipsing John Velazquez' previous mark..
Tags: saratotga, horse, racing, ramon, dominguez, all, time, mark, record, tom, durkin, six, wins, sixty, best, wow, amazing, jockey, summer, 2012, unbridled, command, skyring, lucky, chappy
RTD 2nd in 9th @ The Spa 7 30 12 [01:47]
RTD ran like he was shot out of a cannon to hold on for 2nd in the 9th race today at The Spa! He broke sharp as he always does, took the overland route about 4 wide around the track and opened up a 3 length lead at the top of the stretch. Unfortunately the 6 horse - taking advantage of the front end speed (21,44,56) - closed to get the win.
Tags: RTD, Ready To Defer, Tom Gallo, Bruce Levine, Gallo, PGR, Parting Glass Racing, racing, thoroughbred, horse, The Spa, Saratoga, Racetrack, horse racing, Belmont, Aqueduct, NYRA, Ramon Dominguez, 2nd, 9th, sport of kings, racecourse
Horses after Woodford Reserve Turf, Churchill Downs 5/5/2012 [01:53]
Horses on the turf track after the Woodford Reserve Turf at Churchill Downs on Derby Day, 5/5/2012. Including Turallure, Get Stormy, Data Link.
Tags: Woodford Reserve, Turf, Churchill Downs, Turallure, Get Stormy, Data Link, horse, horse racing, Kentucky Derby, Horse Racing (Sport), Boxer des Rues, Mario Gutierrez, Ramon Dominguez, Julien Leparoux, Little Mike


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Somewhat like October, April finds the East End in transition. The madness of the summer — and the crowd it brings — is not yet here, but with the warmer weather and brighter days, one knows it looms, lurking somewhere around the next corner.
Having an economy so dependent on tourism and the various service industries it requires tends to breed contradiction. Hearing locals complain about the "summer people" and their poor driving, their lacking manners, and the like, is rather like biting the hand that feeds you. Most of us desperately depend on the infusion of cash the summer brings to local businesses, since the economy out here is one that really thrives only during beach season.
Further, the East End peaks culturally during this time, as the artistic community balloons and the crowds encourage goings-on of every kind.
Is there a way, then, both to object to the insanity of the summer months and embrace the attendant economic and cultural benefits? There must be.
The physical beauty of this place is undeniable. And thus its draw. That we year-rounders sometimes are overwhelmed by the summer rush is just our frustration that this is not a private haven, but one well known for its beaches, its shopping, its niche as a vacation town that has great proximity to New York.
So why not simply come to terms with the fact that having easy access to a cultural metropolis during the lull of winter is going to work in reverse during the warmer months; that traffic on 27, that fender-bender on Main Street, being blocked in when parking is tight at a restaurant — these are unpleasant moments, sure, but are essentially a tax paid to keep the economy creaking along out here during the hibernation of the interim. Like a bear, the East End needs to fatten up over the summer if it is to survive the cold and lonely winter.
Watching the weather improve these last few weeks, the apprehension about incoming traffic is there, but so ought to be appreciation. The cycle must perpetuate itself, the throngs of beachgoers, bar-hoppers, and foodies must reappear. And with them come some of the theater, film, and music events that bring people out here, rather than draw us to New York City, adding a cultural richness to a place that sometimes can seem thin and superficial, especially in America's collective cultural imagination, where The Hamptons are merely a decadent retreat.
After all, it is the escapist hedonism summer visitors bring that provides such a boon to the economy. The popular image of The Hamptons so many of us love to hate is really a feat of branding, a marketing tool that provides receipts for bars, restaurants, and hotels. We can despise the reality shows and vacation specials set out here, but we might not be as well off without them.
Indeed, if the masses of summer folk were ever to fail to materialize, delight at having the place to ourselves would quickly turn into terror that our angelic retreat was running out of gas.
Matthew Taylor is a reporter for The Star.


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Inward Renewal & Outward Transformation
Pastor Steve Ellison
Romans 12:2 tells me how to be rightly related to God. "And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind". NASU The negative command is for me to resist being conformed to the prince of the power of the air. The positive command is for me to be conformed to image of Christ. The process for that is laid out in the same verse. I am called to be inwardly renewed which will result in an outward transformation. Surrendering as a living sacrifice results in a progressive conformity to Christ. You know the Greek word used in this verse to describe our transformation. We get our word metamorphosis from it. This word is used only four times in the New Testament. Two times it is used in the gospels to describe the change in Jesus at the Transfiguration. The other two times are here in Romans 12:2 and again in 2 Corinthians 3:18 to describe the change that will occur in Christians. This is a progressive change that slowly takes place over time as we see Christ ever more clearly.
The verb tenses in Romans 12:1 are instructive. The presenting of ourselves as a living sacrifice is a onetime event. The renewing of our mind is an over and over again thing. There can be no outward transformation without this inward renewal. As we are inwardly renewed it is outwardly manifested as a testimony to the goodness and power of God. Our calling is not to "live for Christ" but rather for us to submit to "Christ living through us". Our part is simply coming to Jesus to see Him which will result in inward renewal followed by outward transformation. As we regularly and consistently (hourly?) repeat this blessed process we become more like the One upon whom we gaze.
The command to not be conformed to the world involves far more than just those pet-peeve sins that we easily spot in others and condemn in our self-righteous smugness. Rather, not being conformed to this world means avoiding everything that is not the will of God. Anything that is contrary to the teaching of Scripture must be rooted out of my life or I will be guilty of conforming to this world. This is the starting point for our transformation. From Romans 12:3 to the end of the book, the Holy Spirit turns His attention to illustrating what that transformation will look like. Romans 12-16 examines every conceivable kind of human relationship and describes exactly how a Christian will operate in those relationships. The Holy Spirit calls us to measure our relationships with these chapters. When and where our relationships don't match what the Scripture calls for, we are instructed not to work harder but instead to turn our eyes to Jesus so we can be inwardly renewed and outwardly transformed. Then He will be pleased to live through us allowing us the privilege of using His name and being His Body………..email@example.com


text: It's a big night for the 4th ranked Sigourney-Keota Cobras as they host number one ranked Iowa City Regina for the right to go to the dome. Both teams are unbeaten and haven't been challenged much this season especially for Regina. Regina this season hasn't given up many yards and S-K put up crazy rushing numbers averaging close to 400-yards a game. The Cobras beat Camanche last Monday 48-22 while Regina beat Mediapolis 59-0. Regina will be without their stand out defensive line man Braden Lehman who was ejected from the game Monday on a personal foul call, so he will have to sit out a game. Eight man, Class A and 4A had to play Friday after their Monday second round games, 1A, 2A, and 3A have had the benefit of a week in between rounds and Sigourney-Keota Head Coach Mark Shilb says it's been nice to have that longer break. Their leading rusher Andrew Utterback returned to the line up last game and rushed for 258 yards and 5 touchdowns. You'll be able to hear tonight's game right here on the one to count on KCII we'll be on the air at 6:45 with the pre-game and a 7:00 kick off you'll be able to hear the game on the radio and online at kciiradio.com click on Radio Plus.


text: Bring a lighthearted, rustic tone to any space with the original and handcrafted objects in our whimsical home décor. You'll also discover many of these home décor items possess both form and function, including our handcrafted jewelry cups and sculpted vases with elegant lines. Whatever your style, the unique artisan works in our collection of whimsy décor will brighten any room with a personal touch.


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HESPERIA — Located just west of I Avenue on Hercules Street sits the Hercules Complex, home of the Hesperia Recreation and Park District's Epicentre. As its name suggests, the Epicentre is the focal point of many the district's sports and activities, as well as a Teen Center.
The Hercules Complex was acquired in 1994 by the district to help meet the recreational needs of the growing community. The entire complex at 17508 Hercules St. is not used by the district, which allows vacant units to be rented out to tenants. The revenues from these tenants help to cover the operational costs of the Epicentre and generate a modest revenue stream for the park district.
At the Teen Center, teens to age 17 are welcome to unwind after school by playing games, hanging with friends, shooting some hoops or playing volleyball on one of two full basketball courts. In fact, 3-on-3 basketball tournaments are held periodically at the Teen Center.
Use of the Epicentre is free to Hesperia teens with a Hesperia Unified School District ID from one of the junior highs or high schools, which is required to enter the facility.
The Teen Center is open from 2 until 5 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 2:30 to 8 p.m. Friday.
Some of the Park District's youth sports are hosted in the Epicentre's 16,000 square feet of space. Among the sports are indoor soccer and basketball.
Registration for Winter Youth Basketball is coming soon, opening on Sept. 29 on the district's website, HesperiaParks.com.
The community center side of the Epicentre serves as the home of some of the Park District's contract classes. Cheerleading, tumbling and guitar classes meet several evenings throughout the week; visit the district's website for more information.
Meetings for local sports groups also take place in the community center.
The Hercules complex is also home to the Hesperia Police Activities League program. The goal of this program is to give boys and girls, ages 11 to 18, an opportunity to learn character- and confidence- building through their participation in athletic competition.
Supported by grants, local citizens and area businesses, the program is targeted specifically for at-risk youths in the High Desert.
Additional information about the HPAL program can be attained by calling 760-948-2491.
For more information about the Hercules Complex or its programs, call 760-244-1007 or visit HesperiaParks.com.
Parks and Recreation Epicentre offers free activities for Hesperia students
HESPERIA — Located just west of I Avenue on Hercules Street sits the Hercules Complex, home of the Hesperia Recreation and Park District's Epicentre. As its name suggests, the Epicentre is the focal point of many the district's sports and activities, as well as a Teen Center.


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It looks increasingly likely that Arsenal's trophyless run will be extended to eight years after another disappointing season at the Emirates.
The Gunners have been knocked out of both domestic cups against sides coming from the lower leagues, and on Tuesday night they were defeated on their own patch by German giants Bayern Munich in the Champions League.
Arsenal are struggling to qualify for next year's competition too, as they lie in 5th place in the Premier League at present, with north London rivals Tottenham Hotspur occupying the final Champions League qualifying spot.
Arsenal are in need of summer signings to strengthen all departments, and with talk of Arsene Wenger being handed a £70m summer transfer kitty in the close season, who should Wenger's primary target be?
Victor Wanyama | Celtic
The departure of Alex Song for a fee of £15m left Arsenal with a gap in their midfield department.
Wenger's squad currently lacks a defensively oriented midfielder as a consequence of Song's switch to La Liga, and it's a void that remains unfilled to date.
This has left the Arsenal defence, for the majority of the season, unprotected and extremely exposed, leaving the opposition to hit Arsenal on the counter, overwhelming the Gunners' back line in the process.
Victor Wanyama would put an end to such defensive frailties and, more importantly, is available at the right price. The muscular Kenyan has been in great form for Celtic this season, also showing he has the ability to find the net.
At 21, Wanyama is the right age for a typical Wenger signing and has massive potential re-sale value should he fulfil his potential.
A move south of the border would enable the combative midfielder to show his true worth and achieve great things individually. Perhaps his arrival at the Emirates would also coincide with an upturn in fortunes for Arsenal collectively?
Their Achilles heal this season has been in defence, rather than going forward. Wenger's side continue to score goals and have no problem finding the net.
In this instance, Arsenal's best chance of success is through tightening up at the back whilst continuing their free-flowing, attacking brand of football.
Wanyama fits the bill, and could feasibly be making a summer switch to the Emirates.
DISCLAIMER: This article has been written by a member of the GiveMeFootball Writing Academy and does not represent the views of GiveMeFootball.com or SportsNewMedia. The views and opinions expressed are solely that of the author credited at the top of this article. GiveMeFootball.com and SportsNewMedia do not take any responsibility for the content of its contributors.
Do YOU want to write for GiveMeSport? Get started today by signing-up and submitting an article HERE: https://www.givemesport.com/writeforgms


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You've just returned from lunch. Sitting on the top of your desk is a thick envelope from opposing counsel. You take a deep breath, and lo and behold, it's a state court motion for summary judgment.
This article is reprinted with permission from the Feb. 15, 2013 edition of The Recorder
by Robert F. Kane
You quickly put it aside. Later in the afternoon, you take a deep breath and decide to look at the motion, but before you do, repeat the following mantra five times: "This is an opportunity, not a burden."
Summary judgment motions must be served at least 75 days before the hearing and you need to file your opposition 14 days before the hearing. Although you get more time to respond to a motion for summary judgment, don't wait. It's probably a good idea to look at Code of Civil Procedure §437(c), which governs such motions.
If after reading the moving papers you believe you need additional time for further discovery or to amend your pleadings, request that opposing counsel stipulate to your request. If a stipulation cannot be obtained, you will need to move for a continuance or for leave to amend. If you decide to file such a motion, make sure to set forth the facts and reasons for the need for relief and why you failed to act earlier. You should file such a motion on order shortening time, so in the event it is denied, you still have time to respond to the summary judgment motion.
A summary judgment motion affords counsel an opportunity to fill in any holes in the proof you will need for trial. In addition, opposing counsel has provided you with legal research on the elements and defenses for each cause of action. Also, based on the moving papers, you may decide that the facts are not in dispute and that you should file a cross-motion for summary judgment. If you decide to do so, remember you need to comply with all applicable time and notice requirements.
The moving party has the initial burden of producing evidence or lack thereof to establish its claim for summary judgment. Once such proof is made, the burden shifts to you to make a prima facie showing of a triable issue of one or more material facts as to each matter at issue. To establish a triable issue of fact, you must produce admissible evidence that contradicts evidence produced by the moving party or show that admissible evidence gives rise to reasonable inferences that raise an issue of fact.
Keep in mind that summary judgment is a drastic procedure that courts address with caution, so it does not become a substitute for trial. The court merely determines whether triable issues of material fact exist; it does not decide the merits of the issues, weigh the evidence, or evaluate credibility.
The points and authorities should contain the legal authority for what opposing counsel perceives as the gaps in proof. You need to determine whether you and opposing counsel have a disagreement on what the applicable law is or whether opposing counsel is claiming that you lack sufficient evidence to establish or overcome a cause of action or affirmative defense. Read any cases with which you are unfamiliar. Reread cases opposing counsel believes are controlling. Check to see if they are still good law. If good law, determine if they can they be distinguished by subsequent cases, and if not, determine if they can be factually distinguishable from the facts in your case. Even if a case stands for the proposition claimed by your opposing counsel, can you use it to support your position?
Once you determine the nature of opposing counsel's claim, look at the separate statement. You must respond to each claimed undisputed fact. Be sure to request an electronic version of opposing counsel's separate statement as you will need to include both the moving party's statement and your response in a single document. You must not only include your response to the moving party's facts, but if disputed, the basis upon which you dispute them.
Determine from the statement what facts you dispute and what additional facts need to be included in your response. With regard to the facts you dispute, has opposing counsel supported them by admissible evidence? If not, you will need to prepare objections to all or parts of the evidence relied upon by the moving party. Set forth your objections in a separate pleading numbering each specific objection.
If you dispute a fact or want to allege new facts, you will need to prepare your own admissible evidence to support your position or show how the evidence presented by the moving party can reasonably support a different inference. Declarations will need to be drafted and evidentiary foundations laid for any documents and you may need to have declarations from experts. Be sure that your declarations are consistent with prior discovery responses or explain why there is a discrepancy.
When writing your opposition to the memorandum of points and authorities, remember judges do not have unlimited time to try to decipher your position. Write concisely and clearly using active (not passive) voice. Generally, try to keep your sentences under 25 words and limit your paragraphs to no more than five sentences. Use headings to delineate each separate argument. Try to have someone proofread your work, but at a minimum, spell check it before filing and make sure the cases you cited have not been overruled.
Judges in state court are still reluctant to grant summary judgment. Many years ago, one revered law and motion judge had a rule that if the moving papers exceeded a certain thickness, a triable issue of fact had to exist that would result in the denial of the motion. You no longer can rely on such "bright-line" rules, particularly as summary judgment motions are generally combined with a request to summarily adjudicate particular claims, defenses or punitive damages. Thus, make sure you address all issues raised by the motions that you desire to pursue.
With most state courts using a tentative ruling system, make sure you get the tentative ruling and if you disagree with it, be sure to preserve your right to oral argument. Judges miss points, particularly as they are faced with long calendars and depleted staffs.
In oral argument, make sure you address the points raised in the tentative ruling and any issues you believe the court did not address. Time is precious during oral argument as the court has many other cases on its calendar. Get to the important points immediately, respond to the court's questions; do not deflect them. Remember a judge's question is an opportunity to see what the court considers important. If there are any cases that were not cited in the opposition or issues that were not raised, be sure to raise them. Also this is your opportunity to respond to any matters raised in the moving party's reply.
If you are plaintiffs counsel and you succeed in having summary judgment denied, the settlement value of your case likely will go up as the other side knows that the matter will need to be determined in trial. If you lose, you still may be able to salvage something (don't overlook possibility of appeal). Worst-case scenario, you've saved yourself from wasting further time on the case.
So look at summary judgment as an opportunity. Don't waste it.
Robert F. Kane is a San Francisco attorney engaged in the general practice of law and is the co-author of California Pretrial Practice and Forms. He teaches legal writing and research and moot court as an adjunct professor at UC Hastings College of the Law.


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Monday's local weather
Expect partly sunny skies today with a high near 95, even though heat index values could be as high as 98. Winds will be from the south around 15 mph, with gusts as high as 25 mph.We'll see a 30% chance of showers and thunderstorms in our area after 1 p.m., but dwindling down to around 10% before 11 p.m. Otherwise, tonight will be partly cloudy, with a low around 76 and south-southeastern winds around 15 mph. Gusts could get as high as 20 mph. Visit weather.gov to learn more.


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BOSTON -- Jose Quintana started with five perfect innings. Conor Gillaspie hit a tying two-run homer in the ninth. The White Sox held the Red Sox to three hits.
Somehow, Boston still won 4-3 in 10 innings on Thursday.
"We had plenty of guys on base to knock in and we didn't do it," Chicago manager Robin Ventura said. "We had opportunities."
One of them came in the 10th when the White Sox had runners at first and second with one out. But the next two batters grounded out against Andrew Miller (3-5).
"They did better than we did at taking advantage of guys that were on base," Ventura said.
Boston drew two walks and David Ortiz hit a two-run double in the sixth when it scored three runs to take a 3-1 lead.
In the 10th, pinch-hitter Daniel Nava walked, Mookie Betts sacrificed him to second and Stephen Drew was walked intentionally. Then Mike Carp, hitting for David Ross, singled between shortstop and third base against Ronald Belisario (3-6) to give Boston its second consecutive walk-off win over Chicago.
In Boston's 5-4 comeback victory Wednesday night, Nava doubled in Betts for the tying run in the ninth and scored on Brock Holt's single.
Quintana "pitched a heck of a game," Chicago's Adam Eaton said Thursday. "Conor coming in, pinch-hit home run. He's been hotter than all get-out lately."
Carp spent more than a month on the disabled list with a fractured right foot. He watched the Red Sox struggle, knowing he could contribute.
Sometimes, he couldn't bear to look.
"Some of the nights, I almost had to turn the TV off in those situations because you can't be there to help," he said. "It's tough being on the DL with a boot on my foot."
The Red Sox, the defending World Series champions who are in last place in the AL East, ended their 3-7 homestand on a roll and head to Houston for a three-game series with a chance to build momentum going into the All-Star break.
"Hopefully it'll get us in a little bit of a rhythm, comfort level," said lefthander Jon Lester, who allowed one run and struck out 12 in seven innings.
Lester gave up seven hits and no walks. In his last six starts, he's 3-0 with a 1.01 ERA, 39 strikeouts, six walks and 33 hits allowed in 44⅔ innings. He extended his streak to 45 innings without giving up a homer.
But fellow All-Star Koji Uehara allowed Gillaspie's tying pinch-hit homer -- his third long ball in three games and fourth of the season.
Alexei Ramirez led off the ninth on Thursday with an infield single -- after first base umpire Cory Blaser's out call was reversed on replay. Uehara then struck out Paul Konerko before Gillaspie, batting for Moises Sierra, homered.
Lester trailed 1-0 after three batters. Eaton singled, Gordon Beckham struck out and Jose Abreu hit an RBI double over a leaping Jonny Gomes in left field. Lester then struck out Dayan Viciedo.
Lester fanned two batters in each of the first five innings and one each in the sixth and seventh before being replaced by Junichi Tazawa, who pitched a perfect eighth.
Boston went ahead in the sixth when the first three batters reached base on full counts.
"I really wanted to win this game because (Lester's) a really good pitcher," said Quintana, whose scoreless streak ended at 20⅔ innings, "but I had one bad inning in the sixth."
Drew became Boston's first runner with a walk and went to second on a walk to Ross. Jackie Bradley Jr. attempted to bunt on the first four pitches, then took a ball to bring the count to 3-2. He grounded a single to right field for Boston's first hit, driving in Drew with the tying run.
The next two batters were retired before Ortiz's double.
NOTES: Chicago lost its second straight game after winning its previous three. ... Boston scored in just five innings during the four-game series. ... Chicago LHP Chris Sale won the online fan vote for the final spot on the AL All-Star team, his third straight selection. "No matter, I think, how many you make, you still get excited about it," he said. ... The Red Sox send John Lackey (9-6) to the mound against Scott Feldman (4-5) in the opener of a three-game series at Houston on Friday night. The White Sox begin a three-game series at Cleveland with Hector Noesi (3-6) pitching against Corey Kluber (8-6) of the Indians.


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Daily Links, July 17: Sisters, (S)aints, and Suri-mania
We haven't heard the last of the conflict between the Leadership Conference of Women Religious (LCWR) and the Vatican. LCWR president Sister Pat Farrell talks to NPR's Terry Gross [1] about the sisters' response to the Vatican critique.
The Catholic Church in Australia has announced the appointment of a federal judge [2] to launch an independent investigation into sexual abuse by a priest, indicating that hopefully they've learned from how church leaders dealt with the issue in other countries.
The Atlantic has an interesting look at the debate over physician-assisted suicide [3], noting the Catholic Church as a strong opponent of the practice.
The St. Paul Saints, a minor league baseball team, announced that the team will celebrate "atheist night" by changing their name for one night only [4] to the Mr. Paul Aints. Team owners insist they aren't making light of anyone's faith and that the event is meant to be in good fun, but I'm sure someone will take offense.
In religious freedom news, the government in Vietnam deployed tanks and soldiers [5] to stop Catholics from marching for, you guessed it, their religious freedom.
Marissa Mayer might be trying to prove that women really can have it all. The newly-appointed Yahoo CEO is also expecting a child in October [6].
And everyone is talking about America's most famous (soon to be) Catholic school student, Suri Cruise. She's headed to the prestigious Convent of the Sacred Heart School [7] in New York, which has bloggers and gossip sites chatting about the Catholic school [8] and what kind of education it offers [9]. Good PR for Catholic education, or just more useless celebrity news?


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The DuPage Training Academy Wildcats 17U Navy College Exposure baseball team traveled to St. Louis over the Fourth of July to compete in the 30-team Freedom Classic.
The Wildcats claimed the championship trophy with a 12-4 victory over the Midwest Phillies in the final game.
The squad won three of four pool play games with the one loss coming in the bottom of the seventh inning to the highly ranked Springfield Statesmen.
The 3–1 record allowed the Wildcats to get into the championship bracket with the No. 8 seed. The team then beat the top-seeded Kenosha Indians and the No. 3-seed St. Louis Gamers in the quarterfinal and semifinal games to move into the championship.
The 6–1 mark over the weekend upped the Wildcats record to 12-1-1 on the season.
The team's roster includes Mattl Albin (Carol Stream), Erik Anderson (St. Charles), Michael Boehmer (St. Charles), Ben Chally (Geneva), Jack Ciombor (Wheaton), John Crosby (DeKalb), Matt Guether (Geneva), Christian Howell (Naperville), Max Novak (Geneva), Ryan Nudd (South Elgin), Adam Rojas (St. Charles), DJ Varney (Aurora), Robert Zablock (Wheaton), Ben Havel (Bartlett), Zack Dowz (Addison), Brett Jungels (Naperville), Brandon Popp (Roselle), Dylan Roskin (Schaumburg), Matt Gura (Palatine), Mike Zajac (Winfield) and Michael Mannix (Wheaton).
For more information about the program, visit their website at www.dtawildcats.com.


text: When it comes to staying toned and fit, I take more of a let's-make-this-fun-too approach. For my wedding, that meant sprinkling some fitness classes to get my heart racing, and keep me smiling all at the same time. Plus, it's a whole lot easier to take on a challenge with a group—hello, bridesmaid date opp! Get inspired below and let us know what class fits your style!


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Smutty Tingles
Chris Hemsworth should TOTALLY play Hulk Hogan (The Superficial)
Instant happiness. How could anyone possibly hate? (Dlisted)
Aaron Paul is SO nice to his fans. Leonardo DiCaprio must be disgusted (FishWrapper)
A very well dressed Glee kiss (Pop Sugar)
Miley Cyrus on mixing high and low (Cele|bitchy)
Cate Blanchett in orange is definitely not Lindsay Lohan in orange (Just Jared)
I like the way Olivia Wilde's wearing these jeans and booties (Hollywood Tuna)
Is this Jessica Alba talking or is it someone who wants to be Gwyneth Paltrow? Oh. It's both. (Amy Grindhouse)
I need these leather pants! (Popoholic)
Fashion tip: the tiny waist illusion (Go Fug Yourself)


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George R.R. Martin is much in-demand in Hollywood these days, as the HBO series based on his books, "Game of Thrones," is the rare combination of a critical and commercial hit that can also move a lot of merchandising. Because of that magic touch, HBO announced on Tuesday that it had signed the science fiction and fantasy author to a two-year overall deal to develop new shows for the pay cable channel.
One would think Martin's legions of fans would be cheering in the streets at the news that one of their favorite creators was being given more opportunities to bring his vision to TV. Surprisingly, it's not entirely the case.
While there are assorted cheers here and there, almost resoundingly the reaction has been along the lines of this: "Finish the books, George. Just finish the books."
"Game of Thrones" is adapted from Martin's seven-novel "A Song of Ice and Fire" series of novels, of which five have been published. While the first three books were published within roughly a year of each other, the writing process of the last two books has been much slower. It took five years for the fourth book to be published and nearly six years for the fifth book.


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OTTAWA — Kenneth J. Bartolucci, 75, of Ottawa died Tuesday morning, Nov. 13, 2012, at OSF St. Francis Medical Center in Peoria.
Ken was born on Sept. 10, 1937, in Ottawa to John and Rena (Mazzini) Bartolucci. Ken was retired from Ace Hardware in Princeton. He was a member of the U.S. Army Reserves. Ken was an avid hunter and fisherman spending many happy times in northern Wisconsin. He enjoyed cooking and baking, but most of all he loved spending time with his family. He was a member of Ducks Unlimited and the NRA.
He is survived by six children, John (Diane) Bartolucci of Tiskilwa, James (Daina) Bartolucci of Ottawa, Jay Bartolucci of Ottawa, Christine (Rick) Conklin of Ottawa, Terrance (Jennifer) Bartolucci of Marseilles and Timothy Bartolucci of Ottawa; his former wife, Maureen Bartolucci of Ottawa; nine grandchildren; five great-grandchildren; and two sisters, Rita (Ron) O'Donnell of Ottawa and Debbie (Jeb) Johnson of San Antonio, Texas.
He was preceded in death by his parents, and several aunts and uncles.
Funeral services will be at 7 p.m. Friday at the Mueller Funeral Home in Ottawa with the Rev. David Kipfer officiating. Cremation rites will be accorded. Private burial will be at a later date in the Ladd Cemetery.
Visitation will be from 4 to 7 p.m. Friday at the funeral home.
Memorials may be directed to the American Cancer Society or the American Lung Association.
The online guestbook may be viewed and remembrances shared at www.MuellerFH.com.
Kenneth Bartolucci
OTTAWA — Kenneth J. Bartolucci, 75, of Ottawa died Tuesday morning, Nov. 13, 2012, at OSF St. Francis Medical Center in Peoria.


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England entered the match as firm favourites after crushing Wales 43-12 at the Gnoll in March but it was the underdogs who barked the most throughout in an intriguing contest played in hail and driving wind and rain.
Blindside flanker Tom Phillips gave a towering performance putting in some big hits in defence and gaining the hard yards in attack while the engine room turned the tables on the England pack after the Gnoll defeat - Wales clearly held the ascendancy in the scrums while the pack generally had the better of the opposition throughout in testing conditions.
Prop Jack Stanley's early try had given England a 5-0 lead, but Wales hit back with three penalties to make it 9-5 through fly half Jarrod Evans before England pivot Theo Brophy Clews reduced the deficit to 9-8 before the break.
Terrible conditions prevented any further additions with Wales' tenacious defence repelling everything England through at them - until five minutes before the final whistle when Mallinder stepped up to send his kick between the posts from half way.
Wales team manager Will Thomas was full of praise for his side despite the gut wrenching defeat.
"In the first half we probably edged it and managed to stay in front by scoring points every time we reached their 22," he said. "We held on bravely in the second half and turned them over regularly to get out of danger so it's really disappointing to lose it in the dying stages.
"Saying that, the boys have put in a vast improvement from a few weeks ago when England dominated us at the Gnoll.
"It's about the journey and the development as well as the results and this team have made huge strides in camp and it shows the effort the coaches and backroom staff have put in.
"We now go in the 3rd/4th play-off match against France on Saturday with plenty of confidence where we will be looking to overturn the 18-17 defeat we suffered against them in Chartres in March," he added.


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In January 2014, Keolis Commuter Services, part of Keolis North America, won a bid for the $2.6-billion, eight-year contract to operate and maintain MBTA's passenger rail service, which serves 127,000 passengers daily.
"This is a momentous day for Keolis, our passengers and the communities we will serve," said Eric Asselin, executive vice president and general manager for Keolis North America. "From customer service to on-time performance, we pride ourselves in how we are always 'thinking like a passenger' in everything we do. With the commitment of our employees and the input of our passengers, we are dedicated to making one of the nation's preeminent commuter rail services even better."
Other improvements will include cleaned trains and stations, new signage and repairs to damaged seats. New pocket timetables, featuring larger, easier-to-read system maps, were distributed at the major stations.
Keolis will also be introducing the first official MBTA Commuter Rail app, which is designed to make it easier for passengers to plan their journey. The first version of the app was released July 1, 2014, and is free and available for download for both Apple and Android devices. An enhanced version will be released this fall, providing real-time information about travel times, a place to register lost or found items in trains and stations and other features designed to enhance the passenger experience.


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Farm Bill Epilogue
Friday, March 28, 2014
filed under: Marketing/Risk Management
Two years, six months and five days . . . a little over two and one-half years . . . 920 days. These are the various ways to state the elapsed time between the enactment of the Budget Control Act of 2011 on August 2, 2011 — the recognized start of the effort to write the new farm bill — and February 7, 2014, the date President Obama signed the Agricultural Act of 2014 (AA14) into law at Michigan State University. It was an inordinate amount of time, no matter how you parse it.
Once the logjam finally broke in late January, the bill cleared both the House and Senate in less than a week. But that was almost bittersweet after the long slog it took to get a final vote in Congress, considering all the water that passed under the bridge, so to speak, during the previous months and years of gridlock. And reliving the torturous path to completion involves way too much drama to get into now — especially when all are focused on an explanation of the final product.
But while serious divisions plagued the agricultural community during this lengthy debate, it's a safe bet to say that the vast majority of those who worked on this legislation are all relieved it is finally finished. Hallelujah!
USDA has geared up to implement the new law, but a signup prior to spring planting is next to impossible, since farmers in the southern growing regions already are in the fields. Implementation will require some patience, given the multiple choices, updates and new programs contained within the law, coupled with the tardy nature of its completion, i.e., four months plus a week after the expiration of the one-year extension of the 2008 farm bill.
The Congressional Budget Office estimates that AA14 will reduce the federal deficit by $16.5 billion over 10 years — or by $23 billion if cuts mandated by the Sequester are included in the tally. Total outlays are projected to be $956.4 billion during the 2014-2023 fiscal years. Of that total, $756.4 billion is for nutrition title, $89.8 for crop insurance, $57.6 billion for conservation, $44.5 for commodities and $8.1 billion for other titles.
But what is actually contained in this new farm bill? Below are some highlights of the major titles.
Title I - Commodities
Direct Payments (DPs) are eliminated for all program crops, except cotton, which is no longer a covered commodity because its support will now come from the new cotton Stacked Income Protection Program (STAX). However, cotton will receive a portion of their DPs in 2014 and 2015 while STAX is developed and implemented.
The Counter-Cyclical Program (CCP) and the Average Crop Revenue Election (ACRE) are eliminated. Instead, growers will have a one-time choice on a commodity-by-commodity basis between two new but similar replacement options: the Price Loss Coverage (PLC) or the Average Revenue Coverage (ARC) programs.
Eliminating DPs, the CCP and ACRE saves $47 billion. Then, $13.1 billion is used to fund PLC; $14.1 billion to fund ARC; and $3.7 billion to fund a livestock disaster assistance program. The other major expenditures from the savings are a $912 million increase for the Dairy program and $558 million for the transitional DPs for cotton. After other minor costs are accounted for, the Commodity Title ends up saving a net $14.3 billion, bringing the 10-year cost for commodity support programs down to $44.5 billion.
AA14 continues the full planting flexibility that has been in place since the 1996 farm bill. PLC and ARC support for covered commodities will both be paid on historical base acres, regardless of what is planted in the current year, just as DPs and the CCP were paid in the past. (The only exception to this continued decoupling from current year plantings is for generic cotton base that is planted to a covered commodity, which will receive support from the program chosen for the crop to which they are planted.) Growers will have a one-time option to reallocate base acres to the simple average of planted and prevented plant acres during the crop years 2009-2012, not to exceed the aggregate of current base acres.
PLC will be paid on a farm's established program yields. A farm will have a one-time option to update program payment yields on a commodity-by-commodity basis to 90% of the average 2008-2012 yields per planted acre. Payment acres will be 85% of base acres. Payments will be triggered if the 12-month national average price of a covered commodity is determined to be lower than the reference price for that commodity. If a payment is triggered, the following formula would be used: 85% X base acres X program payment yield X (reference price minus the 12-month national average market price).
If the PLC program sounds rather familiar, it's because the "CCP" and "target prices" have just been rebranded as "PLC" and "reference prices," albeit with the option to update crop bases and program yields.
Producers choosing to participate in the ARC program will have a one-time option to choose either county or farm level* revenue support. Producers who choose farm level* coverage must enroll all crops in the ARC program. Payment acres equal 85% of base acres at the county level and 65% of base acres at the farm level.
At the county level, the ARC guarantee is equal to 86% of the previous five years Olympic average of revenue obtained by multiplying the average yield times the national average price during those years. ARC payments will be triggered when the actual crop revenue during a current crop year is less than the ARC guarantee, but limited to the 10% band of revenue between 86% and 76%. Actual crop revenue for a current year is determined by multiplying the actual county yield times the national average market price during the 12-month marketing year for the crop. If a payment is triggered, the following formula would be used: 85% X base acres X (the difference between the ARC guarantee and the actual crop revenue, but not to exceed 10 percent of the ARC guarantee).
At the individual farm level, the ARC guarantee is equal to 86% of the sum of all the previous five-year Olympic average revenues of all the covered commodities grown on the farm. The actual crop revenue is the sum of the products of the actual yields and national average market prices for all the covered commodities grown on the farm. Generally speaking, the same formula is used as the county level except that the payment acres are reduced to 65% of base acres.
ARC provides for a yield plug of 70% of a farm's crop insurance T-Yield when the yield per planted acre or historical county yield for any of the five most recent crop years is less than 70% of the T-Yield. ARC also provides for a price plug equal to the reference price when the national average market price received by producers for a covered commodity during the 12-month marketing year for any of the five most recent crop years is lower than the reference price.
Because both the PLC and ARC programs require calculations using a 12 month national average of prices, payments for a crop year will be paid on or shortly after October 1 of the following crop year. In other words, if 2014 conditions trigger support payments for covered commodities, the payments will be received beginning October 1, 2015.
The Fruit & Vegetable (F&V) planting restriction has been modified due to the elimination of DPs. F&Vs can now be planted on up to 15% of a farm's base acres without forfeiting PLC or ARC payments. However, F&V plantings in excess of 15% of base acre will not be eligible for PLC or ARC payments.
The Marketing Loan Program was reauthorized unchanged except for the cotton loan rate, which will be set at the simple average of the world price for the two preceding marketing years, but not less than 45 cents/lb or more than 52 cents/lb.
Payment limits are combined into a single limit of $125,000 per person for the programs of the Commodity Title, or $250,000 total for a producer and spouse. USDA will be required to define "actively engaged in farming" within 180 days of enactment. The Adjusted Gross Income (AGI) cap for payment eligibility is $900,000.
Title II – Conservation
Funding for the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) is cut by $3.3 billion by reducing acreage enrollment to 24 million by 2017. For reference, as of October 1, 2013, 25.3 million acres were enrolled in the CRP.
The Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP) is cut by $2.3 billion, with $596 million saved by incorporating the Wildlife Habitat Incentives Program (WHIP) into the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP). These savings are then used to increase funding in several other conservation areas, including $1.2 billion for the new Agriculture Conservation Easement Program (ACEP) that was created by combining the Wetlands Reserve Program, the Grasslands Reserve Program and the Farmland Protection Program; a $497 million increase for EQIP; and a combined $454 million for several other conservation programs.
Bottom line, AA14 consolidates 23 existing conservation programs into 13 with an increased emphasis on working lands rather than land retirement. And while net spending is reduced by nearly $4 billion, overall spending comes in at $57.6 billion for the Conservation Title, outpacing the Commodity Title by $13.1 billion.
Title III – Trade
Export Programs —
Export promotion programs including the Market Access Program (MAP) and the Foreign Market Development Cooperator Program (FMD) were reauthorized in full. MAP is authorized for $200 million and FMD is authorized for $34.5 million.
The Export Credit Guarantee Program (GSM-102) was reauthorized. The maximum tenor for loan guarantees is reduced from three years down to 24 months and allows the USDA to adjust program fees. These changes are included to facilitate resolution of the Brazil Cotton Case.
Food Aid Reforms —
The maximum allowable cash assistance for Title II of P.L. 480 (emergency and non-emergency assistance) is increased from 13% to 20%, giving USAID the flexibility when responding to food aid demands of various countries and regions and to build resiliency in areas of common food shortages and drought.
The "safe box" (portion of Food for Peace funds used on development) is changed from $450 million to a window of 20% to 30% of program funds, with a minimum of $350 million.
The agreement responds to a 2011 GAO report criticizing monetization practices by including a reporting mechanism addressing: how funds are being used, the rate of return, associated costs, and explanation if a commodity's rate of return falls below 70%.
The McGovern-Dole International Food for Education and Child Nutrition Program is reauthorized with no changes.
The Local Regional Purchase pilot program from the 2008 farm bill is authorized as a new program with the intent to complement existing food aid programs, in particular the McGovern Dole program.
Title III does not accommodate the President's proposal to move funding to International Disaster Assistance (IDA) and to eliminate P.L. 480.
Title VII – Research
AA14 increases mandatory research spending by $1.145 billion, bringing total spending to $1.256 billion over 10 years. The Specialty Crop Research Initiative captured the lion's share of this funding, receiving $745 million. Some $200 million was invested in the newly formed Foundation for Food and Agriculture Research, which will be used to supplement USDA's basic and applied research activities.
Title IX – Energy
AA14 increases the Energy Title mandatory spending by $879 million, up to $1.1 billion over 10 years. The Biodiesel Fuel Education Program, which supports outreach to fleet managers, truckers and engine manufacturers, was funded at $1 million per year for five years. The Biobased Market Program, which supports and promotes increased production and use of biobased products through a federal procurement preference and a biobased product label, was funded at $3 million per year for five years. The Bioenergy Program for Advanced Biofuels, which supports biodiesel production, was also funded at $15 million per year over five years. Among the other programs funded in the Energy Title are the Biorefinery Assistance Program, the Rural Energy for America Program (REAP), the Biomass Research Development Initiative (BRDI) and the Biomass Crop Assistance Program (BCAP).
Title XI - Crop Insurance
AA14 creates two new major crop insurance products - the Stacked Income Protection Program (STAX) and the Supplemental Coverage Option (SCO) at a cost of $3.3 billion and $1.7 billion respectively.
The STAX policy will be available only for cotton. A 90% coverage level will be offered with 80% of the premium subsidized by the federal government.
The SCO policy will be made available to all covered commodities (and cotton acres not enrolled in STAX) beginning with the 2015 crop year. However, covered commodities enrolled in the ARC program are not eligible for SCO coverage. SCO will provide county-wide area coverage on top of individual farm level coverage policies up to 86%. Producers must buy, at a minimum, Catastrophic (CAT) crop insurance coverage. The federal government will subsidize 65% of the SCO premium cost.
The Enterprise Unit subsidy is made permanent, and Enterprise Units are allowed to be split by irrigated and non-irrigated acres. Different crop insurance coverage levels by practice will be allowed on individual units. The latter two changes cost $700 million.
Conservation Compliance from the Commodity Title was extended to the Crop Insurance Title, and producers will need to comply with those rules to be eligible for premium subsidies when buying federal crop insurance. However, the compliance was made forward looking from date of enactment for wetland conversions. Sod-saver language is also included for only the following states: Minnesota, Iowa, North Dakota, South Dakota, Montana and Nebraska. The subsidy reduction for sod-saver is 50 percentage points and is in effect for four years after land is broken out of sod and is expected to save $114 million.
Premiums for Catastrophic Coverage are increased to more accurately reflect the cost of coverage; expected to save $426 million.
To mitigate the negative effects of disaster years on Actual Production History (APH) yields, producers will be allowed to drop a year of history for a crop in any year in which the yield of that crop in the county the producer farms is at least 50% below the simple average of the county's previous 10 years; and then divide the remaining nine years of APH history by nine (instead of 10). The Manager's Statement that accompanied AA14 expressed intent that more than one year could be dropped in a 10-year period. This APH yield adjustment is projected to cost $357 million.
When all the changes are tallied up, funding for the Crop Insurance Title increased by $5.7 billion, bringing the 10-year cost for the federal crop insurance program to $89.8 billion.
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