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From tarp to trophy, Kiel embraced job
Retired Minor League pitcher thrives as Pulaski Mariners GM
By Benjamin Hill / MiLB.com | September 20, 2013 6:00 AM
Ryan Kiel's pitching career ended in 2012 when the left-hander was released by the Cincinnati Reds after blowing out his elbow. But paradoxically, his baseball career has just begun.
As chronicled in an MiLB.com article that ran last December, Kiel attended the 2012 Baseball Winter Meetings in the hopes of transitioning from the playing field to the front office. Shortly afterward, the then 25-year-old received an offer to return to the very same place in which he began his playing career: Pulaski, Va., home of the Seattle Mariners' Rookie-level Appalachian League affiliate.
But this time around, it would be as the general manager.
In this, the inaugural 2012-13 edition of the bimonthly offseason column "Minoring in Business," Kiel reflects on the challenges, triumphs and tarp pulls of his first season in the front office.
A whole new ballgame
Kiel was drafted out of Marshall University in 2010 by the Seattle Mariners, who immediately sent him to Pulaski (population 9,086, per the 2010 census) so that he could begin his professional career. He was there for the duration of the short-season Appy League campaign, but this summertime stint was hardly representative of the environment he encountered upon relocating there in early 2013.
"It was a weird transition. I moved there from Florida, where there's hardly any cold weather, and in Pulaski, it was cold right away with 10 inches of snow," he said. "I'm thinking, 'What did I get myself in to?' But I tried to hit the ground running … going out into the community and meeting as many people as I could. A lot of people remembered me from my time playing here, which made the transition easier than it could have been."
In those early months, Kiel focused on meeting with potential sponsors, putting together a promo schedule, and perhaps most importantly, hiring interns so they could handle administrative tasks while he was out in the community. He also worked on initiatives he would have liked to have seen in effect during his playing days.
"I tried to get [an Internet] radio stream going right away, because for most of these guys, it's their first year playing and their family and friends want to be involved," said Kiel, who went on to hire University of Iowa student Cheyne Reiter as media relations coordinator and team broadcaster. "When I was there, they didn't have that opportunity."
Kiel's background also informed his perspective when it came to scheduling community appearances during the season.
"You want the players to be involved, but you have to realize how difficult their schedule is -- especially in this league where there are only four off days in the season," he said. "I tried to plan our community outreach at times when I knew they were well rested and where it wouldn't interfere with their sleep schedule and training regimen."
Ups and downs
On the flip side of the equation, Kiel soon realized just how oblivious he and his fellow players had been to the behind-the-scenes work that goes into presenting a professional baseball game.
"Before you work in Minor League Baseball, you have no idea how many things can go wrong," he said, citing mishaps such as malfunctioning dryers, crashed phone lines and disappearing internet connections. And then there's what may just be the biggest challenge of all -- tarp pulls.
Minoring in Business
Biz Buzz
- Reds to visit Louisville
The Louisville Bats announced this week that they will host the Reds in a March 29 exhibition.
- Jimmy on honor roll
Phillies mainstay Jimmy Rollins and Mets star David Wright are among nine who will be enshrined in the FSL Hall of Fame on Nov. 12.
- Attendance up in 2013
Despite a wet and cold season, attendance was up in Minor League Baseball, surpassing 41 million.
- Promo Seminar
Minor League teams use creativity to make the gameday experience more fun, and the Promo Seminar, this year in Louisville from Sept. 24-26, is one reason why.
- Arizona Fall League
Featuring many of the Minors' top prospects, the Arizona Fall League will begin play Oct. 8 in the desert .
"That was a daily nightmare, to say the least," said Kiel of pulling the infield tarp. "It was really tough to find the resources to get the tarp out with a three-man grounds crew and myself. I pulled tarp in college but never as a pro, and that was one aspect where I didn't anticipate how much of a hassle it would be on a day-to-day basis."
But in the true spirit of the Minor Leagues, Kiel found a creative solution to this daily hassle. The team took to Twitter to recruit volunteer tarp pullers, offering free tickets to anyone who showed up at Calfee Park to lend a hand.
"The first time we did it, six or seven people showed up," said Kiel. "During the summer this community really loves coming to the ballpark, so they're going to do whatever they can to make sure that there's a game that night."
For larger-scale initiatives, Kiel often relied on the expertise of industry veterans. He credits Vancouver Canadians president Andy Dunn with encouraging him to institute a Pulaski Mariners Kids Club, which turned out to be one of the most successful new endeavors of the 2013 campaign.
"[Dunn] told me that the Kids Club had to be priority No. 1, and I got lucky in getting McDonald's to sign on as a sponsor," he said. "Close to 100 kids signed up and attendance on Sundays, which were our Kids Club games, was boosted by 35 percent."
Ending on a high note
While Kiel was learning the ins and outs of the front-office life, the team on the field was having a memorable season of its own. The Pulaski Mariners won the Appy League's East Division with a 41-27 record, defeated Bluefield in the semifinal playoff series and then triumphed over Greeneville to win the league championship. The product on the field was the one aspect of the operation that Kiel had no control over, but it nonetheless provided the season's most memorable moment.
"You've definitely got a bit of fan in you at that time," Kiel said of the Mariners' dramatic 6-5 win in the series-clinching game. "I was standing with [Appalachian League president] Lee Landers, and he's giving me the whole rundown, telling me what I need to do if we win. I'm thinking 'Okay, I've got it down. I've got the banner ready, I've got the trophy ready.' But when we won it all, I just stood there screaming. … I turned into a fan, before realizing 'Okay, I've actually got to get to work now.'"
These days, Kiel is still basking in the Appy League title, making appearances with the trophy at events throughout the Bluefield area. He also, finally, has had the chance to reflect upon the year that was.
"This was probably the most rewarding experience of my entire life," he said. "There are a lot of times where it's so stressful that you don't enjoy it, but now I can look back and really appreciate it. I'm so grateful to have had the opportunity to be in this industry."
Benjamin Hill is a reporter for MiLB.com and writes Ben's Biz Blog. Follow Ben on Twitter @bensbiz. This story was not subject to the approval of the National Association of Professional Baseball Leagues or its clubs.View More


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If you find a member particularly interesting, visit their profile and click/tap Add to Favourites.
They will be marked with a star and can be found under Matches by applying the filter Favourites.
To remove a match from your Favourites list, simply visit the profile and click/tap Remove from Favourites.
On the app, add or remove someone from your favourites by visiting the profile and tapping the small heart in the top right-hand corner of the profile.

subset: commoncrawl


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Documenting the Global Day of Solidarity in support of the 'Arctic 30'.
On October 5th, 2013, tens of thousands of people participate in more than 200 events held in 49 countries throughout the world. A Russian court has this week charged twenty-eight Greenpeace International activists, as well as a freelance videographer and photographer, with piracy. The charges follow a peaceful protest against Arctic oil drilling at a Gazprom oil platform in the Pechora Sea.
© Greenpeace
1 - 12 of 5649 results.


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Home T Florida Grey Tank
$ 28.00
The Florida Home Tank Top is your new go-to fun in the sun shirt. It's insanely soft, a great way to show off your state pride, and helps to raise money for multiple sclerosis research.
The tank is 100% Made in the USA and we use a special screen printing technique to give the shirts a vintage look and feel.
It's a unisex tank that has an all around amazing fit. You're going to love it!


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Food & Drink
8 great hotel perks in the Caribbean
By Jill Becker, for CNN • Updated 5th February 2014
View Gallery
8 Pictures
The Caribbean is a big place.
For rookies and veterans, it can be tough to know which island to visit and which place to stay.
If deals and perks play into your vacation decision making, the unexpected bonuses at these hotels -- from free kayaking lessons to massages overlooking an underground lake -- might help make up your mind.
$100 resort
credit (Westin St. John Resort & Villas, St. John)
Volunteers at the Westin St. John get more than a pat on the back.
courtesy Westin St. John Resort & Villas
At this posh property astride a crescent-shaped beach on Great Cruz Bay, guests who volunteer a few hours of their time can earn a $100 resort credit good at any of the hotel's facilities.
Through a program offered by the Friends of the Virgin Island National Park, interested guests are transported to the nearby park, where they help maintain trails and ruins or pick up debris on the beach.
In return they receive a $100 credit to play with back to the hotel.
Westin St. John Resort & Villas
, 300 Chocolate Hole, St. John, U.S. Virgin Islands; +1 866 716 8108; $229-$569 per night; the hotel is currently undergoing a renovation, so some features may be temporarily closed or relocated
Free water sports lessons (Regent Palms, Turks an
This all-suite hotel on stunning Grace Bay Beach has amenities galore, including an infinity pool with Wi-Fi and complimentary loaner bikes.
Our favorite perk is the sailing, paddle boarding and kayaking lessons included in the resort fee.
Already a player?
Then you'll appreciate that the equipment is free to use, as well.
Regent Palms, Princess Drive
, Grace Bay Beach, Providenciales, Turks an
Caicos; +649 946 8666; from $499 per night
utler (Ritz-Carlton, Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands)
The crystalline waters of the Caribbean are right outside the doorstep at the Ritz-Carlton, Grand Cayman.
Guests can take advantage of the location when they nab one the hotel's free aqua beds or aqua lounges that float in the surf just off the beach.
Serving you at your watery perch is the aqua butler.
You can pick up the nearby coconut phone to request delivery of complimentary sunscreen and magazines or food and drinks.
, Grand Cayman, Seven Mile Beach, Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands; +345 943 9000; from $399 per night
Outdoor movies (Grand Lucayan, The Bahamas)
You just might see Brad Pitt at the Grand Lucayan.
courtesy Grand Lucayan
This beachfront hotel located 70 miles off the coast of Florida (which, of course, is also technically in the Atlantic, although the regions are often lumped together) has plenty of diversions, from two 18-hole championship golf courses to a Vegas-style casino.
The best feature may be the movies shown on a big screen by the pool on Friday and Saturday nights.
Popcorn is provided.
Grand Lucayan
, Sea Horse Road, Lucaya, Grand Bahama Island, The Bahamas; +1 877 434 2996; from $209 per night
Spa in a cave (Grotto Bay Beach Resort, Bermuda)
How often can you brag about a massage in a 500,000-year-old cave?
For an additional $20, guests of Grotto Bay's Natura Spa can pay to have their rubdown among the ancient stalagmites and stalactites of Serenity Cave, where the treatment table overlooks a crystal clear underground lake.
Grotto Bay Beach Resort
, 11 Blue Hole Hill, Bailey's Bay, Bermuda; +441 293 8333; from $209 per night
Well-stocked library (Carlisle Bay, Anti
If only all libraries were like this.
courtesy Carlisle Bay
Forgot to pack your iPad?
No worries.
Carlisle Bay is among the growing number of hotels to house a library on site.
Decked out with fiber optic lighting that changes color throughout the evening, the cozy room has a couple of couches along with bookshelves crammed with several hundred books.
Choices range from classics such as "Treasure Island" and "The Lady in the Lake" to miscellaneous selections like "The Superior Person's Book of Words" and "How to Be a Bad Birdwatcher."
The library offers a paperback swap.
Carlisle Bay
, Old Road St. John's, Carlisle Bay, Antigua; +268 484 0000; call for rates
Hand-rolled cigars (Westin Puntacana Resort & Club, Dominican Republic)
This swanky 200-room resort on the scenic far eastern end of the Dominican Republic is brand new but already drawing rave reviews.
One of the features most often hailed is the Cigar Bar & Lounge, which not only stocks local and exotic smokes, but a selection of premium rums and Dominican coffees.
A specialist is on hand to hand-roll cigars in front of guests.
Westin Puntacana Resort & Club
, five minutes south of Punta Cana International Airport, Playa Blanca, Punta Cana, Dominican Republic; +809 959 2262; from $308 per night
Versailles-inspired gardens (One&Only Ocean Club, Bahamas)
This former private estate is postcard pretty, particularly the ornate terraced garden that leads to the equally picturesque beach.
Modeled after the grounds of the famous Château de Versailles, the garden includes elegant statuary carved from Carrera marble and an actual 12th-century Augustinian cloister, purchased from William Randolph Hearst.
It was transported from France and reassembled on site piece by piece.
One&Only Ocean Club
, 1 Casino Drive, Paradise Island, Bahamas; +866 552 0001 or +954 809 2150; call for rates
A year of the world's
Best Beaches
There's a perfect beach for every week of the year. Join us on a 12-month journey to see them all
Go to the best beaches


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Over the past five years, the government and industry have developed legislation and standards that enable healthcare institutions to effectively share electronic health data.
National e-health standards now cover key areas such as accurately identifying healthcare providers and consumers (national health identifiers), secure messaging, and repositories for personally-controlled electronic health records (PCEHRs). These standards attempt to address information privacy concerns and mandate security mechanisms to protect consumers' sensitive health information.
Importantly, this level of protection has earned the support of consumer groups for the electronic distribution of health information outside of organisational boundaries. Consumer groups recognise the benefit of e-health and support the sharing of patient data between healthcare providers when the appropriate level of protection is applied.
But as new privacy legislation and penalties for breaches emerge, it's time to consider whether the e-health industry is providing enough support to healthcare providers to help them secure private information within organisational boundaries.
Data privacy is important because consumers have a natural tendency to trust their individual healthcare professionals and the institutions they visit with their sensitive information.
As the health sector embraces e-health technologies, consumers also trust that their personal health information will continue to be handled appropriately.
Healthcare providers can ill afford to break the trust given to them by consumers to protect their sensitive health information. Disclosure, misuse or unauthorised access of each patient's health data will break their trust in a healthcare provider and impact consumer confidence that the national e-health program can protect their private information.
Breaches have real repercussions for providers
There's a real risk that people will stop sharing their medical history with healthcare providers if they don't have confidence that the right privacy controls are in place.
This could be an extremely dangerous scenario for the healthcare industry as healthcare and contracted service providers can now face considerable fines of up to $1.1 million for privacy breaches.
The Privacy Amendment (Enhancing Privacy Protection) Bill 2012 gives the privacy commissioner enhanced powers to seek civil penalties for serious privacy breaches.
With this in mind, data privacy needs to be a key focus for healthcare organisations recording and sharing health data electronically. In the past, privacy hasn't received the attention it deserves for many reasons, which include:
Lack of education around policies and procedures
There has been a lack of education across the health sector on the importance of adopting appropriate privacy policies and procedures despite the availability of national and state-based health privacy principles.
Healthcare organisations are now exposed to additional privacy risks with e-health driving the transfer of patient information to an electronic format. They risk losing sensitive data from unauthorised access or sharing of information, loss of data on digital media or information being stolen from mobile computing devices.
According to latest figures from lt;igt;iHealthBeatlt;/igt;, at least 1.8 million consumer health records were lost in 16 major incidents involved UK-based National Health Service organisations between July 2011 and July 2012.
The worst incidents involved patient records being stolen and posted on the Internet and unsecured laptops with patient data being pinched from homes of staff members.
Wrong mindsets around data ownership
Typically, the healthcare provider who creates health information owns that information. While this does not interfere with the right of customers to access their health information held by healthcare providers, the notion of ownership does impact on the security of patient information and ultimately on its privacy.
In the context of information you "own", it can be argued that it is not unreasonable for healthcare providers to hold patients' health information on digital media or mobile devices for their future reference. The exception is when healthcare providers are considering the risks posed to information privacy if additional security precautions are not adopted.
Healthcare providers should consider a change in mindset around data privacy because ultimately, we are all patients, parents of patients, and children of patients who are concerned about information security.
Too much of a focus on features and functions
A major driver for investment in software systems in the health sector is to reduce costs and improve the effectiveness of healthcare providers delivering quality care to patients.
E-health is expected to take the pressure off healthcare professionals, reduce medication errors, and provide reduced incidences of preventable illnesses so it is understandable that many legacy and specialised health applications initially only focused on particularly features and functions. Not enough attention was given to providing adequate security and privacy frameworks.
Furthermore, neither legislation nor healthcare providers pushed health software vendors into providing appropriate mechanisms for securing patient information to reduce the risk of breaches of information privacy.
This is in contrast to the US health sector where HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability Accountability Act of 1996) has driven the compliance of health software with certain policies and procedures around the access and control of electronic health information.
So what needs to be done to improve the security of patient data in Australia? Changes to the Privacy Act in Australia will not come in effect for 15 months, which gives the e-health industry time to help healthcare providers ensure the privacy of electronic health information.
When considering the legal implications and impact on consumer sentiment for breaches of privacy, healthcare providers should also be asking software suppliers for the latest versions of their health applications. This will ensure providers can implement security and privacy policies that significantly reduce the risk of privacy breaches.
A new framework
Released in December 2011, NEHTA's E-health Information Security and Access Framework aims to provide health software vendors with a "blueprint" to strengthen the protection of consumer health.
The framework aligns with other IT industry security standards and includes implementation guidance for protecting data at rest, appropriate authentication and authorisation mechanisms, and traceability against access to consumer health information to prevent and detect security and privacy breaches.
Security mechanisms should be seamless, easy to manage, and non-intrusive to the everyday activities performed by healthcare providers. There is little point implementing strong authentication mechanism if it is seen as a management nightmare and demands consistent interruption to healthcare professionals who are providing care to patients.
To verify health software conformance to national e-health standards that cross organisational boundaries, the e-health industry has mandated third-party conformance testing by industry test labs.
But neither the security standards and frameworks nor the privacy principles in Australia define security implementation approaches. Perhaps creating a national certification program for assessing information security, which is adopted by the healthcare industry, will give healthcare service providers the confidence that their systems are secure.
Brett Avery is e-health programme manager at Webstercare and has spent the past seven years researching and prototyping software for the health sector. He is also a member of the CIO Executive Council's Pathways Leadership Development Program.
Next read this:
- Top 9 challenges IT leaders will face in 2020
- Top 5 strategic priorities for CIOs in 2020
- 7 'crackpot' technologies that might transform IT
- 8 technologies that will disrupt business in 2020
- 7 questions CIOs should ask before taking a new job
- 7 ways to position IT for success in 2020
- The 9 new rules of IT leadership
- 20 ways to kill your IT career (without knowing it)
- IT manager's survival guide: 11 ways to thrive in the years ahead
- CIO resumes: 6 best practices and 4 strong examples
- 4 KPIs IT should ditch (and what to measure instead)


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KitchenAid® Professional Kitchen Shears
Easy, hassle-free returns online and in-store for eligible items.Learn More
Earn 5% Back in rewards4 plus free standard shipping3every day when you shop with your Williams Sonoma credit card at Williams Sonoma.Apply Now Learn More
- Summary
KitchenAid brings the exceptional quality and iconic design of its legendary kitchen electrics to the Professional cutlery series. With their comfortable contoured grip, these shears have countless uses in the kitchen and beyond.
- Multi-purpose kitchen shears are constructed of stainless steel.
- Expertly hand sharpened with a diamond stone to ensure a precise, razor-sharp edge.
- Advanced tempering and ice-hardening processes result in an extraordinarily durable blade that stays sharper longer.
- Contoured soft-grip handles for comfortable use.
- Dimensions & More Info
- 8 1/4"-long overall.
- 4.8 oz.
- Made in China.
- Use & Care
- Hand-wash with warm water and a mild detergent. Rinse and dry immediately.
- Sharpen at home using a sharpener designed for scissors, or have them sharpened by a professional.
- Shipping
Shipping Information
UPS can deliver most in-stock items within 3–5 business days. UPS is unable to deliver to P.O. boxes.
Shipping Rates
The shipping rate varies depending on your order total and shipping destination. View Shipping Options and Charges.
Next Day Delivery
For an additional charge of $26 per address, we can expedite delivery to most destinations. This service is not available for some oversize items, items shipped directly from the supplier (including perishable and custom-manufactured items), out-of-stock items and items to be shipped outside the contiguous 48 states.
Orders received by 9:00 p.m. ET Monday through Thursday will arrive the next business day; orders placed Friday through Sunday will arrive on the following Tuesday.
Return Policy
At Williams Sonoma, we take great pride in the quality and craftsmanship of our products. Attention to design, materials, safety and construction are our priority. Upon receipt, please inspect your purchase and notify us of any damage; we will arrange for a prompt replacement.
If within 30 days, you are dissatisfied for any reason, you may return your purchase for a refund of the merchandise value. An original receipt or gift receipt is required for all returns and exchanges. Returns with a gift receipt will be refunded in the form of a Merchandise Credit for the amount indicated on the gift receipt. Returns with original receipt will be refunded in the original form of payment, cash and check refunds over $100 will be issued as a company check (may take 14 business days from time of request).
For all cutlery returns (knife sets, single knives, cutting boards, knife sharpeners and knife storage), please contact us at 888.922.4108 to initiate the return.
We cannot accept returns on monogrammed, personalized, special-order items, custom upholstery, food, items shipped direct from the vendor or on items damaged through normal wear and tear. Final sale items ending in .97 or .99 cannot be returned.
Made to Order and Final Sale Furniture items are non-returnable and cannot be cancelled once the order is placed.
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Rated 5 out of 5 by Dawn from AWESOME SCISSORS!! I've had these for years. Well made and I love them. I use these daily. I also put in the dishwasher. These have held up well. Mine came with a cover. Highly recommend.Date published: 2017-10-27


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Former Tiger Charles Barkley was spotted out in Auburn last night, prepping for his alma mater's matchup with Alabama in today's Iron Bowl. Here's a relevant paragraph published earlier in the week.
Barkley will travel Friday to Auburn to soak in the atmosphere, address the team and make a few public appearances before the Tigers' showdown with No. 1 Alabama (11-0, 7-0 SEC). He expects No. 4 Auburn (10-1, 6-1) to win, and the key to victory will be quarterback Nick Marshall.
So far, so good, Chuck.


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"And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye?" – Matthew 7:3
By Alveda King
In her new book, DEMONIC: HOW THE LIBERAL MOB IS ENDANGERING AMERICA, Ms. Coulter calls Bull Conner a lame-duck lunatic and takes pride in pointing out that Justice Thurgood Marshall considered Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. to be an opportunist and rabble rouser. If Dr. King were here today, he would likely remind us that in God's eyes, we are all worth something, and he would encourage us to love each other and pray for each other, rather than choose the path of disparagement that Ms. Coulter uses. God doesn't consider anyone pointless or worthless. Jesus shed his blood for Bull Connor and for Ms. Coulter. Universal agape love seeks to reach and transform the human heart. Ms. Coulter's apparent contempt for Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. is perhaps linked to lack of understanding of the man and his message.
Here are but a few quotes from Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.: Nothing about them suggests mob mentality or evil intent.
"Peace is not merely a distant goal that we seek, but a means by which we arrive at that goal."
"Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that."
"Cowardice asks the question, 'Is it safe?' Expediency asks the question, 'Is it politic?' But conscience asks the question, 'Is it right?' And there comes a time when one must take a position that is neither safe, nor politic, nor popular but because conscience tells one it is right."
"An individual has not started living until he can rise above the narrow confines of his individualistic concerns to the broader concerns of all humanity."
In fact MLK espoused nonviolence and made all his volunteers sign an affirmation to be non-violent.
SIX PRINCIPLES OF NONVIOLENCE – Fundamental tenets of Dr. King's philosophy of nonviolence described in his first book, Stride Toward Freedom. The six principles include:
(1.) Nonviolence is not passive, but requires courage;
(2.) Nonviolence seeks reconciliation, not defeat of an adversary;
(3.) Nonviolent action is directed at eliminating evil, not destroying an evil-doer;
(4.) A willingness to accept suffering for the cause, if necessary, but never to inflict it;
(5.) A rejection of hatred, animosity or violence of the spirit, as well as refusal to commit physical violence; and
(6.) Faith that justice will prevail.
The third principle speaks of 'eliminating evil' and the fourth of 'never to inflict [suffering]'. This does not sound like the mob exciter Ann Coulter speaks of.
According to Ms. Coulter, Justice Marshall called Dr. King a boy. For the record, Martin Luther King, Jr. was not a boy, and such an inference and insult to the purpose of an African American man's mission from a Caucasian woman again points to a disregard of the zeal of youth. Many young people are willing to give their lives for a noble cause.
Justice Marshall perhaps disagreed with Dr. King's method and message, but as is often the case, people disagree. "If" is a big word. Ms. Coulter states that "if" Nixon had been elected over President Kennedy, we would now have Thurgood Marshall Day rather than Martin Luther King Day. For the record, we do have a King Holiday and memorials in King's honor. Sour grapes set our teeth on edge and cause us to consider the message and the messenger.
America is still a relatively "free speech" nation. Hopefully Ms. Coulter's audience will look also beyond her narrowly presented scope in search of deeper truths.


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Pacific Mfg Spices Bedroom Nutmeg Platform Headboard Only
finish: Natural
material: Hardwood/Leather
Pacific Mfg Spices Bedroom Nutmeg Platform Headboard Only
Modern Sleighbed Platform is a beautiful and practical replacement for Boxspring or Foundation for about the same price. Hardwood construction with 7 sizes and up to 5 colors to choose from. The flex ply slats with two height setting are the strongest and most durable in the industry with an unbleivable 50% slat gap ratio. Adding optional vent deck far exceeds any mattress manufacturers warranty and retains a breathable surface. Optional 4 drawer storage below matches the same capacity of a 5 drawer chest with zero addition room space and at a fraction of the cost. Optional ErgoDeck gives you the comfort and flexibilty of top of the line adjustable beds without the hospital bed look or cost.
- Solid sustainable Hardwood
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- 5 colors
- Flex Ply Slats
- 2 height settings
- 50% slat to gap ratio
- patented THUMB NUT (R) connectors
- 10 year limited warranty.


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Monday, June 06, 2011
But you can use it to buy DRUGS!
First, that's just not true! The biggest bitcoin exchanger (Mt Gox) is careful to comply with all anti-money-laundering laws and regulations. If the operators of Silk Road make lots of bitcoins then if or when they try to exchange them for dollars or euros they're going to have to tell Mt Gox who they are, Mt Gox will be required to report the transaction to the government, and the Silk Road folks might find themselves explaining to an IRS agent how they managed to earn so many bitcoins. It is no different from any other financial institution.
Second, nobody can control what is purchased with bitcoins, just like my local bank cannot control what I do with the cash I withdraw from their ATM machine. I wonder if Senators Schumer and Manchin would like to replace all cash with a government-issued smart card; after all, that would make it much harder for criminals to get away with buying illegal goods anonymously, and if we are all law-abiding citizens then we shouldn't worry about the government knowing about all of our purchases... right?
Finally, I hope that the Senators realize that trying to ban an innovative new technology like bitcoin will put the United States at a competitive disadvantage versus the rest of the world. The US government tried to control strong encryption in the 90's, and only succeeded in driving a lot of cryptographic product development overseas. This is supposed to be the Land of the Free; I think we should learn the lessons of the past and be brave about taking advantage of new technologies like bitcoin, instead of fearing them.
15 comments:
- pcfreck said...
- Manuel Barkhau said...
"I wonder if Senators Schumer and Manchin would like to replace all cash with a government-issued smart card; after all, that would make it much harder for criminals to get away with buying illegal goods anonymously"
Stop giving him ideas!
All new technologies are scary at first. The TV was demonized from it's inception.
Oddly enough these events serve only to "legitimize" Bitcoin in the eyes of the consumer, who most likely had no idea what the hell a bitcoin was before today.
They are probably more worried about Silk Road becoming a method for buying alcohol and cigarettes. Both are offered through Silk Road for delivery through the mail (illegally, in most instances).
Because a significant part the cost of these items when purchased at retail comes from the exise taxes, if this took off it would have an impact.
- sumchancer said...
Great, a brilliant advert to the criminal underworld about exactly how perfect bitcoins are to their purposes. We should add an overlay at the end "This message was brought to you by BADASS, the Bitcoin Advertising Association".
Declaring a war against community, which contains the brightest and most innovative people of the century? The stupidity of these politicians knows no bounds.
They are forgetting that these are the same people who are fixing their computers and protecting them from malice in the wild
- Mark Herpel said...
Gavin, where is Mt. Gox's posted AML program? Who is the independent AML compliance officer? What States is Mt. Gox licensed in as a money transmitter? How many SAR (suspicious activity reports) have they filed since opening?
This is very serious business in the U.S. just ask Doug Jackson who lost his business, bankroll, health and livelihood.
You say, "nobody can control what is purchased with bitcoins, just like my local bank cannot control what I do with the cash I withdraw from their ATM machine" Are you kidding me, do you know how many hundreds of times I heard this in the past decade regarding e-gold and other DGCs? Or how many times I've hear, "why don't you arrest the chairman of the fed?" You're a young guy and have not been down this road before. You guys are new to all this, so let me give you some REAL advice, ANYONE handling bitcoin and national currency in the U.S. is an unlicensed exchanger & should now stop TODAY or run for the fricken hills. If not, I can guarantee you, from experience and based on what I'm reading in the press, that they will soon have legal troubles. They will lose their money, their freedom, and anything associated with their business--- now that this kind of bad press is out. If operating in the U.S., on U.S. soil, Mt. Gox is NOT licensed, not legal, and not going to last much longer. They[the gov] don't care if he says, "I'm legal". That is so cute, have you heard of the Patriot Act, you need to hire a lawyer to read it to you.
You want a list of the dozen of US agents charged during the e-gold crackdown? They all said the same thing, I've heard it all before and it ends the same way.
Exchange Agent: It is a great business, but the US does not want it and you can't fight them in court.
The p2p Bitcoin system is awesome, I love it, and I doubt it could be shut down- but take the exchange business, the part that deals with the dollars of national currency and run. Don't do it in the U.S. they don't want it and these businesses, the people operating them and the folks that happen to have cash in a transaction at some future point will all lose big time. You are delusional and naive if you think otherwise. I don't know it all, I'm not guru...but I have seen this all before.
Mark Editor of DGC Magazine
When I read such drivel it makes me stop and wonder why we are doing what we are doing. There are people without the capacity to understand how things work, there are ignorant people, but people like you... Someone who knows right from wrong and still chooses to look the other way... You simply do not deserve to have an opinion!
@Mark, you've nailed it. Anyone exchanging bitcoin and physical cash is at serious risk. Those who don't advertise or don't do it commercially are better off. Trading cash for bitcoins with friends in small amounts is better. Best to keep bitcoin trading for goods and services and eliminate the need for national currencies altogether. Accept and spend bitcoin - don't mess with national currencies. Put them out of business by withdrawing from their use. Go Bitcoin!
I believe the following article is applicable:
The Coming Attack On Bitcoin and How To Survive It
- DJgriffiths said...
As for bitcoin becoming illegal, This Week in Law had some interesting points this week, particularly with regard to contract law:
- Mark Herpel said...
The Coming Attack On Bitcoin and How To Survive It
That is an excellent article and let me restate that I think Bitcoin will be around for many years to come. "Go Bitcoin"
It is unfortunate that in the past 72hrs BTC got more bad press from "silkroad" than e-gold did in it's first 7 years! The more non-US agents on board the better.
I enjoyed that video, Erica is pretty hot, but they seem a bit like outsiders looking in...with respect to property law and contracts, I think everyone realizes if you pay for something with Bitcoin you have no recourse if you get screwed. At least that is the way it has always been with e-gold and most other non reversible digital currency. I know the underlying contract on most WebMoney Transfer payments (Paymer) is a legally binding agreement that can be used in court, but that's rare outside of Webmoney. As usual they are way ahead of the rest of us.
Legal recourse is also one reason why credit card fees & chargebacks are so expensive. I'd rather patronize reputable merchants and build on my reputation than try to sue someone for a refund:-)
Great blog Gavin.
The bad publicity generated by Schumer and Manchin is dwarfed by their tacit endorsement of Bitcoin as a legitimately useful currency. That certainly wasn't their intention but that was the effect. You couldn't ask for better publicity. It was on reading that news article in the Sacramento Bee that I downloaded the Bitcoin client. I may even add the word Bitcoin to my browser spellchecker!
heh, land of the free.. that line sounds slightly more silly each year from an outside perspective :P
anyway, i tried out BTC thanks to this whole scandal and am loving it so far :) thanks random conservative US politician!
- Michael Skowronski said...
"and if we are all law-abiding citizens then we shouldn't worry about the government knowing about all of our purchases... right?"
TOO MANY people working in the government, including and especially those at the top of their domain, are corrupt criminals. So even honest law-abiding people don't want the government getting any more chances to screw them than they already have.
TOO MANY naive people think they can trust the government, "oh those politicians might be stupid but they are not evil"...wrong, very wrong...there are both stupid and evil amongst them.


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This week we're going to be touching on something that will be central to your strategy: Building a mailing list & email marketing. Mailing lists are one of the most important tools any musician has available to them, but one that many independent musicians don't even know about. The major labels know about using mailing lists however, and for good reason. With them, you can hold on to potential fans for much longer, and turn many more into real fans! You can also promote new releases with ease, increase fan interactivity, and make more money from your music. Sound good? Then read below for how to build a mailing list and set up an effective email marketing campaign.
Please Note: For anyone who hasn't set up a mailing list before, this lesson may look a bit daunting. Once you get things going however, you should soon be able to pick up how to use the software and create a mailing list that will benefit your music carer greatly.
What Is A Mailing List
For those that haven't heard of a mailing list before, let's look at what one is. According to Ultimate Mailing List:
"A mailing list is a list of people's contact details, which is used by others to market to"
In other words, when we are building a mailing list, our aim it to collect people's email addresses. We then use these email addresses to contact these people, mailing them information we feel they will find useful.
We collect people's email addresses by putting an 'opt-in form' on our website, and giving people a good reason to sign up. We will be getting this opt in form from Aweber. Aweber is one of the top rated email marketing providers around.
While we are building up our mailing list, we will market to any subscribers via email marketing.
What Is Email Marketing
Email marketing is the process of marketing to the people on your mailing list. You send them messages, containing useful information, offers, and goodies. We will look a bit later at what things you should be sending to people who subscribe to your mailing list in the 'What Your Should Include In Your Newsletter' section.
The Benefits Of Having A Mailing List & Email Marketing
So what are the benefits of building a list and marketing to your subscribers? We look at that answer below. Remember, all of the below mentioned points will do a few things: Increase the amount of fans you have, help build a stronger relationship with existing fans, and essentially earn you more money from your music career.
Please Note: If the below list sounds familiar, that's because it's taken from a topic on the Independent Music Advice website (I won't link to the topic as the rest of it isn't relevant to the strategy in this course). The rest of the information in this week's lesson is fully unique though, and offers valuable information not touched on anywhere else on the site.
- It Builds Up A Strong Relationship With Fans & Increases Interactivity.
When people first come across your website, they don't know much about you or how trust worthy you are. They may download your free EP in exchange for their email address, but not really look to take that relationship any further. If you start sending them good content and freebies directly to their email address though, they may start paying more attention to you and gain trust in what you have to say and do. That makes it easier to convert subscribers into real fans, and have your fans promote you when something big is going on (E.G an album release).
- It's A Good Direct Marketing Tool.
As mailing lists give you direct interaction with your fans, it's an ideal way to promote your latest release or show. Most people check their emails daily, as all their accounts goes through there. It connects to their Facebook, Twitter, PayPal, their blog, and much more. Therefore, if you send someone an email, there is a good chance they will see it.
If you've build up a good relationship with your mailing list subscribers, they'll be more likely to listen to your suggestions or buy your products. Let's say for example you've got a new gig coming up. You can always advertise your gig on your website, but not everyone will visit your website every day. If however your send out an email campaign, all your fans get word direct via email regardless of if they've checked your site in the last month or not. This of course increases the likely hood of ticket sales an in turn means more money.
- You'll Always Have Access To Your Fans.
Mailing lists are one of the best way to keep in contact with your fans. While Facebook friends and twitter followers are useful now, what if one day everyone stops using these sites? You'll have to start up all over again on the next big social networking site, which is a lot of time and effort. This is what happened with MySpace, many people have ended up with pages of thousands of 'Friends' which has no use to anyone. If you had a mailing list however, you could simply send a email out to all of your subscribers letting know how they carry on interacting with you. So no matter what site goes down, you've still got your list.
- It Acts As A Reminder.
Some people will really like your music, visit your website a couple of times and then forget about you. It's not that they don't like you any more, it's just that there's so many things to do on the internet it's harder to keep people's attention then ever before. If however you have a mailing list, you could email your list say once a week (Or whenever something big happens) and remind them that you're still around. This will cause people to revisit your site and make sure you stay on their mind.
Setting Up A Mailing List
So now you know why we need to set up a mailing list, how do we go about doing that? Well, first of all we need to sign up for an account at Aweber.com. Aweber will provide us with all the tools we need to collect people's contact details, store these details, and message them when we want. While I won't be giving you a step by step guide to using all the features of Aweber (They have their own documentation on how to use all the features) I will give you a general guide to get you started. Here are some steps you need to take:
To Be Continued.
There are another 5642 words in this lesson still to be read. To read the rest of this article, please sign up to the Academy.


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Hey guys, welcome back yet again, and hopefully you will find this submission far more exciting than some chibi character or monkey. What do you say we tackle a tutorial on "how to draw a Druid", step by step. I know there are so many World of Warcraft fans out there and some of you fans may know that there is a movie based on WOW coming out real soon. There is three people who actively play WOW in my family and there is two non-active but fans of WOW in my family. The Druid is what my character was based on and as you can imagine it's because I love having the ability to shapeshift into a wolf like creature. Aside from being one of the best classes, I would also like to point out that Druids are probably one of the most flexible classes in WOW. I want to get into this topic so bad right now, but I feel like if I don't stop now I won't get the rest of my work done; how about I come back to this topic later, and for now I can just show you "how to draw a Druid". I think you will find that my drawing looks pretty much like the real thing. Have fun your new journey guys, and for all you Druids out there, rock on!
DragoArt members upload artwork and drawing tutorials! They are also allowed to leave comments on tutorials, profiles, etc. Many more features, as well; it's way better than just being a boring guest! Register Now!


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These beaded ones were fun to make but the pair with the bugle beads doesn't hang well. I pulled it tighter than I should have I think.
I found this pattern at Fire Mountain Gems. They look like Christmas candies! I want to make a lot more of these.
I thought these two came out pretty. I like the brown/caramel colored swirls.
I've had the dance charms for a long time. You can't really tell but the dark beads are purple. I was very happy with the way this pair came out.
These are Day of the Dead earrings for my daughter. I'm going to give them to her on Saturday. Hopefully she won't see this post before then!
Some pretty orange and red beads. I needed some earrings in these two colors to match some of my tops. Now I can be color-coordinated!


text:
I am trying to use the
Animate command to vary a parameter of the Lorenz Equations in 3-D phase space and I'm not having much luck.
The equations are:
$\begin{align*} \dot{x} &= \sigma(y-x)\\ \dot{y} &= rx-y-xz\\ \dot{z} &= xy-bz \end{align*}$
Where $\sigma, r, b > 0$ are parameters to be varied.
Insofar, I am using the
NDSolve command to numerically integrate these equations, then
ParametricPlot3D and the
Evaluate command to plot them.
Just for starters, I am trying to create an animate command to vary $\sigma$ for example from 0 to 10. Can anyone guide me in the right direction? My code looks like this so far:
σ = 10;
NDSolve[{x'[t] == σ (y[t] - x[t]),
y'[t] == 28 x[t] - y[t] - x[t] z[t], z'[t] == x[t] y[t] - 8/3 z[t],
x[0] == z[0] == 0, y[0] == 2}, {x, y, z}, {t, 0, 25}]
Evaluate[{x[t], y[t], z[t]} /. solution], {t, 0, 25}], {σ, 0, 25},
AnimationRunning -> False]
This will generate an animated plot but obviously as
σ varies, nothing is changing since I am not implementing new
NDSolve commands. Can anyone guide me as to how I can implement successive
NDSolve's inside the animate command? Thank you
EDIT: I am using $r=28$ and $b=\frac83$ in place of
r and
b in my code.


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New COSO Internal Control Framework Takes Effect
The new Internal Control—Integrated Framework of the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (COSO) reached an important transition point in December.
In May 2013 COSO issued its updated framework, which was originally released in 1992. As of December 15, 2014, the new 2013 framework superseded the 1992 version for companies applying and referencing COSO's internal control framework for purposes of complying with Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 (SOX 404).
The SEC has indicated that "the longer issuers continue to use the 1992 framework, the more likely they are to receive questions from the staff about whether the issuer's use of the 1992 framework satisfies the SEC's requirement to use a suitable, recognized framework (particularly after December 15, 2014)…".* For banks and capital markets firms, which operate under a complex regulatory environment, the transition to the new framework involves careful considerations.
"While many financial institutions have recognized the need to assess their current program against the 2013 COSO framework, it's also important they allow adequate time to respond to potential gaps," says Carol Larson, partner, Deloitte & Touche LLP. "And it is important to factor in not only the time needed to implement changes and enhancements to their existing internal control environment but also the time needed for their external auditors to audit new/revised controls prior to year end," she adds.
The process to evaluate compliance with the 2013 COSO framework will require effort beyond a mere mapping exercise of existing processes and controls to the 17 principles. "There may be more work to do regarding coordinating internal controls and risk principles," notes Nitish Idnani, principal, Enterprise Risk Services, Deloitte & Touche LLP, "especially by banking and capital markets firms."
Six Areas of Focus for the Banking and Capital Markets Sectors
Following are six insights for finance and risk executives in the banking and capital markets sectors charged with guiding their organizations through the new internal control landscape.
1. Application of 2013 COSO Framework
The updated framework retains three distinct, but overlapping categories of objectives—operations, reporting and compliance. It also reiterates the opportunity to expand the framework's application beyond its traditional adoption for external financial reporting to include operations and compliance.
"While the majority of banking and capital markets organizations have used the COSO framework to design their SOX 404 compliance system of internal control over financial reporting, many are taking a broader view of the updated framework for other purposes," says Mr. Idnani. "The scrutiny of regulators and other third parties has intensified the need for reporting to be the end-product of a well-controlled process in which the effectiveness of controls is periodically assessed," says Sandy Herrygers, partner, Enterprise Risk Services, Deloitte & Touche LLP. As a result, many organizations are applying the framework principles to design quality assurance review functions over other areas, including operational and regulatory reporting.
2. Consideration of Existing Enterprise-wide Controls Programs
The 2013 framework re-establishes the control environment as the basis for carrying out internal control responsibilities across the organization. It also emphasizes the role of the board and senior management in setting the tone regarding the importance of internal control and expectations concerning standards of conduct (principles 1-5).
"Many large financial institutions likely have several existing governance programs and monitoring activities to help them comply with the 2013 framework," notes Ms. Herrygers. "However, in many cases these processes may not have previously been considered part of the core SOX 404 program. Consequently, management may want to create an inventory of the processes and design formal assessments as part of the SOX 404 program to demonstrate that they are present and functioning," she adds.
3. Dynamic Risk Assessment Process
The 2013 framework calls for companies to have a dynamic risk assessment program (principles 6-9) that considers significant changes in business operations and adapts to internal, external and emerging risks. Such a program may require input from business units, and appropriate levels of management should be formally captured as part of the risk assessment and scoping process, including the initial and continuous assessment of:
- Fraud risk
- Complex non-routine processes
- Processes requiring the hand-off of data between departments
- Manual processes or those dependent on end-user computing tools
- Potential changes in the internal control environment
- Emerging risks and issues at peer organizations and the industry
The risk assessment should be periodically updated to capture changes that may impact the qualitative assessment. For example, some banking and capital market firms coordinate between the risk teams embedded in business lines and the financial reporting risk and controls groups to discuss changes in risk profile, emerging trends and the external environment.
4. Outside Service Providers (OSPs)
The nature and extent of using OSPs today compared to when the original COSO framework was written is exponentially greater and different. Because of the reliance that financial institutions place on OSPs, it is critical to have controls to monitor that OSPs are performing the expected role in the expected manner. In fact, the 2013 framework incorporates concepts related to the use of OSPs in 12 of the 17 principles and emphasizes the inclusion of risks related to transactions processed by OSPs within the organization's risk assessment. Such a program may feature, for example, including OSPs within the organizations' ethics and integrity programs—extending the tone at the top beyond the walls of the organization.
5. Fraud Risk Factors and Fraud Risk Assessment
The 2013 framework has been updated to specifically include concepts related to fraud risk (principle 8), and therefore organizations should consider the various types of fraud (such as misappropriation of funds and fraudulent financial reporting) as part of its assessment. The assessment should include consideration of fraud risk factors, such as incentives and pressure, opportunities, attitude and rationalization.
A reassessment of fraud risks and their potential impact on a material misstatement of the financial statements also may be required. "Such reassessments could lead to changes in controls that are considered relevant to external financial reporting," says Ms. Larson. "In addition, several organizations have extended code-of-conduct requirements, including anonymous disclosure of impropriety to OSPs and vendors that are obligated to acknowledge such requirements," she adds.
6. Information to Carry Out Internal Control Responsibilities
Recognizing the evolution of information systems and the increased dependency on system-generated data on the performance of internal controls, the 2013 framework includes IT considerations in 14 out of 17 principles, notably that the information produced by the organization is complete, accurate, current and verifiable.
Many financial statement disclosures require significant involvement and input from the business, product control, valuation, tax and finance departments. To support the complete flow of transactions and ensure that all suppliers and users of information understand the requirements, organizations may want to consider doing the following:
- Inventory complex processes, including those related to OSPs.
- Document the end-to-end process and expected flow of information.
- Identify the relevant controls that address the quality of information generated and used in the performance of key controls supporting the financial statement line item or footnote disclosure.
- Clarify roles and responsibilities that clearly articulate and confirm internal control objectives.
"Overall, banking and capital markets organizations should anticipate the need for a potential increase in compliance effort with respect to implementing the 2013 COSO framework," says Mr. Idnani. "Management should begin its readiness assessments with urgency and expect significant discussion with its audit committee with periodic communication on progress throughout the year."
* See minutes of the September 25, 2013, meeting of the Center for Audit Quality SEC Regulations Committee with the staff of the SEC. http://www.thecaq.org/docs/reports-and-publications/2013septembe25jointmeetinghls.pdf
Related Resources
Implementing the updated 2013 COSO framework: Takeaways for banking and capital markets firms
The 2013 COSO Framework and the Audit Committee
Top Issues for Audit Committees in 2014
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text:
As Saudi-backed Bahraini authorities prepared to carry out death sentences against four anti-government protesters for the murder of two security officers, forces loyal to King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa continued their campaign of arresting physicians and nurses to make it impossible for them see and treat wounds allegedly inflicted by government gunmen.
Twenty-three doctors and 24 nurses were arrested yesterday and charged with a laundry list of crimes including, embezzlement of public funds, physical assault on civilians, assault leading to death, possession of unlicensed weapons and ammunition, failure to carry out their employment duties, in aims of hindering medical work, consequently endangering people's health and lives, attempting to forcefully occupying a public building, efforts to bring down and change the regime by illegal means,
inciting hatred against the governing regime, promoting sectarian hate, spreading false news and rumors that harm public interest, and participating in unlicensed protests and rallies.
The arrests included Dr. Ahmed Jamal, president of the Bahrain Medical Society.
The U.S.-based advocacy group, Human Rights Watch, called Monday on Bahraini authorities to put off military court death sentences and life imprisonment of Shiites over the alleged killing of two security men.
"Bahraini authorities should set aside a military court ruling on April 28, 2011, sentencing four defendants to death and three others to life in prison for their alleged involvement in the murder of two police officers," the human rights group said.
It said that the trial of the seven defendants, aged between 19 and 24, lasted less than two weeks, while they were the first civilians to be convicted in special military courts set after the crackdown in March on Shiite-led protests demanding democratic reforms.
"By establishing these special courts, the government of Bahrain is making it near impossible for defendants to enjoy the rights to which they are entitled," said Joe Stork, deputy Middle East director for Human Rights Watch.
"The role of the military prosecutor, the makeup of the special court, and the meager access to legal representation undermine the most basic due process protections," he added.
According to authorities, four police were killed in March after being struck by cars during the protests in the kingdom, which is ruled by the Sunni Al-Khalifa dynasty.
Amnesty International last week urged Bahrain to block the executions.
"Those sentenced have no right of appeal except to another special military court, raising great fears about the fairness of the entire process," Amnesty International said.
Authorities charged the defendants with premeditated murder under Bahrain's 1976 Penal Code and the 2006 counterterrorism law, which mandates the death penalty for certain crimes, including murder, when designated a terrorist crime, Human Rights Watch said.
Bahrain had declared a "state of national safety," a lower degree of emergency, on March 16, a day before security forces crushed the month-long Shiite-led demonstration.
Bahraini authorities have said 24 people were killed during the unrest, most of them demonstrators. Last week, a Bahraini official said 405 detainees had been referred to military courts while 312 have been released.
"Sixty-two criminal cases and 343 misdemeanor cases have been referred to the courts of national safety," said the head of the Information Affairs Authority, Sheikh Fawaz bin Mohammed Al-Khalifa.
In other developments, Maryam Al-Khawaja, Head of the Foreign Relations Office for the Bahrain Center for Human Rights, said Bahraini authorities have arrested two former members of Parliament from Al Wefaq political party: Matar Matar and Jawad Fairouz. MP Jawad Fairuz is known for highlighting government corruption and unfair distribution of lands as he attempted to bring the case to parliament. Matar Matar has been documenting violations and cases of disappearances and arrests.
His interview with the BBC can be found here.
The Bahraini authorities are reportedly harassing and intimidating members of the press. An article entitled "The Murder of Free Speech and the Siege of Freedom" on the website of the Bahrain Center for Human Rights claims that "More than 68 journalists have been subjected to lay-off, arrest and threats because of their work."
Since the 14th of February 2011, he article charges, "Bahrain has seen a political movement demanding freedom, democracy, and the revival of communal partnership in the framework of the civil movements seeking freedom which are currently overrunning Arab countries.
"This was followed by brutal security crackdowns and the entry of the Peninsula Shield forces (Military units of 6 Gulf countries) into Bahrain.
"Journalists engaged in this event with daily coverage through both their jobs at local newspapers, through their announcements on satellite television stations, by writing to Arabic newspapers in the framework of their presence at the site of action, and via effective action through online social networking tools such as Facebook and Twitter.
"Because of that, journalists have been subjected to a campaign of lay-offs and collective arrests affecting more than 68 journalists, while many have received different threats originating from the Bahraini authorities, its associated organizations, and affiliated parties. The online activist Zakariya Al Aushayri has been killed in detention and Reporters without Borders has released an official statement demanding an investigation into the incident, indeed the reporters Faisal Hayyat, Hayder Mohammad, Ali Jawad, and other bloggers and e-activist have been arrested. Warrants have been issued for others as well, causing some to leave Bahrain, in fear of their personal safety.
"Bahrain is currently considered a dangerous zone for the freedom of press and journalists. Bahraini journalists are hoping for a helping hand and for the adoption of measures to insure their safety. We firmly believe that any journalist arrested by the Bahraini government could die in view of the current security laws (the emergency law) implemented in the country, the severity of the situation, and the arbitrary procedures that the country has seen on multiple levels that go up against the international commitments concerning human rights; especially with the rise in the number of people killed in Bahraini interrogation centers to 4, asides from the 35 dead during the demonstrations so far, all in a country with a population that does not exceed 570 thousand people."
In other developments, Abdulhadi Alkhawaja's wife, Khadija AlMousawi was fired from her job on Sunday 2nd May. AlMousawi was Head of Guidance and Administrative Manager at Abdulrahman Kanoo International School where she has worked for the past 10 years. According to family members, AlMousawi was informed that the order for her layoff came from the Ministry of Interior. Five other employees at the same school were also fired.
Shaikh Mohammed Habib AlMuqdad (Swedish citizen) called his family yesterday asking for clothes. This is the first time his family knew that he was being held by the authorities. AlMuqdad was recently released from prison (late February) after being accused of being part of a terrorist cell. After his release AlMuqdad spoke about the torture that he had been subjected to and showed marks left on his body due to electric shocks and other types of torture.
Another Swedish citizen, Khalil AlHalwachi, has gone missing after his daughter found their home vandalized (pictures attached)
In a related development, Forbes Magazine is reporting that a major U.S.-based labor group is asking Washington to suspend a free trade pact with Bahrain in response to the Gulf nation's crackdown that includes purging union leaders accused of supporting pro-reform protests.
A senior official for the AFL-CIO says the petition urges American trade officials to halt the special accord that waives tariffs on industrial and consumer products. Bahrain is a key U.S. ally and home to the Navy's 5th Fleet.
Jeff Vogt, an AFL-CIO official, said on Monday that it's the first time the group has sought to halt a trade pact because of political pressures.
Ever since Saudi Arabian soldiers and UAE police rolled into Bahrain across the 26 km. Causeway separating the two countries, increasing numbers of observers have been writing the obituary of Bahrain's version of The Arab Spring.
The consensus seems to be that Saudi power and influence would quickly blow the winds of change out to sea. And the effect of Saudi power is not difficult to find; the U.S. Administration has been handling clashes between Bahraini security forces (the Sunni minority) and anti-government demonstrators (mostly the Shia majority) as a super Third Rail. The U.S. wants to avoid irritating the Saudis, who are strategically important for obvious reasons. The Saudis want to avoid the possibility that the oil-producing Eastern part of Bahrain, a heavily Shia area, will make common cause with a neighboring oil-producing province of Saudi Arabia, which is home to a sizable Shia population.
The Saudi and UAE forces in Bahrain are under the auspices of the Gulf Cooperation Council. The GCC would like the troubles in Bahrain to simply go away, because many of the countries in the Council are near carbon copies of Bahrain.
In the early days of the anti-government protests, the King toyed with the idea of offering some concessions to the dissidents. But these, as in most roiled-up Middle Eastern states, have apparently come too little to late. So the royal family has adopted a hard and unforgiving line against the protesters.
The government seems prepared to arrest them all!
Tom Friedman of The New York Times put the predicament quite succinctly. He wrote, "…Saudi Arabia, which is 90 percent Sunni and 10 percent Shiite, has made clear that it will oppose any evolution to constitutional monarchy in neighboring Bahrain, where a Sunni minority rules over a Shiite majority. Saudi Arabia has no tradition of pluralism. When we say "democratic reform" to Saudi Arabia or Bahrain, we might as well be speaking Latin. What their rulers hear is 'Shiites taking over from Sunnis.' Not gonna happen peacefully."
William Fisher, a regular contributor to The Public Record, has managed economic development programs for the U.S. State Department and the U.S. Agency for International Development in the Middle East, Latin America and elsewhere for the past 25 years. He has supervised major multi-year projects for AID in Egypt, where he lived and worked for three years. He returned later with his team to design Egypt's agricultural strategy. Fisher served in the administration of President John F. Kennedy. He reports on a wide-range of issues for numerous domestic and international newspapers and online journals. He blogs at The World According to Bill Fisher.
"[DNC Chair Tom Perez] has gotten instructions from Bill Clinton not to let the party go to the Bernie Sanders folks." - Jonathan Allen, co-author of Shattered, revealing new material in the upcoming paperback release pic.twitter.com/dLEnwl7kIc— HootHootBerns 🌹🐦 (@HootHootBerns) May 3, 2018


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Then this morning rolled around. My darling Sadie asked for a hot item this year for Christmas. Since the kid never ever asks for anything, I really wanted to try my hardest to make this one work. You all know I am a glutton for a bargain and the world's largest retailer was running the item as a doorbuster this morning. The deal was too good to pass up. I strategized for a week about my Black Friday shopping strategy. Last night while I was listening to the freight train that I call my snoring husband, I was mapping out my moves in my head. I was pumped up and ready to score some deals. So this morning the alarm so sweetly played harp music to wake me up at the ripe ol' hour of 3:30 am. That is also known as "Oh my God o'clock" in my book.
I rolled out of bed, took off my pj pants, threw on some jeans and left on the sweatshirt that I slept in. I swept a toothbrush across my grill and slapped some concealer on my monster zit. I was out the door within 5 minutes of waking up. I drove to the store, walked back to the electronics section and scored a ticket to get the item that I wanted. I went and stood in line to wait for the store to start passing out the items. While I was standing there hunched over my cart, my phone starts buzzing. (I had a great time texting with my girlfriends at 4am!) I reached down into my cart to get my phone out of my purse. As I did, my arm brushed across my chest and there was all kinds of jiggling that happened. I thought, "DUDE! Why are the ladies bouncing around like that down there?" And then it hit me. In my haste to get out the door, I had neglected to put on... a bra. Whoa. The girls were roaming free in public. Not pretty. In my defense, I was in Walmart where people don't always look so um...human? I fit right in. It's a good thing no running was required in my quest to get my stuff. I would have knocked some people out. I am soooo classy I can hardly stand it.
Yep- that's my name. Megan Free Boobin' Classy Terry. Don't wear it out!
Here are our turkey day snaps.
|My crew in the back. My mom and step-dad in the middle, my brother's crew in the front.
|My step-dad, David, and Miles
|My brother and my Granny Sadie
|who are those people?
|Don't even think about swiping my cupcake!
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Just what has made the Thermos stand the test of years? Our promotional Thermos products are made with care and the quality you've come to know and trust. Here's what you can expect:
* Tough stainless steel and plastic construction for high durability and endurance.
* Leak-proof design so contents stay where they belong.
* Steady internal temperature control thanks to vacuum insulation technology.
* BPA- free.
The stainless steel and plastic Promotional Thermos products that Art Promos carries are ideal for imprinting with a business logo information. These high-visibility advertisements make great gifts for employees, valued clients, people in the construction industry, frequent travelers, commuters and lovers of outdoor activities.


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Q: How do you control emergent cattails & phragmites around my pond? -Several Customers from across the US
A: At first site, cattails and phragmites seem to add a natural look to your farm pond. But before you know it, they grow out of control and wrap around the pond causing a very unappealing look. Here are 3 Easy Steps to killing cattails, phragmites or other emergents: Spray … Cut … Remove.
1.) Spray – The best products to use to get rid of emergent weeds is the Shoreline Defense® & Treatment Booster™ PLUS Combo. It it always best to read the product labels for dosage rates, but a great suggestion is to mix 8 oz Shoreline Defense®, with 4 oz Treatment Booster™ PLUS, with 2 gallons of water into a pond sprayer. This recommendation will treat approximately 2,500 sq. ft. of emergent weeds. It is best to spray when cattails or phragmites are around 12″ high or taller. Before cutting and removing, it is recommended to wait a week and a half to allow the chemical to get into the root system. By not allowing this time to pass or cutting too early will allow the root system to stay alive.
2.) Cut – Use a Weed Cutter to cut at the base of the cattails/phragmites. This will allow for easier removal.
3.) Remove – Use a Pond & Beach Rake to assist in removing the of the cut cattails/phragmites.
Filed under: Cattails, Phragmites, Pond & Lake | Tagged: cattail, Cattails, control cattail, control cattails, control phragmites, controlling cattail, controlling cattails, controlling phragmites, emergent, how to get rid of cattail, how to get rid of cattails, how to get rid of phragmite, how to get rid of phragmites, how to kill cattail, how to kill cattails, kill cattail, kill cattails, kill phragmite, kill phragmites, killing cattail, killing cattails, Phragmites | 20 Comments »


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Paperback, 994 pages
Released: January 1995
In Beyond Capital, the internationally esteemed Marxist philosopher István Mészáros provides a major contribution to the task of reassessing the socialist alternative and the conditions for its realization in the light of twentieth-century developments and disappointments. Mészáros brings original Marxist thinking to bear on the most fundamental issue facing the left: how to move theoretically Beyond Capital—beyond the project that Marx began and which he articulated under a specific form of commodity capitalism, as well as beyond the power of capital itself.
Steeped in the philosophical roots and revolutionary world outlook of early Marxism, broad in scope and stunning in its erudition, Beyond Capital brilliantly challenges the European-based conceptual framework of socialist theory and begins the urgent task of elaborating a new socialist theory of transition.
Not only profound in its analysis, but also so passionately inspired by sympathy for the downtrodden and their struggle for liberation.
For me, István Mészáros is one of the few people who has made essential contributions to the body of Marxist thought. Like Marx, he is not easy to read, but he is definitely worth the effort.


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Tyan Puzhao Si was founded in the Yuan Dynasty, taking Foguangpuzhao meaning, is the Six ancient temple. It is located Ling Hanfeng ago, surrounded by peaks and ridges, a low-flow stream, pines and cypress trees, the hillside, is a complete ancient architectural complex of Buddhist monasteries.
Shandong, ancient place of for the Qi and Lu, located at the east China coast, the Yellow River downstream, the Beijing Hangzhou big canal's north section, the provincial capital supposes in Jinan, in the province the main super city has Jinan, Qingdao, Yantai, Zibo. Western connects the interior, with Hebei, Henan, Anhui, Jiangsu four provinces borders on separately from north to south; Middle high suddenly, Taishan is the throughout peak; The eastern Shandong Peninsula enters Yellow Sea, north separates the Bohai Sea channel and the Liaodong Peninsula relative, surrounds and protects Beijing and Tianjin and Persian Gulf, east separates Yellow Sea and the Korean Peninsula faces one another, the southeast is near depends on broad Yellow Sea, to look out south East China Sea and Japan the chain islands.


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Bad & Bewby: Thicky Bey's Milk-Filled Tidday Missiles Are Blowing Up Twitter
- By Bossip Staff
19 of 20
Queen Bey's Planet-Sized Bewbs Are Breaking Twitter
We're officially living in the post-Preggonce era that's already off to a glorious start. So glorious, that ALL of Twitter is GUSHING over Queen Bey's milk-filled tidday missiles currently blowing up the whole entire internet.
Peep the hilarious chaos over thicky Bey's super duper baby feeders on the flip.
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Sunday, September 25, 2011
The Almost Perfect Met - R.A. Dickey!
3 comments:
It's inexplicable...every time he pitches we can only give him 1 or 2 runs. With just ordinary run production he'd be 13-8 instead of 8-13. At least we have one piece together for 2012.ReplyDelete
- AnonymousSeptember 25, 2011 at 10:28 PM
heck, with decent or good run support he could have won close to twenty games.ReplyDelete
whenever he pitch we can only provide him 1 or 2 operates. With just common run manufacturing .ReplyDelete
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So what if Jay Cutler got injured and missed six games of the Bears' season, causing the team to miss the playoffs? He's more POTENT than he's ever been!
"We are thrilled to announce we are expecting our first child together," they tell PEOPLE exclusively. "It's an amazing time in our life and we can't wait to meet the new addition to our growing family."
Shortly after Cavallari, 25, and her Chicago Bears quarterback beau, 28, renewed their engagement, the former Hills star and Dancing with the Stars contestant said, "Sometimes, in order for things to get better, they have to end—even if it's momentarily."
Woo! We were mortified when they split up, because we had a vested interest in their romance. But then they got back together!
And now they're having a baby. Love reigns!
Kristin Cavallari and Jay Cutler Are Expecting! [People.com]


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Specification :
The long-awaited successor to Fujifilm's first X-series mirrorless digital camera, the X-Pro2sports a high-resolution X-Trans CMOS III sensor and redeveloped X-Processor Pro, along with the tested rangefinder-inspired design now synonymous with the X-Pro system. Now weighing in at 24.3MP, the APS-C CMOS sensor incorporates the proprietary X-Trans technology and its randomized pixel array to afford a high degree of sharpness and accurate color reproduction, along with high expanded sensitivity to ISO 51200. When paired with the X-Processor Pro, the camera is capable of recording stills at up to 8 fps and Full HD 1080p video at 60 fps, along with quick focusing and overall performance speeds. Unique among camera designs, the X-Pro2 is also heavily characterized by its Advanced Hybrid Multi Viewfinder that blends both optical and electronic viewing methods into a single, switchable finder, giving you the best of both worlds in regard to clear viewing and the ability to preview exposure settings prior to shooting. Cementing its place as a professional tool, the X-Pro2 also features a robust, weather-sealed body design accented by a range of physical controls for intuitive handling in any condition.
Besides image quality, the sensor and processor combination also avails a highly precise, versatile autofocus system that is comprised of 273 points and uses both phase- and contrast-detection methods. The phase-detection system covers nearly 40% of the entire image frame with 77 points, which is beneficial to subject tracking and fast overall AF performance, while the majority of the frame is then covered by contrast-detection areas for accurate focusing from edge-to-edge. The imaging attributes also contribute to creative control over the look and feel of photos, such as through the use of Fujifilm's Film Simulation modes that replicate the look of specific film types, as well as a Grain Effect mode to mimic the textured appearance of film photos. Rounding out the feature-set of the X-Pro2, its design also incorporates a range of customizable function buttons along with a 3.0" 1.62m-dot rear LCD for image playback, live view shooting, and menu navigation, and built-in Wi-Fi lets you wirelessly share images to mobile devices, remotely control the camera from a smartphone or tablet, or wirelessly send images to the optional instax SHARE Smartphone Printer for on-the-go printing.
|Lens Mount
|Fujifilm X Mount
|Camera Format
|APS-C (1.5x Crop Factor)
|24.3 Megapixel
|Max Resolution
|6000 x 4000
|Aspect Ratio
|Sensor Type / Size
|CMOS, 23.6 x 15.6 mm
|File Formats
|Still Images: JPEG, RAW
Movies: MOV, MPEG-4 AVC/H.264
Audio: Linear PCM (Stereo)
|Bit Depth
|Dust Reduction System
|Memory Card Type
|AV Recording
|Video Recording
|Yes, NTSC/PAL
|Video Format
|1920 x 1080p at 60 fps36 Mb/s
|Aspect Ratio
|Video Clip Length
|Up to 28 Min
|Audio Recording
|Built-In Mic: With Video (Stereo)
Optional External Mic: With Video (Stereo)
|Focus Control
|Focus Type
|Focus Mode
|Continuous-Servo AF (C), Manual Focus (M), Single-servo AF (S)
|Autofocus Points
|Phase Detection: 77
Contrast Detection: 196
|Viewfinder Type
|Optical, Electronic
|Viewfinder Size
|Viewfinder Pixel Count
|Viewfinder Eye Point
|16.00 mm
|Viewfinder Coverage
|Viewfinder Magnification
|Approx. 0.59x
|Diopter Adjustment
|-4 to +2 m
|Display Screen
|3" Rear Screen LCD (1,620,000)
|Screen Coverage
|Exposure Control
|ISO Sensitivity
|Auto, 200-12800 (Extended Mode: 100-51200)
|Type: Mechanical
Speed: 30 - 1/8000 Second , Time Mode
Type: Mechanical
Speed: 4 - 1/8000 Second in Program Mode
Type: Mechanical
Speed: 0 - 60 Minutes in Bulb Mode
Type: Electronic
Speed: 1 - 1/32000 Second
Type: Electronic
Speed: 1 Second in Bulb Mode
Type: Electronic & Mechanical
Speed: 30 - 1/32000 Second
Type: Electronic & Mechanical
Speed: 4 - 1/32000 Second in Program Mode
Type: Electronic & Mechanical
Speed: 60 - 0 Minutes in Bulb Mode
|Remote Control
|RR-90 (Optional)
|Metering Method
|Average Metering, Center-Weighted Average Metering, Multi-Zone Metering, Spot Metering
|Exposure Modes
|Modes: Aperture Priority, Manual, Program, Shutter Priority
Compensation: -5 EV to +5 EV (in 1/3 EV Steps)
|White Balance Modes
|Automatic Scene Recognition, Color Temperature, Custom, Fine, Fluorescent (Cool White), Fluorescent (Daylight), Fluorescent (Warm White), Incandescent, Shade, Underwater
|Buffer/Continuous Shooting
|Up to 8 fps at 24.3 MP for up to 83 Frames in JPEG Format
Up to 8 fps at 24.3 MP for up to 33 Frames in Raw Format
|Flash Modes
Auto/Red-Eye Reduction
Forced On
Forced On/Red-Eye Reduction
Rear Curtain Sync/Red-Eye Reduction
Rear Sync
Slow Sync/Red-Eye Reduction
Suppressed Flash
|Built-in Flash
|Max Sync Speed
|Mechanical Shutter:1 / 250 Second
|External Flash Connection
|Hot Shoe
|Start-up Time
|0.4 seconds
|Shutter Lag
|0.05 seconds
|Self Timer
|10 Seconds, 2 Seconds
|Interval Recording
|2.5mm Sub-mini (2-Ring), HDMI D (Micro), USB 2.0 Micro-B, USB 2.0
|Wi-Fi Capable
|1 x NP-W126 Rechargeable Lithium-Ion Battery Pack, 7.2 VDC, 1260 mAh
|AC Power Adapter
|AC-9V (Optional)
|Operating/Storage Temperature
32 to 104°F (0 to 40°C)
Humidity: 10 - 80%
|Dimensions (W x H x D)
|5.5 x 3.3 x 1.8" / 140.5 x 82.8 x 45.9 mm
|15.70 oz / 445 g body only
|Packaging Info
|Package Weight
|2.8 lb
|Box Dimensions (LxWxH)
|8.2 x 5.7 x 5.5"


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September 1, 2011
Contact: Nick Sifuentes, email@example.com, 310-866-1692
Glen Besa, firstname.lastname@example.com, 804-387-6001
Sierra Club Celebrates Dominion Decision to Phase out Two Virginia Coal Plants
Under Pressure from Activists, Yorktown and Chesapeake Generating Stations to be Retired
Richmond, VA – Dominion Resources Inc., the Commonwealth of Virginia's largest utility, announced today that it will phase out two of its oldest and dirtiest coal fired power plants. The Chesapeake and Yorktown plants, situated in coastal Virginia, will end operations by 2016 and 2015 respectively. This announcement comes just days after GenOn Energy, Inc. announced that it had decided to phase out the Potomac Generating Station, an aging coal fired power plant in northern Virginia.
"Today's announcement of the retirement of the Chesapeake and Yorktown plants in another critical win for the residents of Virginia," said Sierra Club's Executive Director Michael Brune. "These two plants are a major source of pollution in coastal Virginia, and the decision by Dominion to responsibly phase them out means kids will have the opportunity to breathe cleaner air. Local activists and everyday Virginians have been working for years to ensure that plants like these get cleaned up or phased out; today they all celebrate this victory."
Chesapeake and Yorktown are two of the worst polluters in the region, with Chesapeake alone pumping out more than 3 million tons of carbon pollution every year. The two plants are also responsible for tens of thousands of tons of soot and smog pollution each year. This pollution generates a deadly haze which can trigger asthma attacks, respiratory illnesses, and can contribute to heart disease, cancers and other ailments. Nationally, pollution from coal-fired power plants is responsible for billions of dollars in health costs and lost work and school days annually.
"Dominion has clearly signaled that it's time to shift away from dirty and dangerous sources of energy that affect the lives of every Virginian," said Mary Anne Hitt, Director of the Sierra Club's Beyond Coal Campaign. "Soot and smog threaten the lives of children every day, and plants like these are a primary culprit in our nation's asthma epidemic. The retirement of these two plants will save ratepayer dollars from propping up two old and dirty plants giving kids a chance at cleaner air and a little bit more room to breathe. This decision is a win for the health Virginia of families."
"We're extremely pleased with the announcement that Dominion will be retiring the fifty-year-old Chesapeake and Yorktown plants," said Glen Besa, Director of the Sierra Club's Virginia Chapter. "By phasing out these two plants Dominion has ensured that electricity rates won't rise due to costly investments in outdated energy sources. We are, however, disappointed that Dominion has not made a firm commitment to developing wind and solar power in Virginia. It is important that we use the retirement timeline of these plants to retrain their workforce and create new clean energy jobs—something which we could accomplish with offshore wind in the Chesapeake. Onshore wind in our neighboring states, like West Virginia, Pennsylvania and Indiana, is creating both clean energy and good jobs. We want Dominion to recognize that it's Virginia's turn."
The Sierra Club's Beyond Coal Campaign has been actively engaged in Virginia since 2003 with support for retiring these plants going back even further. The Chesapeake and Yorktown plants are the country's 96th and 97th plants to announce retirement since January of 2010. Recently the Sierra Club joined forces with Michael R. Bloomberg, Mayor of New York City, and his Bloomberg Philanthropies to combat the dangerous health effects coal fired power has on children and families across the nation. The announcement of a $50 million dollar gift to roll back the threat of coal-fired pollution was held just outside the now-retiring plant in Alexandria.
For more information visit www.beyondcoal.org


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The Gresso Extreme X3 may not win any beauty awards, but for a phone that can withstand an hour in 5 meters of water and 1.5 tons on top of it, it's a decent looking phone.
Dustproof, able to withstand drops from 7 meters and function in temperatures ranging from -58-140 degrees Fahrenheit, the X3 will probably endure the abuses of even the worst cellphone owners. Little else is known about the phone for now, except that it will cost $270 and start selling next month. [GSM Arena via Born Rich]