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1. How long have you been collecting? What are your favorite players, teams, sets, etc. to collect? Which card in your collection means the most to you and why?
I have been collecting for almost 20 years. My team collections consist of all Chicago teams (Bulls, Bears, Blackhawks, White Sox, and Cubs). Player collections consist of Nolan Ryan, Cal Ripken Jr., Walter Payton, and Shoeless Joe Jackson. The card(s) that mean the most to me are my 1968 Nolan Ryan RC because, for a time, I didn't think I would be able to afford to own one. My 1982 Cal Ripken Jr. Topps Traded RC because it was the last RC I needed of his, having had the other 3 for years (Donruss, Fleer, Topps), 2001 UD SP Legendary Cuts Joe Jackson Bat Card- need I say more and 1976 Topps Walter Payton RC, an iconic card of an iconic player.
2. In the time that you have been collecting, what is your favorite story, memory, experience, etc?
My work with Card Corner Club. Being given the opportunity, back in 2003, to start writing product reviews for CardCornerClub.net and expanding our content delivery to include social media, video, and now radio has been an extremely rewarding experience.
3. What are the effects on the hobby of major card companies moving toward exclusivity deals with sports leagues? Given that this could be the direction that the industry is headed, what should card companies do to continue to provide a quality product to collectors?
As I have mentioned many times on my blog, and on the radio show, competition breeds creativity and innovation. I don't think it is necessarily a good idea for the respective licensing leagues to hand out monopolies to the highest bidder. As a collector I want a choice. Using baseball as an example Topps has woefully underperformed in the area of high-end card products. As a player collector, the requisite is there to accumulate all of the necessary base and non auto/memorabilia insert cards of said player to meet the minimum standards of a completist. However, the cards I want to display of that player are high-end singles and I can honestly say there have been few, if any, produced by Topps in the last few years I feel are "must haves" for my collection.
Now I am left with no choice. I take that back, I now have the choice of- 1) not buying the currently produced high-end singles produced by Topps or 2) go back and purchase high-end singles from past products made by Upper Deck. As a collector, with the inherent "junkie" complex that really isn't much of a choice.
What is also on par with exclusive league licensing is exclusive player licensing. Even if multiple companies were producing baseball cards it's simply wrong to pigeon hole the consumer into being left with only one company to purchase from when other, often times, more attractive options are available. Take the CMG licensing deal of retired legends. Topps has failed to deliver those players in a product I would want. Yet when UD had the license, I purchased SP Legendary Cuts every year. What would I have purchased if both companies had rights to those players?
4. Pick a timeframe- 5, 10, or 20 years. In that timeframe, what has been the single best and worst development in the hobby?
Nailing this question down to a single instance, pro or con, is difficult because there have been many, for each. But with all the various happenings, and the implications they have had for The Hobby, I think these have been the biggest.
Best- Advent of eBay. The ability to acquire desired cards, liquidate undesired cards and to determine a card's true value has been a vital resource for collectors. The creation of a secondary market place has also been instrumental in seeing cards from various product you wouldn't normally otherwise, unless pulling them yourself or seeing them pulled at your local LCS.
Worst- It's a toss up between either the move to exclusive licensing or the self created one-ups-man-ship created by the chase mentality. After the advent of game used and autograph cards, instead of letting the idea breath, and evolve it created a tidal wave of now worthless cards that have lost all of their cache. The extra costs required to obtain game used material caused manufacturers to focus less on true innovation and design and instead trying to out-do each other with the number of "hits" per box, the amount of material you could fit on a card etc.
5. What are your thoughts on prospecting? Do you do it personally? Why? Has the clamoring to find the next big rookie affected the quality of products, either positively or negatively?
I don't personally prospect. I know many people that do and I don't begrudge them of that if that particular aspect of The Hobby is something they enjoy. I actually admire people with the ability to identify talent and the courage to put their money where their mouth is by investing heavily hoping for a payday. I don't personally have the time, energy, money or inclination to conduct the necessary research to be successful at that. I also don't consider it collecting. When your only interest in prospects is to learn which ones you can flip for profit, it's little more than stock trading with cardboard.
I definitely think it has affected product quality negatively by watering down a lot of products with too many unknowns. Few collectors get a thrill from ripping packs and not knowing who the players are. However, I have no problem with an emphasis being made to limit that type of checklist to prospect themed products like Bowman, Draft Picks and Prospects and the like.
6. We are collecting tangible products in an increasingly intangible world. As our lives move more and more online, what will the effects on the industry be? Will the next generation of kids be as excited about collecting cards as we are? How should the major card companies respond?
The tangibility of trading cards and memorabilia is part of its intrinsic value and attraction. To touch a card containing a piece of jersey worn by your favorite player or held by a player while autographing it, those connections are what brought me back into The Hobby. As children, trading cards helped connect us to our team and its players. Owning a picture, studying the stats and bio were crucial to that experience. With the dawn of the information age and media on demand that aspect of The Hobby has changed forever and no longer resonates with children as it did for generations past. When you can "follow" and interact with athletes via social media, or "be" them in the most realistic video games we have ever seen, or pull up an image gallery that would takes years to explore, kids don't "need" trading cards like my friends and I did when I was a kid.
The card companies should respond by knowing that the market is no longer exclusively children and hasn't been for years. Instead it is people like myself, the 20-something to 50-something year old, primarily, male with a wife, kids, mortgage, and some discretionary income who used to be a collector as a kid. I am not saying forget the kids entirely and I will address that in a moment. What I am saying is that you can't produce one brand of product and expect it to appeal to all age groups. Produce cards for your current customer base.
With children, you have a very short window to appeal to them and I would say that range is from about 5-8. Old enough to open a pack, plays or watches baseball, but doesn't yet have a video game system. Once they are connected online or digitally, their gone. And no degree of ToppsTown, Upper Deck University, 3D novelty or TCGs is going to keep them. If there is one thing that I have learned by being a father, and an uncle, is that kids don't want to be pandered to. Making them a "kid friendly" product while admirable in thought and intention may get you their allowance money or money from Mom and Dad at target and Wal-Mart, but it will not convert them into lifelong hobbyists.
One of the ways you might be able to expose kids to trading cards in the first place is to partner with video gaming companies. What if at certain levels of a games achievement you earned, in some cases "free", and in other cases discounts, for trading cards. For example- Complete a winning season in MLB the Show get your choice of team set. Set records for a statistical category get a coupon for 50% any blaster. These are just a couple of "off the top of my head" ideas. Or what about branding your own video game with similar incentives? Topps could partner with someone to handle the production side.
7. How has new media changed the way you collect? How should the major card companies utilize new media to connect with their consumer base? How can new media change and/or revitalize the hobby?
When you say new media I imagine you are referring to social media and user generated content. New media has helped me find and connect and interact with collectors from all over the country. Some like minded and some not which, in and of itself, has allowed me to look at aspects of The Hobby in a different light than I normally would. Until recently, Upper Deck has been a leader in new media, primarily, with an emphasis on broadcasting and friendly interaction with some minor Q&A. The recent commitment Topps has seemed to make with using social media to connect to its most passionate and vocal customers, is a positive step in giving the consumer (collectors) a voice. In essence, if it's our money you want, it only makes sense to listen to what we have to say and this Hobby Round Table is a great example of putting that into action. What Topps does with the information gathered here in an entirely different story.
8. How has the recent rise in counterfeits and scams affected the
way you collect? What advice would you give the major card companies to help combat this?
In all honesty it hasn't for me personally. I think an educated collector is a scammer's worst nightmare and it comes down to that, education. What I think the companies themselves can do is being more proactive to respond to the known existence of such activity when it becomes known and use their corporate voice and muscle to get companies like eBay to ban individuals who routinely sell stuff that is known to be fraudulent. One of the most egregious of these practices has concerned a Topps product with the Rookie Premier Autographs in football and yet Topps did NOTHING to help collectors by either changing the way these cards were produced or communicating to the market their existence in the first place. An accessible photo database of signature exemplars would be a good place to start with several versions of an athletes autograph to compare to.
9. The poor economy has affected all of us in recent years. In what ways would you like to see card companies respond to provide interesting, affordable products for collectors?
What about the concept of producing cards made to order? I can't necessarily always afford the next Hobby product to come out but I could afford to buy some of the hits. I don't claim to know how the details of production, fulfillment or profitability would play out with an idea like this but it might be worth exploring. What about teams sets for products other than the base brand? Manufacturer coupons, reward program (with good stuff, not a hat and t-shirt).
10. We've done autographs. We've done just about every kind of
relic/game used product you can think of. What's next? Where do we go from here?
Many great ideas have been discussed on various blogs and message and the majority come down to feasibility/profitability. One of the ideas I like is to have themed sets like Season Highlights, Plays of the Year, etc with the added dimension of having an embedded audio clip of the player describing the moment depicted on the card. You could even have some of the cards autographed. Also instead of inserting a CD-Rom like the old PowerDeck cards from UD, what about embedded video clips where the actual card is a screen in and of itself. Those would be ideas for higher-end product.
While I believe memorabilia still needs to be part of mid and high end products their should be guidelines for its use. You shoul never be pulling single color jersey swatch cards from a product that costs over $100. For product costing over $200 3-color patches should be the minimum, even if that means being less of them. In addition, on lower end and lower mid range products $40-$70, why not put redemption cards for things like full jerseys, framed matted photos with autos, etc. Obviously, the odds would be incredibly high but ultimately more rewarding than just another single color jersey swatch.
For lower end products, while it's hard to turn back the clock, there has to be a way to restore value to base cards. I don't know if that is with lower overall production figures, buying back unsold product and destroying it, prohibiting dealers from selling product below wholesale cost or what, but The Hobby was built on the base card and while adults like myself have grown accustomed to, and actually many may prefer, the chase mentality, it runs contrary to everything that turned this hobby into an industry.
11. If you could say one thing-anything- to Topps and know that the CEO will read it, what would you say?
The single most important thing is to stop using sticker autographs in any product that costs over $75. Save the stickers (if they must exist at all) for lower end products. Second- it will be unacceptable to not have a corporate presence at major national and regional shows. If there is a corporate pavilion, Topps needs to be there. No exceptions.


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Made By Mike : DREAM BOX – Dual IC Muff & DIST II
Mike Livesley is a builder from Bristol, England. Mike's Youtube demo career preceded my own by some years and he was certainly one of the strongest inspirations and reasons I made demo attempts of my own back in 2008. So I have a lot to thank Mike for and I'm glad and honoured to be able to call him a friend, albeit by proxy as we've never met outside of the virtual world.
Mike builds some great pedals. Recently he unleashed this treasure on the world: a dual pedal featuring his take on the MXR Distortion II and late 70's IC Muff. This combination, according to Mike's research, was used in the Siamese Dream sessions to get the tones that are the sonic identity of that album and many other albums that followed by other inspired artists. I think Mike has succeeded in making this sound accessible with the Dream Box as it absolutely rips. There's also a helpful Mids control on the IC Muff side (maybe optional, please check with Mike) and then there's the case art – wow.
More from Mike himself:
"This is the Dream Box, two of my most popular pedals in one Dual Drive box giving you bags of great guitar sounds at your feet. On the left side is my MadeByMike '78 IC Muff pedal (click link for details), my favourite Muff variant, capable of big fat rhythm guitars (dead on the Siamese Dream guitar tone, Corgan used an original IC Muff on the record), flutey lead guitar tones, overdrive and distortion sounds, truly a versatile and addictive pedal. On the right we have my modern interpretation of the MXR Distortion II pedal, the MadeByMike Dist2, a fully featured and very unique sounding distortion/overdrive pedal from yesteryear overlooked until recently, when it was revealed that this was the missing component in reproducing those Siamese Dream lead guitar tones by the man himself. Featuring Filter (treble content) and Resonance (bass and lower midrange thump and gain) controls in tandem with your more standard Drive and Volume, the Dist2 is capable of providing you with a wealth of textures including of course the searcing incendiary lead tones from Siamese Dream when combined with the IC Muff side.
Both sides of the Dream Box are wired for true bypass, and can be used independently, or together. It's been a real labour of love re-engineering the Distortion II circuit to be used on a 9V pedalboard friendly supply, removing the electronic switching and shrinking it down, but I think it's been worth it. The moment I connected my Dist2 prototype into a pedal chain with one of my IC Muffs, I started grinning and I haven't stopped yet. Both these pedals just make you want to play Guitar."
– Alpha pots
– Neutrik jacks
– True bypass via 3PDT switches
– Boss style 2.1mm centre negative barrel type DC jack
– Metal bezled LEDs (LED colours negotiable)
– Dist2 Controls – Volume, Drive, Filter, Resonance
– IC Muff Controls – Volume, Sustain, Tone, Bypass toggle
– 2-year guarantee
– To order send an email to [email protected]
Today's rig:
Guitar : 2012 Redhouse Guitars S-Style with Klein No.1 pickups
Amp: Laney VH-100R (clean channel) & L412 cabinet (Greenbacks)
Additional Effects : Zoom MS70-CDR Tape Delay (not shown in video)
Cables : Providence
Mic : Violet Design 'The Amethyst Standard' (amp) & Samson Airline77 (me)
Camera : Canon 60D (me) and Sony HDR CX150 (pedal)
Soundcard : AVID Mbox Pro 3
Computer : Apple iMac 27″ i7 3.4 GHz 16 GB RAM
Software : Pro Tools 10 LE, Waves CLA Guitars (slight comp over input track), Waves L3-16 Limiter (to keep levels in check at output), Apple Final Cut Pro X (video editing and Youtube compression).

subset: commoncrawl


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Posted by Service Officer on 24th July 2008
Overseas American citizens are eligible to participate in presidential and state primary elections, run-off elections and special elections that occur throughout the year, as well as the general elections in November 2008. You are strongly encouraged to register to vote and request your absentee ballot early! The official U.S. Government website for overseas absentee voting assistance is the Federal Voting Assistance Program website at www.fvap.gov. It has a wealth of information about absentee voting including: downloadable absentee ballot applications and write-in ballots, state specific instructions for completing the form, links to state and local officials, and a downloadable emergency ballot to use when requested materials fail to arrive in time. The Basic Absentee Voting Process procedure is:
1.) Complete an application form and send it to local election officials in the U.S.
2.) The local official approves your request or contacts you for further information.
3.) The local official sends you an absentee ballot.
4.) You vote the ballot and send it back in time to meet your state's deadline.
To register to vote and request an absentee ballot you can fill out the paper form available at the American Citizen Services (ACS) section of the U.S. Embassy, or download the Federal Post Card Application at http://fvap.gov/pubs/fpca.html. Fill it out and send it in, following the guidelines for your state. Each state establishes voting procedures, and so requirements across the country vary. It is important to be aware of your state's deadlines for registration. Specific information about your state's procedures and a complete 2008 election calendar are available at http://fvap.gov. There may be last minute changes to your state's voting calendar, procedures or deadlines. When these occur, the Federal Voting Assistance Program (FVAP) will issue a News Release. To add your name to the distribution list for News Releases, send an e-mail to firstname.lastname@example.com For further information you can also contact the FVAP via Email: email@example.com. [Source: ACS Manila Newsletter Jul 08 ++]
Posted in Embassy | No Comments »


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On the eve of the election for Speaker of the House one can only hope that the GOP has the fortitude to shake off the conditioning that the establishment seems to have saddled them with and do the right thing.
Let's hope the GOP has the courage to use the sentiment of A.F Branco's illustration from Comically Incorrect and find someone BETTER for America than John Boehner.
You can see who I think should be the next speaker of the house here: Replace Boehner with someone who will fight for America
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At TheStreet.com's Stockpickr, James Altucher singles out some stocks that have two things going for them. First, they have big stock buybacks underway .. and second, they're already in Warren Buffett's portfolio.
Altucher says buybacks are a good thing for a company's stock price, increasing earnings per share by reducing the 'share' portion of that ratio, and letting investors know the company feels good about its future prospects.
Among the stocks that fit both the Buffett and buyback categories:
- Wal-Mart. $15 billion stock buyback program and Mr. Buffett recently increased his position.
- Procter & Gamble. $30 billion in buybacks planned over 3 years.
- Moody's. $2 billion buyback to begin after current round completed.
All together, Stockpickr has a list of 10 Buffett buyback stocks.
Questions? Comments? Email me at firstname.lastname@example.com


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The stars shall fade away, the sun himself
Grow dim with age, and Nature sink in years;
But thou shalt flourish in Immortal youth,
Unhurt amidst the war of elements,
The wreck of matter, and the crush of words!
- "Inspiration by Pythagoras," by Addison.
I feel my immortality over sweep all pains, all tears, all time, all fears – and peal,
like the eternal thunders of the deep, into my ears this truth thou livest forever! – Byron.
Thy eternal summer shall not fade – Shakespeare.
I am a part of all that I have met. – Tennyson.
It must be so – Plato thou reasonest well! –
Else whence this pleasing hope, this fond desire,
This longing after immortality?
Or whence this secret dread and inward horror
Of falling into naught? Why shrinks the soul
Back on herself and starles at destruction?
"Tis the Divinity that stirs within us!
"Tis Heaven itself that points out a hereafter
And intimates Eternity to man. – Addison.
We are born for a higher destiny than earth; there is a realm where the rainbow mover
fades, where the stars will be spread before us like islands that slumber in the ocean, and where the beings that pass before us like shadows will stay in our presence forever. – Bulwer.
"There is no death; what seems so is transition;
This life of mortal breath
Is but a suburb of the life Elysian
Whose portal we call "death." – Longfellow.
Look Nature through; tis revolution all,
All change; no death. Day follows day, night
The dying day; stars rise and set and set and risr.
Earth takes the example. All to reflourish, fades.
As in a wheel: all sinks to reascend;
Emblem of man who passes, not expires. – Young.
Death is another life. We bow our heads
At going out, we think, and enter straight,
Another chamber of the king's
Larger and lovelier. – Bailey.
- The World's Advance Thought.


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If DTC P0021 or P0022 is displayed, check the bank 2 VVT system circuit. Bank 2 refers to the bank that does not include cylinder No. 1.
Read freeze frame data using an intelligent tester. Freeze frame data record the engine condition when malfunctions are detected. When troubleshooting, freeze frame data can help determine if the vehicle was moving or stationary, if the engine was warmed up or not, if the air-fuel ratio was lean or rich, and other data, from the time the malfunction occurred.
Was this article helpful?
Don't pay hundreds of dollars to find out what is wrong with your car. This book is dedicated to helping the do it yourself home and independent technician understand and use OBD-II technology to diagnose and repair their own vehicles.


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Walking on air - Alter G treadmill new to Spire Shawfair Park Hospital
19 March 2014
Running can take place without the usual strain caused by the body's own weight on the lower limbs. In fact, you can select the weight effect on your training by selecting any weight between 20% and 100% of your body weight.
Its precise unweighting technology, allows you to push your training and physical therapy rehabilitation further than ever before. The Anti-Gravity Treadmill helps a broad spectrum of people – top level athletes, orthopaedic and neurological patients, seniors and those looking to lose weight - to achieve their personal health, wellness or performance goals. This is particularly helpful for rehabilitation patients with injuries to lower limbs, patients with neurological conditions who require extra assistance with mobility and strength training but also for runners who are keen to improve their cardio vascular fitness without the normal impact that running causes on the joints.
The innovative AlterG Anti-Gravity Treadmill is now available at Spire Shawfair Park Hospital where it will be available to anyone who wishes to train in a gravity free environment. The Spire Perform Physiotherapy team will also use the machine to help patients with physical therapy rehabilitation. It will also benefit some of Scotlands elite sporting teams, such as the Scotland Rugby team who will use of the AlterG to help rehabilitate injured sports stars and improve the cardiovascular capabilities of the team.
"The experience was exceptional and drastically reduced the pain I would normally feel, especially from the parts of my body that sustained the most damage from the car accident. I will definitely be using the machine again. " -Alexander G., patient
Tim Visser and Dr James Robson with the AlterG


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Common Diseases of Skeletal System
Bones, tendons, ligaments and cartilage make up the skeletal system. The primary function of the skeletal system is providing support for the body to maintain posture and movement. The skeletal system protects the internal organs such as the brain and heart. Diseases affecting the skeletal system break down the bones or connecting tissues that allow the system to protect the body and function properly. Common skeletal system diseases include bursitis, arthritis and osteoporosis 3.
If you are experiencing serious medical symptoms, seek emergency treatment immediately.
The Mayo Clinic indicates common locations for bursitis to appear include the shoulders, elbows and hips 1. Bursitis is a painful condition impacting the cushioning between the bones, tendons and muscles near the joints. Inflammation of the bursae often causes aching and stiffness in the joints. Bursitis may occur after repeated motion such as throwing a ball or cycling. In mild cases of bursitis, swelling may occur. Severe instances of bursitis lasting more than two weeks require medical intervention with anti-inflammatory medications as well as rest of the affected area. Bursitis is a risk for people involved in repetitive motion such as carpet laying or gardening and may also be a risk when other medical conditions occur at the same time, such as arthritis.
Arthritis is a joint disorder causing inflammation and pain in the affected area. There are several forms of arthritis. The Arthritis Foundation lists the most common as osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis 2. Osteoarthritis is a chronic degenerative joint disease. The breakdown of cartilage in this form of arthritis leads to the bones rubbing together, causing stiffness, pain and eventual loss of movement in the joint. Rheumatoid arthritis, also a chronic disease, is characterized by inflammation in the lining of the joints. Both forms of arthritis can progress and become debilitating, causing loss of normal functioning in daily life. The cause of arthritis is difficult to determine. Risk factors may include genetics, age, weight and previous injury to the joints. Treatments for arthritis include medication, physical therapy and possible surgery options.
The National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS) explains that osteoporosis causes low bone mass and structural deterioration of bone tissue 3. This increases fragility of bones and may be prevented as well as treated upon onset. Osteoporosis statistics reported by NIAMS indicate women are currently at higher risk than men for development of this disease due to risk factors of small frame and less bone tissue volume. Simple prevention methods such as healthy nutrition habits, increased calcium in daily diet and exercise may decrease risk of developing this disease. Osteoporosis treatment includes nutrition planning, exercise and hormone therapy.
- Djordje_Stojiljkovic/iStock/Getty Images


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seamonster : The Complete Edition
Paperback, 136 Pages
Price: $46.57
Prints in 3-5 business days
The complete collected edition. Seamonster is a slightly surreal story of doomed relationships, seaside towns, and misguided escapism. It's not as depressing as it sounds. Well, I suppose it is. "..offers a bleak image of the mutually destructive nature of modern relationships.." - Webcomicgeek
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Product Details
- 9781445274027
- Copyright
- Nathan Castle (Standard Copyright License)
- Publisher
- The Lumotechnics Division
- Published
- March 14, 2011
- Language
- English
- Pages
- 136
- Binding
- Perfect-bound Paperback
- Interior Ink
- Full color
- Weight
- 1.26 lbs.
- Dimensions (inches)
- 8.5 wide x 11 tall
- Product ID
- 13038573
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Research December 2008
19 Dec-08: Banks in the financial crisis, act II
by Laurent Quignon, Head of Banking Economics Research, BNP Paribas
The financial crisis has dramatically gathered momentum in the last few weeks. What was a creeping crisis suddenly escalated when a wave of bank bankruptcies spread throughout Continental Europe, resulting in governments reacting by implementing wide-ranging bailout plans. The banks that are the most exposed to risky structured products were caught between the devil and the blue sea, i.e. between the increase in losses and write-downs and the revival of stresses in the interbank market. Indeed, bank liquidity now seems to have clearly overtaken solvency among the grounds for concern. With the notable exception of Lehman Brothers, bailing out banks suffering from a shortfall in liquidity was the motive that led to the intervention of central banks or governments, as well as emergency acquisitions. The bankruptcy of Lehman Brothers, on 15 September, resulted in a real collective realisation of the scale of the threat that led to the G7 recommendations, followed by those of the Eurogroup, which were subsequently implemented according to national rescue plans. Looking forward to late 2009, trends in economic fundamentals hardly call for optimism... DOWNLOAD the White Paper here!
18 Dec-08: White Paper on Credit Economic Capital - Financial Predictive Analytics
After the Credit Crunch: The importance of Economic Capital and how to calculate it
by John A Morrison, Asymptotix
John A Morrison is a Solution Architect in Risk Management. He is Director, Solution Partnerships of Asymptotix and an advisor to REvolution Computing. He has just finished an important White Paper that is downloadable on our website.
This is a White Paper about "Economic Capital", i.e. the amount of capital which a Financial Institution needs in order to survive in a worst case scenario. Events of recent months prove that this is no longer an academic exercise. The Credit Crunch has seen Central Governments pumping fresh capital into the banks which were clearly undercapitalized and ill-prepared to deal with the crisis.
Economic Capital is now the focus of all banks, including the Bank of International Settlements (BIS) and the Central Banks. Computation of risk capital in an holistic and comprehensive manner is the key to recovery from this crisis episode and to ensuring sustained levels of security. REvolution Computing is leading the software response to effectively meet this challenge through the development of high performance components of its product ranges in appropriate configurations.
It has taken a crisis to bring the banks and their supervisors closer together, sharing a common objective and that at the very least is one good thing to evolve from this crisis. Supervisors and senior Bankers are at least on adjacent pages in 2008 and look to remain there as the requirements of what will be by any other name a Basel 3 framework are worked out and agreed upon in the coming months.
This paper:-
Is an exposition of how crucial both in terms of banking supervision and in terms of the individual bank's strength, economic capital has become. The paper precisely defines economic capital both at the single institution level and at the systemic level.
Will demonstrate that best practice and supervisory requirements entail that every financial institution must calculate an appropriate quantum of economic return on an originated exposure, risk based position or portfolio.
Reveals how such a quantum of economic return is estimated or predicted based upon quantitative techniques or statistical analytics.
Argues that banks will now need to adopt 'financial predictive analytics' so that they can accurately estimate the amount of risk capital required to cover the true extent of risks to which they are exposed.
To access the White Paper go here!
17 Dec-08: Intro to parallel programming: 3 things you must teach
by Intel
Intel Software College Architect Clay Breshears stars in a new training material at the Intel Software Network that covers basic content any professor should teach when introducing parlallel programming. While not designed specifically for engineers, this content should also be of use for anyone seeking to understand the basicis of parallel programming on multi-core machines. You can watch Clay teach these modules here.
As of this writing only the slide presentation is available, but hopefully they'll get the video link repaired soon. Intel is making these modules available as part of its Intel Software College efforts
Intel Software College course architects are developing course modules designed to be used at the university level to help teach programming models, techniques and tools. We are excited by this material and think that it would be valuable to software developers as well.
We will start making a number of these modules available today and roll more out in the future. Please let us know what you think of the modules; your feedback is key to continuing this program.
17 Dec-08: ECB looks at radical lending plans
by Financial Times
Radical plans to reboot Europe's bank lending market are being studied by the European Central Bank, a senior policymaker revealed on Monday after warning that financial market tensions could wreak significant further economic damage.
Ideas for a "clearing house" to boost the interbank lending market, which is at the heart of the financial system, were "potentially applicable", said Lucas Papademos, vice-president of the European Central Bank.
An ECB-organised clearing house would guarantee lending, with the intention of overcoming mutual distrust between banks. The ECB has cut official eurozone borrowing costs by 175 basis points since early October but is frustrated that market interest rates remain high.
Additional reading: http://www.ft.com/
15 Dec-08: Markets and Operations: developments in global financial markets
by Bank of England, Quarterly Bulletin - Q4 2008
This article covers a period of exceptional instability in the global financial system. The financial market turmoil intensified in September and October 2008, especially following the failure of Lehman Brothers. Subsequently, a number of other financial firms failed, were rescued by government intervention or merged with other financial institutions. As a result, trading conditions in many markets became very strained. Market liquidity deteriorated as market makers widened spreads between prices at which they were prepared to buy and sell. This contributed to numerous apparent anomalies in market pricing.
15 Dec-08: Share price says the game is up for Anglo Irish Bank
by the Irish Times
IT IS clear from the share price of Anglo Irish Bank that no one - apart from its board, presumably - believes management when they say they the bad debts in its €73 billion loan book will amount to a manageable €879 million.
15 Dec-08: Recapitalisation of the banks - Questions remain as endgame begins
by the Irish Times and Bloomberg
THE GOVERNMENT commitment to participate in a €10 billion fund to recapitalise the Irish banking system heralds the beginning of the endgame in a process that will still be fraught with difficulty.
15 Dec-08: Book review: Journal of Statistical Software; A First Course in Statistical Programming with R
by W. John Braun and Duncan J. Murdoch, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 2007
15 Dec-08: How HBOS was lost
by Robert McDowell
January sales loom for merged HBOS brands: http://www.sundayherald.com/
13 Dec-08: European Council: a historic agreement
by ue2008.fr
Nicolas Sarkozy, the President of the French Republic, presided over the European Council held in Brussels on 11 and 12 December. A historic agreement was reached on climate protection and reducing carbon dioxide emissions. The Council also reached an agreement on the European economic recovery plan, the Lisbon Treaty and the European Security and Defence Policy.
The European Council approved a European economic recovery plan, equivalent to 1.5% of the GDP of the European Union (approximately 200 billion euros). This plan constitutes the common framework for efforts undertaken by the Member States and the European Union to ensure that these efforts are consistent with one another, thereby maximising their effects.
11 Dec-08: Bank of America cuts 30,000 jobs
by BBC
Bank of America has said it plans to cut between 30,000 and 35,000 jobs over three years following the completion of its takeover of Merrill Lynch
11 Dec-08: Barroso backs Irish call for assurances
by RTE
European Commission President José Manuel Barroso believes it is possible to give Ireland legally binding assurances over voter concerns such as abortion and neutrality. Speaking to RTÉ News, Mr Barroso said the topic would be discussed by the heads of government at the EU Council meeting in Brussels.
10 Dec-08: Lessons of the financial meltdown: What new rules and architecture?
by Friends of Europe in partnership with the Financial Times
Friends of Europe in partnership with the Financial Times and with the support of APCO Worldwide will today address the issues of the financial crisis in this Café Crossfire debate. It will take place on Wednesday, 10 December at the Bibliothèque Solvay and will start at 12.30. The massive bail-out arrangements agreed by governments of the world's leading economies may have arrested the free-fall of financial markets and the failure of more banks, but they raise a host of difficult questions. What should be the future shape and scope of financial services, and how should we redefine the relationship between states and private sectors? What prudential rules and conditions can bail-out governments impose without limiting economic recovery, and what mechanisms will be needed to ensure their closer international cooperation?
Featuring amongst others: Joaquín Almunia, EU Commissioner for Economic and Monetary Affairs, Axel Miller, former CEO of Dexia, John Monks, General Secretary, European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC), Poul Nyrup Rasmussen MEP, President, Party of European Socialists (PES), André Sapir, Professor of Economics, European Centre for Advanced Research in Economics and Statistics (ECARES), Université Libre de Bruxelles (ULB). Moderated by Giles Merritt, Secretary General of Friends of Europe and Wolfgang Munchau, Columnist and Associate Editor, Financial Times.
9 Dec-08: Computational Finance with R
by revolution-computing.com
REvolution Computing and the Department of Statistics at Columbia University presented on the 4th of December an informative workshop about using statistical computing with R in finance. The conference brought together both academics and practitioners, and was open to public.
8 Dec-08: Lloyds TSB HBOS merger
by Robert Mcdowell
Ninety-six percent of Lloyds shareholders approved the deal at an annual general meeting in Glasgow on the 19 November 2008. HBOS shareholders will vote on the tie-up on 12 December. Independent Thinker but member of the Asymptotix EcoSystem Robert McDowell casts some shadows over the expected merger between Lloyds TSB and HBOS. His basic question is: Is this takeover at fair value & a basis for restoring shareholder value?
Read his independent White Paper here.
8 Dec-08: BarCap U-turn sees push for global equities; Old-fashioned equities business prepares for comeback
by Adrian Cox, The Financial Times (Published: 30 Nov-08, 23:55)
Barclays' move to rebuild a European cash equities business, complete with research analysts, sales people and traders, highlights the attraction of relatively simple businesses after the bursting of a bubble in complex investments that were hard to value and, latterly, impossible to sell. The move is a reversal for BarCap, which sold off most of its BZW stockbroking and investment banking unit in Europe in 1997 in order to concentrate on selling high-end tailored equity products and handling highly automated bulk trading.
8 Dec-08: FSA to step up its supervisory role
by Jennifer Hughes, The Financial Times (Published: 30 Nov-08, 22:46)
In an interview with the Financial Times, Hector Sants, chief executive of the Financial Services Authority, said supervisors would need to develop a far better understanding of the institutions they oversaw. Banks will face more "intrusive" oversight from the City watchdog as part of its plans to beef up its role and its staff.
2 Dec-08: Meeting of the Economic and Financial Affairs Council (Ecofin)
by ue2008.fr
The December Ecofin Council meeting was devoted to responding to the economic slowdown, preparing the European Council meeting, strengthening financial stability and addressing various tax issues.
ECOFIN Council agreement on four key directives for financial stability: the strengthening of bank deposit guarantee systems; the increase of banking capital requirements; the overhaul of the regulatory framework of UCITS (Undertakings for Collective Investment in Transferable Securities); the continuing integration of insurance activities. With this agreement, the French Presidency has met its ambitious legislative targets designed to bolster the solidity and stability of the European financial system.


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I sat on a crimson bed,
covers upon my head.
How I came to the city, I don't know
the beach-side is the place where I want to go.
I felt the sea lashing on my feet,
I loved the sand radiating heat.
My sister and I collected seashells and fishes,
that's one of my best wishes.
I could picture the straw, petite shack, my very old home.
Over here, I feel like I don't want to be shown.
I just don't like it here!
My beach doesn't seem near!
Over here, it is impossible to win,
I just would love to swim!
The doors are forcing me to stay
but I want to go out and play.
My dormitory is a jail,
I could only communicate to my family by mail.
I don't know anything my mistress taught me: manners and rules,
I don't want my frilly gowns and jewels!
When I look out through my window, the beachside seems far
And all I can see is pollution, beggars and cars.
"You're so stupid!" the books, paper and pencils said.
All the letters and numbers didn't cling to my head…
Over here, I have to follow etiquette, like standing in line,
I couldn't even see the sunshine!
I have to look at my jeering classmates and dismal Mistress Amelia,
instead of seeing the lovable eyes of my mother, father and sister Jessica.
But I am eleven.
Unlike my sister, I'm not seven.
I have to learn English and math,
science and monotonous facts.
Over the smog and rusty buildings,
I see the golden and rouge horizon of the sun
That is located adjacent to the shore
As one day, I will go back there, I'll wait no more!
Reshmita K


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LONDON – June 21, 2016 – PRLog — Yahoo Mail is the fastest, simple, and easy to use free email service with 1TB of free mail storage. Yahoo mail enables you for sending and receiving of mail, connecting with other, transferring audio and video files as well as configuring with other account and many more. Yahoo mail works on a proper scenario but it might possible that you can come across with problems and errors. Users of yahoo mail can take help if they are having any problems regarding sign-up, sign-in, send and receive mails, etc with yahoo helpline number of YahooHelp.co.uk. If you are using yahoo mail you may meet with the following problems:
Sign In Problems:
· Change password, forgot password, forgot ID
· "Invalid ID or Password" message
· "Account Locked" message
· Problems using the Sign-in Helper
· Error: signed in on a different device
· Set automatic sign in preferences
· Signing in or out of mail
· Unable to sign in, sign in box reappears
· Using word verification code or CAPTCHA
· Other issues with signing in
· Yahoo mail account has been hacked
· Account has been blocked or suspended
Sending and receiving email problems:
· Missing email or contacts
· Email delivered to folders or trash
· Account is sending spam
· Account is receiving a lot of spam
· Unexpected changes to your Yahoo Mail
· Scams, threats, or harassing messages
· Link and unlink email accounts
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If the above problems persist, don't panic and don't get frustrated. We are always ready for assisting the yahoo user for their problems. For yahoo help call our yahoo support number for instant help to all yahoo problems.
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original post by https://www.prlog.org/12567086-yahoo-help-for-yahoo-mail-problems.html at Internet – Latest News


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Lipo-6 vs Resveratrol
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Feeder and Busbar protection (Part10)
In differential protection scheme, the current entering at one end of the line and leaving from other end of the line is compared. The pilot wires are used to connect the relays. Under normal working condition, the two currents at both ends are equal and pilot wires do not carry any current, keeping relays inoperative. Under fault conditions, The two currents at two ends are no longer same, this causes circulating current flow through pilot wires. This causes relays to trip which operate the circuit breakers to isolate the faulty section.
The various schemes used with this method of protection are,
1. Merz-Price voltage balance system
2. Translay scheme
1.1 Merz-Price Voltage Balance System
The Fig. 1 shows Merz-Price voltage balance system used for the three phase feeders.
|Fig. 1 Merz-Price protection for feeder
Under normal condition, current entering the line at one end is equal to current leaving from the other end.
Thus equal and opposite voltages are induced in the secondaries of C.T.s. at the two ends. Hence no current flows through relays.
Under fault condition, two currents at the two ends are different. Thus the secondary voltages of the two C.T.s also differ. This circulates a circulating current through the pilot wires and the relays. Thus the relays trip the circuit breakers to isolate the faulty section.
The advantages of this method are,
1. Can be used for parallel as well as ring main system.
2. Provides instantaneous protection to the ground faults.
The limitations of this method are,
1. The C.T.s used must match accurately.
2. The pilot wires must be healthy without discontinuity.
3. Economically not suitable as the cost is high due to long pilot wires.
4. Due to long pilot wires, capacitive effects may affect the operation of the relays.
1.2 Translay Scheme
The translay relay is another type of differential relay. The arrangement is similar to overcurrent relay but the secondary winding is not closed on itself. Additionally copper ring or copper shading bands are provided on the central limb as shown in the Fig. 2.
|Fig. 2 Translay relay
These type of relays are used in the feeder protection and the scheme is called Translay scheme. In this scheme, two such relays are employed at the two ends of feeder as shown in the Fig. 3.
|Fig. 3 Translay scheme of feeder protection
The secondaries of the two relays are connected to each other using pilot wires. The connection is such that the voltages induced in the two secondaries oppose each other. The copper coils are used to compensate the effect of pilot wire capacitance currents and unbalance between two currents transformers.
Under normal operating conditions, the current at the two ends of the feeder is same. The primaries of the two relays carry the same currents inducing the same voltage in the secondaries. As these two voltages are in opposition, no current flows through the two secondaries circuits and no torque is exerted on the discs of both the relays.
When the fault occurs, the currents at the two ends of the feeder are different. Hence unequal voltages are induced in the secondaries. Hence the circulating current flows in the secondary circuit causing torque to be exerted on the disc of each relay. But as the secondaries are in opposition, hence torque in one relay operates so as to close the trip circuit while in other relay the torque just holds the movement in unoperated position. The care is taken that at least one relay operates under the fault condition.
Role of copper ring : Mainly relays may operate because of unbalance in the current transformers. The copper rings are so adjusted that the torque due to current induced in the copper ring due to primary winding of relay is restraining and do not allow the disc to rotate. It is adjusted just to neutralise the effect of unbalance between current transformers. The copper rings also neutralise the effect of pilot capacitive currents. Though the feeder current is same at two ends, the pilot capacitive currents may allow in the pilots. This current leads the secondary voltage by 90o. The copper rings are adjusted such that no torque is exerted on the disc, due to such capacitive pilot currents, by adjusting the angle between the induced current in the disc and secondary current to be 90o.
The advantages of this scheme are,
1. Only two pilot wires are required.
2. The cost is very low.
3. The current transformers with normal design can be employed.
4. The capacitive effects of pilot wire currents do not affect the operation of the relays.
Sponsored links :


text:
Him: "Oh, I went on a date with her. No big."
"Whoa. So you going out with her?"
"Well, we're going on a date next week. She said, 'Let's do this again.'"
"Damn man, congrats."
"It was so easy man. See, I was going out with some friends and invited her along. She told me she was hanging out with her friend from Columbia, but maybe she'd see me at the office tomorrow. So I go to the office the next day, and get this -- I come in and instead of going to her desk like I usually do, I say hi and then go to my desk and do my work, until she comes over to me! She asks me, 'So, what exactly is your job this summer?' and at this point I'm like come on man, we've been working 10 weeks already, is that what you really want to know? We have this conversation: 'I'm hungry, I'm going to grab food right now.' 'Again?' 'I get hungry alot.' 'Do you want to grab food later tonight?' 'Ok, but I need to check with my cousin. He's in town.' 15 minutes later, she comes back and says sure, the cousin's out of the picture, let's do it. But she makes sure to add on -- and this cracked me up -- 'But let's make it a quick dinner.'"
"Which it obviously isn't."
"Right. We're there for 2 hours."
"Of course. Plausible deniability. She couldn't throw herself fully, immediately, and tell you she'd love to have dinner. She wanted to be demure, put on that un-needy facade."
"Yup. I know what's going on man, I know what's going on."
"Congrats. You finally did it. You learned the game."
"It was easy because I had the help of Dan and Christina. It was easy, man. I don't think I could replicate it in a different setting."
"Come on, dude. It was all you.'
"That's the thing about me, man, I don't want to aspire to be a player. I recognize it helps in some circumstances, but I just want to have that one girlfriend and not have to worry about anything."
That's my roommate for the summer. When I first learned I would be living with him, I was a little anxious. I checked out his Facebook. His profile picture made him look like a dweeb-y 5'2" computer geek straight from Cameroon, and while that isn't without its charm, I guess I was looking for someone a little more refined. Turns out he's actually 6'1", is working for Citibank in some global division, and is the most angst-riddled male I've ever met, even more than me, to the point where, one night, when we were both in our respective beds, he would not stop talking, lamenting, over and over, "Girls are just so complicated man," drawing out that 'i' sound into a "eeee." I had to tell him -- me, of all people -- "Get over it. I need to go to sleep."
On weekday evenings around 11 p.m., when he'd come back from work, he'd give me the progress report. The first girl he had been crushing on was taken, swiped away by another intern, though it wasn't like he had a chance, what with him still trying to get over this Indian girl back at American from last semester. The second girl was another Indian, who, in my opinion, wasn't all that attractive, at least on Facebook, but to him was gorgeous -- look at her, he said often, turning his laptop so I could see. She's got alot of personality, if you know what I mean -- and on top of that "personality," she was also shy and smart and year-long girlfriend material, if you know what I mean.
In the past few weeks, there have been many questions. "I walked her to the cab. But she didn't give me a hug when she got in. How bad is that?" "Is it typical for an American woman to pay her own check?" "Do you sit next to her or across from her at dinner?" I tried my best to answer them all. I told him nothing mattered, that confidence was key. I told him he needed to stop worrying. Heck, I even told him he was a stunningly attractive man.
It feels weird to play Hitch, to personify a soothsayer quelling insurgent emotions, to listen and empathize and formulate a reasoned, relevant response, because, well, it's usually me who needs to talk: about developing relationships, about the fragile nature of my happiness, about the shortsightedness of perpetual optimism. For now, though, it's kind of nice. Relaxing. Soothing, even. When I'm back in the room, there's nothing I'd rather be doing, other than, of course, writing for this blog.
In 5 days, I'm moving out of these dorms. In the last 30 days, I've seen my roommate grow up -- from a professional standpoint, in his investment bank work, and also from a personal standpoint, learning how to deal with women. The only regret I have is that we never found time together so I could school him in basketball.


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Homogeneity is a slippery slope to bigotry. Bigotry results in closed mindedness, and the refusal of good ideas. Good ideas are needed to run a business smoothly. This is why Hussain Sajwani avoids homogeneity in the hiring practices of his company. People from dozens of countries work for his company. Both males and females work for the company, as well as people of various religions. Diversity encourages acceptance of good ideas, which is what Hussain Sajwani is going for. Also, in general, it creates a better a world when people are not discriminated against in the hiring process.
Hussain Sajwani, the man behind DAMAC, does not talk or think much about politics. He just looks at the present state of the world and decides which important changes to make to his organization. In this manner, he keep everything simple and easy. He doesn't get inflamed or overly passionate about politics. He is wise to be like this because the political climate of the world is always changing, and people just keep spouting rhetoric like endless water faucets–alienating millions of other people in their path. Hussain Sajwani keeps his composure, takes on a reasonable viewpoint and does not do this. This is really the best approach to take, because he doesn't come off as being a complete psycho, unlike many politicians, businessmen and people in the media.
Hussain Sajwani would also like to make DAMAC's portfolio more diverse by bringing his business to the Far Eastern land of China.
In an interview with CNBC, he said that China is a wonderful place when it comes to making business plans. The place is experiencing an industrial revolution and is tremendously wealthy. It does not have the same face as the West, though it is just as successful as Western countries. There are still a lot of dirt-poor peasants and poor people in cities, but this is because of China's unique, complex history. The country, itself, is a huge world power. Already, a lot of business is going on between China and the rest of the world. Surprisingly cheap goods can be purchased from China via the internet.
Extra sources:


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Impact Analysis
Written by top editors and industry experts, The Manzella Report's Impact Analysis delivers valuable insights and analysis to help business professionals enhance global competitiveness, improve profitability, mitigate risks, and prepare for the challenges ahead.
Subscribe Now
In 2019, the U.S. unemployment rate reached record lows while the stock market hit record highs. But not everyone has benefitted. According to a recent report by the Pew Research Center, most Americans believe the economy is helping the rich, while hurting the middle class and poor. What does this mean for the future of U.S. capitalism?
A novel feature of the Trump administration's "Phase 1" trade deal with China announced December 13, is that it would require China to increase its purchase of US goods and services by a total of $200 billion in the next two years. It's a demand that, even if met, won't accomplish President Donald Trump's China-trade goals of promoting US exports and liberalizing the Chinese economy.
Americans are about to enter the third full year of President Donald Trump's aggressive tariff regime, which aims to promote US manufacturing, protect key industries, and prompt other nations to reduce their trade barriers. So, it's a good time to stop and ask whether tariffs are producing the results desired by the president and other supporters of his trade policies.
The immigration debate in the United States has obscured a host of neglected legislative issues. The anti-immigrant sentiment in the nation belabors the notion that immigration is an issue that only encompasses illegal border crossings. Rather, legal immigration impacts economic considerations as a net gain, perhaps well beyond the potential economic burdens of illegal migrant issues.
When I crossed through Checkpoint Charlie from West Berlin to East Berlin nearly 30 years ago, the failures of former East Germany were immediately obvious. The grey unkempt landscape and dilapidated buildings looked as though that country hadn't been repaired since American and Soviet tanks faced off yards apart decades earlier in one of the most tense nuclear showdowns.
How illegal immigrants affect crime is one of the most contentious subareas of debate in the entire immigration issue. Cato scholars have produced much original research on this topic, finding that illegal and legal immigrants both have lower incarceration rates than native-born Americans and lower criminal conviction rates in the state of Texas, the only state where data are available.
When it comes to international trade, China hasn't always played by the rules. So the question begs: How do you change that behavior? Engaging in a trade war by imposing tariffs isn't ideal. To save face, Chinese President Xi Jinping must appear strong and that means responding to U.S. tariff increases with Chinese tariff increases. This tit for tat strategy, which escalated again on September 1, is increasing volatility and uncertainty, while hurting economic growth. But it gets worse.
This past week was an eventful one for trade policy, and not in a good way. In the trade world these days, no news is good news, and any tweets are probably bad news. President Trump's trade policy has been stridently protectionist, abusive of the constitutional separation of powers, destructive to U.S. alliances, and fundamentally flawed as a strategy to achieve its stated goals.
Announcing his intentions to hit all remaining imports from China with tariffs, President Trump is now all-in on the trade war. This doesn't bode well for Americans' wallets, bilateral relations or the global economy.
One of the few hopeful, "glass-half-full" thoughts I had after Donald Trump won the election in 2016 was that the new president would prove to be the best salesman of free trade since Adam Smith. No, I wasn't so deluded to think he'd articulate the case for free trade and commit himself to removing all protectionist barriers.
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Norman Sound and Productions maintains an inventory of lighting, power distribution, and rigging equipment to support a wide variety of meeting and event requirements. Our conventional lighting fixtures and systems come from industry leading manufacturers like ETC, Automated and LED lighting fixtures in inventory come from manufacturers like Martin, High End Systems Color Kinetics, and Chavuet. Our inventory ranges from DJ and effect lights, battery powered LED uplights, up through video location light kits, to meeting and event packages with 100+ fixtures. When that's not enough, our strategic partner relationships enable us to provide virtually any custom lighting package imaginable.
Norman Sound is proud to provide some of the best lighting equipment from manufacturers like these:
Our power distribution packages roll out with gear from Lex, Indu Electric, and AC Power Distribution, Inc. Our cable inventory is regularly tested and turned over to ensure safe clean power.
Norman Sound also maintains a variety of truss, rigging, chain motors, and lifts to support our lighting, speakers, and scenic elements. Most importantly, our team of professional designers and technicians with diverse experience and skillsets provide industry leading service to ensure safety.
Norman Sound & Productions, Inc. Copyright 2017. All Rights Reserved.


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'Once Upon a Time' Recap: A Giant Guest Star Returns
This week's of Once Upon a Time was definitely a giant adventure. From beanstalks to pirate ships, from airports to hospitals, our favorite fairy tale characters were all over the place. Catch up on all the mesmerizing details from "Tiny" in one enchanting recap!
Fairytale Land Flashbacks: At the tippy-top of a beanstalk, we met a band of brothers who also just happened to be giants. Lost's Jorge Garcia was back, reprising his role as Anton, or "Tiny," as his brothers liked to call him when teasing. Anton was the smallest giant of the bunch and his fascination with the human world and all of their treasures was greatly shunned by all of his brothers.
One brother asked Tiny, "Have you forgotten what the humans did? Why we no longer trade beans with them? They weren't content merely traveling between the realms. They had to conquer and pillage." But Anton firmly believed that just because a few humans were bad didn't mean the entire race was evil. To prove his brothers wrong, Tiny traveled down the beanstalk and ended up in the Enchanted Forest B.C.S. (Before Charming and Snow).
RELATED: 'Once Upon A Time' Recap: Betrayals And Beanstalks
Over in a royal bedroom, we saw Charming making out with a random brunette who was definitely not Snow White. It only took 2.5 seconds to realize that this look-a-like was James, Charming's twin brother who was raised to be ruthless and deceitful instead of compassionate and kind. The King interrupted his son's bedroom sesh (awk) with news that a giant was in town and told him that they must find him.
James and his lady found Anton wistfully looking into the window of a pub, but obviously his size prohibited him from being able to enter. James approached Anton with a deceitfully sweet smile and offers him to show him around the kingdom. The girl offered him a bit of a magical mushroom that would temporarily shrink his size. (It was a very Alice in Wonderland moment.) Tiny was extremely grateful to his new friends, and he asked the maiden for her name. She replied with a sly smile, "Jacquelyn, but everyone calls me Jack." In the pub Jack explained that their kingdom was in great danger and they owed a lot of money to a nearby village. If they did't pay, their land would be pillaged and burned to the ground. Eager to help out his new friends, Anton traveled back up the beanstalk to gather up treasure and donate it to the kingdom.
However, James and Jack followed Anton up the beanstalk, accompanied by a large army with poisoned swords to attack the giants and steal all of their magic beans. Anton destroyed the crops, but when he returned from his task he saw that all of his brothers were now dead. Just before the last surviving brother took his final breath, he handed Anton a magic bean steam and said that when he finds new land, he should grow more. James abandoned a fatally wounded Jack, and escaped from the beanstalk with a large bag of treasure on his back and a smile on his face.
RELATED: 'Once Upon A Time': An Enchanting Catch-up Before The Next Spell
First Time Flyer: Rumple returned to collect Emma for their trip and was surprised to see that Henry had packed a suitcase too. Emma explained that with Cora running around, she was not going to leave her son in Storybrooke. If she went, he went. Tension hovered in the air as the three approached the town line on their way to the airport. Rumple's magic shawl was wrapped tightly around his neck as car passed over the line. He did indeed still have his memory, saying, "My name is Rumplestilskin and we're going to find my son."
Over in the airport, Henry was bouncing off the walls, asking a million questions, and was excited to get a Cinnabon from the food court. (Note to Emma: Do not give that kid any more sugar. Sheesh!) As the gang prepared to go through airport security, the guard told Rumple to place his cane and shawl in the bin and step forward. Rumple looked truly terrified, exclaiming, "If I let this go, I could forget who I am." But Emma promised she would't let that happen.
Rumples took off his scarf and was immediately in a daze, stumbling through the metal detector with shallow breath and unfocused eyes. Emma quickly placed the shawl back on his shoulders, and a shaken but memory-intact Rumple followed her to the gate. He nervously paced back and forth before excusing himself to go to the bathroom. Once locked in the stall, Rumple began punching the sanitary seat dispenser as hard and as fast as he could.
His knuckles were bloody and bruised, but when Rumple tried to use magic to heal them, he found that it wouldn't work. Rumple ended up on the plane with a bandaged hand looking terrified as the flight attendant announced that they would be landing in New York City in less than an hour.
RELATED: 'Once Upon A Time' Recap: Make Believe, Monsters, And Mothers
A Stranger in Storybooke: Snow and Charming began their quest to find Cora, and the first person they looked to question was, of course, Hook. Reluctantly the pirate led them aboard his ship and even though Cora was not there, they did find something very important that she brought on her trip: a pint-sized giant. Cora used her magic to shrink Anton, locked him away in a cage, and brought him on their journey to Storybrooke.
Snow freed Anton and said that they were not here to harm him, but the very second the not-so-giant giant saw Charming, he instantly attacked him, mistaking him for his brother. When he realized that he was outnumbered, Anton fleed the boat and wandered off into the forest. Regina learned of Anton's disdain for the prince and took his opportunity to present Anton with yet another mushroom, but this one would temporarily makes him huge.
As Anton ravaged through town, Charming and Snow attempted to reason with the giant, explaining that it was actually James who betrayed him. But Anton did not care, claiming that all humans were evil and jumped through the air in hopes of crushing our beloved prince. However, all Anton crushed was a huge hole in the ground before the mushroom wore off.
RELATED: 'Once Upon A Time' Recap: Potions, Princes, And Payback
Charming and the rest of the town worked to save Anton from the hole and proved that the people of Storybrooke were kind and trustworthy. Anton rewarded them by saying that he would plant his beans in this new land so that they may have the option to travel back home.
Meanwhile, Belle was in the mental hospital — in a yellow gown of course — and it was clear she still had no idea who she was. Ruby sat down beside her friend to bring her "some comforts from home," which was basically a basket filled with books. Belle demanded that her friend tell her the truth and asked Ruby why there was a man with a ball of fire in his hands on the night of her accident.
Belle got hysterical, claiming she knew what she saw, and the nurse came over to give her a shot of sedatives and take her to her room. Later that night, Craig — the man who drove through town and caused the accident — entered her room. He said he overheard her talking and he also saw a man wielding a ball of fire that night.
What did you think of the adventures in tonight's Once Upon a Time? Cast your spell in the comments below!
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[Photo Credit: Jack Rowand/ABC]
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Friday, October 15, 2010
King Ranch (vegan gf) Casserole
Ladies and gentlemen, I have hit the JACKPOT! I found a gluten free version of King Ranch Casserole then used my noggin to make it bigger and vegan.
You can thank me later. This made a HUGE 15x10 casserole dish and it was to the brim. All seven of us had seconds with some leftovers to spare. So, you could adjust accordingly.
Save Your Heart and Intestines King Ranch Casserole
1/2 c Smart Balance
3 small onions, diced
2 green bell peppers, diced
6 cups veggie broth
3/4 c gluten free baking flour
1 large (28 oz) can Rotel
3 cans garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
2 bags of your favorite shredded vegan, gf "cheese"
24 corn tortillas
In a large skillet, saute the onions and bell peppers in the Smart Balance spread, til softening. Add the broth and heat to a low boil. Scoop out some of the the liquid into a separate bowl and whisk the flour into it until smooth. Add that mixture back into the skillet. Stir until thickened. Add the Rotel and beans. Heat til warm (this is when you will realize the importance of using a BIG skillet).
In an 11x13 casserole dish layer the following sequence three times: 8 corn tortillas, 1/3 sauce from skillet, 1/3 veggie shreds. Again - this filled my dish to the brim. Be careful. But be happy.
Bake at 350 for 45 minutes.
Love me forever.
9 comments:
- Kerry said...
I will still love you forever, but Veggie Shreds are not vegan. :P
- October 15, 2010 9:26 AM
- Unknown said...
Kerry, there are several true vegan brands of veggie "cheese." I'll clarify above.
- October 15, 2010 10:02 AM
- aggiegrrrl said...
OMG, I love, love King Ranch casserole. I'll have to halve the recipe for just the two of us but am going to try this.
- October 15, 2010 11:32 AM
- Elizabeth @ My Life, Such as it is... said...
I prefer to use corn tortilla chips instead of tortillas. I like the crunch factor better. Definitely would need to decrease the amount though because only 2 of us would eat it.
- October 15, 2010 11:40 AM
- dreamingBIGdreams said...
LOVE LVOE LOVE this!
making this next time my mom is here since she needs gluten free.
- October 15, 2010 3:19 PM
- Michelle said...
Mmmm... that sounds delicious. Even to a pro-gluten non-vegan :).
- October 15, 2010 4:07 PM
- Shan said...
I'm gonna garbanzo the heck out of this recipe as soon as I get em in house. I went to Aldi's yesterday to collect these items and I guess the chick pea doesn't make the cut there. :) I've never tried those veggie shreds but I will one of these days. We keep the regular cheese load pretty high over here currently. Cheeeeese...mmmm
- October 16, 2010 10:08 AM
- Kerry said...
The only vegan cheese I can find is Daiya, which is kind of hard to get. Sigh. I know you have a lot on your plate right now but I'd like to encourage you to read The China Study.
Anyway, I finally made this and HOLY SALSA! It was the best thing I've eaten in a while. Yummers! I can'e get Rotel locally so I used diced tomatoes and canned chile peppers (was that about right?). I had it for breakfast, and again for lunch...and now I think I need an afternoon snack!
Thanks for this!
- October 19, 2010 1:49 PM
- Unknown said...
Kerry - read it!
- October 19, 2010 2:43 PM


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Mayor of London: Sadiq Khan short Biography
Sadiq Khan is a British politician who has been Mayor of London since May 2016. He was the Member of Parliament (MP) for Tooting (London constituency) from 2005 to 2016. A member of the Labour Party, he is situated on the party's soft left and has been ideologically characterised as a social democrat.
|(c) Sadiq Khan facebook page
He married in 1994 to a fellow solicitor in Wandsworth, who was also born and raised in South London. They have 2 daughters who both attend local state schools.
Sadiq was a Councillor for the Tooting ward in the London Borough of Wandsworth from 1994 to 2006 (and was Deputy Leader of the Labour Group for 5 years). He became the youngest councillor in London when first elected at the age of 23.
He was awarded the title of Honorary Alderman for the London Borough of Wandsworth in June 2006 for his long service.
In May 2005 General Election Sadiq was elected as Member of Parliament for Tooting. He was the first ever MP of Islamic faith ever elected in London.
Under the Labour government of Prime Minister Gordon Brown he was appointed Minister of State for Communities in 2008, later becoming Minister of State for Transport. A key ally of Labour leader Ed Miliband, he served in Miliband's Shadow Cabinet as Shadow Secretary of State for Justice, Shadow Lord Chancellor, and Shadow Minister for London.
In the May 2010 General Election, Sadiq was re-elected to represent Tooting having received 22,038 votes - getting over 4000 more votes than in the 2005 General Election - on a 68.6% turnout. This represented a rise in both his personal votes, and his share of the vote
Sadiq Khan Legal Career
He has acted in a number of landmark cases in all major Courts (including the European Court of Human Rights, House of Lords, Court of Appeal), and Tribunals.
Sadiq has been a visiting lecturer at the University of North London and London Metropolitan University, and is a former governor of South Thames FE College.
Sadiq Khan, Mayor of London
In the 2016 mayoral election, London has elected its first Muslim mayor, with Sadiq Khan delivering a resounding victory for Labour and ending eight years of Conservative rule at City Hall. After the results were announced , Mr Khan said: "This election has not been without controversy. I am so proud that London has chosen hope over fear and unity over division. I hope we will never be offered such a stark choice again."


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|Biosequences .. Software .. Molbio soft .. Network News .. FTP
In article <33A802B8.5D28 at nospamsalk.edu>, forsburg at nospamsalk.edu wrote: [snip] >Damn the baby boom anyway! ;-) > >-- >-susan, who would like to worry only about doing science for >a change > Susan-Don't blame the baby boom. I got my PhD at the age of 35 and am a lowly assistant professor, scrounging for money as you are. AND I'm at a smaller school by choice. (I had been at a med school, but saw straight away that PhD's are treated the same way as disposable pipet tips.) Let's just frame the problem as established investigators vs. newly independent ones. Cindy -- C.J. Fuller <mailto:cjfuller at erickson.uncg.edu> <mailto:cjfuller at mindspring.com>


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Longo's Signature Colossal Cooked Shrimp Platter with Cocktail Sauce
About this product
Ingredients:Shrimp: Cooked Shrimp. Sauce: Water, Tomato Paste (Water, Tomato), Sugar, Horseradish (Horseradish, Salt, Soy Bean Oil, Vinegar), Salt, Modified Tapioca Starch, Xanthan Gum, Acetic Acid, Worcestershire Sauce (Vinegar, Dark Soy Sauce [Sugar, Soybean Extract, Water, Molasses, Salt], Brown Sugar, Salt, Chili, Spices), Garlic Powder, Onion Powder, Flavour.
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs:


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MissFenderr (Alayna Fender) is an LGBT+ vlogger and internet personality from Winnipeg, Manitoba. Since launching her YouTube channel in 2011, she's garnered nearly 157,000 subscribers and over 12 million combined views. Whether it's discussing sexuality or mental health issues, or simply vlogging and doing challenges, no topic is off limits for Alayna. We caught up with Alayna to get the rundown on what's up in Winnipeg, Manitoba.
Hey Alayna. We did it. We finally connected.
I know! I'm sorry. It's been crazy over here. The main thing is that I'm moving to Vancouver! Finding an apartment, renters, still doing work.
Our resident expert on Manitoba is moving to Vancouver!
I know! This interview about Manitoba will be one of the last things I do before leaving Manitoba. It's really kind of fitting.
So you're from Winnipeg?
I'm originally from a small town called Steinbach which is about an hour away from Winnipeg, but I've lived in Winnipeg for five years.
The Peg! What do you love most about living there?
There is a really amazing cultural scene in Winnipeg. The theatre and performance scene, in particular, is amazing. The Fringe Festival takes place in Winnipeg every year, the Comedy Festival. It's one of my favourite parts about living there. I love seeing improv and comedy if I'm not doing that I like to do the outdoors thing.
So where do you typically go out in the city?
One of my favourites is The Kingshead. It's an upstairs pub that has live music, free comedy. The Park Theatre is awesome. It's just this little theatre on Osborne and they have a little bar and they always have comedy shows and great concerts. Then, with camping and hiking we tend to go more east toward Ontario. We'll do Falcon Lake or West Hawk.
So if I came to Winnipeg I should definitely make a point of checking out some theatre or improv?
Definitely, if there's an improv show around, go check it out, no matter where it is. We have a few improv troupe's in Winnipeg that are so good. Walk around the exchange district and the village. Check out The Forks — there are a bunch of indoor marketplaces in there with cool shops. The river is there and you can go on the riverboat. There's skating there in the winter where you can ice skate all the way down the river.
What's one of your better local's secrets in Winnipeg?
There's a restaurant called Vera's Pizzeria. It's pretty new, I think they just opened last year. It's on Osborne but not in the village. It's this tiny pizzeria that makes the most incredible wood fire pizzas. It's just these five friends who decided to open it up. They're so kind and so passionate about their food. It's pretty much just the owners working there and it's imported Italian flour, fresh sauce, fresh oil, it's amazing. And, if you can, watch a prairie sunset. They're so incredibly colourful and like nowhere else.
How about food recommendations?
I'm not a big foodie but there are a lot of really great tapas restaurants opening up. If you're coming to Winnipeg, check out the Exchange District. It's so cool. It's really old looking, there is a bit of a European feel, the architecture is really cool and there are a lot of great restaurants in that zone. Corydon Street also has lots of stuff.
What is it about Winnipeg that makes it unique?
Probably the people. If you're going to come out, come out in the summer just so you can meet the people. The people of Manitoba are so kind and so friendly. They'll invite you in and make you dinner kind of people.
Do you have a hometown hero or someone from Winnipeg you look up to?
Isn't Winnie The Pooh and the creator of Winnie The Pooh from Winnipeg or something? If they are, then it's them. [laughing]
Are there any activities that always remind you of home?
Totally. Snowmobiling. Manitoba is the full blown prairies. Hills don't exist here. When I'm back home at my parents place, looking outside the window, it's just field as far as you can see. The town is sort of in the distance. But when those fields are covered in snow, we go snowmobiling and pull each other around on GT's and stuff. Anytime I'm on a snowmobile I can't help but think of home.
I think people from Winnipeg are really resilient and we have really thick skin. Like, literally because of the climate here [laughing].
Has Winnipeg had an influence on who you've become?
I would say for sure it has. I think people from Winnipeg are really resilient and we have really thick skin. Like, literally because of the climate here [laughing]. But yeah, I think we're proud, and we're tough, and how well we handle the extreme temperatures.
Like this post? Check out Which Parks Canada Site Is Your Perfect Match? and MissFenderr's Top 5 Reasons To Stay In A Hostel, too!


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Our Community Rock Stars can submit blog posts to be published on the Spotify Community Blog. To find out more about the Rock Star Program click here.
@Shake-a-Hoof is starting a regular look at 'What Is Soul'--searching deep into Spotify to unocver the artists and songs that have a story to tell.
To start us of is Earl Young. Born in Philadelphia, he will forever be associated with Disco and what became known as the Philly sound--best known for his work with the MFSB, Salsoul and the Trammps with the hit "Disco Inferno".
Sometimes known as Earl 'the Pearl' Young or 'Almighty' Earl Young, scanning through his resume is like going through a history of Soul music, often working with producers Gamble and Huff, Vince Montana, Norman Harris and Ron Baker.
Early in his career he toured Japan with Stevie Wonder who passed on drumming tips. He then went on to take part in the recording of some of the classic Soul and Disco records by Teddy Pendergrass, O Jays, Loleatta Holloway, Harold Melvin and the Bluenotes, Temptations, Delfonics, BB King, Love Committee, The Dells, Major Harris, Double Exposure, First Choice, Three Degrees, Salsoul Orchestra, Billy Paul, Dusty Springfield and many more.
Most famous in Soul circles for his work with Philadelphia International records and Salsoul, he also recorded for Buddah Salsoul, Phil L.A of Soul, Philadelphia International, Ariola America, A&M, Island, Atlantic, ABC, Columbia, Avco, Capricorn, Huff Puff, Artic Record Company, MCA, Emerald, International, Soul Train, Phillips, Tamla, Roulette, Janus, Gold Mind, Zoo, and Rhino.
He is currently the most decorated Artist on Philly's walk of fame sharing the honour with Artists like the Roots, Delfonics, Dizzy Gillipsie, Phyliss Hyman, Maze, Teddy Pendergrass, Patti LaBelle and John Coltrane.
Below is an A-Z Discography of available Spotify tracks, close to 700 recordings all associated with Earl Young.
Earl has contributed to the history of Soul with an incredible body of work and most importantly the Disco beat.
Without the Disco beat, Disco might not have become as big as it did. And then of course maybe no House music. Ironically it was probably the invention of the drum machine (or more so cheap drum machines) that replicated Earl's 4/4 beat which enabled the creation of House music.
DJ's in 70's New York started to experiment with mixing records using the hi hat as a cue to mix the records and the first producers even used Earl's rhythm as a basis for some of the first remixes to ever be recorded.
Dimitri from Paris (the current generation's Disco supremo) has talked about Earl Young's influence and questioned if Earl Young understand that the beats he made are the origin of House. And now it's filtered through to Pop and beyond, every 4/4 that you hear, almost, is a replication of what they did. Marshall Jefferson's "Move Your Body", one of the first five House records, used that beat. That was in 1986, and think of how many records come from that one and you can begin to see how influential it is. Marshall actually hired the drummer for the second Ten City record around 1989 or 1990. But no, I don't think they realized the extent to which the sound that they created would influence the world.
Like James Brown, Earl's drum beats have been a sampling source for years for both Hip Hop and House. A Tribe called Quest, Notorious B.I.G, DJ Sneak, DJ Pierre, Terrence Parker, Cajmere, Gwen Guthrie, Steve Silk Hurley, Ice Cube and the Roots have all sampled tracks associated with Earl.
Earl Young is still making music today, most recently with Soul producer Nigel Lewis.
Below is a 100 track playlist of my favourite tracks Earl Young has performed on, set your crossfade to full as it is programmed to play like a DJ mix as are all the weekly 'What is Soul' playlists.
@Shake-a-Hoof published!
@meahtenoha Thanks to you and Micheal for your help, looks much better, I've got a lot to learn about the HTML codes etc.
Hey @Shake-a-Hoof! If you ever need any help with HTML when writing a blog (or something else here on the Community), just give a shout! 🙂
Thanks @MichaelW I'm sure I will when I do the next one.
Direct links to playlist's as IOS users will be redirected to to tracks on original LP's and not blog playlist's.
Earl Young discography here >>> EARL YOUNG DISCOGRAPHY
Earl Young mixed playlist (set crossfade to full for optimal listening experience) >>>> EARL YOUNG MIXED
That's fascinating! It's always cool to learn about (and listen to) obscure soul music. I dig the disco tie in.
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My reading list from 2013 is tiny, especially when compared to my sister Zandria, but I thought I would share it because I really want to compare it to 2014. Last year was my final year in school (because I graduated in December!). It was my "senior year" and I completed the last 29 credits required for my degree. It was a huge accomplishment for me to finally have my degree and I can't wait to see what 2014 brings!
I joined a book club last year and some of these books are from there, a couple were for school research and a couple I chose myself…in no particular order:
1. Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Coast Trail by: Cheryl Strayed
2. Gone Girl by:Gillian Flynn
3. What to Eat by: Marion Nestle
4. A Murder at Rosamund's Gate by: Susanna Calkins
5. The Cuckoo's Calling by: J. K. Rowling, Robert Galbraith
6. Bad Monkey by: Carl Hiaasen
7. The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by: Michelle Hodkin
8. Food Rules: An Eaters Manual by: Micheal Pollan
9. Groundswell: Winning in a World Transformed by Social Technologies by:Charlene Li
10. The Winter Sea by: Susanna Kearsley. Currently reading The Firebird, Susanna Kearlsey's next book!


text: Andrea Panno brings strategic copywriting, content and social media marketing and publishing experience to her role at Sagefrog Marketing Group. Her industry experience includes B2B and B2C healthcare markets, technology and business services. Prior to joining Sagefrog, Ms. Panno lead content and social media marketing for health systems and other B2B agencies.