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Hi guys, It's time for the Magnolia Only challenge at The Ribbon Girl,
As usual the prize for the winner gets a £10,00 TRG gift voucher and a Magnolia Stamp from Magnolia too, yeah!!
I've used some fabulous snowflake buttons on Santa's hessian sack and also on the front of the sleigh,
I made up the 3d sleigh from Tando Creative, using some different papers from Maja Design, then added a mini snowflake stencil/mask from there too using modeling paste, when set i added some of the beautiful pearls from TRG, on the top edge I used some 30mm shabby white ruffled ribbon and finished it off with a Barley Sugar Dahlia flower, will list all the products below,
Santa is of course by Magnolia from an older collection, but I love him and he makes an appearance every year!! lol,
This time he's coloured with my distress re-inkers,
I made a sack for his presents to go in out of some fabby Hessian fabric, cut at 21cm wide by 15cm tall, turn under to the wrong side on the width edge about 1 cm and sew down, take the long edges together and sew a seam, turn right side out and you have the start of a Santa sack, run some long running stitches about 2cm down from the top and gather together, fasten off securely, then decorate with ribbon etc, I used dark brown Ric Rac then added some of the Silver twine on top and tied it in a bow on the snowflake Button,
By not securing the running stitches you could make this a working Santa Sack,
I also used a snowflake button with the twine as I said before on the front of the Sleigh, some cheescloth inside to keep Santa's toes warm and a doiley on the back for a cover for his head,
The back of the sleigh has the same pearl trim on the bottom edge, ruffled ribbon on the top and some fantastic frosted brown cones too,
The chipboard snowflakes are again from Tando Creative, painted with gesso then when dry a ivory pearl added as the other side,
For the sleighs, ski's? I added texture sand then when dry painted with Gesso too,
front view again,
I'm back from my hols soon, son's still at home so hope it's in one piece!!!, lol
30cm Wide Hessian Fabric ( sorry i can't see the link)
Doiley( sorry I can't see the link)
3D sleigh
mini snowflakes
mini snowflakes mask
Texture sand paste
modeling paste,
Distress inks used
Skin - Vintage photo/ tattered Rose
Hair - Pumice Stone
Suit - Weathered Wood
Belt/ boots/ mittens - Weathered Wood and black Soot mixed
Sack - Tea dye and vintage photo
Parcels - peacock feathers, wild honey, stormy sky, Broken china, shabby shutters,
liquid applique for the fur trim,
silver metallic pen
Will catch up with you all soon,


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Bluefield, West Virginia |
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Bowen Field, like most other ballparks in the Appalachian League, is a charming facility that represents what minor league baseball should be all about. In an era when more and more minor league teams are relocating to large suburban areas, it is reassuring to know that professional baseball can still be found in small town America, which is what Bluefield represents. Maybe everything isn't glossy and perfect at Bowen Field, but if you're a baseball fan, who cares ? It offers a very inexpensive, fun night at the ballpark. Located just over the Virginia border, Bowen Field is actually maintained by the Bluefield, West Virginia Parks Division. Its location is one of the most bucolic you'll find in all of the minors. The view behind the outfield fence is exclusively of trees which rise up quite high, meaning all you see when you look out is green. While the original Bowen Field was constructed in 1939, it had to be rebuilt in 1975 after a fire destroyed the original structure. So the concrete structure that exists today dates exclusively to 1975. However, the orange box seats (which all sell as general admission) actually weren't installed until the late 1990's. These seats were recycled from the Anaheim Stadium renovation. While the seats are better than sitting on concrete, they sit too low to the ground and are rather uncomfortable to sit in. There are also box seats located above the dugouts and behind home plates which consist of plastic stackable chairs. However, these seats are only available to season ticket holders. A group picnic area along the first base line completes the seating. While all the seats are close to the action, all sightline are obscured by netting. One unique aspect of the playing field is the small grassy hill located behind home plate. Not sure what the purpose of this incline is, but it adds a little more charm to this ballpark. Concessions are available in the concourse area which is located along the third base line, just after you enter the ballpark. Only basic ballpark fare is offered - hot dogs, burgers, BBQ, Dippin Dots, etc. Although a nice variety of toppings is available for the dogs - chili, slaw, onions, and cheese. Prices are very cheap compared to most minor league ballparks - just $2 for hot dogs and sodas. If you're looking for beer, beware. There is no alcohol sold at Bowen Field. The atmosphere here is quite laid back, at least in terms of what the team provides. Only a minimal amount of music and no sound effects are played. Unfotunately, the team sells orange and brown blow horns which seems to be a popular item. When fans (boths kids and adults) get restless, they resort to blowing them for no apparent reason. This can be very annoying. The team does a few between inning promotions - dizzy bat race, potato sack race, egg toss, the newlywed game, and a few dances (YMCA, chicken dance, Cha-Cha Slide, The Macarena). A female intern plays the job of onfield DJ - while she is not slick or polished, that's not always needed. The team also has a mascot, baby Bird, which was quite active throughout the game. Parking is both plentiful and free. There is very little not to like about Bowen Field if you are a baseball fan. It's just unfortunate that minor league baseball has not been able to endure in many small towns across America. With the minor league restructuring of 2021, the Appy League was converted to a collegiate summer league and Bluefield was left without pro baseball. |
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subset: commoncrawl


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Your Best One Day at Grand Teton
Raft the Snake River. Half-day commercial raft trips down the Snake are gentle and scenic, with lots of opportunities for wildlife viewing. For a full list of outfitters, visit nps.gov/grte/planyourvisit/boat.htm
Hike Cascade Canyon. The easiest access into the Tetons, it offers both easy hikes and backpacking opportunities. A great, longer day trip is the 9-mile roundtrip to Forks of Cascade. Access the trail via the 10-minute boat ride ($7.50) from South Jenny Lake.
See Jackson Point Overlook. For one of the best views in the park (or anywhere) head to this viewpoint along Signal Mountain Road, south of the Jackson Lake Junction.
Explore Jackson. Highlights here include the antler-bedecked town square, the excellent Jackson Hole Community Center for the Arts and the National Museum of Wildlife Art, dozens of private galleries, and great shopping and dining ops.


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See ourInterior DesignBrochure (pdf)
Anthony T. Chianese A.I.A is the principal of a medium size firm, licensed in the states of New Jersey and Pennsylvania, providing architectural and interior design services since 1987 throughout the states of New Jersey and Pennsylvania. His staff includes registered architects, interior designers, CAD technician, and support staff. The office is centrally located for convenient access to his client base. He works closely with his clients to meet creative design solutions and overall project requirements. Services are offered for new construction, additions and renovations, and interior design for diversified project types including residential, commercial, retail, office/professional, recreational, and religious facilities have been added to our client base for the past 10 years completing full service designs for numerous religious facilities.Anthony T. Chianese A.I.A. is an accredited member of the American Institute of Architects (A.I.A), New Jersey Society of Architects, International Code Council, holds a Bachelor of Architecture Degree from Drexel University in Philadelphia, Pa. and an Associate Degree in Engineering Technology from MCCC in NJ.Barbara A. Chianese is a certified interior designer. Her experience has contributed to accomplished and functional interior designs for new construction as well as additions and renovations for both small and large projects.
Learn more about ourCertifications, Professional Affiliations, Honors Received and Experience Click here..>..
Commercial & Residential Interior
Commercial and Residential Exterior
Conceptual Drawings and Plans
© Copyright 2018 ATC Architects, Ewing, NJ - All Rights Reserved.Web site designed and maintained by Sereni Web Design


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LeBron tells Ohio crowd: "I love you. I'm back."
AKRON, Ohio (AP) On a night packed with emotion and inspiration, LeBron James saved the biggest moment for last.
Surrounded by family, friends and fans in a city welcoming him home, James delivered a line he's been waiting to say for four years.
''I love you,'' he told the crowd of nearly 25,000. ''I'm back.''
James then dropped the microphone and left the stage as fireworks exploded about InfoCision Stadium, illuminating the Akron sky.
James is home, and he's not leaving again.
The NBA superstar, who re-signed with Cleveland last month, said Friday night he intends to play the rest of his career with the Cavaliers, the team he returned to after winning two NBA titles in Miami.
When he signed a two-year, $41 million contract that included an option after one year, there was speculation he would one day test free agency again. The contract made Cleveland fans nervous, but they can now relax.
''I don't plan on going nowhere,'' James said. ''I don't have the energy to do it again.''
James, who returned to Northeast Ohio after four seasons with the Heat, was welcomed back with a homecoming event fit for a King.
Fans waited in line for six hours for a prime seat for the event on the University of Akron campus, not far from where the 29-year-old James bounced his first basketball.
There were tributes during the two-hour ceremony, highlighted by recording artist Skylar Grey signing her hit ''I'm Coming Home,'' a song that became the unofficial theme of his return to Cleveland.
''It's almost like she knew I was coming home before I knew I was coming home,'' he said.
James was back and the city that helped raise him welcomed him with open arms. The welcome-home party coincided with James' annual ''I Promise'' campaign for area children sponsored by his family foundation.
''It's pretty amazing,'' said James, joined at his news conference by several kids. ''I'm not gonna sit up here and say it's not. To know you can do things for people, give them hope, give them inspiration. It means a lot to me. I understand I'm a role model. I understand to these kids I'm more than a role model. I'm a superhero to them. I'm a father to them. I'm a brother to them, whatever the case they want me to be on that particular day.''
Although he was playing for the Heat, James said his heart was always home and he realized it was time to return.
''It just hit me,'' he said. ''Sometimes you just have a feeling. You realize what's going on and what's happening. It just hit me.''
During a 15-minute interview session - his first since announcing his return to Ohio - James touched on a number of subjects, including new Cleveland coach David Blatt, the possible addition of All-Star forward Kevin Love, who is expected to join the Cavs in a trade from Minnesota later this month, and winning Cleveland's first championship since 1964 .
James won an Olympic gold medal with Love at the London Games in 2012 and he's eager to be his teammate again.
''I'm going to be very excited to have him,'' James said. ''I don't really care about the 26 (points) and 12 (rebounds). I care about the basketball IQ. His basketball IQ is very, very high. I had an opportunity to spend 32 days with him on the 2012 Olympic team. It's funny. I always told Kevin Love, `You're very good, man.' He always thought I was blowing smoke.
''I always told him he was going to be a reason why we won the gold medal, and he played a huge role for us. So I'm looking forward to it. He's a great piece.''
As for Blatt, the former Maccabi Tel Aviv coach hired by Cleveland in June, James did some research on his offense and likes what he's seen.
''I watched all his clips form him coaching Maccabi and I kind of broke them down to see how I fit and obviously I can fit in every position on the floor,'' he said.
James is looking forward to playing with Love and All-Star point guard Kyrie Irving, neither of whom have played in an NBA playoff game. James knows what it takes to win a title, and he's going to have to lead the way for a team lacking postseason experience.
''I'm going to have to teach, lead and inspire those guys,'' he said. ''But my No. 1 goal is to win the championship here. I think it would be the greatest achievement in my life as far as on the court. Hopefully it will happen. I'm looking forward to the challenge.''
Fans arrived before 11 a.m. to get a prime seat to see James.
''I might cry when I see him,'' said Rodneka Price, who drove seven hours from Muncie, Indiana.
Melissa Rumner and her son, Nick, were first in a long line which wrapped around the stadium on the University of Akron's campus.
''We had to be here to welcome him back,'' Rumner said as 10-year-old Nick stood by wearing one of the white No. 23 jerseys James popularized during his seven seasons with the Cavs. ''We're so happy to have him back.''
Nick was confident James would return to Cleveland.
''I knew he was coming back,'' said the red-head, who was counting down the minutes before the gates opened.
Price packed up a car of six people and drove to Ohio for the first time so she could help welcome back the four-time league MVP. She said James' poignant essay that he was returning home to try and end Cleveland's 50-year championship drought touched her.
''It all makes sense,'' she said, wearing a ''Return Of The King'' T-shirt. ''He made a promise and he's going to stick to it.''


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BillboardIn its 114th year, Billboard remains the world's premier weekly music publication and a diverse digital, events, brand, content and data licensing platform. Billboard publishes the most trusted charts and offers unrivaled reporting about the latest music, video, gaming, media, digital and mobile entertainment issues and trends. |
Common terms and phrases
4-channel 8-track air personalities album Ampex artists ASCAP Atlanta Audio awards Beatles Bill Lowery Billboard Billy Joe Royal Blue Bobby Buddy Buie Canadian Capitol cartridges cassette catalog Chart Chicago classical Classics IV Columbia Records Continued country music Davis Decca distribution distributors Epic equipment feature film firm Freddy Weller GREATEST HITS industry J. R. Cobb Jack jazz Jerry Joe South Johnny jukebox Kinder label LeFevre Little LP's Love Lowery Group major manufacturers ment Merle Haggard Meurice Mike music director Nashville operators ords panies percent Phil Walden plans play promotion radio station RCA Victor LSP Rebroff record business record companies recorded at Media release retail rock festival sell single songs stereo studio Symphony talent tape duplication tion Tommy Roe track TV spot recorded U.S. deal vice president WBAP WCBS-FM week York


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"In recognition of his contributions to the understanding of protein folding, dynamics, and function. Eaton's innovative experiments provided a detailed characterization of the energy landscape of proteins."
Background:William Eaton is Distinguished Investigator at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in Bethesda, Maryland. Eaton is a leading expert on the physics of proteins. His lab introduced optical triggering methods to dramatically increase the time resolution in kinetic studies of protein folding, function, and aggregation, and developed statistical mechanical models for these processes. His current research is focused on single molecule fluorescence studies of protein folding dynamics. Eaton earned B.A (1959), M.D. (1964), and Ph.D. (1967) degrees from the University of Pennsylvania. His Ph.D. thesis research on the electronic spectroscopy of hemeproteins was supervised by Robin Hochstrasser. In 1968 he moved to the NIH as a Medical Officer in the US Public Health Service. Since 1986 Eaton has served as Chief of the Laboratory of Chemical Physics, NIDDK, the principal biophysical science laboratory at NIH. His awards include the Founder's Award of the Biophysical Society, the Neurath Award of the Protein Society, the Humboldt Prize, and the John Scott Medal of the City of Philadelphia. Eaton is a Fellow of the American Physical Society, the Biophysical Society, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and a member of the National Academy of Sciences and the Accademia Nazionale dei Lincei.
Leon Glass, Chair; D. Nolte; X. Zhuang; A. Garcia; I. Schlitching


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- 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
- 3 teaspoons garlic powder
- 2 teaspoon Old Bay
- 12 Jalapenos
- 12 slices of bacon, uncooked
Preheat oven to 350F. Combine cream cheese, garlic powder and Old Bay in small bowl. Wearing plastic gloves, cut each jalapeno pepper in halve and spoon out the seeds. Spoon cream cheese mixture into each pepper half. Cut each piece of bacon in half so you have 24 pieces. Wrap each stuffed pepper in bacon, and place on baking sheet. Bake for 40-45 minutes. Enjoy!
**If you aren't a huge fan of spicy food, after you cut and seed the peppers, you can place them in boiling water for a couple minutes before you stuff and bake them. The longer you cook the peppers, the less "heat" they'll have!
But honestly, these were the perfect combination of salty bacon, creamy cheese and just a little kick from the peppers!


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Login using your Tumblr blogname, then link your account to our application.
You will now have full access to our advance system. The system is build to gain more populairity on tumblr in only a short period of time. When you are signing up for the first time, its important to grant our application access to your blog in order to follow people or to follow people back.
Basic rule of this program is very simple: the more points you get, the more attention you will receive from our application.
Our program is build with great care so you dont have worry that we will spam your blog with unnecessary post. If you are unsatisfied you can always sign off from our application under user settings.
Before using our application you have to agree with the Terms of Conditions. People who dont agree are not allowed to use our application.


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Friday was a day dedicated to the Poppy Parker line (for the luncheon) and the Color Infusion line (dinner party). The final instalment of Design-A-Doll studio was also open, giving a chance to attendees to make their own doll. At the Poppy Parker luncheon, the centrepiece doll was a Poppy called Ready! Steady! Go! - a mod Poppy with long blonde hair. If she had a pixie haircut, she would have been so Twiggy.
But there was also a Poppy Parker doll handed out as a gift to all attendees: In The Air Poppy is a Basic dressed doll and looks lovely. She reminds me so much of my god-daughter!
But that was not the only gift - a second fashion for their gift-set box (Thursday night an embroidered bustier with pants was given as well) was handed out to all participants. And it looks great. From the fashion styling, I am guessing it might be a Les Shilouettes doll. Both outfits look 50s to me. People actually attending say that the plastic torso underneath feels FR body size. A sneak peek of an upcoming Dynamite Girls collection was also shown. It will be available soon for pre-orders.
The dinner on Friday night was Pucci-themed. Pucci is a venerable Italian fashion brand, famous for their extravagant and bold prints, so it made sense to have the Color Infusion line event inspired by it - and it fits the mod mood of the whole day too. Guests were encouraged to dress mod and prizes were given to the best dressed attendees! The table's centrepiece was Erin as Psychedelic Splash.
Of course there was also a gift for the attendees: another doll, Ayumi (her third incarnation so far) as Sunset Rave. Not my cup of tea but lots of people love this kind of doll so there is something for everyone here.
During the event, Vaughn unveiled a holiday season Monogram line that will be available for pre-order very soon. Three dolls in three different evening gowns, in basic colours (red, blue, green), ready to attend any glamorous party of the upcoming holiday season.
From the top we have: Fascination (red & fuchsia), Illumination (blue) and Jubilation (green). I love the green one (surprise, surprise) and think she will make a great contrasting match with my Monogram Magnetism doll. I hope I can get her. They are all on editions of 300 pieces and will be shipped late October. Tomorrow you will read about the convention collection and doll from the final day of the event.
All photos courtesy of Integrity Toys.


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Cereal box matching game
Make your own Memory matching game with brightly colored cereal boxes. Find boxes with enough solid color surface area to cut out multiple same-size matching pieces. I used 6 boxes and cut out 4 circles from each. Having two matches in each color makes the game move a little faster.
After playing Memory, use your cut-outs for other games. We made letters and stone walking paths for our animals. My daughter invented a kind of reverse matching game, but left the table in a huff when my son wouldn't cooperate. I'm sure your children will enjoy inventing their own practically-impossible-to-follow-the-rules games, as well.


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Free WordPress and jQuery: 25+ Useful Plugins & Tutorials
1. Infinite Scroll
Infinite scroll has been called autopagerize, unpaginate, endless pages. But essentially it is pre-fetching content from a subsequent page and adding it directly to the user's current page. There is a little known feature in the .load() method that lets you specify the CSS selector of the html you want to include. jQuery will load in any local URL, then parse the html and grab only the elements you've defined with your selector.
2. jQuery Lightbox
This is the WordPress's version of the jQuery Lightbox Plugin Used to overlay images on the current page, perfectly working with WordPress 2.2 or up, and fully compatible with K2!
3. WordPress post information plugin
If real estate is a priority in your theme then this plugin can help by showing post meta information on demand by using a JavaScript toggle function.
4. Snazzy Archives
Snazzy Archives is a visualization plugin for your WordPress site featuring an unique way to display all your posts. You can select different layouts and special effects. Main features of Snazzy Archives are: Unique visual presentation of blog posts, Will work out of the box with all features, Posts are scanned for images and youtube videos and shown together with number of comments, Different editable layouts (HTML and CSS), Special effects using jQuery and more.
5. J Post Slider
Show your post in fancy jQuery box, rotating images, with show-up text box with post description. Mousover stop the animation, and user can click on post link anytime.
6. WP-Imagefit
Rather than relying on a CSS or HTML-driven approach to resize large or wide images, WP-Imagefit relies on Javascript to proportionately resize images based on the width of the containing column.
7. WP Wall
WP Wall is a "Wall" widget that appears in your blog's side bar. Readers can add a quick comment about the blog as a whole, and the comment will appear in the sidebar immediately, without reloading the page.
All comments are internally handled by WordPress so that means you have normal comment moderation, SPAM protection and new comment notification.
8. jQuery Comment Preview
Live comment preview without page reboot using a simple HTML-editor.
9. Insights
Insights brings a powerful new way to write your blog posts. It increases productivity and at the same time quality of your posts by using dynamic AJAX interface which loads the relevant information to your post in just a few seconds. Insights performs following functions in real-time: Interlink your posts, Insert Flickr images, Insert Youtube videos, Search Wikipedia, Search Google, Insert a Google Map and more.
10. µAudio Player
µAudio is a slim (450 Bytes!), fast plugin to create a flash mp3 player when mp3 links are clicked. In order to reduce clutter and file transfer, the links are unmodified until they are clicked, at which point a div with the player is faded in after the link. A second click on the link fades the player back out.
11. SimpleModal Contact Form
SimpleModal Contact Form (SMCF) is an Ajax powered modal contact form. It utilizes the jQuery JavaScript library and the SimpleModal jQuery plugin. SMCF has options to include certain contact form elements, like a Subject field and "Send me a copy" option for the sender.
12. Events Calendar
Events-Calendar is a diverse replacement for the original calendar included with WordPress adding many useful functions to keep track of your events.
13. µMint Plugin
µMint is a slim plugin to integrate statistics from Shaun Inman's Mint statistics package into WordPress.
14. Shockingly Big IE6 Warning
The Shockingly Big IE6 Warning is a plugin that shows a warning message alerting the user why is bad to use IE6, the security risk and the bad compatibility of Web Standards.
15. WP-Slimbox2 Plugin
A WordPress implementation of the stellar Slimbox2 script by Christophe Beyls (an enhanced clone of the Lightbox script) which utilizes the jQuery library to create an impressive image overlay with slide-out effects. Almost all options are configurable from the administration panel.
16. Live Blogroll
Live Blogroll will make your blogroll livelier. It will show a number of 'recent posts' for each link in your Blogroll using Ajax. When the user hovers the mouse above the link, RSS feed from the site is automatically discovered and a number of recent posts is shown dynamically in a box.
17. PhotoXhibit
This plugin uses photos from your Flickr, Picasa, and/or SmugMug accounts as well as allows you to upload and build Albums to help you build inviting Photo Galleries on your site using the most popular JavaScript based gallery plugins. This plugin is not yet compatible with WordPress2.7
18. WordPress Sidebar Turned Apple-Flashy Using jQuery UI
A tutorial to show you how to create Accordion plugin in jQuery UI to get the sidebar on the Apple Startpage and be able to show and hide it at your pleasure as well.
19. How To Create WordPress Tabs Using jQuery
Tabbed sidebar elements makes users simply click a tab to quickly access various parts of your site. This tutorial will teach you how to do this in your WordPress blog using jQuery.

<a class="t1 tab" title="<?php _e('Tab 1'); ?>"><?php _e('Tab 1'); ?>

<a class="t2 tab" title="<?php _e('Tab 2'); ?>"><?php _e('Tab 2'); ?>

<a class="t3 tab" title="<?php _e('Tab 3'); ?>"><?php _e('Tab 3'); ?>

<a class="t4 tab" title="<?php _e('Tab 4'); ?>"><?php _e('Tab 4'); ?>

List item

List item

List item

List item

List item

This is a paragraph about the jQuery tabs tutorial.

Something needs to go in here!

Another great tutorial by Nettuts teaching us how to Create A Tabbed Interface Using jQuery.
20. jQuery Reply to Comment
Add "reply" and "quote" features on each comment list. If you have jQuery installed on you blog, this Plugin add two link in each comments list (on single page). This plugin can auto include jQuery from Google Ajax API repository.
21. My Page Order
My Page Order allows you to set the order of pages through a drag and drop interface. The default method of setting the order page by page is extremely clumsy, especially with a large number of pages. jQuery is used a smooth for drag and drop effect.
22. WordPress Featured Post Slideshow
Learn how to create an animated featured posts section in WordPress
23. GD Star Rating plugin
GD Star Rating plugin allows you to set up rating system for posts, pages and comments in your blog. You can set many options for displaying the rating stars, and also add widgets into the sidebars for displaying top ratings and other statistics generated by the plugin.
24. Create a featured posts slider in WordPress using jFlow
Many premium themes feature cool featured content sliding areas, where the latest posts appear. There is one such plugin, built around the Mootools library, but in this tutorial you will learn how to do this using jFlow jQuery plugin. It will also automatically scroll. Of course, this can easily be modified to use the navigation buttons as well.
Demo of the jFlow plugin can be seen here
25. Adding Form Validation to WordPress Comments using jQuery
When it comes to simpler user experience, having your form validation happen instantly on the same page is a lot cleaner than reloading pages and possibly losing some form content. In this tutorial you will learn how to use jQuery to do some instant checking on an example comment form.
26. Using jQuery to liven up your WordPress login
A quick method of simplifying the clients login process using jQuery lightbox.


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A previously undescribed, cold-loving fungus has been linked to white-nose syndrome, a condition associated with the deaths of over 100,000 hibernating bats in the northeastern United States. The findings are published in this week's issue of Science.
The probable cause of these bat deaths has puzzled researchers and resource managers urgently trying to understand why the bats were dying in such unprecedented numbers. Since the winter of 2006-07, bat declines at many surveyed hibernation caves exceeded 75 percent.
The fungus – a white, powdery-looking organism – is commonly found on the muzzles, ears and wings of afflicted dead and dying bats, though researchers have not yet determined that it is the only factor causing bats to die. Most of the bats are also emaciated, and some of them leave their hibernacula – winter caves where they hibernate – to seek food that they will not find in winter.
USGS microbiologist and lead author David Blehert isolated the fungus in April 2008, and identified it as a member of the group Geomyces. The research was conducted by U.S. Geological Survey scientists in collaboration with the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, the New York State Department of Health, and others.
Geomyces are a group of fungi that live in soil, water and air and are capable of growing and reproducing at refrigerator-level temperatures. Although the new fungus is a close genetic relative of known Geomyces, it does not look like a typical member of this group under the microscope. "We found that this fungus had colonized the skin of 90 percent of the bats we analyzed from all the states affected by white-nose syndrome," Blehert said.
Researchers don't know yet if white-nose syndrome emerged because this newly identified fungus was introduced into caves or whether the fungus already existed in caves and began infecting bats after they were already weakened from some other cause. "This fungus may have been recently introduced to bat hibernation caves and, if so, human and animal movements among these caves are causes that need to be considered,"says Blehert. "Data show the occurrence of white-nose syndrome radiating outward from the site of its first appearance, and genetic identity among fungal isolates from distant caves argues for a recent introduction of this microbe. Before the identification of white-nose syndrome, mass mortality events in bats as a result of disease were very rare."
WNS was first seen in New York during the winter of 2006. Since then, populations of cave-hibernating bats have been drastically declining in Connecticut, Maine, New York and Vermont. Affected species include little brown bats, northern bats, tricolored bats, Indiana bats, small-footed myotis and big brown bats.
Worldwide, bats play critical ecological roles in insect control, plant pollination and seed dissemination, and the decline of North American bat populations would likely have far-reaching ecological consequences, the researchers wrote. They noted that parallels can be drawn between the threat posed by WNS and chytridiomycosis, a lethal fungal skin infection that has recently caused precipitous global amphibian population declines.
"Right now," said Blehert, "we are uncertain about the long-term effects of white-nose syndrome on North American bats, but we are quite concerned about future effects on bat populations wherever environmental conditions are conducive to growth of the fungus. To manage and perhaps halt this disease, we have to first better understand it."
Story Source:
Materials provided by United States Geological Survey. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.
Cite This Page:


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Dude, you know what shrimping is, right? Shrimping, is the practice by which one harvests shrimp, which is the Deadliest Catch, you know.
But who wants to make a living at working on a shrimp boat?
No, seriously, do you know about the other "shrimping", the one not discussed on the nightly news when they talk about this years harvest being down either and the dudes in Gloucester, Massachusetts having a hard time with paying their bills.
Dude, try this wine; you mean you haven't heard about the Shrimping fetish?
Sex with a what?[edit]
Dude, seriously, it isn't about people who get turned on by decapod crustaceans. That would be gross.
No, we're talking about people who get turned on by a body part, and its not your small penis, either.
So why do they call it shrimping? I dunno, maybe its because toes - just like yours - look like shrimps or something, duh.
How it goes down[edit]
OK, so lets say that you are in a bar and you see this really great looking chick and she's just sitting there, eating a shrimp cocktail and sipping a martini and son of a bitch, she's into you.
So you have a drink, work your magic and she invites you back to her place for a little wine and fun.
So you go and one thing leads to another and the next thing you know is that you are both naked (as God intended, because the human body and sexuality are beautiful things) and she starts to slide down. So you lay back and relax and she starts to really go down, as in way down, and she slides by target number one, and then passes by target number two and you're thinking, what the hey and then WHOA!
The bitch is sucking your toes.
Brother, she is sucking on your toes; shrimping is just that, someone who wants to suck those natsy, stinking toes of yours. The same toes that you sprayed with Desonex this morning - those fungus-like toes.
Gross, dude![edit]
Now, hold on. I know its warm in here. Hey kick off those Chuck Taylor's and let those dogs breath.
Anyway, like I was saying, before you give into the desire to kick her in the mouth and knock her teeth loose, you have to hold off for a moment because 1) You might just discover that you like this -or- 2) you'll need to come up with a good story to tell the Police after you kick her in the mouth and knock her teeth out.
Police? Fuck yeah the police, Dude.
Imagine this: she is sitting on the curb, her mouth all stuffed with gauze and an EMT tech is sitting comforting her (and he's got her two front teeth in his hand) and you got two police officers by your side grilling you. How do you think this is going to play out?
"Well officer," you start "We were getting all working up to do the nasty and she starts sucking my toes so I kicked her in the mouth. She went one way, and her teeth went the other..."
Dude, I am so telling you, thats its going to be a "Tell it to the judge," moment for you because to them you gave the bitch a kick from the "Golden Cock" position Mr. Karate Kid, and thats an easy assault charge on anyone's books.
So the next time you pick up a lady who likes it pervy, now you know what its called. Or at least you know what to ask for if its your kink, too.
Hey, look, if you won't tell anyone I can show you how it feels, 'cause thats what buddies are for, right?
See also[edit]


text: On Jun 15, 2009, at 5:07 PM, Eugen Leitl wrote: > > http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/14/magazine/14search-t.html? > _r=1&ref=magazine&pagewanted=print > > Data Center Overload > > By TOM VANDERBILT This is sneaked in adware? Dropping the name 'tukwila' in a different context - a data center wintel context now, which by accident is also the already in advance failed chip from intel (an itanium quad core of 2.0 - 2.5Ghz by 2010 against some sort of real huge price is not exactly what we all wait for i assume) ? I typed in in google in different manners using english-us settings: tukwila microsoft datacenter. the ONLY hit it had that mentionned a microsoft datacenter called tukwila was from that article from Tom Vanderbilt from 14 june 2009. This link gets 2 hits. In short google never heard before from a datacenter at microsoft called tukwila. This article was the first to mention it. In total when i keep scrolling further (tukwila microsoft datacenter gets mentionned in 16200 hits here) the Vanderbilt Article gets indexed more. Out of that 16200 his article gets several hits. Vincent - search expert


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Dir/scr: Jorge Hinojosa. U.S. 2012. 90mins
The title Portrait Of A Pimp is misleading. While the first half of first-time director Jorge Hinojosa's look at the life of Robert Beck (a.k.a. "Iceberg Slim") touches on his colorful life as a 1960s hustler, using and abusing women while dressed to the T in pinstripes and smart fedoras, the rest of the film concerns his rise as a sub-cultural literary icon. While the latter gives dimension and complexity to the film's more sensationalistic early parts, it also lags, leaving several key questions about Beck's later years unanswered.
Portrait of a Pimp employs evocative pulp fiction animation and motion graphics.
If viewers aren't familiar with Beck, Hinojosa sets up his importance with a litany of articulate fans, including director Bill Duke, Ice-T (an executive producer on the documentary), and comedian Chris Rock, who calls Beck's iconic 1969 tome Pimp: The Story of My Life "maybe my favorite book of all time."
The film charts Beck's life, from an impoverished boy, sexually abused by his mother, to his brief rise as a charismatic pimp with a healthy stable of prostitutes, to his troubled years in and out of prisons, and finally, to his transformation as a legitimate author of widely read Street Lit. But Portrait of a Pimp is not exactly an inspirational story of redemption. If Beck made it good, the film suggests that his publishing house exploited him, his wife tossed him out of the house, and his work remained misunderstood as a valorization of pimping, not a critique.
Portrait of a Pimp suffers from the same confusion. With so much talk of "ho's," from the likes of Ice-T, Snoop Dogg and Caucasian academicians, it seems like an oversight that the filmmakers don't relate the horrors that befell Beck's prostitutes. The film samples liberally from a 1970s TV documentary in which a reformed, sometimes wild-eyed Beck discusses the Hell of a prostitute's life and his regrets as a pimp (it also includes a brief awkward encounter with one of his former hookers). But there is nothing in Hinojosa's contemporary footage that suggests this sensitivity or awareness.
At one point in the film, musician Henry Rollins flatteringly describes "Pimp: The Story of My Life" as "unrelentingly brutal," but the film doesn't convey the harsh circumstances that Beck endured—or perpetuated—in the ghetto. An African American critical studies professor provides an effective analogy, "Dope is the greatest pimp who ever lived; you're the 'ho' and dope is pimping you." But Beck's confessions of addiction are brief and superficial.
Instead, Portrait of a Pimp employs evocative pulp fiction animation and motion graphics – of slickly dressed black men and scantily clad women – to convey Beck's life in the 'hood. It's an inspired aesthetic choice, with the tabloid book-cover imagery that became synonymous with Beck's literary output coming to life to illustrate his real-life journey. But such smooth retro-noir artistry doesn't effectively paint the emotional turmoil of that experience.
When Beck goes clean, it adds a surprising twist to the story—and refreshingly, some female voices—his ex-wife and daughters—as additional narrators. But the pace of the film stalls with its new emphasis on the struggles of authors and publishers' exploitation of their work. The film also raises—but never adequately addresses—the issue that Beck may not have given up his many vices.
With its iconic subject matter—as one expert in the film notes, "If prostitution is the oldest profession, pimping is the second oldest"—Iceberg Slim: Portrait Of A Pimp will certainly draw the curious, mostly on small screens. But the movie doesn't deliver on the kind of titillation thrill-seekers might expect. And for those wanting a more penetrating account of the pimping life, the documentary spends more time celebrating Iceberg as a trailblazer than showing his faults. Moreover, the filmmakers can't overcome the drawback of not being able to interview their primary subject (Beck died in 1992).
From a technical viewpoint, well-executed archival footage and animated imagery compensate for some lackluster photographed talking heads.
Production companies: Final Level Entertainment
International sales: UTA, www.unitedtalent.com
Producers: Danny Bresnik, Jeff Scheftel
Executive producers: Jorge Hinojosa, Ice-T
Cinematography: Kelly Jones
Editor: Danny Bresnik
Main cast: Ice-T, Chris Rock, Snoop Dogg, Quincy Jones, Henry Rollins, Katt Williams


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6.23: Recent and Future Population Growth
- Page ID
- 6582
Should the population of the planet by characterized by individual country, or as one general population?
How many people is too many? Is there a limit? Is there a carrying capacity for humans? These are important questions that do not have an easy answer. But as our population continues to grow, these questions and others should be discussed.
Recent Population Growth
At one time, scientists predicted that all human populations would pass through the samedemographic transition as Europe and North America. Now, they are not so sure. Death rates have fallen throughout the world. No country today remains in Stage 1 of the transition. However, birth rates are still high in many poor countries. These populations seem to be stuck in Stage 2. An example is the African country of Angola. Its population pyramid for 2005 is shown in Figure below. The wide base of the pyramid base reflects the high birth rate of this population.
Angola's population pyramid is typical of Stage 2 of the demographic transition.
Many other countries have shifted to Stage 3 of the transition. Birth rates have started to fall. As a result, population growth is slowing. An example is Mexico. Its population pyramid for 1998 is shown in Figure below. It reflects a recent fall in the birth rate.
Mexico's 1998 population pyramid is typical of Stage 3 population. How can you tell that the birth rate has started to fall?
Most developed nations have entered Stage 4. Sweden is an example (see Figure below). The birth rate has been low for many years in Sweden. Therefore, the rate of population growth is near zero.
Sweden's 1998 population pyramid shows a population in Stage 4.
In some countries, birth rates have fallen even lower than death rates. As result, their population growth rates are negative. In other words, the populations are shrinking in size. These populations have top-heavy population pyramids, like the one for Italy shown in Figure below. This is a new stage of the demographic transition, referred to as Stage 5. You might think that a negative growth rate would be a good thing. In fact, it may cause problems. For example, growth-dependent industries decline. Supporting the large aging population is also a burden for the shrinking younger population of workers.
This 1998 population pyramid for Italy represents a Stage 5 population.
Future Population Growth
During the month of October 2011, the world's population surpassed 7 billion people. It took just 12 years for the population to increase by a billion people. At this rate, there may be well over 9 billion people by 2050, and easily 10 billion people by 2100. This raises many questions for both people and the planet.
The human population is now growing by more than 200,000 people a day. The human population may well be close to its carrying capacity. It has already harmed the environment. An even larger human population may cause severe environmental problems. This could lead to outbreaks of disease, starvation, and global conflict. There are three potential solutions:
- Use technology to make better use of resources to support more people.
- Change behaviors to reduce human numbers and how much humans consume.
- Distribute resources more fairly among all the world's people.
Which solution would you choose?
"If growth continued at this rate...by 2600 we would all be standing literally shoulder to shoulder" - Steven Hawking
Census Update: What the World Will Look like in 2050
On June 30, 2011, Time.com published Census Update: What the World Will Look Like in 2050 at www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,2080404,00.html. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, in 2050, there will be 9.4 billion people:
- India will be the most populous nation, surpassing China sometime around 2025.
- The U.S. will remain the third most populous nation, with a population of 423 million (up from 308 million in 2010).
- Declining birth rates in Japan and Russia will cause them to fall from their current positions as the 9th and 10th most populous nations, respectively, to 16th and 17th.
- Nigeria will have a population of 402 million, up from 166 million people.
- Ethiopia's population will likely triple, from 91 million to 278 million, making the East African nation one of the top 10 most populous countries in the world.
So what does all this mean?
- The African continent is expected to experience significant population growth in the coming decades, which could compound existing food supply problems in some African nations.
- Immigration and differing birth rates among races will change the ethnic composition of the U.S.
- Population booms in Africa and India, the decline of Russia, and the expected plateau of China will all change the makeup of the estimated 9.4 billion people who will call Earth home in 2050.
- Other countries have completed similar demographic transitions. However, some countries seem stalled at early stages. They have high birth rates and rapidly growing populations.
- The total human population may have to stop growing eventually. Even if we reduce our use of resources and distribute them more fairly, at some point the carrying capacity will be reached.
4. What is the human population problem? What are some potential solutions? Which solution do you think is best?
1. Why was a fifth stage added to the demographic transition model? Describe a population at this stage.
2. Which stage of the demographic transition is represented by the population pyramid in theFigure below? Why?
3. Evaluate how well the original demographic transition model represents human populations today.


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Well, we all know that there ain't much more happening in Colletti-land for the rest of this off-season (cries). But at least we can keep up with some former Dodgers and where they're headed!
- The Arizona Diamondbacks signed 41-year-old Takashi Saito for one year, $1.75M. So I guess we'll see Sammy around Chavez Ravine a bit more in 2012 (relative to when he played for the Brewers).
- Pending results of a physical, peppy but oft-injured Rafael Furcal will return to the world champion Cardinals, having signed a two-year, $14M deal. I was sad to see Raffy go last year but glad he got a ring with St. Louis. I would feel less sad if Dee Gordon really worked out in 2012, particularly from the plate.
- The Giants are re-signing Guillermo Mota (reported $1M, one year). I'm fine with having Mota and his 3.81 ERA up there, despite the fact that he tends to do pretty well against the Dodgers; I sort of feel like he's always on the precipice of a total meltdown, a la recent Jonathan Broxton efforts. We can get to him.
But wait! I stand corrected; it's not quite completely moribund for the Dodgers, at least if you classify talking with corpses as "action." Apparently, we're interested in Coco Crisp, who hasn't played regularly since 2005 with the Indians. Yep, that sounds like a typical Colletti pickup to me. I'm guessing two years minimum. (We're also still interested in Mike MacDougal and the recently non-tendered Hong-Chih Kuo, reflecting our penchant for self-flagellation.)


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Hey all! How's it going?! I am on day two of being unemployed and while I'm enjoying the little bit of free time, it does feel incredibly odd to be home during the week. I am trying to keep myself busy by applying to jobs, cleaning and organizing, getting myself sorted out to do some serious sewing, and writing up some new patterns - eeek! I have actually had a few items done for awhile that I wanted to write patterns for but just hadn't had the chance to do it, but now that I have the time I'm hoping to get everything hammered out soonlishly.
This is what I looked like yesterday on day one; I'm wearing my new Crywolf t-shirt and the big wooly socks I knit - this right here is basically my homebody uniform (and can I just say how nerve-wracking it was to make the decision to put my early morning, no-makeup face up here). Taking this picture reminded me of a little pattern I wrote up and hadn't posted here yet. Note the snazzy, cross stitched case on my iPhone...
When I first got my iPhone I knew immediately that it was going to need some sort of crafty case. I started seeing perforated cross stitch cases popping and knew that was the way to go for me! There are many different brands and types of these cases on the market, and as such they all have different stitch counts - my case is about 22 stitches (or little x's) wide by about 41 stitches high, minus the opening for the camera and the rounded edges.
This little star design is based on a traditional Norwegian weaving motif that can be found on tapestry's and blankets (edited a little though as the traditional motif has a few more elements thrown in). I had originally intended to continue around the star in alternating colour bands, varying the width as I went along, and filling the entire back, but I had to stop at this point one day and I actually kind of like how it looks with the contrasting black. I may continue with the bands though now - you can be the judge for yourself though.
The design above (which is included with the free pattern) shows all of the bands covering the back so that it can be stitched up just as I originally envisioned or one could simply stop at any point along the way with as many bands as they'd like. Since, as I mentioned above, the stitch counts change depending on which case you purchase, you may need to to lengthen or shorten some bands if using this pattern - really the idea is just to start at the middle and keep going around and around and around until you're satisfied. I think that this cross stitch pattern would also look stupendous on items other than an iPhone case too!
The free pattern includes the colour stitch image shown above, a symbol chart, and colour key in one PDF. Please note that although the chart and colour key will denote the use of black floss, this is not necessary. I simply used the black stitches to indicate the presence of the camera hole and rounded edges of the case. Just click on the link below and away you go (and remember to upload your finished products to the Flickr group)!


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This is directed at the team, since nobody else will be able to help.
The key I took out for StackMobile is behaving strangely. I make a few requests, and then the limit resets to 0. (By limit, I'm referring to the X-RateLimit-whatever-its-called header.)
Update: it's not the limit (10000) that's getting reset, it's the number of requests remaining. It starts at 9999 and every few requests, it resets to 9999.


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- Home
- Government
- Departments
- Public Works
- Community Development
Community Development
About the Department
Welcome to the City of Deer Park Building Department. We hope that we can provide you with the information you will need to successfully build, remodel, and develop in Deer Park.
When a Building Permit is Required
The best way to find out if you need a permit is to call your local building department. Discuss your plans with a building official before you begin construction to determine whether you need a permit. If a permit is not needed, the code official will answer your construction questions and may provide valuable advice.
A person, firm, or corporation shall not erect, construct, enlarge, alter, repair, move, improve, remove, install, convert, or demolish any building or structure (including fences and storage buildings) within the City of Deer Park without first obtaining a permit (building, plumbing, mechanical, electrical, stormwater, and/or floodplain development).
Permits are required for the following:
- New buildings (residential and commercial)
- Additions (bathrooms, bedrooms, family rooms, etc.)
- Residential work (decks, garages, fences, fireplaces, pools, water heaters, exteriors, etc.)
- Renovations (garage conversions, kitchen expansions, re-roofing, bathrooms, etc.)
- Electrical work
- Plumbing systems
- HVAC (heating, ventilating, air conditioning) systems
Working Without a Permit
Any person working within the city limits on any property that is not that person's primary residence who erects, constructs, alters, or repairs a building or structure without the required permits or licenses is in violation of City Ordinance 3392 and will be subject to a $500 investigation fee, a triple permit fee, and a $150 license fee if applicable.
This also includes plumbing, electrical and mechanical work.
Why are Building Permits Important
By reading this you've already taken the first step toward protecting the outcome and investment value of your construction project and guarding against a lawsuit or injury. The following information describes simple steps you can take to obtain building permits and how permits work for you. You'll be surprised at how easy the whole process is.
The truth is, building permits are very beneficial to you and your community. By working with an expert code official, you will benefit from their knowledge of building codes to ensure your construction project is built right, will be safe and will last. Read on to discover the benefits of building permits.
What's a Building Permit?
A building permit give you legal permission to start construction of a building project in accordance with approved drawings and specifications.
Why Bother Getting a Permit?
Your home or business is an investment. If your construction project does not comply with the codes adopted by your community, the value of your investment could be reduced. Property insurers may not cover work done without permits and inspections. If you decide to sell your home or building that has had modifications without a permit, you may be required to tear down the addition, leave it unoccupied or do costly repairs.
A property owner who can show that code requirements were strictly and consistently met has a strong ally if something happens to trigger a potentially destructive lawsuit. Your permit also allows the code official to protect the public by reducing the potential hazards of unsafe construction and ensuring public health, safety and welfare. By following code guidelines, your completed project will meet minimum standards of safety and will be less likely to cause injury to you, your family, your friends and future owners.
Contact Us
Chief Building Official
Greg Melching
Direct Phone: 281-478-7235
Main Phone: 281-478-7270
Email Greg Melching
Email Public WorksMonday - Friday
8:00am to 5:00pm


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Pilots and controllers who may be obese will have an extra hoop to jump for their medical certification to ensure they don't have obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). Federal Air Surgeon Dr. Fred Tilton has notified(PDF) Air Medical Examiners (AMEs) that they will soon be required to measure the body mass index (BMI)of all pilots and controllers during their medicals. Anyone with a BMI of 40 or more (up to 25 is normal) will automatically have to be evaluated for OSA by a doctor who is a "board certified sleep specialist." Anyone who has OSA has to get it treated successfully before he or she can fly again because OSA is a disqualifying condition. And, chances are, if their BMI is that high (five feet eight inches and 260 pounds) and their neck is that thick they do have OSA, according to Tilton. "OSA is almost universal" in those individuals, Tilton tells the AMEs. OSA disrupts restorative sleep and causes daytime sleepiness, cognitive impairment and can even cause sudden cardiac death, but Tilton doesn't say in his brief note what data (how many OSA-related accidents have been recorded, for instance) his staff have used to draft the new rule. But it doesn't end with the obviously fat.
Tilton says that while the initial action will target those with the BMIs above 40, his plan is to root out all sleep apnea victims and ensure they don't fly until they're treated. "Once we have appropriately dealt with every airman examinee who has a BMI of 40 or greater, we will gradually expand the testing pool by going to lower BMI measurements until we have identified and assured treatment for every airman with OSA," he wrote. That means even the moderately overweight (BMI of 30 or less) can likely expect the referral to a sleep specialist because Tilton says that up to 30 percent of those who carry an extra 20 or 30 pounds have OSA. For unknown reasons, pilots will be targeted first. There are "logistical details" to be dealt with before the rule is implemented for controllers but Tilton said the plan is to include them, too. National Air Traffic Controllers Association declined comment.
This story was corrected to remove the reference to neck circumference as a trigger for referral to a sleep specialist based on a reader observation and confirmation from the FAA.


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This article is more than 1 year old
Watchdog files complaint over Facebook 'privacy' settings
EPIC violation of user expectation
The Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC) has filed a formal complaint with the US Federal Trade Commission over Facebook's recent changes to user privacy settings, claiming the changes are in violation of consumer-protection law.
In the complaint, the influential consumer watchdog urges the FTC to open an investigation into the new settings and require the social networking outfit to revert to its previous policies. "[The changes] violate user expectations, diminish user privacy, and contradict Facebook's own representations," the complaint reads.
Facebook rolled out its new privacy settings last week. Though it asks each of its 350 million user to review some settings before they're put into place - and though it gives users the ability to customize their settings for individual pieces of data they post to the site - the changes are shamelessly designed to expose more personal info to world+dog. And some settings are beyond the user's control.
Most notably, a user's name, city, gender, photograph, and selected "fan pages" can now be viewed by anyone on the web. Whether you like it or not. Facebook has now changed its setup so that users can opt-out of exposing their friends list. In asking users to review additional settings, the site also recommends that they expose status updates, posted content, details about friends and family, and other personal data to the web at large.
In a statement shared with The New York Times, Facebook said it was "disappointed" with the EPIC complaint and defended its new policies. "Facebook's plan to provide users control over their privacy and how they share content is unprecedented in the Internet age," the statement reads.
"We have gone to great lengths to inform users about our platform changes, beginning with our July announcement; founder Mark Zuckerberg's open letter to our 350 million users; our robust press and analyst outreach; the notice-and-comment framework for our new privacy policy; and simple customization tools for users."
The company also says it discussed the new privacy setting with the FTC before they were launched.
Nonetheless, EPIC's complaint - available here (PDF) - says the new settings classify as Unfair and Deceptive Trade Practices under the Federal Trade Commission Act. "EPIC urges the Commission to investigate Facebook, determine the extent of the harm to consumer privacy and safety, require Facebook to restore privacy settings that were previously available as detailed below, require Facebook to give users meaningful control over personal information, and seek appropriate injunctive and compensatory relief," it reads.
The complaint also argues that the new settings will put more data into the hands of third-party application developers. Which is merely stating the obvious. It's signed not only by EPIC but by American Library Association, the Center for Digital Democracy, the Consumer Federation of America, the Privacy Rights Clearinghouse, and myriad other privacy organizations. ®
<i?Update: This story has been updated to show that Facebook now lets you hide your friends list from world+dog.


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Indonesian police charged an American couple with murder Friday after the body of the woman's 62-year-old mother was found stuffed in a suitcase on the resort island of Bali.
Heather Mack, 19, and her boyfriend Tommy Schaefer, 21, both from Chicago, were arrested Wednesday in Bali's Kuta area, a day after the body of Sheila von Wiese-Mack was found inside the trunk of a taxi parked in front of the St. Regis Bali Resort.
The charges are based on witnesses and crime scene evidence, said Bali deputy police chief Brigadier-General Gusti Ngurah Raharja Subyakta.
Police said the couple hired the taxi and then placed the suitcase inside the trunk. They told the taxi driver that they were going to check out of the hotel and would return. After they didn't show up, hotel security guards who found blood spots on the suitcase suggested the driver take the taxi to the police station, where officers opened the suitcase and discovered the body.
The couple told investigators that von Wiese-Mack was killed by robbers while they managed to escape, according to the police chief for Bali's provincial capital of Denpasar, Colonel Djoko Hari Utomo.
Utomo said that contradicted testimonies by the taxi driver and hotel employees.
Von Wiese-Mack, also from Chicago, and her daughter arrived at the St. Regis on Saturday, while Schaefer checked in on Monday, police said.
CCTV footage shows that the victim had an argument with Schaefer on Monday in the hotel's lobby.
Von Wiese-Mack's body was being autopsied at a hospital in Denpasar, Bali. Head of Forensics Ida Bagus Putu Alit said there were signs of violence on the body indicating the victim fought before she died.
"We found scars on both forearms and the broken left-hand fingernail," Alit said following an external examination. "That indicated a resistance in a fight."
During initial questioning Wednesday, Mack acknowledged her mother died, but refused to disclose how, according to Haposan Sihombing, an Indonesian lawyer assigned by police to accompany the couple.
Sihombing said that Mack and her mother arrived in Bali on Aug. 4, and stayed first at Simanyak Hotel before moving to St. Regis on Aug. 9.
"When asked why they left the hotel and moved to Kuta, she did not respond," Sihombing said. "She even told police that three masked men entered their room, making her mother angry and that she asked them out, otherwise she would call the police."
Mack signed investigating documents and a letter of lawyer's assignment after Wednesday's questioning while Schaefer refused, saying he wants to wait for his lawyer to arrive from America, Sihombing said.
"In principle, they did not respond to many questions," Sihombing said. "They were not co-operative."
Authorities in an upscale Chicago suburb, meanwhile, examined records of 86 incidents in which police were called to the family's house in Oak Park where von Wiese-Mack lived with her daughter. Friends have also started talking to local reporters, alleging that the mother-daughter relationship was sometimes contentious.
The calls started in 2004 and lasted through June, 2013, according to village of Oak Park spokesman David Powers, who also said the family moved out about a year ago. The bulk of the calls were missing-person reports, and others included domestic problems and theft.
Powers didn't have details about the calls, but said none resulted in arrests. He added there were a number of emergency 911 calls made from the residence in which the caller hung up, and, as is standard procedure, the police department sent a squad car to investigate.
Von Wiese-Mack was the widow of highly regarded jazz and classical composer James L. Mack of Oak Park, Ill., who died in 2006 at age 76.
In 2012, von Wiese-Mack joined a century-old Chicago book club called the Caxton Club. She had varied interests including Asian literature and Wagnerian opera, according to a May, 2013, profile of her in the club's publication Caxtonian.


text:
3 Beds 1.5 Baths 1,224 Sq.Ft.
For Sale
1412 Ellis Rd, Annapolis, MD 21403
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13604 Wisteria Dr, Germantown, MD 20874
For Sale
1377 Meyers Station Rd, Odenton, MD 21113
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2438 Callow Ave #1, Baltimore, MD 21217
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For Lease
2438 Callow Ave #3, Baltimore, MD 21217
When it comes to "Team," the approach is very different from tradition. Within The Gerdes Team, each agent, their brand, their goals, their vision is equally as important as that of the Team Leader. We raise each other up, focusing on each of our strengths, values, and drive. Contact us today!


text:
Both businesses and researchers increasingly are using computational science to enhance their return on investments and discovery methods. Faculty wishing to incorporate this discipline into their coursework are invited to attend the workshop, "Integrating Computational Science into the Undergraduate Curriculum," June 17 to 23, 2007, at the Ohio Supercomputer Center, Columbus, Ohio.
Registration closes April 23 for this weeklong program. The fee of $150 includes room, board and all materials. Scholarships may be available. Register at http://www.computationalscience.org/workshops/summer07/index.html.
"Computational science has become increasingly important as the third approach to scientific discovery along with theory and experimentation. The workshop will show participating faculty how computational science is being integrated into the undergraduate curriculum and give them an opportunity to develop materials that they integrate into their instruction," said Steve Gordon, acting director of the Ralph Regula School of Computational Science, an initiative of the Ohio Supercomputer Center. "Participants will review materials that have been implemented in other settings and receive the assistance of a mentor to implement computational science in their classrooms during the coming academic year."
Participating faculty also will be eligible for internships with a variety of organizations participating in the SC07 conference, providing them opportunities to learn more about computational science and engineering and to present their projects and programs at this international meeting of supercomputer experts.
The workshop is designed for faculty members who have used some computational science tools in their research or teaching or have completed an introductory workshop on computational science. Those completing the workshop will prepare or adapt at least one instructional module and an implementation plan to use in their classroom. The workshop also will link attendees to the emerging statewide computational science programs through the Ralph Regula School.
The focus will be on approaches to integrating computational science into classrooms either through existing courses or through the emerging undergraduate minor program in computational science provided through the Ralph Regula School. The workshop focus will include topics adjusted to the interests to those who attend. The potential focus areas include introduction to modeling and simulation; computational physics; computational chemistry; structural modeling; computational fluid dynamics; and computational biology.
"Integrating Computational Science into the Undergraduate Curriculum Workshop" is sponsored by SC07, the Ralph Regula School of Computational Science, and the Ohio Supercomputer Center.
Ohio Supercomputer Center: Celebrating 20 years of service, the Ohio Supercomputer Center is a catalytic partner of Ohio universities and industries that provides a reliable high performance computing and high performance networking infrastructure for a diverse statewide/regional community including education, academic research, industry, and state government. OSC promotes and stimulates computational research and education in order to act as a key enabler for the state's aspirations in advanced technology, information systems, and advanced industries. For additional information, visit http://www.osc.edu.


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(visited by Kenneth Girodias)
13-Jul-2002 -- I drove down to this confluence by myself. I had no problem finding the area thanks to Mapquest.com. According to the map, the confluence point is just behind the houses on Rolling Meadows Ln. When I got there, I parked the car on the corner of Rolling Meadows and Chamblee, about .15 miles from the confluence point.


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World premiere for all-new Kia Sportage at Geneva
The all-new Kia Sportage will show a dramatic shift in design direction when it makes its world premiere at the Geneva Motor Show on 2 March, 2010.
Embodying Kia's new visual dynamism, all-new Sportage is a fresh, bold, athletic and sporty design that blends the key features of an SUV – the commanding driving position, heightened sense of security and raised ground clearance – in a sleek and urban-friendly design.
Longer, lower and wider than the previous generation model, all-new Sportage will offer more space for people and cargo, with improved ride quality thanks to a longer wheelbase.
Michael Cole, Managing Director of Kia Motors (UK) Ltd., said: "Sportage was the car that really made the breakthrough for Kia in Europe and the all-new version will make people sit up and take notice just as the original did. I am convinced it will begin a remarkable new chapter in the Kia story."
The all-new Sportage comes to the UK later this year, with a range of highly competitive diesel and petrol engines.
The world premiere of the all-new Sportage will take place at 08.45 on 2 March, 2010 on the Kia Stand (No 6441) in Hall 6 at the Geneva International Motor Show.


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Ting pricing example, click to read |
When asked why T-Mobile did not do it, he said that consumers are used to low phone prices and would not switch even if the long run cost, including usage contact rates, were less.
Well, he may be right, but ting.com is betting that if an unbundled plan is cheap and flexible enough, people will be willing to pay big bucks up front for a phone. How does, say, $62 per month for 2 phones, 500 voice minutes, 1,000 text messages and a 2 gigs of data sound to you? That is a tentative plan I priced out using Ting's rate calculator (see the image above).
But wait, it gets better. There is no contract -- service is month to month. How about their rate plans? There are 216 possibilities. Want more? Ting doesn't roll unused minutes and data over, it gives you cash credit on next month's bill if your actual use is below your plan. What if you exceed the limits of your rate plan? The rate plan is tentative, not hard and fast -- you are bumped up to the next level with not penalty charges. In other words, your bill is a function of your actual usage, not your plan.
It's not all rosy. The phones aren't cheap. For example, a Samsung Galaxy SII 4G is $465, but Ting's billing plans and rates can make up for a lost phone subsidy pretty quickly and you won't be tempted to throw away your phone every two years. For the time being, Ting offers only a few phones and you can't bring your own -- you must buy one of theirs. Another possible glitch -- Ting's carrier is Sprint, and they might have poor coverage in your area.
Virgin Mobile has launched an ad campaign for their unlimited data service. For $35 a month you get 300 minutes of voice and unlimited 3G data and messaging with no contract. Like Ting, they are on the Sprint network in the US, but their 3G phone selection is less impressive.
Might Ting and Virgin Mobile disrupt the mobile phone market? Maybe T-Mobile will jump on the bandwagon. Might we eventually see competition in the mobile market? Stay tuned.


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The Titanomachy is the biggest thing to ever happen to disc golf. It's champ vs. champ during the 2013 Colorado Belt Disc Golf Championship.
Belt disc golf is a grueling extreme sport. Do not attempt to replicate anything on this video! Laymen and PDGA big mouths take on the risk of certain death.


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Advanced Search
VMware's open source Cloud Foundry Platform as a Service (PaaS) is getting an unlikely addition: support for Microsoft's .NET Framework.
It's not coming from VMware but from cloud provider Tier 3, which announced it is contributing its own fork of the .NET Framework for Cloud Foundry to the open source community. The framework will allow developers to port their .NET applications to Cloud Foundry.
The move comes just one day after Microsoft announced an upgraded release of its PaaS -- the Windows Azure platform -- which among other things includes a preview of its Hadoop connectors, a Node.js software development kit (SDK) and a JavaScript plug-in for Eclipse developers.
Bellevue, Wash.-based Tier 3 will contribute its .NET fork of Cloud Foundry, called Iron Foundry, as well as its Windows version of the Cloud Foundry Explorer and a Visual Studio plug-in for Cloud Foundry. Tier 3 is making the code available at ironfoundry.org and at GitHub under an Apache 2 license.
"Because developers can run their own instances of Iron Foundry in-house or with any service provider who supports it, developers finally have a truly open, interoperable .NET PaaS solution that can be run inside and outside the firewall," said a company blog post. "And because you can run your own instances of Iron Foundry, it's easy to have a full test, QA, and staging environment before pushing to production. In addition, operations teams now have the freedom to choose among various service providers that meet their needs in areas such as security, compliance, availability, location, etc."
In a bid to accelerate adoption of its .NET fork of Cloud Foundry, Tier 3 is offering developers trial usage consisting of one Web and one database instance for 90 days, running on the company's cloud platform.
Cloud Foundry, launched in April, appears to be gaining momentum. It was rated the top cloud PaaS platform by developers, according to the results of a survey by Evans Data Corp. last month. Cloud Foundry is designed to run Spring, Rails, Node.js and Scala applications. With .NET support available on Cloud Foundry, that should only broaden its appeal.
Posted by Jeffrey Schwartz on December 13, 2011
There's yet another new chapter in the VMware saga: Its End User Computing (EUC) business, which includes several enterprise virtual desktop staples, has been divested by current owner Broadcom.
Here's your guide to all the IT training sessions, partner meet-ups and annual Microsoft conferences you won't want to miss.
Microsoft described 11 corporate "AI access principles," aimed at fostering an artificial intelligence-based economy.
Everything Microsoft partners and IT pros need to know about major Microsoft product milestones this year.
More Partner Guides
More Webcasts
More White Papers


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Carrie Underwood says a "gruesome" fall that left her injured last November was more severe than what has previously been made public.
The country superstar broke her wrist in the fall, which sidelined her from a benefit concert and required physical therapy.
But in a blog post on her official fan website this week, Underwood also revealed that she injured her face, too.
"There is also another part of the story that I haven't been ready to talk about, since I have still been living it and there has been much uncertainty as to how things will end up," she wrote in the New Year's Eve post, which was reviewed by CNN. "It's crazy how a freak random accident can change your life. In addition to breaking my wrist, I somehow managed to injure my face as well."
Underwood said she would spare fans the "gruesome details," but added that the doctor said he had put "between 40-50 stitches in."
Several weeks after the incident, Underwood said she is "still healing and not quite looking the same." She added, however, that she is "grateful that it wasn't much, much worse."
She also said that she is going back into the studio next week. The singer's last major album release was 2015's "Storyteller."
"When I am ready to get in front of a camera, I want you all to understand why I might look a bit different," Underwood told fans in her post. "I'm hoping that, by then, the differences are minimal, but, again, I just don't know how it's all going to end up."
Underwood has still been active on social media in the weeks after her fall. Five days ago, the singer posted a photo on Instagram of herself with a scarf almost completely obscuring her face.
A spokesperson for Underwood did not immediately respond to a request for further comment.


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My 25-year friendship with Julia Child began with a lie. It was 1979 and I was the chef/manager of a catering operation in Cambridge, Massachusetts. One day when I was peeling hundreds of hard-boiled eggs with one of my workers and discussing Julia Child's method of hard boiling eggs (which involves not boiling them, but that is another story), my worker mentioned that she was going to be a volunteer on Julia's upcoming cooking show, Julia Child & More Company. I asked her if I could be a volunteer too and the next day she came in and said that Julia wanted to hire me. I was baffled; Julia didn't even know me, why would she want to hire me? So I trotted down to the corner pay phone and Julia picked right up.
"Oh dearie," her familiar voice said from the other end of the line, "I've heard so much about you. Do you food style?" Back then, nobody had any formal training in this field; each chef just tried to put food on the plate in an attractive fashion. Of course I lied and said yes. "Yes, I'm really very good." She hired me on the spot.
Julia's response in the film? She sticks out her tongue as the director walks out the door. The real Julia might have given the finger.
Julia was the warmest, most down-to-earth person on the planet, but she was still Julia Child. I had a hard time completely relaxing around her which was ridiculous. After Julia Child & More Company, I worked with her on various charity events and later at Good Morning America. She was an angel to me, helping me to get jobs and pushing me to work hard. She even brought me along as her protégé to the White House in 1999 when she was receiving an award with several other women at a luncheon hosted by then-first lady Hillary Clinton. I had her on my Food Network show, Cooking Live, twice (the first time to make those famous non-boiled hard-boiled eggs). In 2004, I convinced Food Network to do a special on Julia. I flew out to Santa Barbara that March and recorded what I think was her last interview before she passed away in August. The special aired shortly after she passed away.
See Streep's performance in the Julie & Julia trailer.
It was a bit of shock, although, a wonderful one, to see Julia so accurately brought back to life in Julie & Julia, which opens in theaters this week. I didn't stop smiling the whole time. Here are the five things that Meryl Streep and filmmaker Nora Ephron get right about my mentor.
The Voice: Meryl Streep really nails Julia's voice. Julia would get caught up in her words, almost inhaling them, so they didn't come out very easily. She would belabor breathing while she talked—she was a heavy breather—and then trip over her r's. Every word of hers had more going for it than something spit out by somebody else. The only part of Julia's distinctive voice, which Streep missed is the energy that was behind it. I think Streep talked just a tad too slowly, especially in the television clips. Julia was very deliberate in what she said and what she did, but I felt as if a tiny bit of zest was missing in Streep's performance.
The Movement: Julia had this gawky awkwardness, which Streep picks up. She was tall, and she moved the way she talked: weirdly. It was as if all her joints weren't screwed in right, which Streep does a good job of capturing. Julia had this big, gangly schoolgirl demeanor which never disappeared despite decades of television and public appearances. Even the outfits were right, although probably a little bit fancier than the real Julia sported at the time.
The Attitude: There's a scene in the film when Julia is being put down by the dour female director of the Cordon Bleu where Julia was taking classes in Paris. Julia has just sit down to take her final exam and the director comments, "I don't know why you want to do this, you are a terrible cook, but if you cook for Americans, they won't know the difference." Julia's response in the film? She sticks out her tongue as the director walks out the door. The real Julia might have given the finger. She was so spontaneous, and yes, at times, a little crude. If somebody pissed her off, she might shout, "Balls!" When we were at her house in Cambridge madly cooking up a big meal for company, she would turn to one of us and say, "Aren't we having fun?" Still, the movie takes her very seriously. People loved Julia, but they sort of saw her as a ham. Here, she's portrayed as she was: a talented determined woman who constantly pushed her projects forward.
The Passion: I've talked to quite a few people in the past week who were shocked to see Julia and her husband Paul get into bed and start kissing each other. But they were madly in love and not afraid to show it. While other people sent out Christmas cards to their friends, Paul and Julia sent out Valentine's Day cards, some of which were quite risqué like the photo of the two of them in a bubble bath that they showed in the movie. Paul was shorter than Julia, but he was also very manly; that he was shorter didn't make a difference. Stanley Tucci captures both Paul's elegance and that manly strength. Theirs was the Pygmalion story. Julia was great raw material, but Paul really inspired her to blossom. She wanted to enter his world, which was so much more cultured than hers had been. She wanted to cook for him and in the process she fell in love with cooking. That passion comes through in the movie, too.
The Food: Julia quickly became very proficient in the kitchen and although she would never call herself a chef, her skills were up to any pro's. Streep's portrayal is just right whether she is boning a duck or making an omelet. There's a shot of Julia whacking away at a piece of pastry with a rolling pin (which is what you do when you first take in out of the fridge and it is cold) that felt very reminiscent. Streep also nailed how Julia ate. She was such a thoughtful eater. There's an epiphanic moment in the beginning of the film when Julia takes her first bite of sole meuniere. She can't believe how good it is. You can just imagine what is going on in her head. Julia Child could not separate chewing from thinking.
I am sure that Julie & Julia will renew interest in the life and work of the woman I met a quarter century ago. She is going to be discovered all over again. That would make her so happy.
Plus: Check out Hungry Beast, for more news on the latest restaurants, hot chefs, and tasty recipes.
Sara Moulton is the executive chef at Gourmet magazine, where she has worked for 25 years. She is the host of Sara's Weeknight Meals on PBS and was one of the original Food Network stars as the host of Cooking Live, Cooking Live Primetime, and Sara's Secrets. She is the author of Sara's Secrets for Weeknight Meals and Sara Moulton Cooks at Home.


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SaLuSa, July 22, 2011
There is everything to gain and nothing to lose by following the path to Ascension. Indeed, you will gain so much that you will look back at lives on Earth, and wonder how you got through them. Whatever you visualize as the beauty, joy and happiness of moving into a heavenly abode, we would say that you will still be overwhelmed by the sheer magnificence of everything. Wherever you go you are the focus of much love and attention by all life forms. You might believe that you have experienced love, but you are in for many surprises. It surrounds you, and you will literally feel as though you are walking on air. That is how it should be and is a most natural feature of the higher dimensions. Each soul you meet would seem as a God to you, yet by that time you also shall be one. Were you not made in the image of God, so is it not natural that you would be recognized as one yourself? The real you bears little resemblance to what you are now, but we acknowledge that many of you are trying your hardest to lift yourself up, and achieve success by being ones that lives by the Light and Love. Whilst on Earth you have the most difficult time to lift out of the lower vibrations, which is why few souls achieve Ascension without immense help. In your present situation you are receiving levels of help that are not normally given, but are intense because the Creator desires that as my of you as possible ascend this time round. It is after all a special occasion that allows for mass Ascension, as the cycle of duality ends for all life forms on Mother Earth. As you must know by now, it does not however take away your divine right to follow your freewill choice. By your actions, words and intent it is you who decide what your experiences shall be. If you so choose to carry on in a similar condition of duality as you are now, that is perfectly acceptable and no one will admonish you or view you as a lesser Being. Michael has now added Cities of Light to his understanding, as another facet of what is to manifest for souls on the Ascension path. As the weeks go by information of these magnificent cities will become widely known, and you will find that they are technologically advanced healing centers that will totally change you. They will not be the only ones, as there will be many ways available to you that will concentrate on raising your vibrations. Many civilizations of the Galactic Federation will contribute to the task of attending to your needs, and each often has their own specialized expertise. Be assured that before you reach Ascension, you will have healing that is based on Light, Sound and Color. Your earthly ways are often quite crude, but we do not belittle your attempts to cater for all types of illness and disease. A lot of the new methods are understood by you, but usually lack the funding to be developed. Furthermore, there are Corporations in the drug industries that stem any advances that may replace their products and reduce their profits. Dear Ones, your crazy world is falling apart, as it can no longer sustain itself. You are in a changing Universe as everything is always on the move, even if sometimes it is not perceptible. Nothing can stand still, and although the dark Ones would like to keep you in their control forever that is impossible. Each civilization has a period of time in which to grow and experience, and your history shows that your earlier ones all fell apart. However, the lessons learnt are carried forward at a subconscious level, and your present civilization was charged with completing its cycle without destroying itself. Without our intervention in recent times you could easily have failed, and we were given the authority to ensure that souls who were ready to ascend should be allowed that opportunity. In duality, the high and low points of your evolution come and go according to the level of the mass consciousness. Having dipped to a very low point in recent times, you have overcome the attempts to keep you down and are well on your way to a successful conclusion. You often talk of people living in their own little world, but that it is quite acceptable in these times and preferable to being confused by everything happening around you. Stick to what you believe in and do not allow outside influences to put you off, and keep a clear mind as to your objectives. That way you can create an outer protection that allows you to be in the world but not of it, and that is perfectly in order and to be desired. It does not mean that you cannot be active in things that are of interest to you, but be sure that they are of a high vibration. Anything less is now to be dropped as part of your personal cleansing, and that also applies to your thoughts. Keep them clean and pure, as otherwise anything that is consistently dwelt upon will become attracted to you. Think Ascension, and as far as possible be that person you expect to be after you have been uplifted. Those people who do not believe in Ascension or the New Age prophesies in general, will often resort to ridicule when confronted with the facts. It is your place to allow such comments to pass over your head, and by being undeterred by them you are showing your strength of belief. It is different if you are asked to discuss your point of view, but Light Beings do not use their knowledge to pressurize another soul into believing as they do. Each one will eventually find their own path, and that clearly is the best way for them. When you have progressed sufficiently the Master may appear, and that signals that you have reached a high level of understanding. Nothing will be imposed upon you but simply laid before you for your approval. Soon you will find your consciousness levels noticeably rising, and you will know beyond doubt that your progress is speeding up. It will allow you to commence 2012 with the confidence to know that you are well on the way to full consciousness. Then you will realize how much your levels had previously been closed down, so that you were literally in the dark. Some souls are still floundering at a low level, and they are aware that something strange is taking place which makes them feel uncomfortable. Their plight is not being ignored and they will have opportunities to seek the truth, and once they show interest more help will be given. I am SaLuSa from Sirius, and so pleased that the messages are proving of help to many people. Bless you all and may God be with you. Thank you SaLuSa. Mike Quinsey. Website: Tree of the Golden Light If you would like to subscribe to Mike Quinsey's mailing list and receive his channelings directly, you can do this here (make sure you use the second form, the first is from Nancy Tate).
Every Monday night from 8 to 8:55 pm channelings and related matters are being discussed on First Contact Radio. The show is hosted by Dutch lightworker Maarten Horst and is presented in English. |


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Nearly four years after a Walmart worker was trampled to death by a stampede of Black Friday shoppers, Walmart Stores Inc. continues to fight a $7,000 fine by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration that it failed to control the crowd of shoppers.
Walmart has spent millions contesting the fine and a 2011 ruling by an independent administrative judge to uphold the penalty. The appeal is pending.
Walmart spokesman Steve Restivo said Wednesday in an e-mail that the company believes the citation has "far-reaching implications" and could lead to the creation of "unfairly harsh penalties and restrictions on future sales promotions."
OSHA has not enacted any new rules about crowd control since the 2008 death of Jdimytai Damour at a suburban New York Walmart, although it now offers employers recommendations about how to safely manage crowds during sales. The recommendations include using police or security guards at store entrances on big sale days, opening earlier, and requiring employees to instruct crowds from raised platforms.
The National Retail Federation has also promoted a set of crowd control best practices. Following the death, Walmart undertook improved crowd control strategies at its stores offering customers in line vouchers for sale merchandise to avoid frenzied onslaughts of shoppers. In recent years, there have been no reports of serious injuries or deaths during Thanksgiving sales.
OSHA fined Walmart after Damour, a Haitian immigrant, was crushed when about 2,000 early-morning shoppers ripped doors off hinges and rushed into the Valley Stream, N.Y., store for the "Blitz Friday" sale on the day after Thanksgiving. Damour died before he reached the hospital.
OSHA regulations say employers are legally responsible for providing a workplace free of "recognized hazards that are likely to cause serious injury or death." Investigators levied a $7,000 fine against Walmart, OSHA's maximum penalty for violating the "recognized hazards" rule.
Walmart appealed the OSHA fine to an Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission judge. Administrative Judge Covette Rooney ruled last year that the company's "precautions to protect its employees were minimal and ineffective."
Walmart's appeal of Rooney's decision will be decided by a 3-member commission.
Glenn Demby, a lawyer and chief editor of SafetyXChange, a blog promoting the safety compliance industry, said Walmart has said that crowd control problems that resulted in Damour's death were not a "known hazard."
Demby said that may be difficult for them to prove, particularly because "Blitz Friday" was so heavily promoted. "They may be wrong, or they may be right," he said, "but they obviously consider this to be worth a couple million dollars in attorney fees."
Megan Woolhouse can be reached at email@example.com.


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Written by Wendelin Van Draanen
Reviewed by Rachael M. (age 10)
This story is about two different people (not related) talking about the same event. They tell their sides. It?s sort of like a diary but with two people. There are a couple of lessons. One is that you should look beyond someone?s cover. You?ll have to read the book for more. The main characters are Bryce Loski and Julianna Baker. The story starts in 2nd Grade and ends in 8th Grade. I enjoyed this book.
I liked this book. I liked it, because it had very good descriptions. My favorite part was at the science fair and when Julianna studies chicks. I liked it, because I think chicks are cute and all of them survived. I like Julianna. She is smart, and nice. The only illustration is on the cover. It is a picture of a chick. That chick isn?t very cute. No, nothing is special about this book. I haven?t read any book like this before. I also haven?t read any other books by the author. This book is not in a series, although it would be nice if it were. I felt as though the book was a movie playing in front of me. I just didn?t know how the characters looked. The book is like two people are in the world?s shoes because they are just like regular people. I do not have a life like them but some people do. The book makes me wonder what would happen if the book went on.
I recommend this book to people who like reality books and a little bit of romance. I recommend this book, because it is fun-filled and has a wheel of suspense. I love it and I bet you will too. You don?t want to stop reading!


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Should We Retreat from Iraq?
Glenn Reynolds quotes Ann Althouse as follows:
"It's the failure of Americans to support the war. It's the folding and
crumpling because things didn't go well enough and the way we
conspicuously displayed that to our enemies. They're going to use that
information. For how long? Forever."
Despite my initial opposition to the war in Iraq, once we were there I have always been a stay the course guy. Partially for the reason that Althouse mentions, the damage to our credibility, and partially just because we have made a commitment to the Iraqi people and it would be dishonorable to leave them in the current mess without help.
What Althouse misses is this: American's are not necessarily ready to give up on the war in Iraq, but they are ready to give up on the Administration's management of it. One definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. This is how many folks, including myself, see our effort in Iraq. We beat our head over and over against the same wall in the same place, expecting different results, and we don't get them. People need to see an acknowledgment that the current approach is not working, so we are going to try X instead.
In this context, "stay the course" looks less attractive. Because no one can seem to communicate what the extra time is going to buy us. What will be done in three more years that was not done in the last three? Or will we have to support the Iraqi's for decades against their own desire to tear themselves apart, so twenty years from now we can say "well, it took all our capacity and the military got nothing else done, but we finally converted one bad regime out of about fifty out there to a democracy."
I am willing to give the administration one more shot to define success in Iraq and a plan for getting there. Right now, many Americans feel like the only two choices are "retreat now, with Iraq still a mess" and "retreat in five years, with Iraq still a mess and after a lot more casualties." The administration is going to have to define an option 3 to get people back on board.