text:
On Unix, MySQL uses the value of the
environment variable as the path name of the directory in
which to store temporary files. If
is not set, MySQL uses the system default, which is usually
/var/tmp, or
On Windows, MySQL checks in order the values of the
TEMP, and
TMP environment variables. For the first
one found to be set, MySQL uses it and does not check those
remaining. If none of
TEMP, or
TMP are set,
MySQL uses the Windows system default, which is usually
If the file system containing your temporary file directory is
too small, you can use the mysqld
--tmpdir option to specify a
directory in a file system where you have enough space. On
replication slaves, you can use
--slave-load-tmpdir to specify
a separate directory for holding temporary files when
DATA INFILE statements.
--tmpdir option can be set
to a list of several paths that are used in round-robin
fashion. Paths should be separated by colon characters
:) on Unix and semicolon characters
;) on Windows.
To spread the load effectively, these paths should be located on different physical disks, not different partitions of the same disk.
If the MySQL server is acting as a replication slave, you
should be sure to set
--slave-load-tmpdir not to
point to a directory that is on a memory-based file system or
to a directory that is cleared when the server host restarts.
A replication slave needs some of its temporary files to
survive a machine restart so that it can replicate temporary
tables or
INFILE operations. If files in the slave temporary
file directory are lost when the server restarts, replication
MySQL arranges that temporary files are removed if mysqld is terminated. On platforms that support it (such as Unix), this is done by unlinking the file after opening it. The disadvantage of this is that the name does not appear in directory listings and you do not see a big temporary file that fills up the file system in which the temporary file directory is located. (In such cases, lsof +L1 may be helpful in identifying large files associated with mysqld.)
When sorting (
ORDER BY or
BY), MySQL normally uses one or two temporary files.
The maximum disk space required is determined by the following
(length of what is sorted + sizeof(row pointer))
* number of matched rows
* 2
The row pointer size is usually four bytes, but may grow in the future for really big tables.
For some
SELECT queries, MySQL
also creates temporary SQL tables. These are not hidden and
have names of the form
In most cases,
creates a temporary copy of the original table in the same
directory as the original table.
As of MySQL 5.7.1, non-compressed
temporary tables are stored in a temporary tablespace file
ibtmp1, which is located in the
data directory
datadir) by default. The
option can be used at startup to specify a different file
name and location. Compressed
temporary tables are stored in their own independent
tablespace files (
.ibd files) in the
path specified by the
TMPDIR environment
If an
ALTER TABLE operation
on an
InnoDB table uses the
ALGORITHM=COPY technique,
InnoDB creates a temporary copy of the
table in the same directory as the original table. Temporary
table file names begin with an
prefix and only appear briefly during the
ALTER TABLE operation.
If an
ALTER TABLE operation
rebuilds an
InnoDB table using the
ALGORITHM=INPLACE technique (online DDL),
InnoDB creates an
intermediate copy of the table the same
directory as the original table. Intermediate table file
names begin with an
#sql-ib prefix and
only appear briefly during the
TABLE operation.
ALTER TABLE operations that
rebuild an
InnoDB table using the
ALGORITHM=INPLACE technique (online DDL)
also create temporary sort files in the MySQL temporary
directory (
$TMPDIR on Unix,
%TEMP% on Windows, or the directory
specified by the
configuration option). If the temporary directory is not
large enough to hold such files, you may need to reconfigure
tmpdir. Alternatively, you
can define a separate temporary directory for
InnoDB online
TABLE operations using the
innodb_tmpdir configuration
option. This option was introduced in MySQL 5.7.11 to help
avoid temporary directory overflows that could occur as a
result of large temporary sort files created during online
ALTER TABLE operations.
innodb_tmpdir can be
configured dynamically using a
GLOBAL or
SESSION statement.
innodb_tmpdir option is
not applicable to intermediate table files, which are always
created in the same directory as the original table.
In replication environments, only consider replicating an
innodb_tmpdir setting if
all servers have the same operating system environment.
Otherwise, replicating an
innodb_tmpdir setting could
result in a replication failure when running online
ALTER TABLE operations. If
server operating environments differ, it is recommended that
you configure
on each server individually.
For more information about online DDL, Section 14.13, "InnoDB and Online DDL".


text:
A relative newcomer to East Hampton, the Halsey Mckay Gallery is committed to advancing the careers of emerging artists — "emerging" might be a stretch, in that Eddie Martinez and Jose Lerma, whose works are currently on view, are precipitously close to becoming established in the contemporary art world.
The gallery strives for interesting pairings. Their shows feature artists who are not an obvious match on the surface, yet may share a particular aesthetic or a perspective that is highlighted and investigated in works that are juxtaposed.
Indeed, though their work is as wildly different as, say, rock opera and a symphony, Mr. Martinez and Mr. Lerma are kindred spirits on many levels. Both reach for abstraction, while holding on to representational forms. In their finished canvases, each artist thinks big — though a series of small-scale studies and drawings upstairs at Halsey Mckay is an interesting key to the artists' gestational states.
And while both artists keep a toehold in the past, aesthetically and historically, they offer up interpretations that are so fresh and alive that the works feel almost as if they come with their own arch, animated soundtracks. It's hard to say whether there is a greater advantage in standing back to view their sweep, or to press in close and take in all the surprises of these works piecemeal.
Of these two artists, Mr. Martinez has a more established trajectory. A two-time art school dropout, he apprenticed as a graffiti artist on the railroad tracks outside Boston and San Diego. He was drawn into the studio by a miniature vase, a gift from his mother, into which he put flowers, and started to paint and draw, by all accounts obsessively. His monumental "The Feast for the 2010 Miami Biennale," an 8-by-28-foot work that begs comparison with "The Last Supper," put him on an art watchlist — though, as the artist himself points out, the central figure is a clown. Mr. Martinez's more recent solo exhibitions in Berlin have established that all the excitement was justified.
Interviewers who try to get at his process are met with diffident answers in which art-speak questions end up looking precious and patently ridiculous. He has an almost comical aversion to being aesthetically categorized. He is nonetheless branded, quite logically, as a neo-expressionist. He gives an internal life to his objects that is unlike anything that has come before, in which his graffiti roots and an aesthetic primitivism are clearly visible. His rough, simple objects appear, almost paradoxically, to embody all the noise and movement of contemporary life.
At Halsey Mckay, Mr. Martinez offers up two startling new canvases, "American Native V (Emotional Whiteout), 2012," and "Untitled (Scullscape) 1, 2012." These works extend the artist's preoccupation with studio still life, in which outsized cartoon characters, odd potted plants, and knick-knacks crowd together and demand equal attention from their shared tabletop. In these new works, forms such as a bird's beak, a wildflower, a pitcher, a ghostly figure, and a cake are faintly recognizable but have taken on more of a splayed, abstracted quality. The artist's marks are gestural, emotional, and raw. Spray-painted, dripped, and heavily worked passages of bold color are scratched and reapplied. It's as if Mr. Martinez steeps himself in the discipline of still life — like the heroic painters Matisse and Bonnard — so that he can better hear the call of the wild. The table in earlier works is gone; the artist now seems to live inside his composition.
Both artists cite the naif, cartoon-like quality of Philip Guston and Carroll Dunham as influential to their work. But whereas Mr. Martinez trades in thick paint application and broad strokes, Mr. Lerma combines line and a host of unexpected materials into large-scale portraits that are wry, elegant, and comical, though intentionally not recognizable as the historical subjects on which they are based.
Mr. Lerma was still a law student when, in a visit to the Metropolitan Museum, he was drawn in by the bust of the French banker Samuel Bernard, one of the richest men during the reign of Louis XIV. He shot rolls of film of the bust, which later became a point of departure for a series of paintings. From the beginning, his chief goal was to find ways of collapsing the historical and the personal into a single frame. His subjects rise out of something as simple as a remembered thread of conversation or an event from his youth, and have been translated, notably, into massive, layered "portraits," constructed from industrial carpet, on which viewers walk.
In four major new works at Halsey Mckay, Mr. Lerma overlays his canvases with swaths of used parachutes in white or pink. Through these veils or scrims, bewigged characters — large, intricate ink doodles, dabbed with tinted spackle — spoof the pompous postures of the grandees and grand dames in the portraiture of centuries ago. More often than not, the subjects have attained lofty goals, only to have fallen into a deep abyss. Mr. Lerma, who was born in Spain, sometimes takes his cue from forgotten figures of his own national history.
The court painter Luis Paret y Alcazar was banished to Puerto Rico by the Spanish King Charles III in 1775 for introducing his younger brother to unsavory women. Paret managed to get himself reinstated by sending Charles a painting of himself deep in the jungle that apparently illustrated his misery. In Mr. Lerma's interpretive piece, "Luis Paret y Alaczar, 2012," the artist surrounds Paret's scantily clad, buffoon-like figure with bananas, palms, and coconuts in a kind of mock sketch for what looks like an official medallion or coin. The circular inscription reads "You get a nerve of Lotta so you can be your friend," which is a convoluted Web translation into Spanish of, "You got a lotta nerve to say you are my friend" — the opening lyric of the Bob Dylan song "Positively 4th Street."
In all these large works, the gossamer material of the parachutes the artist uses as overlay creates a tantalizing distance; their seams convert the composition into smaller territories. Are they a metaphor for a fall, the lifeline that failed to open, or the rescue Mr. Lerma offers his subjects by plucking them out of history?
The eponymous actress of "Eleanor Velasco Thornton, 2012" — the mistress of a baron — drowned in the sinking of the S.S. Persia; the diplomat of "Edouard Andre, 2012" contributed to Spain's loss of Manila in 1898. In "St. Denis, 2012," the artist collapses the legend of the decapitated martyr St. Denis of 250 B.C. with Dennis Wilson, the "forgotten" member of the Beach Boys band. The 1960s Dennis carries his head between his hands, against the backdrop of a striped T-shirt. Seen through a veil at a telescopic remove, their stories take on ironic and mythical proportions.
The vitality of the pairing of Eddie Martinez and Jose Lerma is marred only by their single collaborative work, "Untitled, 2012," a small pastel on paper executed the night before their Halsey Mckay opening. The painting looks like two kids duked it out in the sandbox and brute force won. Whether that means Martinez and Lerma, you decide. The exhibit will be on view through Wednesday.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Sylvio J. Williams
Williams–– Sylvio J., 91, of Brownington, VT passed away on June 15, 2012 in Newport, VT. A graveside service will be held at 2 p.m. on Friday, June 22, 2012 at the Brownington Center Cemetery with full military honors. Online condolences may be sent to the family through the funeral home website at www.curtis-britch-converse-rushford.com. Arrangements are entrusted to the care of Curtis-Britch-Converse-Rushford Funeral Home, locally family owned and operated.
For the full obituary see Tuesday's Express.


text: Hey all, I've been experiencing a very strange issue with a website that uses UTF-8 regular expressions in the rewrite rules: RewriteRule ^([0-9a-zA-Zα-ωΑ-Ω_]+)/([0-9a-zA-Zα-ωΑ-Ω_]+)/([0-9a-zA-Zα-ωΑ-Ω_]+)/([0-9a-zA-Zα-ωΑ-Ω_]+)/ index.php?ID=$1&Rec_ID=$2&var1=$3&var2=$4 RewriteRule ^([0-9a-zA-Zα-ωΑ-Ω_]+)/([0-9a-zA-Zα-ωΑ-Ω_]+)/([0-9a-zA-Zα-ωΑ-Ω_]+)/([0-9a-zA-Zα-ωΑ-Ω_]+) index.php?ID=$1&Rec_ID=$2&var1=$3&var2=$4 RewriteRule ^([0-9a-zA-Zα-ωΑ-Ω_]+)/([0-9a-zA-Zα-ωΑ-Ω_]+)/([0-9a-zA-Zα-ωΑ-Ω_]+)/ index.php?ID=$1&Rec_ID=$2&var1=$3 RewriteRule ^([0-9a-zA-Zα-ωΑ-Ω_]+)/([0-9a-zA-Zα-ωΑ-Ω_]+)/([0-9a-zA-Zα-ωΑ-Ω_]+) index.php?ID=$1&Rec_ID=$2&var1=$3 RewriteRule ^([0-9a-zA-Zα-ωΑ-Ω_]+)/([0-9a-zA-Zα-ωΑ-Ω_]+)/ index.php?ID=$1&Rec_ID=$2 RewriteRule ^([0-9a-zA-Zα-ωΑ-Ω_]+)/([0-9a-zA-Zα-ωΑ-Ω_]+) index.php?ID=$1&Rec_ID=$2 RewriteRule ^([0-9a-zA-Zα-ωΑ-Ω_]+)$ index.php?ID=$1 RewriteRule ^([0-9a-zA-Zα-ωΑ-Ω_]+)/$ index.php?ID=$1 As you can see it uses Greek characters. The case goes like this: - The website has a contact page that runs over the rewrite rules - When you perform an HTTP POST by submitting the contact form it will not open the rewritten submitted form (that is the thank you for contacting us page) but the submitting page (that is the contact form page). But, if you open the thank you page with a normal GET request, it opens fine. Please note that this is not a software issue, since the exact same files and database operate on an Apache installation as they should. Litespeed version is latest (4.1.10) and PHP runs over LSAPI 5.5 (5.2.17). Any help would be appreciated!


text:
LPS aprooved!
On December the 21st, 2012, a strange fog enveloped the World. White, Odourless, Cold and Obscuring all sight, the citizens of the world hid in their homes, unsure of courses to take. The fog Crept under doors, leaving homes ankle deep in the cold Fog. Then, The morning after, It was gone.
Grey Clouds filled the sky, and those who ventured outside found new life amongst them. Strange, Masked beings, 8 feet tall and with grey skin, walked the earth, seemingly unbothered by the Humans that stared at them. These beings seemed harmless enough, and Life continued as normal.
Then, that evening, a Man rushed into hospital, claiming to have been attacked by the grey-skins, brandishing his hand- which had a horrible black scab down the length of his Hand. He was taken into care, with his hand being examined, but the scab showed no signs of infection, no problems. It was just a scab. According to the mans report, the Grey-Skin that attacked him had used a long, curved blade, the colour of bone, which it had pulled from the folds of the ragged robes it wore.
About an Hour later, the man turned Feral. His fingers became dagger-like blades of bone, and his skin began to flay and bloody. He Attacked the nurse caring for him, who turned as well, and slowly, from the hospital outwards, the Blade-fingered creatures began to spread.
It is now 18 days into the 'Infection'. The Grey-Skins- Now dubbed 'Gravekeepers', and the infected creatures- Dubbed 'Servants'- rule the world, the last of humanity clumping together in Small groups.
You are one of the survivors. A student from a School in a little town, who has been forced into hiding in the basement of your old school. There, an Injured Soldier has stumbled into your hiding spot, and with his dying breath, revealed to you the location of a Safe house, containing the most precious person in the world right now- Dr. Lucius Nye, who has been working on a method of restoring the human self. As the Marine's last breath rattles out, you must make your choice- will you attempt to reach the good Doctor, or at least try and find someone who can?
Sample Character Sheet (Blank):
Student year- (1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th)
Age- (12 + your year number. Eg- 13 for 1st, 15 for 13rd, 18 for 6th. I will allow a margin of 1 year either way.)
Appearance- (School has no uniform, wear what you like)
Life Story- (Whatever works, but end it with finding your way to the schools basement, where the RP will begin).
You may have to edit little details of your character, even after I aproove them. there is a reason for this, which will help you in the long run.
You aren't allowed weapons to begin with. Sorry guys, but its not gonna be that easy.


text:
Latinos Living With HIV/AIDS in NYC
February 2004
A question: Which U.S. city has more Latinos living with AIDS? Los Angeles, New York City, Miami, or San Juan?
New York City is the troubling answer to the question above. But even more troubling is that New York City is home to more Latinos with diagnosed AIDS than all those other cities combined, even though Los Angeles is home to the nation's largest Mexican-American community, Miami is home to the most Cuban-Americans, and San Juan is the capital of Puerto Rico. In fact, New York City has 7% of the U.S. Latino population but accounts for more than 25% of all Latino AIDS cases, and 35% of cases among Latina women.
My first step was trying to understand what psychological factors might be associated with HIV infection among Latinos in general, and in New York City in particular. According to Dr. Robert Remien, a clinical psychologist and research scientist at the HIV Center for Clinical and Behavioral Studies in New York City, "We have consistently seen in studies that depression, distress, low self-esteem, feeling disenfranchised, and feeling stigmatized are psychological and psychosocial factors often associated with transmission. People in minority populations, including Latinos, have often talked of discrimination in places where they live; ethnicity is frequently associated with lower socioeconomic status in this country.
"These populations living in urban 'inner-city' settings are often the most affected by HIV. The relatively high prevalence within neighborhoods in urban settings where many Latinos live is probably more about poverty and other associated factors than it is about Latino 'culture' itself," added Remien. "Also, there is the issue of life priorities. If people need to be more concerned about safety from violence, housing, parent-child situations, or poor health conditions, HIV protection can fall lower in their list of priorities."
Dr. Remien also noted that there are also issues of gender and power in two important sub-populations: women and men who have sex with men (MSM), whether gay-identified or not. "Some women and MSM may have less control over the circumstances in which they have sex, and also over whether or not that sex is protected. Likewise he added that immigration is often associated with poverty, race, and ethnicity. In a concrete and pragmatic way, immigrants may have less access to healthcare and resources. Less empowered or more disenfranchised people are part of more vulnerable populations. In Latino culture, such stigmatizing factors and conditions are often kept secret and not dealt with, which in the family context can make adolescents particularly vulnerable."
Starting with these insights, this article will provide a portrait of both individuals and organizations grappling with HIV within the community of New York City Latinos (a term used here to refer to individuals who have immigrated from and/or trace their ancestry to the Spanish-speaking countries of Latin America).
As I located potential interviewees, I encountered various degrees of willingness to speak. Puerto Rican and transgender individuals were particularly keen to recount their story. Possibly motivated by the safeguard of citizenship and eagerness to educate about their life's change, respectively. By contrast, heterosexual women's reluctance to relate their life story may be due to shame attached to the stigma of HIV infection in their community. Wishing to present a very diverse group of individuals, I made appointments with several Latinas from Central or South America, but none showed up. The following persons are part of a diverse group by gender, sexual orientation, age, level of education, family's country of origin and socioeconomic level. Names and some details about the lives of these individuals have been changed to maintain confidentiality and anonymity. I don't intend to imply these profiles represent sub-populations within the Latino community. What they do, however, is depict lives of some Latino New Yorkers living with HIV.
Country of Origin: U.S.-born and raised in Puerto Rico.
Languages: Proficient in English but more comfortable in her native Spanish for this interview.
Level of Education: Graduated from high school in New York City.
Seroconversion: Tested HIV positive in August 1988, after infection through sexual relations.
Family: Denise was raised by her single mother in Puerto Rico. At 10, she met her mostly absent father when he visited them. She moved to New York City, at 16, to lived with him and his wife. Although emotionally disconnected from them, she felt supported by her step-brothers and sisters.
Life Story: Once in New York City as a young man, Denise had her first "father-son contact." Feeling misunderstood by her father's wishes "that she act the straight way," she began wearing make-up and woman's clothes in her last year of high-school. Drug experimentation (marijuana, cocaine and crack) with peers lead her to underage prostitution after school. Before graduating in 1987, she moved to her aunt's home. While working the streets and after many requests from mobile units, she took the HIV test. Aware of her previous unsafe practices and not surprised by the positive result, she declined counseling. Though supportive of her gender transition, her aunt started demanding more money to cover expenses. Estranged from her whole family, at twenty she moved to a shelter for minors, Covenant House. After five years of numerous arrests for prostitution and minor theft charges, she was incarcerated twice for a total of more than three years; the last time charged with drug possession. In the spring of 1999, Denise returned to live in a city welfare hotel; she attended a day-program which referred her to a residential drug rehab program, where she finally achieved sobriety in August 2000.
Work: Denise is on disability but works for a community-based organization in various positions for a stipend. As a volunteer, she shares about her life's journey in various city day-programs.
Health: Less than two years ago she was diagnosed with superficial Kaposi's sarcoma. Today, her T-cells are just below 200 and her viral load is undetectable. She takes hormones but will not complete the transition to a fully female anatomy.
Sexual Practices: Before testing positive in 1988, as a sex worker, she ignored safer sex practices. Once infected, she used condoms according to customers' demands. If a man preferred not to wear a condom, she would not disclose her HIV status. When customers questioned her HIV status, she denied her seroconversion. "When you are involved in drugs, you only think of 'working' and getting the money," she confides reflectively.
The Future: Going back to school and obtaining a degree in recreation therapy.
AntonioIdentity: 46 years old, heterosexual, male, single.
Country of Origin: U.S.; born in New York City from Puerto Rican parents.
Languages: Bilingual, English and Spanish.
Level of Education: Graduate school. Antonio obtained an M.S.W. in New York City.
Seroconversion: Around 1990 or 1991, following IV drug use.
Family: The father of this "Nuyorican" abandoned his mother while she was expecting him; they later divorced. A sister with abandonment issues, three years his senior, "is pissed at the world" and is now divorced. Although Antonio and his mother are close, they lost contact with her ten years ago. In his late twenties, Antonio impregnated the mother of his only child. They married before their son's birth, divorcing two years later. Though his eighteen-year old son doesn't live with him, their relationship is great.
Life Story: This first generation Latino summarizes a history of IV drug use which started at age twelve: "I heard about HIV while running in and out of 'shooting galleries' (social spaces tolerating drug injection) but never imagined I would get it. I recall the norm was to draw water out of a 'McDonalds' cup and rinse the syringe into the 'Burger King' cup. We were too afraid to carry our own 'works' (drug paraphernalia) in case you got stopped by the police. I'm convinced if 'works' were legal I would not have gotten infected. 'Water under the bridge now.' At the time it was this weird and yet unknown illness. After several rehab attempts since age 16, I finally got sick and tired of being 'sick and tired.' My probation officer referred me to Samaritan Village residential Drug Rehab program, 18 years ago. The message they gave everyone there was: 'if you used IV drugs act as if you are infected.' The HIV test had just been approved. I followed that advice. I never, never had unprotected sex after that. My wife at the time was not infected, neither was my son."
Work: For two years, Antonio has worked full-time at a Bronx neighborhood clinic. As a social worker and certified alcohol and substance abuse counselor, he completes clinical assessments for his patients. Additionally, a part-time sales job makes his son's college tuition affordable.
Health: Protease inhibitors were pivotal in his life; Antonio felt better and had more hope for the future. Around six years ago he was hospitalized with flu-like symptoms, and was diagnosed with hepatitis C. Finally about three years ago, he started Interferon treatment. Unable to bear the psychological and physiological side effects, he stopped four months ago. Hep C co-infection has made life harder. He now must consult an HIV specialist and a liver specialist on a regular basis. Frustrated with interferon's harsh side effects and "inefficacy," he may explore Ayurvedic medicine and acupuncture to use in tandem with his allopathic treatment, with which he is as compliant as possible. Though not currently in psychotherapy, he attends Narcotics Anonymous meetings once or twice a week.
Sexual Practices: The Bronx native took the HIV test to inform his partner at the time -- and himself -- of his status. Hep C and its treatment side effects beleaguered him with depression, isolation and low libido, causing him "to shut down." As a result, he is not very sexually active.
The Future: Helping others at the clinic keeps him contented and motivated, "I want to save myself for a cure, live in the moment, take care of myself, learn how to love and how to receive love. That is what will keep me alive. I want to pay all my debts, live comfortably, go on vacation, see my son married with kids," he declares with confidence. When I remark on the hint of loneliness in his voice, he concludes "I want to find a companion who is candela, you know, hot and spicy."
Country of Origin: Born in Colombia.
Languages: Bilingual, but more comfortable speaking in Spanish for this interview.
Level of Education: Graduated from high school in Colombia.
Seroconversion: Tested positive in June 1996, but suspects being infected two years before through sexual relations.
Family: Juan is the youngest and only male of four siblings. Even when his parents divorced when he was five years old, he remembers their conflicts. He feels very connected and supported by his family, that is, mother and sisters. Maintains perfect communication with his mother who "means everything to him." Estranged from father (who was killed three years ago) since coming out at age 15, he regrets not connecting with him. His whole family is aware of his sexual orientation and HIV status.
Life Story: Juan's family was considered upper middle class in Colombia. Awareness of his homosexuality at an early age didn't trouble him, despite being stigmatized by peers for playing with girls. At 14, he would go out dancing in gay clubs. As an adolescent, he dressed and performed in "drag," maybe encouraged after playing female characters in his all-male school drama club. Performing resulted in alcohol and drug use, which in turn, led him to feel uninhibited and practice unsafe sex. "When meeting someone casually in the early '90s, safe sex was never discussed in my country" he shares "we knew about it, but rarely used condoms." At 16 he had his first relationship. Today, he maintains a four-year committed relationship with a Puerto Rican ten years his senior.
Work: Barely eighteen, Juan moved to America, seeking both a better work life and a freer place for gay men. He held cleaning jobs at department stores, malls, and fast food restaurants. Presently, he has a full-time job with all benefits despite his undocumented immigration status.
Health: Juan is treated at a hospital HIV program for immigrants. Though his T-cells fell to 100 two years ago due to poor drug adherence, he has never had an opportunistic infection or hospitalization. Juan feels his use of cocaine, depressed him and depleted his immune system. Through a modified treatment and avoidance of illicit substances, he is now adherent and his T-cells hover around 300.
Sexual Practices: Prior to his present relationship, Juan seldom practiced safe sex, in spite of his HIV status. Since his current partner is HIV-negative, however, they practice safe sex without anal intercourse. Juan would like to work as a case manager in any of the agencies that provide him services today.
RodrigoIdentity: 55 years old, gay, male, single.
Country of Origin: Born in Mexico.
Languages: Bilingual, still, our chatting in Spanish for this interview suggests preference or comfort in his native tongue.
Level of Education: Graduated from college in Mexico.
Seroconversion: When his lover died of AIDS and he developed "thrush," he presumed that he had been infected through sexual relations. In the late eighties, his suspicion was confirmed by a T-cell count of 183.
Family: Rodrigo was born in the "typically loving and close" Mexican upper middle-class family. He was unconditionally supported by his parents, as were his three younger brothers. Although his sexual orientation was never openly discussed, his lovers were included in family functions. After his parents died, his strong relationship with his brothers and their wives allowed him to confide his HIV status. Members of his family all still live in Mexico, but visit sporadically.
Life Story: During high school, after puberty, he sexually experimented with male friends. Undisturbed by, or without questioning, his homosexuality, he continued "connecting" with men, devoid of the need to reveal his personal life to any family members. He attended a top-ranked college in Mexico City, majoring in marketing and advertising. There he was hired and employed by several transnational companies. His employers sponsored his Green Card after he was transferred to New York City in the early 1980s. After ten years of employment, he resigned due to HIV.
Work: Rodrigo has been on disability since the early 1990s. In spite of occasional financial struggle, he chooses a quiet life surviving on his disability income.
Health: Very stable with T-cells hovering around the 200 mark. Aside from one hospitalization in the late 1990s for an indeterminate fever, he hasn't had any opportunistic infections.
Sexual Practices: Rodrigo maintained committed relationships before and after his seroconversion. Recently, his partner of six years passed away. "Sex has always been an expression of love; for me, it is more important to have someone to love," he states. After his seroconversion, he practiced safe-sex during infrequent visits to sex clubs.
The Future: "I have learned to live in the present, so I don't have major plans for the future. My life in the next five years is hardly predictable, but I never expected to reach this age. Occasionally, I worry about finances, medication efficacy and other life changes." He concludes "I seek peace and choose to enjoy new experiences, while planning and trusting the future."
This article was provided by Body Positive. It is a part of the publication Body Positive.


text:
Widow of famed Navy SEAL sniper says she's been shut out of her own company
Updated 8:37 am, Friday, December 12, 2014
The widow of revered Navy SEAL sniper Chris Kyle says her late husband's business partners have shut her out of the company she helped build.
In a lawsuit filed in Dallas County, Taya Kyle said her husband's partners, Steven Young and Bo French, refuse to let her look at Craft International LLC's financial records. She said she received a letter from a Craft lawyer that says that she's not entitled to see books.
"My experience tells me when you have nothing to hide you let the doors open," said Kyle's attorney, Lawrence Friedman, with Dallas-based Friedman & Feiger. "When you have something to hide you have a big padlock on the door."
Latest Houston & Texas News
- His Last Game for Santa Fe Jon Shapley, Houston Chronicle
- Lawer for Texas school gunman speaks out Euronews
- Neighbor Says Texas Shooter 'Real Quiet' Associated Press
- NRA Spokeswoman Blames Media For Creating 'Monsters' Who Commit Mass Shootings Veuer
- NRA Spokeswoman Blames Media For Creating 'Monsters' Who Commit Mass Shootings Buzz 60
- NFL Star Offers To Pay For Santa Fe High School Victims' Funerals Veuer
- NFL Star Offers To Pay For Santa Fe High School Victims' Funerals Buzz 60
- Teens watch classmates die in morning of chaos at Santa Fe high school Staff, Houston Chronicle
- Witnesses Recount Texas School Shooting Associated Press
- Texas Gov. Abbott on the shooting at Santa Fe High School Jon Shapley, Houston Chronicle
- Texas Community Holds Vigil for Shooting Victims Associated Press
- Parkland FL Students Reach Out To Texas Shooting Associated Press
- Texas Shooting Suspect Appears in Court Associated Press
- Santa Fe HS shooter identified as Dimitri Pagourtzis Fox 26 Houston
- Cincinnati woman whose granddaughter died in Parkland massacre sheds tears for Texas victims WLWT
- Explosive devices found at Santa Fe High School Fox 26 Houston
Documents state that upon Kyle's death, Taya Kyle became an 85 percent owner in Craft, taking over her husband's share of the security company, which provides training and security for individual, corporate entities, military personnel.
Kyle's lawsuit alleges that French and Young have created a spin-off company and unloaded their debt onto Craft.
Chris Kyle, 38, and a friend were killed at a North Texas shooting range in February 2013. Iraq War veteran Eddie Ray Routh has been charged with one count of capital murder and two counts of murder in the shooting deaths of Kyle and Chad Littlefield. Kyle and Littlefield reportedly were helping Routh cope with post-traumatic stress disorder when he allegedly shot and killed both men before fleeing in a pickup belonging to Kyle.
Routh's trial date has not yet been set.
Kyle was known as "America's Deadliest Sniper" and received multiple medals for heroism and bravery. The Pentagon said his skills with a rifle so terrorized Iraqi insurgents during his four tours of duty that they nicknamed him the "Devil of Ramadi" and had a bounty put on his head.
The Kyles were married for 12 years and have two children. She still resides in Midlothian.
Bo French said in an email on Friday afternoon that Taya Kyle's allegations in the suit are completely groundless and that making Taya Kyle a member of the Craft group would be going against an agreement Chris Kyle was a part of before he died.
"Craft International is governed by an LLC agreement entered into by its members, all of whom completely understood what they were signing at the time, including Chris Kyle," French said. "None of the members wanted their spouses to become members in case of death or divorce."
The suit claims that earlier this month, Young asked Kyle sell her interest in the company for just $12,500, saying that is the current fair market value for her share. That figure came from an independent third party appraiser, according to French.
"Taya Kyle did not become a member of Craft upon Chris's death, but she does have certain rights. One of those is the right to have her interest bought by Craft at fair market value," French said.
Friedman alleges that Craft has made a lot of money on the Chris Kyle name, so the company cannot be nearly worthless, as Craft has stated.
"I hate people who kick others when they are down," said Friedman. "Why wouldn't they embrace this woman and give her her share?"
Friedman said he's made a formal demand to see Craft's financials, but he was declined.
"When Chris died, Taya became the sole parent and breadwinner for her family," said Friedman. "Chris was a war hero, and not a financial planner. He was at the beginning of his business career."
According to the lawsuit, Kyle wants a true accounting of all the funds that have come in and out of Craft, and an accounting of the funds for Young and French's other business, which Kyle believes was set up to compete with Craft.
If it is found that this is true in court, she would also like a declaration of ownership in the company that Young and French own. Kyle is also asking for an official acknowledgement of the Kyle estate's ownership rights of Craft.
Kyle is demanding a jury trial.
French said Craft has made every effort to be supportive of Kyle and her children following the death of her husband, noting that they have raised several hundred thousand dollars to support both Kyle and the Littlefield family.
"Craft agrees it is time for the parties to separate in a business sense, and it moved forward in the manner provided by the agreement," French said.


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Items where Person is "Guillen, Frédéric"
Group by: Item Type | No Grouping
Number of items: 1.
Iken, Hicham and Guillen, Frédéric and Chaumat, Hélène and Mazières, Marie-Rose and Plaquevent, Jean-Christophe and Tzedakis, Théodore. Scalable synthesis of ionic liquids: comparison of performances of microstructured and stirred batch reactors. (2012) Tetrahedron, vol. 53 (n° 27). pp. 3474-3477. ISSN 0040-4039


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|2009-05-12, 07:30
|Link #21
Casual gaming
Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: England
Age: 28
This is a cruel Poll, I'd want to vote for all of them.
Mio and her extreme shyness is so moe I can't stand it.
Mugi is such a sweet and caring character, always thinking of others and got Yui the guitar of her dreams.
Ritsu is such a funny character despite being a little odd. I normally get a laugh out from her antics.
Yui most of all for her even more odd behavior and her ditsy clumsy attitude.
GAH! I can't decide! So far Ritsu and Mugi haven't played as big a role as the other two, until we learn more about those 2 I don't think it'd be fair to decide.
|2009-05-12, 11:29
|Link #28
My favorite girl in the series is definitely Ritsu! She's just simply awesome and she's ultimately the one who provided the spark. So I have to respect her for that too. Plus I like her design. Hence I voted for her.
That being said, I do like all four girls. With Tsumugi being my second favorite of the four. Truth be told, I have yet to decide between Yui and Mio. All I know is that both are below Tsumugi and Ritsu.
|2009-05-12, 11:46
|Link #29
Osana-Najimi Shipper
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: Mt. Ordeals
Definitely Mio. I think the main reason why I'm still sticking with the show is because I'm transfixed with Mio singing in the ending credits, not much unlike I went through the atrocity that was Gundam Seed and Destiny just for its OPs and EDs.
For other reasons, well, I guess all I can say is that she's the Kagami of the group hehehehe. Long hair, has a cuter side to her, and most importantly the most level headed of the group. Someone has to keep the group inline, no?
And just like Miyuki is my second in LS, its no coincidence that Mugi is my second here as well. While she might not be as knowledgeable as MiWiki, she still gives off the air-headed ojousama feel nontheless.
|2009-05-12, 11:48
|Link #30
A blast from the past
Join Date: Jun 2004
Location: Fortaleza-CE, Brazil
Age: 40
|2009-05-12, 12:51
|Link #32
Jumping...is useless!
Join Date: Mar 2009
Location: Vancouver, Canada
Age: 33
|2009-05-12, 13:47
|Link #33
Know who you are
Join Date: Feb 2007
Location: Resides within the depths of Ned infested Glasgow
poll, they are a devils curse!
well I'll have to go for Mio-chan but then I really really really really want to vote for Mugi-chan too!
guess I'll have to wait for my multi-vote poll later.
|2009-05-12, 13:52
|Link #34
Ahou ga
Join Date: Feb 2009
Age: 41
It's no surprise that Mio is the front runner here. Nonetheless, I still like Yui best. Dojikko tendencies aside, there's something a little more genuine about her as opposed to the other girls. Plus I admire her dedication to both the band and to each of her friends.
I am surprised Mugi still only has 1 vote so far, though. I would have guessed Ritsu would be at the bottom of the voting.
|2009-05-12, 16:23
|Link #40
Senior Member
Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: UK/Canada
I like all of the girls but Yui has managed to come out on top out of this poll, I'd like Mio alot more but I really dont like that their trying to force us to like her, with the look how moe she is, I want my characters to be more natural.
To be honnest my number one favourite character hasnt been included in this poll, I know shes not a main character but she is awesome, no love for Ui?
|Thread Tools


text:
Never miss a deal, always be up to date -
The most important events and product news
with the MUSIC STORE Newsletters!
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The YAMAHA Mouthpiece 6A 4a joins the Standard Series and convinces with an excellent playability and sound qualities for a fair price/performance ratio.
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Features: Material: brass Pot diameter: 0.63" (15,90 mm) Bore diameter: 0.14" (3,65 mm) Pot depth: low Soft edge Finish: silver plated
Every month we are giving away a shopping voucher among all submitted reviewers worth 500 EURO!
Congratulations to the winner of December: Michael Rauser, Heilbronn (DE)
The winner from the previous month (November): Martin Reinert, Siegburg (DE)
You can rate this product if you like. By rating this product you will be automatically entered into our monthly shopping voucher giveaway!


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An action-packed meet is promised this Sunday, as the new racing season kicks off with the Eden Cup to be run at Sapphire Turf Club.
Not only will spectators enjoy a seven-race TAB meet (turn to page 46 for the fields), but the presentation of the four 2013-14 premiership trophies will be awarded to the horse, jockey, apprentice jockey and trainer of the year.
Sapphire Coast Turf Club secretary/manager Rob Tweedie said the excitement was electric at the last meet when the winner of horse of the year very fittingly came down to the last race of the season.
"Locally trained race favourite, All Giving, looked certain to take out the premiership for horse of the year," Mr Tweedie said.
"However, the three-year-old filly tired right near the line and outsider Four Fortyfour won by the narrowest of margins.
"It was a nail biting finish, which brought great excitement and emotion to the track and capped off what has been an exhilarating season."
Mr Tweedie believes few racegoers would have been surprised that apprentice jockey of the year was taken out by Winona Costin.
"Winona has had a sensational season, which included her historic five wins in one day during the Bega Cup," Mr Tweedie said.
"At just 19 years of age, she is extremely talented and it is no wonder that Winona is highly in demand and amongst other high profile commitments, now with Gai Waterhouse's stable."
Jockey of the year was won by Canberra's leading jockey, Brendan Ward, who has also had an exceptional season riding 100 winners in NSW and the ACT.
"Brendan has been riding at Sapphire Coast Turf Club meets for many years and has the ability and experience to mix it with the best."
Trainer of the year Donna Griesdale has had an outstanding season at Sapphire.
Her great run has continued recently with five of her last ten runners crossing the line in the number one spot.
Griesdale has a few nominations for Sunday's meet, and should be on track for her presentation.
"Congratulations to all the winners and thanks to the owners and trainers who have raced their horses at the Sapphire Coast Turf Club over the past 12 months," Mr Tweedie said.
"We look forward to celebrating the start of the new season at the Eden Cup this Sunday."
Following the Eden Cup, it's a few months until the next meet on Boxing Day, so be sure to get out to the track and experience the buzz of racing this weekend; it's sure to be a great day out.
Free buses will be running to and from the track.
Visit www.sapphirecoastturfclub.com.au for details.


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avian health
Living the Scientific Life (Scientist, Interrupted)
Tag archives for avian health
tags: Eyjafjallajökull, volcanic particulate material, ash clouds, airborne-particle deposition, respiratory physiology, respiratory toxicology, medicine, veterinary medicine, birds, avian health, bioassay, anatomy, researchblogging.org,peer-reviewed research, journal club Figure 1: The eruption of Eyjafjallajökull, photographed by a farmer in Iceland. This eruption sent massive billowing clouds of volcanic ash several miles into the atmosphere. Image: Ólafur Eggertsson (Newscom/Zuma)…


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Writings from childhood — cards, stories and other notes — can hide for decades, like time capsules tucked away in boxes, old bedrooms, attics and journals. Writer Jim Sollisch talks about how old thank you notes from his youth foreshadowed his adult life.
A Read Down Memory Lane: Lessons From Your Former Self
By editor • May 23, 2013


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Strap on your snow pants and get ready for the best sled ride of your life. Six high speed hills and satisfying unlockable features make this an adrenaline spiked adventure for gamers of any skill degree. Tour the beautiful mountains of Colorado at breakneck speeds alone or in two player mode while you enjoy hours of gaming fun and don't be afraid to...BAIL!
Release Date: January 23, 2011


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As a young child, Justin Cox hoped to one day play ice hockey like his hero, NHL goaltender Jean-Sebastien Giguere. As his artistic skills matured, so did his dreams. The ice, however, remained his main inspiration.
When the Palmer High School senior saw a notice seeking entries for the AT&T Design My Mask contest, he didn't hesitate. This year's competition, launched online in January, sought original designs for a mask for Giguere, who plays for the Colorado Avalanche.
"When I lucked across the contest and saw it was for him, I knew it was a perfect opportunity," said Cox, 18, who sketched out his design on paper before perfecting it using a computer graphic design program. "I've designed hockey jerseys and masks just for fun, but this was the perfect opportunity to create something for my team and my goalie."
Cox's design, featuring the Rocky Mountains and the Denver skyline, was one of 10 finalists chosen by contest organizers based on creativity and originality; his submission then went on to take top honors after a round of online voting by the public.
"Winning the contest itself was honestly a dream come true in so many different ways," said Cox, who plans to study graphic design next year at Colorado State University-Fort Collins. "I've wanted to meet Giguere my whole life and to do it this way, it's so much more special."
The Avalanche will celebrate Cox and his design Sunday during the team's final regular-season home game of the season. After a meet and greet with Giguere, Cox will receive a 3-D version of his mask - created by Canadian airbrush artist Sylvie Poitras - autographed hockey puck, gear, a Zamboni ride and game tickets.
As an early bonus, Cox got to meet his hero - and see the final version of the mask - before the Avs practiced Friday.
"I think the mask has a great design. It really shows the city and the mountains," Giguere said. "It's always fun to be able to help a kid's dream come true. If Justin lets me, I will wear it today."
Permission promptly was granted.
"Nothing would make me happier than to see it on the ice, with Giguere wearing it," Cox said.
Contact Stephanie Earls: 636-0364


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We drafted this kid to be the leader of this offense and face of the franchise for the next 10 years. Well, we're 4 full years into his career and he hasn't shown one ounce of improvement.
Look around the league
The NFL is now littered with rookie and 2nd year QB's who sh*t all over Sanchez. Where the hell is Andrew Luck's all-star supporting cast? Or Robert Griffin? Or Russell Wilson, Ryan Tannehill, Brandon Weeden...the list literally goes on and on.
Why the hell would we want to throw away another season just to delay the inevitable? Get rid of the walking turnover machine and draft another QB. Preferably not another California pretty boy with a fragile psyche who seems more concerned with chasing trim instead of doing everything possible to become the best player he can be.
When we took Sanchez, all the talk was about the fact that he was a safe game manager type who would be the perfect compliment to Rex Ryan's strategy to win games with a dominant D and a pounding rushing attack. No one said we drafted a guy that resembled Dan Marino, no one said we're looking at a dynamic Mike Vick type, no one said he was a can't-miss guy like Peyton Manning.
So, yes, Mark Sanchez needs a dominant D and a devastating rushing attack because a) he is not capable of leading a dominant air attack and b) our GM and HC certainly haven't stocked our offense to be the second coming of Air Coryell.
I agree 100% that today's NFL is all about a fantastic QB and a furious air show. Unfortunately, we have a head coach who thinks the opposite is true. So until he's gone, we're stuck with his strategy, and thus we don't need Dan Fouts because Rex wouldn't know what to do with him anyway.
The single biggest fail on this team this year was the lack of the running game if we're being honest. The D failed, was awful, but was decent enough to get us to 11 wins before a playoff blowout. Shonn Greene just skates on by, but he's the biggest reason we sucked this year. No running game, no play action. No play action, you just took away half of Mark Sanchez' ability. Throw in the awful WR's and lousy OL, disaster.
Sar just has a fetish for USC QBs.. Leinart, Sanchez.. what's the difference?
i was a Sanchez supporter for 3 years, but anyone claiming that it's 'just the weapons' has no ****ing clue what they're talking about. If it were just the weapons, we'd see Mark actually making good reads. If it were just the weapons we wouldn't see Mark heaving the ball into double coverage. If it were 'just the weapons' we wouldn't see Mark clueless on how to adjust blocking schemes at the LOS when the defense is about to blitz.
Mark has no awareness of the field. he looks like a a D1-AA QB out there against men. Cover it up with a great running game and a defense that can hold you to 10 points a game - great.. but Mark isn't going to suddenly become a good NFL QB. 15-20 range? Sure? For the $$$ we owe him in the next two years- **** no.
As one of the 82,500 fans who attends 6+ games a year I can tell you that when we boo, we are booing the offense. We're booing the OL that gets Mark hit until he fumbles. We're booing the WR's that drop catchable passes. We are booing the TE's that run bad routes and get Mark intercepted. We are booing the offensive coordinator that shuffles Tebow in and takes Mark out of rhythm. We're booing the HC that prioritized defense too much. We're booing the GM that went to war with this embarassing popgun offense.
Don't underestimate the intelligence of the fans you hear booing on TV. If Mark Sanchez looks good in camp and comes out throwing well in preseason, he'll be cheered very loudly on opening day. Mark Sanchez is a symptom, he's not the problem. Rex Ryan's horrible backwards strategy to win with the '85 Bears defense and the '59 Packers offense is what's making us sick.
i plan on becoming the wealthiest person this planet has ever seen. but it's not really up to me unfortunately. of course sanchez wants to be here forever, look at how dumb we are and what we are paying him. how can you blame him?
Haven't you and Suzy left yet?
Yall better hurry. Jaguar.com is getting their introductory press conference for your revered St Timmy set up as we speak
Yall don't wanna miss that
speak for yourself. mark IS THE problem. he's soft, physically and mentally. he can't throw the ball. he has no pocket awareness, no leadership skills, no work ethic. nothing. if he's lucky he'll end up just like matt leinart and become a career backup. SOMEWHERE ELSE
Last edited by PatriotReign; 12-31-2012 at 08:38 AM.
10 multiple turnover games this year for Mr. Sanchez. The most in the NFL. <sigh>
Thank God it's now in the past.


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Greenville Fire-Rescue says its busiest day of the year for house fires is right around the corner: Thanksgiving. The cold is already causing an increase in house fires according to the American Red Cross which says its already seen a spike compared to last year.
Many of those fires are caused by people making dangerous mistakes while trying to stay warm. Pitt County Red Cross Volunteer John Perry says this time of year 60-75% of house fires are caused by some kind of heater.
Greenville Fire-Rescue says October, November, and December are the busiest months for house fires. Last November, the Red Cross responded to 67 house fires. The Red Cross says it's well on it's way to a busy fire season with 35 fires in eastern NC already just half way through November. Most of their calls this month have been kitchen and furnace fires.
"Usually the first or second cold snap of the season more house fires occur, and this year has been a more abundant, I hate to say, use of our funds for house fires. It's been a heavy year," said Perry.
Perry says this time of year, 60-75% of house fires are caused by some kind of heater.


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You completely miss the point. Its obvious that MS's (and most other corporations) sole goal is to maximize profit. The question is- should we, as society, allow such organizations to exist? Is it a wise move to allow such massive accumulation of wealth and power in what basicly amounts to a sociopathic organization? Or should standards of ethics and non-monetary issues be forced onto corporations by society (government)?
A slightly less rose-tinted view of history suggests that corporate charters were granted when there was an assurance that the ruling prince of the city-state, or his cronies, would get a cut.
I then asked him whether he thought it was a good idea to have corporations considered "persons" in a court of law
I'm not an American lawyer, but I hope this in some way redresses your "Professor's"
The fact that a corporation is a legal person is the very criterium by which a corporation is defined (limited liability is itself the result of such personality). Being a person allows a corporation to own property in it's own right, sue and be sued in its own name etc.
Before the development of the Corporate form (ie. a company with legal personality), the the joint stock company (a kind of giant partnership) was the predominant form of organising shareholders. This was dangerous for shareholders since they were jointly and severally liable (ie. any damage comitted could be recouped from a single shareholder, all of the shareholders, or anything in between). This did not make investing in overly large companies particularly enticing. When it became necessary to raise large sums to fund the massive capital development which we know as the Industrial Revolution, Parliament addressed this impediment by creating the Corporate form, that is to say a company with legal personality, which could deal in its own name, and take the wrap for any wrongdoing on its part.
This history is instructive in two ways. Firstly it demonstrates that our way of life is predicated on the Corporate form. Corporations, though their influence is occasionally (some might say largely) negative, are necessary (well at least if we want to live in the kinds of mercantile culture we inhabit, and enjoy the standard of living this entails). Secondly, there is absolutely nothing natural about corporations (even in the way a partnership might be described as 'natural').
Corporations are creatures of Parliament. They were created for the social benefit they bequeath, and they were granted limited liability, which is in effect a cost imposed upon everyone else in society. In other words it is a quid pro quo. Consequently there can be no objection to the regulation of corporations, as if this constituted intervention into some natural right of individuals to form corporations. Indeed, when the sacrifice made by society, (in terms of limited liability, lower tax rates etc.) is not being returned by corporations, when the mischief the corporation makes is greater than the mischief Parliament sought to cure, then Parliament ought to address the regulation of corporations. Needless to say, such regulation, must not strangle the goose that laid the golden egg.
Corporations as they exist today are a mistake. A way of gathering investment money needs to exist, in order to fund things that need massive startup costs (for example, processor design). But the idea that it should be done by a pseudo-person with no sense of morality, whos only goal is to amass money and power, and with no accountability for its actions is horribly flawed.
Well first of all, corporations are only accountable to their shareholders, not to anyone else. If a sufficient majority of shares demand that a corporation act ethically, then the corporation will have to operate as such. Most shareholders want maximum returns on their investments, and honestly do not care about ethics. This stems from the fact that corporations and investment are economically motivated decisions. Economics is incapable of accounting for such intangible things, since economic decisio
Somewhere, deep inside the twisted corridors in Redmond, some person must have actually thought of the idea to hire third parties to edit Wikipedia. He must also have presented it to his boss (unless it was some boss who thought of the idea himself), who in turn must have ordered someone to carry out the plan. Shouldn't an obviously unethical plan such as this have been stopped at some point in this chain? Shouldn't that boss figure have some kind of conscience which should have stopped him from doing this? Another problem may be the current inability (real or imagined) of "peons" in a corporation to themselves stop such plans when being ordered to carry them out. Generally, I believe that the lack of personal responsibility for actions being carried out "in the name of a corporation" is the real culprit.
Also, aside from the ethical standpoint, must they not have realized that this would leak out?! I mean, this cannot be considered positive PR, right?
I think it is important to note that they are, indeed, pseudo-persons. They have not actually any consciousness, will or deciding ability in themselves. Normally, that task is carried out by actual humans.
There's an interesting view emerging that it's actually more accurate to view a corporation as a self-aware entity. The reason that corporations routinely engage in behavior that would be considered obscene by a human being is not that there just happen to be a few "bad eggs" in positions of power, but rather that the structure of a corporation encourages and extracts bad behavior from otherwise reasonable human beings.
There are endless examples of this, and an intriguing discussion in Wade Rowland's Greed, Inc.. It's convenient for corporations to blame "bad egg" individual employees, because people can be easily replaced, and ignores the reality that the true root of the problem is systemic.
It is unclear why, in all situations, a blanket policy of honesty would be expected to maximize profits for corporations. (Let me rephrase that: this is obviously not the case.) Microsoft's goal is not to make you like them; it is to make lots of money. So far, they've been very successful at that. Probably their PR department played at least some small role in that. Don't get me wrong, I despise them too, but let's be clear that they're all doing exactly what they're "supposed" to.
Oh God, I don't know wh
Their job.
Being the PR department, their job description probably involves maintaining a positive PR image for the company. A fiasco such as this is them failing at their job. This is "doing their job" in the same way Uwe Boll makes movies.
I honestly can't make a call here. I'd like to assume that all marketers are terrible people lacking ethics, moral restraint, and any worth. However, not knowing any marketers personally I can't claim they are swampy morasses of evil.
That's their job.
This is true, alt
You did read the link, right?
This isn't some random anonymous goofball being paid to insert text Microsoft gives him; he's an (apparently) recognized figure, not especially MS-friendly, being paid to provide corrections in his area of expertise, with his reputation on the line. I'd trust that more than edits made by the PR people. He certainly made his case a lot more credibly than the Slashdot submitter made his.
I mean, I can still see where there are questions to be raised, but the write-up here is completely dishonest.
How much more honesty can you ask for?
For example, in the Wikipedia entry, it currently mentions that "the members of ISO have only 31 days to raise objections", the implication being that this is far too short a time; yet, if I understand matters correctly, ODF was submitted in a fast-track procedure that didn't even allow these kind of objections.
So, how much is Microsoft paying you?Microsoft has *always* been better than Linux.
Everything must be in neutral POV for it to be acceptable, however sometimes an objective POV is better.
I would like to see a wikipedia branch which offered different perspectives upon an article.
That's not really Wikipedia's job. Wikipedia is a starting point in researching a topic. To develop a complete view of the subject, you should visit other sites that make more objective points about the topic. Wikipedia usually links to many of these as citations for its various sections.
No one said anything about "opinions". As a poster below has said, "corrections are corrections". If all that's happening is that errors are being corrected, that's a good thing. If it should be the case that the corrections all happen to be on one side of an argument, then, well, no one said truth is neutral.
Now, having said that, I wouldn't be one bit surprised if there were some astroturfing, but the article presents nothing to suggest it. Your comment seems to express concern not so much about correcti
It doesn't matter. What they're doing is underhanded and shady. It doesn't matter how "unbiased" you think the person is, the facts remain:
This is, in irc terms, ban evading. It doesn't matter if the guy who banned you was a jerk, you're still ban evading. If they actually cared about "corrections," they'd submit a public correction request to the
This is, in irc terms, ban evading. It doesn't matter if the guy who banned you was a jerk, you're still ban evading.
Has Microsoft actually been banned from editing these articles? Even if you consider it to be Microsoft editing its own autobiography, I think it would be acceptable [wikipedia.org] to remove blatant errors -- if "MS wants to enable death squads with their UUIDs" were in the article, I doubt anyone would object to Microsoft removing it.
If they actually cared about "corrections," they'd submit a public co
Ensure your wikipedia entry is acceptable and not compromised by rumour and hearsay by subscribing to my service for $29,99 a month.
Get real. I know a firm out of Bangalore, India, that will do it for USD$4.49 a month.
no matter who is doing it. Microsoft has a long history of using FUD to advance it goals and maintain its position. No one, except MS flacks, argues that. But if it is wrong for MS to do so, and get (rightfully) slammed for it, then it is wrong to use FUD against MS to advance a competitor!
I wouldn't be surprised if there were contradictions or issues in the OOXML specifications. Any specification that runs 6000 pages is likely to have them! However, the real issues are whether they're addressable,
The premise of this thread is a lie. Nobody ever contacted Rick and asked him to "make edits and corrections favorable to" Microsoft. Also, nobody from Microsoft PR contacted him. I am the person who contacted Rick, and I am a technical evangelist specializing in the Open XML file formats. And here is what I asked Rick to do:
"Wikipedia has an entry on Open XML that has a lot of slanted language, and we'd like for them to make it more objective but we feel that it would be best if a non-Microsoft person were the source of any corrections
"Feel free to say anything at all on your blog about the process, about our communication with you on matters related to Open XML, or anything else. We don't need to "approve" anything you have to say, our goal is simply to get more informed voices into the debate
I understand and accept that longwinded discussions of lies and their theoretical ramifications is a fascinating hobby for some, but since it's 100% my own personal actions that you're talking about, I just want to be very clear: the premise of this thread is a lie. Wikipedia's definition of "Microsoft (sic) Office Open XML" is not fact-based, and I think it would be a good thing if there were more participation by persons like Rick who are knowledgeable and interested in the actual facts of file formats, and less participation (or at least less influence) by those with specific agendas based on specific corporate interests.
Call Microsoft evil if you must, but in this case it's Doug Mahugh you're talking about. PR didn't know I contacted Rick. Hell, my own manager didn't know, although it seems likely he knows by now. You're talking about my actions alone, so I think my opinion is relevant. And in my opinion, the premise of this thread is a lie.
- Doug
"This is lemma 1.1. We start a new chapter so the numbers all go back to one." -- Prof. Seager, C&O 351


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Today, more than a year after the Violence Against Women Act expired at the end of 2011, the House of Representatives joined the Senate in passing a bipartisan reauthorization bill. Congresswoman Judy Chu (CA-27) released the following statement:
"For nearly twenty years, Congress worked on a bipartisan basis to expand and improve the Violence Against Women Act. The abandon of that common purpose by Congressional Republicans last year may have been a political game to them, but for those facing violence in their homes, it was a matter of life and death.
"Today, we finally passed the bipartisan legislation that the Senate has repeatedly passed before us. We did so after rejecting the GOP alternative that would have left immigrants, LGBT individuals, and Native Americans living on reservations without equal protections.
"The whole point of this law is to protect the vulnerable -- not to cherry pick who matters. So I am thrilled to see Republicans finally end this year-long embarrassment of leaving victims to fend for themselves. It's high time we safeguard the lives of each and every person -- male or female, gay or straight, American or not -- from the threats posed by predators in our society."
First passed in 1994, the Violence Against Women Act provides protections for the victims of domestic violence such as automatic and mandatory restitution on those convicted, and allowing civil redress in cases prosecutors chose to leave unprosecuted. It was reauthorized and expanded on in 2000 and 2005, before expiring at the end of 2011.
On February 12, 2013, the Senate passed bipartisan reauthorization legislation by a vote of 78 to 22. Having refused to vote on the same bipartisan Senate bill last year, the GOP-lead House agreed to vote on it today after their alternative proposal failed to pass.
Source: http://chu.house.gov/press-release/rep-chu-praises-reauthorization-violence-against-women-act


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"It ain't over until it's over," Yogi Berra famously said.
I was reminded of this Yogiism again yesterday as I turned off the Ginn Tribute late in the final round. Lorena Ochoa, the world's No. 1 lady golfer, was cruising to another victory with three holes to play.
I had watched my Sunday afternoon quota of golf and headed into the kitchen to rustle up some dinner for the kiddos.
Later, I was shocked to learn Nicole Castrale won in a one-hole playoff.
Lorena bogeyed two of the last three holes and then hit her drive in a marsh on the playoff hole. Her record is 0-4 in playoffs. She must be smarting from giving one away.
"I need to learn to win in the tough ones. For sure I need to improve my playoff percentages," she told the Associated Press.
Monday, June 4
Lorena Ochoa Stumbles Down the Stretch
2 comments:
Even the best in the world stumble when they play this stupid, wonderful game called golf. The best in the world also learn from their mistakes. The future will reveal if she falls into the latter category.
- MCPO Airdale said...
Lancer - Ochoa loses 50% of the tournaments where she enters the final round with a lead. Can you say, "Choking like a puking dog"?
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This time, a woman got off the bus and knocked on her car window (this wasn't the bus driver, I'm not sure who she was, but I know that if there is trouble with parents- usually custody issues or things like that- the district has a 2nd adult ride the bus). The woman told NW to either get her car out of the way immediately or she would be cited with section *some official sounding letter and number combination*, obstructing a bus when minor passengers are aboard.Now I have no idea if this was a real offense or if the woman just made it up. It sounded really good though. NW slammed her car into gear and whipped it into her road and out of the way.
Dressing your child in a costume that depicts a different nationality is disrespectful to that nationality (Does this mean that if your child doesn't have the same color skin as the Disney princess she wants to be- it's disrespectful?)
After lunch, our phone rang. It was the HOA secretary (?), whom we have never heard of before. She wanted to know if I had been mowing the lawn and using a "weed removal device"I told her that, yes, I had been mowing, why?She said that it is against HOA rules to mow before noon and I was cleary in violation and I should now consider myself on probabtion.
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VANCOUVER — The name of the ninth victim killed in a highway crash in Oregon involving a Vancouver tour bus company has been released by Oregon State Police.
Nineteen-year-old Richard Sohn of Bellevue, Wash., died when the bus smashed through a barrier and flipped end over end, landing in a snowy embankment off Interstate 84 east of Pendleton, Ore.
A 55-year-old man from Maple Ridge was the only Canadian killed in the Dec. 30 crash, while most of the other victims were from Washington state and Korea.
Nine passengers died, and eight of the 38 people who were injured are still being treated in hospital.
On Monday, two Korean exchange students who survived the crash filed a civil lawsuit in a Tacoma, Wash., court.
The suit against Mi Joo Tour and Travel Ltd. claimed the bus driver was tired, speeding and ignored warnings of poor road conditions.


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Mr Chairman, I am honoured to be here to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the Convention relating to the Status of Refugees and the 50th anniversary of the Convention on the Reduction of Statelessness.
Australia has been with UNHCR from the very beginning. We were the sixth country to ratify the Refugee Convention and a founding member of the Executive Committee.
Since that time, millions of refugees have been assisted by UNHCR and the international community. In particular, I pay tribute to the dedication of UNHCR staff who confront and work in some of the world's harshest conditions, and who often make enormous sacrifices for their commitment to helping people in desperate need.
Mr Chairman, the Refugee Convention is the cornerstone of the international protection system. Over 60 years, it has demonstrated its flexibility and relevance amid ever changing global circumstances. Ingrained at its core are human dignity, international solidarity and the imperative to protect individuals from persecution. These are embodied in the principle of non-refoulement, and are as relevant today as they were in 1951.
Unfortunately, the challenges of displacement continue to confront us and their form is constantly changing. We face crises of increasing number and complexity.
International movement has become easier, resulting in greater numbers of people travelling and greater mixed migration flows, but remains dangerous in many instances.
Twice in the last 12 months, Australia has seen significant tragedies, as people claiming asylum have sought to make the dangerous boat journey to Australia. We will continue to work with UNHCR and other states in our region to achieve durable solutions to dissuade these dangerous journeys.
While recommitting to the principles of refugee protection, we must also work together to find innovative solutions to the challenges of the 21st Century in order to be able to ensure we can provide protection to those in greatest need.
Mr Chairman, Australia is willing to do its part and we pledge the following commitments to improve the lives of refugees and stateless people:
We pledge to implement legislation to grant complementary forms of protection to persons who are outside the scope of refugee protection instruments.
In recent months, we have passed legislation through the Parliament to make this possible and we are working to ensure it will come into effect in the first quarter of 2012.
This reflects Australia's commitment to international human rights and protecting people who face a real risk of significant harm.
We pledge to better identify stateless persons and assess their claims.
Australia is committed to minimising the incidence of statelessness and to ensuring that stateless persons are treated no less favourably than people with an identified nationality. Australia will continue to work with UNHCR, civil society and interested parties to progress this pledge.
In the spirit of international cooperation and burden sharing, we pledge to enhance the delivery of comprehensive durable solutions, particularly for protracted refugee situations. Through our work with UNHCR, other resettlement States and partners we pledge to promote increased opportunities for refugee resettlement and the participation of new resettlement countries. We also pledge to focus on improved integration outcomes for resettled refugees and the strategic use of resettlement to unlock the other durable solutions of voluntary repatriation and local integration.
To help realise this, we pledge to enter into twinning partnerships with emerging resettlement countries to enhance and consolidate their capacity.
We also pledge to continue to prioritise the protection of women and girls. We will work with UNHCR to ensure adequate resources are allocated to delivering on UNHCR's updated sexual and gender-based violence strategy, and the recommendations contained in the report from the regional dialogues with refugee women and girls. Recognising the root causes of gender-based violence, we pledge to promote the empowerment of women and girls to enhance their protection. In particular, Australia's newly appointed Global Ambassador for Women and Girls will engage with UNHCR and refugee groups on these issues.
We pledge to enhance regional cooperation and burden-sharing on refugee protection and international migration in the Asia-Pacific by working with our partners in the Bali Process to operationalise the Regional Cooperation Framework including by working closely with our Bali Process Co-Chair towards the establishment of a Regional Support Office.
Australia also pledges to continue our long-standing support for UNHCR's mandate and operations through the provision of core and unearmarked funding. We recognise that humanitarian funding that is both predictable and flexible best enables UNHCR to plan, prioritise and program critical protection work. We also recognise that humanitarian funding alone will not resolve protracted refugee situations, and pledge to continue our efforts to support durable solutions for refugees through enhanced linkages between humanitarian assistance, early recovery and development programming.
Mr Chairman, in closing, while 2011 has been an extremely challenging year and the picture often looks bleak, we must not forget the positives. Here with me here today are resettlement success stories Ameer from Fairfield High School in Sydney and his brother Ghaith.
Ameer has excelled in the short years he has been at the school, under the guidance of Principal Robert Mulas, who is also here with me today as part of the Australian delegation.
Mr Mulas is the face of the open-hearted resettlement work that is done in Australia – every day, all around the country, individual by individual – out of the limelight, and expecting no recognition or reward.
He has made his school the focal point of community integration work, engaging refugee parents and the school's extended refugee community with remarkable success.
Ameer and Ghaith are but two of over 750,000 people who have been offered a haven from persecution in Australia since 1945. While those who have found refuge in Australia have benefited from a new and safe life, Australia has unquestionably also benefited from the social, economic and cultural contribution of refugees like Ameer and Ghaith over those decades and will continue to do so.
Having faced the darkest acts of humanity, refugees hold the finest of human ambitions, a resilient spirit and a desire to succeed. As an international community, we must not let them down.
Lasting solutions can be achieved. Australia has always offered – and will continue to offer – our political and financial support. We will do our part to share responsibility through regional and international institutions and arrangements.
Through building on the achievements of the past, we can meet the challenges of the future.
Thank you.


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Lead Commissioning arrangements for prison and community substance misuse services in Hampshire using a section 75 agreement (NHS Act 2006) consultation
This consultation has now closed
Closing date: 12 April 2012
Hampshire County Council and Hampshire PCT wanted to enter into a section 75 agreement of the NHS Act 2006 in which the PCT would delegate its power to place and manage contracts to the Council. This would enable the Council to undertake the function of commissioning substance misuse services in HMP Winchester (Winchester prison) and in the community on behalf of its partners – the PCT, Winchester Prison and Hampshire Probation.
Hampshire County Council and NHS Hampshire have consulted with prisoners and staff in Winchester prison, people using community substance misuse services, staff involved in delivering services in the prison and community, Hampshire LinK and relevant voluntary organisations.
In March 2011 the Department of Health issued a letter advising that funding for the clinical drug treatment, non-clinical psychosocial interventions and some drug testing would be brought together and that in future there should be a single contract for all these substance misuse services in prisons.
Additionally, it said that this commissioning should be undertaken through the DAAT (Drug and Alcohol Action Team), which in Hampshire sits in the Council. This means that the new contract which has to be in place by 3rd October 2012 needs to be procured using the Council's processes with the Council entering into the contract with the successful bidder for the contract.
Read more about the consultation by downloading:
The full consultation 125kb - including
- Appendix 1: Department of Health Guidance
- Appendix 2: HM Government Code of Practice on Consultation
- Appendix 3: Hampshire County Council's Code of Good Practice on Consultation
- Appendix 4: NHS Hampshire Patient and Public Involvement Policy


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By Shuli Ren
J.P. Morgan analysts Paul Coster, Mark Strouse, and Paul J Chung wrote a positive overview on solar industry's second quarter performance.
The analysts believe demand from China and Japan will be strong, the industry's business models are improving thanks to stable pricing and cost containment initiatives, and the solar producers are moving into more profitable project development business. Here are the analysts:
Between 6.9 and 9.4 GW of solar capacity will be deployed in 2013 (source: Sharp) up from 1.8GW in 2012, making Japan the fastest-growing and largest PV market in 2013. China has pledged to generate 35GW of solar capacity by 2015, which should absorb domestic production capacity quickly.
Owing to stable pricing and cost containment initiatives, margins generally improved during 2Q.
Given the better margins in the project development business, as compared to modules only, we would expect this trend to continue.
As a result, the analysts recommend buying solar companies on share weaknesses and pull-backs:
The Global Solar index is up ~40% YTD, sparking some post-print profit taking, particularly where company-specific issues were identified, but generally we think this was a good quarter and we would be building long-term positions in Solar on weakness.
On the back of strong manufacturing data from China, China's solar stocks rallied yesterday. JinkoSolar (JKS), Hanwha SolarOne (HSOL), ReneSola (SOL), Trina Solar (TSL) and JA Solar (JASO) gained 14.6%, 15.9%, 14.9%, 9% and 5.7%.


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SEATTLE (AP) - This is what the Seattle Storm hoped for when they finally got healthy.
The Storm used a record-setting performance with contributions from everyone on the roster to pummel the Tulsa Shock 101-74 on Thursday night.
The Storm's 29 assists and 59.7 percent field goal shooting were the best in franchise history. The 14 3-pointers tied a franchise record on the way to the team's fifth 100-plus point game since joining the league in 2000.
The teams combined to make 27 3-pointers, the most in WNBA history, eclipsing the old mark by two.
At the point of the onslaught was three-time WNBA MVP Lauren Jackson, who scored a season-high 23 points.
Jackson found a rhythm, something she's been missing since playing her first game of the season with the Storm on Aug. 23, in the first quarter when she scored seven points. That was more than her total in two of the three games since her return.
She scored 13 points in the first half and added 10 in a dominant third quarter. Her layup put Seattle (12-14) in front 68-44 with 5:30 left in the third. Jackson did not play in the fourth quarter and was on the court just 14:28 for the game.
``They got LJ back in her groove,' Tulsa coach Gary Kloppenburg said. ``We just had no answer for her.'
Nor anyone else as all 11 Storm players scored. Rookie Shekinna Stricklen had 15 points and Sue Bird and Tina Thompson added 11 each.
Power forward Camille Little had seven assists, thanks to several entry passes to Jackson, who bullied her way to the basket. Tanisha Wright had eight assists.
``We're still evolving,' Seattle coach Brian Agler said. ``We're still trying to work out some of the chemistry issues ... continuity on the court.'
Practice had a lot to do with that.
``We did a lot of scrimmaging,' Jackson said of the past week. ``Just everybody getting used to playing with each other again. Some of the passes tonight were unbelievable.'
Ivory Latta led Tulsa (6-21) with 18 points while Riquna Williams scored 17 and Glory Johnson added 15 as the Shock fell to 1-12 on the road this season.
After taking an early lead, Tulsa wilted. The Storm led by 13 points at halftime and Svetlana Abrosimova's layup put Seattle in front 79-49 at the end of the third quarter.
Latta was on a roll early to help Tulsa take a short-lived lead. She knocked down two open 3-pointers and drove past Bird for a reverse layup on her way to eight points. Latta had two assists and a steal in the quarter, but also picked up two fouls, which sent her to the bench for much of the remainder of the half.
Agler called a timeout just 36 seconds into the second quarter following a jumper by Jennifer Lacy that tied the game at 26. Agler shouted at a referee, then at his team when he sat down in front of them for a brief and terse conversation. Agler walked out of the huddle to pace with his arms folded. Katie Smith's 3-pointer 3:52 later put the Storm ahead 38-31.
Thompson was crucial in the run. She rotated to take a charge, then showed her offensive ability which has made her the WNBA's all-time leading scorer. Thompson hit a left-handed hook, a righty shovel shot on the baseline and a free throw after being fouled on a drive. Her only miss of the quarter was a 3-pointer that rattled out. It was a visual explanation why Thompson is on her way to becoming the first WNBA player to score 7,000 points.
``I thought it was really good when she and Katie, our oldest two players, were taking charges out on the floor,' Agler said.
Seattle led 53-40 at halftime because of Thompson's scoring and stern defense. The Shock shot 45 percent in the first quarter and 33 in the second while turning the ball over six times.
``If we can just keep getting better, who knows what our potential could be?' Jackson said.


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Four visitors from Yemen recently toured Fort Morgan and spoke with city officials and area business representatives.
They came to Fort Morgan through World Denver and the U.S. State Department, according to City Manager Jeff Wells.
In the morning, they got to speak with Mike Erker from Erker Grain and Cassandra Wilson from Morgan County Economic Development Corp. and learn about the area's agricultural and other industries.
Erker talked about how his business had started out very small and local and developed into an international one.
The visitors were interested in learning about entrepreneurs and "how we work together to bring in and support businesses in our community," Wells said.
They were eager to hear about how water is regulated and the various rivers that flow in Colorado and across the country. Yemen has no rivers, they said, relying on groundwater in deep wells, instead.
They also ate lunch with Erker, City Manager Jeff Wells, Mayor Terry McAlister and a Fort Morgan Times representative.
During lunch, they talked, through translators, about the differences — and similarities — between their country in the Middle East just south of Saudi Arabia and the places they were seeing in America, including Washington, D.C., Denver and San Diego.
When McAlister asked the visitors what they thought of Fort Morgan, one man said, "It feels like home."
That feeling was due to the small size, agricultural areas and friendliness of the people, he added.
They talked about how their government was in transition, going toward more of a democratic form of governing after years under a dictator.
The visitors also wanted to hear more about the differences between the larger state and national governments and small city governments in places like Fort Morgan.
Wells and McAlister shared a fair amount on these topics, and the visitors talked about how their country was "still a very tribal society."
"The people got tired of no progress and stagnation," one visitor explained through a translator. That was part of what led to the recent change in government in Yemen.
"We have a civilization that's more than 4,000 years old," one of the visitors said in English with pride in his voice. "We are the origin of Arabs. All Arab countries, their ancestry comes from Yemen. We have cities that have been continuously inhabited for more than 1,000 years."
He said that while his countrymen are "very peaceful people," the circumstances in the country "are contrary to that."
They shared with the mayor and city manager some of what their country looks like, including its mountains and sea shores. The climate in Yemen is mostly either hot or cold, they said.
"We don't have four seasons," one visitor said. "We have two — winter and summer."
One thing people in Yemen struggle with is rising above the challenges they face socially, such as getting better jobs, even after higher education.
"They want to improve, but the opportunities are very scarce," one visitor said through a translator.
They briefly talked about how Yemen created its tribal system to deal with not having a centralized government. The country also overcame years of British colonialism and an occupation by the Ottoman Empire.
At times, the country had populations of Jews, Christians and Islamic faiths. Today, it is mostly an Islamic country.
But with such a lengthy history, they could not go over everything about Yemen.
They did share with the Fort Morgan officials that Yemen's education system is more modern, with co-ed schools.
And women in Yemen "have freedom and do participate in government," the female among the visitors stressed.
In fact, the three men she was travelling with said she was their "leader."
Wells said he was excited to have the visitors from Yemen come to Fort Morgan and see what the small city was like, especially after seeing big cities.
He thanked World Denver and the U.S. State Department for partnering with Fort Morgan on many such visits for people from other countries.
"We've worked very well with World Denver and helped support their efforts to provide an opportunity for world visitors to meet people in government and businesses," Wells said. "I've found it very interesting that all of these people wanted to hear from our local businesses, what they had to say and how they developed."
He thanked the Fort Morgan City Council for supporting such efforts by allowing the city to provide lunches and staff time for discussions and tours.
"We've been doing this for two or three years now. I can't help but think that exposure has made us world renowned," Wells said of the visitors to Fort Morgan, who now have come from every continent except Antarctica.
Contact Times Staff Writer Jenni Grubbs at firstname.lastname@example.com, follow @JenniGrubbs on Twitter or check out tout.com/jennigrubbs


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In May 2013, Cody Crosby lost his life in a car accident that happened just off Wadsworth Boulevard and I-70. But thanks to the efforts of Arvada Police and emergency responders, Crosby helped save other lives through organ donation.
"I believe, 100 percent, that Cody lives on in these people," said Diane Eckert, a Lakewood resident and Crosby's sister. "The fact that he gets to be a hero would make his day."
Not all donor recipients ever have a chance to meet their donor or donor family, but since April is National Donate Life Month, Donor Alliance, an organization that supports organ and tissue donation, thought it was only fitting that Eckert and Crosby's parents had the chance to meet the emergency responders and Wes Cook, of Parker, and Julie Kautz, of Aurora. Both of whom received Crosby's organs.
"I was diagnosed with a rare form of liver cancer, and I didn't have long left," Cook said. "The moment I heard there was an opportunity to meet the Crosbys, I wanted to do it."
The meeting happened at Arvada's Police Department headquarters on April 11, and featured some laughs, more tears and a lot of hugs.
"Because of the work of everyone here, I was able to see my first grandbaby born," Kautz said. "I wanted to show them there was some good that came from this."
Arvada police officer Derek Berns witnessed the accident on his way home after a shift and pulled over to help in any way he could.
"My training just kicked in, and I called 911 and rendered what aid I could," he said. "As police, you see tragic events a lot, but its good to hear something positive came from it."
Because of the efforts of police and other responders, Crosby's family had the opportunity to say goodbye to their son and brother, and get a small sense of closure.
"The people here today represent just a small part of the team that works so hard for the community," said David Snelling, a detective with the department. "It's a tough situation for everyone, but this means so much to us, because we rarely get to see that good can come out of these situations."
In addition to the kidney and liver that Cook and Kautz received, Crosby's other kidney and heart valves were also donated. Both Crosby and Eckert were big supporters of organ donation, and Eckert has become only more since her brother's death.
"The police and responders have such a special place in my family's lives and heart," she said. "I'll never forget my brother's goofy grin, but he'd be so proud to know he saved others' lives."
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'Goblinproofing' book wins odd-title prize
Associated Press
A supernaturally tinged barnyard manual has won Britain's quirkiest literary award, the Diagram Prize, for year's oddest book title.
"Goblinproofing One's Chicken Coop" by Reginald Bakeley was awarded the prize Friday by trade magazine The Bookseller.
The book took 38 percent of the votes in a public ballot, beating finalists including "How Tea Cosies Changed the World" and "Was Hitler Ill?"
"Goblinproofing One's Chicken Coop" is subtitled "And Other Practical Advice In Our Campaign Against The Fairy Kingdom."
It is described by its Massachusetts-based publisher, Conari Press, as "the essential primer for banishing the dark fairy creatures that are lurking in the dark corners and crevices of your life."
Diagram Prize overseer Horace Bent said it was no coincidence "in these austere times that a book aimed to assist members of the public frugally farming their own produce proved the most popular title."
The book's editor, Clint Marsh, said he and the author were honored to receive a prize that "celebrates the playfulness that is at the heart of much of the world's best book publishing."
"Reginald and I take this as a clear sign that people have had enough of goblins in their chicken coops," he said. "Our campaign against the fairy kingdom continues."
The prize was founded in 1978.
Its rules say the books must be serious and their titles not merely a gimmick.
Previous winners of the quirky prize include "Bombproof Your Horse," "Living With Crazy Buttocks" and "Managing a Dental Practice: The Genghis Khan Way."
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Queen Helene's Batherapy Mineral Salts give you a unique spa-style bath, similar to those found in exclusive hot springs and spas around the world. Batherapy Salts helps to relieve minor aches and pains, relax tired muscles and refresh the whole body.
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Queen Helene uses natural elements like cocoa butter that are rich with vitamins and natural emollient properties to moisturize, soften and heal skin and hair. They use pomegranate oil for its antioxidant protection against the skin-aging effects of the environment, and essential oils to help relax tired muscles and ease tension. Many of their products take advantage of the unique qualities of nature's finest ingredients to keep you looking your best.