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OK, I'm still playing with my iPad and loving it, and I found another software App that is a lot of fun. ASKetch by Andrew Kern is supposed to work with finger motions and strokes alone, and not be used with a stylus or pen tool. I'll tell you what it is supposed to do (and it does it very well). Let's look at ASKetch as Mr. Kern meant it to be. First, I'll quote: ASKetch is a simple black & white procedural sketching program for drawing with your fingers. It is designed from the ground … [Read more...]
(Review) ASKetch for the iPad
(Review) Genius Scan: A Scanner App for iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch
OK, I admit from the start that I am in love with my iPad2; but it is the availability of Apps for it that make it such a part of my current life. I just encountered a new App that I think is going to be extremely useful in the future. It's an App called Genius Scan from Grizzly Labs that is intended for use on the iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch. In short, it uses the back facing camera of the iPad (or iPhone or iPod Touch) to take an image that can be corrected and then mailed—that's in the … [Read more...]
Review: Dr. Roach's Photoshop Tutorial App for the Ipad
Dr. Michael Roach's newest version of Photoshop tutorial is a hit. Roach takes aim at photographers and artists who are ready to take a systematic, measured approach to learning arguably one of the most difficult photo editing programs to master. With this tutorial open on an iPad in view, a user can go through and unlock many of Photoshop's mysteries. Systematic is a word that best describes Roach. During his tenure of 30+ years teaching photography at an East Texas university, Roach devised … [Read more...]
For The iPad- Adobe Photoshop CS5: Tutorial for Beginners Available in the Apple Store
If you have noticed my free version of Adobe Photoshop CS4 Tutorial which has been available here for download at DigitalAppleJuice.com, I have to tell you that Apple has just accepted my Adobe Photoshop CS5—A Tutorial for Beginners as an App in the iPad section of the Apple App Store.Searching by my name from your iPad is the fastest way to find it, and it is available for $3.99 until the first week in October (October 9, to be exact) as a "Back to School Special." After that it returns to its … [Read more...]
iPad2 Review: OK, I MUST BE A FANBOY
On March 11, the first day iPad 2's were available for order, at 5 A.M. I got up to go to the bathroom (something common when you are 73 years old), and on a whim sat down at the computer and ordered an iPad. White, 64GB wifi only, with a spare power supply, a Camera Connection package, VGA and Digital AV Adapters, and a red leather cover. I had intended to make this order eventually, and the computer seemed to call to me as I returned from the bathroom. It was a good thing too, as within 24 … [Read more...]
Ipad vs. Newpaper
Enjoy Your HD Media on Your Iphone and Computer with Libox
Ran across a new app for both your computer and iPhone that will allow you to share and experience all high quality media for free! That means: no price tags and no limits on how much HD media users can share with friends and family. I love this, as many of my media sharing apps put limits on how much I can upload and how large my files can be. Freedom is great, especially when it's free! … [Read more...]
$100 OLPC tablet
Evernote for your iPad
Okay Mac addicts, if you're still debating the necessity of Apple's new iPad, I know how you feel. Heart telling you "GO GET IT", head asking "DO YOU REALLY NEED THIS?" Well, playing for the heart team, Evernote, has given you just one more reason the iPad can be handy for just about everyone. Here is what the iPad and Evernote, together, can to do keep your life organized on the go... … [Read more...]
The Accidental iPad and How I Use It
When Steve Jobs announced the iPad a few months ago I didn't think "Wow, I gotta have me one of those...". Though I was intrigued by the form factor and slightly motivated by Steve Jobs' demonstration of the device, it didn't scream out at me as something I needed. I was actually more amused with all the criticism surrounding the choice of iPad as the name for the device. I yawned and went on with my life. Nearly a month ago I walked in to our local Apple store with my family. We weren't … [Read more...]


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Students meeting qualifying criteria in grades K‐7 can take advanced academic content in mathematics or English Language Arts through Single Subject Acceleration (SSA). This ensures opportunities for appropriate levels of academic challenge. Only students who are currently enrolled and attending a WCPSS school during the open nomination and testing window are eligible to be considered for SSA.
Does My Child Qualify?
SSA allows students to show mastery of content in select elementary or middle school courses. Students who prove mastery do not have to take the course and may move on to the next level.
Parents may nominate their child to skip a grade level of content in either English Language Arts or mathematics.
Students are nominated for SSA by their parents or guardians. They will be assessed at their school based upon grade level. Depending on grade level and subject, this could include a multiple-choice test and/or a writing sample. Your school will have more specific information about this process once your child is nominated.
Nominating Your Child
SSA nominations are CLOSED for the 2019-20 school year. Nominations for the 2020-21 school year will open in spring 2020.

subset: commoncrawl


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MasterCard has been hard at work trying to re-imagine the way we pay for things for a long time now. By providing the latest gadget that allows you to quickly pay for something, MasterCard has always been a step above the rest here in the US. Unfortunately, NFC-style payments are only just starting to catch on, and right now everyone is fighting for the right to be the brand you use to tap-and-pay.
In an attempt to bolster their already well known Paypass system, MasterCard seeks to create a payment ecosystem in which you use only them. MasterCard wants to make Paypass the payment solution you use to click, touch, and tap to buy things.
Tap to Pay
NFC payments are, in my opinion, incredibly useful. Unfortunately, the availability right now is basically nonexistent unless you have the right device on the right carrier. Google Wallet is trying to win the hearts and minds of the mobile purchaser, but is unable to get past these hurdles with the carriers. As a result, there are many NFC-enabled devices that do not have Google Wallet on them, so the mobile payment opportunity is lost.
MasterCard is a primary backer in Google's Wallet plan, but as it becomes clear that the issues with the carriers isn't going to be resolved anytime soon, they acted on their own. MasterCard intends to release a PayPass app that functions in much the same way as Google Wallet, but include support for up to 25 different cards in the Paypass Wallet. If you have a card or a banking service that supports payment via NFC, you will be able to tap your NFC phone to a Paypass pad and complete the transaction.
In the demonstrations of the software, MasterCard showed off a new kind of turnstyle that allowed you to simply tap your phone to the column and then allow you to pass through, as you would with a train or subway. Before implementations like this, MasterCard is laser-focused on putting Paypass receivers on as many brick-and-mortar style payment systems possible in order to encourage users to pull out their phone when available to complete the purchase.
Click to Pay
MasterCard has realized that the world is not going to dive head first into NFC. Even when they get a phone that supports it, some people just plain won't use it. After all, their real wallet works just fine, or maybe they do most of their shopping online anyway. Web-based shopping isn't something that is really feared anymore. Many users, just like with brink-and-mortar stores, pick their shopping outlets and tend to buy from just those places. Others will shop whichever site has the thing that caught their eye.
MasterCard has released APIs to allow for websites to include a "Pay with Paypass" button on their website. If you choose to pay this way, when you click the button you are prompted to login and are presented with up to 25 credit cards in your digital wallet. Pick the card you want to pay with, and complete the transaction. If you need to have that item you just bought shipped to your house, Paypass stores multiple addresses that it will auto-populate the shipping form with.
Everything about this addition to Paypass points a crosshair on other similar services. Both Paypal and Google Wallet are widely accepted forms of payment across the web, enabling users to rapidly pay for all kind of goods and services. Paypass, however, offers the service s a seamless add on to their NFC payment app. The two will function as a single service, which is something neither Paypal nor Google have managed to pull off yet. For example, Google's Checkout service and Google Wallet aren't connected in any way, the two services don't even share a transaction history.
Touch to Pay
Part of the APIs that MasterCard is releasing for the web-based Paypass purchasing system include simple large buttons for transactions in a mobile environment. The web app for MasterCard Paypass is designed to offer the same usability that you see with a phone app for completing a transaction. The large buttons, clear text, and scalable graphics mean the purchasing gateway looks and functions nicely on any phone or tablet.The Paypass wallet service makes it so you don't need to enter in a credit card number or shipping address, as it will pull that information straight from your account.
While this feels very much like a value add and not a separate feature right now, the possibility for it to be more is certainly there. It wasn't that long ago there were companies trying desperately to avoid paying Apple's rates for in-app purchases or digital subscriptions. The attempted resolution for many companies was to bring the user to a website to pay for the service. Paypass mobile APIs would make this kind of activity far simpler for a small company to implement on their apps to avoid the in-app purchasing systems.
Final Thoughts
This is a bold move for MasterCard. Be entering the word on web payment, they introduce a new competitor into the arena, which will force the existing companies to innovate and create new features for web purchasing. Ultimately, whether or not MasterCard is successful here comes entirely from adoption. Customers, vendors, web developers, and even financial institutions need to support MasterCard in this venture in order for it to work out in their favor. MasterCard says that the volume of organizations implementing Paypass in their businesses has doubled year over year. The desire is there, but MasterCard will now need to heavily promote this new service to get it off the ground.


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Join Park Authority Director John Dargle Jr., for an online discussion about our parks system. It's an opportunity for park lovers, critics and people with a great idea or two to get instant feedback on park topics. The Fairfax County Park Authority is a tremendous asset to the community with more than 23,000 acres of parkland, nine recenters, golf courses, historic sites, more than 250 miles of trails, and over 400 parks. You can enjoy lakes or ball fields, and nature centers or swimming pools.
John Dargle, Jr
Good Morning Fairfax County! I am your Fairfax County Park Authority Director, John Dargle. It is an honor to serve you and be a part of an outstanding park system. Come out and enjoy the wonderful world of parks and recreation, you will be amazed at all the great things we have in Fairfax County. The Benefits are endlesss....
Some of your park classes fill up so quickly that's it's nearly impossible to get signed up for some. I've been trying for more than year to get some classes for my children, but by the time I get home to logon, the classes are filled within the first hours. I work all day and can't get access until I get home. Isn't there a fairer way to do registration that doesn't discriminate against those of us who work full time? Maybe start registration at 8 p.m. or something?
John Dargle, Jr
Unfortunately, there is no single start time for registration that would satisfy everyone's needs. The 5 a.m. start time (via the internet or by calling an operator) does allow most people an opportunity to register prior to going to work. And though children's aquatic classes do fill up very quickly, the vast majority of class takers don't have to register on the first day - and certainly not in the first few hours that the system is open - in order to get their first-choice classes. Here is some information from a previous term to help you decide if you can afford to avoid the early morning crush:
Barry D.
In these tight economic times, why do people who live in other counties or DC get the advantage to use Fairfax parks for free? I'm not suggesting that all parks have a residency requirement (so if you're not a citizen of Fairfax, then you pay), but for some of your major ones. It seems like the prudent thing to do.
There was a time in the past when park entrance fees were in effect for Lake Fairfax for out of county residents. The gate fee at Lake Fairfax was eliminated when the Water Mine opened because it was determined this was a regional destination and the gate fee alongside the admission fee to the waterpark would make it cost prohibitive. Currently Burke Lake Park has a seasonal gate fee for weekends and holidays for out of county residents. It has become more costly to provide staffing for the other larger parks which include resource based parks, nature centers, preserves and other primarily sports based parks.
Anonymous User
Clemyjontri is such a great, unique park. Can you build one in the western part of the county? It's a long haul some days from Chantilly to get to McLean amid naptime and other things on weekends.
We agree that Clemyjontri is a wonderful unique experience for families. It was created as a result of the vision of the Liebowitz family who donated the parkland on the condition of creating such a park. We are creating an equally vibrant park experience in the Family Recreation Area of Lee District Park with the opening last summer of Our Special Harbor Sprayground, an Accessible Tree House and the future Chessie's Backyard playground. The western part of the County does enjoy the only Indoor leisure entertainment pool featuring two water slides and a water playground at Cub Run RECenter. We hope that you enjoy this unique feature located nearby. As we plan parks in the western part of the County, we can look at appropriate sites where such a facility might be suitable. This can be a long process that includes park master planning, assigning funding and finally construction and opening of facilities.
Mrs. Dargle
Any chance Mr. Dargle will be home for dinner this evening?? : ) Seriously, thanks for all you do John!! I'm your biggest fan!!!
John Dargle, Jr
Mrs. Dargle, it depends, what's for dinner?
My fiancee and I absolutely love biking on the Fairfax Cross County Trail and on the mountain biking trails at Laurel Hill Park, which we think is the best hidden gem in all of the Fairfax parks. So first I want to thank the Park Authority for its leadership in expanding access to off-road trails for cyclists!
My question is, do you have plans to develop additional mountain biking and/or off-road trails in other Fairfax parks?
Hi Maura!
Thank you for your interest in Fairfax County Park Authority Trails. Trails are the most used recreation facility type in Fairfax County. The Park Authority recognizes the need for expanding the existing trail system to meet this need including development of mountain biking and general purpose trails. Most recently mountain biking trails have been improved at Lake Fairfax Park in partnership with the Mid-Atlantic Off Road Enthusiasts (MORE). MORE has also worked with the Park Authority to improve mountain biking trails at Wakefield Park and Lake Accotink. Additional trails are planned at Laurel Hill and a trails plan for the 3,000 acres comprising Sully Woodlands in the western portion of the county is in development.
Anonymous User
How is it going to be possible to create meaningful park space in Tysons? It seems like it's going to be full of concrete, buildings and Metro. Obviously we won't have a Central Park like NYC but I fail to see how abundant green space will be provided that's attractive and numerous enough for all of the people expected to live in Tysons. We'll have to get in our cars and drive to a meaningful park. How will you accomplish this since it seems like developers want to monetize every last square inch of land there. Thanks.
Hello Anonymous,
It is very hard to envision Tysons in 2025 or 2050 based on what is happening there now. Change will take decades to occur and keep in mind that the Comprehensive Plan for Tysons Corner requires that all redevelopment provide new park spaces and walkable, well designed streets that connect public spaces and parks. In addition, redevelopment must provide active recreation facilities such as athletic fields. Currently, there is approximately 20 rezoning applications under review in Tysons and county staff is working with the applicants to ensure that adequate new park space is provided in their redevelopment plans. As each redevelopment application is reviewed by the County, Park Authority staff participates on the Tysons review team to ensure that the Tysons park system gets implemented through the redevelopment process. As a result of our participation in the review, applicants are pretty clear on the County's expectations for parks and facilities. Creative urban park initiatives may include rooftop parks, unique programming areas, recreation facilities and program space provided within commercial buildings, or redevelopment at nearby existing parks.
Additional information about the Tysons Plan and how it addresses the need for new urban parks is available on the County web site: http://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/tysons/facilities/.
Are there any plans to build new or substantially renovate Recenters?
Good Morning Mark,
The Park Authority's recent Capital Development Program has included funding to replace mechanical systems, roofs and other building systems at our aging RECenters. This work although not necessarily visible to our patrons was necessary to keep the RECenters operational and has been completed to date. Several projects to expand existing RECenters including renovations are being considered for a proposed voter approved Park Bond in November 2012.
More synthetic turf fields, please! Please! And please, more enforcement of people who aren't scheduled on grass fields to stay off -- they ruin the grass for those who do go through the proper channels. Thanks.
Hey Dillon,
The Park Board along with the Department of Neighborhood and Community Services' (NCS) Athletic Council adopted a new athletic field use regulation which limits groups to 20 players without a permit. Also, NCS has a field monitor program that is responsible for enforcement. We anticipate an update to the program in January.
The Park Authority continues to seek ways to convert existing grass fields to synthetic turf and develop new synthetic turf fields. We are doing this through a variety of funding sources including Park Bonds, partnering with user groups and seeking developer proffers. Several synthetic turf field conversion projects are being considered for funding in the proposed voter approved 2012 Park Bond in November.
amy in fairfax
i only recently discovered the cross county trail, yet i've lived here for awhile. it seems like that compared with other trails like w&od, the cross county trail isn't well known or well marked or visible. i've only been on a small part of it, so maybe other sections are clear, but it seems to be a hidden jewel that may be suffering from poor signage and publicity.
John Dargle, Jr
Dear Amy,
Thank you for your interest in the Fairfax County Park Authority Cross County Trail (CCT). The 42-mile CCT is continuous public right-of-way from Great Falls National Park on the Potomac River to Occoquan Regional Park on the Occoquan River. The trail is an amalgam of several existing trails and on-road routes. It is comprised of multiple surface types for all users although in a general sense the northern end is mostly natural surface and the middle section tends to be hard surfaced. Information about the CCT can be found on the FCPA website at http://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/parks/cct/ . The trail has more than 1,000 markers over it's length and more than a dozen interpretive/information signs. The Park Authority is always looking to improve the signage and information about the trail.
Four types of signs are used to mark the CCT. All have the CCT logo in red. There is a tan recycled four by four plastic post with the logo -- these signs are installed so that the logo side faces the trail, parallel to it. There are brown fiberglass markers that are installed perpendicular to the trail and may include red arrows, indicating angle of turn on the trail. If there is a fork or intersection in the trail, these signs should show you which way to go. If there is no sign, generally stay on the trail you are on. A shorter brown fiberglass marker looks the same as the markers described above, but includes numerals to indicate the distance in miles from the Potomac River, southbound. Both miles and half-miles are marked except where the trail is not located on FCPA land. A fourth type of sign is a six inch by six inch aluminum square that is used along road right-of-ways and on the grounds of Great Falls Park. Additionally, the brown markers with road names are installed near roads that don't have another easily visible sign identifying them. Trailhead signs for each of the ten sections have been installed, with an additional sign planned for the LHG. These signs include a map of the trail section and a "you are here" star. Interpretive signs are also located along the trail on FCPA land.
A complete collection of Maps for the CCT can be found at the following link http://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/parks/cct/cctoverview.htm
Anonymous User
On my iPad, I have an app from the History Channel about "This Day in Civil War History", which often features exciting information about Civil War happenings 150 years ago here in Fairfax County.
Beyond the re-enactments of the Battles of Dranesville and Balls Bluff that happened earlier this year at one of the Northern Virginia Regional Parks, are there plans for civil-war related programs at Fairfax parks/historical sites in the next year? I have a student in an FCPS public school studying civil war history this year (Grade 4), and I'm surprised that all of her field trips this year are out of the county. Both for our family and for her class, I'd love to see more historical happenings locally!
The Park Authority has partnered with 24 other organizations and is co-chairing the county's Civil War Sesquicentennial Committee with FX VA (Visit Fairfax) to plan and manage the many activities and events being held to commemorate the anniversary. This committee lists all events and activities for the entire county and provides great information on the Civil War in Fairfax County on the FXVA website at
Anonymous User
Why don't you allow people to pay deposits or use a payment when signing up for summer camps other than RecPAC? My kids participate in camps all summer long at the RECenters, but it's increasingly hard to pay several thousand dollars up front in April to guarantee their spaces.
John Dargle, Jr
We have never done payment plans, however, we are in the process of developing an electronic fund transfer capability. We anticipate that this program will be in place within the next year.
Anonymous User
What are some new trends in parks that may be coming to Fairfax?
Here are some trends that come to mind…
· Pay for Play – unfortunately, due to extreme funding stresses this is becoming more prevalent nationwide.
· Sustainable design – for budgetary and environmental reasons this is becoming more common in both designing new facilities and retro-fitting old.
· Fitness/community wellness – more people are becoming interested in healthy living, parks play a part. Constantly updating our fitness offerings (BodyPump is example of latest) and becoming more involved with community wellness (Take12 Fitness).
· Turf fields – need for maximizing use per field to make limited resources go farther and improved playing conditions has spurred this trend.
· Trails – some oldies, but goodies never go away. Trails are among highest used portions of park system in every community in the country.
· Kids programs explosion – even during recession, summer camp programs in particular continued to expand in popularity. The Park Authority has more than 100 summer camp experiences (double what we had a decade ago) to keep up with parents' demand for variety.
· Outdoor adventure – We are trying with expanded water offerings at Riverbend Park (kayaks, canoes), mountain bike trails, high ropes course, and adventure racing!
Anonymous User
Anything new going on with any of the golf courses for 2012?
John Dargle, Jr
We anticipate a push for increasing junior golf across the system, seeking Audubon certifications at all our courses, and promoting off peak discounts. Pending November 2012 voter approved park bond funding, we are planning capital projects at Twin Lakes (clubhouse, putting/piching surface) and Burke Lake (clubhouse, driving range). Also, the Park Authority is in the midst of completing a National Golf Foundation study to include service delivery, capital projects, and organization efficiencies.
Stacey McCuin
What is the procedure for requesting a playground installation at Woodlawn Little League fields? There are so many siblings at the games and there is nowhere for them to safely play.
John Dargle, Jr
Hey Now Stacey,
Please contact your Park Board member, Mr. Linwood Gorham, to initiate the process at email@example.com
John Dargle, Jr
Hey Now! Thank you for all your questions. This has been a terrific means of communication. I apologize for not being able to answer all the comments, however, please join us on our next bi-monthly roadshow, the Listening Forum, on February 16, 7pm, Nottoway Park or reach us at firstname.lastname@example.com
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Product Information
Portable LED
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It's been a lousy day for Redskins fans, knowing the Eagles just posted a 59-burger on them, and knowing that their team just gave $40 million guaranteed to a quarterback they benched two weeks ago.
The contract extension Donovan McNabb got was stupid yesterday, and in the wake of the Redskins 59-28 loss at home to Philly, it feels even more inexplicable. McNabb threw three picks against his old team last night and fumbled once (a fumble he recovered). He'll be 34 years old next week, and 39 when this contract reaches its final year (odds he serves out the entire contract before being cut? -789%). This season has shown McNabb to be a player in decline, as inconsistent as ever. There's nothing to indicate he'll ever be as good or better than he was at his best, in the mid-2000's. So how could the Redskins possibly justify handing him all that money?
Well, here's one obvious reason they gave him the money: Because they could. With a new collective bargaining agreement still being negotiated, there's no guarantee that the NFL will ever again have a salary cap. Dan Snyder can waste $40 million on McNabb, then turn around and dump him next year if Mike Shanahan feels the need to groom a younger QB. Wasting money is what the Skins do best, and now they're in little danger of being in cap jail because of it.
But the second theory as to why McNabb got his huge contract is a decidedly more loopy one. Surely, you remember the bizarre race debate that broke out when McNabb was benched, with writer John Feinstein even calling for Shanny to be fired over "racial coding," which is so insane I want to break a plate over my head.
Now listen to Tony Kornheiser's theory about how that debate led to the extension:
"You know what, I wouldn't be that cynical, though I might think that," Tony said. "But I think the effect on this town, on Washington, D.C., with that benching and that humiliation and the sort of racial politics that wafted around, that somebody said let's get together and show everybody...
Sports Connection
Connecting you to your favorite North Texas sports teams as well as sports news around the globe.
I can't imagine the Redskins would be dumb enough to hand $40 million to an aging QB just to counter accusations of racism. Then again, these are the Redskins, and they are galactically stupid. Personally, I think it's more likely that they gave McNabb the money strictly to make John Feinstein look like an idiot, in which case I wholeheartedly approve.
I will say this though: If it turns out that the Skins did give McNabb all that cash as a result of a defensive PR effort, then Donovan McNabb is an evil genius, and he deserves that $40 million to spend on all the Swiss Cake Rolls he pleases. It's the Redskins. Would you expect anything other than mass chaos?
UPDATE: NBC's own Mike Florio says the extension only guarantees $3.5 million, which I still pray is enough to make Feinstein feel dumb.


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Brown Palace Hotel an elegant stay, plus tea, after History Colorado visit
A daughter graduating from high school and family in from out of town calls for something special to celebrate, and the Brown Palace Hotel & Spa certainly qualifies.
First, I wanted my sister, who has two young sons and works a stressful job partly from home, to feel pampered somewhere fun. Second, I wanted to take some of my favorite female relatives out and about with both of my daughters for a festive get-together one afternoon.
Done and done at the Brown.
For the get-together, we started the day at the new History Colorado Center, which opened at the end of April.
We were impressed with everything about the place, but several exhibits really stuck out, starting with the time machines close to the entrance. The machines can be rolled around a giant room so that you can pick a variety of Colorado regions and years, then watch well-edited videos from those areas and periods, on subjects such as the Leadville ice palace or the Colorado-Texas Tomato Wars (who knew?). The videos were fascinating.
Other exhibits we could hardly tear ourselves away from included the poignant and thoughtfully constructed section on the Sand Creek Massacre and the Top of the World portion on silver mining. We laughed out loud, though, during our pathetic attempts to virtually ski jump, drive an old car, milk a cow and take photos of ourselves to insert into vintage images in an old yearbook on the wall of the old schoolhouse.
The new center is being touted as a great place for kids because of all the interactive stuff, but the youngest in this particular group was…45. But I could definitely see the appeal for young 'uns too. Cost: $10 adults, $6 ages 6-12.
The Brown was an ideal follow-up, such a distinguished part of the state's history, with its 120th anniversary coming up in August. The hotel has been doing traditional afternoon tea for decades, as well, and I first took my daughters to tea 14 years ago when they were 2 and 4, so this was extra-special for us. The service was as impeccable as always, and not much else has changed — the scones were buttery and unbelievably airy and light (how do they do that?), and the curried egg salad and cucumber canapes as perfectly seasoned and cut into tidy shapes as ever.
Even the tea was some of the best we've had, particularly a vanilla rooibos and a chai. Our only complaint? The desserts could be better; there were a lot of overly gelatinous and somewhat bland offerings that were pretty but not that fun to eat. Cost: $32 for the signature tea; $40 to add a kir royale and a chocolate truffle.
I stayed with my sister for part of her visit, in one of the lovely, and very comfortable, double rooms, which has a flat-screen HDTV, iPod docking station, soaking tub and Keurig coffee maker, and the old-style desk that can be accessed from both sides — with plenty of outlets — is cool, because of course neither of us could resist setting up laptops and plugging in. Rates start at $152 a night, by the way, but that's on weekends.
We also had a facial (her) and massage (me), which cost $110 and $115 respectively, and were worth every penny, even if just to sit in the quiet, relaxing spa itself and hang out.
Offering complimentary Wi-Fi would be a classy move (it's free in the lobby, but that's it), but otherwise, the Brown is elegance all the way.
Kyle Wagner is the editor of the Travel and OutWest sections at The Denver Post.


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Why hello there, kind reader!
You are reading a post about Fifty Shades of Grey. It was written in July of last year. It's kind of aggressive. I'm not going to edit it or take it down, mostly because my opinion is still in here (although it has evolved), but yes, this could have been written in a less assertive way. I don't think it had to be, but holy did it make some people mad.
No, I am not actually telling you what to do, and yes, I realize I'm just a 'stranger on the internet'. The title was a stylistic choice and a plea for civility post-backlash from when the trailer first dropped. I found that the ridicule and mockery was reaching epic proportions, and that facet of the backlash seemed like a topic worth discussing with feminists. The main point is the part with the academic reference to patriarchy and whatnot. I don't think things are as bad right now as they were then, so there is some context for you.
Happy (cringes) reading!
(Edit from Feb 11)
I get it. You might be too cool for Fifty Shades of Grey. You hate-read the book, or you read one of the summaries, or you heard about it from a friend, and it's just an absolute tragedy of literature. Right.
It's easy to hate on Fifty Shades now - like Twilight, it's a sloppy romance with some problematic relationship bits that has gotten absolutely *crucified* by public opinion. Hating on Fifty Shades, and Twilight, and whatever comes next, is really damn easy.
But I have to say, it really bothers me. Because both of these franchises got extraordinarily popular because women loved them. Overwhelmingly these audiences have been women. And bashing, ridiculing, and mocking the fantasies of millions of women feels really not cool to me. (Actually millions. In June of 2012, 16 million copies of the first book had been sold in the US alone. And that was more than two years ago.)
Identifying the stupid parts? For sure! For example, Ana (the protagonist) is a meek virgin who has, iirc, never had an orgasm until Christian Grey shows her the light. We feminists know there is a problem with this trope. She has little personality, because she seems to be written to be a stand in for the reader (like Bella, from Twilight). Christian Grey is into BDSM because he was sexually abused as an adolescent. In the end (spoiler!) the happily ever after is them married with children. There are problems here, real ones, just like there are with the emotionally abusive undertone of Twilight.
But you know what? I don't think that justifies the extreme mockery both franchises are receiving. They deserve critique, for sure. But that quickly seems to spiral into ridicule of the sex scenes themselves, which, as I've pointed out, fulfill the fantasies of thousands of women, if not millions at this stage. The "ugly duck that he thinks is beautiful" trope is equally fulfilling for women in a world that tells us we have no value unless we're beautiful - there's a reason why the "you're more beautiful than you think you are" trope absolutely saturates our fiction and popular culture. And again, that absolutely deserves to be critiqued. But the women who crave that fantasy do not.
The intensity of the anti fan movement around Twilight is already being pulled apart in academia, and I know at least one researcher who's in the process of doing the same for Fifty Shades. For a taste of where that might go, consider the following abstract (from this paper, "... It Sucked Because It Was Written for Teenage Girls", which is available for free on Google scholar):
In Western societies, cultural products associated with girls or women, either as the creator or the main audience, have often been positioned at or near the bottom of the cultural hierarchy (Huyssen 1986; Modleski 1986:48). Examples of this include romance novels, soap operas and 'pop' music. This paper will examine the response of 'anti-fans' in on-line communities to the hugely successful Twilight series (both the books and the movie), with a view to demonstrating how the feminine nature of the series is central to the criticisms made of it and its fans. The associated naturalisation of the teenage girl as an uncritical, overly-emotional consumer of culture will be analysed as a form of symbolic violence that helps to reproduce power relations between men and women. The paper will demonstrate that the themes that arise in the discussion of Twilight coincide in many ways with debates within academia, feminism itself and wider society around the value and effects of popular culture, and ultimately contribute to the construction of a hierarchy of tastes that continues to denigrate feminine culture.
Is it just me, or is it kind of important for us, as feminists, to think a little harder about the complete mockery of Fifty Shades that seems to abound in feminist spaces, and where it comes from? Because, like the above explanation of Twilight anti fandom, it is not all coming from the real, legitimate problems with Fifty Shades, but gets boiled down to the whole concept of the novel being silly and ridiculous (and by extension, all of the women who love it being silly and ridiculous).
I'll be honest. I found Fifty Shades on major sale when it was still just an ebook (because this book only got physical publication due to fans. That's kind of something). When I thought it was some obscure trashy novel, I fucking loved it. Yeah, Ana is a dumb attempt at a character, but her personality is so bland I could just imagine her as me, with my actual personality. And in case you aren't an erotica/romance novel fan, the quality of the characters isn't always suuper important. The set up of the dominant, successful businessman seducing a woman to explore her submissive side is scattered across SM erotica for a reason. (Sylvia Day's Crossfire series does it much better, but the premise is practically identical, and it has gotten a lot of coverage as the "better" Fifty Shades of Grey.) And from my perspective, that does not deserve to be ridiculed, because women have sexualities. Some women like kink. Many, many women are pretty vanilla, but find power play intriguing, and for those women, such popular erotica making it to the mainstream is crucial - it might be the first erotica they've ever read, if they only buy books at Chapters and stayed away from the risqué section. It's not great that their first exposure might be to a relationship that isn't a great model of a healthy SM relationship, but at risk of being boring, let me repeat myself: that is not the theme of the common criticisms of this book (even here!) and, again, is not the responsibility of the individual people who found this book so arousing.
So, I don't appreciate the war on Fifty Shades. By all means, let's talk about what a healthy SM relationship actually looks like. Let's talk about the fantasy of virginity and purity and what that says about female sexuality. Let's talk about how problematic it is to imply that someone needs to be a victim of abuse to be a Dom.
But let's remember that women made this book popular, and the majority of mainstream ridicule of this book is not centering on an unrealistic representation of BDSM, but the utter triviality, pointlessness, and bad writing of a sex book that appeals so much to so many women. Because mainstream media really needs to get up in arms because a character in an erotic novel bites her lip too damn much, and because mainstream media always cares so much about the quality of our pop fiction, right? (Wrong.) Let's not forget that one term used to denigrate this book is "mommy porn". Let's be critical feminists about this, and critique the bandwagon just a bit sometimes, instead of unquestioningly jumping on board.
Today, the Fifty Shades of Grey trailer came out. (Watch it here, if you're going to - there are a ton of fakes on YouTube right now, and they're convincing but very horrible.) This movie might not be for you. These books might not be for you! But maybe, just maybe, before you groan about the cheesy premise and the awkward (to you) sex to your friends, family, and social networks, think about some of the dynamics involved here. Think about the people you know that have to keep their enjoyment of this book secret, because they're ashamed of liking something so thoroughly trounced in mainstream media and many, many social circles. And maybe, just maybe, avoid contributing to the problem - or at least make it a discussion about the actually problematic parts.
Images found here.
ETA: I'd like to apologize to anyone who felt like this post was aggressive or shutting down conversation. I have a strong opinion about this, because I've become increasingly upset and appalled at the way this series is mocked in women-friendly spaces. As you can see, I think that some critique of this franchise is deserved, and I think some of it is influenced by the sort of dynamics feminists might be interested in. If you think I'm totally wrong here, that's fine, and I'm not going to dismiss or attack anyone who feels like posting that - you're (obviously!!) free to converse with me or other people about it as you see fit. I wrote this because I have an opinion, but also because I don't think I've captured all of it and am probably missing something (or a few somethings), so I am really open to dissenting opinions. Thanks for reading.
ETA2: Bolded some key parts. A lot of people seem to be thinking I'm saying the books are actually good. I'm not. One angle (a huge angle) of the mainstream anti fandom does not mention or seem to care about the abusive aspects of this book. It gets a bizarre degree of public vitriol for poor writing when we have plenty of badly written books that make lots of money, and really, mainstream media doesn't really care (unless you're Dan Brown, but that wasn't to this extent). Maybe something else is going on there, eh? If you and your friends and your social circle only hate the book because it's a horrible model of a relationship for women, this article is not about you!


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By Mike Chaiken
Editions Editor
You can say central Connecticut's towns of Southington, Bristol, and Plainville did well at the Miss Connecticut Scholarship Pageant Saturday.
Miss Southington Kaitlyn Tarpey is the 2013 Miss Connecticut. And Krystiana Bouchard of Southington, competing as Miss West Hartford's Outstanding Teen, is the new Miss Connecticut's Outstanding Teen.
After her win, Tarpey said, after a beat of speechlessness, "I'm so happy. I've worked very, very hard. And I'm so ready to represent not only myself and the state organization but all the other girls I competed against this week. I'm ready to rumble and I'm ready to work. "
After three days of competing—the finals and the preliminary events, Tarpey said, "There was a weird sense of calm over me (over the course of Miss Connecticut). I've been praying a lot this week. I was very comfortable with everything I've done. I knew that all I needed to do was put my best foot on that stage and I felt I did that and I'm happy with the end result."
As for what she was looking forward to over the next year, Tarpey said, "There are so many things I'm going to be looking forward to that I don't even know are going to be coming. But being at Miss America in Atlantic City (in September) will be so wonderful because all of my friends and family won't have to drive that far or fly that far to come and see me."
Additionally, Tarpey said, "I'm really excited to start my work with Krystiana (Bouchard) .We've been friends for the past three years. I'm just so excited to serve and so excited to be Miss Connecticut. I'm still a little bit surprised—I'm hungry, too."
"I'm really, really excited. I'm so proud of myself," said Bouchard after the pageant when asked how she was feeling after winning Miss Connecticut's Outstanding Teen. "I'm looking forward to the year ahead."
As for how she was feeling as the pageant weekend progressed and she watched the other teen contestants on stage, Bouchard said, "As the nights went on, I got a little bit more nervous. The experience was great and the girls were amazing. The competition was very strong."
As the year begins, what is the Southington teen looking forward to? Bouchard said, "I get to work with so many amazing organizations. I get to expand my own platform (fighting multiple sclerosis). And I'm looking forward to going to Florida (Orlando to compete for Miss America's Outstanding Teen in August)."
In addition to Bouchard and Tarpey representing central Connecticut, Miss Southington's Outstanding Teen Madison Yurgaitis finished as fourth runner-up and Miss Forestville's Outstanding Teen Jillian Duffy finished in the top 10 to earn the right to compete in finals night.
Besides winning the top teen crown, Bouchard won overall fitness in the teens.
Tarpey also received the overall health and fitness award in the Miss category. She also received overall honors in talent for her Irish step dancing routine.
Other contestants from the area competing throughout the week at Miss Connecticut and Miss Connecticut's Outstanding Teen competition were:
Southington: Miss Plantsville Shannon Murphy, Miss Plantsville's Outstanding Teen Katerina Belales, and Miss Milldale's Outstanding Teen Olivia Sica.
Bristol: Miss Forestville Julie Gianoni, Miss Bristol Aubrie Przybysz, Miss Bristol's Outstanding Teen Jaymie Bianca.
Plainville: Plainville's Outstanding Teen Brooke Cyr.
Several of these local contestants received honors on Saturday night at the Garde Arts Center in New London.
Besides placing in the top 10, Duffy received the Teen Fighting Spirit Award.
Bianca won the Teen Miss Congeniality Award.
In addition to placing in the top 5, Yurgaitis received the Teen Community Service Award and the Academic Award.
Murphy won Miss Congeniality in the Miss category.
Gianoni won the academic award from the Miss America Organization in the Miss category.
Przybysz received the non-finalist health and fitness award.
On the second night of preliminary competition, local contestants also received early awards.
Tarpey won the health and fitness preliminary competition. Bouchard received the teen health and fitness award.
Additionally, a few other non-competition honors were distributed.
Gianoni received a bronze medal from the Duke of Edinburgh Award. The award, eligible to persons ages 14 to 25, awards bronze, silver and gold medals to those who successfully complete requirements in four areas: community service, physical fitness, special skill and adventurous journey.
Duffy received the MiracleMaker Award from Connecticut Children's Medical Center for raising the most funds for the CCMC this past year. Duffy, who is a leukemia survivor and was treated at CCCM, raised $2,200 for the hospital.
On the first night of competition, June 20, none of the locals received awards.
Comments? Email firstname.lastname@example.com.


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ScienceDaily (July 18, 2012) — The high prevalence and consequences of physical inactivity should be recognized as a global pandemic, according to a new publication by Harold W. Kohl, III, Ph.D., professor of epidemiology at The University of Texas School of Public Health, part of The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth).
"Physical inactivity continues to be undervalued among people who can make a difference despite evidence of its health benefits and the evident cost burden posed by present levels of physical inactivity globally," said Kohl, who is also with the Michael & Susan Dell Center for Healthy Living at the UT School of Public Health.
The paper is the fifth and final paper in The Lancet "Series on Physical Activity" published this week and outlines key strategies and resources needed to make physical activity a global public health priority. "This series emphasizes the need to focus on population physical activity levels as an outcome, not just decreasing obesity," said Kohl, professor of kinesiology at The University of Texas at Austin.
The health burden of physical inactivity is substantial, according to Kohl. "Although regular physical activity is critical for weight control, it is equally or more important for lowering risk of many different chronic diseases such as heart disease, some cancers, osteoporosis and diabetes."
According to Kohl, research on physical activity needs to be its own priority within public health research of non-communicable diseases.
Globally nearly one-third of persons 15 and over were insufficiently active in 2008 and approximately 3.2 million deaths each year are attributable to insufficient physical activity, according to the World Health Organization. In 2008, the prevalence of insufficient physical activity was highest in the Americas and Eastern Mediterranean regions.
In the paper, the researchers argue for increased prioritizing of physical activity across multiple sectors of influence including health, transportation, sports, education and business. "This issue is of particular importance in countries with low-to-middle incomes, where rapid economic and social changes are likely to reduce the domestic, work and transport-related physical activity demands of daily life," said Kohl. "Improved understanding of what works best in these nations will be key to developing national policies and action plans.
Kohl recommends a multi-sector and systems-wide approach to physical activity promotion to increase population levels of activity worldwide rather than efforts focused on individual health. "Traditional approaches, where responsibility for change has resided with the health sector, will not be sufficient," said Kohl. "Improvements must happen at every level including planning and policy, leadership and advocacy and workforce training."
In 2008, 25.4 percent of U.S. adults reported no leisure time physical activity, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). County estimates of leisure-time physical inactivity range from 10.1 percent to 43 percent in the United States. These rates reflect adults who report no physical activity or exercise other than at their regular job.
"The response to physical inactivity has been incomplete, unfocused, understaffed and underfunded compared with other risk factors for non-communicable diseases," said Kohl. "This has put physical activity in reverse gear compared with population trends and advances in tobacco and alcohol control and diet."
Kohl said Texas is one of a few states that have a plan to promote physical activity, Active Texas 2020. He led the development of the plan with the Governor's Advisory Council on Physical Fitness. The Active Texas plan includes strategies and ideas that can be used by communities throughout the state.
"Physical education in schools is still one of the most effective means promoting physical activity, particularly among children," said Kohl. Texas Education Code requires elementary school students to receive at least 30 minutes of daily physical activity and 225 minutes of physical activity per two weeks for four of six semesters for middle school students.
Kohl was recently appointed to lead the Institute of Medicine's committee on Physical Activity and Physical Education in the School Environment. He is on the President's Council of Fitness, Sports & Nutrition Science Board. Kohl also led development of the 2008 U.S. Physical Activity Guidelines.
Journal Reference:
- Harold W Kohl, Cora Lynn Craig, Estelle Victoria Lambert, Shigeru Inoue, Jasem Ramadan Alkandari, Grit Leetongin, Sonja Kahlmeier. The pandemic of physical inactivity: global action for public health. The Lancet, 2012; DOI: 10.1016/S0140-6736(12)60898-8
University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (2012, July 18). Researcher calls for global action on pandemic of physical inactivity. ScienceDaily. Retrieved July 19, 2012, from http://www.sciencedaily.com /releases/2012/07/120718112055.htm


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IT vendors and policy makers are taking credit for creating many millions of new U.S. jobs, even as the national unemployment rate hangs at a disconsolate 8.3%. Are other parts of the economy really losing jobs as fast as the tech industry is spawning them, or are these job-creation claims at best overstated and at worst a bunch of bunk?
The most recent claim comes from research firm IDC, in a report commissioned and touted by Microsoft, which maintains that the cloud computing movement will generate 13.8 million tech and related jobs worldwide by 2015, nearly 1.2 million of them in the U.S. and Canada.
In driving home its claims, it's logical for Microsoft to point to cloud providers such as Vorsite, a Seattle-based partner that plans to double its workforce this year. But Microsoft and IDC also argue that the economies of scale of public and private clouds, by lowering customers' IT and process costs, will free up funds for new business investment and innovation that ultimately will add jobs. Left out of their analysis is the fact that those efficiencies are achieved mostly through infrastructure consolidation, which eliminates IT jobs even if it spawns jobs elsewhere. No doubt those jobs elsewhere are more productive jobs, but putting a number on the net gains in this case is more guesswork than science.
Microsoft isn't the only one playing fast with the jobs numbers. Apple, under fire for labor practices in some of its offshore suppliers' factories, last week released the results of a study it commissioned claiming it's responsible for creating or supporting 514,000 U.S. jobs--257,000 of them at partner and supplier companies such as glass manufacturers and shipping companies; 210,000 of them at third-party app development firms; and the remaining 47,000 under its direct employ. The assumption, of course, is that those jobs wouldn't exist were it not for Apple, but taking just one example, we can't assume that all Corning employees producing glass for the iPhone would be out of work otherwise.
Thankfully, the firm that conducted the study for Apple, the Analysis Group, didn't include in its job-creation estimates wealth managers, car salesmen, tailors, pizza delivery guys, and others who may (or may not) owe their livelihoods in some way to the financial largesse of Apple and its employees. In estimating its indirect job-creation numbers, the Analysis Group did apply an "employment multiplier," developed by the federal Bureau of Economic Analysis, to the amount Apple spends on goods and services. But such multipliers are notoriously imprecise. As a New York Times article noted on Sunday, Congressional Budget Office estimates of how many jobs the 2009 federal stimulus created fluctuate wildly, between 1.6 million and 8.4 million.
A separate study commissioned by TechNet, a lobby group representing tech industry CEOs and other top executives, found that the so-called App Economy--third-party development of lightweight apps for not only Apple platforms, but also for Amazon, Google, RIM, Microsoft, Zynga, Facebook, and a range of others--has created a total of 466,000 direct and indirect U.S. jobs since the iPhone and its app store construct were introduced in 2007.
That study, released in February and written by Michael Mandel of South Mountain Economics, uses a multiplier to estimate the App Economy employment "spillover" to the rest of the U.S. economy. Mandel noted that multipliers of between 2.4 and 3.4 have been used to estimate the job impact of broadband, and those have been carried to other studies "no matter how outrageous they are." So he settled instead on a "conservative" multiplier of 1.5: Every App Economy job generates another 0.5 jobs in the rest of the U.S. economy. That rough estimate sounds reasonable enough.
But no IT sector attracts as many job-creation shell gamers as mobile does. AT&T, in its desperate attempt to win approval for its (now dead) $39 billion deal to acquire T-Mobile, had the gumption to argue that the merger would create thousands of new American jobs. AT&T attached some of those jobs to the "billions" it said it would spend to expand its mobile broadband network following the T-Mobile acquisition. And in an offering to the U.S. regulatory and Big Labor gods, it promised to bring back to this country 5,000 wireless call center jobs it had outsourced to other countries. But the fact of the matter is, mergers on that scale always result in a net job reduction as the alpha company eliminates redundant positions.
Remember the metropolitan Wi-Fi movement? Government muckety mucks and mobile industry execs talked up public-private Wi-Fi network partnerships for Philadelphia, San Francisco, suburban New York, and smaller metro areas as a way to create thousands of jobs while closing the "digital divide"--even if the technical and economic underpinnings of such large deployments were tenuous. Metro Wi-Fi service providers went bankrupt, equipment vendors sought higher ground--and the government opportunists moved on to the next big thing.
More broadly, as part of the FCC's national broadband plan, the agency aims to free up 500 MHz of unused or underused spectrum now controlled by broadcasters and auction it off for broadband wireless communications. It's a worthy goal. But rather than sell the plan based on what it will produce--show how boosting broadband wireless connectivity will drive up productivity, output, and commerce nationwide--FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski has treated the proposed auctions like a government jobs program. "My message today is simple: We need to get it done now and we need to get it done right," he told an audience at the Consumer Electronics Show in January. "Few areas hold more promise for creating jobs than mobile."
Another sector with glowing promises of big job creation is big data. Anecdotally, CIOs we talk with are looking for business intelligence and analytics experts. And according to a report last May from McKinsey & Co., U.S. organizations could face a shortage by 2018 of 140,000 to 190,000 people with "deep analytical skills," as well as 1.5 million managers and analysts "with the know-how to use the analysis of big data to make effective decisions." Unclear is whether the big data movement will create lots of new jobs or mostly require lots of new training and skills for existing positions.
We're presented with the prospect of so many new jobs, yet as of January, 12.8 million people in the U.S. couldn't find one and 1.1 million more had given up trying. A mismatch of skills explains some of that unemployment, but the brutal reality is that advances in IT and other fields permanently destroy some jobs and send others offshore.
No question, such "creative destruction" is absolutely essential, as innovative business models, technologies, and processes replace legacy ones. And no doubt technology remains one of the biggest job creators in this country, even if some of those jobs are moving to other countries. But let's not sugarcoat or oversimplify what it takes to get from here to there.
Nominate your company for the 2012 InformationWeek 500--our 24th annual ranking of the nation's very best business technology innovators. Deadline is April 27. Organizations with $250 million or more in revenue may apply for the 2012 InformationWeek 500 now.


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Safariland Ballistics International Launches Line of Armor Solutions
ONTARIO, California – Safariland Ballistics International (SBI™) proudly announces today the launch of its premier line of armor solutions. Backed by a company with more than four decades of experience in engineering and manufacturing industry-leading body armor, the SBI brand delivers innovative and quality armor designs for the international market, featuring an array of purpose-built carriers to suit any on-duty needs. SBI first presented its initial series of armor solutions at the 2013 IWA Conference and now features the core product line on the new SBI website at www.Safariland.com/SBI.
"We are very excited to release our core family of armor solutions for the international customer," said Tim O'Brien, Category Director for the SBI brand. "With an emphasis on technology, performance and style, we are proud to have achieved a quality line that will keep our customers comfortable during those long hours on duty, but more importantly, we take pride in having developed products that will bring them home safely at the end of the day."
SBI products are built to deliver the ultimate in ballistic and multi-threat protection, while also offering the utmost in comfort and design. The line features eight unique carrier models categorized by three specific functional needs – Covert, Multi-Purpose and Overt – designated to accommodate ballistic packages precisely developed for the European VPAM and SK1 standards.
The Covert carrier models include the SUBZR0™ Ultra Concealable Carrier, featuring a clever design that allows armor panels to contour tightly to the body, and the MATRIX™ Standard Concealable Carrier, offering the perfect balance of functionality and style. Both carriers offer a low-profile design, a lining system with Luxilon Luxicool®advanced cooling system for heat and sweat control and anti-microbial/anti-static materials for odor management.
Adding to SBI's line of armor solutions are the Multi-Purpose carriers, XVERSE™ Low Profile Multi-Use Carrierand XVERSE™ PRO Low Profile Multi-Use Carrier. Both carriers feature an advanced design and maximum adjustability for covert or overt situations. These Multi-Purpose carriers have an integrated suspension system, which secures its panels in place for reduced shifting and feature an advanced 3D inner lining system for improved air flow. Additionally, the XVERSE and XVERSE PRO are individually designed to accommodate 5″x8″, 7″x9″ or 10″x12″ PROTECH® IMPAC™ special threat and rifle plates. Specific to the XVERSE PRO, this multi-purpose carrier provides the ability to add collar, throat and groin protection attachments.
The most robust and mission-specific carriers of SBI's new product line are the four Overt carriers. Intended for use over a shirt or under a jacket, the ADX™-DUTY Standard Overt Carrier, ADX™-HI-VIS Standard Overt Carrier, and ADX™-UTILITY Standard Overt Carrier feature adjustable shoulders and pockets accommodating special threat and rifle plates. Specifically intended for various working conditions, each of these carriers are designed with a 3D lining system for improved air flow for added comfort against an array of environmental conditions. For example, the ADX-HI-VIS utilizes Reflexite® prismatic tape which offers high visibility, while the ADX-UTILITY includes a modular webbing attachment system to allow for added customization for mission-specific requirements. The last product in the new line, the LNX™ Overt Response Carrier, provides additional pockets for plates and also accommodates collar, throat, bicep and groin protection attachments to accommodate a more tactical environment.
All eight carrier models premiered in this core family of armor solutions offer three levels of threat protection:SILVER (NIJ 2005 Interim Requirements – U.S. Standards), VS (VPAM Standards – VPAM Ballistic Level 2), andGX (SK1 Standards – Level 1 Ballistic Protection).
About SBI
Backed by a company with more than four decades of experience in engineering and manufacturing industry-leading body armor, the Safariland Ballistics International (SBI) brand is redefining armor solutions across nations.Equipped with one of the most advanced testing laboratories in the world, SBI engineers are continually driven to meet and exceed a variety of stringent international testing standards. By integrating advanced technologies with a keen sense of design, SBI products deliver the ultimate in performance, comfort, and style. SBI produces all products with an underlying dedication to excellence and the commitment to helping save lives.
About The Safariland Group
The Safariland Group is a premier global provider of trusted, innovative, high-quality law enforcement and security products for the public safety, military and outdoor recreation/personal protection markets. Offering many of the world's most recognizable names in these markets, principal brands include Safariland®, ABA®, Second Chance®, Bianchi®, Break Free® and Mustang Survival®. Forensics brands include Identicator® and NIK®. The Safariland Group's mission, Together, We Save Lives™, is inherent in the lifesaving products it delivers. The Safariland Group has its headquarters in Jacksonville, FL.
The Safariland Group is a trade name of Safariland, LLC.


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Hello Kitty at the Grammys
No clue what Zhang Ziyi was doing at Clive Davis's pre-Grammy party but Hello Kitty Chinagirl should have stayed home…
You know how North Americans have that expression about trailers? You can take the girl out of the trailer park but… blah blah blah?
My mother has one about Chinese people and the Village. Yank a homely village girl into the big city, make her a big screen star, give her a rich euro boyfriend, and still… you can't take the village out of the girl.
ZZ walked off the boat and bought this outfit, perpetuating every massage parlour bendy sex stereotype about Asians. That's all.
I can't… I can't … the shoes… the furry sh*t on the shoes… I can't…
Zhang Ziyi – is she a Fook Mi or a Fook Yu?
Photos from Wenn.com


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A speeding train slammed into a concrete wall Wednesday as it approached Santiago de Compostela, a small city in northwest Spain. The train was reportedly traveling at 190 km/h (120 mph) as it rounded a corner, speeding at more than twice the posted 80 km/h limit. All eight of the train's cars plowed into the concrete wall as the cars left the tracks, killing at least 78 and injuring more than 140 in Spain's deadliest train accident in 40 years. One of the train's drivers is being formally investigated as cleanup continues. 218 people were aboard the six-hour trip from Madrid to Ferrol; the train was only about 95 km (60 mi) from its final destination when it crashed.
This month alone has been a tragic one for train accidents: this latest crash comes on the heels of the Lac-Megantic explosion in Quebec that killed around 50 and one just outside of Paris that took killed six.
PHOTOS: Spanish Train Derails on Treacherous Curve, Killing At Least 78


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I was at a home last week where the customer showed me what happens when her she turns on her 4" LED lights. These were bulbs that were installed into existing recessed fixtures. If she turns the switch on and off several times, they usually work and stop flickering, but it was drastic.
You can see a short video we took on Elm Energy Group's Facebook page....here....
Any suggestions or comments are appreciated! She has had a number of electricians look at it and they have had no suggestions or clues as to why this was occurring. I am confident someone in this online community has experienced this and will have input. I will be eagerly awaiting some responses!
Best regards,
Jamie Kaye
Views: 77433
Looks to me like a bad dimmer switch. Is it a dimmer? Did you try replacing it?
Maybe a CL dimmer switch is needed?
I have a couple of LED light bulbs that sometimes flash, but not in unison on the same fixture or line like you are seeing.
I would agree- most likely the dimmer. Older dimmers are problematic as well as cheap ones that do not filter the voltage. To confirm, try placing the bulb in a switched outlet to see what happens.
I to have experienced this when I installed LED lights in my remote controlled ceiling fan. It does not happen with any other light box with a switch only assembly. What's baffling me is I have two different LED manufacturer's product and one with a single LED light chip does not flicker. This version is designed for the photography industry while the flickering one is a name brand off the shelf version from Home Depot. I do know it's definitely not a sensor problem with my equipment or the results would be the same with the LED lights. I should also note this happens with different brands of fluorescent spiral bulbs to. True blue light versus soft white light.
I think this phenomenon is related to the remote control assembly.
The problem that i have is in a fan as well. I believe it is just one bulb that goes off and on on occasions. I am pretty sure I have seen it in one bulb on another fan as well. I bought the bulbs at Costco.
Your problem is indeed the built-in dimmer electronics in the fan that allow a gradual brightening of the bulbs and will only work with incandescent lights. CFL's us an electronic ballast and LED's have a built-in power supply that converts the AC voltage to DC. Low end dimmers are simply diodes that take the 115v AC and do a partial conversion which causes CFL/LED failure. Newer Lutron dimmers are designed specifically for both CFL and LED lighting.
Tim & Richard,
Are the light fixtures in your ceiling fans rated for use with LEDs & CFLs?
If not, there could be the problem.
The fan came with CFL in the fixture/box. So, I assume it is "rated" for CFL's. I did not know there was a rating or qualification for use with CFL's of LED's. I have both lights throughout my house, which was built 9 years ago, before LED lights were even available and CFL's were not wide spread. I don't have this problem any where else in the house.
It probably is the dimmer.
Dimmers generally operate by turning on X amount of time after the zero crossing of AC line voltage. For full bright the X is equivalent to immediately. For dimmed, it may be just before the line voltage would cross zero again.
LED's and CFL's have AC to DC power supplies inside of them that expect power to be on for a known amount of cycle. They handle the dimming problem by adding enough storage in the lightbulb power supply to make it a full cycle, then they add additional circuitry to watch when the zero crossings of the line voltage is done. Finally the dimmable LED and CFL's then translate that "dim" signal into either reduce power for the bulb, or a reduced "duty cycle" for the LED driver. Older dimmers expect resistance bulbs. Some older dimmers are two wire devices without a neutral. If the dimmer is old, or not designed to operated with LED's and CFL's, the dimmer itself will do strange things. The light bulb responds to a dimmer acting strangely by also doing strange things... and you see flashing.
A simple test can be to replace one or two light bulbs with old incandescent lights and see if the throbbing goes away - even for the remaining LED's and CFL's. If the problem stops, than look at the dimmer as being not compatible. If the problem continues - the LED's are probably not dimmable.
If the problem goes away with an incandescent lightbulb on the string, that may mean that the old dimmer does not have a neutral, some of the old X-10 and home automation dimmers did not include neutrals.. LED's drive those devices nuts. Nearly all modern dimmers and those designed for home automation systems now use neutrals.
Dennis, do you mind if I print this out and keep it in my "Binder of Good Explanations"?
Thank you for providing what would earn my vote for "best answer"!
I had a similar problem. The LEDs are on a three way lutron dimmer. I would turn them on, LEDs would flicker just once, more like a blink, then they would work fine. The problem has now corrected itself, Dimmer seems to work fine. I'm just glad it is my house and not a customer an hour away,
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RCAF CF18 Demo jet
RCAF CF18 Demo jet at the Comox Air show.
RCAF CP-140 Aurora landing at CFB Greenwood
The CP-140 landing at CFB Greenwood in the fall.
RCAF Snowbirds Big Diamond
During spring training in Comox, BC.
RCAF CF-18 2016 Demo Jet
Snowbird team love
These guys...
RCAF CC-130 Hercules Cargo plane at CFB Greenwood
CF Snowbirds over Kye Bay in Comox, BC
CF Snowbirds Lagback cross
CF Snowbird Solos walk towards jets
RCAF CP-140 Aurora
Phase 3 multi pilots walk to C-90B King Air
Southport, Portage la Prairie
CF-18 Demo Jet Battle of Britain take off
CF Snowbirds Wine glass formation over Comox
CF Snowbirds fly for C.H.I.L.D in Nanaimo
CF-18 Demo Jet Battle of Britain
CF Snowbirds Cross
After the backside of the Vic change Wedge Change Cross.
CF Snowbirds Maple Split
CF-18 2016 demo jet take-off at 19 wing
RCAF CC-115 Buffalo, 442 Sqn
CF Snowbirds


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Use individual, group, and community-level interventions to provide education, support, and training that can affect social norms about HIV and other STIs
Policies & Programs
Policies and programs that can improve health
filtered by "Health Care" and "Sexual Activity"
12 results
Behavioral interventions to prevent HIV and other STIs
Clinic-based interventions for human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination
Combine information about HPV and the benefits of vaccination with efforts to support vaccine series completion (e.g., patient and parent education or reminders, physician education, etc.)
Comprehensive clinic-based programs for pregnant & parenting teens
Address the needs of teenage mothers via clinic-based programs that provide health care and family planning services as well as case management, counseling, and other supports
Computer-based interventions to prevent HIV and other STIs
Provide tailored health information and computer-mediated decision making, behavior change, and emotional support via interactive programs
Condom availability programs
Provide condoms free of charge or at a reduced cost in community and school-based settings
Expedited partner therapy for treatable STIs
Provide prescriptions or medications to patients diagnosed with treatable STIs to give to their partners without provider visits; also called patient-delivered partner therapy (PDPT)
HIV/STI partner notification by providers
Elicit information about sex or needle-sharing partners from STI-positive patients, then notify partners of risk, testing, and services; also called contact tracing, or partner counseling and referral services
Human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine education
Inform young women and men about HPV and its consequences as well as the benefits of vaccination via telephone, writing, video, or in-person efforts
Intensive case management for pregnant & parenting teens
Provide pregnant or parenting teens with services based upon their needs (e.g., counseling, connections to health care or social services, academic support, etc.) in school or community settings
Long-acting reversible contraception access
Increase access to LARCs through cost reduction, comprehensive birth control counseling, provider training, efforts to ensure availability at local clinics, etc.


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Relativity Media and Reel FX have dated animated comedy "Turkeys" for Nov. 14, 2014.
Relativity has also set the release date of "Safe Haven" for next Valentine's Day, Feb. 14.
"Turkeys" features the voices of Owen Wilson, Woody Harrelson and Dan Fogler. Scott Mosier, Craig Mazin, John Strauss and David L. Stern are producing.
Stern and Strauss penned the screenplay, with a rewrite by Mazin. Story follows two turkeys from opposite sides of the tracks who must put aside their differences and team up to travel back in time to change the course of history.


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|(916) 278-2463
|Previous College:
|Sacramento State, '06
Former Sacramento State player Steve Roberson recently completed his 10th season as a member of the coaching staff and his eighth as a full-time coach. This year, Roberson will continue to coach the defensive backs.
After two years as the team's defensive graduate assistant, Roberson was named to the coaching staff prior to the 2006 season. That year, he coached the outside linebackers. One of the players under his tutelage was Tyson Butler. That season, Butler earned second team all-Big Sky honors after tallying 78 tackles.
In 2004, Roberson served as the assistant defensive backs coach under then coordinator Tim Skipper. That unit saw all four of its starters earn postseason honors led by Ramon Payne who was named first team all-Big Sky. Safety Brett Shelton garnered second team all-league honors and was also named first team Freshman All-America. Cornerback Brandon Smith and safety Brent Webber were each named honorable mention all-Big Sky. Webber also earned honorable mention Freshman All-America honors.
In 2005, Roberson mentored three players to postseason honors. The trio was highlighted by Shelton who garnered second team all-West Region honors as well as second team all-Big Sky. Smith and Webber were named honorable mention. Smith went to join the Detroit Lions and is currently a member of the Calgary Stampeders of the Canadian Football League.
The 2007 team had three of the four starters named all-Big Sky with Webber and Shelton joined by cornerback Jody Johnson on the honorable mention list.
The following season, Roberson coached a defensive backfield which featured just one returning starter but still had freshman Deionte Gordon named honorable mention all-Big Sky.
In 2009 year, Roberson helped coach Zach Schrader to the Big Sky Newcomer of the Year award and second team all-Big Sky honors.
The following season, the defensive backs accounted for four of the team's five highest tackle totals. Among those was Schrader who recorded 82 stops and was named second team all-Big Sky for the second consecutive season.
In 2011, Kyle Monson was named to the all-Big Sky second team after leading the team with nine pass breakups and two interceptions. Safety Joe Larche was an honorable mention selection.
In 2012, Roberson's defensive backs accounted for four of the top six tackle totals on the team. The group was led by safety Ryan McMahon who ranked second on the team with 97 total stops. McMahon was an honorable mention all-Big Sky selection and went on to sign as a free agent with the Green Bay Packers. Cornerback Osagie Odiase was named second team all-Big Sky after leading the team with three interceptions.
Last season, nickelback Markell Williams was named honorable mention all-Big Sky after tallying 57 tackles, including four for loss, in his 10 games.
As a player, Roberson competed for the Hornets during the 2003 season. That year, he played linebacker and on special teams. Prior to attending Sacramento State, Roberson played the 2001 season at West Los Angeles Junior College. Before that, he spent two years at San Diego State.
A native of Los Angeles, he graduated from St. Bernard High School in 1999. Roberson earned his bachelor's degree from Sacramento State in engineering in December of 2005. He added a master's in coaching education from Ohio University in 2012.
During the summer of 2012, Roberson spent time with the Cleveland Browns as part of the NFL's Bill Walsh Minority Coaching Fellowship Program. With the Browns, Roberson worked closely with defensive backs coach Tim Hauck as well as defensive coordinator Dick Jauron and consultant Ray Rhodes.
Roberson and his wife, Laura, were married in June of 2010. The
couple have a son, Isaiah (1).
Recruiting Area: All high schools and junior colleges in the San Francisco bay area.


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Message Board
Customize these Dry Erase message boards for organizing lists or keeping track of tasks. Available in a gloss white finish and 0.125″ (3.18 mm) thickness hardboard.
- Brand:
- Finish:
- Gloss
- Substrate:
- Hardboard
- Size:
- 9" x 12.5"
Review to get 200 PW Reward Points (Up to 600 Points)
Availability: In stock
- Details
- Instructions
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Product Details
Textprint Sublimation Paper on Clipboards & Hardboards
Application Instructions
- Set temperature to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Set timer to 70 seconds.
- Set Pressure at medium.
- Remove protective film from product.
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- Place the substrate face down on the transfer paper and tape the paper to the substrate using transfer release tape.
- Put a blank sheet of paper on heat press platen to keep it clean.
- Place substrate face up on the heat press, with the transfer paper on top.
- Cover with a non stick sheet.
- Press at 400 degrees F for 70 seconds with medium pressure
- Remove immediately from press once finished and peel hot.
Printing on Coasters or Hardboards
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Nearest Town: Lava Hot SpringsSite Size: 175 acres
Highlights: Raptors, Shorebirds, Songbirds, Waterbirds, Waterfowl
Access: Year-round. Access free of charge.
Directions: 0.5 mi E of Lava Hot Springs Resort on US 30, at "Sportsman's Access" sign (follow signs), L (N) onto Blaser Hwy; see map below for 3 access areas along river and 1 access area at Chesterfield Reservoir.
Description: Hundreds of American Coot and Mallard can be seen at Chesterfield Reservoir during fall migration. When water levels drop, the eastern portions contain abundant waterfowl.
More Information: IDFG (208) 233-4703Soda Springs Chamber of Commerce, (208)547-4964
General Services:
Handicapped Services:What do these icons mean?
Select a species from the list to view other sites on the Idaho Birding Trail Sites this species may be observed.


text:
Free kicks are classified into two categories: Indirect and direct. "Direct" means that a goal can be scored directly against the defending team; "Indirect" means that a goal cannot be scored unless the ball has been touched by any player in addition to the kicker before entering the goal.
For all free kicks the defending team must get and remain at least 10 yards from the ball until it is kicked. The exceptions are (1) if the attacking team decides to "quick" kick before the defenders can position themselves; or (2) if there is an indirect free kick given to the attacking team in the penalty area with the ball placed less than 10 yards from the goal line, the defenders may stand on the goal line, between the goal posts.
An indirect free kick infraction by a defender within the goal area will cause the ball to be placed on the six-yard line of the goal area nearest the spot of infraction.
Note: A defensive player who delays the taking of a free kick should be cautioned (yellow carded). Any trickery by the team awarded a free kick to get the ball into the hands of the goalkeeper should be disciplined with a caution (yellow card) for unsporting behavior.


text:
Through its membership, the IEEE Standards Association provides a standards program that serves the global needs of industry, government, and the public. Because of its strong membership, the IEEE SA is proactive in meeting industry needs and responsive to worldwide standards issues.
Membership in the IEEE SA connects you with a vast network of peers from leading world organizations. You'll get focused connections for your industry standards concerns, activities and actions, and a full range of standards services to support your standards development job work. Tap into the expertise of thousands of professionals participating in the standards development process.
There are two types of IEEE Standards Association membership: Individual and Corporate.
For additional information, visit the IEEE Standards Association online
Individual Membership Benefits Include:
Corporate Membership Benefits Include:


text:
LeAnn Rimes really Fights For Those Tears
It took her a lot of effort, but LeAnn Rimes managed to just about make herself cry in an interview with Giuliana Rancic that is on E! this weekend. It is on Sunday in case you are bored and have nothing to do. Fear not though, I have the video of her trying to make herself cry. It is so crazy to watch. She just can't quite make it happen. You don't even have to listen to her, just watch it with the sound muted. In the interview she says her first marriage was broken which is why she cheated with Eddie. You know, because if hers is broken then she might as well ruin another marriage too. Her logic makes no sense.


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Getting support
Find out more about our free support line, Macmillan nurses, information services and support groups near you.
Order booklets with information about cancer treatments, side effects and what you could expect after treatment. You can come back to these whenever they're helpful.
The type of treatment you might be offered depends on the type of cancer and your situation. Find out what to expect from treatment, possible side effects and what can help you cope.
We want to make sure we're there when you're diagnosed, through treatment, and beyond. Because life with cancer is still life, and we'll help you live it.
What's happening near you? Find out about support groups, where to get information and how to get involved with Macmillan where you are.
Read Aoife's post about the rights of people affected by cancer in the workplace. She explains how the law can help job applicants, employees and the self-employed.
Share experiences and advice on practical issues when living with cancer, such as money, work, benefits, transport, food and drink, organising support at home, or getting specialist equipment.
We rely on a number of sources to gather evidence for our information. If you'd like further information on the sources we use, please feel free to contact us on: firstname.lastname@example.com
All our information is reviewed by cancer or other relevant professionals to ensure that it's accurate and reflects the best evidence available. We thank all those people who have provided expert review for the information on this page.
Our information is also reviewed by people affected by cancer to ensure it is as relevant and accessible as possible. Thank you to all those people who reviewed what you're reading and have helped our information to develop.
You could help us too when you join our Cancer Voices Network – find out more at: http://www.macmillan.org.uk/cancervoices
Need to talk? Call us free* 0808 808 00 00 7 days a week, 8am-8pm


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I have an officially unlocked iPhone 4 from a non-US carrier. Now that I'm in US, if buy a prepaid SIM card from AT&T and use it in iPhone, do I get 3G(WCDMA) or GSM network? To put it in the context, do I see "3G" or "E" in the iPhone status bar?
Could anyone clarify if this chart is correct?
Enable 3G, Enable Cellular Data, Result
Yes , No , Make 3G call; use no data
Yes , Yes , Make 3G call; use 3G data
No , Yes , Make GSM call; use EDGE/GPRS data;
No , No , Make GSM call; use no data;


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WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The government official identified as being responsible for a last-minute decision that helped jam up the Obamacare health insurance website has been a frequent presence at the White House, according to visitor logs.
Henry Chao, deputy chief information officer at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), was named Thursday in congressional testimony as the one who ordered the lead contractor to make consumers register before browsing for price information, a step avoided by popular online shopping sites such as Amazon.com.
As a result of this decision made just two weeks before the website went public on October 1, Healthcare.gov was overwhelmed with so many people trying to register at once that the site crashed, Cheryl Campbell, senior vice president of lead contractor CGI Federal, told U.S. lawmakers wanting to know why the site had so many problems.
"I believe it was Henry Chao and members of his team," Campbell told the House of Representatives Energy and Commerce Committee.
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, part of the Department of Health and Human Services, is the agency spearheading the health care program.
Republican opponents of Obamacare who are looking into the website's troubles have been attempting to find out why the change was made and whether the White House was involved in it, theorizing that the administration was trying to erect a barrier that would keep consumers from finding out the true costs of the premiums they would be paying.
They have offered no evidence to support that claim, however, and the administration has denied any such motive. A spokeswoman for CMS said on Friday that the agency was trying to "prioritize the ability for us to launch live so consumers could conduct the full online application process."
She would not comment on whether Chao made the decision that Campbell said had led to problems.
White House visitor records show Chao visiting the White House 36 times between November 2011 and May 2013, with one visit in December 2009, to see President Barack Obama's advisers including health care and technology officials.
The records, which were voluntarily disclosed by the White House, provide information about visits through August 2013. No records were yet available for the month leading up to the launch, so it was not possible to determine whether Chao visited the White House during that period.
Chao, asked for comment, referred Reuters to CMS. Neither the White House nor others at CMS responded immediately to requests for comment on Chao's role.
Starting in May 2012 Chao began visiting often, spending time in the White House or Old Executive Office Building, where many administration offices are based, multiple times per month. He visited at least once monthly between May 2012 and May 2013.
Though he met with an array of officials, he most frequently saw White House healthcare official Jeanne Lambrew.
Two of Chao's visits with Lambrew followed his comments at a conference on March 14, 2013, when he said he was "pretty nervous" about the roll-out of the law's online system.
"Let's just make sure it's not a third-world experience," CQ reported Chao saying at the time. He then visited the White House on March 19 and March 26.
Chao also met White House Chief Technology Officer Todd Park twice - in April 2012 and January 2013 - and then-Chief Information Officer Steven VanRoekel in February 2012.
Chao was a point of contact for contractor CGI Federal as it worked to build the technology backbone of the Healthcare.gov website. CGI Federal is a unit of Canada-based CGI Group Inc.
Some Republicans, notably House Oversight Committee chairman Darrell Issa, say they believe the White House was trying to hide the "sticker shock" of insurance premiums online so as to attract people to sign up for insurance under the 2010 Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare.
But when asked whether Chao and others at CMS had given reasons for not making the "browser" option live on the website and whether the decision was political, Campbell told lawmakers: "I can't answer whether it was political or otherwise."
She also said she was not aware of any political intervention by the White House itself into her work on Heatlhcare.gov.
Reporting By Susan Cornwell and David Morgan; Editing by Fred Barbash and Ken Wills


text: KEEPER® 40" Marine Twin Anchor® Bungee Cords are made from the highest quality materials for long-lasting dependability no matter what the application. All KEEPER® bungee cords are designed to withstand UV rays and weather damage with durable outer jackets. Premium rubber ensures top quality performance and outstanding toughness. Twin Anchor Marine Cords® are made with stainlees steel double wire hooks w/molded grip. Bulk


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In honor of Harvest 2012's successful completion, Ridge Vineyards is staging a very special Post-Harvest Celebration Tasting at our Monte Bello Estate, on November 10th and 11th, at 1pm each day.
This unique tasting experience will feature:
—A brief talk from (and Q & A session with) a key member of our Monte Bello Vineyard Team
—A multi-media presentation from a staff member embedded with the Vineyard Teams
—A five-wine Single-Vineyard Estate flight that concludes with a very special library offering
Space is very limited for this sure-to-be-memorable tasting, so we encourage you to book early!
Here are the event specifics:
What: Post-Harvest Celebration Tasting
Where: Monte Bello
When: November 10th & 11th, 1pm
Availability: Extremely limited
Cost: $30/person (members receive a 20% discount)
To book your place at the tasting table, please use our online reservations system, found here
(for those of you not yet familiar with our Online Reservations System, please see below for visual instructions!)
Cheers! We look very forward to sharing with you the excitement of #Harvest2012!
To use our Online Reservations System to make reservations for this very special tasting, please click the link below:
This is what you will see:
Your next step is to click the "Book Your Reservation" button. This is what you will see:
On the left side of the screen, you can then enter which of the available dates you wish to attend the tasting (either November 10th or November 11th) by clicking on the date field.
Then, please enter the number of attendees.
Then click "Search."
As an example, say you wish 4 guests for the 10th. Enter the information, click Search, and this is what you will see:
Click "1:00pm" and then you're ready to book!
Categories: Events, Monte Bello, Offerings, RIDGE Staff, Social Media, Tasting Events/Opportunities, Tasting Flights, Vineyards, Wine Tales, Winemaking


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Orchiopexy for Undescended TesticleSkip to the navigation
Surgery Overview
Surgery to move an undescended testicle into the scrotum is called orchiopexy or orchidopexy. It is usually performed on babies who are 9 to 15 months old. In most cases, a pediatric surgeon or a specialist who treats urinary problems in children (pediatric urologist) performs the surgery.
Orchiopexy may also be done on older boys and, rarely, on teens and adult men who have undescended testicles.
Depending on the location of the testicle, one or two small incisions are made in the scrotum, the groin , or the abdomen to allow the surgeon to reach the testicle and move it to the scrotum. Sometimes another surgical method called laparoscopy is used to move undescended testicles when they are located high in the inguinal canal or in the abdomen. In both types of orchiopexy, general anesthesia is used.
Usually only one surgery is needed. But in some cases where the testicles are located in the abdomen, orchiopexy may require two separate operations that are done several months apart.
What To Expect After Surgery
Orchiopexy can be done as an outpatient procedure if it is uncomplicated. Sometimes a child needs a short hospital stay. The surgery for testicles that are located just above the scrotum and for testicles that are low in the inguinal canal is usually much simpler than for testicles that are higher up in the canal or in the abdomen.
For at least 2 weeks after surgery, boys should avoid games, sports, rough play, bike riding, and other activities where there is a risk of an injury to the genitals.
The doctor will do a follow-up exam usually within 2 to 3 months after the operation.
Why It Is Done
Orchiopexy is done to place an undescended testicle in its normal position in the scrotum.
- Placing undescended testicles in the scrotum may help prevent infertility and may reduce the risk of testicular cancer . footnote 1
- Treatment makes it easier to find testicular cancer if this cancer occurs.
- Surgery can boost a boy's self-esteem. An empty or partially empty scrotum can make a boy feel bad about himself and his body, especially during the teen years.
- This surgery helps lower the risk of injury to the testicle. If the testicles are in the groin area, a boy has a higher risk for sports injuries and discomfort from seat belts.
How Well It Works
Usually the outcome of orchiopexy is good, and the testicle is moved into the scrotum. But success rates vary by where the testicle is located at the time the surgery is done. In general, this treatment works well in almost all of the males who need it. footnote 1
Possible complications from orchiopexy include:
- Infection.
- Bleeding or blood clots in the scrotum.
- Damage to the vas deferens and the blood supply to the testicle. Without an adequate blood supply, the testicle may shrink (atrophy).
- The testicle(s) moving out of the scrotum again (reascend) after surgery and requiring further treatment. This is rare.
What To Think About
Orchiopexy is considered a safe and reliable procedure that has relatively few risks. It is best to choose a surgeon and hospital staff who have training and experience in this procedure and in the special needs of children.
Some doctors recommend a testicular biopsy during orchiopexy if the undescended testicle is in the abdomen or if the child has genital defects, such as hypospadias , or a genetic disorder . In this test, a small sample of tissue is taken from the testicles and then examined.
Complete the surgery information form (PDF) (What is a PDF document?) to help you prepare for this surgery.
Current as of: May 5, 2017
Author: Healthwise Staff
Medical Review: John Pope, MD - Pediatrics & Peter Anderson, MD, FRCS(C) - Pediatric Urology