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Last month I wrote about an upcoming assignment in the Philippines for an organization called Arts Aftercare. Here is a link to the post if you are interested in the backstory, but basically I was working with the story of sexual slavery, human trafficking, and the work people are doing to help survivors. I was gone for 10 days in the beginning of March, and I got back to the States a few weeks ago. After taking some time to rest, and reflect on the trip and what I saw, I finally feel like I am at a point now where I have processed enough of the trip, and I can share my thoughts and more importantly, my pictures. I feel like this project makes the most sense when split up into 4 or 5 different stories. The first part of the story is arriving in Manila and getting somewhat acclimated to my surroundings.
I have never had to think so much about an assignment as I did on this trip. There are so many variables to consider, which I have never had to think about on past assignments. One of the things I found myself thinking about a lot on this trip was journalistic integrity. Thankfully I was traveling and working with my close friend, and filmmaker Eric Becker who I learned so much from. It would have been a totally different experience for me if I didn't have him there for support, and just overall great companionship. When I was in Liberia last year, I took pictures of anyone, because everyone in the entire town I was in, was effected in one way or another by the lack of clean drinking water. It was something that had a broad reach, and just about any person, place or thing seemed relevant to the story. In the Philippines, I was trying to tell a story about sexual slavery. Although prostitution seemed to be everywhere I turned, it is not so easy to create a visual story without being painstakingly careful. For example, we stayed at the Holiday Inn Resort when we visited Angels City. Just in the short time I spent in the lobby during a 24 hour period, I saw 20 or so men bring back, or meet prostitutes in the lobby. Everyone knows what is going on, but at the same time, seeing a 65 year old American man and a 20 year old Filipino girl walking to a hotel room is not proof of what is going on. Sometimes the age difference was not so great, and it certainly isn't fair to assume every white guy and Filipino girl are in anything other than a serious relationship. Being a portrait photographer, I wanted to photograph so many different people, but I knew I needed to be careful what I was implying by including someones portrait or picture in a series like this. I didn't photograph the bellhop at the hotel I was staying at and say he is somehow a part of the story, anymore than I would want someone photographing me in the Philippines and saying I was somehow involved. There is actually a lot of human trafficking that happens in Seattle. Seattle is a major player in human trafficking unfortunately, but that doesn't mean you can photograph anyone in Seattle and say they are part of the story. Some of you may be thinking what I am saying seems pretty obvious, but it was new for me, and took a lot of thought to work through.
With all of that being said, these images are from our travels to Manila from Seattle, as well as wandering around and exploring Manila after we first arrived. Which I might add, we didn't have much time to explore. None of these images are linked to or are intended to be linked to prostitution or human trafficking, but they help set the stage for where I was in the Philippines, and what my surroundings were like.
I am really excited to share more from this trip in the coming days and dive into the images I am most excited about. As always, thanks for your interest!
On another note, all of these images were edited with VSCO Film which is an amazing image editing tool for Lightroom, Aperture, and Camera RAW. It has totally sped up my workflow, improved my images, and is one of my favorite tools as a photographer. Check it out for yourself here. I also wrote a couple of reviews here and here with processed images if you want to find out more.


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by Brian DeCandia, sports information graduate assistant
MILLEDGEVILLE, Ga. – The Georgia College softball team (1-1) started the 2012 stanza with a split against Queens College (1-1), losing the first, 8-5 and taking the second 10-2. Haley Burnett (Columbus, Ga.) aided the Bobcats going 4-for-7, including a grand slam in the first game and a complete-game pitching performance in the second.
In the first game Queens jumped out to an early 5-1 lead after three, fueled by Kaitlyn Cheek's solo home run in the third. The Bobcats were not able to put anything together until they fell 8-1 going into the bottom of the seventh. Burnett came up with the bases loaded and blasted a grand slam over the center field fence to make it an 8-5 game. That was all the Bobcats were able to muster. Sabrina Chandler (Covington, Ga.) started the first game but only lasted three innings, giving up five earned runs (0-1).
The second game saw the Bobcats' bats come alive. GC's outburst saw five runs cross the plate in the first two innings. Kelsea Martin (Dacula, Ga.) went 2-for-2, driving in three and scoring three runs in the effort. The Bobcats put up four more in the fifth, eventually taking this one by the eight-run rule in five innings.
Burnett pitched all five innings in the second game, surrendering five hits and only giving up one earned run. Sophomore Whitney Okvist (Kennesaw, Ga.) finished 5-for-7 on the day, scoring five runs and stealing three bags. Dani Gallucci (Orlando, Fla.) finished 3-for-6, driving in her first two Georgia College RBI.
The Bobcats look to start a win streak tomorrow, hosting Catawba College on the final day of the Bobcats Bash set to start at 2 p.m.
The Georgia College Department of Athletics, two-time winners of the PBC Commissioner's Cup, sponsors 10 varsity athletic programs at the NCAA Division II level. As a Division II program, Bobcat Athletics prides itself on balancing the life of the student-athlete, evidenced by the teams' multiple appearances in post-season competition as well as documented academic success and community-service involvement. Sign up at www.twitter.com/BobcatSports and www.facebook.com/gcbobcats for up-to-the-minute reports, and visit www.GCBobcats.com for more information, and to nominate your favorite former Bobcats and Colonials to the GC Athletics Hall of Fame.

subset: commoncrawl


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FMLA Notice
Specific Notice regarding Family and Medical Leave under the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA)
Family and Medical Leave Act Specific Notice
This is your Specific Notice regarding Family and Medical Leave under the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA). The following information details your specific expectations and obligations.
Revised 2-08
Associates are eligible if they have worked for a covered employer for at least one year, for 1,250 hours over the previous 12 months, and if at least 50 associates are employed by the employer within 75 miles.
Subject to the conditions explained below, the FMLA provides eligible associates with the following:
- Up to 12 weeks of unpaid, job protected leave in a rolling 12 month period due to (twenty-six (26) weeks if caring for a servicemember who was injured or became ill in the line of military duty):
- Your own serious health condition or pregnancy related care renders you unable to perform the functions of your position;
- To care for a family member (spouse, child (under 18 years or disabled), or parent) who has a serious health condition;
- Father's attendance at birth of child, parent's care of newborn child within the first twelve (12) months following birth, or placement of a son or daughter with the associate for adoption or foster care within twelve (12) months after date of placement.;
Eligible associates with a spouse, son, daughter, or parent on active duty or called to active duty status in the National Guard or Reserves in support of a contingency operation may use their 12-week leave entitlement to address certain qualifying exigencies. Qualifying exigencies may include attending certain military events, arranging for alternative childcare, addressing certain financial and legal arrangements, attending certain counseling sessions, and attending post-deployment reintegration briefings.
FMLA also includes a special leave entitlement that permits eligible associates to take up to 26 weeks of leave to care for a covered servicemember during a single 12-month period. A covered servicemember is a current member of the Armed Forces, including a member of the National Guard or Reserves, who has a serious injury or illness incurred in the line of duty on active duty that may render the servicemember medically unfit to perform his or her duties for which the servicemember is undergoing medical treatment, recuperation, or therapy; or is in outpatient status; or is on the temporary disability retired list.
If you are required to provide medical certification as indicated by an asterisk (*) on the Form A, failure to provide certification by the date indicated on the front of this request will result in denial of leave until certification is provided. NOTE: Requests for leave extensions must be accompanied with a valid medical certification.
A serious health condition is an illness, injury, impairment, or physical or mental condition that involves either an overnight stay in a medical care facility, or continuing treatment by a health care provider for a condition that either prevents the associate from performing the functions of the associate's job, or prevents the qualified family member from participating in school or other daily activities.
Subject to certain conditions, the continuing treatment requirement may be met by a period of incapacity of more than three (3) consecutive calendar days combined with at least two (2) visits to a health care provider or one visit and a regimen of continuing treatment, or incapacity due to pregnancy, or incapacity due to a chronic condition. Other conditions may meet the definition of continuing treatment.
An associate does not need to use this leave entitlement in one block. Leave can be taken intermittently or on a reduced leave schedule when medically necessary. Associates must make reasonable efforts to schedule leave for planned medical treatment so as not to unduly disrupt the employer's operations. Leave due to qualifying exigencies may also be taken on an intermittent basis.
We require that you use any accrued Extended Illness bank (EIB) and Personal Time Off (PTO) hours for which you are eligible for prior to the Family and Medical Leave becoming unpaid. Associates must use any time accrued in their Extended Illness Bank (EIB) or Paid Time Off (PTO) at the beginning of any family and medical leave until earned time off is exhausted.
EIB can only be used in circumstances where the associate is on FML for their own serious health condition. If all accrued leave is exhausted, the remainder of the leave is unpaid.
Associates must provide 30 days advance notice of the need to take FMLA leave when the need is foreseeable. When 30 days notice is not possible, the associate must provide notice as soon as practicable and generally must comply with an employer's normal call-in procedures.
Associates must provide sufficient information for the employer to determine if the leave may qualify for FMLA protection and the anticipated timing and duration of the leave. Sufficient information may include that the associate is unable to perform job function, the family member is unable to perform daily activities, the need for hospitalization or continuing treatment by a health care provider, or circumstances supporting the need for military family leave. Associates also must inform Centura Health if the requested leave is for a reason for which FMLA leave was previously taken or certified.
Associates also may be required to provide a certification and periodic recertification supporting the need for leave.
Covered employers must inform associates requesting leave whether they are eligible under FMLA. If they are, the notice must specify any additional information required as well as the associates' rights and responsibilities. If they are not eligible, the employer must provide a reason for theineligibility.
Covered employers must inform associates if leave will be designated as FMLA-protected and the amount of leave counted against the associate's leave entitlement. If the employer determines that the leave is not FMLA protected, the employer must notify the associate
Health benefits must be maintained during any period of unpaid leave under the same conditions as if you continued to work, and you must be reinstated to the same or an equivalent job with the same pay, benefits, and terms and conditions of employment on your return from the maximum of twelve (12) weeks of leave (twenty-six (26) if caring for a servicemember who was injured or became ill in the line of military duty)
If you do not return to work following FMLA for a reason other than any of the following you may be required to reimburse Centura Health for our share of health insurance premiums paid on your behalf during your leave:
- The continuation, recurrence, or onset of a serious health condition which would entitle you toFMLA leave; or
- Other circumstances beyond your control FMLA Leave: Benefit premium deductions will be taken from your regular paycheck while you are on FMLA leave as long as you are being paid from you EIB and/or PTO bank or receiving Short Term Disability(STD). If your leave time goes to an unpaid status, you will be responsible for the associate portion of your premiums. Any premiums that are missed because you do not have a paycheck while you are on FMLA leave will be pended and deducted from your first paycheck when you return from leave. This prevents you from having to remember to submit personal checks for the premium and you are still able to take advantage of the pre-tax status of the premiums. Contact the Benefits Service Center at 888-622-111 for further information. NOTE: If you fail to return from FMLA leave, Centura Health may recover from you the entire cost of the premiums paid for maintaining group benefits.
Upon returning from leave within the 12-week FMLA period (twenty-six (26) if caring for a servicemember who was injured or became ill in the line of military duty), you will be restored to the same or equivalent position with your pay, benefits and other employment terms. You are expected to report periodically to human resources regarding your status and intent to return to work. If you are able to return to work earlier than the date indicated on this form, you are required to notify your manager at least two (2) working days prior to the date you intend to report for work. Medical Certification to Return to Work will be required in accordance with Centura Health practice and must be approved by Associate Health. Failure to provide a Return to Work/Fitness for Duty certificate prior to your return to work date will result in a denial to report to work. Failure to return to work on the day after expiration of leave may result in termination of employment.
Periods of Worker's Compensation absences that also qualify as serious health conditions will run concurrently with FMLA leave and count toward the FMLA entitlement
FMLA makes it unlawful for any employer to:
- Interfere with, restrain, or deny the exercise of any right provided under FMLA;
- Discharge or discriminate against any person for opposing any practice made unlawful by FMLA or for involvement in any proceeding
An associate may file a complaint with the U.S. Department of Labor or may bring a private lawsuit against an employer. FMLA does not affect any Federal or State law prohibiting discrimination, or supersede any State or local law or collective bargaining agreement which provides greater family or medical leave rights.
Leave of Absence (LOA) records must be kept for a minimum of three (3) years
Specific Notice regarding Family and Medical Leave under the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA).


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We're Starting The New Year With A New Look!
With the new year approaching, it's out with the old and in with the new. Hills Foodland is all about customer service, so with that in mind, we're rolling out our newly designed website to better help our customers find our amazing deals, create their own personalized shopping list, and start filling their shopping carts.
How It All Started.
It all started on June 29, 1918 at 507 Twelfth Avenue, Phoenix City, Alabama where J D Hoyle Hill was born. A house with 12 children, seven sisters Vennie Leal, Amanda Obera, Luella Louise, Lizzie Viola, Lula Beatrice, Hattie May, and Helen Clara, and four brothers James Millard, Bert Wilson, Wallace Lyvert, and Earl Dean. His mother's name was Jessie Clara Worthy Hill of Marcoat, Alabama.


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Can you imagine the look on your co-worker's face when they discover you've swapped their regular mouse with this hi-larious giant alternative from crapfactory Brando? You'll be a pranking genius? Or a complete and utter fool for wasting $US20 on this.
Once again Brando manages to leave us completely baffled with a product that has no real target demographic, save for towering NBA stars and those who couldn't successfully prank someone with an electrified pranking machine. In its defence, the mouse does actually work, but includes a set of glowing blue LEDs surrounding the base that seem like a last ditch effort to justify its existence other than just being completely stupid.
Still not sold? I guarantee this slick promo video showcasing the mouse in all its blinking glory will have you whipping out your credit card in no time. [Brando via Technabob]


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Thermal Pants TONALE FW2018 LADY 1.0 yivkpo1015-Base Layers
All content on AvaWorld is fact checked to ensure impeccable accuracy
Here at Ava, we take data—especially fertility and pregnancy data—very seriously. Our team is led by premier data scientists, obstetricians, gynecologists, and reproductive endocrinologists, many of whom hold Ph.D.'s and decades of experience in their respective fields. So, when you read content on AvaWorld, you can trust that it's backed by science and has been thoroughly researched and vetted by our experts.
Ava for healthcare professionals
Please confirm that you are a healthcare professional or researcher
Item specifics
New with tags: A brand-new, unused, and unworn item (including handmade items) in the original packaging (such as ... Read moreabout the condition
Tracks 5 clinically proven signs of fertility.
Wear Ava at night to see your 5 most fertile days.Stylish Ice Figure Skating Dress Baton Twirling Dance Dress Competition p759
Wear Ava at night to see your 5 most fertile days.watch video
- 1X(SLINX 3mm Neoprene Wetsuit Tech Shorts Snorkeling Scuba Diving Equipment S3A3
- Ride Womens Compact 143 Snowboard 2015
- MAGLIA CALCIO SHIRT TRIKOT MAILLOT CAMISETA SPORT TRAINING NAPOLI 90'S tg. XL
- Adidas Nemeziz Tango 18.3 Tf J Bambini Bianco
- SunShade Portable Nylon Teepee with Carrying Bag, 7'H
- Diamond Supply Co Mayfair Sweatshirt Grey
- Louis Garneau Women's X Pro Tri Top - Jeans - M
- Rare NIW Demarini Fu Dawg Special Edition. 34 26 ASA
- Outdoor LED Headlamp Flashlight Torch Camping Hiking Trekking Military Survival
- Lightweight UV Predected 28-in x 29-in x 28-in Compact Kwik Fold Camping Table
- Montane Dyno Stretch Capri Womens Pants Walking - Mercury All Sizes
- Cycle insight
Understand how your cycle impacts your health with features like symptom tracking, trend analysis, graphs, and more. Trend analysis lets you see how your menstrual cycle impacts the way you feel throughout the month.
- Health data
Tracks your sleep, physiological stress levels, and resting heart rate—so you can see whether your lifestyle is supporting optimal health.
- Effortless
There's no need to take your temperature or pee on sticks. Just wear Ava when you sleep and sync when you wake up.
- Real-time detection of fertile window
Ava is clinically proven to detect the very beginning of the fertile window—in real time, as it happens. That's totally different than LH tests, which only detect the last day or two of the fertile window, and the temperature method, which only confirms ovulation after the fact.
- Conceive faster
Couples who time intercourse accurately double their chances of conceiving in a given month.*
- Pregnancy tracking
Ava is still there for you once you conceive. Once you get pregnant, get a whole new app experience with detailed explanations about what to expect in each week of pregnancy. You'll be able to continue tracking your sleep, physiological stress, and resting pulse rate, as well as compare your weekly weight gain to standard recommendations.
For wherever you are in life
Track your cycle naturally
If you're not using hormonal birth control, Ava provides a profound connection to your natural cycle, deepening your understanding of your body in a way that has never before been possible.
The Ava bracelet is a new way to find your fertile window. It's easier to use and more accurate than other methods.
Track your health during pregnancy with continued monitoring of sleep, physiological stress, resting pulse rate, and weight gain. Get week-by-week content about your changing body and growing baby.
What makes Ava different?
Only Ava tracks 5
Ava is the only method that tracks 5 clinically proven signs of fertility
Wear Ava while you sleep, and the rest is taken care of.
Real-time data
Ava detects the fertile window based on real-time data from your body
More time to conceive
Ava is clinically proven to detect an average of five fertile days per cycle—giving you and your partner more flexibility around planning for babymaking.
Backed by science
Ava was created by a team of doctors and researchers committed to advancing scientific understanding of the menstrual cycle. We don't just make products, we conduct clinical studies and publish peer-reviewed papers.
For more than just getting pregnant
In addition to your fertile window, Ava tracks your sleep, physiological stress level, and resting heart rate, providing a holistic understanding of your health.
See who is wearing Ava
Received my bracelet in August and started using it immediately…first and second cycles it predicted my ovulation to be about a week later than I had been thinking…and guess what? I am now pregnant. On my SECOND CYCLE with the Ava bracelet. I'm officially a fan.Lizzie
I had migraine headaches randomly throughout the month. With Ava, I realized that I always get them like clockwork right after I ovulate. Ava didn't solve my headaches (if only!) but it does help me be more prepared for them, so they never take me by surprise anymore.Nurit
Get your Ava
Take charge of your cycle with Ava—the only method to track 5 clinically proven signs of fertility.Used Easton Power Brigade 2016 34"25oz Fastpitch -9 ASA APPROVED


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Great Sasuke Autographed Mask
Signed by The Great Sasuke at the WrestleReunion 6 convention in Los Angeles, CA on 1/28/2012. Comes with Certificate of Authenticity
Commercial masks: These are also known as "fan support" masks. They are worn in Mexico and Japan by the fans to show support for their favorites, just like people in the US choose to wear t-shirts. Great for display and durable enough for horsing around. If you want a mask to take to a show and remain anonymous, or for backyard feds, this is a great choice. All lace up for proper fitting.
Average Customer Review: 2 Reviews
Write an online review and share your thoughts with others.


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Our location
We are located in Cardiff, the capital city of Wales. It's a friendly, compact and safe city with a great character and impressive heritage.
Visit us
There are a number of ways in which you can visit us:
Our campuses
Cathays Park campus
The Cathays Park campus is home to the majority of our Academic Schools. It is located in and around Cardiff's beautiful civic centre, which boasts impressive Portland stone buildings, parks and tree-lined avenues.
In recent years, substantial investment in our estate has been made, including development of the advanced research facilities in the £30m Hadyn Ellis and £44m CUBRIC buildings.
Heath Park campus
The Academic Schools based here share a 53 acre site with the University Hospital Wales, a 900-bed hospital which is one of the largest in the UK.
Progressive healthcare education and patient care integrate with world-famous research facilities to make this a major teaching and research centre.


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8 words that may not mean what you think they mean
Inspired by 'The Princess Bride,' the author sets us straight on the appropriate way to use common words. ('Inconceivable' is not one of them.)
Editor's note: This story first appeared on PR Daily in May.
In one of the early scenes of the film "The Princess Bride," a mysterious man in black is pursuing the kidnapper Vizzini.
[Editor's note: If you haven't seen this movie, stop reading this article right now—slap yourself across the face—and go watch it.]
When Inigo Montoya (one of Vizzini's hired hands) points out that they are being followed, Vizzini responds that it is "inconceivable." With the man in black closing in, and Vizzini still insisting that this is "inconceivable," Inigo says to him: "You keep using that word. I don't think it means what you think it means."
Here are eight words (beyond "inconceivable") that may not mean what you think they mean:
1. Comprise
To comprise is to enclose or include. Comprise is used in the active voice; therefore, "comprised of" is not correct. For example, The university comprises six colleges and nine divisions.
Comprise is often confused with compose, which means to make up or be a constituent of. Compose can be used in the passive voice. The company is composed of four employees.
2. Forgo
Forgo means to do without, bypass, or abstain from. It is often confused with forego (as in "a foregone conclusion"), which means to precede. For instance, Liz was so engrossed in her book that she decided to forgo lunch and read instead.
3. Imply
Imply is often used incorrectly as a synonym for infer. To imply is to speak indirectly or suggest.You are implying that bank robbery is our only alternative. To infer is to surmise or conclude. I infer from your statement that you agree with this solution. Remember that one draws an inference.
4. Less
Less is often confused with fewer. Use less to refer to quantities that can't be counted and fewer to refer to numbers.There were less people in the office today is incorrect, because people can be counted. Instead say: There were fewer people in the office today.
5. Literally
Literally means "in the exact meaning of the word(s)," and use of this word permits no figurative use or exaggeration. For instance, this sentence—Editing that article literally killed me—means that you died at your desk.
6. Poisonous
Poisonous—often confused with venomous—means a plant, animal, or substance capable of causing death or illness if taken into the body. Venomous means capable of injecting venom.
A rattlesnake is not itself poisonous, because if you eat one it won't poison you. A blowfish will kill you if you eat it, so it is poisonous, but not venomous.
7. Precision
In science writing, precision is how close a set of measured values are to each other. Precision is often confused with accuracy, which means how close a measured value is to the true value. Confused? As explained on Mathisfun.com, "If you are playing soccer and you always hit the left goal post instead of scoring, then you are not accurate, but you are precise!"
8. Unique
Unique means being the only one of its kind, unlike anything else. It does not mean simply "unusual" or "rare." For example, something isn't "very unique." It's just unique.
As part of the tour, we were allowed to see the author's unique existing handwritten manuscript.
According to the Oxford Dictionaries, unique is included in a set of adjectives whose meaning is absolute and cannot be modified by adverbs conveying degree, such as "really," "quite," or "very." Something is either unique or not; therefore, "very unique" is meaningless. Other "absolute adjectives" include complete, equal, infinite, and perfect.
Readers, care to share any other commonly misunderstood words?
Laura Hale Brockway an Austin-based writer and editor and is the author of the grammar/usage/random thoughts blog, impertinentremarks.com.
(Image via)
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Hill asks OMB to intervene with OPM on CFC Rules
Thanks to all the CFC charities and non-profit leaders who have kept expressing their concerns about the proposed changes to the Combined Federal Campaign (CFC). OPM sent their proposed final rule to the Federal Register but has still not released the actual text of the proposed rule. From a press release statement, OPM did make some adjustments, but kept many of the ill thought out provisions as well. The new Director of OPM, Katherine Archuleta has not been forthcoming about how harmful the proposed regulations would be to the Combined Federal Campaign (CFC).
Many of you contacted your members of Congress to express your concern, and the members of the House Committee that oversees OPM have asked that the Office of Management and Budget review OPM's actions.
Thanks for your continued leadership in the non-profit sector!
The pdf version with signatures of the letter sent to OMB can be found here:
The notice from the committee is below, as well as the text of the letter:
Reps. Issa, Cummings, Farenthold, Lynch, and Reichert
Write to OMB About Concerns with CFC Regulations
Washington, D.C. (Apr. 17, 2014)—This week, Reps. Darrell E. Issa, Elijah E. Cummings, Blake Farenthold, and Stephen F. Lynch, the Chairmen and Ranking Members of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform and the Subcommittee on Federal Workforce, U.S. Postal Service, and the Census, as well as Rep. David G. Reichert sent a letter to the Office of Management and Budget sharing concerns raised by stakeholders regarding the proposed final rule amending the Combined Federal Campaign regulations.
The full text of the letter is available here and included below.
April 15, 2014
The Honorable Sylvia Matthews Burwell
Office of Management and Budget
725 17th Street, NW
Washington, DC 20503
Dear Ms. Burwell:
On April 8, 2013, the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) published a proposed rule that would amend regulations governing the Combined Federal Campaign (CFC). OPM received approximately 1,400 comments during the public comment period which ended on June 7, 2013.[1] The Subcommittee on Federal Workforce, the U.S. Postal Service, and the Census held a hearing to review the proposed rule on July 10, 2013. Through their comments and testimony, a number of charities, donors, and watchdog groups raised significant concerns with several aspects of the proposed rule, especially with respect to charity application fees, electronic pledging and donations, and the local governance structure of the CFC campaigns.
We understand that OPM recently transmitted its recommendations for a final rule to the Office of Management and Budget, which is reviewing them as part of the interagency clearance process. Although OPM made some revisions based on the comments it received, CFC stakeholders continue to express concerns. As your office reviews OPM's recommendations for the final rule, we write to urge that every reasonable consideration be given to the concerns stakeholders have raised.
The CFC is the largest workplace charity program in the world and now encompasses 200 campaigns and more than 20,000 participating charities. More than 850,000 federal employees contributed more than $250 million to the CFC in 2012.
We commend efforts to increase accountability and transparency regarding the administration of the CFC. The final rule proposed by OPM would extend the solicitation period, enable new employees to donate immediately after being hired instead of requiring them to wait until the next campaign period, and create a disaster relief program to enable employees to begin contributing to relief efforts within hours of a disaster. These provisions would enhance employees' access to the CFC and appear to have widespread support among CFC stakeholders.
However, other provisions continue to raise substantial concerns for CFC stakeholders, including proposals for: (1) non-refundable charity application and listing fees; (2) electronic pledging and donation procedures; and (3) charity support organization operations.
OPM's proposed final rule requires a charity seeking to participate in the CFC to pay a non-refundable application fee. A charity approved to participate would be required to pay an additional nonrefundable annual listing fee. Under the proposed rule, OPM would divide the prior campaign period's costs by the number of participating charities. There is no indication in the rule that the fees assessed to a charity might vary depending on the size of a charity or other unique characteristics. Charities and watchdog groups agree that the charity application fees may disproportionately affect smaller charities and make it more difficult for them to participate in the CFC. As a result, although the rule was intended to increase donor participation, it could have the opposite effect.
Charities, donors, and watchdog groups are also concerned that requiring employees to submit donation pledges online—rather than by check, cash, money order, or paper pledge—may substantially reduce the amount of contributions the CFC will raise. In the 2012 CFC, 10% of all donations—$27 million—were made via cash, check, or money order rather than through payroll deductions, and about 80% of donors made paper pledges rather than online pledges.[2]
CFC stakeholders are also concerned about provisions that would substantially limit the local nature of the CFC and change the way charity support organizations and federations conduct their operations. The proposed final rule would eliminate nonprofit Principal Combined Fund Organizations, which administer local campaigns on a day-to-day basis, and transfer their functions to Outreach Coordinators and Central Campaign Administrators.
Finally, the proposed rule would prohibit federations from deducting their fees before remitting CFC contributions to their members. This rule would have a significant impact on the CFC as 60% of charities participate in the CFC through federations. Currently, most federation members prefer paying their share of federation expenses by having the expenses deducted from the distribution of campaign contributions. The proposed rule would require federations to issue invoices to each of their members. Stakeholders believe that this practice may increase administrative costs and decrease transparency as federation fees, if separated from CFC expenses, may not be included in records that would be accessible to OPM.
It is in the federal government's interest to ensure that any changes to the CFC will not negatively impact the program's ability to serve those in need in our communities, while at the same time promoting efficiencies that help reduce unnecessary costs by modernizing the administration of the CFC. We therefore ask that OMB carefully consider the public comments submitted on the proposed rule prior to issuing a final rule. OMB also may want to consider pilot testing some of the changes to gage the potential impact on the CFC.
Darrell E. Issa Elijah E. Cummings
Chairman Ranking Member
Blake Farenthold Stephen F. Lynch
Chairman Ranking Member
Subcommittee on Federal Workforce, Subcommittee on Federal Workforce,
U.S. Postal Service, and the Census U.S. Postal Service, and the Census
David G. Reichert
Member of Congress
[1] Office of Personnel Management, Solicitation of Federal Civilian and Uniformed Service Personnel for Contributions to Private Voluntary Organizations, 78 Fed. Reg. 20820 (Apr. 4, 2013) (proposed rule) (online at www.federalregister.gov/articles/2013/04/08/2013-08017/solicitation-of-federal-civilian-and-uniformed-service-personnel-for-contributions-to-private).
[2] Office of Personnel Management, Report C-17 CFC 2012 Pledge Report (Apr. 18, 2013).


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Cleveland will play a key role in a significant expansion of e-book lending. The New York Times reports that The Penguin Group plans to announce today that it is expanding its e-book lending program to libraries in Los Angeles and Cleveland and surrounding areas though a new distribution partner. "In a pilot program that will begin this year, Penguin has worked with Baker & Taylor, a distributor of print and digital books, to start e-book lending programs in the Los Angeles County library system, which will reach four million people, and the Cuyahoga County system," The Times reports. Terms of lending will be the same as those they have been testing through 3M systems in New York public libraries since September, The Times says. Penguin "will sell any book to the libraries for lending six months after its release date, each book may be lent to only one patron at a time and at the end of a year the library must buy each book again or lose access to it," according to the newspaper. Through a third partner, OneClickdigital, Penguin will also begin lending digital audiobooks to any library that is interested. The Times notes that since 2004, American libraries largely have relied on Valley View-based OverDrive Inc. as the distribution system for e-books. Penguin, though, "withdrew from the OverDrive distribution system in February, saying that OverDrive was not adequately protecting its content, but it has been looking to develop other systems," according to the newspaper.
Editor's Choice
Book seller Penguin finds an alternative to Valley View's OverDrive
This Bloomberg story features an upbeat take on the direction of the economy, burnished with a comment from Eaton Corp. CEO Alexander Cutler. The economy "looks set to weather the headwinds from Hurricane Sandy and the budget battles in Washington after picking up speed in the third quarter," the news service reports. It notes that gross domestic product probably increased at a 2.9% annual rate in July-to-September, according to economists from Goldman Sachs Group Inc. and Barclays Plc. That "would be the fastest quarterly growth this year, beating the Commerce Department's initial estimate of 2%," according to Bloomberg. Help "is coming from a housing recovery, strengthening job market and healthier household finances that are driving gains in consumer confidence and spending," Bloomberg says. The fun-sounding "Bloomberg Economic Surprise Index," which compares 38 U.S. indicators with analysts' forecasts, exceeded zero in mid- October for the first time since May and was 0.04 on Nov. 16, up from this year's low of minus 0.4 on July 30. The skunk at the party, though, is business, where sentiment about the economy "is stagnating as the lack of clarity on taxes and government spending pushes companies into a wait-and-see mode on investment," Bloomberg reports. Still, pent-up demand may be building as orders are postponed. "We've seen people speak explicitly about not placing orders until they see how things come out here at year-end," Mr. Cutler says. But if there's a bipartisan agreement on the fiscal cliff, he says, "business confidence will improve fairly rapidly."
Sen. Rob Portman of Cincinnati, a key surrogate in Mitt Romney's presidential bid, was one of the featured guest at the recent WSJ CEO Council, which focused on the future of the Republican Party and the prospects for a deal to avoid falling off the fiscal cliff. (Sorry for two "fiscal cliff" references in the same post. This will be a fiscal cliff-free zone for the rest of the week.) Here are some of Sen. Portman's observations:
You also can follow me on Twitter for more news about business and Northeast Ohio.


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Secretary of State
LANSING, Mich. – In what is the second-largest fine of its kind, the Service Employees International Union will pay $199,000 in penalties after the Michigan Department of State found there may have been campaign finance violations, Secretary of State Ruth Johnson announced today.
The penalties are part of a conciliation agreement reached by the department with Citizens for Affordable Quality Home Care and Home Care First, Inc., related to a 2012 ballot question to amend the state Constitution. Violations included commingling of funds; late filings; not identifying all accounts used; and not providing complete or accurate campaign statements. When combined with late filing fees already paid, they will have paid more than $205,000 in fines.
"Michigan law requires all organizations, including 501(c)4 nonprofit corporations, to file complete campaign finance reports when spending directly in support of a ballot question," Johnson said. "These organizations cannot be used as a means to conceal the identity of the true contributors. This agreement reflects our commitment to transparency and accountability in the campaign finance process, especially in an election year."
A complaint was originally filed in August of 2013, alleging that Home Care First filed its committee's statement of organization late to delay publicly reporting that SEIU contributions were the main source of support for the home health care ballot question.
Additional information, including the original complaint, is available on the MDOS website.


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If you wore your seatbelt at all times, your mother would be so proud. Now imagine that your seatbelt actually acted as the strap on a chic sling bag.
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The snazzy silver hardware provides an attention grabbing shine…and let's be honest, who doesn't like a bit of positive attention?
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This collection features a shimmering glass frame with a functional metal clock (batteries included). The printed sentiment paper can be removed and replaced with a 4" W x 6" H photograph and used as a photo frame. Three color ways are offered as shown. Easel & Hanger Attached.
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Stiesdal was speaking at the official launch of the 4MW offshore turbine and how it was upgraded from the 3.6MW machine.
Additionally, Stiesdal talked about possible future technological developments in the sector and what would have surprised him if he could have seen the future of the wind industry 20 years ago.
For more Windpower Monthly EWEA 2013 coverage


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Dean Gibbons tallied a goal for the Crimson (New York Sportsbeat)
HEMPSTEAD, N.Y. – Despite a 49-31 advantage in shots, the Harvard men's lacrosse team dropped its first game of the season, falling on the road at No. 5 Hofstra, 15-9, Saturday afternoon. Jeff Cohen, Terry White and Kevin Vaughan each tallied two goals for the Crimson, while Alex White handed out three assists and scored once.
The loss drops the Crimson to 1-1 overall, while the Pride improve to 4-0 on the young season.
Jack Doyle opened the scoring for the Crimson, tying the game, 1-1, at 12:23 left in the first quarter. After the Pride retook the lead, 2-1, Vaughan and Cohen tallied back-to-back goals, as Harvard grabbed a 3-2 advantage 7:41 remaining in the first quarter. Hofstra, though, answered with three straight tallies to carry a 5-3 lead heading into the second quarter.
Just 48 seconds into that second frame, Alex White fired a shot past Hofstra goalie Andrew Gvozden, getting the Crimson back within one tally, 5-4. The Pride once again responded with a scoring run, netting four consecutive, to move ahead by five, 9-4. Cohen snapped the Crimson's drought by finding the back of the net with 5:20 left to go in the first half. Terry White snuck another shot by Gvozden with 1:06 remaining in the second, cutting the Crimson's deficit to 9-6 entering halftime. Harvard outshot Hofstra, 26-21, earned more ground balls, 22-17, and won more faceoffs 10-7, in the first 30 minutes.
The Pride moved back up by five 11-6, with the first two goals of the second half, but Dean Gibbons scored a goal for the Crimson at the 7:08 mark to make it 11-7. With 1:38 to go in the third, Terry White scored for the second time, cutting the Harvard deficit to six, 14-8. Vaughan tallied his second goal late in the fourth with 4:37 remaining to cap the scoring for the Crimson.
Harry Krieger finished with five saves for Harvard, while Gvozden stopped 15 shots for the Pride. Matt Hull paced the Crimson with six ground balls, and Evan Roth and John Rose picked up four apiece. Harvard had 34 ground balls as a team and both teams won 14 faceoffs. Andrew Parchman earned 12 faceoff victories for the Crimson. Harvard was 1-of-6 on man-up opportunities, while Hofstra was 1-of-3.
Harvard will begin a three-game homestand by hosting Georgetown Tuesday, March 8 at 3 p.m. The game will be held at the Soldiers Field Soccer/Lacrosse Stadium.


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Editorial: There ought to be a law.. there is
The state police are in the midst of what they say will be an intensive, one-week effort to enforce the law against distracted driving.
Through Sunday, troopers in unmarked cars will seek to identify and ticket drivers who aren't giving the task of operating a potentially deadly vehicle the full attention that it deserves.
This is a good thing, with special emphasis on the growing menace of the use of cellphones to talk or text message while driving.
Pass a car a vehicle weaving over the lane lines on the New York Thruway and it's a good bet you'll see the driver yakking up a storm or looking downward, the latter a telltale sign of text messaging.
It's clear many Americans have become addicted to, if not altogether reliant on, their electronic gadgets.
It's understandable - used responsibly, these devices can be wonderfully convenient.
But statistical data developed nearly a decade ago by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration suggested that cellphone use alone was responsible for 955 fatalities and 240,000 accidents in 2002.
In addition to the statistical data, there's a growing body of scientific evidence that cellphone conversations are inherently dangerous to motorists, slowing the brain's ability to process the information necessary to drive a vehicle safely.
That's why the National Transportation Safety Board in December recommended the states take action to prohibit the use of electronic devices, even including hands-free phones. (Most states have yet to take action to outlaw the use of hand-held cellphones for either calls or texting.)
In New York, it is illegal to use a hand-held cellphone or other such electronic device for any purpose while driving. But such laws will save life and limb only when they win widespread compliance. This requires something much more difficult that the enactment of a law and that is a change in human behavior.
That's where an enforcement blitz, such as taking place this week, can make an impact. It may take some fear of the law - worth $160 in fines and surcharges and three points on a driver's license - to earn respect for the principle that safe driving requires our undivided attention.


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by Lou Mancinelli
At the close of 2010, for the first time in almost 15 years, caps on electricity rates expired in Pennsylvania.
Because the market price of electricity has risen since rates were capped and is subject to fluctuations in economic markets, the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission (PUC) expects that customers may see an increase in the amount of their monthly electric bills.
While prices may rise, consumers in Pennsylvania can exercise their right to choose an electric supplier (and perhaps save money) – a right guaranteed by the 1997 Pennsylvania Electric Generation Customer Choice and Competition Act.
Chestnut Hill residents can choose from 17 different competing suppliers (there are 35 commercial suppliers) licensed by and under the jurisdiction of the PUC. A number of assistance and budget billing programs already operating will continue. Power cancellation rules remain unchanged.
It seems that all consumers – residential and commercial – have to do to exercise their right to choose is to use the Internet for research and visit PAPowerSwitch.com. There, consumers can read pertinent information, access a Shop For Electricity page that lists the electric suppliers in the area and compare the price per kilowatt hour (kWh) offered by each company.
They can also compare a predicted cost based on total kWh of the monthly generation and transmission portion of the electric bill. In addition, some suppliers offer renewable energy sources.
"It's really more of a change in a financial transaction than a physical transaction," said John Kaufman, a founding principal at Energy Purchasing Experts (EPEX). "Pennsylvania is in a great position because caps came off when energy prices are around a seven year low," he said.
But that is not to suggest that the price of electricity will not rise, Kaufman said, noting that it is susceptible to factors like the weather and the price of natural gas. When the price of natural gas rises, so does electricity.
While PECO will continue to transmit energy from its local distribution systems and relay it to households, residents can select the supplier that produces their energy. In most cases, residents who choose a new supplier will receive one bill for generation, transmission and distribution.
It will be the same as the old one, and still from PECO, but the new supplier will be listed at the generator. In theory, the biggest change for those who veer away from PECO should be in price.
The lowest rate for electricity individual residents can purchase in the 19118 zip code is generated by Stream Energy, a supplier in Texas, Georgia and Pennsylvania. At $0.0743 per kWh, an estimate for a monthly generation portion of the bill for 700 kWh is $52.01. That rate is based on a month-to-month contract, and is variable. The price is linked to the commodities market price of electricity, according to a spokesperson at Stream.
At $0.1105 per kWh, Commerce Energy, Inc. provides the most expensive energy, a monthly estimate of $77.35 for 700 kWh. That rate is also variable.
PECO, the default supplier offers electricity at $0.0994 per kWH, a monthly estimate of $69.58 for 700 kWh.
Other suppliers, like Gateway Energy Services Corp. offer fixed rates. One can lock in a six-month rate of $.089 per kWh, or $0.097 for one year. There is, however, a $12.50 cancellation fee for each month (or partial month) if the customer decides to end the contract. In addition, it offers a discount for purchasing its service. A longer fixed rate might appeal to the individual wary of rising rates in the summer.
The final bill in all of these examples will also include a distribution charge. And PECO remains the utility provider. If there is a power-outage or problem, PECO provides service.
One way to save money, or negotiate rates, is to deal with a supplier as a group, something members of the Chestnut Hill Business Association (CHBA) have done. Chestnut Hill businesses that sign up with Glacial Energy will enjoy a lower rate and, based on the aggregate number of kWh used by all participating businesses, Glacial will provide a rebate to the CHBA, said CHBA president Greg Welsh.
A similar agreement is in the process of being finalized by members of the Chestnut Hill Community Association, Welsh said. Any resident of the city or suburbs who signs up with the supplier the CHCA chooses, will experience a 5 to 7 percent lower rate, and the CHCA will receive a rebate to use to defray its costs. Once the agreement has been completed, which could happen this month, all a resident has to do to participate is call the appropriate supplier and sign up through the CHCA.
"It's a win-win situation," Welsh said. "You get a lower rate plus every month money goes to the CHCA."
For more information visit PAPowerSwitch.com. If you do not have Internet access, customer service personnel can mail/fax you information. Call 1-800-692-7380 or write the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission, P.O. Box 3265, Harrisburg, PA 17105-3265.


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|1000ft over Cambridge
Heart attackI was shocked to wake up the other day. Not because I woke up, but because it was my 50th birthday. 50th! How did that happen? It feels (and sounds) so old. My father died in his 50s from his second heart attack. It makes me a little nervous, and also focuses my attention on where my life is going, what I've achieved so far and if I could do something to make me more content.
I don't want to think about the dying bit yet, as I haven't finished with living! In fact, a long time ago I decided that there were some things I definitely wanted to achieve before that day came. I narrowed it down to five and I don't intend on dying until I have ticked them all off!
My top five
- a black belt in martial arts
- to qualify as a pilot
- to speak another language
- to publish a book
- to play a musical instrument
My progress
|Not in my top five
- I managed a brown belt in martial arts and went for my black belt, but due to a cock-up at national level it wasn't to be.
- I qualified as a pilot of light fixed-wing aircraft.
- I live in Spain and can communicate in Spanish, although not as well as I'd like to but I am still learning.
- I have now published four books and am working on the next 15!
- I bought a guitar, I self-taught for a few years and was progressing, but life has a way of intruding on guitar practice. It will happen one day.


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From the many news reports on the recent pancreatic cancer study, it's enough to make one drop that soda can in fear. Although it's probably a good idea to put the soda down, the stories on a study linking fructose to pancreatic cancer cell growth are overly alarming.
Here are the study basics: UCLA researchers added glucose to one set of pancreatic cancer cells and fructose to another set of cells. Fructose and glucose are both simple sugars. Previous research has shown that cancer cells metabolize sugar at faster rates than healthy cells and the scientists in this study were looking at the different actions of the two sugars.
After letting all the cells sit, the study found that both sugars led to increased cancer cell growth but the cancer cells metabolized the sugars in two different ways. In the case of fructose, the pancreatic cancer cells used the sugar to generate nucleic acids, the building blocks of RNA and DNA, which the cancer cells need to divide and proliferate. When metabolizing glucose, the cancer cells generated far more lactate and carbon dioxide, as well as fatty acids, which play a role in cancer growth.
Glucose and fructose both increased cancer cell growth at similar rates.
The study was published in Cancer Research and you can read about it here.
The findings are interesting but more research is needed before it can be used to make recommendations on public health. This is one study, and it is a cell study. Also, what this study did show is that both sugars increased cancer cell growth.
Fructose is common in the typical American diet with a lot of it coming from high-fructose corn syrup, common in many processed foods and sweetened sodas. High-fructose corn syrup is about 45 percent glucose and 55 percent fructose. People also get fructose from sucrose, known as table sugar. Sucrose is about 50 percent glucose and 50 percent fructose.
A healthy diet will always include some sugar, as it naturally occurs in many nutritious foods like fruit and milk. The key is to limit added sugars of all types, rather than focusing on glucose versus fructose or sucrose.
With the new CDC report on obesity, what is clear is that Americans need to cut back on added sugar, no matter where it comes from. Reducing added sugar will help people get to and maintain a healthy weight, and that is one way research clearly shows that we can prevent pancreatic cancer.
When looking at the total body of evidence, AICR's expert report found that excess body fat and abdominal obesity increase the risk of pancreatic cancer. (AICR's 2009 policy report found that 28 percent of pancreatic cancer cases could be prevented if Americans maintained a healthy weight.) Foods containing folate protect against pancreatic cancer.
Last year, the American Heart Association recommended limiting the amount of added sugars to no more than about 6 teaspoons a day for women and 9 for men. (Just one 12-ounce can of regular soda contains eight teaspoons of sugar.)
Eating more fruits and vegetables, and less sweets, is one clear way to cut added sugars from your day. For ways on eating a healthy diet, you could try out AICR's New American Plate.


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Newsletter #949 The "Lessons from Vending Machines" Issue
August 8, 2013
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March 08, 2013
Illustration: "Spirals, Fibonacci, and Being a Plant"
This one time, at math camp…
[Via Marc Pawliger]
Theoretically related: "a fully-articulated, 3D-printed gown with nearly 3,000 joints" that "follows the Fibonacci Sequence in the way it curves around a woman's body, in order to maximize its theoretical beauty."
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With the news that Port Eynon in South Wales has been voted Britain's best beach, we've taken a trip around Britain's spectacular coastline. From Scotland to Cornwall and from sand to shingle, we bring you our prime picks from Britain's sensational seaside.
Bournemouth, Dorset, England Bournemouth benefits from seven miles of pure gold. One of the best city beaches in the UK, its soft sand and acres of space are perfect for families. It's won awards for cleanliness and on a clear day you can see out to the Needles on the Isle of Wight. True, it's not a deserted paradise, but you can't ask for much more so close to a major town. And with the building of Europe's first artificial surf reef, the beach has become one of the UK's premier surfing spots. Web: www.bournemouth.co.uk West Wittering, West Sussex, England West Wittering near Chichester manages to please all comers with expansive sands, superior water quality and a thriving dune ecosystem. The beach shelves gently towards the sea making it ideal for safe swimming and when the tide is out you can bask in shallow tidal pools warmed by the sun. If you feel restless you can walk around East Head, a sandy spit populated by absorbing coastal flora and fauna. Web: www.westwitteringbeach.co.uk Abereiddi Blue Lagoon, Pembrokeshire, Wales Not strictly a beach, the Blue Lagoon is actually an old quarry with a tidal channel to the sea. The quarry forms a satisfying circle, protecting and enclosing a disc of shimmering azure water. It's a romantic spot reached by walking past ruined slate workers' cottages and quarry buildings. Surrounded by cliffs, it's popular with cliff jumpers and coasteerers. Web: www.nationaltrust.org.uk/main/w-abereiddiabermawr Holy Island, Northumberland, England One of the most haunting and beautiful places in Britain, Holy Island was an early centre of Christianity in the UK. Cut off from the mainland twice a day by the tide, it has a castle, an evocative ruined priory and mile upon mile of deserted sand. If you're in a reflective mood, this is the one for you. Watch out for grey seals and rare birds. Web: www.lindisfarne.org.uk Holkham, Norfolk, England Draped in dunes, Holkham is a deliciously secluded beach backed by scented pine forest. Sunbathe, horse ride or explore three miles of seemingly measureless, creamy sands. And if you come to Holkham, you'll be in illustrious company. The Queen likes to walk her Corgis here and Gwyneth Paltrow strode across the sands for the final scene of Shakespeare in Love. Web: www.holkham.co.uk/index.html Croyde Bay, North Devon, England Hammering surf and excellent surf schools and shops have sealed Croyde Bay's reputation as North Devon's best beach for catching waves. The village has retained an old world charm despite the influx of young surfers keen to party and the beach is big enough for sunbathers and swimmers, too. Web: www.northdevon.com Blackpool, Lancashire, England Ice creams, saucy postcards, fish and chips, rock, donkey rides and deckchairs – Blackpool beach is the essence of the traditional British seaside. Apart from miles of sand you'll find slot machines, shows and some of the biggest and scariest rollercoasters in the UK. Web: www.visitblackpool.com Porthcurno, Cornwall, England This glorious, pristine beach hugged by craggy cliffs has fine white sand made from sea shells. There are cliff-top paths, rock pools to discover and a stream trickling down the beach – ideal for paddling children. Nearby, the extraordinary Minack Theatre hosts open-air plays with views of the ocean. Web: www.visitcornwall.com West Sands, St Andrews, Scotland Stretching for almost two miles, and famous from the opening scene of 'Chariots of Fire', St Andrews' West Sands beach is placed between the refreshing sea swirl and the town's world famous Old Course. The dunes which the beach backs onto provide a perfect sheltered spot for a picnic. Web: www.standrews.co.uk Sinclair's Bay, Caithness, Scotland This all but deserted beach just south of John O'Groats has soft white sand that's lapped by waters tinged an otherworldly blue. It's hard to find a more atmospheric beach. This one's guarded by two 16th-century castles and welcomes porpoises and whales. With four miles of uninterrupted sand you won't have any problems bagging a good spot. Web: www.caithness.org/atoz/sinclairsbay/sinclairsbay.htm Images via orangebrompton, valleyboy74, sareypoppins, Swiv


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Daesh rebels continue to get equipment: Achin residents
Daesh rebels continue to get equipment: Achin residents
JALALABAD (Pajhwok): Residents of the Achin district of eastern Nangarhar province say Daesh (Islamic State) rebels continue to receive support, with the result that the militant group is regaining strength with each passing day.
At a meeting, residents shared their problems with Pajhwok Afghan News. Most of them complained the government had banned the delivery of food items to civilians instead of the IS insurgents.
Mullah Jan Shinwari, a tribal leader from the area, claimed Daesh rebels were still being supplied through Momand Dara. But the provincial authorities including security organs did not prevent the supplies, he said.
He said they had shared the issue with the district chief, police head and the governor. Unfortunately, he lamented, the authorities restricted supplies to civilian instead of Daesh.
"Daesh fighters are equipped and supplied via Momand Dara. We have established check-posts in the district to prevent supplies to the militant-infested area," the elder added.
If proper attention was not paid to dealing with the issue by government, not only Daesh would be strengthened but residents would also swell the IS ranks, he warned.
Another resident, Shamsul Haq said if the government did not take serious action against the insurgents, most of youths would join them as a result of poverty and unemployment.
He grumbled jobs had not been created for youths while many schools had been destroyed. There are inadequate health services and civilian houses have been razed, but the government has been unconcerned.
Absent deterrent action, he feared, the insurgents might overrun the district near the Durand Line.
Governor Mohammad Gulab Mangal acknowledged the issue, charging the militants were being supplied from across the border.
"Daesh rebels and other terrorist groups are apparently funded, equipped and supplied from across the Durand Line, and it was used to done and will be continue," he said.
The governor urged Pakistan and other countries to stop supporting terrorist groups in Afghanistan; otherwise the rebel activities would affect them as well.
Related Article
Download "Pajhwok" mobile App, on your smartphone to read and access latest news, features, interviews, videos and photos about Afghanistan.


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RICHMOND, Va. – The VCU Men's Soccer team closed out the regular season with a 3-1 victory over the University of Delaware on Saturday night at Sports Backers Stadium.
Tonight's contest marked the final collegiate game for seniors Will Donovan, Josh Pantazelos and Nick Rich. All three student-athletes appeared in tonight's contest, including Donovan, who made his first career appearance for the Black & Gold.
With the victory the Rams close out the season with an 11-9-0 overall record and 6-5-0 record in CAA play, giving them two-consecutive winning seasons in CAA play. It marks the first time since the 2003-04 seasons that the Black & Gold have posted back-to-back winning seasons in conference play. Delaware drops to 11-5-2 overall and 6-4-1 in CAA play.
"I was happy for the seniors to get a result tonight in their last college game," said VCU Head Coach Dave Giffard. "We finish the season with 11 wins, including six in the CAA, both improvement over a year ago when we finished second. There is a very small margin of error in college soccer and unfortunately for this group we lost too many moments at the wrong times."
The Rams got on the board just two minutes into the contest, as freshman defender Juan Monge Solano curled in a ball from the right corner kick spot just inside the left goal post for the 1-0 lead.
The Black & Gold nearly added another goal just two minutes later off a pass that switched the side of the field from Yoram Mwila to Rich (pictured right) inside the 18-yard box. Rich cut left to evade the Blue Hen defender, before firing a shot on frame but the UD goalkeeper smothered the attempt.
The Blue Hens almost tied the contest at 1-1 in the 34th minute of play off a corner kick attempt, but sophomore midfielder Jose Carlos Castillo stifled the chance by clearing the attempt off the goal line. Delaware's Luke Oostdyk headed the ball towards the left goal post, but Castillo maintained his job on the goal post to knock the ball away from the goal, before Pantazelos (pictured below) jumped on the rebound.
At the end of the half, the Rams outshot the Blue Hens 8-7, while Delaware held a 4-3 corner kick advantage.
It didn't take long in the second half for VCU to find its second goal of the contest, with the Rams converting a penalty kick attempt in the 53rd minute. Mwila earned the attempt for the Rams after cutting back on his defender to the top of the 18-yard box, before being tripped by the Delaware defender and into the ground. Freshman midfielder Ragnar Leosson stepped up to take the chance, and promptly buried the attempt into the goal for his first collegiate goal.
The Rams tacked on their third and final goal of the contest off some nice passing in the 60th minute. A pass down the left sideline and into the box by Castillo sprung sophomore forward Jason Johnson free inside the box. With the goalkeeper rushing off his line, Johnson touched the ball out towards the corner flag to evade the goalkeeper, before placing a left-footed attempt just inside the right goal post for the 3-1 lead.
Delaware notched its only goal of the match in the 64th, as blocked cross from the right corner directed off a VCU defender and into the middle of the 18-yard box. Vincent Mediate spotted the rebound and one-timed the shot into the left side of the goal.
The Rams continued to create chances over the last 26 minutes of the game as the Black & Gold maintained possession of the ball throughout the pitch.
VCU ended the match with a dangerous chance off a well struck high arching ball from sophomore midfielder Romena Bowie to Donovan in the right corner. Donovan (pictured right) played the ball back across the field to the left side of the box for Johnson, who quickly touched the ball into in the Delaware goalkeeper's hands for the save.
The Black & Gold finished the match with an 18-14 shots advantage, while Delaware maintained its edge in corner kick attempts at 7-5.
Pantazelos finished the match with five saves in his final collegiate performance for the Rams, while Delaware's Kris Devaux staved off five shots as well.
"Now we turn our attention to preseason for 2012, which begins on Wednesday morning," added Giffard.


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Occasionally you'll write an application that needs to respond to hotkeys, even when your application is not focused. As described in my previous tutorial, there is no manged API for hotkeys. To use hotkeys, you'll need to use functions from the Win32 API.
See the full project and example usages here, on my Github page.
WPF is a little different than Windows Forms. You don't have a WndProc method to override, and you don't have an easily available Window Handle to use. I'll show you how to achieve this in WPF.
Instead of a Form or an IWin32Window, you'll have a System.Windows.Window (which is the base class for WPF Windows). But, we can still get the information we need, using tools defined in the System.Windows.Interop namespace.
You can get the Window Handle from a WPF window this way. Note that the handle will be invalid if the window hasn't loaded yet. To prevent this, only do this during or after the Loaded event.
//window is a WPF Window object IntPtr hWnd = new WindowInteropHelper(window).Handle;
Using the same Window object (during the same time frame), you can also hook into the Windows message pump, which you'll need to use to be notified of the hotkey windows messages.
//pass your WPF Window object to this method (Window derives from Visual) private void HookWndProc(Visual window) { var source = PresentationSource.FromVisual(window) as HwndSource; if (source == null) throw new HotkeyException("Could not create hWnd source from window."); source.AddHook(WndProc); } //WndProc method that we added a hook for: private IntPtr WndProc(IntPtr hwnd, int msg, IntPtr wParam, IntPtr lParam, ref bool handled) { //handle windows messages here return IntPtr.Zero; }
Now that we have our message pump and our window handle, we can register hotkeys using the functions defined in User32.dll:
public static class User32 { [DllImport("user32.dll")] internal static extern bool RegisterHotKey(IntPtr hWnd, int id, int fsModifiers, int vk); [DllImport("user32.dll")] internal static extern bool UnregisterHotKey(IntPtr hWnd, int id); }
These two methods are not defined in our code, they're defined in User32.dll. But we can call them by using System.Runtime.InteropServices, using the DllImport attribute.
To actually use these methods, you'd provide the required parameters: a window handle, a unique ID for the hotkey, Modifiers, and a key code.
Side note: the System.Windows.Input.Key enumeration is not the same as the System.Windows.Forms.Keys enumeration. The former does not have the same key codes, so don't use it. You can either add a reference to System.Windows.Forms, or create your own enum. Here's the source you'd need if you choose the second route:
And we'll want a separate modifiers enumeration that matches the documentation:
[Flags] public enum Modifiers { NoMod = 0x0000, Alt = 0x0001, Ctrl = 0x0002, Shift = 0x0004, Win = 0x0008 }
So, an example of registering a hotkey:
bool result = User32.RegisterHotkey(handle, id, (int)Modifiers.Ctrl, (int)Keys.A);
That will return true or false based on whether or not it succeeded.
Now that you've registered a hotkey, you'll need to filter the windows messages to get only the WM_HOTKEY messages:
private IntPtr WndProc(IntPtr hwnd, int msg, IntPtr wParam, IntPtr lParam, ref bool handled) { if(msg == 0x0312) { var lpInt = (int)lParam; Keys key = (Keys)((lpInt >> 16) & 0xFFFF); Modifiers modifier = (Modifiers)(lpInt & 0xFFFF); } return IntPtr.Zero; }
In that previous example, we get the key and modifiers from the lParam of the windows message, but only if the message was the WM_HOTKEY message (0x0312). Since you can have more than one hotkey defined for your code, you should check your Keys and Modifiers to determine which hotkey was pressed.
At this point, you have everything you need to start handling hotkeys in your WPF program. I suggest downloading my full project from Github, because I've extracted this functionality into a class with events. There is an example project showing its use.
Thanks for reading, post any questions you have in the comments section.


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The LARGEST STRATEGY GAME ever built!! Negotiate, Trade, Dominate, Deceive in a Persistent Universe with thousands of players.
http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/212 ... -rts-games <------ Kickstarter
https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=p ... OMAI8H3QTk <------ Alpha Gameplay Trailer
Yes i'm bit lazy copied the wall of text from kickstarter page, there is muuuuuuch more text in their kickstarter. I seriously suggest that you folks even take a look at their trailer and kickstarter. I can't even begin to describle what those devs are doing it's so magnificent, atleast in my humble opinion C:
And pardon for not adding screens, i'm not that great forum poster
Still 23 days remaining on kickstarter, theyr are funded yes but the more is always merrier + the stretchgoals
Start with a home planet that you can never lose. Expand your control outward across an unlimited universe of galaxies. It's a sandbox in space where you can build your empire-- and influence over other players. Do it anyway you wish: through diplomatic channels, intelligence, military might or economic power. Thousands and thousands of players at one time on one seamless map. The game never stops, even when you are off line, There is always a way to rebuild and recover, and there are always potential new allies and foes ready to engage you on a truly galactic scale. The strategic choices you make today will affect your tactical efforts next week, next month, and even next year!
Long-term, real-life strategies: every decision you make matters!
In real life, strategic decisions do matter and carry weight that have lasting effects, beyond accumulating points on a leaderboard or in a battle report. Leaders take responsibility for the consequences of their decisions – good or bad. Novus AEterno allows each decision every gamer makes to play out over time across an infinite universe. Just as in real life, the ever-evolving universe is determined solely by the ripple effects of every action and reaction.
Dynamic Balancing: a force that rewards, destroys and levels the playing field for all
It's just the nature of things. Everything you do has natural consequences in real life and in Novus AEterno. If you choose to expand your empire too fast without support, rebellions may erupt. Or, if you become a bully, many alliances will want to team up against you. The bigger you are, the harder it is to defend your position, while smaller empires find it easier to expand. The consequences of your choices are coded into the game as you play. Discover more of these dynamic forces as they are revealed in updates.
Novus AEterno will be available as a ONE-TIME PURCHASE upon its initial release on Steam. Options will exist for buying expansion packs and, most importantly, for buying a premium "Quality of Life" account. These premium accounts include the following perks:
Longer offline build queues. If a user is offline quite often, he can still keep progressing and not completely fall too far behind friends who are more active.
Additional automated trade routes between your own planets. This does not make it less vulnerable, only simpler to manage your empire.
More in-depth AI customization. A bit more options for your offline and online AI.
As you can see, all of our additional purchase options provide you the opportunity for a greater in-game experience. But we will never offer players the chance to buy their way to victory.
Novus AEterno: The Next Evolution in RTS Games
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text: TONIGHT I PRAY that you worship in the beauty of HIS Holiness. I pray that you can see that He created beauty to declare the existence of His Holy Being. A magnificent rose, hauntingly glorious sunset, oceanic splendor all these things were meant to proclaim His Presence in the world. Most people rush past these beautiful things without giving them a second thought. I believe that the Lord is pleased when we admire the beauty and awesome splendor of His creation and praise Him for it. I pray that we lift up empty hands of faith and praise His Holy Name, then we will leave ourselves open to receive His Presence, Light, Life, Joy and Peace that flows freely through us!!! In Jesus name I pray, Amen and Amen… I Love you all!!! God Bless You!!! ♥♥♥


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10 U.S. Code § 3068 - Medical Service Corps: organization; Chief and assistant chiefs
Historical and Revision Notes
Revised section
Source (U.S. Code)
Source (Statutes at Large)
10:81–1 (last sentence, less 5th through 14th words).
10:156a (less 2d sentence).
June 28, 1950, ch. 383, § 307 (last sentence, less 5th through 14th words), 64 Stat. 270.
Aug. 4, 1947, ch. 459, §§ 101 (less 2d sentence), 102(a), (b), 61 Stat. 734, 735; Mar. 23, 1954, ch. 103, 68 Stat. 30.
In subsection (a), 10:156a (1st 20 words) is omitted as superseded by section 3067 of this title, which establishes the Medical Service Corps in the Army Medical Service. 10:156a (last 16 words of 1st sentence) is omitted as superseded by section 3012(e) of this title, which authorizes the Secretary of the Army to prescribe the duties of members of the Army. 10:81–1 (last sentence, less 5th through 14th words) is omitted as surplusage.
In subsection (b), the words "of the Regular Army in that corps whose regular grade is above captain" are substituted for the words "commissioned in the Medical Service Corps, Regular Army, in the permanent grade of major or above". The words "If he holds a lower regular grade" are substituted for the words "if commissioned in permanent grade below colonel". The words "is entitled" are substituted for the words "shall * * * have". The words "ranks above" are substituted for the words "shall be superior in rank".
In subsection (c), the words "is the Surgeon General's consultant" are substituted for the words "who shall be consultants to him".
A prior section 3068, acts Aug. 10, 1956, ch. 1041, 70A Stat. 168; Sept. 7, 1962, Pub. L. 87–649, § 6(a)(1), 76 Stat. 494, contained substantially the same provisions as the present section but placed the upper limit for the rank of officers of the Medical Service Corps at colonel, prior to repeal by Pub. L. 89–603.
2011—Par. (5)(A). Pub. L. 111–383, § 594(1), substituted "Administrative Health Services" for "Pharmacy, Supply, and Administration".
Par. (5)(C). Pub. L. 111–383, § 594(2), substituted "Preventive Medicine Sciences" for "Sanitary Engineering".
Par. (5)(D). Pub. L. 111–383, § 594(3), substituted "Clinical Health Sciences" for "Optometry".
1982—Par. (5). Pub. L. 97–295 redesignated cls. (a), (b), (c), (d), and (e) as subpars. (A), (B), (C), (D), and (E), respectively.
LII has no control over and does not endorse any external Internet site that contains links to or references LII.


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TOPEKA — The Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) is continuing to monitor and test Kansas lakes for the presence of harmful blue-green algae. Blue-green algae are natural, common bacteria in all waters of Kansas. Ordinarily, they are not harmful to humans or aquatic life, but under certain conditions — especially during the heat of the summer — they can multiply rapidly, resulting in a "bloom." When this happens, blooms may release toxins that are dangerous to fish, pets, and humans. Some algae blooms look like foam or thick slurry. They can be blue, bright green, brown, or red and may look like paint floating on the water. Some blooms may not affect the appearance of the water. At some locations, this summer's prolonged heat spell may have created better than normal conditions for algae blooms.
Samples from some areas of Cheney Reservoir showed high levels of blue-green algae and prompted KDHE to add Cheney to the Warning list late Friday afternoon. The good news is that the advisories for Perry Lake in Jefferson County and Marion Lake in Marion County have been lifted. Officials still advise lake users to remain alert and use caution. Conditions at Milford Lake in Geary County have improved, and most of Milford Lake has been downgraded to an Advisory. Two areas at Milford are still under a Warning – Wakefield Beach and Timber Creek Ramp.
Based upon the latest sampling results and established health risk levels, KDHE issues Warnings and Advisories. A "Warning" is issued when high levels of toxic blue-green algae have been detected. A "Public Health Warning" indicates that water conditions are unsafe, and direct water contact (wading, skiing, and swimming) should not occur.
Current concentrations of algae in the following waters exceeded the KDHE recommended level of less than 100,000 cells/ml for recreational water use and are currently under Warning:
- Cheney Reservoir, Kingman, Reno and Sedgwick counties (new listing)
- Riggs Park Lake, Haysville, Sedgwick County (new listing)
- Santa Fe Lake Augusta, Butler County;
- Memorial Park Lake, Great Bend, Barton County;
- Meade State Lake, Meade County;
- Milford Lake's Wakefield Beach (Entire lake is under an Advisory, see below.)
- Milford Lake's Timber Creek Ramp (Entire lake is under an Advisory, see below.)
When a warning is issued, KDHE recommends the following precautions be taken:
- do not drink lake water;
- do not swim, wade, or do anything with full-body contact of lake water;
- clean fish well, consume only the fillet portion, and discard all other parts; and
- keep pets from having contact with or drinking lake water.
An "advisory is issued when harmful blue-green algae have been detected. A "Public Health Advisory" indicates that a hazardous "condition" exists, but water activities such as boating and fishing may be safe. However, direct contact with water (wading, swimming) is strongly discouraged for people and pets.
KDHE has issued an Advisory for the following Kansas public waters:
- Big Hill Reservoir, Labette County;
- Marion County Lake, Marion County;
- Logan City Lake, Phillips County; and
- Milford Lake, Geary County
In addition, KDHE recommends the following precautions be taken:
- do not drink lake water;
- clean fish well, consume only the fillet portion, and discard all other parts; and
- keep pets from having contact with or drinking lake water.
KDHE will continue to monitor these public waters and will update statements as conditions warrant. More information on algae and algae blooms, including up-to-date advisories and warnings, can be found at online at www.kdheks.gov/algae-illness/index.htm.


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Samsung speeds Flash for MP3 players
Samsung has begun pumping out 16Gb (2GB) Flash storage chips, the first chip maker to do so, it claimed this weekend. It maintained the parts have almost double the speed off its current Flash offerings.
How come? They're fabbed at 51nm - Samsung's other Flash chips are fabbed at 60nm. The new chips' read and write speeds are 8MBps and 30MBps, respectively, to the older technology's 4.4MBps and 17MBps.
Expect increases in MP3 and media player storage capacities shortly.
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