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The fundamental flaw of neoliberalism
I tweeted about this Fast Co. piece briefly when I first read it a couple of weeks ago, but I wanted to insert it into the record more formally in the wake of the mishegas at the University of Virginia.
The article mostly discusses how success often requires shifting among a variety of strategies, and how even suboptimal ones can generate progress. But when it turns its attention to the political process, it (inadvertently) gets at the heart of why the "run government like a business" trope is utterly empty.
Why the urge to align with the good guys persists, even when the good guys don't
Alyssa Rosenberg has a characteristically thoughtful post on the trend of TV shows which return to the clear designations of good guys and bad guys. It's got me thinking about how some of my favorite characters who fit this bill actively serve as anti-anti-heroes within their own morally grey universes.
Sometimes we need the stark simplicity of white hats and black hats—if only to remind us of the first principles on each side, the values that continue to give "good" and "evil" meaning and set the boundaries inside which the grey areas exist. Just as we instinctively search our stories for the people to root for, sometimes, so too do those stories' inhabitants.
Why you'd rather be killed by a Mayan prophecy than a French psychopath
In the latest installment of The New Cult Canon (a feature you should be reading regularly at The A.V. Club), Scott Tobias examines the grisly French horror film Inside, and questions how viewers gauge what is "too far" when it comes to representations of violence and death in movies. He notes how often people are repelled by the visceral depiction of individual deaths in horror films, but shrug off the far greater lethality implicit in end-of-the-world blockbusters from the Michael Bay or Roald Emmerich mold. Writes Scott:
As a rule, I'm reluctant to draw any hard lines on what horrors are beyond representation, because I recognize how subjective that can be. For example, I find the trailer for 2012 far sicker in its bloodless apocalypse fetishization than anything I've ever seen in "torture porn" genre, but clearly that opinion isn't shared by the legions who gave a pass to the former while routinely turning up their noses at the latter.
Which is completely logical, when you stop and think about it for half a minute. The combined body count of the Saw franchise is but a minute fraction of the death toll claimed in just one sequence of Independence Day, a lighthearted popcorn flick better remembered for Bill Pullman's bad-ass quasi-Patton moment than for gleefully positing the obliteration of dozens of major cities—and, along with them, tens of millions of human lives. It brings to mind the infamous quip attributed to Josef Stalin: "One death is a tragedy. One million deaths is a statistic."
Nostalgia: It's not just for Boomers anymore!
Every now and then, the New York Times likes to check in on the mystifying attitudes of These Kids Today. Case in point, this piece from Tuesday in which the Old Gray Lady reports on Nickelodeon's (stupendously awesome) plan to revive a handful of beloved early '90s programs – including Clarissa Explains It All, All That, and Doug – in a late-night bloc on its Teen Nick channel.
It's clear, if baffling, that the headline – "The Good Old Days of 20 Years Ago" – is shooting for ironic juxtaposition. To the Times' brass and much of its target demo, anything that post-dates the Pentagon Papers probably seems like last Tuesday. When he declares, "That's right: classics from the 1990s," writer Brian Stelter (a member of the generation Nick is targeting) probably anticipates plenty of readers harrumphing incredulously into their Sankas.
Self-Interest ≠ Selfishness; A Brief Response to HBR
The current issue of Harvard Business Review features a somewhat frustrating piece by Yochai Benkler called "The Unselfish Gene." It's quite engaging in places, particularly when discussing some of the research regarding how context shapes people's motivations, and in the resulting prescriptions for restructuring business environments to promote collaborative behavior. Unfortunately, the arguments are weakened by two fairly key misinterpretations central to his thesis.
Pop culture is ready for its next favorite psychopath
This month's GQ excerpts an essay from Jon Ronson's new book The Psychopath Test, which examines the frightening likelihood that the subtly yet undeniably insane are prevalent in every area of society – especially in the upper echelons of power. Reading the piece – an intriguing mini-profile of a notorious corporate executive, "Chainsaw" Al Dunlop – motivated me to revisit two related texts that I've loved (though one of which I have
only the faintest memories of).
A (partial) defense of History Channel
The announcement that History Channel will air a 10-hour scripted series based on the Bible, just a few months after very publicly rejecting a miniseries about the Kennedy family on the grounds of historically inaccuracy, is raising some eyebrows. James Poniewozik of Time.com, astute as ever, sums up the case well.
As a committed agnostic, I'm sympathetic to the argument that the Bible shouldn't be regarded as a work of history in the sense that it accurately relates real world events which occurred in the past. Few but the most devout fundamentalists would argue otherwise.
But it's absolutely a work of history in another sense. It's a cultural artifact of rare significance spanning continents and millennia, on par with the Odyssey or Arthurian legend. It's an ineffable, protean amalgam of historical truths, parables, cultural prisms, and good old-fashioned storytelling flair.
This makes it an altogether different case than that of The Kennedys, which sought to dramatize factual events – recorded, verified, remembered by plenty of people who lived through them first hand. Taking creative liberties with that sort of dictionary-definition history clearly runs afoul of History Channel's nominal brand identity. I don't think dramatizing the Bible falls under the same standard, and I similarly don't think anyone would bat an eye if History announced it was producing a scripted tale of, for instance, Arthur's exploits in Camelot.


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Great Lakes Shipbuilding and Government Programs to Promote the Industry
GOAL: Support programs to increase commercial shipbuilding and repair at Great Lakes yards.
BACKGROUND: Shipyards with large-scale capability are in Sturgeon Bay, Marinette and Superior, Wisconsin; Toledo, Ohio; and Erie, Pennsylvania. Small drydocks and/or ship repair facilities are located in Cleveland, Toledo, Milwaukee, Detroit, Rogers City (Michigan), and Sault Ste. Marie (Michigan).
Great Lakes shipyards are fully capable of building all types of commercial and military vessels. The only real limitation on vessel construction is the locks in the St. Lawrence Seaway, which preclude construction of the largest warships and oceangoing tankers and cargo vessels. Nonetheless, Great Lakes shipyards have built 1,000-foot-long vessels for service on the Great Lakes and support vessels for the U.S. Navy and U.S. Coast Guard. In fact, the most powerful icebreaker on the Lakes, the MACKINAW, the Coast Guard's primary icebreaking asset on the Great Lakes, was built at a Wisconsin shipyard.
This is a very busy period for Great Lakes shipyards. In addition to maintaining and modernizing the Lakes fleet to the tune of $70-plus million each winter, several yards are actively engaged in commercial and military construction. In fact, one yard has a vessel backlog that extends into 2019. Another yard is engaged in serial production of Littoral Combat Ships for the U.S. Navy.
Great Lakes shipyards recently have made a number of improvements to better service their customers. One yard in Wisconsin added a 7,000-ton floating drydock. Another yard in Wisconsin continued to add hundreds of feet of sheet pile berthing dock to allow it to service more vessels, as well as heavy lift equipment and preventative maintenance assessment tools.
There are just a few U.S. government programs to aid shipyards. The Title XI Ship Loan Guarantee Program is a government guarantee of the loan to build the ship. The capital cost of vessels and the cyclical nature of vessel construction mean financial institutions are unfamiliar with the industry and are thus hesitant to invest in vessel construction at affordable rates. Title XI Ship Loan Guarantee Program of the Maritime Administration makes vessel financing available at affordable interest rates by providing a government guarantee of 87.5 percent of a 20-year commercial vessel construction loan. In recent years Title XI has guaranteed more than $8 billion in commercial vessel construction projects in the United States, which, in turn, have generated tens of thousands of highly skilled, good-paying jobs nationwide.
BENEFITS TO GREAT LAKES REGION: Great Lakes shipyards employ more than 2,700 men and women, and the wages they provide top $125 million per year.
ACTION: Support Title XI Ship Loan Guarantee Program and Capital Construction Fund. The minimum appropriation for Title XI should be at least $100 million. Support trade negotiations and/or legislation to end foreign government subsidies to shipyards. Advocate and support Federal tax policies that encourage modernization of both plant and equipment for shipowners and shipyards by the use of investment tax credits.

subset: commoncrawl


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Hiroshi of Jitensha studio is now selling a lovely, alpine style wool cycling knicker made by a small shop in Japan. Though I'm not a fan of some of the individual details (pleated front or lower buckle clasps), the overall design looks terrific. They remind me of the cycling knickers originally offered by now-out-of-business, Hebden Cord Co. Ltd. I also like the look of the of the Marresi Storica style cycling shoes (worn by the model) but I'm not sure quite how I would ever go about identifying my size or placing an order. Has anyone tried the knickers or Marresi shoes? If not, place an order and let us know.
Archive for October, 2008
Archival News: British Millerain Chera Waxed Cotton Nike Terminators
As documented on the blog, High Snobiety. For many years, British Millerain provided the waxed cotton for traditional, outdoor clothing manufactures like Barbour and Filson.
Archival Gent: (early era) Michael Jackson
I didn't see this coming but I've become a bit of a come-lately fan of Michael Jackson (the early years). It started out with a larky screening of the video retrospective, History Volume I. Now, a week later, I find myself checking out the VHS copy of "The Making of Thriller" and including "Wanna be Starting Something" on a mix tape for my L.A. friend, Mimsy. To keep everything structurally sound and straightforward, I want to say that I'm primarily obsessed with Michael's proto-MTV sartorial style: black loafers, exposed socks, slim-legged trousers, and sometimes, rolled up suit jacket sleeves. If you're curious about this fine archival edition of MJ, check out the video to Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough. Though I rejected MJ as a teen, I can now appreciate the homages to Judy Garland, Bob Fosse and Fred Astaire buried in MJ's videos and dance choreography. On the Making of… video, MJ recounts how Fred Astaire phoned him up after his moonwalking performance on the Grammy awards show and told him that he liked how he [Michael] moved. Endorsement enough from the original archival gent!
Archival News: Cabaret Convention NYC
For fans of modern day Mabel Mercers and Bobby Shorts, Lincoln Center is hosting the 2008 Cabaret Convention. Some people might spend their life savings on an Alaskan heli-ski trip. I'd spend my final hospice dollars on a festival pass to the Cabaret Convention (plus a ten week stay at the Hotel Carlyle). Here's the schedule of performances and related events (Cabaret at Sea, anyone?).
Archival News: Filson wool totes and field bags
Archival News: Filson Seconds Sale
Given my current austerity plan, I doubt I'll make it up for this sale. However, I keep hatching nonsense plans to wake at 3 a.m. and drive up to Seattle for the 9 a.m. opening. Hoping some tin cloth fans will show up for the sale and document all the heartbreaking deals (stacks of perfect fitting sample garments from the women's product line for next to nothing) for my flickr amusement.
Archival News: Frost River
7/26/2010 Editor's note: this post was originally written in 2008. Since that time, a new ownership group has purchased Frost River and brought back its line of waxed cotton canoe packs and shoulder bags.
The new site can be found here:
I'm leaving the original post up as a historical marker of outdoor bag manufacturing in the U.S. I am editing title so folks do not confuse current customers searching on Google for Frost River goods.
After a post about Frost River a month or so ago, I received email inquiries about whether FR was still in business. A quick check on their site directed me to this link. Since FR is such a small shop, I figured that they might have gone on an August long canoe trip and forgotten to renew their site license. However, recent emails to the company have bounced back to me and I just saw a notice on the Northwest Woodsman site announcing the closure of FR. I'm trying to collect additional info on the matter (why, closeout sales, future product developments, recommended vendors) so please post any news to the blog (or contact me directly if you work for Frost River and can place a "Vintage" model pack on reserve for me).
Of course, the FR closure furthers my buy-now-because-the-product-may-not-be available-next-Fall-or-next-Month approach to purchasing decisions. I know that Duluth pack offers a comparable style/type of canoe pack (w/a dry canvas finish) but I'm not aware of any company other than CC Filson manufacturing the style of super sturdy waxed canvas and leather rucksack sold by FR (as if I needed four more super sturdy rucksacks before the apocalypse approaches).
Oregon Manifest Fashions
Sample views of velo-themed menswear seen at the Oregon Manifest handbuilt bicycle show. I should have forged some faux Sartorialist press credentials and requested that people actualy pose for me. My kid pix digital camera w/five second flash delay did not inspire confident spy shot photography. One look (not pictured) appeared to have been art directed for an editorial spread in the Thursday Styles section of the New York Times: fedora hat paired with blue blazer, knickerized trousers and Sidi cycling shoes (I'm imagining a new trend of Sidi shoes doubling as work shoes–even for the non-cyclist).
Not much to speak of in the way of female cycling fashions save for the typical embellishing accessories of raingear, caps and bags (Lemolo!).
Spotted lots of roll-top Chrome messenger bags in shades of grey and black. This bag is one of those accessory items I've come to admire (for the metal hardware, rolltop design and generous pocketing) but will most likely never own.
Natty gents from another flickr photostream.
Fellow on left wins top manifest fashion award for his sockless clog and red suspenders look.
Friend Eric of Winter Bicycles offered the best caps of the show created by Portland craft artist Paula Deer. Eric's bikes were lovely as well.
In retromemoriam: Jacquie Bonner
Jacqueline A Royes
Originally uploaded by loveisweareone
"Never purchase clothing without pockets."
More photos here.
More Filson for women
Since I was left off the CC Filson clothing council, I've been convening my own private focus groups to test and report on fit, finish, style and sizing of the new women's product line. Last Spring, I issued a general report of the new women's product line. In my initial report, I commented on the poor fit/sizing of the Filson garments and noted some disappointing design decisions such as some non-functional pocketing (or coin purse pocketing), balloon arm-styling and one way rather than two way zippers. I was optimistic about the debut of the XS size range–hoping that by slightly shrinking the proportions of the garments, Filson would finally produce outdoor clothing for women with a trimmed but not sackcloth (or overly hour-glassed) proportions. Now, I realize the whole point of the product line was to produce hipster jackets for young urban gents. As it turns out, friend Tom, 6'3 and 180 lbs, fits the women's xs shelter cloth jacket like it was a fashionably shrunken jacket by Wes Anderson's tailor, Mr. Ned.


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As mentioned a few posts ago, there has been further fakery afoot in the wild wonky world of wiki wars.
Jytdog, the infamous Wikipedia editor, was found to have an imposter on Twitter, an impersonation account.
This 'faker' pinged me along with a number of Wikipedia and Wikimedia based accounts, promoting their presence as if a show.
Seeing the account, I became suspicious, for good reason.
I've been fortunate to encounter another notorious Wikipedia editor and impersonator, Oliver D Smith and his brother Darryl L Smith, the folks behind an unaccountable high number of fake accounts, impersonations, lies, treacheries, and sock puppets across Wikipedia and dozens of other wikis and forums. I thought it was them stalking me again.
But this impersonation account was not Oliver nor Darryl in this instance, I was wrong.
But I also assumed the intentions behind the account were likely sinister, a "troll", and I gave the "real Jytdog" on Wikipedia a solid heads up by creating another "sock puppet" on Wikipedia to alert him.
I was wrong again.
"Jytdog the impersonator" on Twitter, contacted me since that post. Nothing actually sinister there at all.
That account is staged as in the theatrical sense. The impersonation was meant to mock the real Jytdog on Wikipedia for being a 'paid editor' and not a genuine Wikipedia contributor.
A few days later someone else emailed me assuring me that he was the "real" Jytdog, thanking me for exposing the imposter.
How do I know if the "Jytdog" who emailed me was the real one or just another imposter pretending to be the real one?
And even if he is the "real" one, is the actual Jytdog a "real editor" at all, or is he just "paid" to play the role of one on Wikipedia?
A theater of sock puppets.
Editing or social media accounts are very much like masks, attached with a script, lines performed by an actor as if on a stage.
We only assume, perhaps – that they are who they say, or who we think, they are. Our assumptions most times might even be close to true, but they are also just easily swayed by persuasion, deception, or our own delusion, something that is I suspect practised more on the internet than we imagine.
This area of vulnerability that anonymity on the web brings can be unnerving, no doubt. There is even a case to make that it is likely to be globally disruptive, with the issue of fake news and political trolling.
But it also contains another element, something that we can, and probably should appreciate.
We miss the obvious theatrical elements embedded into the medium
Even the charge "Sock!" has a true theatrical root, puppet.
Like actors on a stage, each sock puppet "mask" we encounter online, each user is a layer we comfortably project our own assumptions on. Psychologically it becomes like a magical theater, and the magic becomes real for the sock puppet when we confuse these masks for who we assume they are.
The magic theater of the internet exists in between where the true unknown clashes with our assumptions and our trust of others.
Internet users like Goblin Face/AtlantidPyramidologist, for example – are aware of this theatrical dimension in communication on wikis and forums.
Operating in this dimension, between the stage and the audience, Goblin Face, or anyone can easily put on numerous masks, or tossing off that mask to put on another, a "Dan Skeptic" or even a mask that impersonates another user.
A writer of a drama, creatively weaving and manipulating the narrative on the stage and altering the script for all of the other actors involved, and no one would ever know it.
My apologies in advance if Wikipedia, We Have a Problem spoiled Goblin Face's show for you. He did have lots of people fooled. I'm not romanticizing The Smith sockpuppet armies activities, I'm just highlighting a missing creative element we often do not account for on the web, theater.
The internet is a stage, and we are the audience and the actor.
Now, everyone has a mask online. There has even been bona fide scientific research done on which mask is best to pick.
When we encounter an anonymous web user with a mask, are we more likely to project our own personality, makeup, and psychology on the user, confusing their mask for an image of ourselves we project on the stage?
A script for an actor with a mask on a stage. This is who edits the web.
Much of this site has been personal experience, an online diary of sorts recording each event of targeting I received as a response to publishing this case study, testing my own limits of patience and sanity at times trying to make sense of what was happening to me. But there is also an element of strong appreciation of the very human element of the media landscape my journey through wiki wars has taken me on.
I admit I absolutely love and appreciate all of the textures, ironies, and characters I've encountered, even the worst of the "trolls".
While Oliver Smith has stalked, slandered, threatened and harassed me for three years, I truly don't have any malice towards him. He actually is wickedly clever, creative actually. He has written, staged and performed countless dramas around the web.
Oliver Smith to me is nothing more than a closet play-write. An auteur, even, of a grand drama. Perhaps he somehow took a wrong turn into more fringe academic subjects, taking himself and his obsessions far too seriously, and failed to see the creative advantage of what he was doing. Confusing his creativity that became blinded by his own sense of revenge, mistaking his theater for the world it wishes to portray.
A war of fakery.
We are easily fooled online. So easily. Deception, manipulation, or in many cases simply our own delusion.
Interconnected by a few conflicts and exchanges on social media, none of us engaged in this wiki war know each other at all. Yet each of us somehow is sure the people we encounter online are who we think they are by what they write, by the online trails they leave, and by what others have written about them.
I'm really not surprised that a band of trolls could tip the election of Donald Trump, affectionately referred to as "America's first fake president."
Nor am I surprised that the best defense against a trolling offense are more clever, creative ways of sophisticated trolling. What else would the pure theater of the internet give us?
My Mask
No doubt though my appreciation lay with my more creative side, I come from more of a theatrical background. My original interest in internet discussion forums started in 2001, as I saw it as a new medium for theater as a screenwriter at the time. A few years later, I designed and created early viral marketing campaigns, using the internet as a stage for online performance art.
My mother herself was a star on Broadway, my father an actor in B movies cherished by Quentin Tarantino. Because I come from theater, so much about me is actually and truly fake too.
Even my last name, Viharo, is fake. It is a stage name invented by my father, who took his mother's first name, Virginia, and married it with his father's name, Harold.
Viola', Robert Viharo was born on screen, and I inherited his stage name when I was born in Madrid, Spain.
Did you know I was Spanish? I could tell you about my marvellous childhood in Spain, rolling through Barcelona countrysides, but that too would be fake.
Even my passport would deceive you.
I was born on a movie set, as an American citizen. The movie in question was a set in Spain, staged to fool the audience to look like a Mexican landscape. My father's job was pretending to be a Mexican revolutionary in the movie 'Villa Rides", a mostly fabricated story loosely based on historical events of the Mexican Revolutionary War, along with Yul Brunner, Charles Bronson, and Robert Mitchum, a bunch of sock puppets who pretended to be grossly misinterpreted or faked historical figures.
The majority of my life has been living in Hollywood, whose main industry is the production and development of fakery.
"A real magician is just an actor, merely playing the part of a magician."
If you're feeling stressed, worried, or freaked out by the age of online trolls and sock puppets, Orson Welles' F for Fake is masterpiece of trickery, lies, fraud, deception, impersonations, and sleight of hand that will likely make you appreciate the more human, creative, and even magical elements to the shitposting we have to deal with on a daily basis on the web.
I believe the solution to online trolls and harassment online may lay in adopting into web architecture our inherent creativity for theater and using it to resolve this complexity around what is "real" on the web.
(Update, this post was written in 2017, and now in 2018, "Intelligencer" just released a detailed article about the "fakery" of the web, titled "How much of the web is fake? It turns out a lot of it actually." )
To be able to do that, we have to be able to account not just for what is 'true' on the internet, but the far more complex layers of what isn't real.
There is no better primer to this complexity of creativity, art, deception, and trickery than F for Fake. Orson would have had fun with the internet.
Previous to the internet, I would have had to direct you to an indie video rental store in your neck of the woods. Thanks to the speed the internet offers, I'm able to distribute this film here in my blog post. So worth it.
Don't miss it, it's quite good!


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Britain's WRC wait can end in Germany
It's over 12 years since a Briton won a WRC round, but this weekend Kris Meeke has a very real chance of ending that drought in Germany. DAVID EVANS explains why
A Tusker or two was definitely called for. The cold ones came and went and the night grew longer and more interesting. Colin McRae had just won his second World Rally Championship round on the bounce and his 2002 season was on the up.
Little did we know, on that Sunday night in Nairobi, that a decade in the wilderness lay ahead. A generation would come and go before the next chance to write another best of British headline from rallying's top flight arose.
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Paul R. Shankman
University of California, Los Angeles, B.A., cum laude, 1979, Loyola Law School, Los Angeles, J.D., 1983
Los Angeles County, Orange County, San Bernardino County, Beverly Hills, and American Bar Associations, State Bar of California; Financial Lawyers Conference of Southern California, the California, Los Angeles, Orange County, and Inland Empire Bankruptcy Forums, and is a Certified Specialist, Business Bankruptcy Law, American Bankruptcy Board of Certification. Mr. Shankman is a twelve year Member of Provisors and an Executive Committee Member of the Newport Beach and LGBT Affinity Groups and Member of the Orange County Transactional Network.
1984, California, U.S. Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit and U.S. District Court, Central, Northern, Eastern, and Southern Districts of California
Paul R. Shankman brings to the firm and its clients exceptional, sophisticated bankruptcy and civil litigation experience with successful results, representing numerous business creditor and debtor clients in State, Federal, and Bankruptcy Courts. Mr. Shankman also represents prominent Bankruptcy Trustee's, Lenders, and Receivers.
Born in Los Angeles, he is a graduate of the University of California, Los Angeles, Cum Laude and Loyola Law School in Los Angeles, with Honors. He was admitted to the bar in California in 1984 and is admitted to practice before the U.S. District Courts for the Central, Northern, Southern, and Eastern Districts of California and the Ninth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals.
Mr. Shankman speaks regularly on Financial Law issues to the California Association of CPA's and at numerous Provisors Group Meetings and Events throughout Southern California.


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Despite the tradition of having a hot cup of eggnog at a Christmas party, or perhaps at the hearth of a roaring fire, this rich and creamy wintertime beverage is in fact seasonally out of place.
Sustainable, Local, Humane Food
From Market
Los Angeles Saturday Farmers Markets: Marina del Rey
When you think of Los Angeles beaches, the first things that come to mind are probably Instagram sunsets and surfers. But LA is also home to some fantastic local food and food makers. From small urban farmers growing organic microgreens to raw local honey to CBD treats for dogs — there's a lot to discover at the Marina del Rey farmers market on Saturdays.
What You Need To Know About Citric Acid Added to Food | Is Citric Acid Bad For You?
Citric acid is one of the most common food additives in use today. You may think it is a harmless derivative of lemons, and that used to be so. Today's citric acid is a whole different story. Here's what you need to know about this pervasive ingredient. Among the peculiar names that you will find…
Raw vs Pasteurized Milk
Enthusiasts claim that raw milk is a nutritious food that even lactose intolerant people can enjoy.
Community Supported Agriculture
If you're looking for the freshest local food on a budget, CSA and subscription schemes save time and money.
11 Ways To Eat More Local Foods In Season
Here are some pros and cons of eating local and tips on how to include more local foods in season in your diet. Most supermarket shoppers find themselves chained to the same short list of produce all year. We have mistakenly come to believe that having the same standardized foods delivered to us year around…
Alternative Pastas: Vegan, Gluten Free, Wheat Free
Tolerant Foods Red Lentil or Black Bean Pasta Single ingredient pasta shapes made from either certified organic, non-GMO black bean or red lentil, which contains around 6 times more protein than wheat pasta. The pasta holds its shape really nicely, has a robust flavor and looks attractive on the plate. Higher in protein Single ingredient…
Is Organic Baby Food Worth The Cost?
A closer look at what's in the jar The Alternative Health Journal studied over 100 baby foods and found that many contain ingredients that are not necessary to a baby's diet, let alone health. Results concluded that many commercial baby foods contain high quantities of sugar. Even organic brands are not exempt from this, as…
Breaking The Link Between Dairy And Veal
Many exclude veal from their diet on principle. And vegetarians avoid meat altogether. Yet anyone consuming dairy products may still inadvertently be supporting the production of veal. Aside from a very few farmers who eschew it, veal production is, after all, a by-product of the dairy industry. Dairy cows must give birth once a year…
How to Buy Fresh, Organic, Sustainably Grown Local Produce
The best fruit and veg is local, seasonal and organically grown…but that doesn't mean it's going to be sporting an organic label.
Ethical Foods on a Budget: 7 Ways to Save Money
How to save money in the kitchen that you can use towards buying clean, sustainably produced foods. On our Ethical Foods on a Budget page we list numerous ways in which you can lower your grocery bill. Often, however, it isn't very easy to get around the expense of buying sustainably produced foods. For instance I am an…
Are You Ready for Cricket Flour Cookies?
If you're not ready to eat insects whole, try baking with cricket flour Sustainable Food | Clean Eating | Alternative Protein A stroll down your local health food store's baking section will confirm that flours for baking and cooking are becoming increasingly diverse. If you're avoiding gluten, flour or all grains, there are now many…
Good Eggs NOLA: New Orleans Gets Artisinal Local Food Online
Caroline Gray is a New Orleans native and local food activist who wholeheartedly believes that "a better world can be delicious." In under 2 years, she has helped Good Eggs more than double its operations, connecting over 200 local food producers to communities through its online green market, or "foodhub". We talk with her about…
Ractopamine in Pork: What Is It?
What is ractopamine? Ractopamine is a beta-agonist, a class of agents acting in an opposite way to beta-blockers widely used in blood pressure medication. Ractopamine is not considered safe for humans and is not an approved drug for humans. It is approved by the FDA for use in animals. Why is ractopamine fed to pigs?…
Reading Labels: Sugar Where it Doesn't Belong
You may think you know how much sugar you are eating, but if you buy ready made foods, even in so called health-food stores, you may be consuming more sugar than you ever imagined. Why wait for dessert when you can have sugar at every course? Buying processed foods may mean you are bathing your…
What's In Your Processed Food? Sugar.
When you see the label All Natural on a package of processed food, it doesn't mean much. Another day of supermarket sleuthing yields yet more sugar in the form of a double hit of maltodextrin. Yum! So, how many of you actually keep maltodextrin stocked in your pantry? It's highly processed, but not synthetic, so…
The Importance of Choosing Humanely Raised High Welfare Pork
Although the United Kingdom has established some of the highest animal welfare standards in Europe, meat produced under far less humane conditions continues to flood the market. In response to this proliferation of low quality meat – and the subsequent social and environmental abuses required to produce it – filmmaker and activist Tracy Worcester founded…
Panettone: Read the Label
Do cage-free eggs make up for mono and diglycerides in your baked goods? Panettone is a Milanese specialty that's enjoyed throughout Italy as a Christmas treat. Making it takes a long time, and it's expensive, since it's enriched with egg yolks and butter. Needless to say, the resulting tall, round and flavorful bread is well…
Why Choose Heritage Breed Turkey
When holidays draw near, one thing that is at the root of most people's thoughts is holiday dinner preparations for friends and family. Of course, the centerpiece of many holiday tables includes a roasted turkey surrounded by herbs, vegetables, and an abundance of tempting treats. In fact, it is said that Americans purchase 267 million…
What you need to know about chemicals sprayed on produce after harvest
Are chemicals added to fresh fruits and vegetables after harvest? We know that processed foods often contain a host of unhealthy additives, from fake flavors and colors to chemical preservatives. What you don't know is that sometimes chemicals are added to fresh produce after it's picked and before it gets to the grocery store. When…
Humane and Sustainably Farmed Hot Dogs and Deli Meats
Pasture raised beef. Heritage breed pork. Free range turkey.
These sound like menu items in an upscale restaurant, but they are what Fork in the Road is using to make the next generation of hot dogs, sausages and deli meats.
EBT At Your Local Farmers Market: Getting Organically Grown Foods To Those In Need
While EBT is widely accepted at supermarkets, families relying on EBT have not been able to buy local, sustainably grown food at farmers markets, since the markets have had no way to accept them. That is beginning to change.
Humanely Raised Eggs & Enriched Colony Housing
People pay a premium for eggs with a Humane certification, yet different certifiers have differing definitions of what constitutes a humanely raised hen. Until there is some clarity on this issue, we will be treated to more opaque, nuanced labels that may or may not represent what you think is humane.
The Scandalous Honey Trade
Known as "honey laundering," one of the most pervasive international food scandals of our time is centered on illegal honey trading. Chinese honey tainted with heavy metals or banned antibiotics is flooding the global markets. Find out how to avoid buying fake or tainted bootleg honey.
7 Reasons To Eat Local, Sustainable Food
Are you debating whether local, responsibly produced food is worth the extra expense and effort? Here's what farmers, producers and restauranteurs want you to know.
Seasonal Vegetables Rich In Calcium
It's high summer in the northern hemisphere, and that means your local farmers market is in full swing, offering a cornucopia of ripe, fresh local food. While most people associate dairy with food high in calcium, there are whole, fresh vegetables and nuts that provide this crucial mineral.
Foie Gras Controversy
Though a culinary delicacy, many consider foie gras to be inhumane. Learn what it is and why it's banned in many countries. The author explains the history of foie gras, and also new, humane ways of making it that do not incorporate force-feeding.
Natural vs Organic Meat
When it comes to meat labeling, nothing is as confusing as understanding the difference between Natural and Organic meat. Here's what you need to know about the Natural label.
Organic, Natural, and Biodynamic Wine
Author Eden Canon walks us through the confusing and sometimes contentious world of wine labels in search of a perfect glass of vino.
Reading The Leaves: Organic Tea
Buying organic is a first step in ensuring the quality of your daily cuppa. But issues of ethics in this ancient trade are being addressed outside the world of organic certification.
Organic Kerala
Alongside China, India is quickly taking the lead in the global movement to convert farmland to certified organic crops.One Indian state implements sweeping change in a move to shifting to 100% organic production.
What Is Organic Meat?
What does the certified organic label on meat actually mean? Some consumers mistakenly assume it represents the highest standard of nutrition, humane treatment of animals and sound ecological practices.
Choosing Chicken: The Label Game
What's with all these labels? Organic, free range, cage free—find out how to select the best chicken and why it matters. I'm looking for a real chicken. It used to be a simple affair—picking out a chicken at the market to bring home for dinner. Now I am confronted with a raft of labels to…
The Future Of Organic Beer
On New Year's Day 2013, Certified Organic beer becomes more organic. Read how changes in labeling could affect your favorite brew.
How Pet Food Is Made
Pet food has become a convenient market for waste from meat and grain producers which are deemed inedible to humans. But what are these ingredients?
How To Choose The Best Eggs
Certified organic, free range, cage free. There are so many options when buying eggs, but what do they mean, other than a steep price premium? Author Eden Canon takes a closer look at labels, in search of a healthy, ethically produced egg.
Organic Certification: Farmers Weigh The Costs
Some farmers who practice organic farming, and even those whose methods achieve a higher level of environmental and ethical cultivation, have decided against getting certified organic. Farmers share their thoughts about the pros and cons of certification.
Where Does Milk Come From?
Over the past 50 years the answer to a simple question—where does milk come from?—has changed. We look at where most milk comes from, and then explore organic and pasture based alternatives.
Humanely Raised Meat: How to Buy Pork
Many avoid pork because of the lurid abuses endemic in conventional pig rearing. But, with a little research, conscientious carnivores can still delight in bacon and porchetta. Ethically raised pork is becoming easier to find as small scale local producers embrace pasture-based farming.
Demystifying Coffee Labels: Organic, Fair Trade & Shade Grown
When it comes to your health, the ethical treatment of farmers or the global impact of deforestation on climate change, how coffee is grown matters.
The Secret Language Of Pet Food Labels
What's in a name? A lot, apparently. Names like 'chicken formula for cats' and 'beef flavored dog food' are actually regulated to mean very specific things in the US. Understanding the code can help you select the best product for your pet.
EWG Rates Protiens By Carbon Footprint
The Environmental Working Group released a study and subsequent guide illustrating how the proteins we most commonly consume rank in environmental impact.
Quick Facts About Egg Cleaning
Beyond nutritional content and animal welfare, you should also be aware of what happens to your eggs between the hen house and the marketplace.
Panda Poo Tea
At around $200 per cup, Panda Ecological Tea is perhaps the most costly in the world. But does the essential ingredient—panda manure—justify the price?
Ethical Food On A Budget: CSA
Buying organic, local and sustainably raised food can wreck your grocery budget. Joining a Community Supported Agriculture scheme can help keep costs down, while providing you with an abundance of clean, locally produced food.


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The Superfund Amendments and Reauthorization Act (SARA) was signed into federal law in 1986. Title III of SARA, is known as the Emergency Planning and Community Right-To-Know Act (EPCRA). EPCRA requires all owners or operators of facilities that are subject to the OSHA Hazard Communication Standard (facilities that use, produce, and/or store a Hazardous Chemical and/or an "Extremely Hazardous Substance" (EHS) in excess of the "Threshold Quantity" (TQ) must report inventories of all on-site chemicals for which MSDSs exist to the SERC, LEPC, and local fire department. Tier2 reports and fees are due annually by March 1. Facilities that fail to file or do so after March 1st, will be classified as non-compliant and subject to the maximum penalty allowable, as stated in KRS 39E.990.In Kentucky, the Kentucky Emergency Response Commission (KERC) is responsible for implementing the provisions of EPCRA. On September 17, 2013 the KERC voted unanimously to pass Policy 004-2013 (1MB), which states that effective January 1, 2014, all Kentucky facilities subject to EPCRA are required to submit Tier2 forms and payments for associated fees electronically. Fees are due at the time of submittal, either by electronic check or credit card payment.Kentucky's online Tier2 submission process requires using the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) latest Tier2 Submit program. Tier2 Submit is updated annually and assists facilities in preparing a Tier2 report; it does NOT submit the report to the Commonwealth of Kentucky! Facilities must use the secure Kentucky.gov website to submit a report. The website is open 365 days a year, 24 hours a day, for submitting new or updated reports.KYEM annually updates the EPCRA - How to Comply Packet (3MB) which includes step-by-step instructions required to be compliant with Kentucky and EPCRA regulations. EPCRA allows the exact location of hazardous substances at a facility to be kept confidential. Facilities wishing to keep this information confidential must, in addition to filing electronically through the Kentucky.gov website, complete the Tier2 Inventory Confidential Location Form and email to firstname.lastname@example.com . Subject line of email must include Tier2 Online Submission Invoice Number or Confirmation Number (you will be given this number when submission process is complete and all associated fees have been paid).
Jessica MillerExtremely Hazardous Substances PlannerOffice:
Tiffany SizemoreKERC Program ManagerOffice:
State 24-hour warning point for HAZMAT Spill NotificationIf you need to report a spill in accordance with SARA Title III Section 304 and KRS 39E.190, please contact the Duty Officer at the State Emergency Operations Center at 800.255.2587 which serves as the twenty-four (24) hour warning point and contact for the Kentucky Emergency Response Commission.
Submission to LEPCs and Fire Departments - To meet all state and
federal requirements a copy of the tier2 report must also be submitted
annually to the Local Emergency Planning Committee (LEPC) for the
County where the facility is located and the local Fire Department
having jurisdiction for response to the facility. No fee is required to
submit Tier2 reports to the LEPC or Local Fire Department. Most, but not all LEPCs require electronic submission of Tier2 reports, the complete list of requirements LEPC Tier2 Inventory Reporting Contact Information" can be found in the SARA Title III Documents Library on this page.


text: Stratstone Mayfair Support C-Group Charity Shoot 29th Jun 2016 More Photos Our Stratstone of Mayfair retailers supported the C-Group Clay Pigeon Charity Shooting day at the Royal Berkshire Shooting School in aid of the C-Group Royal Marines Charity. We put on a magnificent display of new models including the All-New Jaguar F-PACE, a Range Rover Sport and an Aston Martin Vanquish which were all open for guests to explore. The day started with sunshine and a morning briefing on the lawn followed by some breakfast to fuel up before a morning of clay shooting. Just under 100 guests joined us in the grounds of the RBSS, all of which had a fantastic day of clay shooting. Guests were then welcomed for a champagne reception sponsored by Tattinger Champagne on the lawn followed by a sit down lunch and prize giving. Speeches were carried out by Colonel Kevin Oliver Royal Marines, Commandant of Commando Training Centre and Jonathan Ball, the CEO of the Royal Marines Charity. This was followed by a live charity auction by Dylan Williams, MD of RBSS. A great day was had by all with a considerate amount of money raised for the charity.


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BOTR 2012: A Note About Our Upcoming Blogs
Hey gang!
We're here in Washington, DC and having a blast getting ready to kick off the Best of the Road rally 2012! Everything kicks off tomorrow with an opening ceremony at the Air Force Memorial. That's when we find out where we'll be going over the next month, and then we hit the road! Can't wait!
One thing – call it a "programming note" if you will – ALL of our upcoming blog posts and videos associated with the rally over the next few weeks will be posted on the official Best of the Road website at www.bestoftheroad.com. We'll certainly have links to the material posted here on our own site, as well as a couple of quick notes about each. But everything we generate over the next month will be hosted on the rally's website. PLUS, there on the rally's site you can keep track of our travels LIVE via a GPS unit that we'll be carrying in our car. So you can literally follow along with us mile-by-mile. How cool is that?
Once the rally is over, we'll be back to posting full blogs and videos here on this site… so please don't go away! And you can also keep up with us via Facebook and Twitter, which we update regularly. Here's our info:
Facebook: www.facebook.com/teamtwofortheroad
Twitter: @teamtwo4theroad
And feel free to drop us a line anytime if you have any questions, comments or suggestions. We'd love to hear from you!
Cheers everybody! Let's get this party started….
~ Nik and Dusty


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OK, we're calling it: Computers are more than a passing fad. We're so convinced of this, that we've teamed up with Sparkle Labs to teach you about electricity and electronics prototyping with series of interactive video classes.
Every Saturday at noon, from October 23rd to November 13th, we'll post a video lesson that teaches you the basics of what goes on inside a computer chip. From breadboard basics to sophisticated circuits, you'll gain a greater understanding of how your machines work. And the certified geniuses over at Sparkle Labs will hang around for a while in the comments to answer any questions you might have.
To take part in all the activities you'll see on the videos, you should probably pick up Sparkle's Discover Electronics Kit. We've convinced them to drop the price to $40 for Giz readers. You're welcome. And we'll see you in class!
For more information on what you'll learn, click here. Or, if you're nearby, stop by Maker Faire and say hi to the Sparkle Crew.


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Inception and the Problems with Blank Slate Characters/
I have many issues with Inception. Ariadne is a blank slate character where everything is introduced to her through the film. Inception's rules are pounded into your head, even when they don't make sense or line up. The totems are broken, the kicks are broken, limbo is broken, and Ariadne is the worst. But the movie is a great film, if only for the first viewing.
I have a love-hate relationship with Inception. While it is a tight film that manages to hold down a lot of ideas, unfortunately it spends so much of its run time explaining those ideas that subsequent viewings do little to nothing to draw you deeper into the story.
Today, I take a look at that and why I hate Ariadne so much.


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Sarasota, Florida Business Insurance
At Vestor Insurance Services LLC, we pride ourselves in evaluating your business insurance needs in Sarasota, Florida. We take the time to find out the different challenges your industry may have for insurance concerns and tailor a package that fits your risks. We also look at other exposures your business may have according to your personnel, location and future plans.
Our top-rated companies work with local businesses as well as global providers to ensure even the worst disaster won't affect your business adversely.
Business Insurance Experts in Sarasota, Florida
At Vestor Insurance Services LLC, we can design a specialized package according to your property, liability, and casualty needs. We are also proactive in identifying any factors that may increase your premiums or change your risk, and provide consulting and risk management options to protect your business.


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Product Description
The Juice from over 3 LBS Fresh Blueberries in every bottle!
- 100% Pure Blueberry Juice
- NOT from Concentrate
- Certified Organic
- Kosher Certified by KOF-K
- Non-GMO
- Bottled in Glass | Non-Toxic | BPA, BPS & DEHP Free
- NOURISH YOUR BODY: Our all-natural juice helps fill your body with nutrients.
- CERTIFIED ORGANIC BLUEBERRY 100% JUICE: This juice only has one ingredient, organic blueberries! No added sugars, preservatives, or additives. Our glass juice containers are not only Non-Toxic, BPA, BPS & DEHP free, but keep our juices fresh!
- ORGANIC AND KOSHER CERTIFIED: We are certified by KOF-K and independently certified by QCS – Grown and harvested in accordance with the National Organic Program. No synthetically compounded fertilizers, pesticides, herbicides or growth regulators.
- Our Organic Pure Blueberry Juice serves as a natural source of antioxidant Manganese which helps protect cells against oxidative stress
Ingredients: Organic Blueberry Juice
For best quality and freshness, use within 2 weeks of opening. Natural juices products will settle. SHAKE BEFORE SERVING.
Recommended Use: Shake Gently, drink 4-6 fluid ounces twice daily. Please consult your doctor prior to starting any new dietary program.
- Reviews


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Today's Five Friday Favourites comes with a twist. I'm not only sharing my five favourites, I'm actually giving them away, thanks to my friends over at Very Exclusive. It's all in celebration of the their 2nd birthday. Oh to be celebrating my second birthday again... or even my 21st. I digress.
It's easy to enter. Just head over to Instagram, find this picture, leave a comment tagging one friend you'd like to explore New York with over 36 hours (yeah, I took a note from the book), and follow the Very Exclusive account. The rest is down to fate. Easy peasy.
Sadly I can't enter, but I'm telling you guys I'm dying over this haul. It's so good, so definitely get an entry in there. The winner will be announced this time tomorrow, giving a full 24 hours for entering. Then Very Exclusive will get in touch to find out sizes etc, and the products will wing their way straight over.
Over and out, good buddies. Have a great weekend! The next time you hear from me I'll be back with Boomer and Brody in the US of A. Are you ready for this puppy madness?!


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CSP-H50 is a product for system intergrators who want to quickly and easily embed PPP connectivity in their system. This compact product helps your RS232 system get PPP connectivity with just serial connection through 2G or 3G network. Applying this product, not only you can reduce cost and risk, but also you can shorten development time to add the network capability. Because CSP-H50 allows you to overcome distance limitation of your serial communication system, you are able to remotely control and monitor a serial device over the Internet anywhere you are.
Benefits & Features
- RS232 to PPP network (HSDPA or CDMA) Converter
- 1 x RS232 (D-SUB 9pin Male, up to 115.2Kbps)
- The avarage data rate : about 5K bps in the PPP network
- 1 x USB host (USB Communication Class for a CDMA or HSDPA modem)
- Dedicated commands to control CSP-H50
- Auto-Connection mode (TCP client with stored script)
- 2 Communication modes (TCP client and UDP)
- Server Redundancy (2 Peer's IP addresses)
- Firmware upgrade through Serial
- PPP(LCP/IPCP/PAP/CHAP) Support
- Virtual COM Port Redirector for Windows OS (ezVSP)
- Environmentally-friendly RoHS compliant


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Welcome to the Zoo!
The weather was BEAUTIFUL here today, so the girls and I headed off to the Bydgoszcz zoo. The girls had been there before on school trips but I had yet to go there. I was totally gluttin' for punishment because I also picked up 2 of their friends and brought them along too! (Just a happy note, all 5 girls left with 10 fingers and 10 toes.)
Just as I thought it was a small zoo for a small city but it was perfect for the girls. No pandas, no koalas, no alligators but hey they had otters and prairie dogs!!
They had a great day with great friends and days like today I realize how truly I am blessed to be a stay-at-home mom with my girls!
What is your favorite animal to see at the zoo? I love the penguins!


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Guggenheim Sees Upside in Sunrun (RUN); Glaukos (GKOS) Surpasses Forecasts
Investment analysts at Guggenheim initiated coverage on Sunrun Inc. (Nasdaq:RUN) shares with a Buy rating and a price target of $14.00, representing a more than 84% upside potential over its price at close on Tuesday of $7.59 per share
The residential solar company expects to release its first quarter 2016 financial results on Thursday, May 12, after the closing bell
Sunrun, which engages in the design, development, installation sale, ownership, and maintenance of residential solar energy systems in the U.S., has 101.59M Shares Outstanding, Market Capitalization (intraday) of $771.09M and RUN stock one-year range is from $4.86 to $14.95 per share
Shares of Glaukos Corp. (NYSE:GKOS) soared more than 20% in the extended session Tuesday after the company delivered quarterly profit and revenue numbers in its financial results that exceeded Wall Street analysts' expectations.
For the first quarter 2016, Glaukos posted net sales of $23.1 million, a 57% increase year over year, and net income of $897,000, or $0.03 per diluted share, compared to a net loss of ($966,000), or ($0.40) per diluted share in the same quarter the prior year, easily surpassing the Capital IQ Consensus Estimate of ($0.15) loss per share onrevenues of $18.82 million for the period
The ophthalmic medical technology company has boosted its 2016 net sales guidance to a range of between $100 million and $102 million from the previously reported guidance range of $90 million to $93 million, also exceeding the Capital IQ Consensus Estimate of $91.92 million for the full year
GKOS stock closed at $19.87, up $0.09 (or +0.46%), and 269,351 of its shares exchanged hands during the day
Glaukos, which develops and commercializes products and procedures designed for the treatment of glaucoma, has 32.37M Shares Outstanding, Market Capitalization (intraday) of $643.18M and GKOS stock 52-week range is between $14.25 and $33.92 per share
Disclaimer: The disclaimer is to be read and fully understood before using our site, or joining our email list. GalaxyStocks is not a registered investment adviser. This material is for informational purposes only and should not be construed as an offer or solicitation of an offer to buy or sell securities. Investors should always conduct their own due diligence with any potential investment, with independent research and other professional advice. Read full disclaimer at http://galaxystocks.com/disclaimer/


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UPDATE: Government Releases Spc. Sterling Wyatt\'s Cause of Death
Related Story
COLUMBIA - The U.S. Department of Defense released the cause of death of Specialist Sterling Wyatt, a graduate of Rock Bridge High School killed while serving in Afghanistan.
The department said Wyatt was killed July 11 from "wounds sustained when his vehicle was attacked with an enemy improvised explosive device (IED)."
The attack happened in the Kandahar province of Afghanistan.
Wyatt was assigned to the 5th Battalion, 20th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Washington according to the department. His awards and decorations include: National Defense Service Medal, Afghanistan Campaign Medal with campaign star, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Army Service Ribbon, Overseas Ribbon, NATO Medal, Certificate of Achievement, and Combat Infantryman Badge.
Wyatt's death is the second service-related death from the Columbia area in the past week. Specialist Zane Thompson Lee, a Hickman graduate, died in Indiana over the weekend. The cause of his death is currently unknown.
Columbia Board of Education President Tom Rose released a statement in response to the death of the two men.
"Our graduates go on to many things, including military service. We are proud of our students that serve our country through the military. We are extremely saddened to learn of the deaths of two of our former students as they served their country through the military. Our thoughts and prayers go out to their families and friends," Rose said.


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Issues. I'm surrounded by them, each one more agitating than the next. They tear apart the illusion I naively created to block out reality, but the unvarnished truth always rears its ugly face. I can't stand it. But the issue most present in my life and peers around me …Read More »
It's Ok to Be Broken
Admit it… It's easier to run away.Read More »
Midnight Thoughts
Hey everyone. My name is Luke. A few years back this website was what I lived for. Life used to be really simple for me. I loved being able to journal out my thoughts and ideas on here and being able to express my feelings in such a safe community. …Read More »
It's Ok to Be Broken
Admit it… It's easier to run away. It's easier to pretend that you didn't just spend the better half of your night in tears. Who wants to? Some problems just get too heavy, that we'd rather stay silent and act like our backs aren't about to break. We smile and laugh, …Read More »
Hi. I'm a Christian. That phrase alone is enough spark an uproar, an excessive inflow of opinions and reasons determining what I believe in is wrong. They try to point out logical fallacies in the Bible, poke holes through my faith and laugh at me, demeaning my faith. Some people …Read More »
Light through the Darkness
'Twas a bleak and horrid enclosure. A world plagued with the sin of the people, the falling of empires. Downpour. Wars. The blood of the innocent rained many. But still, amongst that storm, trailing the ruins of that fire, was the gold. Though nonexistent it seemed, was there. Whispering into …Read More »
The mystery of it all.
I have been writing poetry for the last 8 months. And I have decided i'm ready to share some with all of ya'll. I wrote this one a while ago… so here ya go… The Mystery Of It All By Justin Bowers I stand in the mist. Wondering if I'll …Read More »
The corridor of life
*Disclaimer: this is from my flawed and earthly perspective* In life, one usually stops and tries to look backwards in life. They see how the things in the past that they had overcome. Some even try to see how far they have come. You Imagine if you are in a …Read More »
Feeling Empty and Lost
As of late, I have felt so incredibly lost and empty, feeling as though God is sitting there watching and I'm just carrying on not making a difference. It's as though He's sitting and watching, my prayers are gone with the wind and disappear as though the words were never …Read More »
He Makes All Things New
Again and again I am constantly reminded of how much God actually cares about every single detail of our lives. Its amazing how He reveals to us how much he is in control. Sometimes in the most ridiculous ways. Through the little things. He did exactly this the other night …Read More »


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I'm not very well liked amongst a small set of Wikipedia editors (whom also edit RationalWiki and get their sh*ts and giggles from tormenting me there).
I get it.
I get it about once or twice a month – usually in response to my latest article.
For the past three years whenever I post an article, or share it on Reddit, I am usually greeted by one of my obsessive stalkers, more often than not Oliver Smith or one of his brothers. They show up and attempt to discredit this website or me and it usually backfires on them, but sometimes it is successful and they will get an entire community to buy into their manipulations.
In the past 36 hours, I've once again been impersonated on Wikipedia.
Someone created an editing account called "Rome Viharo WWHP" and posted to Deepak Chopra's talk page.
Shortly thereafter, this account attempted to create a Wikipedia article about "Wikipedia We Have a Problem".
None of this is me, either directly or indirectly.
Why would anyone do this?
First, it is used to help build a "personal army" against an individual by inflaming certain niche communities with misinformation about someone (in this case yours truly) in the hopes individuals there will block, ban, or spread misinformation about the individual in return. This website tracks about three years of this type of activity and election 2016 is riddled with this sort of strategy.
At some point, this person will then go elsewhere on the web, like they recently did on Reddit, and link to those activities and flag wave that I am just someone trolling Wikipedia or some other misinformation tid bit.
Rome Viharo's Wikipedia We Have a Problem is fake news and misinformation from wikipedia
Someone should inform him how Google alert works. Oye.
Classic petty misinformation and social propaganda campaign, waged in wiki wars and detailed often on this website. They are quite simple to implement, and not much anyone can do about them.
Enter (once again) Tim Farley, skeptic apologist.
Coming to my defense on Wikipedia, in this case, was Tim Farley (who edits on Wikipedia transparently as 'krelniq').
He noted the obvious – this was not me.
If not for the fact that Tim Farley has been an architect for some of the harassment I have received and he has been both unprofessional and very misleading when confronted with that, I would have been grateful.
His first statement on Wikipedia regarding this recent impersonation account was – "I've been the target of a bit of (mostly off-wiki) harassment by the real Rome Viharo over the years, even though I had very little involvement in the Sheldrake and Chopra articles."
What harassment? Where is this evidence that this is a harassment website?
Like all flag waving, you will never find what you would expect.
This is and has been misinformation spread about this website on Wikipedia, and recently I show cased how Wikipedia editors got WWHP blacklisted using this misinformation while this website was being shared on Jimbo Wales talk page.
So now we have Tim Farley, Manul, and Oliver Smith all using the same message to damage control their own activities, claiming to be "harassed" by Wikipedia, We Have a Problem. Ironically, these are the same very three individuals whom are featured heavily in two case studies I've published into editor suppression on Wikipedia.
Tim Farley further states on Wikipedia that I am "someone who has been accurately described elsewhere as an internet troll."
Tim Farley doesn't say that he was that person "elsewhere described" who said I was an internet troll, a tactic used on Wikipedia against me to suppress me away from editing. RationalWiki's article on me actually uses Tim Farley's quote about me being a "internet troll" as an actual reference.
Oliver Smith takes that RationalWiki article about me, using Tim Farley's quote – to discredit me in every online community that discusses Wikipedia. This has been an utterly contempt campaign waged on me for over three years to justify their own editor suppression campaign waged on me in 2013 on Wikipedia.
Damage control, wiki war style
Tim Farley publishes misinformation to damage control skeptic activities on Wikipedia. That is just a fact and one I report on responsibly.
I'll continue to expose it when he does it.
I'm not really that sorry if he feels harassed by sincere skeptical criticism of his Wikipedia activities.
Tim inserts himself into the debate on public education. He also inserted himself into this study, and my life – by initiating these type of campaigns against yours truly.
To liken criticism of his activities to "harassment" while not revealing his participation in campaigns to destroy people's online reputation is a hypocrisy I relish in show casing.
While some of my harassers like Oliver Smith have clear mental disturbance – Tim Farley is a professional, and he should know better.
As always, flag waving. Watch out for it.
Rome Viharo
Los Angeles, June 11th 2017
I've pinged Tim Farley on Twitter, asking him for a comment on this.
@krelnik why are you on Wikipedia saying you've been harassed by WWHP? where? how? https://t.co/hl4ovHPtNh
— Rome Viharo (@rome_viharo) June 11, 2017


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Playing with Fire: Rob Bishop's Sputtering Sagebrush Rebellion | KCET
Playing with Fire: Rob Bishop's Sputtering Sagebrush Rebellion
A kangaroo court is trailing its way through the American West. Its self-appointed judge is Rob Bishop (R-UT), chair of the House Natural Resources subcommittee on public lands and national forests. He and his congressional cronies are trying to rile up the region by denouncing the Antiquities Act of 1906, which grants the president powers to create national monuments on public lands of special significance; slapping out at the Endangered Species Act, for its alleged crippling of lumbering and mining and ranching; and rousing Republicans against the Obama administration by raising the rebel flag of anti-federalism.
Story continues below
They are staging meetings in places like tiny Escalante, Utah; Washington State's Olympic Peninsula; and in Sacramento, enlisting sympathetic speakers to re-chant Bishop's convictions that the nation's public lands ought to be under state control; that national environmental laws ought to be scrapped. Yet although these are invitation-only affairs, so that the congressman does not have to open himself up to spontaneous dialogs with citizens, he has not been able to shut off all debate.
If you have missed this story, then Bishop's mission has already failed. If you're yawning, because you suspect you've heard his threadbare arguments before, you are correct. And those responses collectively make it clear why the ruckus that Bishop et al. hoped to touch off hasn't caught fire.
Start with the president's pre-trip concession that took the wind out of Representative Bishop's cause before the congressman even sailed west from Washington. According to the Washington Post, President Obama agreed not to establish any new national monuments during the final year of his current term. That left Bishop with this limp justification for spending taxpayer money to lead a hobby-horse charge against a non-existent issue: "I take them at their word, but I don't want another Clinton to ever do it again."
This explains why Bishop launched his roaming tribunal in Escalante. And why he must have been happy when the town's mayor parroted his claims that the national monument was a job-killer: "I wish I could say it was a great economic boon for our community," Jerry Taylor testified, "but I cannot."
Others could, and did. Taylor's and Bishop's synchronized arguments, for instance, were met with a two-pronged rebuttal, the bases for which reflect the significant shift since 1996 in the structure of the west's economy. Steve Roberts, who owns Escalante Outfitters, a back-country recreational company located in Escalante, refuted the mayor's claims; even in the lousy economy, his business continues to expand: "It's just grown to be a very important part of the economy, and it's all because more and more people are discovering Grand Staircase-Escalante."
Roberts' conviction that this particular national monument has been a boon to the local economy reflects a broader alteration in the pattern of development in the rural west. So confirmed Headwaters Economics, an independent, nonpartisan research group in Montana which assessed the economic prospects of 17 western communities adjacent to those national monuments that had been established post-1990. It released its findings to coincide with Bishop's hearings and they challenge his operating assumptions.
Take the region around Grand Staircase-Escalante.The data reveals that local population rose by 8%; jobs grew by 38%; and personal income by 40%. These growth rates were consistent from one site to another. Said Ray Rasker, Headwaters' executive director: "In every instance, there was greater employment, greater personal income and greater per capita income after the creation of the monument. In no case did we find that the creation of a national monument led to an economic downturn."
Oops: by not doing his homework, Bishop raises serious concerns about his credibility.
But getting the truth right is not really his central concern. Bishop's ambition is to pin President Obama down while sparking yet another round of the so-called Sagebrush Rebellions that periodically have flared up since the early 20th-century. Every 10 to 15 years or so, western politicians have used the national forests and parks as anvils on which to hammer out their anti-Washington anxieties.
The Presidents Roosevelt adroitly handled the uptick in western hostility, as did Truman and Eisenhower. President Reagan got out in front of the rumble, leaving it to George H. W. Bush to push back hard when blustering Nevada county commissioners violated federal laws governing the public lands. Similar illegal actions are currently threatened throughout New Mexico; sheriffs there and in California have vowed not to arrest violators of federal law, a shocking dereliction of their duty that is a result of and a response to the kind of anger that Bishop hopes to exploit. The Utah representative, then, comes from a long line of disaffected--a disaffection that is also highly affected--senators and representatives, governors and county commissioners who from time to time have risen up in opposition to federal ownership and management of the public lands.
Like them, Bishop will make a bit of mischief, maybe sway a voter or two, but will not secure the kind of states-rights victory he putatively desires. He will not because the Supreme Court, dating back to a series of key cases in 1911 (about which I have written before), determined that the Executive Branch has the legal right to regulate its lands.
His fulminations against the Antiquities Act will be as inconsequential. Indeed, Bishop's attacks on it place him in the funny position of arguing that past presidents have usurped legislative authority that the legislature has bestowed on them!
He's tying himself in knots in another way. The ever-astute Rocky Barker of the Idaho Statesman, recently blogged that the Utah congressman's anti-public lands campaign might backfire: instead of stripping the president of his powers embodied in the Antiquities Act, he might push Obama to act as did Harry Truman and Jimmy Carter.
When the former greatly expanded the Grand Teton National Monument into a massive national park, Wyoming's fury was abated with an agreement that the Antiquities Act would no longer be applicable to the Cowboy State. A similar exemption occurred in Alaska 30 years later. In 1978, with the stroke of his pen, Carter created 56 million acres of national monuments there, a figure that soared to 79 million acres two years later with the enactment of the Alaska Lands Act.
What if Obama followed suit? What if he designated some "large, perhaps locally unpopular, national monuments in one or all of the states before giving in to an exemption. I'm sure that's not what Bishop and other Republicans who have been pressing this issue expect."
I'm sure they haven't anticipated another, much-more immediate result of Bishop's antics. His grandstanding rhetoric, for all its appeal to the Republican base, is having an equally striking impact on those who believe that our public lands are treasures best preserved by the nation for the nation. Bishop is firing up the Sierra Club, NRDC, and the Center for Biological Diversity, along a host of like-minded local grassroots organizations across the west, to rally in defense of these protected landscapes.
The Utah congressman, in short, is doing for Obama what the president has proved incapable of doing for himself--reenergizing the environmental movement understandably dispirited by the president's feckless policies that have undercut clean-air regulations, compromised endangered-species protections, and disregarded the public's health.
Bishop, whose avowed goal is to make Obama a one-term president, may wind up helping him remain in the White House--rough justice for a kangaroo courtier.
For ongoing environmental coverage in March 2017 and afterward, please visit our show Earth Focus, or browse Redefine for historic material.
KCET's award-winning environment news project Redefine ran from July 2012 through February 2017.
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He didn't qualify as a good candidate for the Drug Treatment Court.
As a result, Chandradeo Junior Singh was ordered to perform 180 hours of community service after being caught with cannabis and drug apparatus.
Appearing before the District 'A' Magistrates Court today, the 17-year-old unemployed resident of Industry Road, St Philip pleaded guilty to both charges.
Initially, Magistrate Douglas Frederick had recommended that the first-time offender be considered for acceptance into the newly established court.
However, after a short meeting with a probation officer, he was not considered a good enough candidate for the programme and the community sentence was imposed instead.
Singh will also undergo random drug testing during that period.
A Guyanese who has been living here for the past eight years, Singh admitted to using drugs for "a short time," and promised he would stop as he did not want to go to jail.
The facts, as outlined by police prosecutor Irvin Kellman, were that police were patrolling along Nursery Drive, St Michael yesterday when they came upon a stall.
Singh was observed in conversation with another man while, at the same time, using a pair of scissors to cut up vegetable matter.
Police approached the teenager and, after conducting a search, found two transparent bags of cannabis, as well as a pipe.


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Beit Am Membership Dues Committee Charter
adopted 12/12/18
As Beit Am has matured as an organization, our expenses have increased. Unfortunately, our income has not kept pace with our expenses and we find ourselves regularly in a deficit situation. Since the greatest portion of our income is from membership dues, it makes sense to re-examine our dues structure to see if we can become more financially sustainable. In addition to financial concerns, there are issues of equity as well. While some members pay their two percent, many do not and simply pay an amount based on the value they believe they receive, treating the organization as a fee-for-service. Beit Am does not want to be in the position of policing dues, yet we are certain that many members pay less than required, unrelated to financial hardship. Another problem with the current dues structure is that it has been a barrier to membership. We know of several families that have not joined because they felt that two percent was too much, particularly when they were new and didn't know much about Beit Am and how they would fit in. There are other situations where two percent just doesn't seem right, e.g., non-local members or students.
The Membership Dues Committee (MDC) shall review Beit Am's current membership dues structure, evaluate alternative structures, and recommend to the Board what changes, if any, should be implemented.
Committee Members
The MDC shall be composed of a Committee Chairperson and additional members who are appointed by the President of Beit Am. Subsequent additions of committee members may be selected and approved by the Chairperson and President. The Rabbi and President shall be ex officio non-voting members. It is expected that appointments to the MDC will continue throughout the duration of the Charter.
Guidelines for the Committee
The Charter for this Committee shall expire once the MDC presents its final recommendations to the Board. This final recommendation shall include a written explanation of the process and rationale behind the recommendation.
Contact us by sending e-mail to The Beit Am Web Maven
To contact our office, send email to The Beit Am Office
To contact our Rabbi, send email to The Beit Am Rabbi
To contact the newsletter editor, send email to The Beit Am Newsletter Editor
Questions about the New Building? Email us.
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Year In Review – Personal Lines in OR & WA
THIS EVENT HAS PASSED – Please contact Justin Wickizer <[email protected]> if you would like our team to present this content to you or your team.
Join Smith Freed Eberhard partners Cliff Wilson and Tasha Lyn Cosimo on Thursday, January 23, 2019 at 10:00 am PST as they discuss major personal lines cases of the past year in Oregon and Washington with a focus on the impact these cases will have on personal lines and management. In this one hour presentation, Cliff and Tasha will discuss recent developments in Oregon and Washington law, including the following cases:
- (OR) (Hodges) Case affecting the discoverability of physician-patient communications.
- (OR) (Markstrom) Case describing when and how sanctions for spoliation are imposed.
- (OR) (Harshbarger) Case concerning required damages to be alleged in a timber trespass case.
- (OR) (Busch) Case concerning Oregon's non-economic damages cap as applied to personal injuries.
- (OR) (Mall) Case concerning an expert's qualifications in biomechanical engineering and accident reconstruction.
- (WA) (Durant) Case defining "maximum medical improvement" in PIP claims.
- (WA) (Lockner) Case exploring the boundaries of Washington's recreational use immunity statute.
- (WA) (Mariscal) Case adjudicating the admissibility of PIP applications.
- (WA) (Keodalah) Case allowing a bad faith claim against an individual adjuster to proceed.
- (WA) (Jackson) Case dismissing a plaintiff's bad faith claims arising from a race-track crash.
- (WA) (Koren) Case determining whether a school bus qualifies as an "automobile" under Washington's PIP statutes.


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Chapter 20 - Operations
On This Page
Introduction and Goals
Operational Framework
Windows Environment Operations
SQL Server Environment Operations
Introduction and Goals
After the solution has been deployed, the operations staff inherits ownership of the solution and is required to manage and maintain it. The operations team has been prepared for this task by its involvement in the Deploying and Stabilizing Phases and by reviewing the documentation prepared by the project team. Even if the Windows® environment existed before the migration, this project will have a great impact on operational tasks and responsibilities. This chapter provides additional links to guidance on how to operate the production infrastructure containing Microsoft® SQL Server™ and Windows technologies.
Operational Framework
With the penetration of technology into every aspect of modern day business, success is based not only on the technology but also on the people and processes that control the technology. The migration project has only contributed the technology and not the operational aspects of the deployed solution. Microsoft Operations Framework (MOF) is a collection of best practices, principles, and models. It provides comprehensive technical guidance for achieving mission-critical production system reliability, availability, supportability, and manageability for solutions and services built on Microsoft products and technologies.
The following links provide information about the operational framework:
Microsoft Solutions for Infrastructure and Management (MSIM) provides in-depth technical procedural guidance on the management and operation of Windows-based servers and computer data centers. More information is available at http://www.microsoft.com/technet/itsolutions/cits/mo/default.mspx.
A brief overview of the MOF process model and concepts is provided in "Appendix A" of the UNIX Migration Project Guide (UMPG): http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=19832.
An entire discussion of MOF, its Service Management Functions (SMFs), and all the resources that support the framework, is available at http://www.microsoft.com/technet/itsolutions/techguide/mof/mofpm.mspx.
Windows Environment Operations
This section provides information about various aspects of a Windows Server™ 2003 deployment in an enterprise environment.
System Administration
For common administrative tasks, refer to http://www.microsoft.com/technet/prodtechnol/windowsserver2003/proddocs/entserver/ctasks_topnode.mspx.
For tools, refer to http://www.microsoft.com/windowsserver2003/downloads/tools/default.mspx.
The Active Directory Operations Guide is available at http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?familyid=84dfe61e-fb7b-4673-89b8-55bcc801b431&displaylang=en.
A technical overview of network load balancing is available at http://www.microsoft.com/technet/prodtechnol/acs/reskit/acrkappb.mspx.
Security Administration
The Windows Server 2003 Guide is available at http://www.microsoft.com/technet/security/prodtech/win2003/w2003hg/sgch00.mspx.
A source containing a wide range of security topics and technologies is available at http://www.microsoft.com/security/guidance/default.mspx.
For best practices for implementing a Microsoft Windows Server 2003 Public Key Infrastructure, refer to http://www.microsoft.com/technet/prodtechnol/windowsserver2003/technologies/security/ws3pkibp.mspx.
Information on account passwords and policies is available at http://www.microsoft.com/technet/prodtechnol/windowsserver2003/technologies/security/bpactlck.mspx.
Information on certificate templates is available at http://www.microsoft.com/technet/prodtechnol/windowsserver2003/technologies/security/ws03crtm.mspx.
The Security Services FAQ is available at http://www.microsoft.com/resources/documentation/WindowsServ/2003/standard/proddocs/en-us/Default.asp?url=/resources/documentation/windowsserv/2003/standard/proddocs/en-us/safer_howto.asp.
Information on the tools available for monitoring is available at http://www.microsoft.com/resources/documentation/WindowsServ/2003/enterprise/proddocs/en-us/Default.asp?url=/resources/documentation/WindowsServ/2003/enterprise/proddocs/en-us/tools_monitoring_status.asp.
For monitoring of server performance, refer to http://www.microsoft.com/technet/prodtechnol/windowsserver2003/proddocs/entserver/ctasks019.mspx.
For monitoring of security-related events, refer to http://www.microsoft.com/technet/prodtechnol/windowsserver2003/library/ServerHelp/bc9f1bed-1c85-413a-869e-98d467853978.mspx.
Additional Links
Information on Windows Server 2003 performance and scalability is available at http://www.microsoft.com/windowsserver2003/evaluation/performance/perfscaling.mspx.
Information on account management for Windows Server 2003 is available at http://www.microsoft.com/windowsserversystem/overview/benefits/manageability/account.mspx.
Best practices for managing Windows Server 2003 are available at http://www.microsoft.com/technet/community/events/windows2003srv/tnt1-106.mspx.
SQL Server Environment Operations
This section provides information on various aspects of a SQL Server 2000 deployment that can be used to ensure optimal performance in an enterprise environment. Performance is also critical to scalability.
For detailed information on SQL Server administration, refer to http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/default.asp?url=/library/en-us/adminsql/ad_adminovw_7f3m.asp.
Information about administration subjects is available at http://www.microsoft.com/sql/techinfo/administration/2000/default.asp.
For detailed discussions on topics such as indexes, statistics, automation, and memory management, refer to SQL Server 2000 Operations Guide: System Administration at http://www.microsoft.com/technet/prodtechnol/sql/2000/maintain/sqlops4.mspx.
Information about backup and recovery is available at http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/default.asp?url=/library/en-us/adminsql/ad_bkprst_9zcj.asp.
A discussion on recovery models is available at http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/default.asp?url=/library/en-us/dnsqlmag2k/html/dbRecovery.asp.
For detailed discussion on managing security, refer to http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/default.asp?url=/library/en-us/adminsql/ad_security_05bt.asp.
For monitoring of system performance and activity, refer to http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/default.asp?url=/library/en-us/adminsql/ad_mon_perf_00mr.asp.
Additional Links
The following links provide information on SQL Server 2000 environment operations:
Information about security patch management for SQL Server is available at http://www.microsoft.com/windowsserversystem/overview/benefits/manageability/patch.mspx.
The SQL Server 2000 Operations Guide is available at http://www.microsoft.com/technet/prodtechnol/sql/2000/maintain/sqlops0.mspx.
Also refer to Appendix B, "Getting the Best out of SQL Server 2000 and Windows," for links to additional information about performance, scalability, and high availability.
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Security News
New Class of Security Chiefs Emerging, Says IBM Study
[May 15, 2012] Influencers direct business security strategies.
Kaspersky Hires New Channel Head, Two Marketing Execs
[March 27, 2012] Anti-virus vendor taps Christopher Doggett to oversee channels in North America.
F5 Networks Wants More Security Channel Partners
[March 21, 2012] New Vault program offers financial incentives, rewards and training to channel partners closing deals for vendor's data center firewall technology and security bundle.
Cisco Upgrades CCNA and CCNP Security Certifications
[March 06, 2012] New courses address threats related to mobility, cloud computing, virtualization and BYOD.
Juniper Buys Security Specialist Mykonos for $80 Million
[February 24, 2012] Acquisition shores up vendor's security portfolio with intrusion deception technology to protect web applications.
Westcon Buys PT Netpoleon, Indonesian Security Distributor
[February 23, 2012] Transaction adds to distributor's presence in market in Southeast Asia.
Symantec Opens New U.S. Operations Center for Managed Security Services
[February 23, 2012] Vendor says expanded facility will support rapid growth of its security monitoring and management services business.
Blue Coat Returns to Privately-held
[February 23, 2012] Shareholders approve $1.3 Billion takeover by Thoma Bravo, a private equity firm.
Savid Technologies, MSP and IT Security Vendor, Bought by Investment Group
[February 18, 2012] Technology Capital Investors (TCI) expands MSP lineup, plans to offer new suite of managed security and compliance services in Q1 2012.
Kaspersky Labs Signs Distribution Agreement with Ingram Micro for Security Solutions
[June 29, 2011] Vendors says deal will strengthen its VAR and SI network in the U.S., help it to reach new corporate customers.
Arrow to Distribute Websense Security Solutions in North America
[February 15, 2011] Companies expand prior 10-year old agreement for European distribution. Websense adds second distributor in North America.
Department of Homeland Security to Spend $40 Million for Ideas to Improve Federal Cyber Security
[February 04, 2011] Agency seeks research and development proposals in 14 technical areas to improve cyber security in Federal networks and the Internet.
Cisco Adds Three New Security Specialist Certifications
[February 03, 2011] Vendor adds to security portfolio with specializations to address market opportunity for skilled network security specialists, building on CCNP Security certification program initiated last year.
Dell Nabs Managed Security Provider SecureWorks
[January 05, 2011] Vendor builds out IT-as-a-Service profile seeking credibility as managed service security provider.
McAfee: Social Media, Mobile, Apple Devices Most Vulnerable to Security Threats in 2011
[January 04, 2011] Security vendors 2011 Threat Predictions report predicts cybercriminals will attack shortened URL services, geolocation sites and Internet TV.
Websense Offers Top Five Security Predictions for 2011
[December 25, 2010] Web security vendor predicts more, bigger, badder threats in 2011, sees social media, mobile applications as likely targets for cybercriminals.
Daily Malware Threats Rise Nearly 15 Percent in 2010
[December 01, 2010] PandaLabs reports that one-third of all active malware threats were created in the first 10 months of the year.
Websense Predicts More Targeted, Content-Related Cyber Attacks in 2011
[November 19, 2010] Security vendors 2010 Threat Report points to inadequacy of legacy defense systems for new wave of specific, blended attacks.
HP Pays $1.5B for ArcSight Security Software Maker
[September 14, 2010] Acquisition adds real-time event monitoring to security portfolio. Marks second security-related purchase in last month and fourth buy since Hurds departure.
Intel Pays $7.7B for McAfee Security
[August 19, 2010] Chip giant enters security market with largest acquisition in companys 42-year history.
Dell Teams With Juniper, SecureWorks for SMB Security Solution
[August 13, 2010] Vendor expands portfolio of appliances and services for network, endpoint security, risk management focused on SMB segment.
Symantec Broadens Monthly Subscription Buying Option
[June 21, 2010] Security vendor widens licensing program to help service providers lower upfront costs.
Kaspersky Adds Heft To Channel Partner Program
[May 07, 2010] Security vendor pumps up deal registration, rewards and training.
Symantec Study Reveals Businesses Lack Procedures, Policies For Cloud Security
[April 13, 2010] Many businesses deficient in policies, procedures to evaluate cloud vendors, ensure secure data
Archives �
Websense, Juniper To Deliver Joint Security Solution
[March 05, 2010] Partnership integrates content security with high performance networking.
Security News Solutions


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* Sees Russian gas prices falling more steeply than oil index
* Chance for gas to displace coal in European power market
By Alissa de Carbonnel
BRUSSELS: A glut of U.S. liquified natural gas exports to Europe will push Russian pipeline exporter Gazprom to slash prices and could spur a switch away from coal-fired plants, BP's chief economist said on Wednesday.
Russian gas prices in Europe fell more steeply last year than would have been implied by a simple link to oil prices, which is the basis for Gazprom's contracts, BP's Spencer Dale estimated by subtracting gas flows from other countries from average German import price data.
"They competed on price," Dale told Reuters.
With European imports of U.S. LNG anticipated to grow over the next five years, sending prices as low as $4 per million British thermal units (mmBtu), Russian exporters could be forced to cut prices further, he said.
"Russia will do what it needs to do to maintain its market share," he said.
However, greater access to global LNG markets could ease concerns over Europe's dependence on Russia for about one third of its gas, he added.
BP also sees Russian plans to double its Nord Stream pipeline directly to Germany as an attempt to reroute gas exports around Ukraine rather than to increase volumes.
The Nord Stream 2 project, which includes E.ON, Wintershall, Shell, OMV and Engie , has roused resistance in Brussels due to Russia's role in Ukraine's crisis.
The bigger impact of U.S. LNG in Europe could be if prices are low enough to stimulate switching away from coal to gas-fired power plants on the same scale as in the United States and China last year.
Coal consumption took its steepest drop ever last year, falling by 1.8 percent, largely due to its displacement by gas in the United States.
Gas prices, however, might not fall low enough to crowd out coal without environmental levies enacted by European Union policy makers, such as a stronger carbon price on the Emissions Trading System (ETS)
"At the moment, it is right on the edge ... if you just do something to help the bargain of gas over coal; just a small nudge in terms of carbon pricing," Dale said.
EU politicians are debating how to reform the ETS - a scheme designed to make big polluters pay for their emissions.
Ten years since the launch of what aims to be the EU's flagship climate policy, a surplus of carbon credits following the economic crisis has crushed the market.
Dale said a carbon price closer to 20 euros could make a "significant difference."


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Excel has very powerful feature called conditional formatting. In this post I will demonstrate how to use the feature to automatically highlight past dates in different way than future dates.
- I use TODAY()-function to get current date
- I set conditional formatting so that when the value of the cell is less than TODAY(), it will be formatted
Following video demonstrates this:


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Start Your Fundraiser
Making Money Is Easy
Raising money for your group or organization is fast and easy when you hold a Sale with R&K Subs! Normal profit is $1.75 to $2.50 per Fresh Sub or Sandwich. So get everyone involved in the selling process and you could reach your financial goal in no time!
Determine Your Selling Price
Your Fundraiser can include a variety of Fresh Subs and Pretzel Sandwiches. Your cost and recommended sales prices are as follows:
|Recommended Sale Price
|Fresh Subs
|$5.50 - $6.00
|Pretzel Sandwiches
|$4.50 - $5.00
A volume discount of $0.25 on subs only, is offered on orders exceeding 500 total pieces (subs & pretzel sandwiches combined).
Determine Your Selling Dates/Delivery Dates
Determine the date that your group would like to receive and distribute our products. Once you receive confirmation from an R&K Subs representative on the scheduling of your fundraiser, you can contact the rest of your group or organization, and begin selling. We request that your order be submitted to R&K Subs, 7 days before your delivery date.
To help you gauge the length of your fundraiser, we suggest that your Sale begins 2 – 3 weeks prior to your order submission date (which is seven days before your delivery). You may want to schedule your "order due date" 10 days to 2 weeks in advance of your delivery date to allow time for "stragglers" to come in.
If you have determined your selling price, selling dates and delivery date, you are ready to begin your Fundraiser with R&K Subs! Simply fill out the form below to get started! Best of luck to you!